It happened. After two years of diligent decluttering, I finally hit the wall. For several reasons, October was a complete bust on the decluttering front. It had to happen eventually. Never fear, though! This month’s decluttering update has 12 ways to get back on track after losing the motivation to declutter. Are you ready to kick things into high gear?

But first, this month’s decluttering progress update.

52-Week Decluttering Challenge

At the beginning of this year, I decided to go back and redo the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge from the beginning. Each month, I share a decluttering update with my progress and any tips and learnings from the month.

If you missed last year’s challenge, here are some links to help you get started.

• 52-Week Decluttering Challenge – Free printable
• Week 1 – Easy decluttering checklist
• Looking back on a year of decluttering
• And, if you just want to jump in and declutter a specific area, you can find links to all the weekly tips and posts on the main Decluttering page.

What I decluttered in October

In October, I was supposed to revisit weeks 40 to 44 of the decluttering challenge. Here are links to last year’s posts if you’re looking for tips and ideas for these areas:

• Outerwear (Week 40)
• Craft supplies (Week 41)
• Fall and Halloween items (Week 42)
• Makeup (Week 43)
• Financial decluttering (Week 44)

In total, I decluttered 0 items last month. Yes, that’s right. A big fat zero, zilch, nada! Looking at the list of tasks, there are a couple of reasons for this. First, none of these are big problems for me. More importantly, I did a major purge of these areas last year and have avoided adding any new items, so there’s really not a lot to declutter.

So, instead of beating myself up over my lack of progress, I turned my attention to ideas on how to find the motivation to declutter when challenges arise.

12 ways to find motivation to declutter

Whether you’re just getting started or, like me, you need to rediscover your motivation to declutter, here are 12 things you can do to get on track.

Cut yourself some slack

First and foremost, don’t beat yourself up. You lead a busy life and decluttering is just one of many things you have on the go. Remind yourself it’s not the end of the world, and use the remaining tips to get back on track.

Remember your why

Ask yourself why you want to declutter. The answer is different for everyone so focus on your why, not what you’re hearing from friends, family and decluttering experts. Once you’ve figured out your why, write it down somewhere that you’ll see it often.

Focus on the benefits

Now that you’ve figured out your why, make a list of all the benefits of decluttering and identify which are most important to you. Keep that list handy, too, and come back to it when you need a boost.

Look back on what you’ve already accomplished

If you’ve already made progress but feel like your progress has stalled, look back on what you’ve already done. In addition to my weekly blog posts, I kept track of my 52-Week Challenge in a spreadsheet. When I looked back at the 191 items I decluttered last year in weeks 40 to 44, I felt a whole lot better.

Pick a small, easy task

Every journey starts with a single step. Download my free 52-Weeks of Decluttering and Organizing Checklist, and pick a small, easy task to do next.

Make a plan

With your first (or next) task out of the way, use the checklist to make a plan for your next several steps. Start with high-traffic areas where you will see a noticeable impact every day. Then, move on to more challenging areas.

Invite a friend to join you

There’s nothing like a little social pressure to keep things on track. Find a friend who also needs to declutter and form a buddy system. Challenge each other to complete weekly tasks and plan a coffee chat to compare progress and share your tips and learnings.

Join an online group

If you don’t have a friend to be your decluttering buddy, join an online group or follow some decluttering experts on Facebook or Instagram.

Shameless plug time: Here’s a link to my Facebook page if you want to give me a follow, or subscribe to my blog below for more content on decluttering, life hacks and simple living.

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Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.

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There are some excellent, supportive online groups but beware the trolls. You’ll find some toxic people out there. If the group you find isn’t helpful and the comments just make you feel worse, get the heck out of there!  

Read a new decluttering book

Does it feel like everyone is writing decluttering books these days? If you read enough of them, decluttering books start to feel a bit like the movie Groundhog Day, but I find I get little nuggets of wisdom from every one I read. For a list of books to consider, check out 9 surprising things I learned from reading decluttering books.

Watch YouTube videos

If reading isn’t your thing, search decluttering on YouTube and watch a few videos from decluttering experts. ClutterBug is one of my favourites.

Find a way to reward yourself

Rewards are an important factor in motivation. Look at your decluttering plan and schedule in some rewards for achieving milestones. But, don’t fall into the trap of making the reward more stuff that you’ll need to declutter later. Instead, reward yourself with an experience: a spa day, a nice dinner out, or tickets to a concert or show.

Hire someone to help

Finally, if all else fails, consider hiring a decluttering expert or consultant to give you some tips. It may be just the motivation you need to get over the next hurdle.

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Honestly, I’m not stressed about my lack of progress in October. I’ll take my own advice and focus instead on the thousands of items I have decluttered in the last two years. It’s all good! If anything, it gives me an opportunity to make a new plan for 2023. Stay tuned!

How do you find your motivation to declutter? Tell me your tips below.