Today I’m welcoming Taylor Flanery of Home Management 101. I so appreciate her willingness to guest post so I can take some time off to enjoy my family this week!
I’m sure you’ve heard Aesop’s fable about the tortoise and the hare, the popular children’s tale. As much as we are told it’s better to be the tortoise, with slow but steady progress, I know I always yearn to be the hare.
Of course, in my version, in my head, I would be a hare who isn’t dumb enough to stop and take a nap in the middle of the race! I mean, really, if that silly rabbit had just kept going he could have rested after the finish line, right?
The thing is, when we’re decluttering and organizing our homes, especially if it needs a lot of work, the finish line can be really really far away. Although we can start with the best of intentions after a full day of decluttering I sure as heck need a nap, and perhaps never want to deal with another box of junk as long as I live!
That means, as much as we don’t want to admit it, being a hare, and totally going gung ho with huge spurts of decluttering and organizing may not be the best way to get to the real finish line — an organized and decluttered home.
Here’s a list of 4 reasons I try to remind myself of every time I decide to take on a bigger bite than I can really chew in my home, to try to reign myself back in to something more realistic to get me toward my ultimate goal.
- Trying to do too much, too fast, can burn us out and exhaust us to the point that we just can’t keep going, and instead, like the hare, decide to just take a nap, or quit.
- On the other hand, small successes can be motivating. That means doing a little at a time can keep your motivation level high as you see forward progress.
- The mess didn’t show up all at once, and we’ve got some bad habits and routines to prove it. Fixing the issues slowly can help us replace bad habits with better ones so we’ll be able to maintain the improvement we create in our homes over time.
- The dirty little secret of organized people is that they put a little effort in, each day, into keeping themselves that way. Once we get organized, we’ll have to start doing that too, or we won’t stay organized and our homes won’t be decluttered for long. We might as well get in the habit now of doing a bit everyday so this organization maintenance is easier for us.
Just remember, if you don’t have very far to go, sprinting can get you there. However, if you’ve got to go a considerable distance you’ll just double over and wheeze for quite a while if you try to sprint the whole way.
So, what should us tortoises do to get our homes decluttered and organized? Develop a habit and routine of decluttering and organizing slowly, over time.
My personal favorite is to use the power of 15 minutes a day. Everyone can find 15 minutes in our day for things that are important to us, but those 15 minutes, if done consistently, add up to some real time. For example, in an average month if you declutter your home for 15 minutes a day you’ll have devoted 7.5 hours to the process. Wow! That’s a whole day!
Although I’d love to get my home completely organized and decluttered tomorrow (or heck, this afternoon, really) just like any person yearning to be a hare, I know the better way for me to get to this goal eventually is to slow it down and embrace my inner tortoise. I hope I’ve convinced you to embrace you inner tortoise too.
Taylor Flanery is a mom of 3 and former lawyer who has been on a long but steady journey to organize and declutter her home since her first child was born a decade ago. You can sign up for her 52 Weeks To An Organized Home Challenge and her newest series, Declutter Your Home in 15 Minutes A Day Daily Missions, both on her website Home Storage Solutions 101. You can also find her blogging at Household Management 101 and Stain Removal 101.
Alana in Canada says
You are probably right.
Yet, some of us need the motivation seeing dramatic results can bring with a big push. I’m helping my Mom declutter. We’re starting our 11th straight day tomorrow (OK. We did take one day off–I had to look after my on home!) and we are finally, finally starting to get somewhere. 15 minutes a day w ould merely clear the counter tops, and the kitchen table: every day. That’s important, but it isn’t enough
I hope, though, that w hen we’re done, she will be able to take your approach–without it, the results we’re working so hard for won’t last!
Mandy says
This is so smart to be doing the clean out with your mother. I made the mistake of cleaning my parents’ entire home one weekend when they were away for their anniversary. I was so proud of myself. not only dumped trash, dusted and mopped, but decluttered, burned old piles of documents that were stacked 4 feet high next to their fireplace, but I WASHED by hand their entire extensive collection of knick knacks, shells, rock collection (the indoor agate collection), and I washed the inside and outside windows. I put away ALL their laundry after washing it and replaced a rotted out bedside table. My parents have some health issues that don’t allow them to bend over much, so when things fall on the ground, they stay there for the most part. Plus, they’re hoarders, so I felt I was doing them a favor. Boy was I WRONG! They were SO MAD at me and I couldn’t for the life of me understand why. I still don’t, but I respect their right to be mad and I certainly won’t be doing that again. Now we don’t even enter their home because it’s such a mess. Last I heard, things were back to the same state, or worse. Rats living IN the home with them, cobwebs everywhere…trash carpeting the floors. I wish I had waited and just done the clean out WITH them at THEIR pace. Maybe our relationship wouldn’t be so strained now.
Sandie says
My mother is a hoarder also. In the past I have tried to clean up some when she wasn’t home, but it made her angry. I have also tried several times to help her clean it up and go through it – with her. Well, she gets too anxious, that turns to anger. She has so much fear and can not turn loose. She will not throw anything away and is terrified someone else will also. Unfortunately, I have had to just stand back, and it’s really sad. She does not see how big the problem is, and thinks it’s everyone else that has the problem. I can really relate and sympathize with you!
