Ep. 232: Why You Get Stuck at Decluttering (and What Actually Helps)

Today, I want to talk about something that almost no one talks about when it comes to clutter.

Not how to start.

Not what system to use.

But what happens after you start.

Because this is where most women get stuck.

And if you’ve ever had the experience of finally getting yourself to begin…

only to feel like you didn’t actually get anywhere…

this is why.

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Transcript

Okay, so let's start here today. Let's say that you decide, okay, I'm gonna deal with this. Maybe it's this closet, this box, this bin, this room. And so you walk in, right? You look around, you open the box. Maybe you pick something up, right? You pull something out of the box. And you think, what should I do with this? Do I keep it? Do I get rid of it? What if I need it later? And maybe you don't even think in full sentences.

Maybe you're not really thinking about much, but there's this hesitation. Like something is just slowing you down. And so you set the thing back down and you pick something else back up and the same thing happens. And after a while you look around and you think, I just spent time on this, but nothing actually changed.

And here's what I want you to understand in this scenario. It's not that you don't know what to do with these things. And it's not because you're not motivated. It's not because you're not trying hard enough. It's because nothing that you have picked up is actually just an item. These things feel like I might need this later, or this used to be a part of my life, or I should make sure I deal with this the right way.

or I don't have time to think through this right now. And especially for us midlife women and beyond, especially when we are in this season of life, these things that are holding us down and making us hesitate, they get heavier. Because you're not just managing stuff, you're also managing a schedule and changing roles and dynamics in relationships. You're managing

energy that is changing, and time that you can't seem to get on top of, and your capacity. And so every decision, it feels layered. And when every decision feels like it's layers of decisions all wrapped up into that one thing, your brain slows down, it pauses. And so what happens is that you get started, but you don't actually move, you touch things.

But you don't resolve anything. And over time, that creates this really exhausting pattern where you're starting and pausing and setting things aside and never quite getting anywhere. And then you make this stop, start, stop, start, no progress thing actually mean something about you. You say, why is this so hard for me? Why can't I just do this? You internalize and personalize what's actually happening.

but the issue isn't actually you. The issue is how you're trying to make decisions inside this process. And this is actually what we're working on in day two of the Spring Clutter Fresh Start. If you haven't yet joined us, make sure you check the show notes down below and you do that. So if you were with us though, day one was all about starting.

But day two is about something completely different. It's about how to keep moving without getting stuck in every decision. And the shift that we're going to be making really is simple, but it changes everything. And instead of trying to figure everything out, instead of trying to make the right decision about every item, instead of trying to push through that hesitation, we're simplifying it. You pick up something and you ask,

simple questions. You ask simple questions and you make quick decisions. This is the part that makes it different. You're not avoiding making the decisions. You're not ignoring the stuff when that hesitation shows up. You're simplifying the process before the hesitation can even set in. And that's what allows you to keep moving.

In reality, you don't have to solve everything in that box, in that bin, now, right now, in order to keep moving. You can move forward and not solve the mystery of what to do with absolutely everything, but setting something back down doesn't have to mean you're avoiding it either. And so this is what we are going to be talking about in day two. When you are able to do this,

something inside your mind shifts. You go from, don't even know where to start to, okay, I can keep going. And it's not because you've figured it all out, but it's because you're no longer stopping every time something feels harder. And this is exactly what we're doing inside the Spring Clutter Fresh Start, really, all week. It's a simple step-by-step experience where you don't have to figure anything out. Each day, I guide you through what to focus on,

what to do and how to keep moving. Inside your real life, since no one has the ability to command life to stop, hey, you know what, why don't you just stop while I get a handle on this clutter real quick, right? It doesn't work that way. You don't need perfect conditions. You don't need hours of time. But we need these strategies to work inside your actual life, and that's what we're doing. I also wanna say this.

Even if you're listening to this after the live sessions have already happened, you can still go through this entire experience. All the replays are available. All the steps are there. So you didn't miss anything, and you can start right where you are right now. So if you've been feeling stuck when it comes to clutter or kind of anything else, if you've started and stopped more than you can count, if you look at your space and you feel that weight, this five-day experience is for you.

You can join the Spring Clutter Fresh Start using the link down below in the show notes. We're keeping it simple, we're keeping it doable, and we'll help you keep going without getting stuck. Because this isn't about doing everything, it's about moving forward in a way that actually works. And so, I'd love to see you there.