We’ve all been there- feeling a motivation high from watching a mom on YouTube declutter her junk drawer into a collection of matching dividers. “I could do that” I think to myself- heck, I even have some drawer dividers just sitting in my closet from that time I got motivated to declutter and spent $25 on storage containers! I hype myself up and head off to the nearest overflowing drawer to start this life changing transformation. I think to myself:
“This is it…this is the time I throw away 72 trash bags full of stuff I don’t need, and finally give up my clutter-filled life!”
I then proceed to dump everything from the junk drawer out onto the couch, convinced I’ll breeze through the junk, throw 95% of it away, and easily put away the 3 batteries I happened to save. Fast forward 10 minutes and I’m panic-sweating over whether or not I should keep that white crayon we used last year for coloring Easter eggs. Fast forward 10 seconds after that and I’ve given up, thrown the junk in a closet, and started watching an episode of Shark Tank to help me relax. Have you been there, or is this just me?? I get so motivated to declutter, and then get so overwhelmed that I just dump all the stuff back into a box and repeat the process over again in 2 months. Most decluttering gurus would probably talk to me about starting small- which is very good advice! But I’ve also been wondering- what’s my “why” in decluttering? And even more than that, could my “why” keep me motivated?
I have to believe that there are a couple different reasons I could be decluttering that probably just won’t keep me motivated. For instance, if it’s out of guilt. I know my husband doesn’t deserve to live in a chaotic house, so I feel bad I’m not better at decluttering, and try my best to get rid of a ton of stuff one day. And it feels good! But then I wake up the next day and I can’t give up the dang white crayon, so I chuck it back in the same junk drawer and move on with my day. Shame does motivate me, but I do not find it to be a very joyful motivator, or a very long-loved motivator.
Or maybe I declutter because I’m trying to keep up with Mrs. Jones down the street who has an immaculate home. I see her spotless countertops and imagine that even her junk drawer looks bare. If I keep daydreaming about making my home like Mrs. Jones, when I am not like Mrs. Jones and neither is my house, I’ll probably end up feeling pretty defeated. And I don’t know about you, but when I feel defeated, I usually just give up.
But what if instead I considered the impact a decluttered house could have on my husband? What if my decluttered house was a way to show him my appreciation for the hard work he does- not as a means to say “well you do this for me so I guess I’ll do this for you” but as a way to cherish and honor him as my spouse?
Or what if l decluttering was teaching my child the value of caring for our belongings, the fact that material items don’t last and therefore should not be hoarded, and that hard work, whether in the home or out of the home, is good and honoring to God?
And for myself: what if decluttering was a means to create a home environment that I didn’t have very often growing up- one where someone could drop by unexpectedly, and I wouldn’t have to be embarrassed by the chaos of our home? One where I don’t have to try and gently steer a guest away from the kitchen (where the dishes are overflowing) toward the one area in our home I could clean in 20 seconds by shoving everything in a closet?
These are just some of my “whys”- but what are yours? If we only do it because it’s the latest internet trend or we envy the condition of our neighbor’s home, that may change our clutter/ filled ways for a while…but if you’re anything like me, those shallow motivations will die off as soon as it gets too burdensome.
However, the hope of a peaceful home- with children who can play freely, a husband who can unwind joyfully, and my mind that can rest fully- sure does feel like a good reason to declutter.
