If your home is crammed with clutter it’s likely that you are feeling totally overwhelmed and despairing. You might feel that there is no way out, no way to clear the mess and move forward. You look around and cannot think where to start. Read on to find out how to start decluttering and getting your life on track.
Firstly, recognise that clearing the clutter is going to take time but that if you follow the guidelines we give you, you will succeed. We did and you will. So relax. You are going to rid yourself of clutter bit by bit, day by day until it’s gone and you feel great!
Keys to successful decluttering
Do this for YOU!
- Not because you should, not because of other people but because you are worth it and you deserve a beautiful place to live.
Look for somewhere small to declutter
- Starting small means you can succeed at your first attempt. Start big and you set yourself up for failure.
Focus only on what you are decluttering right now.
- Thinking about what remains to be done will drag you down and sabotage your commitment.
Congratulate yourself – and mean it!
- Negative self-talking gets you nowhere. It just reduces your motivation and your ability to succeed.
If you want a bit more detail to go with those key principles then read on …
Do this for YOU!
You are living this life of yours so start taking control and make it the best it can be. Daydreaming won’t get results; resentment against the people in your life who don’t help you won’t get results. Taking action gets results and all you need to start you off is 15 minutes of action, of decluttering. Grab what you need and start
Look for somewhere small to declutter
Set yourself a task that you know you can achieve and so motivate yourself to carry on decluttering bit by bit. You could choose a small drawer or half a large drawer. Seriously, half a large drawer may contain so much stuff it’ll keep you busy. Or maybe you could start with one corner of that table which is just covered with stuff; or maybe your kitchen worktop has become a hidden land that you’d like to rediscover.
If you cannot decide where to start, make a list of small areas which need to be cleared, shut your eyes and jab at the list with your finger. Which task have you chosen? Now stand up, grab a bin bag to put rubbish in and another for the stuff you are going to give away, set the timer for 15 minutes and start. Right now! Just for 15 minutes. You can do it!!!
Focus only on what you are decluttering right now.
You can only do one task at a time. You will do the other areas in your home in good time. Feeling motivated is important to you if you are to continue decluttering. Thinking about everything that needs to be done just eats away at your motivation. You will achieve what you want one step at a time. It’s the only way anyone ever succeeds at anything! If someone told you to brush your teeth 23,000 times the task would seem impossible. You would feel discouraged before you started. Yet this is the number of times you are likely to brush your teeth over your lifetime if you brush just once a day and I bet that most days you just brush your teeth and don’t think of it as a chore. It’s just something you do. Well, decluttering is a bit like that. You just do something every day or as many days as you can and when you’ve finished you get on with the rest of your day knowing that you have taken a step towards clearing your home and clearing your mind..
Congratulate yourself and mean it!
When you have completed the 15 minutes, step back, focus only on what you have achieved and smile until the smile reaches your eyes. Congratulate yourself. You’ve started, that’s brilliant! Go you! Go me! We’d love to hear from anyone else out there who is decluttering!
