The following contribution is from another author.
Is your home desperately in need of decluttering? Finding the motivation to sort through all that stuff can be hard – not only does it take time to have a clear-out, but it can be emotionally draining having to part with items that may have sentimental value (even if they’ve gone largely forgotten the last few years). Here are just a few tips that could help you to find the motivation to sort through your clutter.
Focus on one room at a time
Don’t try to tackle your whole home at once. Systematically going through your home one room at a time can give you more immediate goals. You can also stagger it out rather than tackling it all in the same weekend – focusing on a new room each weekend for a few hours means that you’ve still got time to enjoy the rest of your time off. You should start by focusing on the most cluttered rooms (i.e. attics and garages) and work your way to the least cluttered spaces (e.g. the living room and bathroom). By starting with the most cluttered rooms, you can feel self-assured that the next room won’t be as challenging.
Throw one item away every day
You could try a more gradual approach – throwing one item away per day could allow you to slowly tackle your clutter. That’s 365 items you’ll get rid of in a year. In order for this to be effective, you need to throw away items that you wouldn’t ordinarily have thrown away – empty toilet roll tubes and food packaging don’t count. For those with serious clutter problems, you could up this to five items a day until you feel you’ve made a sufficient dent in your belongings. By spreading it out, it will be less time-consuming and you could be more motivated to do it.
Get help from friends and family
Sometimes having the support of other people can be useful. Your friends and family may be able to make the job less time-consuming and they may be able to persuade you into throwing away items that you’re irrationally attached to. Reward them with money or offer to cook a meal – this could motivate them to get involved.
Get help from professionals
You can also invest in professional help clear out your clutter. Some companies offer same day rubbish removal and can take away your items there and then – this could be better than hiring a skip or having to take your own rubbish to the dump. You may also be able to hire professionals to help sort the junk from the valuables – for those that are self-admitted hoarders, hiring this help could be useful for psychologically motivating yourself to part with certain items.
Focus on the benefits
It’s easy to focus on the negatives – the fact that it takes a lot of time to declutter and the fact that you’re parting with sentimental objects – rather than focusing on the positives. Decluttering can free up space and make cleaning your home easier. Living in a decluttered environment can also reduce stress and improve sleep quality. You may even be able to sell some items and use decluttering as a chance to make money. By focusing on these benefits, you can motivate yourself more to tackle the problem.
