Ugh. YUK! I don’t wanna declutter Liz!
You know you need to do it.
You WANT to do it.
You’ve started, many times. But given up.
All the clutter is making you crazy, but you only ever seem to be moving things around. Or shoving it away somewhere and pretending it’s not there.
You’re still not really happy.
After a while you get used to seeing it and you maybe can live with it.
Until you can’t.
Or you’re feeling such strong feelings around even the idea of decluttering, that you just can’t.
The low grade (or high grade!) stress of living in a cluttered home can wear you down. You get used to feeling tense, overwhelmed, annoyed, frustrated.
Or you don’t get used to it at all.
Grumbling, throwing things, feeling angry with your home?
Feeling overwhelmed at the sheer amount of STUFF in the home you once loved?
Annoyed or ashamed that you’re buying things that you’re pretty sure you own, but you can’t find it?
And yet, you STILL aren’t decluttering.
When your head is in a cupboard and you feel like yelling in frustration, you suddenly get the energy!
Everything gets chucked out onto the floor… There’s the thing you’re looking for!
Now is the perfect time to declutter that pile of stuff!
But you don’t. And it all goes back in the cupboard. Or it just stays there.
Or you do declutter. A bit. But most of it goes back in the cupboard.
Then after a bit, seeing as they haven’t left the house in 3 months… you think that the things you’ve just decluttered, actually might come in handy one day… So back they go.
Over and over again. Decluttering just doesn’t happen.
What’s going on?
You might already name it – The Big P.
Pro-Cras-Tin-Ation.
It’s got a cute rep right?
Oh, I’m SUCH a procrastinator! It’s just the way I am.
I’m just procrastinating, I’ll get it done one day.
I’ve always been a procrastinator! But I always get the important stuff done.
Procrastination can come from little feelings:
UGH. Yuk! Don’t wanna declutter! I want to go out with my friends and have a coffee!
To big feelings:
Panic attack, got to sit down, what if I throw out something important!
Add on the reasons we think we can’t declutter…
Why?
No time!
I just don’t have the attention span!
What if I throw away something I need?
I have too many more important things to do!
It’s ALL TOO MUCH!
I’m going to be honest with you here. For some people, decluttering is fun. A joy! For them decluttering is like breathing. It comes easily to them.
But for some folks? It’s like going to the dentist. (Sorry dental professionals.)
Or even worse than that!
You might go to the dentist even if you don’t want to, because you want your teeth to look nice and not hurt.
But decluttering? What’s the silver lining in this torturous job? It’s problematic, it’s boring, it makes you feel bad and nothing terrible will happen if you don’t do it.
Who cares if your quality of life in your home sucks.
Who cares if you’re wasting money.
Who cares if you’re unhappy.
The Big P.
The Big P is made up of a whole bunch of thoughts and feelings that meet up to make your enemy.
The enemy of Getting Stuff Done. The enemy of decluttering. The Big P.
How Can You Beat The Big P?
Let’s look at another Big P – Priorities.
I bet, even if you have a seriously short attention span, that some things grab your attention.
They’re probably fun, interesting, or so important that you can override your habitual short attention. They become your priority, because you want to do them.
~ Note, I’m not talking about clinically diagnosed ADHD or ADD here.
No time?
And yet, if you want to do something, you find the time right?
Someone you love needs you? You find the time. Passionate about shopping for a new outfit? Suddenly there’s time.
So decluttering.
It seems like it’s not such a high priority that you can override Yuk feelings.
Or the boredom you feel before you even start!
Or enough for you to put aside other things that appear to be more urgent and get stuck in.
How about changing how you see decluttering.
If you see it as a way of improving your quality of life? Maybe it would make you feel better about doing it.
If you see it making a real difference to how happy you feel in your home? Maybe you’d make it a priority to declutter.
If you see it as a number of teeny tiny jobs that can be broken up into chunks, you’ll feel better about doing it.
Maybe you’ll feel better about doing it if you broke up the whole massive job into smaller goals. With checklists or gold star charts, special treats or sharing your successes with a friend.
Maybe you’re not prioritising YOU.
Oh you might think you are… You make sure you do fun things and take care of yourself. But do you do the hard stuff?
The boring stuff that looks after the whole of your life.
Like working out a budget.
Saving for your future.
Maintaining the boring bits of your home, like the roof and the piling.
Decluttering all the stuff that gets in the way of you enjoying your home.
Decluttering the stuff that makes your life harder.
Decluttering the stuff that drags you down.
Fight The Big P!
Stop avoiding and procrastinating.
Stop pretending your clutter is not really there, or will evaporate all by itself.
Do whatever it takes to take Action Against Clutter!
Because your happiness matters.
Liz.
X
