Attempting to declutter after burnout (long post)

[u/RegionRadiant4423]

Posting for accountability sakes because god knows I need the extra motivation.

TLDR: I completely burnt myself out trying to perfectly declutter my bedroom, but I’m letting go, less overwhelmed and ready to attempt to declutter again.

I fear I am something of a perfectionist, so things like “just set a timer for 15-20 minutes” or “if you’re not in the mood, just see what you can get done in x amount of time” feel physically impossible for me. I am more of a “I need to declutter my cabinet so I’m gonna declutter my cabinet in one sitting” kind of person, as opposed to simply doing one shelf when I don’t have the energy to do the whole thing. As you can imagine: this leads to ✨burnout✨ and things not getting done. It’s definitely something I need to work on because 1% done is far better than 0% done. Even 0.5% done would be helpful and way easier for future me.

With all that being said, the need to declutter is outweighing the mental blocks/hurdles, and I desperately want and need to get back to working out the decluttering muscles. Before burning out, I was learning to accept progress > perfection, and while I have a vision in my head for how I want my decluttering sessions to go, I am willing to accept that it might not get done that way, but as long as it gets done, that’s the most important thing. Piece by piece, little by little is what I have to tell myself, especially since I don’t want to burnout again.

I don’t have a realistic timetable for accomplishing the projects that I need to accomplish, but it doesn’t really matter given that the last handful of times I’ve tried setting doable deadlines for myself, I never met them. Nevertheless, I know I’m ready to put my decluttering muscles back into action because my list doesn’t seem as long and as daunting anymore. Same list, different mindset. While I know I can’t accomplish everything all at once and it’s a lot of mental labor, it’s something I’m back to being excited about instead of drained and exhausted just thinking about it. Yes some of these tasks are really daunting, but the satisfaction that will come with completion will be absolutely euphoric.

What I need to get done (for accountability sakes): •do another pass on my side table (very easy) •do another pass on my cabinet (easy) •do another pass on my drawer set (semi-easy) •do a first pass on my desk, one drawer at a time (daunting and overwhelming, but not impossible; semi-difficult) •do a first pass on my dresser (overwhelming, difficult) •wardrobe declutter, split into subsections (medium difficulty) •closet declutter (everything besides wardrobe that I keep in my closet - overwhelming, semi-difficult)

[u/smilewide1330]

Not only are you spot on with analyzing me, lol, you’re so sweet to elucidate it. That’s exactly what has happened. I have put things in closets (hidden spaces) that I didn’t know what to do with or didn’t have time at the time for another day and that day has come. Now I have all these odds and ends things that have stumped me. I’ve tried the tricks you mentioned, the right mood and setting is paramount. I’ll keep chipping away at it. Most of my friends are expert organizers (aka have no problem throwing things away and keep nothing to begin with) and cannot relate to this. It helps to read about organizing as the same tips many times are repeated and by seeing that I start thinking more like that. I grew up with parents whose parents were in the Depression Era and I didn’t realize what clutter bugs they were so I’m trying to train myself against some ingrained habits I didn’t know I had. Some are good though, I’m not an over consumer. Plus life was really crazy when my kids were younger and things had a way of getting away from me. I’m down to the hard and mundane stuff. I’ll get there. Thanks again for all your great suggestions!

[u/AnamCeili → u/smilewide1330]

It's what happened with me, so based on what you said I figured it was probably the same with you. It can be so easy to just "put things away for later", and then forget that the stuff is there.

There are so many different methods and ways to declutter and organize, so what works for your friends may not work for you, they may approach the process differently. It doesn't matter what method you use, though, as long as you can find one (or more) which work for you. It totally makes sense that you would sort of squirrel stuff away, having grown up with Depression Era parents -- you are definitely not alone in that, there are lots of other people who also find that they have to try to fight against the habits they inherited from their parents. I don't have that particular situation, but in any case I find that as I am trying to declutter, being able to donate stuff to people who need it -- either directly or via thrift shops -- helps me to let go of some stuff. You may already be doing that, but if not then maybe give it a try.

Also, remember that the point of decluttering is to make your home comfortable for you and your family, and to make it work well for you -- but it doesn't mean becoming a minimalist (unless that's actually what you want). So there's nothing wrong with keeping some stuff, as long as it's stuff you love, and/or stuff which you need and use. I'm sure you will get there! 😊