Your Decluttering May Take Time

I get asked a lot how long I think it will take someone to declutter. It’s impossible to say, but for reasons much greater than the obvious (and practical) considerations of the size of the living area, the number of material possessions, the amount of free time and one’s personal strength and stamina.

Of course, we need to be realistic in terms of the space / stuff / time / physical energy. Regardless of house size, we can gather up a lot of stuff over the years. Decluttering can be detailed and specific work, and, logically speaking, the clutter builds over time so will take time to sort through. Not just physically demanding, decluttering is, for many, a mentally and emotionally challenging process as we sift through the decades of our lives.

I can say, however, hand on heart, that if you go into decluttering feeling any way impatient, frustrated, angry, guilty or regretful that the process is going to take much longer than it should. If you haven’t taken the time to deal with any of these negative emotions to some degree before you start you’ll likely find it just too hard and you’ll quit early on. This stop-start cycle where we have great intentions but make little or no progress makes us feel disappointed, disillusioned and overwhelmed – I know this from both personal and professional experience.

Your Decluttering May Take Time

And, even if you make some headway in a bad mood, you won’t feel like celebrating your hard work. You certainly won’t open to the benefits of decluttering in the right way. I can’t over-stress the importance of decluttering in a gentle, healthy and balanced way, and this is such a big part of my work.

Even when it seems on the surface that someone has decluttered overnight, there’s always a good deal of invisible (“in-the-mind”) preparation and revving-up done in advance of the process (or they are that very rare species that is simply unattached to the stuff around them!).

The energy just has to be right.

Decluttering isn’t the monster we make it out to be. Instead of beating yourself up, look at decluttering as the fantastic opportunity it is for you to move forward in your life. Have fun in the process and please be nice to yourself!