What happens when you’ve decluttered for weeks on end and then you come to a standstill? What if you look around and see nothing but mess but have no desire to fix it? It happens to us all- it’s happened to me lately, so here is how I found my motivation again to keep on top of my stuff.
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YouTubers: Type ‘decluttering’, ‘the 30 Day Minimalism challenge’ or ‘getting rid of my stuff’ and YouTube will throw up thousands of videos of people like you and me who have been caught by the decluttering bug. Watch a few of these and you will soon have them on in the background while you purge your own space along with them.
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Books: Minimalism is a hot topic right now and there are so many books that do it justice, depending on your personal situation from minimising with families (Clutterfree with Kids by Joshua Becker) to minimising over Christmas (Have Yourself a Minimalist Christmas by Meg Nordmann) to decluttering a specific part of your life like your closet (Project 333 by Courtney Carver). Whatever your homelife looks like there is a book that will suit. Get reading and I challenge you to reach the end before acting on the advice within the chapters.
Blogs: There are so many people out in the world who blog about this very subject so if you prefer to get your inspiration online, seek out some bloggers who pride themselves on a simple home (www.becomingminimalist.com). Many of the YouTubers you will come across also run decluttering courses and have released eBooks to cement their passion for living with less. I can recommend Ashylnee Eaton and Simply Happy Zen who have both diversified their content to include eBooks as well as videos.
Better yet, start your own blog and share your struggles with the wonderful community of writers who will have experienced the same challenges along the way.
Start small again: If you feel overwhelmed- go back to basics and start with one drawer or a shelf on your bookcase to get the momentum flowing but in a steady fashion. Perhaps you have lost your flow because you are thinking too big and need to reduce your tasks down to more manageable chunks. These little positive steps will all add up to something great if you give it time and patience.
Dedicate some time: If you have lost your way on your decluttering journey because you feel there is no time to dedicate to it, talk to your partner and find a slot in the week when they can take the kids or maybe a grandparent could watch your children for an hour so you can minimise in peace. If you are bogged down with work- sit down with your diary and find a point in your schedule where you can take a little break to do some decluttering. Often people think they don’t have the time but even if all you have is five minutes each day- it’s worth doing to help you reach your goal.
Get your to-go pile out quickly: Once you have decided to get rid of something, the quicker it can vacate the premises- the better. The longer it lingers, the greater the pile becomes and the job looks much worse than it was when it was a single bag of stuff. Once you fill a carrier bag of things- it’s time to get it to the charity shop, to the person it’s intended for or to the tip. Don’t let this stuff hang around- it’s like a magnet and before you know it- you are drowning under a pile of stuff to purge. Plus, this stops you from rooting through the bags to retrieve things you are having second thoughts about.
Involve your most ruthless friend: We all have one- I AM the ruthless friend- the person who tells it how it is and asks the pertinent questions like ‘when was the last time you actually used that?’ or ‘do you even know what this is for?!’. Whether this is a friend, mum, auntie, sibling or grandmother- ask them for their presence as you do it (if they are in your bubble) or schedule a Facetime call with them if they aren’t to guide you through the process. Decluttering is always more effective when two people are involved.
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Think about every hotel room you’ve ever stayed in- what do they all have in common whether they are five or one star? They are minimal. It may sound silly, but hotel rooms hold a lot of the answers when it comes to living a simple life so if you adopt some of the same principles that you see when you are travelling away from home, you are bound to enjoy a more minimal space when you return. Here are just a few reasons why they are an excellent template for living with less... to read more click HERE
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