The Declutter Diaries is a series of posts I did for a former blog as a glimpse inside a real decluttering project [with occasional editorial comments from my present self]. You can start with Day One here.
I Need a Break Day
Today I needed a bit of a break. We did move the dresser out of the school room, but that is all that happened. Will try to get back on track tomorrow…
Do you deserve a break today? (or maybe you just need one anyway)
[Since today’s entry is so short, I’m going to take this opportunity to speak from the present.]
During any large project, it is important to pace yourself. Sometimes it is tempting to sprint like crazy to make progress. That’s a fine strategy if the project can be done in a relatively short time. But when you have a marathon-sized decluttering project, you need different strategies.
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Like marathon runners, you need to have practical, physical strategies, and you need to have mental strategies for decluttering. Part of a good mental strategy for marathon decluttering is to schedule in some breaks. If you schedule them, you are less likely to burn out.
You’re also less likely to fall off the decluttering wagon. This happens when you get tired and overwhelmed by your project, so you decide to take just one day off. But then the next day, you still feel tired, so you take another day. Then you lose momentum, and before you know it, you have stopped your project! If you schedule breaks before you burn out, you are more likely to keep following your plan.
What to Do on a Break Day
It’s fine if you take an entire day off. In fact, If you are “full-time” decluttering, I encourage you to take at least one day each week off. (By full-time, I don’t mean you are doing it all day, every day. I mean you are working on it every day for some set amount of time, as opposed to doing many hours only on weekends.)
When you schedule a break day, you still need to have some strategy to keep you focused. A day off is a good day to document what you have accomplished. Things to do:
- Cross off all the areas/sections you have decluttered on your master plan.
- Keep a running list of how many bags of trash you throw out and how many bags you donate.
- Tally up any money you make selling things.
- Take some “after” pictures of the finished areas.
- Do some strategic planning for what you want to accomplish in the next week.
Finally, do give yourself a break when unexpected things happen. Life does tend to interrupt our projects, so don’t beat yourself up if you get off track. Simply reboot your declutter system and start again. Believe me, the clutter isn’t going anywhere–it’ll still be there when you come back.