Ask, "Does This Spark Joy?"

This is part of Stewie's Guide to Ruthlessly Declutter Your Clothes Today.

My wife and I have always been creatures of habit when it comes to food. We find something we like and stick with it. For years, when she was teaching junior high, my wife ate the exact same lunch every day: a ham sandwich, an apple, and a few baby carrots. And of course, the ham sandwich always had mustard.

But not just any mustard. It had to be French’s.

Now, my wife isn’t picky about most things, but she knows what she likes. And in the early days of our marriage, I made the mistake of trying to save 50 cents by buying an off-brand mustard. It looked the same. It was mustard-colored. It came in a squeeze bottle. How different could it be?

Turns out, very different.

She hated it. Said it was too vinegary, too sharp, not the right flavor at all. And yet, instead of throwing it away and buying French’s, we stubbornly kept using that bottle, forcing it onto sandwiches, drizzling it over burgers, trying to “get through it” so we could justify buying the good stuff again.

Looking back, I wish we had just tossed it.

Because what were we really saving? A couple of dollars? Meanwhile, every bite of every meal with that mustard was a tiny reminder of disappointment.

That’s when I started realizing something: life is too short for bad mustard. Or bad clothes. Or bad anything, really.

So now, if something doesn’t serve me—if it doesn’t bring me joy or at least add real value to my life—I let it go.

Marie Kondo put it best:

The best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one’s hand and ask: ‘Does this spark joy?’
—The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

It’s a beautifully simple strategy, and it works wonders on clutter. Take each item, hold it in your hands, and pay attention to how it makes you feel. If it sparks joy, keep it. If it doesn’t, let it go.

That’s it. That’s the whole strategy.

And it’s surprisingly effective—especially when you have, say, 64 exercise shirts, and only a few of them actually bring you joy. Suddenly, the decision about what to ditch becomes a lot clearer.

When I decluttered my wardrobe, I found that this method led me to hold onto a few sentimental pieces: two scarves, five T-shirts, and several neckties. Everything else that I never wore? It was just taking up space.

But here’s the thing. Sometimes this strategy doesn’t work.

What if everything sparks joy? If all 64 of those exercise shirts make you happy, then what?

Or worse—what if nothing sparks joy? None of my socks, underwear, or undershirts bring me joy. They’re just… there. Necessary, but unremarkable.

So if the “spark joy” method doesn’t work for you, don’t worry. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. We have many more strategies in the following chapters.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about following someone else’s rulebook. It’s about finding what works for you—and creating a space, a closet, a life filled with things that truly make you happy.

Next steps…