Does anyone have some good tips for how you've motivated yourself to tackle uncluttering projects? I'd like to tackle my bar area this evening - really not that insurmountable of a project - but suddenly I'm thinking, I'm tired and I want to watch TV! Ugh ...
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Posted 1 year ago #
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my main motivation is....me.
i declutter and clean and organise because i have worked out that i deserve to live in a decluttered, clean, organised environment. and i am much happier there.
so decluttering is it's own reward, and that is the motivation.however, i can procrastinate on social and work and health stuff until the cows come home.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Invite friends over for dinner or a party with only a few days notice. It gives you a deadline to work to and the potential embarrassment if I haven't tidied and cleaned is a big motivation to me. Plus, you get to have a great (frugal) evening with your friends as a reward for all your hard work.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Is there a TV near that area? Use the commercial breaks to work on decluttering. I often fold laundry, do dishes, etc. that way. I find I can do small areas or short periods of time, and give my self permission to quit after 15 minutes, or half hour or whatever I think I can stand. :) Like bandicoot, I do it for me....
Posted 1 year ago # -
this is an easy answer. just read unclutter forums! when i feel like tackling something just read the forums and i am off and running. so many ideas. the atad is also good, inspires me when i realize have already done that, but also read a post and think how it applies to me. that happened recently with makeup-thought i had really cleaned out, but on reading a post realized i had a lot more questions to ask myself about what/why i kept things-made another major sweep. always motivated by the personal posts here.
i find the easiest purge comes when i bring items home and place, almost always they serve dual purpose or render things unused and items can be eliminated or upgraded.
Posted 1 year ago # -
also....watching an episode of hoarders is incredibly motivating.
Posted 1 year ago # -
invite your inlaws ... my house becomes spotless. Takes days and much foul language, but it works...
alternatively, a big bag of M&Ms to consume while working on the project.
I've tried hiding a box of fancy chocolates to be used as a reward, but invariable cave in and eat them. DH is hopeless at hiding them too, I can always find them!
Posted 1 year ago # -
I think small. Just one thing a day. And then it often ends up with more than one thing. But if I think "Just one thing" then it is usually easy to do just one thing and not feel overwhelmed.
Just one thing. Put away just one bottle. Recycle just one jar.
Posted 1 year ago # -
You could just say: I'm going to sort through 5 things in this area, then it usually turns into more. Just getting started is the issue for me as well. Set a timer, set yourself a limit and promise yourself if you really can't be bothered then you'll stop after that limit. Also, I like to listen to my ipod for those sort of chores, last night I ironed 10 shirts and listened to a nice long, interesting podcast and it was quite enjoyable once I got into it :) ATAD is my lifeline too :)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Gosh, lottielot! I need to learn to love my iPod! If I listen to a podcast, it might quiet the voice in my head that says, "Don't get rid of that!" LOL
Posted 1 year ago # -
I second everyone who said getting started is the hardest part. With uncluttering projects, I usually try not to tackle too much -- I'm a little Flylady-brainwashed and the sensible "don't pull out more than you can put back after the 15 minutes are over" is still in my head. I'm also good at visualizing the result, so that is usually my main motivation, plus of course a good looking apartment for meeeee! :o) Oh and of course the ATAD thread, it's pure gold.
Motivating myself to do other things though... it's a lot harder for me, because with uncluttering, you get immediate visible results, and e.g. with working on my thesis, I sometimes feel nothing really changes (except on some days I write three pages, and on some I delete two again...). I'm still trying to build a routine that will make me sit down automatically to work. :o) Apropos. I should get going ;o)
Posted 1 year ago # -
The iPod thing sounds really good. I have a couple radio shows I like - Marketplace, The Story, Speaking of Faith - and they're really good at keeping me going for an hour (or w/the daily Marketplace updates, 10 minutes every morning doing dishes if I'm done with breakfast.)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Having it be done is my motivation. I usually have a long list of projects on the go (by choice, so I'm not complaining), and when things don't get done on time I get stressed out because I know this will get in the way of my other work. So my mantra is "once it's done, it'll be one less thing on my mind."
That being said, if after that I still think "but I reeeally don't want to / I'm too tired / the bed is calling to me" then I usually take the evening off to recuperate. As long as it doesn't become a habit, the occasional bout of procrastination is allowed ;)
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'm motivated by the end product - a fresh, clean, uncluttered space. I've come to appreciate that so much that decluttering has become my favorite hobby (strange, I know). Now, the good feeling I get seeing my minimized spaces has translated into good feelings every time I toss/donate/repurpose or recycle something. Even driving away from my thrift store drop-offs or watching the garbage truck empty my trash cans gives me a thrill. :)
Posted 1 year ago # -
And once a place is decluttered, keeping it that way is sooo much easier. My living room, bathroom and bedroom are decluttered (except for the closet, which is ongoing, but already has less), and they stay that way pretty routinely. Working on my home office and craft room still. :)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Probably my primary motivation in decluttering (out of many) is that it's just a lot easier to keep things clean when they are uncluttered. I don't like using my precious "free" time to pick something up, dust underneath it, and put it back down, kwim? And I DO like knowing that if DH or I should want to invite someone over after work, I'm not going to be embarrassed by how the place looks.
Posted 1 year ago # -
pkilmain-"And once a place is decluttered, keeping it that way is sooo much easier."
No better way to say it!
When we did a whole house remodel at our old home several years ago, everything was new from the baseboards to the crown molding. It was so beautiful and clean when it was finished, I couldn't bear to let it get dirty!
Since my kids were getting older by that point and didn't have to devote so much time to their every need, just a little bit of clean up everyday saved me from several days of huge marathon cleaning every month!Posted 1 year ago # -
I second the 'inviting the in-laws to stay' reason. Also, I have some very clean and neat friends, and there is nothing that motivates me to declutter the dining table/scrub the toilet/sink that sink if I know they're coming over! It IS working, because *everyone* who's been here in the past few months has commented on how great the place looks (must have been a tip before).
Posted 1 year ago # -
a big customer from down south rang me yesterday (monday) to ask if they could drop in on thursday.
*alarm*
you know how i have been putting off my workshop decluttering project?
it took four people one whole day and it is 95% done.
motivated? you bet!Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks so much for all your thoughts and tips. I especially liked the M&Ms idea (I have a bag of coconut ones that could work really well! Maybe one M&M for each piece of paper disposed of? ;)). The suggestions for ways to make the job seem less overwhelming were really helpful too (working during commercial breaks, setting a timer for 15 minutes, saying I'm just going to take care of 5 things). My clutter issues are bad enough that I couldn't invite anyone over anytime soon. :( But I've got to start somewhere, and it's so easy to just say, forget it - I'll never get there, why bother? If I can break it into smaller chunks and reward myself somehow, I think that will help.
Posted 1 year ago #
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