How Get Rid Of Your Clutter - By Overcoming These Excuses!

There is no magic formula for how to get rid of your clutter. More often than not, the degree of your clutter is directly tied to your skill level at making excuses.

So let’s start with a quiz time. Give yourself one point for each of the following decluttering excuses you’ve used:

I don’t have time
I don’t know what to do or where I should start
What about the money? It’s so wasteful to give away perfectly good things
It’s too hard
I’m saving it for my kids
I can’t right now. I’ll do it when (insert generic excuse here)

The results:

0-1 Congratulations – You are a clutter-free Rock Star!

2-3 There’s room for some serious improvement here. You’ve made some excuses for avoiding the hard work of clearing out your home. Even if you’ve managed to get rid of your clutter in the past, it’s been put on the back burner. Keep reading to fix that.

4-6 Girl, you’ve achieved expert status when it comes to decluttering excuses. But it’s time to stop making those excuses and get rid of your clutter. You need to know your excuses are keeping you from the home and life you so deeply desire.

Overcome These Excuses To Get Rid of Your Clutter

No matter where you scored on the quiz, I know you’re drowning in the day-to-day drudgery of dishes, laundry, meal prep, kids, and work, how can you possibly find the time and motivation to declutter your home.

After all, we live in a consumer-driven society. Advertisers spend billions of dollars to convince us of everything we need.

On top of that, we put this unreasonable expectation on ourselves that we should just know how to manage our home family, and work. But we aren’t taught how to. I mean come on, they don’t even teach basic home economics in schools anymore.

Nope, I’m not buying any of it. Those are all excuses. Those excuses need to stop if you want to get rid of your clutter. It’s time to make some changes. However, that change is going to require you to take action.

The simple truth is, that real change requires work and consistency. You have to be willing to do the work. You’re not magical. I’m not magical. There’s no secret I can give you to make you instantly clutter-free. The bottom line is that if you want something to be different you need to do something different!

If you’re ready to stop making excuses and finally get rid of your clutter so that you can see some serious change in your life, here are some practical solutions to overcome the excuses you’ve been making.

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Excuse No. 1: I Don’t Have Time to Declutter

I don’t have time. Without question, I think this is everyone’s favorite excuse. At least it’s one I hear more than any other.

The Solution: Make Decluttering a Priority

We all have the same amount of time. No one gets a 25 hour day. What it boils down to is how you use the time you have.

When we feel like we don’t have the time to accomplish the things we say are important, it’s usually because we’re spending too much time on tasks that aren’t really priorities.

At this point, you need to take an honest look at how you’re spending your time. How many of your fringe hours consist of watching TV or surfing the internet and checking Facebook and Instagram?

I’m not saying you shouldn’t have downtime, you should it’s important. However, it’s also important to prioritize your tasks. The truth is, that solving your decluttering excuses requires being intentional with the time you have.

Let me just say, that I understand there are seasons of life that make us extra busy. If find yourself there, it’s okay, just go a little slower. You can also find some tips here on how to declutter during an extra busy season.

Excuse No. 2: I Don’t Know What To Do Or Where To Start

If this is your primary excuse, you’re either a perfectionist, in which case I’m gonna tell you to get over it. No one is or can be perfect.

If you’re not a perfectionist, this is just another way to procrastinate. I know because at one point procrastination was my specialty.

Solution: Stop Worrying About The Mess

What I’ve discovered trips most people up, is this idea that we can’t get our home decluttered and organized until we’ve taken the time to clean it first.

This is honestly counterproductive. First off, what good is a clean house if you’ve got clutter everywhere? Running around trying to clean and organize a cluttered space is a waste of your precious time. It’s impossible to maintain a clean and organized space if you have too much stuff.

Not only that, but the stuff that’s out making the mess is the stuff you actually use and not necessarily the stuff you need to declutter.

So stop worrying about cleaning the house before you’re willing to get rid of your clutter, otherwise, it will never happen. Instead, start pulling out everything stashed away in the back of cabinets, cupboards, and, closets.

After all, this is where the stuff lives that you don’t use or need. Plus, when you get rid of your clutter that’s hidden away, you’ll have the space to put away all the stuff that’s out.

Excuse No. 3: Getting Rid of Clutter is a Waste of Money

If you’ve been struggling to get rid of your clutter because you’re worried about wasting money, trust me, you are not alone. In fact, this was probably my favorite excuse for years.

