It’s easy for me to say that decluttering is fun because I can so clearly see the benefit to living with less. Maybe I didn’t see it as all fun in the beginning, but I remember feeling very hopeful and excited as I was going through the process.
I knew that decluttering was just the beginning of some great possibilities and that it would give me the momentum and inspiration to make other great life changes.
- Becoming clutter free made it easier to become debt free.
- Becoming debt free made it easier for me to quit my job.
- Quitting my job made it really easy for me to do work that I love.
If decluttering feels like an overwhelming chore, think about the hope and possibility that comes along with it. That will help to lighten the load, literally and figuratively. The following decluttering ideas might help too.
How to make decluttering fun.
Make it a game. Announce a family clutter busting contest. Offer a non-thing prize to the whomever dumps the most stuff in 60 minutes.
Hide stuff. My husband and I hide things from each other. If one of us is traveling alone, the other does a little decluttering and hides something or a few things. If we can’t guess what’s missing, it’s an automatic donation. It’s fun to guess what’s missing and reminds us that we are in this together.
Travel lightly. You might not be ready to live out of a backpack like Warren and Betsy, but you might want to see how it feels. The next time you go away for a few days, instead of packing for every scenario, just bring a backpack with the bare essentials. It will remind you that you don’t need much to live well.
Connect with other declutterers. Inspire, motivate and be inspired and motivated with others that want to lead a clutter-free life.
Decluttering isn’t cleaning or organizing and shouldn’t be treated as a chore. Remember you are doing this to live a healthier, happier life.
While committing to live a clutter-free life is serious, your decluttering actions should be light hearted. After all, placing items in a box and giving them away is hardly rocket science. Turn on some music, do a little dance and box that crap up.
Parting with some items can be emotional and stressful, but adding humor and joy will help.
