7 Simple Strategies to Get You Clearing Clutter Now
The strategies I've
listed below will be effective in most situations but not in all. It all
depends on why you're stuck in the clutter cycle in the first place.
That's why, whenever you're stuck for ideas, you can refer to the list below for inspiration to get started and turn the green light on your decluttering project!
1 - Establish Your Priorities:
Start with what bothers you the most.
If every room in
your house needs to be decluttered, trying to work out where is best to start
can be overwhelming. Your head can
become so full of ideas of the best way to tackle the clutter you will probably
do nothing. I know that feeling only too well. There’s clutter on the living room table,
clutter on the kitchen worktops, and clutter and clothing in the bedrooms that
need to be tackled. Not to mention the dirty
washing and towels all over the bathroom floor or the pile of items that are
stacked up the stairs, waiting to be taken up.
What you need is a
strategy. You need to decide on the area that irritates you the most. If you are struggling to choose where to start - ask yourself some questions.
Most likely, the room
that irks you the most is one where you spend a lot of time. The area that I started on first – was my
bedroom. Why? Because when I opened my
eyes in the morning the first thing, I saw was a mess. This was not a very positive way to start the
day. I have to root through the washing basket of clean clothes to find my
knickers or my husband a matching pair of socks.
Taking on the most problematic
area can help motivate you to keep going when you see positive results that you
will have achieved.
Once you have
decided what room you want to start with, do you feel that attempting to clear the
entire area is too intimidating?
2 - Break it down into small manageable chunks.
Just because you
start with the most difficult area doesn't mean you need to finish it all at
once.
If you want to tackle your kitchen, don’t look at the
kitchen as a whole room. Break it down
into smaller goals. Start with a drawer,
set a timer for 15 minutes, and work your way through the drawer. Once the timer finishes you can either call
it a day or carry on. By working in smaller chunks, you will actually feel like
you are making progress, if you want to do more, then feel free to do another
drawer or cupboard and reassess how you feel after that.
The reason I am saying this is you will get swamped, cause chaos
that you will just end up with a bigger mess than you started with, and become
more overwhelmed than before you began. I am more likely to carry on with task 2 if I
manage to successfully complete task 1.
Once you choose the drawer or cupboard to start with, just
go systematically through the room from that place onward, so you don't dodge
anything or miss any clutter spots. Just keep working through task after task
and before you know it, the whole room will be completed.
Once you choose a room carry on with it until it’s complete. You may be able to complete it in a day, if
you have a few hours to spend on it, even if you can only declutter in 15-minute
sessions, over two weeks.
Don't be tempted to start a small section in the kitchen,
get bored and then choose a drawer in the bedroom. If you do this you won’t ever feel like you’ve
achieved anything and become very demotivated.
3 - Be accountable: Share Your
Decluttering Goals
Resolving to
declutter your home this year is not enough. You can get away with making
excuses. It's not like you have a boss to answer to. I understand that life
gets busy, that unexpected things happen, and that decluttering goes out the
window.
Tell a friend or
family member about your goal and ask them to hold you accountable if you're
serious about decluttering. You'll be less likely to let them down, and you'll
start decluttering.
I have created a Free 10-page Decluttering Workbook to help you with this task.
4 - If You need support just ask!
If you are having
difficulty deciding what to part with, especially for emotional reasons,
enlisting the assistance of a trusted and loving friend or family member can be
extremely beneficial.
It can be very
demoralising to be immobilised by uncertainty. To steer you in the right
direction, it can be helpful to hear a more neutral and less emotional point of
view.
Believe me when I
say that the first few decisions in any decluttering session are the most
difficult. Once you get into the swing of things, you will begin to enjoy the
process of letting go, it is so liberating!
Allow your friend
to assist you in getting you over that first hurdle and sprint your way into
the clutter-free zone.
5 - Can’t see your Clutter? Take A
Picture
When you have lived with your clutter for so long, you
become clutter blind. I'm sure you've
heard the term a ‘fresh pair of eyes' brings, this means looking at the
situation with a new perspective.
Some of
you may be able to do this straight away others will struggle. Have you ever looked
at a photo of yourself taken in the house, and noticed all the clutter in the
background? How irritating! – Is it just me?
You can harness
this irritation and use it to your advantage; take a picture of the area you
need to declutter. For some reason - your
brain just seems to notice the problem areas more clearly then, and you can
develop your plan of action
6 - Decluttering Reward
You can be so
motivated at the beginning of a decluttering session, only to end up feeling disheartened
and ready to throw in the towel. This is
a common problem. What you need to do is
create a positive reward for yourself for getting the job, or a big part of it,
done.
Rewarding yourself gives
you something to look forward to, and you are likely to continue. Just make
sure your reward isn’t anything clutter related. We don’t want to fill the house back up with
unwanted clutter, this will undo all the good work you have achieved.
7 - Set a Timer and Go Declutter!
The problem
most people find is just getting the motivation to start.
Did you know
that the first two minutes of doing a task are the hardest? If you are unmotivated or can't decide what to
do, just set a timer for
15 minutes and start! Don’t think about
it, just tackle something.
What do you find hard about decluttering? Is it getting started, or is it deciding on which room to tackle first? Let me know in the comments below, I love hearing your thoughts on decluttering.
I really appreciate you stopping by and want to say thank you - because without you I wouldn't be here. Believe in Yourself, You got this, NOW Go Declutter!