Decluttering can be hard!
Has this ever happened to you?
You wake up one morning and decide, “Today is the day I’m going to declutter my home!”
So, you jump out of bed- excited with visions of a completely decluttered and organized home in your head, and you immediately start pulling everything out of your bedroom closet.
Before long, your bed is FULL of clothes, shoes, boxes, items that got thrown in the closet because they didn’t have a home to begin with, and that feeling of excitement has now turned into overwhelm.
Now you’re thinking, “This was a bad idea!”
That feeling of overwhelm is why most people don’t even start the decluttering process.
But with a few strategies to overcome the overwhelm and other hardships of decluttering, your closet will be looking like a Pinterest post in no time!
Hardship: No plan in place:
Sometimes the heaviness of clutter can cause you to jump right into a decluttering project so that you can breathe again! However, to make the process easier, there are some things you should consider
How to make it easier
Create a plan for your decluttering project that will include these aspects:
Time: How much time do you have? Do you want to do a little each day, or do you want to make it a project over a few months?
Plan and figure out how much time you want to spend on a decluttering task and plan accordingly. Always give yourself a bit of extra time because organizing often tasks longer than you think.
Decluttering may involve strong feelings and emotions. Letting go of your things can deplete your energy, making it harder to make decisions. Make sure you give yourself enough time to go through this process.
Storage: Do you know where you’ll store items? Do you have enough storage? Do you need supplies like containers etc.?
Map: What rooms will you start with, which ones will follow, and where should everything go in a particular room?
Recycle, donate, throw away: What is the plan for the things you don’t want anymore?
Process and Systems: What process will you have in place once you’ve successfully decluttered your home, so you don’t end up in the same situation a few months from now.
Hardship: Too big of a task!
When a task becomes daunting, it’s usually because it’s become too big!
Decluttering a closet may seem like a great place to start because it’s not a huge space. But, depending on how you’ve used that closet, you could find yourself in a big mess. Now all you want to do is put everything back where you found it, close the door and leave it all for another day!
How to make it easier?
Instead of emptying all the contents of your closet at one time, break it down into smaller pieces. For example, take out only ¼ of our clothes, sort them, remove what you no longer want and repeat until you’ve gone through your entire closet.
Not only will this cause less overwhelm, but it may also motivate you to continue.
Small wins like decluttering a small area will incentivize you to move to the next small area!
Hardship: Identity
Through advertising, we’ve been told that we are who we are because of the products we use or buy. Our things become a part of our identity. Because of this, letting go of these products can be difficult. It is ok to have less.
How to make it easier?
Remind yourself that your things don’t define you as a person; and that you’re NOT less than without them.
Hardship: Security
Sometimes our things can bring us a sense of security. This scenario can happen to those who grew up or feel as though they grew up with very little. They want to make up for it now by having a lot of items.
How to make it easier?
Remind yourself that having more is not always the answer. Have you heard of the term “Less is More”? It certainly applies when you have less stuff, you will have more space and more of an organized home.
Let go of items you do not need. Allow yourself to see that in the absence of the item- your world didn’t fall into chaos. Show yourself that this item was a false sense of security.
When you start to release these items, you may find a sense of freedom and even more room in your life for more important things like family and friends.
Hardship: Decision Fatigue
With each item you touch in the decluttering process, you’re making a decision.
Keep it, or let go of it.
Each decision can weigh on you as it takes energy each time. As your energy decreases, the decision-making becomes harder causing you to “keep” instead of “let go.”
How to make it easier
Declutter for only short periods. Most people can remain focused for a half hour or so before they need a break, when others can last longer.
Try decluttering for a half hour and if you feel like you’re starting to make the wrong decisions- take a break. When you return to it, if you find your still making wrong decisions- come back to it another day entirely. It’s a sign that your decision-making is fatigued.
Hope these tips help you with your home organizing process.
Related Blogs & Podcasts to help you plan.
Episode 42: How to zone your home for better organization
Blog: 10 steps to an organized kitchen
Blog: Organizing your clothes closet
Check out these resources for more help on letting go and changing your mindset.
Episode 68: 6 mindset shift you need for an organized home
Blog: Learning to let go of our stuff
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Kathy McEwan 
