I share tips on decluttering because it is one of the biggest obstacles to having a home that feels calm, cohesive and inviting. No matter how perfect your decor, if your home has too much stuff or lots of clutter, it’s never going to look right.
Like me, most of my readers love Scandinavian interiors. While Scandi can mean a few different looks to different people, the one thing you’ll never see is a cluttered Scandi home and that is a big reason why so many of us are drawn to this calm interior style.
In the past I’ve shared tips and ideas on how to declutter and ideas on things you can get rid of without much thought. But sometimes we struggle to even get started and if that’s you, it’s worth understanding the reasons you haven’t decluttered yet. So today I thought I’d share some of the main obstacles that could be holding you back from starting or making progress and what you can try instead.
6 reasons you haven’t decluttered yet
1. you make excuses
A good excuse is still just an excuse. And when it comes to decluttering there are a million excuses we all make to avoid doing it. Maybe you tell yourself you’ll do it tomorrow or you tell yourself you don’t have time. Maybe you’ve even convinced yourself that you don’t really need to declutter. Whatever your excuse, it’s still an excuse.
Instead, the next time you think about decluttering, pay attention to the thoughts that come in to your mind. Be honest with yourself and recognise your excuses for what they are.
2. you’re overthinking it
There are many things we know we need to do whether that’s exercising, writing that novel or decluttering. The reason we don’t do these things is because we talk ourselves out of it by overthinking. Sound familiar? Think of those conversations in your head that happen every time you think about decluttering. This is similar to making excuses but goes further.
Instead make a decision to declutter and start. It helps if you decide beforehand what you’re going to tackle first and exactly when so there are no last minute decisions to think about. Even if you accomplish just one small drawer on the first day, it will feel so good.
3. you don’t know where to start
When you have a lot of stuff, just getting started with decluttering can be a huge challenge because you simply don’t know where to start. Perhaps you have rooms that are packed with furniture, and you have cupboards spilling over with stuff. With excessive furniture and belongings, you can’t even begin to see what you have, let alone finding things to get rid of.
Instead, start by contacting a local moving company, (e.g. Coleman Worldwide Movers ) and put your extra stuff in to storage. This will help you see the space more clearly and decluttering will be easier when you have less stuff. Also putting stuff in storage has another big benefit — if after a few months you don’t miss the stuff you’ve put into storage, that is a clear indication that you don’t need that stuff so you can simply donate or sell it.
4. you’re trying to do too much at once
With the best will in the world, we can decide to dedicate a whole day or even a whole weekend to decluttering. Or we might think we’ll do a whole room like the kitchen in one go. For many of us this just doesn’t work. Spending 5, 6 hours or more going through stuff is exhausting and decision fatigue will also set in. Similarly, if you start by emptying a whole room, seeing that stuff lying all over the room is almost surely going to cause overwhelm and this is going to put you off decluttering.
Instead, start small. Choose one drawer or one small cabinet. Once you’ve got a few of these small wins, your motivation to declutter will grow and you’ll feel more inclined to tackle bigger spaces.
5. you’re feeling guilty
This is a big hurdle to decluttering. Two of the main reasons we hang on to things we don’t use are because we spent a lot on them or because they were gifts from loved ones. We’ve all been there. The reason we keep this stuff is because we feel guilty and can’t bring ourselves to let go. Rationally, we know that the money is already spent and hanging on to the item isn’t going to bring the money back. We also know that those gifts are never going to be used. The only thing this stuff is going to bring is more guilt and what is the point of having stuff that makes us feel bad?
Instead try and focus on the joy it will bring someone else if you give it away. Alternatively, if it’s an expensive purchase you can try and sell it to recover some of the money but set a date to do this and if it’s not sold by that date, donate it.
6. you’re keeping stuff because you dream of being a… (fill in the blank)
Maybe you’ve always wanted to be a runner. Or a crafter. Or you want to start a new hobby like painting. So, you’ve bought the kit, done the activity maybe once or twice and now the stuff is just lying there gathering dust. Of course, you convince yourself you’ll start again but is this really true? If six months or more have passed, then you are very unlikely to use that stuff again. All of us get burst of inspiration for something new so we buy the stuff and then we lose interest. This is so normal but we don’t need to hang on to the stuff.
Instead, accept that it was mistake and get rid of the stuff. You will feel so much better and once it’s gone, the guilt of not pursuing the activity will go too.
From my experience these are the main hurdles to decluttering. Whether you have one cabinet, one room or a whole house to declutter, the trick is to stop thinking and get started. Small wins will spur you on and you will soon have that clutter free home that you’ve always wanted.
image credits: stadshem | 2 & 3 lotta agaton | fastighetsbyrån | behrer | historiska hem
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