What 'Good Enough' Looks Like When Decluttering

Stop perfectionist paralysis in decluttering. Learn what "good enough" looks like when making decisions about your stuff - from craft supplies to kitchen gadgets to guest bedding you never use.

A “good enough” attitude when decluttering isn’t about low standards or not caring about your possessions. Instead, it’s about being realistic about the time, effort, attention, money, and space you are willing to give to your home.

Knowing what you find important makes it easier to see what’s distracting you with unnecessary obligations. Choosing “good enough” streamlines and simplifies your life instead of exhausting you with perfectionistic standards that leave you stuck instead of enjoying your life.

Perfect is a prediction, not reality.

When you're standing in your closet, holding that blazer you haven't worn in three years, trying to make the "perfect" decision about keeping it, you're really just guessing what your future will look like. Will you need it for that hypothetical business meeting? That event that might come up?

Here's the thing: even making the "perfect" decisions doesn't mean nothing will change. Life happens... illness, new opportunities, becoming a grandparent, career shifts. You'll adapt anyway.

So instead of trying to predict the future, what if you focused on creating it?

From "Useful" to "Useful for My Life"

We get stuck because we confuse "useful in general" with "useful for the life I'm actually living."

Those extra pillows and blankets stacked in your linen closet? They're useful—if you regularly host overnight guests. But if you don't currently entertain houseguests (and don't see that changing because you genuinely prefer not to), then those items aren't useful for your life. In fact, they're creating mental clutter.

In your mind, you're concocting scenarios where someone stays over, then trying to figure out how to avoid that situation. Not owning guest bedding makes it easier to say naturally, "There are some great hotels in my area."

Good enough is about accepting what your actions already tell you about your priorities.

The Weight of Imaginary Obligations

Unused "useful" items easily become burdens. By holding onto something you might use "someday," you're subtly telling yourself you need to find a way to use it.

Think about those craft supplies from the class you took last year. Every time you see them, there's that exhausting tug-of-war: I want to use these vs. When I have free time, I deliberately choose to do something else.

That queasy feeling when you finally let them go? It's not a warning to keep them... it's the feeling of growth. You're creating space in your identity by saying, "The person who would use those things regularly isn't me." This frees up time, mental energy, and money for what you actually enjoy.

Good enough is learning the difference between a class you enjoyed and a full-fledged interest.

The False Economy of "Getting Your Money's Worth"

Here's something counterintuitive: holding onto something unused doesn't preserve its value... it can destroy it.

The garment you never wear but keep because it was the season's "must have" piece? It's becoming less fashionable. The expensive kitchen gadget gathering dust; its mechanisms are wearing down with disuse. The items you store in boxes "just in case" you need them someday might develop bad odors or attract pests.

Something that could have been sold, donated, or used by someone else becomes destined for the landfill instead.

Good enough is accepting the lesson about what you're actually interested in and passing the item along while it still has value.

Maybe all those unused kitchen gadgets are telling you that you no longer want complicated meal preparation. Simple meals or a meal service might be good enough to meet your needs... and more aligned with who you are now.

Design for Your Worst Days, Not Your Best

"Good enough" systems work when you're sick, exhausted, or stretched thin—not just when you're motivated and energized.

You might think you don't mind moving a stack of bowls to get to the dinner plates underneath, then restacking them. But when you're rushed, that extra step is too much, and dishes pile up on the counter.

Or maybe you think you should collect all your receipts to track expenses on a spreadsheet. It sounds "responsible," but you never actually do it because you hate tedious tasks and have too many other commitments. Good enough might be paying for everything with your debit card so you get a decent overview of your spending without the busywork.

If maintaining order feels draining, maybe the solution isn't better systems. Instead, it's fewer things to manage.

When Perfectionism Wears a Disguise

Sometimes perfectionism masquerades as being thoughtful or responsible.

You've decided to donate items, but now you're stuck finding the "perfect" home for everything. You reach out to family members who say no, leaving you frustrated that your things aren't valued. Meanwhile, the items sit in bags in your garage for months.

Good enough recognizes that your ultimate goal is for items to be used, not controlling who uses them. That stranger at the thrift shop might be exactly who needs your donations.

The same perfectionism shows up in organization systems. You see those beautiful photos of pasta decanted into matching glass containers or socks rolled and tucked into individual cubbies. But good enough might be dropping clean socks into a basket because you'd rather spend your time on things that matter more to you.

Good enough is being honest about your actual lifestyle instead of trying to live up to someone else's aesthetic standard.

The Mindset That Changes Everything

Here's the shift that makes all the difference: Instead of guessing what your future will be like, start pointing yourself in the direction you want to go.

When you think about what you want your future to look like and make decisions that align with that vision, you're not passively predicting—you're intentionally creating.

A "perfect" decision can only be based on this moment and the patterns you recognize from your past. That's actually enough.

Good enough is accepting that you can't know for certain whether you'll need something in the future... and making decisions anyway.

Good enough is the willingness to be disappointed in some past choices because the lesson learned is more valuable than the item kept.

Good enough is progress over perfection, movement over paralysis, and the relief that comes with making decisions—even imperfect ones—instead of staying stuck.

Your Next Step

Look around your space right now. What's one item you're holding onto "just in case" that doesn't align with the life you're actually living or want to create?

You don't need to find it the perfect new home. You don't need to feel certain you'll never need it. You just need to decide: does keeping this move you toward the life you want, or does it keep you managing a life you've outgrown?

Good enough is choosing progress. And progress, it turns out, brings its own kind of relief.

Ready to stop second-guessing every decision and start creating the simplified life you actually want? Learn how my membership program will help you become a Confident Declutterer.