Do you feel overwhelmed when you look at your cluttered home? You’re not alone. Many people find it difficult to get motivated to declutter their homes. Read on, as we’ll share some expert tips and tricks that will help you get the motivation started!
There are times when we all feel less energised and more overwhelmed by the amount of clutter in our lives.
Maybe our homes are so cluttered that we can’t even find a place to sit, or maybe we’re so bogged down by paperwork and other “stuff” that we can’t seem to get started on anything.
If this sounds like you, don’t worry – you’re not alone.
The good news is that there are ways to find your decluttering motivation, even when it feels like an impossible task.
Here are a few motivational tips and tricks to help:
13 Brilliant Ways To Motivate Yourself To Declutter
#1 – Know Your WHY
To be successful at anything we need a reason to do it. Otherwise why bother?
So – really getting clear on your why will help you focus on that while you get stuck into the work of decluttering.
Without a strong enough why, it will be very difficult to find the motivation to start, and carry on when it gets hard (Spoiler Alert: It probably will).
So ask yourself – Why do you want to declutter? What are your goals?
Some ideas would be:
- Make house cleaning quicker
- Teach the kids good housekeeping skills
- You’d like more simple living so you have more time for things other than ‘stuff’
When you’re clear on your why, write it down and keep your declutter motivation in a place where you will see it every day – such as your bathroom mirror.
Related: 14 Amazing Benefits of Decluttering Your Home – Get Started!
#2 – Make It Fun
If the decluttering process is something that you dread, then it’s time to change your mindset!
Think of decluttering as a fun game or challenge. Set a timer and see how much you can get done in a certain amount of time. You may be surprised at how quickly you can get things done when you make it into a game!
Related: 10 Surprising Ways to Make Decluttering Fun (Yes, Really!)
#3 – Make It Easy
If you find it difficult to let go of certain items, then make it easier on yourself.
Decluttering really doesn’t have to be as hard as you may think…
Start with small items that you can easily part with. Once you get into the swing of things, you can start decluttering bigger items.
Related: 20 Ways to Make Decluttering Easier [It Shouldn’t Be Hard]
#4 – Let It Be Quicker
If you really don’t have the time or energy to declutter, then a great tip is to just get yourself started by promising that you’ll just do it for a 15 minute slot, and then you can stop.
Set a timer for those fifteen minutes (or any amount of time is fine, whatever works best for you) and see how much you can get done in that short amount of time.
You may be surprised at how much progress you can make in just ten minutes – and chances are that once you’ve started you won’t mind carrying on half as much.
As the saying goes – it’s easier to keep a large stone ball rolling along the ground once it’s started than it is to get it going in the first place.
Related: How To Declutter Fast – 15 Quick Ways That Really Work!
#5 – Start With One Area
Don’t try to declutter your entire home at once. That is a recipe for disaster, and could even stop your decluttering journey before you’ve even set off properly!
Start with one small area and focus on that until it is done. Then move on to the next area.
Related: Where To Start Decluttering – 5 Fantastic Options To Try
#6 – Have A Reward Ready
After you declutter a certain area or number of items, or you finish a decluttering project you’ve set yourself – then you deserve a reward!
This can be something as simple as taking a break to have a cup of tea or watching your favourite TV show.
Whatever it is, make sure it is something that will motivate you to keep going!
Related: 32 Brilliant Ways To Reward Yourself For A Job Well Done
#7 – Do The Before And After
Taking a ‘Before’ photo of the area you want to declutter can be really powerful, because once you get started you can all too quickly forget what progress you’ve made and how far you’ve come.
Being able to see for yourself is a powerful motivator as you’ll want to see more and more success for your decluttering effort!
And, once you’ve decluttered each space – take the ‘After’ photo of the area so you can look back at every stage as it turns from messy house to calm and clutter free.
#8 – Make It Less About Decluttering
I love to listen to audiobooks and podcasts – and always have one on the go for cleaning and doing other chores around the house.
It makes everything feel a little more like a treat because I get to listen to exactly what I want.
So – why not do this while you declutter? It will give you more of a reason to get started so less motivation for the actual decluttering task is needed.
#9 – Get Inspiration
There are a LOT of gorgeous home magazines and pictures on the web (Pinterest, for example) where you can see many a clutter free home.
Maybe that’s beautifully minimal, colourful rainbow organising, just tidy and neat – or something else entirely – but whatever it is for you, why not create a vision board for yourself to show what’s possible.
You’ll give yourself plenty of great ideas of where you may want to be heading if you stick to your decluttering.
Find something that speaks to you is a great way of finding motivation as you’ll want to achieve the same in your own space(s).
#10 – Join A Group
There are many decluttering groups online (including the Organise My House HQ Facebook Group – not just for decluttering, but great for advice etc…)
Joining one of these can provide you with support, inspiration, and motivation. This is because you won’t feel alone in your task, and you can challenge each other and keep each other on target.
It’s an effective and easy way to give you more motivation when you have a community behind you.
#11 – Pay For Help
Ever paid for something and wanted to get the most for your money? This can be all the motivation you need when you start decluttering.
Getting paid help from a Professional Organiser can do wonders for being motivated – because you book in your appointment and want to get the best possible results.
TIP – You could always pay a family member or good friend to help you, or just ask them for encouragement and to hold you accountable every day/week.
#12 – Challenge Yourself
Set yourself a decluttering challenge and see how long you can go without buying anything new.
You may be surprised at how this simple challenge can motivate you to declutter your home!
These are just some of the ways that you can find the motivation to declutter your home.
#13 – Set Yourself A Deadline
If you find it difficult to get started, then set yourself a deadline.
This can be a specific date or time that you want to have your decluttering done by, or mini deadlines for each room in your entire home.
Creating deadlines will help to motivate you and keep you on track!
These are just some of the ways that you can find the motivation to declutter your home.
And remember, the goal is to have a decluttered and organised home that brings you joy!
So don’t give up, keep going, and you WILL get there (and LOVE the results too)!
Read Next: The 13 Negative Emotions of Decluttering [& How To Overcome]
