Why You're Not Making Enough Decluttering Progress 

I've always been a get it all done but... since my back disability I just can't anymore. Oh I try to and then when I keep going I pay for it. I'm the kind of person that I want it done now not later but that just doesn't happen anymore! I do have a question Laura. I really struggle trying to make homes for things so needless to say things pile up. Anyway my question is?...can you do a video on making homes for things? Please

What works best for me is setting a timer for 15 minutes at a time. When the timer goes off, I force myself to move to another part of my house. This makes me move faster (I want to get as much done as I can before I move). I love that I can do several areas and I don’t get bored in one area. If I try too much at one time, I will get overwhelmed and I will spend weeks with the mess. I am not a good finisher.

I didn't know there were two ways when I first started decluttering 🤣 so I went all in. I ended up with bigger messes and I had run out of time to work in that space. I definetly find Dana's (that was a part of your conference from A Slob Comes Clean) no mess decluttering method much more effective for me in spaces with a lot of clutter because I can make progress and not have to worry about making a bigger mess.

As you rightly said, Laura, the best decluttering method is the one that works for YOU! 😀 I have used all of the above. My primary preference is for the "Flylady: a little every day or every week" because a) I don't have to "finish", b) we are constantly moving through each area of the house, so we are constantly being reminded of what we already have (a great way to stop new clutter coming in, ha ha!) c) it becomes a natural process for us and d) stops us from procrastinating or being overwhelmed. But, yes, I use a mixture of methods: they are all good in their own way and they all work! 😍

I was a get it all done to start with but after the initial sweep of our home I find now that a gradual approach works better. I am still decluttering loads but on a daily basis I still find things to permanently remove. Disability has made things harder but having less makes living easier xxxxxxxx

My personality is a do-it-at-once kind. My physical and emotional health says, "No way, Jose."

I am mixed. I like doing an entire room until it's done, but sometimes I just want to do one little area at a time. Our house is small with only 6 rooms. I like doing one room a month until it's done & then after those 6 rooms are done then start back over. That way each room gets a deep clean twice a yr.

Dunno what I am. I think I'm a Procastanizer. I am so overwhelmed that I don't even know where to start, so I just don't. That is, until I go looking for something, can't find where I think it is, and then organize that pile. Or at least attempt to.

I like to do a little every day. That way I think about it in between and find I am more willing to get rid of things.

I'm currently in a 'modified' KonMari decluttering process. A little each day doesn't work for me because I don't see progress. However, while I like Marie's philosophy of keeping that which 'sparks joy', I don't like seeing unfinished work and I can't devote huge blocks of time. I am following her order of decluttering categories but I'm breaking some down into sub-categories. For example, when working on clothes, I started first with things in drawers, i.e. socks, undergarments, pj's - this made room in drawers that I might need for later in the process. Other sub-categories are work pants, work dresses, work tops, casual pants, casual dresses, casual tops, etc. This allowed for good stopping points and I didn't have a huge unfinished pile. I'm starting my 'miscellaneous' category next but will be breaking it down into zones, i.e. bathrooms, laundry room, kitchen, pantry, bedrooms, office, garage, etc. I also have a working box to keep any items that I come across in the process that I know belong somewhere else. I'm loving how much calmer the space feels afterwards.

I'm recovering from foot fusion surgery and I'm non-weight-bearing for 14 weeks. I began decluttering a little bit each day prior to my surgery. I was able to declutter some in my kitchen. Post-surgery decluttering on a knee scooter is challenging. I try to do it 10-15 minutes a day and tackle a drawer In my bathroom or a drawer in my dresser. I get hung up when items are not where they should be and the place that they're supposed to go I cannot access because it has steps, etc. So I'm having to put those items right back where I found them. I'm still making some progress and filling up A donate box and a garbage bag. I welcome any suggestions you may have. For now I will focus on one day at a time.

Omg I wish that after a huge decluttering session it was that easy for me to just "Keep it up", but honestly so unrealistic. I do the big declutter session personally because I get more done when nobody is home, so when people leave for a week, that is my time to shine haha! But in reality, I still find myself questioning whether or not to get rid of items, and therefore I might not be convinced to get rid of it at that moment, but maybe 2 years from now, I will finally be able to let it go....but that just means I have go through the same stuff 2 years from now hahah.

I prefer to do little & often. I’ve tried doing the all at once method & it definitely doesn’t work for me. I lose interest & often put the stuff back in the cupboards etc. I have a very bad attention span & get bored easily, so the little & often method is much better for me.

My goal is to do a little every day because I can’t do the all in method. That’s too overwhelming for me! I struggle with thinking that decluttering little by little really doesn’t make a difference so I often get stuck and don’t do any decluttering! Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated! :)

I'm starting my 14 day staycation on Sunday. I plan on trying the Marie Kondo method. I don't have much now since I've de cluttered already but I stopped. I have more to do and a storage unit to sort out.

As much as I prefer the big all at once method, I am no longer physically capable, I am learning to make the tiny bits work.

I do both methods. For me it is situational. In my bedroom/bathroom I usually do one drawer or one small area at a time. Same for my kitchen drawers and cabinets. But when I do my pantry I pull everything out one day and trash or donate what is not needed, wash the shelves the second day, reorganize days 3-5. I need to reorganize my cook books and will probably wait until right after Thanksgiving since I pull them all out and do the same process as I do for my pantry. My husband hates when I do this several day approach because he can't stand looking at the mess on the table even though we mostly eat in the family room and not the table. Fortunately it is only in a few areas that I need to do this and I try and do it when I can devote a lot of time to it. I use it mostly for storage areas.

I don’t think Marie Kondo means do it once and never end again. Japanese tradition Socrates a full cleaning m once a year. Most people cannot follow that tradition unless they’ve decluttered first. Then every year, they will need to declutter again, but at least it won’t take as long as it did that first time. At least, that’s how I interpret her writings.

I think I'm probably more of a little at a time person but saying that if I start I have to Finnish so maybe I'm a little between the two lol😄

The Marie kondo method works if you don’t have a full time job and can dedicate hours and hours. Plus you need space to be able to lay everything out and leave it there until you have sorted through everything in that category. I also think declutter ing and organising are two different things and don’t need be completed together. I think you can only organise after you have decluttered.

Monthly marathon otherwise I forget where I am and start over

I do more of the little at a time method. The marathon type method is overwhelming to me.

I'm a combo girl. I'm 'trying' to do a little every day or two or three, but once I get going, a I'm definitely a marathoner. Women at 3:15am and couldn't fall back to sleep, so I got up & worked 5 hours going went gloves, hats, scarves and combined them from 7 baskets or boxes into 3. Threw out gloves missing a mate. Then found lists of yard sale earnings from 2000 to 2018 in various envelopes, put them in chrono order, then put them in 1 envelope. Next, attacked 5/6th of a file drawer, put a 1 inch stack in my To Shred folder, recycled 4/6th of the other papers, mostly old career papers and computer manuals from year 2000 and 2003. Today is garbage and recycle pick up on our street. Only kept 1/6th papers. Next, filled 3 large bags of leaves and put out with trash. Yesterday, went thru hair care, health care and miscellany in bathroom and thru out items from 15 years ago that were lurking under the sink. I'm in the mood to declutter but know I need to take care of other family matters. But, since winter will soon be approaching, I want to get the leaves bagged up. So back outside I go. I'm racing against Mother Nature.

I try a little everyday. I tried the Marie Kondo method for my huge collection of books; which worked only for that.

Thank You Laura 👍

I get it, but I don't understand, you mentioned two methods but didn't explain, why it's not working, did I miss something? Please help, I'm drowning in clutter.