Spring Cleaning House And Mind – How To Get Motivated To Declutter

Many of us are getting in the mood for spring cleaning, but it can be difficult getting motivated. Try these ideas to help you get motivated to declutter!

Do you wake up every morning feeling as if things are out of control before your feet even hit the floor?

Do you spend a good portion of the day looking for stuff, moving stuff and trying to figure out where to put or how to deal with stuff.

Everything in your home should be there for your pleasure and enjoyment or to help you in your daily living. If it doesn’t, you need to get rid of it (no not your husband, I’m afraid. You must keep him : ) 🙂

Notice that I didn’t mention things of sentimental value. A good portion of what people save is saved because it has sentimental value. This is a major thing that people need to come to grips with. You can keep a few things, of course, but you shouldn’t need to fill a room or two with things that only have sentimental value.

• People have bemoaned the fact that their closets are jam-packed, they have no more room and don’t know what to do. I have helped people clean out their closets and, a lot of the time, half of what we got rid of were “memories” they forgot they even had– favorite clothes that they can no longer wear, every card sent to them from an old boyfriend even though they have been married for 30 years and so on.
• I have pulled down large boxes of their children’s school papers. I’m talking about every single math homework page the children ever did. One small file folder is enough for each year’s highlights and by the time they graduate you should be able to fit all 12 years of important school papers in one folder.
• Then there are boxes of stuffed animals and favorite blankies. One or two of these items is fine but not boxes full.
• I have seen many people who have been so busy taking care of their children’s “memories” and things they haven’t had time to enjoy their kids. Is there something wrong with this picture? This is just one example of how we need to really to get a grip and let it go.

Are you at the mercy of your things?

Do you continually find yourself washing, polishing, dusting, moving, storing and cleaning things that really have no purpose in your life and aren’t useful to you?

The next time you pick up something to move, clean, polish or otherwise handle, really look at it and ask yourself, “Why am I keeping this and what does it do for me?” How much pleasure does that ugly vase from Aunt Mabel (who died 25 years ago and who you only met once in your life) really give you? Sell these things or give them away to someone who might be able to use them or get pleasure out of them.

Really pay attention to everything you have. I once laid a stack of things on my fireplace mantle and forgot about them. I got so used to them laying there it was weeks before I noticed they were out of place. We tend to get so comfortable with the things around us we don’t realize that we really don’t need a lot of these things.

Start looking at your things but, most of all, take control! Don’t let them control you anymore.

You will be amazed at how free you will feel and what a burden will be lifted by getting rid of excess stuff. We don’t always realize how much responsibility we feel for these “things” and what a relief it is to have these responsibilities lifted from our shoulders.

Spring is here, so let’s get to Spring cleaning! Dust off those cobwebs, reduce the clutter that has been choking us all winter long and make our homes start working for us instead of the other way around!

-Jill

If you need more motivation be sure to check out our free e-book When Queens Ride By.

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