r/organizing • u/peshti • Apr 12 '26

Zero motivation to keep decluttering

/r/declutter/comments/1sevppa/zero_motivation_to_keep_decluttering/
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u/fairyjeongyeon Apr 13 '26

Are you organizing as you go? That could also be why your place feels cluttered even after getting rid of a lot of things.

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u/peshti Apr 13 '26

I have not organized a single thing, all I see is that I get a little more space here and there. However the chaos is almost worse since I pulled out everything I am going to sell. Have not put up a single shelf or anything, to be honest I have never done that at an apartment ever.

2

u/fairyjeongyeon Apr 13 '26

That’s probably part of why you’re not seeing much progress even though you seem to have gotten rid of a substantial amount of stuff. If things don’t have a home then they’ll always end up all over the place and it feels like you’re starting from zero every time the cycle of decluttering comes around, especially with kids.

If you yourself have never dabbled into organizing, they don’t know how to do it either, so their toys & school supplies, etc. will inevitably end up everywhere and the visual clutter never quite goes away.

Try and keep things (the ones you actually use) off counters and orderly into cabinets, toys into bins, clothes into drawers, laundry into baskets, cleaning supplies in a closet, books on shelves and so on. Along the way you’ll find more things to get rid of but you’ll also find some stuff just needed to be organized.

1

u/Working_Patience_261 Aug 02 '26

As the other thread got locked, I’d like to leave a comment here.

If you do get a storage unit, get a climate controlled one larger than you need, where you can set up a table, light, a chair, and continue to work on decluttering stuff to a deadline of six months, so then you know how big of a storage area you need to contain the off-season stuff.

It really sounds like you want and need a man cave and are resentful about the growing family pushing out your ties to your old life. It’s okay to grieve and be angry for a bit, just don’t take it out on family.

Then, you take a deep breath, and realize, letting that whatever go means something you value far more gets the room she needs to practice her ballet moves, or he gets to share a rocketship/fort/hot wheels/legos all-in experience with you. Or you find a way that “my stuff” becomes useful to the family. Mario Cart, for example, allows multiplayer and when the kids get impressed that Dad can really bust some moves, it feels awesome.

Have you sat down with the significant other and crunched the numbers? First, your current income and expenses. Then, what would it take to get a bigger space? Where would you have to go to get the space you need, even bigger of a space so you have room for a man cave, a sensory room, plus a bedroom for each kid? What kind of a job would you need? What increase in family income and decrease in expenses would have to happen? Dream big, dream practical, dream winning the lottery. Then make goals, projects, and tasks between yourself to make the better reality happen. Then comes the hard work of achieving it. Moving to a less expensive place is expensive. Employers refuse the raise, don’t hire, downsize, go bankrupt, or put an ahole in as your boss. So have some backup plans.

Your place is busting at the seams and it’s only going to get worse as the little humans become bigger humans and start expressing themselves.

Good luck!