How You Can Stay Motivated when Decluttering
by Susan Caplan McCarthy
The decision to start decluttering comes with an endorphin hit. Instead of just wanting your house to look and feel different, you’ve decided to act. Feel-good hormones flood your body, you grab some trash bags and set out boxes labeled sell and donate.
Maybe you focus on one space, like your closet; or, you move around the house tackling the obvious clutter. You see some clear space, then a little more. Maybe you post a few before and after pictures on social media and talk to friends and coworkers about your decluttering high.
You’re convinced that you’ll have your entire house (including the attic and garage) clutter-free in record time. Woohoo!
Then, it takes you two hours to go through a single drawer. You start feeling a bit uptight about the money you spent on items you never used. Life gets busier and your progress slows. You start thinking that you need a break to regain your motivation.
Use Accountability to Stay Motivated
Some people love the idea of accountability, others, not so much. I was in the not-so-much camp until I realized that accountability can be achieved in different ways. If one method doesn’t work, try something else.
You might like the energy of a group or the camaraderie of supporting (and being supported by) a friend. You might like to read about other’s decluttering efforts (or looking at their pictures). You might like to work on your own or to hire someone to help you stay on track.
The best method is … the one that works for you.
Join an Online Group
You can find numerous groups on Facebook that can support your decluttering efforts. (A Less Cluttered Life has it’s A Year of Decluttering group.) You may find inspiration in other’s successes. Online groups allow you to be voyeuristic and observe other people’s progress and stumbling blocks without commenting. Or, you can post your own progress and ask for opinions.
Posting your goals might be an incentive to do the work (even if no one ever checks in on your progress). If an online group, or following #decluttering, doesn’t help your motivation, then this technique may be too passive for you. If you don’t like the vibe of a group you’ve joined, leave the group and try another.
Find a Declutter Buddy
Even before I segued from teaching kids to helping people declutter, clutter was the focus of some of my conversations with friends. First, I was overwhelmed by all the stuff in my parents’ house and then I was sorting through their things and I needed to talk about the discoveries I was making (40+ cans of tuna fish, two shopping bags filled with used dryer sheets, several broken toasters kept “just in case”).
Finding a friend, family member, or coworker who is also in the process of decluttering, can be both encouraging and motivating. You can chat once a week about what you hope to accomplish, cheer on each other’s progress, and commiserate when things don’t go the way you hoped.
You may even find times that you get together to help one another do the work – asking opinions about clothing or sorting categories of books.
One problem with a declutter buddy is that it’s easy to talk about clutter but that doesn’t mean any decluttering actually gets done.
Track Your Efforts
If you aren’t thrilled by the idea of talking with anyone about decluttering, but you struggle with staying motivated, consider using a habit tracker. This could be as simple as x-ing out the box on a calendar to signify that you completed your task for the day.
The purpose of a habit tracker is to create a visual of your consistent (or inconsistent) actions. You can look back over a month and see that your frustration with not decluttering your living room is because you worked in the room eight times, for approximately 10-minutes each time.
To use a habit tracker, you want to set your expectation for each day. It could be to declutter for 15-minutes or to move five items into either the trash or a donation box. Without a clear expectation, it’s easy to falter. Also, if you anticipate doing more work than you can accomplish on a regular basis, you’ll feel frustrated that you’re working but that it doesn’t count toward your expectations.
Work with a Professional
Some people view working with a professional organizer as a method of last resort, something only appropriate for people who can’t or don’t want to do the work on their own. However, most professional organizers don’t work with hoarders. They work with people who need some help and motivation getting through a task.
But, if you still aren’t keen on the idea of a stranger standing in your home and looking at all your stuff, you can work virtually with an organizer. I offer a couple of options for working together at a distance.
One, we meet virtually for an hour-long video chat and either plan or start a project. Then, you work on your own and then get the accountability of checking in with me. You schedule as many sessions as you want to stay motivated and accomplish your goals.
Another option is to communicate through emails. You set or learn to establish a goal for a month and then you get to ask questions and get advice from me. I check in with you regularly so you can respond with your progress. You get advice and accountability while still holding onto the freedom of working when and how you want.
Focus on Your Goal
Knowing why you want to declutter can help get you motivated. Setting a deadline can also keep you on track. But, if you notice that your attention and motivation is flagging, it’s time to try a technique – and a group or person – that will help you stay accountable to your goals.
The decision to start decluttering comes with an endorphin hit. Instead of just wanting your house to look and feel different, you’ve decided to act. Feel-good hormones flood your body, you grab some trash bags and set out boxes labeled sell and donate.
Maybe you focus on one space, like your closet; or, you move around the house tackling the obvious clutter. You see some clear space, then a little more. Maybe you post a few before and after pictures on social media and talk to friends and coworkers about your decluttering high.
You’re convinced that you’ll have your entire house (including the attic and garage) clutter-free in record time. Woohoo!
Then, it takes you two hours to go through a single drawer. You start feeling a bit uptight about the money you spent on items you never used. Life gets busier and your progress slows. You start thinking that you need a break to regain your motivation.
