When I had the idea to turn my Declutter from the Heart class into an online class, I joined a number of Facebook groups on decluttering and home organizing, to see what other people where doing.
In one of these groups, the moderator posts a decluttering idea per day. Some of these tasks would take so long, or were so involved, that few people would be able to keep this up for more than a couple of weeks!
In another group, a checklist of tasks to accomplish for the week, day by day, are provided on Mondays. Just looking at this list makes me tired! I cannot imagine handing out a list like that to a client of mine, unless I really disliked them — and I LOVE all my clients.
Other groups had slightly different approaches, but all of the groups had the same thing in common: they addressed decluttering and organizing in the same way that people tackle their new years resolutions.
In other words, their method was:
- Decide to do it.
- Decide how and when to do it.
- Do it.
The above approach does not work, because it is based on the reliance on three supposedly common human qualities that actually happen to be sorely missing in most people in the world:
- Commitment (to do things you would rather not do).
- Self-Discipline.
- Will Power.
If these strategies worked, most people would lose excess weight, work out regularly, and eat healthier. Sadly, they don’t work.
Most people make their resolutions, go at it with full force for a few weeks, and then gently relax into the previous habits of behaviors that do not serve them.
However, it is possible to change those habits. It can be done by bringing your mind and your heart into alignment. This is what previous students of my class Declutter from the Heart have done.
I am now teaching folks how to do this online.
Would you like to learn how to manage your clutter?
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