6 Ways To Overcome Decluttering Procrastination

Are you human?

Oh, good, then you suffer from decluttering procrastination too. Isn’t it the worst? It’s hard to overcome this undertone of dread … ugh I NEED to do this thing, but I don’t FEEL like it. Bleh.

So, it happens. But if you don’t develop some repertoire of tools to get you past it, you could end up undoing all the work you’ve done to get the clutter out of your home.

Procrastination is a passive way to rebound by doing nothing

My goal is to help you create clutter-free and happy spaces. However, creating is just one phase of the process.

The vastly larger phase is maintaining. Either way, procrastinating getting started or following through with general upkeep can lead to a nasty cycle of 1 step forward and 2 steps back.

Luckily, procrastination doesn’t have to be so ugly. In this article, I share some key methods and tools I’ve used to overcome decluttering procrastination or, at the very least, coexist with this natural tendency.

#1. Procrastination Awareness

You may feel like you’re already pretty aware of when you’re procrastinating. That may be true! However, part of the sneakiness of procrastination is how quickly it masks itself.

Here’s an interesting thought: the act of procrastinating and the act of rationalizing (or covering up) the procrastination are both coming from the same place – your brain.

Your left brain is known for its rationalization and analytical skills, while your right brain is in charge of emotional and artistic pursuits.

So, while the right brain is thinking, “ugh, I don’t want to do this” (usually based on a previous experience where something sucked or a scary, uncertain new experience), the left brain is quickly cooking up a rationalization and distraction to support this emotion.

Try battling THAT without a backup! That’s exactly why awareness techniques are so helpful when trying to overcome decluttering procrastination. Plus, it’s so simple that there’s no harm in giving it a go.

Here’s how you overcome decluttering procrastination

The way you do this is to take a neutral action every time you get the urge to procrastinate. That’s it! You don’t even have to promise NOT to procrastinate; taking an awareness action is enough.

Now, I’m about to tell you some simple ways to go about this, but I want to point out that these actions are neutral, meaning they’re not indicating that something is good or bad – just that it is.

Now, you can get creative with this, but here are some simple awareness techniques to try:

• Place a rubber band or bracelet on your wrist and switch it to the other wrist whenever you urge to procrastinate.
• Keep a journal or notepad of tally marks for each urge to procrastinate
• Put a coin in a jar for each urge

Now, you can choose to take a neutral action for each urge or only when you follow through with the urge (i.e., don’t do the thing you’re procrastinating). That’s really up to you and what you feel will work the best.

Pay attention to the data

One cool thing about this method is that it gives you data that you can use to develop better habits and more effectively overcome procrastination in the future.

You may notice a trend, such as certain times of the day, week, or month when you feel less productive. Or you might notice certain tasks that bring on stronger urges to procrastinate.  

Seeing the data in front of you may naturally encourage you to set limits. For example, seeing that you already have 4 tally marks may encourage you to reel it in, so you don’t break 5.

#2. Get Ahead Of Decluttering Procrastination

One habit that is a game-changer in helping me overcome decluttering procrastination is time-blocking.

I know myself, so there will be weeks when I have zero motivation and feel mentally drained. So, I plan for that. I share this plan in Episode #007 of The Mind Your Home Podcast, How To Maintain Momentum When You Feel Low Energy.

I block my writing time to get a few articles done at once. I’m writing this article, though I won’t post it for another 2 weeks.

And I intend to write another one after this. I know that if the deadline for this article were tomorrow, I would not feel motivated to write it. I would feel rushed and trapped and dread the whole process.

Because I’m ahead of the game right now, I don’t feel any of that. I can write from a place of freedom, which makes my work better, in addition to preventing that resistance of procrastination.

To overcome procrastination, I suggest you intentionally block together similar tasks and schedule them for times when you’ve historically been more productive.

Tip: It’s much harder to procrastinate when it’s on a schedule with a firm timeline. If it’s not on the schedule, it isn’t real!

#3. Lower The Resistance

Procrastination = resistance. That’s why a great method to overcome decluttering procrastination is to chunk big projects, so they aren’t so scary. 

Take a big project like clearing out the garage and break it down into manageable tasks like “go through 5 boxes” or “bring bags down from the attic.”

If it still feels overwhelming, then start with the smallest viable step.

• Make a list
• Move boxes to one location
• Lower the ladder to the attic

Chances are that once you start with those small steps, you’ll have a bit of momentum to go further.

#4. Turn The Negative Into A Positive

You can sit there and think about how much you don’t want to do this thing, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re going to do it anyway.

So instead, focus that mental energy on how you could turn this negative into a positive.

Even small things like grocery shopping, driving in traffic, or going to the post office (my personal least favorite) can cause a growl of frustration.

So, think of what podcasts you want to listen to (hint: I have a good one right here called The Mind Your Home Podcast) or an audiobook you’ve been dying to get into.

When I have something to learn or entertain me, I sometimes don’t even want to get out of the car! Sometimes I drive home after a long day but get so into whatever I’m listening to that I pull my car over and park to squeeze in a little more time.

#5. Add Urgency To Everything

Urgency is a pretty powerful emotion. It’s why we can publish college essays and complete projects the night before their due date when we couldn’t manage it the previous 5 nights.

If you add urgency (without waiting until the last minute), your procrastination diminishes. Here are 2 classically effective ways to easily add urgency to tasks.

Cook in some accountability

We’re more likely to follow through with something that might inconvenience another person or risk us being judged. Nobody wants to come across as a flake.

This is one reason why personal trainers are so successful. It’s not that you couldn’t just read a book and do the stuff yourself on your own, in most cases. The personal trainer is an accountability coach with a vested interest.

For your home tasks, this could look like a group of people (FB group, friends, neighbors) keeping you on track.

Or it could be something as simple as planning a game night or dinner party where people will be coming over. This adds a bit of accountability and a deadline – which brings us to the second method of easily adding urgency.

Timelines are necessary for urgency

Suppose I didn’t have a schedule of what I needed to accomplish daily, weekly, monthly, etc. I wouldn’t accomplish anything consistently.

Trust me; I’ve tried. It’s like I said before – “if it isn’t on the schedule, it isn’t real!”

This cannot be easy if you set your deadline without outside influence. This is why some form of accountability is also a great combo.

However, you can get super creative and personalized with your timelines. It could be completing a task before your favorite coffee shop starts its 10 am happy hour. Hint: then you have a built-in reward as well. Double win!

You can set timers, create schedules with reminders, or add outside forces to support your timeline (such as scheduling a donation truck pick-up). Urgency overpowers procrastination.

#6. Enlist Help (Even If You Don’t Need It)

Doing something with someone else is just downright more entertaining. It doesn’t have to be just for accountability!

I hate running errands if I’m not already out of the house. However, if Matt goes with me (which he usually does), there is WAY less resistance. It’s almost like splitting the pain.

It doesn’t take 2 people to mail a letter, but having the company makes it a different experience. We rarely go grocery shopping alone because THAT feels like a huge chore. Going together? Still a chore … but also a social event.

Outsmart your procrastination! Remember, it came from your brain. You’re aware of it, so you have the power to outmaneuver this less-than-productive human emotion.

As always, I would love to make this post a conversation. Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever tried these OR if you have some great ‘aha’ methods to overcome decluttering procrastination!