Solution: Eliminate Duplicates

I very clearly remember making purchases that I later regretted and holding onto the items somehow thinking that would make it less wasteful.

It’s silly to think this way because the damage is already done. The money is spent and holding on to the items doesn’t magically put that money back in your pocket.

In reality, all that happens is you’re reminded of a stupid purchase and feel renewed guilt every time you see those items. Repeat with me: “Holding onto clutter doesn’t bring the money back”.

What’s ironic about this excuse is that the more we hold onto clutter because we don’t want to waste money, the more money we actually waste.

When we have clutter, we can’t find the things we need. As a result, we end up buying duplicates of things we already own and waste more money.

If you doubt this, my challenge to you is to focus your decluttering efforts solely on eliminating duplicate items in your home. This is a super simple and easy way to make a dent in your decluttering efforts.

Really it’s as simple as grabbing those things that you have extras of. But be honest here, do you really need 20 coffee mugs or 5 black t-shirts? What about all those extra vases hiding in the back of the cupboard? Get rid of all of it, other than what you truly use.

You’ll be shocked at how many like items you own duplicates of. When you know exactly what you own and where to find it in your house, that is when you stop wasting money!

Excuse No. 4: Decluttering is Too Hard

I’m not gonna lie, the effort it takes to get rid of your clutter is hard. It can drag your mood down and drain your energy. Having to sort through years of clutter, outgrown clothes, books not being read, and kitchen appliances hardly touched ain’t easy.

Solution: Give Yourself Quick Wins

Yes, getting rid of clutter is hard, both mentally and physically. But it’s so worth it!

Depending on the amount of your clutter, decluttering your home can take a significant amount of time. Most of us could never fully declutter our homes in one weekend.

This is fine, except that when things take longer than expected we tend to get discouraged and lose motivation. The good news is that the opposite is also true. Success breeds success.

This is why going after quick little wins helps you conquer the harder stuff. It builds the momentum you need.

So pick a corner in your home or even a bedside table. Next, get rid of your clutter from that one small area.

Finally, include some things that help you feel relaxed or beautiful in this space. This will encourage you to keep working on the other areas. Think of things like a beautifully scented candle or a vase with some stylish dried eucalyptus or lavender bundles. Whatever makes you feel relaxed and content so that you can use the space as inspiration and motivation to keep going.

Excuse No. 5: I’m Saving My Stuff For My Kids

True story, we have this kids size drum set in our garage. I told my husband it was time to let it go. His immediate response was our grandkids will want it. Mind you our kids are still in school.

We all have things that bring back special memories or that we find valuable. And this is an area where sentiments and emotions run high. But I hate to break it to you, chances are your kids will throw most of that stuff away when you’re gone.

Solution: Seek Out Help to Get Rid of Your Clutter

Because it’s easy to get attached to our stuff, sometimes it’s hard to know if it’s something we should keep or let go of. Adding another voice to the mix can really help simplify decision making. Having a friend who’s not as attached can be invaluable if you’re having a hard time getting rid of your clutter due to sentimental attachments.

A friend can help you determine which items you can just take pictures of, for memories, and which items are really worth holding on to. Put yourself in your kids’ shoes, do you really want to make them sort through all that stuff?

Also, don’t be afraid to ask your kids directly if they want the item passed down to them. If they say no, get rid of it.

Excuse No. 6: I Can’t Declutter Right Now. I’ll Do It When (insert generic excuse here)

This excuse may have noble intentions, I mean you want to do it and you plan to do it, just not now because something else is more urgent. But is it more important? It’s getting caught up in the tyranny of the urgent that prevents us from having the life we want and deserve.

Solution: Do a Decluttering Burst

Decluttering excuses are easily cured by just starting and a quick decluttering burst may be just the start you need.

There are a lot of lists on Pinterest of things to declutter from your home. These lists generally contain between 50 to 100 things easy to declutter. My Pinterest board of Decluttering Checklists and Challenges has a few of these lists.

Pick your list and set a timer for maybe 1 hour. Now go through your house and find as many items on the list as you can. You’ll be amazed at how much stuff you get rid of in only an hour.

Eliminate procrastination excuses, and just do it!

It’s time to push those excuses aside and get to work creating the life you really want.

Clearing the clutter from your home makes you feel lighter and happier. It also saves you time and money. Soon your home feels like a cozy sanctuary as you stop making excuses and start doing the work to create the life you deserve.