How To Get Motivated To Clean When You Are Overwhelmed By The Mess

Get motivated to clean your home even if you are overwhelmed by the mess

Organizing and decluttering does not have to be overwhelming. So how do you get motivated to clean when you are so overwhelmed by the mess in your home that you can’t even begin? Are you feeling paralyzed and stuck? I promise you that it is not an impossible feat. There are very manageable steps you can take to get started even in the messiest of homes. Clearly it will take some time, but the results will be well worth it!

Get motivated to tackle the mess head on

First things first, if you are reading this, chances are you definitely have some motivation to make a change. You may feel overwhelmed by the mess, but you are looking for a road map to help you move beyond the clutter and inspire you to get started tackling the mess. The good news is, it is not rocket science. If we logically look at how we got to where we are, we can take the necessary steps to improve our homes and more importantly, our mindset.

Be Kind to yourself when you are overwhelmed by the mess

Throughout this process, it is important to be kind to yourself! It does not help to beat yourself up over how you got to this point. Chances are that you did not get here overnight. We all deal with clutter and with having too much stuff.

I am a very organized person and even my home, when not maintained, can easily look and feel very cluttered. Yes, even I get overwhelmed by the mess, and I declutter often! It happens quickly, and life gets in the way. For me, just a few unplanned visits to the Target $1 section and my home needs a small decluttering sweep.

We are where we are. Things come into our homes every day. Add other family members to the mix and their things come into the home as well. This can add up quickly.

What is important is that you recognize that clutter is distracting you from enjoying your home. You do not live in a storage locker, you live in a home. Sometimes thinking about it this way is enough motivation to get started cleaning and organizing.

So, no need to get caught up in the blame game. Be kind to yourself and do not let thinking about where you are stop you from thinking about where you want to be.

Do you need even more motivation to get started? Here are my top 25 Decluttering quotes that will help to inspire and motivate you to tackle the mess: https://onedetailedmama.com/25-inspirational-decluttering-quotes/

The NEAT Method – Clutter Categories to reduce the mess

Not dwelling on how we got here does not simply mean ignoring how we got here. This is an important step in the process of making positive changes and getting the cleaning motivation for which we are searching. The NEAT method founders, Molly Graves and Ashley Murphy, believe that most people fall into three categories:

Too Busy = Too Many Extras – You buy items that you already have because you don’t have a system in place for where to put them. When you need to find something, you can’t, so you purchase it again.
Constant Worrier = Must Save Everything – You are concerned that you might “need” something in the future so you keep everything “just in case”.
Overwhelmed in Life = Overwhelmed at Home – You don’t know where to begin – so you just live in the chaos.

Determining which category you fall in will help you identify how you acquire clutter. It will also help you recognize your weak spots and help you begin to rethink things. This will most definitely lead to changes for the better.

more motivation to clean and organize

If you think about clutter collectively, it definitely has a cost. There is a cost in acquiring items. In addition, there is the physical cost of having to clean or keep up with items. Keep in mind that you also have to store these items. If you think about all of the spots you have in your home for storage, clutter can be taking up some very expensive real estate.

Every item in your home takes energy to exist. Sometimes even just thinking about the items takes a mental toll as well. Oftentimes, the costs outweigh the benefits of keeping the item. Thinking about clutter this way sometimes makes it easier to part with items that are hard to let go of. Cleaning inspiration and motivation can come from just looking at your items in this new light.

Follow a process to tackle the mess

Now that we have recognized a few of the reasons why we got here (without dwelling on it much too much), we are ready to start the process. Oftentimes the entire process is so overwhelming that it is easy to become paralyzed and stuck. This is why it is so very important to start small! Honestly, even if you start in one room by cleaning out one dresser, this is a start. We just have to start! I have a room by room decluttering checklist that will help keep you on track: https://onedetailedmama.com/6-ways-to-declutter-your-home-now/

I also have a 30 Day Decluttering Challenge that can help you jumpstart this process: https://onedetailedmama.com/30-day-decluttering-challenge/

Don’t get overwhelmed by overthinking the mess

Do not overthink this part! You can easily be overwhelmed if you think of the entirety of your home and what you have to accomplish. If you think about each room in small sections, you can declutter at least one area every day. This is a manageable goal.

