Getting Started Dealing with Hoarding and Cluttering

From Sterbal's Sundry Studies

The main thing you need to know about decluttering is just to start somewhere. Ideally, start with obvious trash. Pick a small project like a table top, a drawer or a shelf. Don't start with sentimental items or anything that's difficult for you. Celebrate all successes - no matter how small. And as you declutter, you will build momentum - and be able to tackle the more difficult items and projects.

When you don't know where to start[edit]

Choose one of the following strategies that appeal to you. Try the approach - and if it works for you, great! If not, try another strategy!

From 7 Strategies For Clearing Clutter When You Don't Know Where To Start:

"If you're feeling overwhelmed about where to start clearing clutter, here are strategies you can use to begin today! . . .

1. Set Your Priorities: Fix What Bugs You The Most First . . . What you need is a plan of attack. One strategy is to start with the area that bugs you the most. Chances are the room that bugs you the most is one you spend a lot of time in. Tackling the biggest problem area can make you motivated to continue as you see positive results. . . .

2. Take Small Bites Of The Task When Clearing Clutter . . . Choose a time of day when you've got lots of energy, grab your timer, turn on some motivating music, and tackle one little portion of that room. . . . Once you choose a room stick with it until its done, even if you, for example, have to declutter it in 15 short sessions in a row over the course of two weeks. Once you choose the drawer or cabinet to start with, then just go systematically through the room from that place forward, so you don't avoid anything or miss cluttered patches.

3. Share Your Decluttering Goal With Others Who'll Hold You Accountable . . . If you're really serious about the process, tell a friend or loved one about your goal and ask them to hold you accounatable. . . .

4. Get A Friend Or Family Member To Help & Encourage You Along the same lines, if you start running into problems deciding what to part with, especially because of emotional reasons, getting a trusted and loving friend or family member to help you with the decision making process can be very helpful. It can be very disheartening to sit there paralyzed by indecision. Sometimes it is useful to hear a more neutral and less emotional point of view to guide you in the right direction. . . .

5. Trouble Seeing The Clutter? Take A Picture Sometimes the problem is that you've lived with your junk and stuff for so long you can no longer see it. [There's a name for that. It's called clutterblindness.] I'm sure you've heard to look through your house pretending you are a visitor, to see the home through different eyes. Well, sometimes that works, and sometimes I just can't seem to do it. However, have you noticed that every time you look at a picture of yourself or someone else in your home you notice all the junk and clutter in the background? How annoying, right? Well, use this annoyance to your advantage, and take a picture of the area you need to declutter. Somehow your brain can just "see" the problem areas more clearly then, and you can develop your plan of attack (as suggested in step 1).

6. Create A Positive Reward For Yourself For Clearing Clutter Have you ever felt motivated at the beginning of a session of clearing clutter, only to feel disheartened by the end and ready to throw in the towel? To avoid this common problem, create a positive reward for yourself for getting the job, or a big step of it, done. This gives you something to look forward to, and makes it more likely that you'll continue on. Just make sure your reward doesn't bring more junk into the house!

7. Grab A Timer And Just Start! Last, but certainly not least, the problem sometimes is just getting the motivation to start. The first two minutes of any task are the hardest, so if you're really demotivated or can't decide what to do, just start! Put two minutes on the timer and commit to doing it that long. You'll be suprised how easy it can be once the timer buzzes to keep going a bit longer. Similarly, if you're having trouble prioritizing where to begin, just start somewhere. There is no right or wrong place to begin, so just do it!"

When you're Overwhelmed[edit]

Sometimes when you look around at everything that needs to be decluttered, it can be overwhelming. Looking at everything that needs to be done at once can make you just want to run away! Here are some tips and techniques to help you get past the anxiety and that overwhelmed feeling.

  • Look around the room to see if there are any no-brainer things you can do. Is there obvious trash or recyclables? Broken items that you know you won't fix? Clothes that don't fit or that you don't feel great in when you wear them? Things in the room that you don't love or that really aren't worth dusting? Trash, Recycle or Set Aside to Donate or Sell. Do you have a Donation Station?
  • Create a Donation Station. Designate a box or corner of a room for things that you will be donating to your favorite charity shop.
  • Make a List or Plan of the things you know you want to get done. Getting your thoughts organized in this way can be very helpful!
  • Find inspiration photos - of rooms that look the way you want your home to look. Post one or several of these photos on your refrigerator - or create a vision board - or pin the photos on Pinterest.
  • Don't feel guilty about the piles. Don't beat yourself up about money you wish you hadn't spent or things you haven't done yet. That's in the past - and you want to look to the present and the future. You can learn from past experiences and make better shopping decisions in the future.
  • Join a Support Group! There are lots of Facebook support groups on Decluttering. A support group can help you celebrate your successes.
  • Celebrate your successes. No matter how small.
  • Set a goal for yourself of doing 15 minutes a day of deculttering - or of getting rid of five items each day. Make it a reasonable goal - something that won't further overwhelm you! Start small.

Getting/Staying Motivated[edit]

5 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Work Harder

  1. Be really clear about why you're doing what you doing. Visualize the end result - and keep your eyes on the prize!
  2. Take care of yourself physically - Make sure you are practicing self-care.
  3. Think habits, not motivation - "Getting yourself to do something again and again by sheer force of will is extremely difficult. Getting yourself to do something by force of habit is easier. "Because motivation/willpower is a limited resource, it has helped me to instead build habits which, once instilled, don't use willpower."
  4. Embrace discomfort - No pain, no gain.
  5. Bribe (or punish) yourself -- I prefer bribe!! Celebrate your successes!!!


When you lose your motivation to declutter (and how to get it back). by Hellen Buttigieg

"Have you lost your motivation to declutter? Let’s see if I can help you today.

Is it possible that you are draining your energy by reflecting on the past or focusing on the future, rather than staying in the present moment? Do you find yourself regretting past decisions, (“Why did I buy that?”)? Or focusing on how much more there is to do (future)?

These are your gremlins and they can be scary. But they are not real. Bring your attention to the now. Do one thing right now, and be with that thing. You don’t have to declutter your whole house and life this very minute. You just have to take one small action. Whether you feel like it or not. Put one foot in front of the other. Keep walking. The momentum will kick in and one day you will look around at your tidy home and your organized life and think “Wow, how did I get here?” And we will celebrate together.

(Inspired by the Tibetan story, Room of 1000 Demons)"


Links[edit]

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