Elena's Declutter just turned 5-years-old. I can't believe it! I've officially been an entrepreneur and declutter coach for over half a decade. I am so incredibly honored to have been able to work with so many amazing people and help them create more space in their homes so they spend more time doing what they love.
And as I've been helping people sort and get rid of clutter over the past 5 years, I've noticed some pitfalls that most people fall into when trying to get their house in order. Here I'll be laying out these common mistakes and giving you practical advice and strategies to avoid them so you can get straight to the important work of decluttering...
5 Common Decluttering Mistakes
Mistake 1: Getting Overwhelmed and Not Starting at All
Problem: When I start working with a new client, one of their first questions is always: Where do you think we should start? Many people feel so overwhelmed and don't know where to begin so they end up doing nothing at all.
Story: I had a client where the very first time we met, we decided to check out one over her two storage units. I encouraged her that we should at least check it so she could know how much is in there and what our gameplan going forward should be. Turned out the storage unit only had like 6 boxes in it and we were able to load it into her car and put it in her garage that very day. ONE STORAGE UNIT DOWN! Imagine how much money she would have saved had she just started sooner. (Have a storage unit and wondering when you should tackle it? Use my storage unit decision map.)
Solution: Start somewhere. Start small. Start today.
Where you start doesn't much matter, but when you start REALLY does.
I have a whole series on where to start (the kitchen) and where to declutter next you can read if you find it helpful to be told which room to start in. Or simply start with the room you are in right now, or the spot that is currently driving you the most crazy. But whatever you do, don't procrastinate! Start somewhere in your home today.
Another strategy I recommend if you are incredibly overwhelmed is The 4 P's of Decluttering. This method focuses more on picking up a single item at a time rather than trying to tackle an entire room or section of a room. If that method sounds less stressful to you, give it a read now.
Mistake 2: Not Having a Plan or Setting Goals
Problem: Jumping into decluttering without a clear plan or realistic goals leads to even more clutter spread around and no clarity around what you've accomplished or how much more you have to go. This can cause burn out quickly and even cause you to give up on decluttering altogether.
Story: I have one client I am working with right now and we don't have any clear goals set, their home IS slowly getting better with each session. However, I am realizing that the progress is hard to track and we are not working very efficiently. I am not perfect either; learn from my mistakes!
Solution: Set realistic and specific declutter goals and make a plan on how and when you are going to tackle them.
Schedule a time for this week where you can sit down for 30 minutes or so to define your goals and write out your plan. Then put those goals somewhere you can see them every day and add your plan to your calendar.
NOTE: This may seem like contradictory advice to mistake number one, but it's not. You can start today (like by going through your pile of most recent mail) without having a clear plan AND ALSO, schedule a time to make a plan with meaningful goals before too much more time passes. Starting now is vital, but having a plan will help you even more.
Want a step-by-step on HOW exactly to make a declutter plan? CLICK HERE
Mistake 3: Buying Organizing Containers Before Decluttering
Problem: My clients often have a lot of brand new, empty organizers before they hire me. And by the time we're done decluttering and organizing, they have to donate a lot of those containers because they have nothing left to put in them. Buying bins and containers before decluttering adds more stuff and just increases clutter.
Story: A previous client (let's call her Sandy), had a lot of clutter. And as we started sorting and decluttering, I noticed that Sandy had a lot of empty organizing containers, bins, and boxes. I suggested we started putting those empty containers that we didn't need for a current project in the garage. As we needed them we could go out and grab the one we needed. Once in the garage, I realized there were even more empty organizers out there! So I started piling all empty bins, baskets, drawer organizers, and under the sink pull out drawers in the garage. The more we decluttered items Sandy didn't need, the more boxes and bins we emptied. Before I stopped working with Sandy we had created almost an entire wall of organizers in the garage. Point of the story is, you probably already have all the organizers and bins you need. What you need to do is declutter your stuff, not organize more.
Solution: Declutter first, then evaluate what storage solutions you need to add.
I encourage my clients to not buy organizing containers until after we've decluttered the entire room, category, or even the entire house. Because you may free up the perfect under the kitchen sink organizer while decluttering the bathroom. Or you'll find the right box for your sentimental keepsakes while decluttering under your bed.
