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We’re nearly at the end of January, which means you’ve probably broken your New Year’s resolution by now, or at least on the brink of breaking it.

Don’t worry: most of us fail. Research suggests 63% of people break their resolutions, and 68% of those people break it within a month!

That doesn’t mean New Year’s resolutions are totally useless though, especially when it comes to decluttering. With just a little tweaking and some small changes to your routine, keeping a decluttering resolution is actually pretty easy. Here are some top tips…

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Set a realistic resolution

One of the main reasons people break their resolutions is because they’re too ambitious, too grand and nigh-on impossible to achieve without making huge lifestyle changes.

By setting more realistic goals, you make keeping your resolution much easier. In the context of declutter, something like ”˜declutter everything in my house’ is way too ambitious. It’s daunting, which means you’ll probably think about doing it but put it to the back of your mind and something less challenging instead.

A goal like ”˜declutter my bedroom by March’ is much more reasonable. It’s a smaller task, it has a deadline and it’s a step towards achieving a greater goal. If you’ve already make a bold resolution, try breaking it down into small, achievable chunks.

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Set deadlines

We already hinted at it in the last paragraph, but a deadline is the safest way to ensure you actually get something done. Leaving your resolution open-ended usually means it never happens.

Make sure your deadline is realistic though. The last thing you want to do is place yourself under ridiculous amounts of pressure and end up feeling bad when you miss your unachievable deadline. Give yourself time to take it slow, but not so much time that you forget about decluttering entirely.

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Read a book or a blog

Everyone needs some inspiration sometimes. There’s plenty of decluttering material to sink your teeth into, from doorstop-sized tomes to short and sweet blog posts.

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo is perhaps the most popular decluttering book of them all, topping bestsellers charts across the globe thanks to its simple yet effective tips.

There’s a lot more to get stuck into though. Here are a few books and blogs to get you started!

Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things ”“ Randy O. Frost

The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life ”“ Francine Jay

One Thing At a Time: 100 Simple Ways to Live Clutter-Free Every Day ”“ Cindy Glovinsky

Stuffocation: Living More with Less ”“ James Wallman

https://www.theminimalists.com/

https://www.simplyorganized.me/

https://www.becomingminimalist.com/

Share your favourite decluttering blogs and books with us in the comments and we’ll add them to this list.

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Imagine the future

When you’re knee deep in clutter and covered in dust, the urge to give up and slob out is strong.

The only way to resist is to picture the benefits of your decluttering efforts: a cleaner home, more space, less stuff to maintain. Keep that in mind and chucking stuff out won’t be half as hard.

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Make it fun

Make like the seven dwarves and whistle while you work. Or stick some music on. Whichever you prefer…

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