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“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym
Some days the feeling of change, of reaching goals, of taking steps forward feels right and energetic. Other days it feels like drudgery and like it will never happen. I have to think this is normal because that is why I have clients. Working with someone, sharing the heavy load, having another set of hands and eyes is always better than working alone. If working alone is the only option you have, then please consider these 10 tips designed to help you through when sticking to your declutter goals are necessary and a must toward cleaned up and cleaned out spaces and new beginnings in your home or office or life.
1- Always stretch your body and your mind on Mondays. Include declutter ideas for the week and gather your tools.
2- Never skip decluttering, even if the declutter takes 2 minutes. Keep going. A two minute declutter might be a cleaned off counter in the bathroom or putting dry dishes away.
3- Don’t link decluttering with perfectionism. Decluttering is a marathon and a journey; you get it right every time you do it.
4- Give or treat yourself to a celebratory pat on the back or favorite special kudos for every small effort you make toward your goal.
5- What does noise look like in your space? How can you combat all the noise? Decluttering visual noise is so important for peace of mind and spaces. It could be a pile of newspapers or magazines, or it could be a funky smell. It could be your chairdrobe or the unfolded clean clothes sitting in the laundry basket. It is different for everyone and the noise changes as you learn how to include decluttering into your everyday routine. Noise is clutter and clutter is chaos and chaos is uncomfortable and adds to daily anxiety. Tackle one of those noise makers and you are helping the entire house feel better.
6- If you want to make a change, change 1 thing you do every day. Change the furniture layout for a longer lasting appreciation of your comfort zones. If making the bed in the morning is not getting done, change that habit. If exercise or stretching is something you don’t incorporate into the early start of your day, include that, and give your body what it needs to help give you what you need to get to live your best day. If you don’t drink a glass of water first thing in the morning, add that to your morning routine. Your body will thank you. The idea is to add or move around something to your day that forces you to think more openly, move more creatively and appreciate more deeply.
7- Make a “you” plan. Sometime during every day give time to you. This could be reading a favorite book, writing in a journal, taking a 20-minute nap, or go for a 30-minute walk.
8- Declutter to motivating music. If podcasts about cleaning, organizing or gratitude help you stay motivated, go for it.
9- Don’t spend money if you can re-purpose items in your home that are not being used to their best ability. More times than not I find a way to reuse or re-position an item in my home that just gives a breath of fresh air to a space and the item itself. If spending money will absolutely solve a problem or be perfect for the look you are trying to achieve, make sure you are completely certain spending the money is the way to go. Lots of times our things lose their magic, and we wind up regretting our purchases. Trading time for dollars to purchase the "things" you want has to feel worth it to you.
10-Keep in mind with each declutter: If you have to store things you own to get it out of the way because it no longer works in a space, it might be time to let that item go. It is so true that what sits in a box in the back of a storage facility you pay monthly for or your attic or a storage closet at home is not going to get us to use that item more. We will likely forget we have it and it should not take up valuable real estate and cause us angst.
I hope these tips have been helpful and inspiring. If you try them and you just don’t seem to be making the progress you hoped for then please consider calling over to your professional organizer, Groom Your Room, for the accountability, companionship, and inspiration you need to achieve your end result.
Call to Action:
Which one of these tips will you try first? Let us know what worked best for you and please share a tip you discovered.
Images by: crewhu.com, Pinterest