Decluttering Motivation: Clear the Clutter and Get Rid of Stuff!
Decluttering motivation tips for tackling clutter and getting organized! How to find the motivation to declutter your home and get rid of stuff.
When you’re overwhelmed and drowning in clutter, the last thing you can muster is the motivation to deal with it.
It seems impossible, right?
Well, I promise you it’s not! I’m here to share some easy decluttering motivation tips to help inspire you to tackle the clutter.
You’ll find out exactly how to get motivated to get rid of the stuff that’s suffocating you, and develop a decluttering mindset.
You May Also Like:
- 12 Tricks to Motivate Yourself to Clean When You HATE Cleaning
- How to Declutter Your Kitchen Fast (the exact action steps!)
- 135 Things to Get Rid of to Organize Your Home Fast
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Cleaning and decluttering motivation
How can I declutter my house quickly?
I like to use this easy 5-step process to declutter a space fast:
- Get rid of any trash first – Keep a garbage bag handy to quickly throw away anything that is obviously trash, or is in too poor a condition to donate or sell.
- Make piles of things – Any items that belong in another room get placed in piles to be taken to their rightful space later. Use a box or bag to keep items together that you plan to donate or sell.
- Straighten up – Sometimes things look cluttered because they’re not arranged nicely. Organize shelves and drawers in a tidy way that makes sense.
- Group ‘like’ things together – Keeping similar items together makes them easier to find.
- Give everything a permanent home – Every item that remains needs to have a permanent place. If your belongings don’t fit in the space you have, keep decluttering until they do.
How do I motivate myself to clean and declutter?
1. Remember why you want it
One of my favorite decluttering quotes is by Joshua Becker:
“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.”
What do you want your life and home to look like?
Get a clear mental picture of the differences that having less clutter will make.
Remember that having clutter isn’t a personal failure. Don’t lay blame, or make any excuses.
It is a situation that can be fixed, and you are capable of fixing it. Believing that is always the first step.
Ask yourself why now is the time to declutter, and exactly what the benefits are of making it happen.
Some benefits of decluttering that I’ve found are:
- You won’t have to search for 10 minutes every time you want to find something, because you’ll know where it is. Everything will have a home where it belongs.
- The laziness factor. With a clutter-free home, you’re only ever about 30 minutes away from the house looking clean and tidy.
- You’ll enjoy being at home more. Clean, clear spaces are enjoyable to spend time in.
- It’ll help your mental health. Clutter is basically a bunch of unmade decisions. And it’s been proven to cause anxiety. Looking around at it all the time kinda makes you feel like you’re failing at life.
- It might even help your finances. Once everything is clean and organized, you’re not going to want to buy a bunch of new crap, and go through this all over again. Plus, since you’ll like being home, you’ll spend less money going out.
What reason resonates with you the most?
2. Make a plan
Come up with a game plan for how you’ll tackle this.
Will you make it part of your daily routine, and declutter 10 things (or for 10 minutes) a day?
Or maybe you plan to spend 2 hours every Saturday morning getting rid of stuff until the job is done.
You could go gangbusters and try to declutter your whole house in a weekend or two.
Whatever works best for your lifestyle is how you’ll actually accomplish this.
Which space will you start decluttering first? I’d start with the area that bugs you the most!
Maybe it’s the kitchen, or your kids’ toys. Or the forsaken junk drawer that you know is hiding the scissors and batteries you needed yesterday.
Choose an end-goal, too. Want to get this wrapped up by Easter? Or before that shower you’re hosting?
Have a date set in your mind, and work backwards to figure out your plan and timeline.
Related: Decluttering Questions to Ask Yourself Instead of ‘Does This Spark Joy’
3. Stay realistic and consistent
Your home didn’t get cluttered overnight, and it won’t get decluttered overnight.
It will take consistent effort to stay motivated to get rid of stuff.
But remember that any time you spend decluttering is progress.
Each little area that you tackle will look better than it did yesterday.
And eventually? All those little areas add up to be your entire home.
Related: 6 Simple Ways to Keep Your House Clean ALL THE TIME
4. Plan a reward
If you struggle hard with motivation, a simple way to keep yourself accountable is to plan a reward for yourself.
Maybe each bag you drop off at the donation center earns you your favorite fancy coffee.
Or promise yourself a salon pedicure or facial once you’ve worked through the entire decluttering checklist.
Maybe you want to take all the money you make from selling the stuff you no longer love, and go on a weekend getaway.
Choose something you really want and like. And make sure whatever it is doesn’t add more clutter to your house!
5. Start small
Start with decluttering something very small. It honestly does not matter where you start. Just start.
A drawer, your purse, or the kitchen utensil holder.
That quick win will motivate you so much!
You’ll find yourself going over to admire that area you just organized all the time.
Never underestimate the power of feeling accomplished.
6. Watch a decluttering motivation YouTube video
If you’ve never done this, it sounds weird.
But there are SO many inspiring videos on Youtube of people decluttering their spaces.
Just seeing the transformation that a space can go through is an excellent reminder of the power of decluttering and organizing.
Watch ONE video before you get started for a motivational jumpstart. (Please don’t get sucked into the YouTube rabbit hole!)
Or turn a video on while you’re decluttering, and you’ll feel like you’re not alone.
I love this video from Brianna K on YouTube. Love Meg is also great for cleaning motivation.
7. Set a timer
You got 10 minutes right?
We all have pockets of time during the day that we essentially waste.
We scroll through social media, or check our email for the 20th time that day.
Those are minutes that you could be organizing something.
Set a timer for 10-15 minutes a few times a week, and sort through some small area.
Related: 10 Minute Chores: Cleaning Tasks To Do When You’re Short on Time
8. Find a buddy
Ask a real-life buddy if they want to team up and do a decluttering challenge.
You could go over each other’s houses and take turns helping in person. Or just set some times that you’ll both be decluttering.
You’ll know that you have a friend going through the process with you.
You can celebrate together when it’s all done!
Or even team up for a 2-family yard sale.
If you don’t know anyone who’d want to do this, find a buddy online.
Check some Facebook groups or forums, and hold each other accountable.
Having a friend really helps keep your motivation strong.
9. Distract yourself
Make the time go by faster with your favorite playlist.
Or catch up on your reading by listening to an audiobook.
👉 Want to try audiobooks for FREE? Check out Amazon’s 30 day Audible Free Trial. It comes with 2 free audiobooks of your choice (that you get to keep!).
Maybe find an inspirational podcast to listen to, or use wireless earbuds to chat with someone on the phone while you work.
Feeling bored and lonely sure isn’t going to help keep the decluttering motivation going.
So try to make it fun any way you can!
10. Plan an event
Nothing spurs motivation to clear clutter like hosting an event at your house.
Plan to have a party or gathering, and just watch how fast you get this done.
Picture the party in your mind. People are telling you how nice your home looks.
They’re all having a great time, and you feel so proud of all you’ve accomplished.
Having a clear vision gives you a particular outcome to work towards.
11. Take before and after pictures
It won’t be pleasant, but take some pictures of the messy spaces before you start.
Then, as soon as you’re done decluttering a space, take an ‘after’ picture of it.
Keep it to yourself as a motivational reminder, or be an inspiration to someone else by sharing it on social media.
You never know who might need that motivation, and everyone will appreciate an actual glimpse into the messiness we never think to share.
Did you find some motivation to declutter and organize?
I hope these decluttering tips have motivated you to get rid of the stuff that is weighing you down.
These small steps toward minimalism will leave you with a calm, peaceful home you can relax in. And that you’ll feel good about!
Let me know how it goes!
For more decluttering and organizing inspiration, check out: