Motivation to Clear the Clutter

I've been very lax with my decluttering mission which has got me to thinking about motivation.  Without it there is no decluttering.

My motivation for decluttering was to get into the mindset of my clients and focus again on what it is to go through everything and get rid of items that are no longer good for my life. By doing this I aimed to work through any problems or sticking points that may hinder people from getting rid of their junk and then find ways of working through them.

I hit a sticky point and the problem has been that I am already so decluttered that what's left is boring for me to do.  So, I had strong motivation but also a strong detractor.

There is only one area where I have a lot of stuff  that needs to go - my arts and crafts.  So I will be focusing on this.

Motivation
This is the key.  Why do you want to declutter?  Answering this question provides the basis of your motivation.  There are so many possible reasons for wanting to get rid of your clutter.

• you need more space
• it drives you nuts
• you can't find anything
• other people moan at you
• you can't get on with things
• you've heard it might be a good idea
• you want to redecorate
• your mother in law is coming
• you are moving home
• you want to get organised
• your environment does not fee like 'you'

What is your reason?

Once you have identified why you want to declutter you need to find out if this reason is enough.

The Benefits of Decluttering
 Imagine how it will be when its done.  What will it look like?  What will be different?  How will it feel?

• you will feel clear
• you will feel organised
• you will be able to have people to stay
• you will be more productive
• you will be able to find things
• your children will have more room to play
• you will have more fun

How will it be for you when you have decluttered?

The decluttering detractors
The detractors are the things that could pull down or even cancel your motivation.  When detractors surface they can stop the best intentioned goals.  If you know what they are then you can find solutions. What are your detractors and how can you combat them?


decluttering is boring
remind yourself why you are declutting everyday
listen to music or the radio whilst you are clearing clutter
do the bits that interest you most first
you are tired
do only small amounts

you hate doing things on your own
ask for help

you don't have much time
you don't need it - ten minutes a day is enough
see it you can plan in a little more time

its emotionally draining
promise yourself a reward afterwards
have counselling if you need it
do a little at a time
start with the less emotionally charged area

you are unwell
do only a little at a time
ask for help

there's too much
don't panic
ask for help
only focus on one tiny area at any one time

The point is that there will be reasons why you do want to declutter and reasons why you don't.  Getting really, really clear on these is what can help you to keep up your motivation.  Once you do know these reasons you can put things in place that will really help you.

My focus now will be on clearing my arts and crafts.


Why?
Because I have too much stuff and not enough space which makes doing my hobby very awkward.  I wan't to cut down and bring things indoors so that I don't have to work in the shed. I love my creative activities and I want to do more of them.  They enrich my life.

How will it be when its cleared?

• easy to get to things
• easier to know what I want to make
• more pleasant when I do do things
• I will be able to be creative more often
• I will be able to sell the things I don't need

Possible Detractors
There should not be many as I have high motivation for decluttering my arts and crafts.  If any crop up I will note them and find solutions.

Time is a possibility - I have to be realistic.  A lot can be done in ten minutes!

Day 4: Easy Day

Today I have cleared by handbag.  Luckily for me this is something I do about once every couple of weeks anyway so it was not too bad.  As I was doing it I realised that I didn't want to declutter anything too challenging.  Why?

Looking through our bits and pieces is about looking at our lives.  As I said a couple of days ago things are not just things they are representations of us and our lives.

I went to a funeral yesterday.  I'm tired and have started a cold.  I wasn't  in the mood for a big declutter.  An easy peasy clutter job like my handbag is about all I fancied.  I also realised that I wanted to skip a day.  I always encourage my clients to do at least ten minutes decluttering a day.  It keeps momentum going.  It works.  Even on a really bad day ten minutes is not much to ask.

Procrastination
One of the many reasons for not dealing with clutter is procrastination.  The ten minute technique helps to combat this.  It gently breaks the resistance we have towards a task.

Be kind to yourself........ but don't give in either!

Looking for Decluttering Help?

Sometimes your clutter may be too much and you want some professional help. The Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers (APDO) is an organisation which can help you to find someone in your area.

APDO have organised their site so that you can search in different regions in the UK. There is a little information about each APDO member and then links to each organiser's site.

They also have a page which has a very useful list of links that can help you with decluttering. The info is a little hidden as it is contained within a link to finding help in 'other countries.'

As this type of service is very new there are no set guidelines as to how different declutterers work. There is a code of ethics which members have to agree to when they sign up, however it is quite basic.

Feeling Comfortable
The most important things to consider when choosing someone to help you with clutter is how you get on with them. Decluttering can be a very personal and emotional experience. In order to feel comfortable you need to get on with the person who is helping you. Efficiency, skill and experience all come in at a close second in my opinion.

I have heard of people feeling bullied and uncomfortable. Even though clutter clearing can be intense it should also feel liberating and renewing.

Take some time to get to know anyone that you are considering working with.

Stop Clutter Coming In

If you intend to declutter then one of the most important things you can do first is to plan how you are going to stay clutter free. Start today and stop new clutter coming into your life. Here is a list of the main clutter culprits and how to tackle them today

Paperwork
Stop junk mail. The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) is a free service that gives you control over the junk mail to your home or business.

