Motivation to Declutter

Where does this remarkable thing called motivation come from? Where can we locate it? Borrow it? Buy it?

 

Motivation comes SO easy to me. I feel incredibly motivated to sleep-in, skip workouts, eat obnoxious amounts of bread, and google food puns all day; its a gift really. Unfortunately, that cup does not runneth over for things like cleaning my car, doing a plank, or going to the dentist in a timely manner.

 

Sound a bit familiar?

 

I’m not an expert on motivation but this is my opinion, which I feel motivated to say is exactly that; an opinion:

 

The average person is not going to “find” the motivation to declutter, clean and organize their house. Down the road some hefty benefits will start appearing and you will feel the excitement, but right now, the motivation mother ship isn’t coming for you. That’s as realistic as me skipping mimosas on Sundays.

 

Unless you are a Home Organizer, chances are decluttering your home sounds about as fun as going to a personal trainer to do squats, but you know why you’re going; you made an appointment. You invested money. You have accountability. You start with one squat and build up to five squats and so on. Small steps. Habits.

 

So if working on your home is as fun as squats, how do you take the steps to make it happen without running smack-dab into a wall of overwhelm?

 

Here is my getting started guide for you if you cannot invest in a home organizer right now. Shameless plug: finding the ideal organizer for you is worth every penny and then some, but I digress; let’s get back to you and your motivation mojo journey:

 

1. Create tiny little routines until they become habits. You know how brushing your teeth or tying your shoes is a habit you do with zero thought? Start there. Put in your schedule to declutter five minutes everyday. Schedule a family ten-minute tidy session after dinner every night. Run your dishwasher every night and unload in the morning. Run a load of laundry every night, switch in the morning and fold at night. Start super small and repeat until the behavior is so ingrained in you, you can read War and Peace while tidying your living room before bed.
2. Don’t do it alone. Create accountability. If you have taken Gretchen Rueben’s Four Tendencies tests, this move will be beneficial if you are an Upholder or Obliger. Rebel? Questioner? It may not work. Personality traits come into play here but ask a friend to do this with you, hold each other accountable! I trained with my best friend recently to hike Mount St Helen’s. Lots of grueling Sunday’s meeting her at trails and Wednesdays at a spin class in preparation for our big goal. I have no problem letting me down with my clever excuses, but I wasn’t going to leave her at the trailhead wondering why her taste in friends was so horrific. And I did hike Mount Saint Helen’s with her, thanks to accountability.
3. The most important strategy I can share with you is a clear vision of your end goal. Your big why. Close your eyes and imagine the home you want to live in and love. Write down what you want for you and your family. Read that every time you don’t want to do the work.

 

 

When my hike up Mount St Helen’s got hard and painful (and it DID), I looked down at my feet and repeated in my mind, “One foot in front of the other.” Over and over. I got to the top and it was glorious.

 

One foot in front of the other my friend. There is a beautiful view awaiting you at the end of all your hard work!