I wrote last week a post about how it’s okay not to be okay. Lately, I have been in this funk where I haven’t wanted to do much for myself, my house, or for my site. I find myself just lacking motivation in all areas of my life. I give myself leeway but eventually force myself to get things done. To kick me back into motivation. So join me starting August 1st (MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!) in doing a 30-day Declutter and Cleaning challenge.
I will be documenting my progress on Instagram. Follow along to get updates.
Have you ever woke up one day looking at all the random crap around you? So for the next few weeks, you just keep looking around wanting to get rid of things you just don’t find joy in anymore. That is me… I am in that phase right now. I think doing a 30-day Declutter and Cleaning challenge could be really helpful.
Everywhere I look there is just STUFF laying around. Items that do not have a permanent home and I just can’t take it anymore. I think if I just focus on one area a day I can slowly build up my motivation again without getting overwhelmed. Sometimes we feel that our whole house has to be clean in one day and that can get super overwhelming.
This needs to be quite simple since I am starting from zero motivation to actually do this. But the more I put it off the more I beat myself up for not doing it. It’s a vicious cycle.
Getting started
I did create a freebie for you if you have no idea where to start. I also have a blank one so you can fill it out yourself to fit your home and your needs. Click here to get access to the freebies page! Whatever you choose is up to you. When I first had this idea to do a 30-day Declutter and Cleaning challenge. I did a lot of research on Pinterest and found a lot of the printables helpful, but had a lot of categories that didn’t suit me, my family, or our house.
Don’t worry… if you don’t want to download the freebie or have a printer. It is okay… I completely understand. You can do this with just a piece of paper and a pen.
So go grab that piece of paper and take the first step… Number the sheet from 1- 30
Do a walk-through
The second step of this 30-day Declutter and Cleaning challenge is to do a walk-through of your house. Because my house is different than your house. Your problem areas might not be the same as mine. So walk through your house slowly and with an open mind. Be honest with yourself and your needs within the house.
I suggest starting at your front door and just look around. For me I notice that our entry table gets very cluttered on the top with mail, knick-knacks and our shoes underneath are all over the place. So I write those down…
1. Entry Table
2. Shoes
I then see that Mike has a nice pile of random stuff in the corner of the front room and I notice I haven’t looked for anything or thought of anything in his TV stand since we moved into this house a year and a half ago. Those are going on the list as well…
1. Entry Table
2. Shoes
3. Mike’s Random corner
4. Mike’s TV stand
Just keep walking through your house and take note of the areas you normally turn a blind eye to.
Don’t forget…
Don’t forget while you are doing your walk-through you make note of the things you haven’t cleaned in a very long time. It is okay if your list is longer than 30 because somedays you could double up on some tasks. Like on my list… The entry table and the shoe holder are one and the same. No sense in doing the top of the entry table and not cleaning the bottom. Do it all at once.
And we all know once you start doing one thing you’ll end up having a little more motivation to do some more decluttering and cleaning. So it is better to be over-prepared.
If your goal was to just do the entry table and shoes on day 1 and that is all you did. You feel accomplished for the day. No harm, no foul. But let’s you started with those 2 but because you were in the room… You figured you might as well clean out the random corner of stuff and you put everything where it needs to go or you decide to get rid of most of it. It is still a win-win because you accomplished your 1 goal of the day, but then you did more and now you are like Jack on the titanic…
Your List
Once you have your list take a long hard look at it. What are the top items that stick out? You know those tasks or areas that just seem to be catch-alls. Put them at the top of your list to do. We want to schedule our 30-day Declutter And Cleaning Challenge to do the things that will make us feel accomplished first and followed by the other areas we have been slacking on.
Take it slow
This is a marathon, not a sprint. This is a judgment-free zone. Shit happens in life and sets us back. Our goal should be to get things done one at a time without overwhelming ourselves and starting this spiral of negative self-talk. We are always trying to be the best, to be a Pinterest mom, to be aesthetically pleasing, to be that girl… To be a girl boss, a boss babe, a hustler…
It gets overwhelming to always be on the hunt to be perfect and productive. And when it doesn’t happen all hell breaks loose. It spirals this negative self-talk, destroys our confidence, makes us feel like we are not worthy. Which is not the case.
