Often the first piece of advice others like to give when you’re procrastinating about starting a declutter project is … Just Start!

One you start, everything else will follow.

For some, this may be all the encouragement you need to take action. “Just Start” or “Start Small” are the gems of the decluttering world; perfect for people who can start right away minus the prodding, the motivation and even tears. But we find that these types of people are scarce. More over, we see people who find it hard to even begin, crippled by inactivity to take the first step. 

However armed with the right mindset and key steps to take action, we can get you take that step and get organized in no time!

Tips To Starting When You Feel Like You Don’t Know How

1. Recognise Obstacles

You can begin with recognising barriers that stop you from taking action. These barriers can be so little that there may need simple ways to eliminate them. These barriers may be:

• Wasting time on Facebook. Or Instagram. Or Twitter. Or Pinterest.
• Choosing to garden instead of cleaning.
• Hiding stuff so don’t have to deal with it.
• Not “seeing” or overlooking the mess already because you grow accustomed to it and now you look past it.
• Reluctance to throw or donate items because of the money you paid for it.  

These are not huge barriers. They can be overcome. If you were secretly banking on these reasons to not to start at all then it’s time for a change!

2. Make a To-Do List

Whether it be pen and paper or an App to stay organized, start making that to-do list.

You’ll find inspiration to making and committing to “To-Do” list success here: So Much To Do, Where To Start?

3. Make Peace With The Fact the Perfect Time Will Never Come

There is no mythical perfect time to start getting organized.

It’s a right here, right now mindset, thinking one step ahead about what you can do in 10/20/30 minutes that will help you get organized.

If you are held back by thinking you’ll do it when you have more time, or you’ll do it when you feel more motivated, here are three good reasons to start today.

4. Learn From Others

Think about that person in your life who always seems to have it together.

They may:

• Have a neat and tidy home
• Always be on time
• Consistently offer to help others even though you know they are busy
• Make you feel like a disorganized mess when you hear about their schedules.

You can start practicing tips from the 10 things organized people do everyday. Some people have structured nightly routines that set them up for success everyday. You can find their secrets here!

If you’re still unsure and need motivation then here’s 8 Simple Tips To Help You When You’re Overwhelmed.

Remember: be kind to yourself. Introduce one new strategy at a time and you’ll start the see the improvements in your daily life.

Feel free to share your tips on what works best for you.