You have all the organizers you need, and if not, you can live without it for a little while, it may not be perfect, but it will save you so much time and money in the long run if you wait.
Mistake 4: Thinking Sorting & Organizing are the Only Tasks in Decluttering
Problem: If you only sort, re-home, organize, and throw away items while you are doing your declutter sessions, you will get stuck often and procrastinate many important tasks that help you clear clutter for good.
Story: I recently had a client ask me if she should take the time to wash some produce and put it in the fridge or if she should set it in the sink and do it after I had left. I told her she should do it now because the produce was on the table that we were trying to clear and that the produce was part of the clutter. Therefore, washing that produce was part of the decluttering process. And as I thought about it, I realized this is a major stumbling block for many of my clients. They often think that reading through the mail, scrubbing out something dirty, posting something to sell online, gluing that cracked plate, or putting together their new jewelry organizer don't count as "decluttering" tasks, so they put them off. However these are the kind of tasks that, when procrastinated, actually CREATE clutter.
Solution: If it helps you declutter and make space, do it now!
Or another way to say it is, don't procrastinate a task that helps you fully get rid of, home, or organize an item or category.
While you are decluttering you will need to do a wide variety of tasks; including but not limited to sorting, re-homing, organizing, and throwing away, tidying, cleaning, selling, donating, using up, recycling, creating, building, painting, wrapping, paying a bill, reading, filing, labeling, and/or mending. Be ready to shift gears if that's what the pile of clutter requires.
All these terms confusing to you? Wondering what even is the difference between decluttering, sorting, and organizing? Read the definitions of sort, declutter, organize, tidy, and clean here.
Mistake 5: Trying To Do It All On Your Own
Problem: People often try to tackle decluttering alone because they feel ashamed of their clutter or don't want to burden their friends or family with their problems. But going it alone can make the journey very lonely and very long.
Story: I have a new client (I'll call her Joy) who has a brother who has been nagging her for years to declutter her house which is packed full of both her stuff and her mom's old stuff. Joy told me that this past weekend, she said to her brother, "I am finally making progress now because I hired a declutter coach to help me." He told her he doesn't believe she will ever really finish even with help. That's heartbreaking. I feel so bad for Joy. But at the same time, I can understand her brother. He has watched her live in clutter for so many years that he no longer has faith in her ability or desire to live differently. Unfortunately, that is the consequence of trying to tackle a massive project like decluttering a large house all on your own. It was too much for Joy to do alone. Don't wait as long as Joy did to get the help you need.
Solution: Ask for help!
Having an accountability partner that calls or meets with you once a week can make sticking to your goals much easier.
Having someone to help you lift heavy boxes and furniture can be the difference between decluttering your garage and giving up before you even start.
Hiring a declutter coach for even a few weeks or a month can give you the motivation and skills you need to tackle your clutter for the following months and years on your own.
Hiring a declutter coach to help you tackle all your clutter will make it not only MUCH faster and more efficient, it will make the decluttering experience enjoyable and empowering.
Learn more about hiring me, Elena, as your declutter coach here or book your free consultation call today!
Learn from My 5 Years of Experience
I've just given you some serious inside knowledge here! Be sure to actually apply what you learned. Let's recap...
The 5 most common mistakes people make are:
Getting overwhelmed and not starting
Not having a plan or goals
Thinking sorting & organizing are the only tasks involved
Buying organizing containers before decluttering
Trying to declutter all on your own
The solutions YOU are going to take action on starting now:
Start somewhere. Start small. Start today. (start in the kitchen or with the 4 P's)
Set realistic and specific declutter goals and make a plan on how and when you are going to tackle them. (step-by-step guide)
Declutter first, then evaluate what storage solutions you need to add.
If a task helps you declutter and make space, do it now! (learn the definitions of home care tasks)
Ask for help. (contact me)
Thanks so much for reading to the end. I am so excited to see what else I learn over the next 5 years in business and how many more people I'll be able to help find space and peace. Will you be the next one? Schedule a call with me so we can chat about your decluttering goals.
Which of these mistakes have you made? Which was your greatest pitfall? Or what is another mistake you've made in your declutter journey? Let me know via email at elena@elenasdeclutter.com or leave a comment below.
Here's to another 5 years of decluttering...
CHEERS!
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