I’ve been talking here for a long time about the many benefits of decluttering and how it’s good for your soul. But it’s easier said than done. When your entire home is drowning in clutter and everything is going haywire, it’s next to impossible to gather any motivation to tackle it. You may be having all the time in the world to declutter and organize your home but not feel inspired enough to take up any decluttering projects.
Last week, my mom asked me to help declutter her room as it was way too cluttered than usual. We had temporarily shifted to our old place and our family was almost buried underneath a heap of clutter. I asked her to wait for a few minutes as I had work deadlines to meet. In reality, I was overwhelmed with clutter and wanted some time to muster the energy to help her declutter. It took me two more days to start decluttering the house because the magnitude of clutter left me scared and anxious. I had no motivation except for my mom who was continually pushing me to do it.
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You can have all the decluttering tools and every possible help at your disposal but if you lack the motivation it takes to declutter, you might never be able to even start. Here are some amazing decluttering motivation tips that will inspire you to start decluttering your house:
1. Take Before and After Decluttering Pictures
This is certainly my favourite way to find some decluttering motivation. I usually take pictures of all the cluttered corners of my house before I start decluttering.
Once I’m done getting rid of every unused and unneeded item from my house and have nicely organized the entire space, I take the post-decluttering pictures and compare them with the ones taken before. While this may seem like a useless idea, taking pictures before and after decluttering can actually be helpful in more ways than you can imagine.
Firstly, these pictures will inspire you to declutter more often. Secondly, you can show these pictures to a friend or a family member who is also struggling to find motivation to declutter their house. As someone who always finds decluttering motivation from the Before and After decluttering pictures that people share on facebook groups, I know how beneficial they can be to feel inspired from.
2. Read Books on Decluttering
Reading books on decluttering can be a great source of motivation as it might help you get into that particular mindset wherein you feel inspired and confident enough to take up a decluttering project. It’s almost like preparing for an exam. The more you’ve studied, the more confident you feel. Besides, reading can just provide you with lots of tips & tricks to declutter your home in the best way possible.
Here are some decluttering books that you need to add to your collection if you are looking for some decluttering motivation:
- – “Decluttering at the speed of life” by Dana K. White
- – “The Sentimental Person’s Guide To Decluttering” by Claire Middleton
- – “How To Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind” by Dana K. White
- – “The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo
3. Visualize Decluttering as a Game
It’s hard to find decluttering motivation if you’re taking it seriously. Decluttering is bound to become easier if you think of it as a game that would be fun to play alone or with your family. I have curated a list of decluttering games that can help make the process of decluttering extremely fun. If you want, you can create your own decluttering games and bring in your kids and spouse to play along.
4. Acknowledge Your Feelings
Think for a while how looking around at your home makes you feel. Ask yourself how you feel every time you enter your home after a busy day at work. Do you feel relaxed? Or does the clutter give you stress? Now imagine how much better you can feel if you decide to give your home a nice purge.
If you want to feel motivated to declutter, ask yourself how you want to feel in your home. And what it is that you can do to achieve that feeling. Maybe do a ruthless declutter of your closet? Or clear off the flat surfaces?
5. Start Somewhere
More often than not, the biggest motivation to declutter is to start somewhere, even if it’s a small task.
You can just begin with cleaning the junk drawer or making your bed. Accomplishing small decluttering tasks can help you get the ball rolling. Looking back at these small decluttered corners will leave you feeling motivated to take up bigger decluttering projects.
6. Ask For Help
Asking a friend or a family member to join in can be a great way to gather some decluttering motivation. Make sure that the person you’re brining in is passionate about decluttering or loves doing it. Sometimes, having a decluttering companion can be the motivation you have been looking for, and this person might actually give you that much-needed push when you find it hard to get rid of the sentimental stuff.
7. Earn Money as you Declutter
If you’re someone who finds motivation in financial gains, you must declutter with the goal of making money. Start decluttering your garage and your home with the aim of discovering items that could be worth something. There may be a lot of gardening tools that you haven’t used in years or old furniture items that are in perfect shape. Plan a garage sale for these items or take them to a local thrift store.
So there you go! Now that you have all the motivational tips to start decluttering your house, it’s time to get going. And if you start feeling demotivated and find it hard to continue, just remember why you started in the first place. Look around at the corners you have already decluttered and muster the motivation to move ahead to the other areas.
Happy decluttering!