Use Accountability to Stay Motivated
Some people love the idea of accountability, others, not so much. I was in the not-so-much camp until I realized that accountability can be achieved in different ways. If one method doesn’t work, try something else.
You might like the energy of a group or the camaraderie of supporting (and being supported by) a friend. You might like to read about other’s decluttering efforts (or looking at their pictures). You might like to work on your own or to hire someone to help you stay on track.
The best method is … the one that works for you.
Join an Online Group
You can find numerous groups on Facebook that can support your decluttering efforts. (A Less Cluttered Life has it’s A Year of Decluttering group.) You may find inspiration in other’s successes. Online groups allow you to be voyeuristic and observe other people’s progress and stumbling blocks without commenting. Or, you can post your own progress and ask for opinions.
Posting your goals might be an incentive to do the work (even if no one ever checks in on your progress). If an online group, or following #decluttering, doesn’t help your motivation, then this technique may be too passive for you. If you don’t like the vibe of a group you’ve joined, leave the group and try another.
Find a Declutter Buddy
Even before I segued from teaching kids to helping people declutter, clutter was the focus of some of my conversations with friends. First, I was overwhelmed by all the stuff in my parents’ house and then I was sorting through their things and I needed to talk about the discoveries I was making (40+ cans of tuna fish, two shopping bags filled with used dryer sheets, several broken toasters kept “just in case”).
Finding a friend, family member, or coworker who is also in the process of decluttering, can be both encouraging and motivating. You can chat once a week about what you hope to accomplish, cheer on each other’s progress, and commiserate when things don’t go the way you hoped.
You may even find times that you get together to help one another do the work – asking opinions about clothing or sorting categories of books.
One problem with a declutter buddy is that it’s easy to talk about clutter but that doesn’t mean any decluttering actually gets done.
Track Your Efforts
If you aren’t thrilled by the idea of talking with anyone about decluttering, but you struggle with staying motivated, consider using a habit tracker. This could be as simple as x-ing out the box on a calendar to signify that you completed your task for the day.
The purpose of a habit tracker is to create a visual of your consistent (or inconsistent) actions. You can look back over a month and see that your frustration with not decluttering your living room is because you worked in the room eight times, for approximately 10-minutes each time.
To use a habit tracker, you want to set your expectation for each day. It could be to declutter for 15-minutes or to move five items into either the trash or a donation box. Without a clear expectation, it’s easy to falter. Also, if you anticipate doing more work than you can accomplish on a regular basis, you’ll feel frustrated that you’re working but that it doesn’t count toward your expectations.
Work with a Professional
Some people view working with a professional organizer as a method of last resort, something only appropriate for people who can’t or don’t want to do the work on their own. However, most professional organizers don’t work with hoarders. They work with people who need some help and motivation getting through a task.
But, if you still aren’t keen on the idea of a stranger standing in your home and looking at all your stuff, you can work virtually with an organizer. I offer a couple of options for working together at a distance.
One, we meet virtually for an hour-long video chat and either plan or start a project. Then, you work on your own and then get the accountability of checking in with me. You schedule as many sessions as you want to stay motivated and accomplish your goals.
Another option is to communicate through emails. You set or learn to establish a goal for a month and then you get to ask questions and get advice from me. I check in with you regularly so you can respond with your progress. You get advice and accountability while still holding onto the freedom of working when and how you want.
Focus on Your Goal
Knowing why you want to declutter can help get you motivated. Setting a deadline can also keep you on track. But, if you notice that your attention and motivation is flagging, it’s time to try a technique – and a group or person – that will help you stay accountable to your goals.
I'm Susan Caplan McCarthy, your guide on this journey
I’ve been a teacher in nonconventional settings for over 26-years. Wherever I worked, I was the one who’d organize stationary supplies, art and craft materials, books, files, educational materials, shop displays and store backrooms. Some coworkers asked me to go to their home to tackle things like all their paperwork. In high school, I even asked my art teacher for permission to organize the art department's supply closet.
Some of these organizing skills developed as I tried to help my parents, who hoarded, to organize their 800-square-foot ranch. But I learned that trying to keep everything not only takes away space but also your perspective on what’s important.
I became a member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals to gain a better understanding of how I could help others clear the clutter and distractions that add stress and confusion to their days.
I feel that I'm not just helping people clear stuff but helping them to focus on what's important to them and their life.
Learn more about A Less Cluttered Life here or check through my archive of articles. Questions or comments? Email me, Susan@ALessClutteredLife.com.
Some of these organizing skills developed as I tried to help my parents, who hoarded, to organize their 800-square-foot ranch. But I learned that trying to keep everything not only takes away space but also your perspective on what’s important.
I became a member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals to gain a better understanding of how I could help others clear the clutter and distractions that add stress and confusion to their days.
I feel that I'm not just helping people clear stuff but helping them to focus on what's important to them and their life.
Learn more about A Less Cluttered Life here or check through my archive of articles. Questions or comments? Email me, Susan@ALessClutteredLife.com.