19 December 2022

This week, I want to continue talking about decluttering. This is my last thought before the break, when you may now have more time on your hands, so I have tried this week to give you more practical tips about decluttering your life.
The first thing that I want to stress from the outset is that you shouldnât try to declutter everything at once! Seems so obvious, doesnât it? But I cannot tell you just how many people ignore this simple truth and try to declutter everything at the same time.
This is not the right way to start a big task like this, as it will just overwhelm you. People who try things in this way also then find that they run out of steam or time very quickly, then resign themselves to having failed, lose interest and give up!
Like with doing any big task, you always first need to break it down systematically into sub-tasks, say by only doing one room or zone at a time. Then set yourself time limits to do things, prescribe yourself breaks and properly take them as you go along.
It is no good just recording mentally that you need breaks, you actually need to sometimes force yourself physically to take them, especially if you recognise that you are good at convincing yourself that you can always do âjust one more thingâ before stopping!
And I am not talking here about a quick sip of a drink, or a bite of something whilst working, but a real chance to step outside the room or zone that you are decluttering, so you then come back refreshed, refuelled and can refocus and look at things anew.
Remember what I said last week about how decluttering is an emotional exercise, because you hang onto things that you convince yourself unconsciously that you may need again later? Well, the same principle applies again here. But decluttering is not only emotionally exhausting, it is mentally taxing too.
Not only do you need to think about putting something in the bin, you may also need to decide whether to donate it to the charity shop, try to sell it, or think about giving it to someone you know. Do not underestimate how tiring all of this can be.
Finally, if you canât seem to find time to declutter, just throw one thing away each day or week from each room or zone. Overtime, you get rid of 365 or 52 things every year in each room or zone – quite a lot when you think about it!
So, this week (and over the break), if decluttering, just try to do it room by room, or zone by zone. Also, always remember to take regular proper breaks and remind yourself that hanging onto things is how clutter builds up both physically and mentally!




