12 Easy Decluttering Tips for the Motivationally Challenged

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Looking to declutter your home but not sure where to start? Try these 12 easy decluttering tips and tricks for the motivationally challenged to gain insight and, hopefully, a little motivation along the way.

1. Take your time.

One mistake people typically make when they start decluttering is doing too much, too quickly, and too soon.

This may lead to rash decluttering decisions and feelings of regret about getting rid of certain or too many all at once, which could also create future feelings of decluttering later.

Rather than going all out, take your time if you need to or work in stages.

The great thing about decluttering is that it’s best to do it routinely rather than on a one-time or once-in-a-while basis since we tend to re-accumulate things later.

2. Make someone else’s day by donating.

One of the perks of decluttering is having the opportunity to give your old items to someone who might benefit from them even more.

Giving away or donating items to those in need can also be a fantastic motivator when decluttering and being consistent with it.

Donating can also be particularly useful if you struggle with letting go of things since you gain the incentive of giving to someone in need or charity to a good cause.

It can also be ideal for those who may have hoarding habits or disorders.

3. Think of the positives.

It often helps to look at the positive side of things to get things done—especially when we’d prefer not to do it at all.

This can be more so when it comes to decluttering since it can provide many benefits, including some of the following.

Some Decluttering Benefits Examples

You become cleaner more naturally.
Your home will become easier to maintain.
Rooms can quickly become more inviting and relaxing.
You gain an environment that suits you better, which can increase happiness.

Psst… Need more motivation to declutter? Check out our Benefits of Decluttering next.

4. Have a game plan.

donating-can-be-a-highly-motivating-and-rewarding-step-when-declutter

Having a solid decluttering game plan can help you stay consistent, focused, motivated, and accountable.

Decluttering Game Plan Tips

Know where you’ll be decluttering and how.
Set things up to make the process easier and with as few steps as possible.
Know what you’ll be doing with items ahead of time.
Schedule donation drop-offs or pickups in advance or do-by date for selling or giving away items to stay on track.

5. Always have an accessible decluttering or donation zone going.

Some people find it beneficial to get or stay motivated to clean or declutter when they eliminate extra steps.

Keep It Accessible

Keep bings, bags, baskets, or boxes to store any items you declutter.
Label boxes or bags to designate where items will go later (i.e.; donation, sell, give away, or storage).
Try to have these decluttering bags, boxes, and bins located in strategic places throughout the house to make them more accessible and convenient. This might include the hall or entryway closet, bedroom, office, etc.
You can add a quick decluttering session for certain rooms or hotspot areas to your weekly chores and monthly chores.

6. Set a timer or specific block of time to declutter.

Setting a specific amount of time to declutter can allow you to speed things up with fewer distractions and in a hyper-focused way.

It may also help you feel less anxious about decluttering while still keeping you accountable, such as by setting a timer.

This might mean tackling it for 15-20 minutes in the morning or at night a few days out of the week. It could also mean blasting through an hour or two worth of decluttering room-by-room or doing your entire home.

Do what works best for you based on your needs, the size of your home, the amount of stuff to get rid of, and your cleaning personality.

7. Make decluttering routine.

Having a decluttering routine or schedule can help keep you accountable. This can be useful if you a struggling with getting motivated or staying consistent. And it may also be beneficial if you have a lot of decluttering to do.

8. Plan a donation pickup of drop-off in advance.

It can help to schedule a donation pick-up ahead of time since it somewhat holds you more accountable when decluttering.

If you don’t have a place local that will do a pick-up, mark a date on your calendar to drop items off. The same can go for selling, storing, or giving away any items you declutter.

9. Trying different declutering methods.

Believe it or not, there are different ways to declutter a home. This is why it can be helpful to research what others do to see what might appeal to or work best for you.

You may also find a little motivation to help get you started, even if it’s through watching others declutter on TV and/or doing it yourself alongside them.

Decluttering Resources

Books
Audiobooks
YouTube
Skillshare
Udemy

10. Sell what’s sellable.

If you struggle to let go of items for the sake of decluttering due to monetary reasons, you can try selling them online or locally.

Where to Sell Used Decluttering Items

Poshmark
Threads
eBay
Craigslist
Facebook Marketplace
Local classified ads or work/neighborhood bulletin boards
Certain resale or thrift-type stores
Garage sales, community sales, or yard sales

11. Know where items will end up before you declutter.

Sometimes half the battle of decluttering is knowing what to do with those items.

While some things may need to be thrown away, others can be donated, given to a friend, or may require special handling, such as hazardous materials, cleaning products, batteries, etc.

Make sure to have a game plan when it comes to how certain items will need to be dealt with once it’s time to get rid of them.

This way, you can sort things out accordingly as you declutter and save yourself some time and steps.

12. Know your “why” for decluttering.

Sometimes it helps to know or remember why you’re doing something — especially if you don’t feel like doing it or find the process overwhelming.

This is where knowing the benefits of decluttering or your own personal reasons for wanting to declutter may come in handy.

Common Reasons to Declutter

Decluttering can make your home easier and faster to clean.
You become naturally tidier with few things to clutter up the place.
You find it hard to relax at home and feel your cluttered environment might be too overstimulating.
It can also be time-saving and more efficient to declutter before a big seasonal or quarterly deep cleaning, like Spring Cleaning.

Conclusion

In this post, we covered 12 easy decluttering tips and tricks for the motivationally challenged.

And now that you’ve learned a few decluttering tips, how about getting started with our room-by-room Ultimate Decluttering Checklist and Guide that’s best for year-round cleaning and tidying as well as a prep to Spring Cleaning.