Declutter with Get-It-Done Guy and the Domestic CEO (Part 2)
Domestic CEO Amanda Thomas joins Get-It-Done Guy to discuss tips and techniques for how to deal with clutter in your home and office once and for all.
Today is Part 2 of our series on clutter. Joining me once again is a very special guest: Amanda Thomas, aka the Domestic CEO.
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Both Amanda and I abhor clutter. Of course, you’d never know it from one look around our offices. In fact, part of why we’ve each developed such good clutter coping skills is that it’s a never-ending battle to keep the clutter at bay.
Click the Play button in the upper right hand corner of this page to hear our discussion about the best ways to combat clutter in your home or office. You’ll learn the following:
Enlist a Friend
Getting started is the hardest part, so ask someone to help get you started. Just having the accountability of someone else coming over is often enough to kick-start most people.
Sometimes it’s better to invite someone who isn’t super close to you help declutter. If your helper knows how emotionally attached you are to the clutter, or feels bad suggesting you get rid of something, it can actually be counter-productive because you may feel justified in keeping things that another person validated.
Delete then Rescue
Gather all clutter into a big pile. Take out a large garbage bag. Put the pile into the bag. Now go through the bag and rescue the things you want to keep. Oddly, you’ll keep a much smaller set of stuff than if you go through a pile and throw away what you don’t want.
Created Deadlines and/or an Accountability Partner
If you continually find yourself putting off organizing projects, give yourself a real deadline. Hosting a dinner party is a great way to get the motivation to clean up your common areas. Inviting a friend to come stay with you is a great kick in the butt to get your guest room cleaned out.
An accountability partner is someone who will commit to checking in with you, and maybe even give you a hand if you get behind on your deadlines. This person should be a stronger, yet supportive personality to help keep you on track.
Reward Yourself
Whether it’s something like hosting a dinner party for your friends, going on a shopping trip to replace some of the old unused items you just got rid of, or taking a vacation with the money you earn from consigning the good items you tossed, having a reward set and ready to give yourself upon completion can be a great carrot to dangle with any project.
Your accountability partner should also know about this reward and make sure that you actually reach your goals before giving yourself the reward.
For more expert tips and tricks to help you combat clutter, check out part 1 of this series as well as the Domestic CEO’s episode How to Clear Your Clutter Once and for All (guest starring Get-It-Done Guy Stever Robbins!).
Do you have clutter tips that have worked for you? Post them below in Comments or on the Get-It-Done Guy Facebook or Twitter pages.
About the Author
Stever Robbins was the host of the podcast Get-it-Done Guy from 2007 to 2019. He is a graduate of W. Edward Deming’s Total Quality Management training program and a Certified Master Trainer Elite of NLP. He holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BS in Computer Sciences from MIT.