Deal with the post immediately - starting today. Stand over the bin and dump all items that are not important. This includes things that you 'might look at someday', or that 'might be interesting'. When you are decluttered you might decide to keep some things like this. For the moment - no - you are focusing on decluttering not on increasing your workload by adding things to your piles.

Stop Buying
Until you are decluttered make it a rule that you will not buy any more 'things' unless they are absolutely essential to your existence. This obviously includes food. But how many other things that we buy are absolutely essential?

Cutting your purchases will help to stop any more 'clutter' coming into your life. You will also see how much more money you get to keep for the things in life that are really important to you


Stop taking other people's clutter
Some people are always accepting other people's clutter. Its the magpie effect - nice shiny new things that you can take to your own nest. Only your own nest is already full. Get your friends to take their surplus items to charity shops or car boot sales.

Unsubscribe to email lists
Email can be a big clutter issue. Make it a rule to stop subscribing to any more sites until you are clutter free. This will help your inbox. Also unsubscribe to as many lists as you can.

Unsolicitated calls
You can take yourself off any call lists and this will stop companies ringing you when they have not been invited. This kind of thing is clutter too. The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is a similar service for your phones (landlines AND mobiles). It really can cut out most of the unsolicited sales calls.

Stopping clutter coming into your home is really vital because it shows a commitment to getting and STAYING clutter free.  Sometimes people declutter their whole lives really effectively only to find that a year later they are back to square one.

Why Should I Declutter?

Some people are perfectly content with lots of clutter all around them.  They know where everything is despite the clutter. That's great.  They don't have a problem and they don't need to change anything.  Decluttering is for people who feel that their clutter is hampering their lives in some way.

I had a friend at school who had a fantastically messy and cluttered room.  But if she needed anything or if I asked to borrow something she just got up and went straight to an enormous jumbled pile and pulled out the item that she was looking for.  Easy.  Her brain was so ordered that she knew where everything was.  The clutter was not a problem and it did not bother her. 

So....... Why should you declutter? 

If clutter is interrupting your life
Do you find that you spend too much time looking for things when you really need to be getting on?
Have you 'lost' important paperwork in the chaos?
Do you miss deadlines because you are so disorganized? 

Does your clutter cause problems in the family?
Are there arguments between members of your family because things are too chaotic? Clutter can really affect other members of your family. If one partner is happily cluttered and the other is not then there needs to be compromise. 

Are your children being affected by your clutter?
The children of cluttered people sometimes have to put up with a lot. Sometimes people who are cluttered are also chaotic and disorganised. This can impact on their children who are pretty powerless to do anything about it.


Is clutter affecting your social life?
Sometimes people are so embarrassed about their clutter that they do not invite people round.

Does the clutter seem ugly to you?
If you enjoy being in pleasant surroundings your clutter could really bug you. A cluttered room is not as relaxing and enjoyable to be in as a clean and clear room.

So the answer to the question: Why Should I Declutter?

Declutter if the way you live is not the way you want to live or if the way you live is having a big impact on the people you care about. That's it.

If you recognise yourself here don't panic. Small easy ten-minute decluttering steps can get you from being cluttered to decluttered. The most important thing is that you make a start.

Declutter for 10 minutes a Day

When you have so much clutter that you are overwhelmed with it all then one of the best ways to tackle it is to take tiny steps.  The '10 minutes a day' rule can really help you to overcome your resistance to de-decluttering.

The Rule
Do 10 minutes of decluttering every day.  Set a timer and off you go (you can use the one on your phone).  Stop after ten minutes. Record your results.  It will feel fantastic.

The Reasoning
When you feel that your clutter or disorganisation is a huge, insurmountable problem it can become very difficult to start at all. So, you don't do anything.  The clutter gets worse and you get more and more despondent.  But it is really easy to interrupt this pattern.  Even when something is very scary we can usually manage to face it for only ten minutes. 

The Result
You will be amazed at how much decluttering you can actually achieve in ten minutes.  What happens is that you begin to loose the fear.  You see that the problem can be tackled.  Sometimes you want to do more than ten minutes and that is great too.  Before you know it, you are no longer afraid and your clutter is beginning to decrease.

What to Keep?

One of the big problems people have when they start de-cluttering is deciding what to keep and what to get rid of.  When you have to get rid of a lot of clutter it can seem very overwhelming but there are only a few simple guidelines that can really help.

Ask yourself the following questions for each and every item that you are sorting through:

Do you use it?
Is the item something that you use?  It may be something that you don't use every day but if you do use it at some point during the year then its a good idea to keep it.

On the other hand if its something that you haven't really ever used but are waiting for when it 'might come in handy' its probably time to move it on.

Do I love it?
Feeling passionate about something is a fantastic reason to keep hold of it even if there seems to be no other 'sensible' reason to hang on to it.  Enjoying our possessions is part of being human.

Do I have to keep this item for legal reasons?
This can apply to legal documents and important paperwork.

That's it.  There are no other reasons to hang on to something.  It sounds simple and that's because, fundamentally, it is.