Practical Motivation For Decluttering: 5 Ideas
Motivation for decluttering when the job gets hard
It happens to the best of us: We embark on a decluttering endeavor, get sidelined by common tidying roadblocks, and find ourselves in dire need of motivation for decluttering.
Do any of these roadblocks sound familiar?
“I might need it someday.”
“Shouldn’t I save it for my kids?”
“But it was a gift.”
Over the past 2 years, I’ve been fortunate to chat with *many* minimalists. In these chats + interviews, I’ve learned one thing: In the throes of tidying, we all push through the Exact. Same. Concerns.
Below I’m bringing 5 decluttering roadblocks into the light and addressing them all, one by one. Then I’m following them up with practical tips so that you, too, stay on course.
Roadblock #1: “But what if I need it someday?”
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Your motivation for decluttering: If you haven’t used an item in the last 6 months, consider letting it go.
Take my trifle bowl, for example. (A trifle bowl is a fancy glass bowl that sits on a little pedestal to showcase the varying layers of a trifle dessert.) I registered for this (beautiful) item just before my wedding 8 long years ago.
I had big dreams to make many trifles, clearly.
But – despite my best intentions – I haven’t made a single trifle in the last 8 years.
I believe in mathematics. I understand probability, too: If I haven’t made a trifle in 8 years, chances are real good I’m not going to make one anytime soon.
And if I do have the sudden urge to make a trifle? I can borrow a trifle bowl from a loved one, instead.
Roadblock #2: “But this item was a gift.”
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Have you ever given a gift before? If so, you’re aware that the act of giving is the gift.
Think about the last present you gave someone. Would you prefer he or she enjoys it + passes it along, or would you prefer the item is kept forever, despite the fact that your gift takes up space, causes emotional stress + requires time to maintain + clean?
When it comes to the giver-receiver interaction, givers are under no false notions that you will hold onto gifts until your dying day. Further, givers certainly never intended to burden you with an item you feel guilted into keeping.
Let such items go with ease. Let yourself off the hook, too.
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Roadblock #3: “But it cost me a lot of money …” (or, “But it’s worth a lot …”)
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It’s sad but true: Items cost money. Desirable items cost even more money.
You’re never, ever going to get that money back. Even if you sold it online or at a yard sale you’ll receive only a fraction of what you or someone else originally paid.
We’ve all felt that terrible feeling in our guts when we realize we spent hard-earned money on something we didn’t need + never used.
Your motivation for decluttering: There’s nothing you can do except feel the feels + know that hindsight is 20/20: Let this awful feeling inform your future purchasing decisions.
[Related: Decluttering Motivation for when the Job Gets Hard]
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Roadblock #4: “But shouldn’t I save this for my children? There’s nothing wrong with it …”
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Sure, you could save it for your children one day. But then you run the risk of having a basement full of stuff you don’t want or need in the hopes your children will want your stuff in a decade or so.
(Here’s a hint: If you don’t want it, chances are real good your children wont want it, either.)
If you’re holding onto items in solid working order, your best best isn’t to keep them. Instead, give them to someone right now who’s actually in need.
Don’t just relocate your stuff to the basement. Look outside the box. Women’s shelters. Veteran’s shelters. If it’ll make you feel better to witness your perfectly good items go to worthy recipients, actually put in that extra effort to find them.
Roadblock #5. “But it has sentimental value.”
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Don’t let sentiment cloud better judgement.
I’m fortunate: family members often pass down their unwanted items to me. I appreciate this gesture, I really do. But to gain permanent admittance into my home, a passed-down item must pass 2 distinct tests:
– Will I use it?
– Do I love it?
If the answer to both of these questions is NO, I pass the item along. I remind myself of all the other sentimental items I have that enable me to remember my loved ones instead of holding onto stuff simply due to sentimental guilt.
Related: The Smart Way to Declutter Sentimental Items]
