How To Declutter When You Think You Don’t Have Time To

I recently watched the movie, “Creed”. {For like the hundredth time}. While watching the movie, I had an epiphany. I realized that Rocky Balboa can teach us a thing or two about decluttering our homes. Really! If you want to know how to declutter one drawer, one closet, one room at a time, you just need to listen to the greatest {fictional} boxer of all time.

Oh, and you need to finish reading this post.

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How to Declutter When You Think You Don’t Have The Time

My absolute favorite quote from Creed comes from Rocky Balboa himself. While training the (other) main character, Adonis Johnson, he begins chanting,

One step at a time, one punch at a time, one round at a time. One step at a time, one punch at a time, one round at a time. 

This mantra can be applied to the decluttering process as well. Repeat after me.

One drawer at a time, one closet at a time, one room at a time. One drawer at a time, one closet at a time, one room at a time. 

And you’ll find that you finish decluttering in…well…no time.

How to Declutter: Why the Shock Treatment Declutter Method May Not Be For You

If you’ve read my post on the Shock Treatment Declutter Method, you’ll know that I’m the type of person who usually prefers to jump right in and declutter large spaces in marathon decluttering sessions. I’ve been known to devote an entire weekend to a massive declutter. In fact, I did it just this past weekend with my boys’ bedrooms.

But, I also live in the “real world” {right along beside you} and I know it’s not always practical or feasible to free up large chunks of time to the decluttering process.

There are many circumstances that can get in the way of decluttering such as:

• Having young children
• Working outside/from home
• Illness
• Following the death of a loved one
• After a divorce or other stressful life event

That’s why, today, I am here to tell you about another way to declutter that works just as well as the Shock Treatment Declutter Method. In fact, as long as you are consistent with following this method, you may even be able to surpass the results of the Shock Treatment Declutter Method. And that’s saying something!

How to Declutter: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

I’m sure you’ve heard the legendary fable about the tortoise and the hare. For some reason or another, they decided to race each other. The hare starts the race the same way he does everything else. Full-speed ahead. I imagine the hare would prefer the Shock Treatment Declutter Method because of its efficiency. The tortoise, on the other hand, likes to take things slow. He’s likely been around long enough to know the speed with which he is comfortable. Therefore, the tortoise is a prime candidate for the slow and steady method of decluttering.

You may remember, it was the tortoise who won the race!

That’s because, the rabbit took {too long of} a break during the race, and the tortoise kept pushing forward…

Little. By. Little.

Do you see where I am going with this?

Here are a couple of examples:

Mrs. “A” jumps right into the Shock Treatment Declutter Method. Unfortunately, Mrs. A finds herself unable {for one reason or another}, to keep up the pace. As a result, Mrs. A’s decluttering efforts stall-out. When this happens, she finds herself with an all-or-nothing mentality.  She figures she has”failed” at decluttering and she may as well give up altogether.

On the other hand, there’s Mrs. “B”. Mrs. B has been decluttering little by little each day/week/month since before Mrs. A even began her marathon decluttering sessions. When Mrs. A decided to throw in the towel, Mrs. B kept her forward momentum. True, she wasn’t seeing the drastic results that Mrs. A had seen, but she knew if she kept going, one day she would reap the results of her efforts.

And she was right.

How to Declutter: Why it pays to listen to Rocky Balboa

If you’ve seen any of the Rocky movies, you’ll know that Rocky Balboa is no stranger to hardship. Yet, despite starting out boxing for next-to-no pay, dealing with his brother-in-law’s alcoholism, multiple injuries,  and a few other spoilers I won’t mention here, Rocky keeps pushing forward, bit by bit, until he ultimately achieves his goals.

This is precisely what the Slow and Steady Decluttering Method is all about. It’s about giving small chunks of time, little by little each day, month, and year until you’ve achieved your decluttering goals.

The Slow and Steady Decluttering Method is about celebrating the small wins as you declutter one drawer, one closet, and one room at a time.

Just like Rocky Balboa had a training schedule, you’ll need to have a schedule of your own in order for this decluttering method to be effective. Here are some ways you can make the Slow and Steady Decluttering Method work for you.

*Get the FREE Guide: Jump Start Declutter-How to Declutter your Entire Home in Just 15-Minutes A Day

START WITH A GAME PLAN

Determine to declutter X amount of items per day/week/month. Depending on your energy level or life circumstances, you may want to start with a small number (say, 1 item per day). You can always increase your projection.

Give yourself a timeline.  “I will have the bathroom fully decluttered by _____.” Or, “In 3 months, I will be able to park my car in the garage.” Make it official by drawing up a contract. Don’t forget to include a reward when you reach your goals!

Make a game out of it. Have you heard of the “Mins” game? It’s a system developed by Ryan and Joshua of The Minimalists. Basically, you grab a partner to compete against. This can be a friend, family member, or spouse. You play for 30 days (or as long as you can). Starting on the first of the month. On day one, you each choose 1 item to declutter. Subsequently, you must declutter 2 items on day two, 3 on day three, and so on. This game gets addictive and tricky as you reach the double-digit days later in the month. Whoever lasts the longest, wins!

MAKE A LIST

I’m an organizer, so naturally, I love lists! You can keep yourself motivated by creating a list of “zones” for each area you need to declutter. For example, the kitchen would include individual categories (or zones) of:

• Utensils
• Small Appliances
• Pots & Pans
• Dinnerware (plates, cups, bowls)
• Kitchen towels/rags
• Kitchen Cleaning Supplies
• Spices
• Baking Goods
• Refrigerator
• Pantry
• Vitamins/Nutritional Supplements

As you complete each zone, cross it off your list, and move to the next. You’ll be surprised at how satisfying it can be to cross-off each little accomplishment!

Join our free Crush Your Clutter challenge for step-by-step decluttering tips and free checklists.

MAKE IT EASY

Make sure you have garbage bags, boxes, and bins ready to be filled whenever the urge to declutter strikes. Nothing kills the decluttering drive faster than pausing to hunt down boxes.

Keep a box in every room (or a central location) to toss unwanted items into. As soon as it is full, make arrangements to donate the items as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will become the very thing you are trying to avoid. Clutter.

DON’T GIVE UP

Expect setbacks, because you will have them. It’s important, however, that you don’t quit! Also, don’t beat yourself up if you end up taking “too long” to declutter. There’s no such thing! Decluttering is a lifelong process and none of us have it all figured out.

USE THE SHOCK TREATMENT DECLUTTER METHOD (WHEN POSSIBLE)

You didn’t think I would give up on my preferred method of decluttering, did you? Never! The Shock Treatment Declutter Method is extremely effective. In fact, when you’ve reached a decluttering plateau (or valley), the Shock Treatment Declutter Method is just what you need to kickstart your decluttering efforts.

Therefore, you should apply the Shock Treatment Declutter Method whenever you need to give yourself a decluttering “boost”

HOW TO DECLUTTER WHEN YOU THINK YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO…

Remember, slow and steady wins the race. Whether you choose to implement the Shock Treatment Declutter Method or the Slow and Steady Declutter Method (or a little of both), it’s important to keep going. In the words of the greatest fictional boxer who ever lived…

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!” 
― Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa

READ MORE: 

• How To Declutter Your Home Fast With The Shock Treatment Declutter Method
• Why You Should ALWAYS Declutter Before You Organize
• Top 10 Books About Decluttering That Will Truly Inspire You

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