Why does decision fatigue stop your progress? 3 Quick decluttering strategies to stay motivated and in control #141

One day , one small book called the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying changed everything , and I began to learn strategies for making everyday life easier . Today , I have the systems in place that means life can throw almost anything at me , and I want to share them with you .

If you're an overwhelmed mum struggling to keep it together , then this is the podcast for you . Grab a coffee and settle in for a quick chat with someone who gets your reality . Hi there and welcome back to the living clutter free forever podcast . Thank you so much for joining me today .

I'm really happy to be spending some time with you and talking about a topic that I think is so , so important , which is why does decision fatigue stop our progress when we're trying to declutter and organize or tidy or clean or whatever the thing is in our home ?

And by the end of this episode , you are going to have three quick decluttering strategies to help you stay motivated and in control . Now I suffer from decision fatigue all the time . What is it ? It's the mental exhaustion from making too many decisions , and it really can affect our ability to do the thing .

So , for example , in the past , before I trained as a KonMari consultant , I would open a drawer . I would have every intention of decluttering and organizing it . It would be rammed full of stuff .

The thought of getting it all out and going through it and making decisions about what to keep , where things should go , if that's not where they belonged , it was just all so overwhelming that I would very often end up closing the drawer and not even doing the thing I had intended to . Can I have an amen ?

If you relate to that I'm sure you do , I'm sure that has been you at some point , and there is a really strong connection between decision fatigue and procrastination or giving up halfway through . And if you have an ADHD diagnosis , this is going to be even more of a problem for you . I am bit of a confession time here . I am the world's best procrastinator .

If I can find something else to do instead of the thing I'm meant to be doing , I will do it . I am just so bad at procrastinating and I really have to be strict with myself to get on and do the thing , sometimes because I know very well I will keep putting it off and keep putting it off .

I don't know about you , but when I eventually get around to doing it , I'm like , oh , that didn't take me very long after all , and I wonder why I procrastinated on it in the first place . So why is it important that we understand that decision fatigue even exists ?

I think it's important to be clear that it can really affect your motivation and your clarity about how to go about doing something , and so I'm hoping that this episode will provide some practical strategies for you to help you overcome it . So how does decision fatigue show up in decluttering ? How do we even know we're reaching decision fatigue ?

So what are the signs ? We may start feeling overwhelmed before even starting , like with me with my drawer . In the past , we might be making excuses or avoiding the task , like me with my procrastination , and and then this is something I see in a lot of my clients constantly second guessing decisions . Do I keep this or not ? Have I made the right decision ?

Deciding to let that go , and trying to make all these decisions then just gets very , very wearing . So why is this happening ? First of all , too much clutter means too many choices . So if you're quite near the start of your decluttering and organizing journey , it could very well be that you've just got so many decisions to make . It's just too much .

I promise you it gets easier as you go on and you start to have less stuff in your home . Another reason why it happens and this ties back to last week's episode , so if you haven't listened to that , go and listen to episode 140 . Emotional attachment to items makes decisions harder .

And then the third reason why decision fatigue can happen is a lack of systems to guide the process . If you haven't thought in advance about how you're going to tackle the project , how you're going to break it down into small steps , how you're going to make it manageable , that's when the decision fatigue can start to come in .

So three quick strategies to beat decision fatigue . Number one set a timer and limit your scope so you can use the Pomodoro technique and I use this when I'm doing my online decluttering sessions with my membership or when I sometimes invite some of you along . So a simple 15 to 30 minute timer . I always use 25 minutes .

I think that's really motivating to focus on a small , specific area . Now why does this work . It reduces the mental load by creating a clear boundary around your effort .

You know you've only got to work for 25 minutes and then you're going to get a break , and knowing that for your brain is just so great because it's like , okay , I don't have to do this for very long , it's going to be over soon .

Let's just focus and get it done so , for example , you could tackle one drawer within a category of items , or one shelf , or within your clothing a single category , so just socks or just t-shirts . Or within your clothing a single category , so just socks or just t-shirts . So that is my first strategy . My second strategy would be to use the yes-no system .

So ask yourself a binary question to streamline decisions Does this spark joy , or would I buy this again today ? That's always , I think , a really interesting one . If you were in the shops today , would you buy this item ? If your answer is probably no , then it might be time to let it go .

And this works because it gets rid of the mental gymnastics of having to justify every item . It makes it quite clear . It's like does it spark joy ? No , okay , it can go . Would I buy this again today ? Yes , great , it's staying . So you could do that .

Practice on items like mugs that are quite easy , or old clothing and I know it sounds crazy to practice it , but the more you practice , would I let this go or wouldn't I on things where you feel fairly clear about it . It will help you when you come to items where the waters are a little bit more muddy .

And strategy three is using a done for you decision system . So this is where you create preset rules for common categories . For example , I'm only keeping five mugs or I'm going to get rid of any clothes I haven't worn in two years . I have a wonderful lady , lisa , in my membership .

She has done an amazing job with her closet , which was absolutely round to the gunnels with clothes , and she set herself a percentage of clothes she had to get rid of in each category . She's even been keeping spreadsheets bless her so she can see exactly how much she's let go , and that is really , really motivating her .

Oh , and that brings me on to how to stay motivated , so celebrating small wins . I'm always going on about this , but it's so important If you can acknowledge your progress , no matter how small , even if it's . I got rid of one pair of socks . Great , that's one pair of socks less you've got to deal with every week . And this is what Lisa has been doing .

She can look back through her spreadsheet and she can celebrate yes , in that category , I got rid of 50% . In that category , I got rid of 70% , whatever it happens to be , and she can see her progress and celebrate it as she goes , and that is being really motivating for her .

Another thing you can do to stay motivated and in control is leverage accountability , so the people within Clutterfree Collective have each other and me to hold them accountable . So that is absolutely brilliant . But if you haven't got that option , you could work with a friend to keep the momentum going .

And another thing that will really motivate you and help you stay in control is to revisit your why . Think about the bigger picture . Why are you wanting to do this ? How will decluttering help you ? How will it help you create a space that supports your best life ?

And if you pull all those things together best life and if you pull all those things together staying motivated and in control , having quick strategies to beat the decision fatigue in the first place I promise you it will make life so , so much easier for you . So let me just remind you of the three strategies to beat decision fatigue .

Set a timer or limit your scope for how much you're going to try and get done . Ask yourself the yes , no system questions . Does this spark joy or would I buy it again today ? And finally , use a done for you decision system where you're creating preset rules so you know exactly what you're aiming for and you know you are going to be successful .

I would encourage you , or challenge you , even to try one of these strategies today , and I would love to hear about it . So come and share your progress with me on Instagram . I am there at carothor and I would love to hear from you and hear how you're doing .

Let's end by reminding you that small , intentional steps are going to lead to big change , and actually you've already taken the first step by listening to this episode today .

So now take the next step and decide what you're going to do and do it , and then let me hold you accountable by sending me a message , and let me be your biggest supporter and cheer you up until next time . If you've enjoyed this episode , please send the link to a friend you know would appreciate it .

Until next time , or on Facebook at Caroline Organiser , thanks for listening and I look forward to guiding you on your journey to find your clutter free ever after .