Why “decluttering” isn’t enough

Every time I say I want to declutter I usually fail. I start doing something. Anything. Just moving stuff around. I do that for 10 minutes. 20 minutes. An hour. Then I quit.

Does this cycle sound familiar? Here is something I have found that’s much more helpful.

“I want to clean off my bookshelf.” “I want to clear off all surfaces in my bedroom.” “I want to clean out three kitchen drawers tonight.”

These goals are actionable and attainable. This is scalable based on the time that you are working with. If you only have 15 minutes, you can start with a kitchen drawer. If you have more time, add more goals to your to-do list.

By making sharp, actionable, clear goals when I’m minimizing, I find I can get things done more quickly while gaining momentum for the next round. Next time you decide to minimize a space, start small with a clear goal and scale up. I have found this really helps.

This post originally appeared on minimalist.today

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