De-Clutter Bug

Albert Einstein said, “Out of clutter, find simplicity.”  We say, “Make space in your life for what matters most.”

To be successful in decluttering, start small to make the project feel more manageable.  But you must start.  Apply these top 5 tips to triumph over turmoil.

1.  How does one eat an elephant?  One spoonful at a time.  Don’t look at the whole job all at once!  Compartmentalize.  Develop a plan of attack, sort out the steps in your mind, and proceed with the first step first.  Achieving incremental wins will be motivating, and gives you a sense of accomplishment along the way as each step is completed.  The momentum will propel you forward to achieving your ultimate goal.
2. Allot the correct amount of time to each step.  Be realistic.  Nothing is more soul crushing than assuming that decluttering will take no time at all, or worse, that you are quicker than you think.  Do you want this project to end before it begins?  If not, then you’d better overestimate your time projection rather than under-deliver on your execution.  Fatigue and burnout are real concerns.  Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.  Make sure the gas tank isn’t empty at the end of the road.
3. Think rationally, not emotionally.  Use the six month rule:  If it is not ‘seasonal’ and you have not touched it or used it in six months, then why are you holding onto it?  Let it go.  If it causes you stress to live surrounded by possessions you haven’t looked at for awhile, purge them from your life.  Someone else would probably appreciate your items and find them useful, and remember, it ain’t worth as much as you think it is.  Stop with the excuses and let go.
4. Aim for progress, not perfection.  What trips up a lot of us is the need to make a job perfect.  If you’re stuck trying to find the perfect, most efficient, least time-consuming, most cost-effective way to tackle your project, you might never get to actually doing any decluttering!  There is almost nothing that can’t be fixed.  Re-group, re-organize, find another way, and move forward. Your house doesn’t have to look perfect; it just has to be better.  Get moving to make that happen.
5. Visualize and re-imagine how your life will look, feel, and be once you have decluttered.  Not only will you have a better, more organized house, but you’ll have a better, healthier lifestyle where you’re surrounded by only things that are useful or bring happiness to you.  Use this motivation to make the hard choices, and to keep making the hard choices.  Show yourself the love you deserve.

Remember, for every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.  Now go to it!