Decluttering your home is often associated with spring (hello spring cleaning). For me, there are so many worthy times of the year to declutter. One of which is in January. It ties into perfectly to New Year's Resolutions and goals, and especially after the holiday season and tons of new items, it makes practical sense to.
But even if one of your goals this year is to do a decluttering of your home, it's easier said than done. That's because there are a lot of struggles we face when it comes to tidying up our homes. And just as their are decluttering challenges, there are ways to overcome them.
Ready to overcome the challenges you have when it comes to decluttering your home? Here are the top roadblocks when it comes to decluttering and how to tackle them.
Feeling Overwhelmed before you even Begin
One of the biggest and first struggles when it comes to decluttering is the overwhelming feeling that it brings. In fact, 54% of Americans are overwhelmed with their clutter. Understandable when you think about each and every room in your home that needs a tidying up: attic, garage, basement, kitchen, bathroom...it can feel very overwhelming just thinking about decluttering. That's why when you start a declutter process, focus on one room at a time.
Just like in many big projects and tasks, breaking it down into smaller goals makes it more manageable to achieve. You can even do this in a room that feels overwhelming, like a basement, and focus on just one corner at a time.
Finding the Motivation to Declutter
Unless you are a Virgo with OCD tendencies like myself, you probably don't enjoy decluttering. Not many people do. That's why when you're faced with the task of decluttering, you lack enthusiasm and more importantly motivation. But these two qualities play off each other in the decluttering process.
Aside from following the previous step of breaking down your decluttering project into smaller tasks, another way you can gain more motivation in the decluttering process is by turning this dreaded task into something more enjoyable. Put on upbeat music, pour yourself a glass of wine, or even reward yourself afterwards with a bubble bath or fancy dinner. The point is that by connecting decluttering with more positive qualities, we will gain a better experience and not be so resistant to the process.
Burnout During a Decluttering
A big mistake I see people making in the decluttering process is setting up one weekend to tackle it all. Not only is this a highly unrealistic goal, but it will lead to massive burnout during the decluttering. This means that you will create negative associations with decluttering even more so, making it even more difficult to gain the motivation to declutter in the future.
Decluttering is a marathon, not a sprint. Take it in legs. Set aside 20-30 minutes a few times a week and do a little bit over a longer amount of time. It will reduce the feelings of burnout and the stress of decluttering, making it more maniable to fit throughout your day to day.
Having a Difficult Time Letting go of Clutter
If you are attempting a decluttering, high chances are that it's because you want to let go of some stuff. And as easy as it may have been to acquire these items over the years, it is often quite difficult to let these items go.
In my holistic approach to decluttering, I have found there is a strong connection with mindset, mental blocks, and even deep shadow work when it comes to letting go of your stuff. For example, we can often create narratives for our reasons to keep and hold onto items. Reasons like, this belonged to my great grandma or I spent good money on this item, can be mental traps and opportunities to dive deep into your subconscious and heal.
Asking yourself insightful questions to why you are holding onto these items is a great place to start when doing an item evaluation to determine your resistance to letting go of your things. You may discover that the reason you have strong sentimentality to your grandma's teapot is due to guilt or even a lack of closure, or that the reason you can't get rid of that $50 blender was because you have a scarcity mindset with money. Understanding these reasons can help you to later challenge these beliefs and rewrite these narratives.
Having the Clutter Return
Say you manage to go through an entire declutter process. Yay!!!! Except a month or two later the clutter starts to collect on your countertops and floors, creeping its way back into your home and your life. One of the reasons why this happens is there are no habits to manage and maintain the clutter.
Adding tidying habits into your routine can help control the clutter. A ten minute clean up and reset at the end of each day is a great way to make sure the messes don't get out of hand.
Now that you know more about how to handle your decluttering challenges, you can add these to your next home decluttering to feel more confident in creating a tidy and organized home. If you are looking for even more guidance and help on decluttering, I recommend checking out my Holistic Decluttering Experience, which goes through my holistic approach to decluttering and organizing your space.
Your Holistic Home Helper,
Marissa
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