Have you gotten frustrated by the overwhelming amount of stuff you own? Even though you have identified this, you still have trouble finding the time or motivation to declutter? Time and again, both for myself and with others in various groups I have participated with, I have seen that motivation can be a big thing.
How can you overcome this tendency towards inaction?
Track Your Time
A lot of people spend a lot of time on social media, the Internet, and watching TV. Identify where you spend your time. Use a time tracker. The results of time tracking can be very eye-opening. Once you see where you spend your time, decide consciously if this is how you want to spend your time, and if not, make changes.
The iPhone has a way to be able to track how much time you spend on different types of apps each week. It was embarrassingly eye-opening how much time I wasted reading news and perusing for new cardigans.
Work Manageable Chunks
If you get overwhelmed and freeze so much that you feel like you’ll never get going with decluttering then start just a little bit at a time.
Tell yourself that you’re going to take ten minutes in the basement, at least you will find and make the time for it. However, once you get going, you’re likely to see that you can keep going without much pain.
Take baby steps by either time or based on categories. While starting out, its hard to think you’d ever be able to declutter your house, but if you take it in smaller sections but keep going, you will be able to!
Participate in a Challenge
The Internet is so big now, its easy to lose time just cruising the web. Most of us have some form of access to the internet nowadays.
One way to break free from being stuck in declutter overwhelm is to join an online decluttering challenge.
You can find these set up as email only challenges, or via Facebook groups, and even through educational portals such as Teachable, Thinkific, and Udemy. Some of these might cost money, but I’ve found a decent number of good ones for free.
I’ve seen them range for between five days to an entire year.
Buddy Up for Accountability
If you lack the motivation to make steps because no one is watching or on your team and you are an extrovert, you may find a lot of value in finding a decluttering partner. This may be done through forums or Facebook groups. Be sure to read the rules of the group before asking for a partner, though, to make sure it is allowed. Some Facebook groups also do online decluttering sessions, where an entire group gets together to motivate each other for an hour at a time.
I’m more introverted, so I really enjoy the challenges, but these seem like they could potentially get you past some hurdles if you enjoy sharing with others.
Come to Terms with Your Desire
If you aren’t making any progress on decluttering, then you need to come to terms with why. It does take time, effort, and some hard decisions. Be honest about what matters in your life. If you haven’t identified the ‘why’ and this doesn’t indeed mean a lot to you, you won’t take the time for it.
Try to get down to what it was that you realized when your desire to declutter was born. Its not that you probably just want a clean house, but more that you want to be able to do something or spend your life fulfilling your mission. If you can get down to the real reason for wanting a more fulfilling life by decluttering, then you can use this reason as a motivational factor to shoot for as you progress.
