There’s nothing like that feeling of accomplishment you get from looking at a freshly decluttered space. After you do the work, you get to enjoy the benefit of a tidy room, but the struggle to find the motivation to actually do the work is real. The best way to follow through with your good intentions is to hold yourself accountable and these are four ways to trick yourself into doing just that.
- Tell someone what you’re going to do – Simply telling your partner or roommate your plan to clear the clutter increases the chance you’ll actually get the tasks done. The strategy is even more effective if you share a deadline for completing it. And promising to send a photo of the finished result is even better.
- Make a shared checklist – Another way to bump up accountability is to find a partner in decluttering and making a shared list of tasks you need to get done. Knowing you’re not in it alone can boost morale as well as help you get more done. Bonus points for encouraging each other and sharing motivational pictures of the progress.
- Time yourself – This works because it increases efficiency as you’re trying to get as much as possible done in a finite amount of time. It can also help mentally since you know there’s an endpoint to the project and the more you do ASAP, the sooner it’ll be behind you. Timing yourself cuts down on procrastination and helps you reach the finish line even faster.
- Get a body double – Body doubling is a practice that started as a self-management strategy for people with ADHD and it involves working on a potentially frustrating task alongside another person. That person is the “body double” for the person doing the task and the double’s job is to help keep them in the present moment, which cuts down on distractions.
Source: Apartment Therapy