This time it is mind over matter. Nobody really cares what your house looks like. This is an internal thing going on. So give yourself some leeway and do one thing at a time. Nobody is going to fault you if you take more than 30 days. As long as you keep going that is all that matters.
If you need some help and some motivation please follow me on Instagram I will be posting my daily updates there.
Until next time, have a great day! Remember you are a badass!
This post makes me feel bad. A couple of years ago when my flat was remodeled, I decluttered – but now it’s a terrible mess again. I have far too much stuff.
Renata, I am so sorry you feel bad. I never ever want to make anyone feel bad. This post is not to make you feel bad. It is to inspire you to pick one space a day and work on it.
Such great ideas! Thank you for sharing tips.
You are very welcome Risa!
We are in the midst of a year + long declutter after my father died (he was living with us). We have gotten rid of a lot but there is still a lot to get through. Having a challenge is a good idea. I look forward to hearing more about your progress.
I will be sharing my progress. I don’t know if I am going to do a 2-week update or just an update at the end. What do you think?
Love this blog post! I always get so overwhelmed whenever I clean my house and your tips are so helpful! It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Thank you so much for sharing.
I ALWAYS get overwhelmed when it comes to cleaning. There are just so many nooks and crannies.
how fun! I love challenges because it does kick me the right way. Cleaning and decluttering seems perfect to me: my basement screaming for aid
My whole house is screaming for aid. I am trying to get through this challenge. It has been a rough start.
I read this in my mom’s voice. I heard her saying the exact things millions of times. I can understand how stressful it can be for moms, and in general women.
There are days where I wake up and just want to get rid of everything. This is one of those times.
I am always doing cleaning around this time, from late July to early September. I will think about you tips when I clean day by day.
I really want to focus on those catch-all places or the places you haven’t looked in a while. If it is sitting somewhere collecting dust and you haven’t touched it in 6 months to a year in my mind it has got to go. It has served its purpose.
These tips are very useful. I will keep this in mind. Thank you for sharing.
You are very welcome!
I definitely need to take up this challenge, there is a lot that I need to declutter. Thanks for these amazing tips, it seems doable now
Let me know how it goes for you!
oHH YEAH!! I am gonna take this 30-days challenge too, just too much to declutter, thanks for this inspiration. cheers, siennylovesdrawing
It is crazy how stuff just accumulates….
oh wow! i am not sure if I could take on this challenge! go girl! you are doing great!
It has been a rough start but I am getting through it.
This is exactly what I need now. I have far too much stuff and urgently need to declutter and this helps me a lot.
It just needs to be done. So I am using my blog as some sort of motivation. It will keep me accountable.
This is definitely going to be a challenge for me lol. But I’m in!
That is awesome! Let me know how it goes for you or if you need a hype woman!
What a wonderful challenge! I hope it inspires others to try to clean their own places!
Me too!
Love this! Great post 🙂
Thank you!
I would love to do something like this but I always make more messes before that 30 day and have to re recleaning which drives me insane
You always have to make a bigger mess than it was before. It is part of the process.
Decluttering and cleaning is a task I always dread about. It’s on my mind but rarely gets executed.
I hear ya. Sometimes I don’t do it, but it eats at me in the back of my mind. So I figured why not make it fun, make it a challenge, and post on here to keep myself accountable!
I need to do this! I’ve been procrastinating on doing a deep cleaning of my room. This a great challenge to take part and nice motivation!
This has been months in the making.
Decluttering is such a therapeutic activity. For me its keeping clutter away that I fail at. Thanks for this useful tips
I love getting rid of stuff I know other people could use. That’s why 90% of the time I just put it out on the road and let people have it. There are only a few instances where I would try to sell something.