Decluttering Hacks No One Talks About

There is a ton of really good decluttering advice out there, but in all my years of organizing and decluttering, I've discovered some tips that no one ever seems to talk about!  Keep reading or watch the video here to find out what might be missing if decluttering isn't quite working out for you!

The real reason most of us stop is that decluttering sometimes makes us feel bad about ourselves.  If something makes me feel bad, I'm not going to want to do it!  I've recently been working pretty hard at decluttering, but there have been periods where I've stopped for a few days.  It's not because of the physical work.

People always talk about how much work decluttering is, and it's true, but it's not that physically hard for a healthy and able-bodied person (there are exceptions to this, of course!).  But  for myself, every time I've stopped, I can trace it back to something that made me feel bad, and then I just lose the motivation and desire to keep going.

Here are a few things that can make you feel bad when decluttering:

  1. It makes you face how big your clutter mountain is.  If you never open the drawer or closet or room, you can just not think about it.  It's a lot harder when the problem is staring you in the face!
  2. It can be totally overwhelming.  When things get really bad, it's hard to imagine how you can tackle that large of a problem.
  3. Re-clutttering can be so disheartening.  I cleaned out my storage room last summer, and it was in great shape!  Over the course of the year, I've re-cluttered it to about the same spot it was in last year before I did all that work to declutter!
  4. Wasted money can really make you feel guilty.  I often think, “Why did I buy that?!?” and then feel so bad about wasting money on things I didn't use or need.
  5. Nostalgia can also cause bad feelings.  Sometimes it reminds me of friends I haven't kept in touch with or family members I've lost, and that can make you feel sad.

The Only Way to Fix It

There's really only one solution.  You have to turn it around so that decluttering makes you feel GOOD!  So how exactly do we do this?  Here are some ways I flip the script when I'm starting to lose heart:

1.  Do it with a friend.

If you have someone who can come over to help you, this can be a game changer.  Last year when I cleaned out the storage room, I had three other people here helping me, and it went SO FAST, and it was a ton of fun!  Not everyone has this option.  But could you FaceTime with someone?  Sometimes I'll send a picture to a friend to ask if a necklace is out of style.  There are also Facebook support groups, or you could give Declutter University a try- we all support each other in there!

2.  Sell (or don't sell!) your items.

Are you the person who will post a 25 cent item on Facebook marketplace answer 28 messages, and then deal with six no-shows?  Maybe you should let stuff go and give yourself permission to not sell your stuff.  Do you dread posting it for sale?  Cut yourself some slack.

Or, do you have some valuable things that could actually bring you money?  Do you have a goal or something you're saving up for?  Money might be highly motivating for you and really get you excited to declutter.  Use whichever option you think would be most motivating for you.

3.  Pretend like you're decluttering for someone else.

The Hardest Type of Clutter to Declutter

It sounds silly, but it can really take out the judgment and negative self-talk.  If it's someone else's clutter, you're more detached and then to be kinder and less harsh.  It takes a lot of the guilt away, even if you're just pretending it isn't your own clutter!

4.  Declutter according to your personality style.

Take our quiz here to see which decluttering style will fit you best!  I'm a sunflower, which means I want to rip the bandaid off and declutter super fast and all at once.  I'll lose motivation if I only work 15 minutes a day.  You might be the opposite.  Take the quiz to find out, and then use that knowledge to your advantage!

5.  Reward yourself.

This could take many forms.  Sometimes I'll set the timer for 15 minutes and then let myself sit down with a Diet Pepsi and scroll instagram for 15 minutes.

6.  See visual progress.

In order to see progress, you do actually have to stick with it long enough for things to become noticeable.  the best way to do this is to stay in one area until it's complete.  If you float around, you're still doing a lot of work, but you won't really be able to see it quickly.  Seeing things change can be so helpful in maintaining the energy to keep going!

7.  Celebrate the progress.

All progress should be celebrated!  Take pictures and send them to friends.  One of the best things to celebrate are the things you don't buy!  No one talks about this either, but every piece of clutter you don't buy and don't bring into your home means less you have to get rid of.  When I'm in declutter mode, it really puts me out of the mood to shop, lol.  I feel wasteful when I'm getting rid of things, so the last thing I want to do is waste more money by buying things.

8.  Let go of the guilt.

This is a hard one, and I have to keep reminding myself of this over and over.  Clutter is a sunk cost.  The money I spent to buy it is already gone.  It won't help me recoup my money by hanging onto the item.  If you can return something, then by all means, do it!  But if you can't don't beat yourself up over something you have no power to change.

Literally everyone buys things with good intentions, and then it just doesn't quite pan out as expected.  Sometimes it's not even our fault!  I bought a steam mop recently that I thought would solve all my mopping problems.  My kitchen floor is super hard to clean.  The tile is rough and uneven and a bit porous, so it is just a pain to clean.

I did my research, bought a very well-reviewed steam mop…and it just does not work on my floors.  It's literally no better than my cheap regular mop, and I don't use it.  I'd happily keep it if it worked for me, but it just doesn't.  So I'm going to let it go and not beat myself up for spending the money.  There was no way for me to know any of this without trying it.

9.  Tough love- be disciplined and have a plan.

This isn't a fun thought, but it's true.  The more disciplined you are, and the more you show up and do the work, the better things will turn out.  Sometimes we do have to do things we don't feel like doing.  If you can just force yourself to start, sometimes it's easier to keep going than we think it will be.  You have to show up and put in some time before you get to see visual progress.  Then once that happens, it's a lot easier to keep going!

You also have to have a plan!  If you don't have a map of where you want to go, it's so easy to get distracted.  If you have a list and a plan of what to do next, you can push yourself to keep going.

10.  Pair it with an audiobook or music.

Do something fun while decluttering!  However, choose your entertainment wisely!  It depends on what type of decluttering I'm doing.  If it's mindless like going through kids clothes by size, then I can listen to a really interesting book.  But if it's sentimental clutter or something where I actually need to make bigger decisions or use brainpower, I'll choose music or a book that doesn't need my full attention (like those Hallmark romance types where you know what's going to happen in the first chapter!).

If you're having trouble staying motivated, hopefully this helps you think a bit more deeply about why you're losing steam!  If you can just tweak a few things, sometimes it will give you the motivational push you need to get going again.  You can do it- I believe in you!

Posted Under: Decluttering