[email protected] says
Oh, yes! The power of 15 minutes – for EVERYTHING!
My house is pretty much uncluttered but I sometimes lack motivation to get started doing the stuff on my to do list. So I tell myself to pick something and just do it for 15 minutes. It’s like magic! Once I get started, I’m good.
My hot spot is my desk. That’s where I pile everything and no matter how hard I try, I can’t KEEP it clean. So I set my timer for 15 minutes and spend that time on my desk. Usually I can get the whole thing cleaned up with time to spare.
You’re absolutely right about de-cluttering a little at a time. I think you actually get more done doing it that way than having marathon sessions. You get tired and unmotivated and sick of it when you do marathon sessions. Plus while you’re doing that, the rest of your house goes bad. 15 minutes is plenty for each session.
Great post.
hsmominmo says
Slow and steady works much better for me. A big, focused burst from time to time helps get me jump-started though. That’s why Nony has been such a fabulous motivator! I’ve looked at the 52 weeks challenge, and will be looking at your 15 minute a day challenge – thanks for the encouragement!
Mandy says
Last year I was struggling to gain consistent order within my own home, so I began subscribing to nearly every cleaning blog/website/facebook group out there. I fully believe (because it’s worked for me) that when you want to make a change, you surround yourself with the change you want to see. That way, the motivation is ALWAYS there at every turn. It has worked! I’m now down to just two main subscriptions, this WONDERFUL blog (which has been the BEST and most encouraging motivation) and a couple random pages on Facebook that pop up in my feed daily.
Everytime I see a post about cleaning an area of the home, I race to read it and then get up and assess what I can do in that area RIGHT NOW. If I only have 5 minutes, I’ll just do whatever the most obvious thing is that needs doing in that room. The other day I read a facebook post about cleaning your bathroom. I walked into the bathroom, saw the toilet needed cleaned and there were whiskers in the sink from my hubby’s morning shave, so I did that before running errands. Later, I saw a posting pop up about cleaning the Master Bedroom. I went upstairs and got to work. I had an hour, and I made a big difference in that amount of time. That’s all I was able to do that day, other than make meals and do dishes, but it felt like a HUGE accomplishment to me.
I try to do this every day, in addition to normal chores. In a year’s time, my family has managed to rid our home of over a TON (2,000 lbs, ya’ll!) of unnecessary items. We’ve been able to donate over 2 closets full of clothes, shoes, coats and swimwear to needy people, over 20 – 13 gallon bags of toys to needy children, and we’ve come to LOVE trash day. I do a happy dance every Thursday evening as the recycling and trash bins go to the curb. Additionally, we’ve been able to pare down our kitchen items and fully furnish not only one, but TWO kitchens for the homeless who were able to FINALLY obtain adequate housing. I’m almost down to the bare essentials in my home for the most part, and it feels so good! When we first started, I was concerned that I would never get to where I need to be, but by surrounding myself with (POSITIVE) inspiration and enlisting the help of my family, we’re nearly there!
I will add that my children are currently 5 and 7. We began this journey when they were 4 and 6, and my husband works full time with an hour commute each way, and attends school full time. I’m 5 months pregnant and a stay at home Mom, however, I was homeschooling full time when we started. It was NEVER really that easy, but the longer we persisted, the more fun it became for us. I’ll never forget the moment about two weeks ago when my 5 year danced through the living room and exclaimed “WOW! There’s so much room in here to play!” We live in a 1000 square foot townhouse, no yard (but near the parks) and so it’s cramped when there’s clutter. But it’s absolutely beautiful and spacious when there’s not. 🙂
Jeanine says
Your post is very motivating. 🙂
Catherine Sultana says
The thing that’s working for me is having a vision. While not a hoarder per se, when we moved into our present duplex, it wasn’t set up for us to live efficiently. Storage boxes got mixed in with our living space and things didn’t find good homes. Piles happened because there wasn’t storage or closets.
The day I decided to relocate the dining room with a TV viewing space and the day I decided how that would happen and the day it all got in place were three of the most productive days living here. Notice I didn’t include the day(s) relatives and/or friends came over to spontaneously wash dishes and box up (!) clutter.
Still a ways to go, but having a vision of what I wanted in this space, making a plan and setting aside the time actually got it done.
janice says
I have seen this work. I was given the assignment of helping a lady keep her house clean as a her care giver. countless times people had come in and did massive cleanings only to find the house return to wince it came. I was given 20 hours a month to help her. we worked together in 2 1/2 hour chunks twice a week and decluttered one section at a time. I never pressured to her get rid of anything she was not ready to get rid of when I did it once I started over and went back through everything a second time within a year I had worked myself out of a job. one other thing is I moved a small garbage can next to were she spent all her time. she had a place for everything. she had everything she wanted and was rid of all she didn’t. i know it works i don’t have a clean house myself. i think its because i have more emotions attached to my stuff.i get told just get rid of it all be ruthless its just stuff if you need it again you can just buy it again. that gives me anxiety on most things i perfer to wait until i am ready to get rid of something. i can have hoarder tendancies but hoarding is an emotional issue not a physical one. it is not always rational but when people through away my stuff it flares up.