The world has been a crazy place for the past two years due to the pandemic. Many of us feel exhausted and deflated these days and are tired of the social isolation and lockdowns. That can make it harder to feel motivated and some of you may even be feeling overwhelmed and not in control of your life. How we feel on the inside directly relates to our physical environment. Is there more clutter around? Are your papers in disarray? Are there many tasks undone? Are you beating yourself up about it as well? Is your internal dialogue telling you that you are a lazy procrastinator with no motivation? This negative self-talk is incredibly destructive and can further sink you into a deep rut where things can begin to spiral further out of control. Often, the key to getting out of it, (and the hardest part), is to just get started.
So, to regain a feeling of control in your life and improve your physical environment (which will greatly affect your mental and emotional state, let’s look at getting started with 1o minutes of decluttering. That’s what this blog is all about! But where to start? How to start? Do I have the energy? The time? Which task is the most important? My advice to you is to just get started. It doesn’t matter what task you choose.
Get a timer (kitchen timer, timer on your phone or use the Time Timer app for example), set it for 10 minutes and then GO! Begin right where you are and start decluttering. Look around you and what do you see? Loose papers. Empty coffee mug? A few random batteries and a dried out pen? Dive in! Throw away garbage. Put things away. Go through the papers. Whatever you decide to do, I think you will be very surprised at how much you actually accomplish! 10 minutes is a good chunk of time to make some progress.
Ok, your 10 minutes is now up and how do you feel? Energized? Happy with what you accomplished so far? Good. You may even feel motivated to keep going! If you do then great–go ahead and do that. If not, that’s OK too. Pat yourself on the back for your success and then reward yourself with a treat of some kind (positive reinforcement!)
When I work with my clients using a timer, we are both usually surprised at how much actually gets done. There is something about the timer that gets people moving faster, like in a race. I often recommend this as a maintenance strategy after a major decluttering as well. Spend 10 minutes each day, putting things away and tidying up your environment. This technique can work in the home or office (although these days, it’s more like the home office!) Think about it, 10 minutes to keep you feeling in control of your life…that is time well spent.
If you are in that deep rut though, don’t despair. Seeking help may be your first step–whether it is a friend, therapist, cleaning person or a professional organizer. The key point here is to just get started in some way. 2022 will be a better year for you!