Stop Waiting Until You Feel Ready to Declutter

The readiness you're waiting for isn't coming first. Momentum is.

I want to share something that happened to me recently that I think a lot of you will recognize.

Not long ago, I walked into a new yoga class at my gym. I'd done a few classes before, but it had been a while. The room was full of what were clearly the regulars, 39 of them, and I was the only new face. I didn't even have a mat with me.

I almost didn't stay. I almost decided I wasn't ready. I'd come back when I was more prepared, more practiced, more sure of what I was doing.

But I stayed. The instructor was kind. The women around me were kind. They helped me get what I needed, I found my spot, and the class ended up being exactly what I needed that day. Not because I was ready. Because I showed up anyway.

Decluttering is exactly like this.

The readiness you're waiting for isn't coming first

I want to say this as clearly and kindly as I can: you are never going to feel ready to declutter. Not in the way you're imagining.

Ready would mean you have the energy, the time, the motivation, the clarity, and the emotional bandwidth all lined up at the same moment. Ready would mean you're not also trying to handle seventeen other things. Ready almost never happens.

And here's the other truth: the magical unicorn is not going to fly in and do it for you. I love you, and I wish that weren't the case. But the stuff is still going to be there tomorrow, and the day after, until we decide to start.

Here's what's on the other side of that: momentum comes before motivation, not after. The readiness you're waiting for is something you create by starting, not something you feel before you begin. That's actually very good news.

What happens when you begin anyway

You do one small thing. Open one drawer. Move one pile. Fill one bag. And that action creates a tiny bit of momentum. That momentum makes the next action slightly easier. And so on.

Think about something in your home you've been meaning to deal with for a while. In all that waiting, has the pile gotten smaller on its own? Has the drawer improved without being touched? Waiting doesn't help. Starting does.

Make the starting point smaller than you think

If the thought of starting still feels too big, make it smaller. Don't start with the room. Start with one corner of the room. Not even that. Start with one item. Pick it up. Make one decision: does this stay, go, or get moved?

Then pick up the next thing. You are not doing the whole project right now. You are making one decision. Then another. Then another.

You don't have to be ready. You just have to begin. And once you do, you might surprise yourself with what follows. 😊

Ready for more?

If you'd love to talk about any of this with women who are navigating the same things, come join us in the free Creating Space with Julie Facebook community. A warm, honest, judgment-free space.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/creatingspacewithcommunity

With love and encouragement,

Julie xo

P.S. What would your first step look like today? Even something tiny counts. I'd love to cheer you on.