At this point, I would just focus on decluttering and not on cleaning if you are too overwhelmed by the mess. Cleaning can be tackled later. Also, it will be a lot easier to clean and organize when you have removed your clutter. Let’s not put the cart before the horse!

Touch every single item when clearing clutter

When you are at this stage, it is important for you to put your hands on every item. I touch every single item in my home multiple times a year. This gets me physically connected to the objects so that I can really think about whether I should keep the items or if they should leave.

If you just look at a drawer in your dresser and don’t take everything out, you are missing opportunities to declutter. Did you notice that t-shirt with the huge hole that is unwearable? What about that t-shirt under another t-shirt that has bleach stains on it? Hands on every single item!

You might think that this will slow you down, but trust me, it is well worth the extra time. Be prepared to find a lot of “missing” items. A huge plus is that now you will know exactly what items you have in your home. You will also avoid buying duplicates of items because you will have a mental inventory of everything.

When you are going through each item, Martha Beck, who is a life coach and author of Finding Your Own North Star, suggests asking yourself three questions:

Do I TRULY need it?
Do I TRULY adore it?
Would I trade INNER PEACE for this?

Asking yourself these questions will help you to make decisions that will benefit you and help your peace of mind. You are not haphazardly getting rid of things out of frustration. Instead, you are making conscious decisions that are logical, rational, and reasonable. The ultimate goal is for us to own items that have meaning, that help us, and that we enjoy. Let’s not have our possessions own us!

Set Deadlines for more cleaning motivation

Life does get in the way sometimes. There are errands to do, food to prepare, regular daily cleaning that has to take place….the list goes on! Setting deadlines is an important part of this process. Remember when we talked about starting small? This is important because you can tackle one small area a day in a short amount of time. You just have to keep on track and not get complacent. All of the small areas are going to add up to big rewards, and you will slowly start gaining even more motivation to clean and declutter when you see the results of your hard work.

Everyone on board to help with the mess

If you live alone, then you can easily ask a friend or family member to help if you are stuck.

If you are a member of a family, chances are you are not solely responsible for bringing every item into your home.

Let’s get everyone on board to help. Even small children can get in on the process with some guidance. And think about it, you will be teaching them lifelong lessons!

If you still can’t seem to keep on track, consider hiring a professional organizer to help you. Sometimes an outsider can give you advice and motivation in a way that you can understand and appreciate. This will also help with your accountability and with keeping on track.

The main point here is do not be afraid to ask for help. This will definitely help jumpstart your cleaning and decluttering process. Remember our ultimate goal is to ENJOY our homes and not feel overwhelmed the second we walk through the door. If that means asking for help, ASK!

The F.A.S.T Decluttering approach

Peter Walsh has come up with an acronym for a clean house – F.A.S.T.. This is an amazing road map and an excellent source for cleaning motivation. It really sums up the entire decluttering process:

F: Fix a time – Schedule a time that suits everyones schedule as this is a family affair. Having it scheduled, even if it is just an hour or so, will go a long way in making sure you begin the process. Treat it like an important appointment because it is highly important!
A: Anything not used in 12 months – If you haven’t used an item in the last year, it is highly unlikely that you are going to use it. At this point, it is hindering your cleaning motivation and cluttering your home. The object is to get stuff out of your home, not just merely move things around.
S: – Someone Else’s Stuff – Like stated before, everyone needs to be involved. If you borrowed it, give it back. If your kids have established their own homes in their rooms, it is time for them to go through their things.
T: Trash – Take pride in how much you throw or give away and make it fun. You only want to keep the amount of stuff that makes sense for your space.

More motivation to clean and organize

Everyone knows what clutter is in general, but it may be hard to officially define what constitutes clutter in your own home. Steve McClatchy, a productivity consultant, has a great quote that speaks to this, “Everyone has a place in their house for forks. If you found a random fork in your bathroom or under your couch, you’d immediately know it didn’t belong there and would return it to its drawer without another thought. Everything in your life should be this easy to put away. If an item occupies no specific location when not in use, it becomes clutter”.

Need even more suggestions for decluttering your home? There is an amazing article from Apartment Therapy which contains some very thoughtful decluttering tips: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/decluttering-tips-36704986?amp=1

FInal thoughts for Cleaning Motivation

If you are not sure how to get motivated to clean and declutter when you are overwhelmed by the mess in your home, there are absolutely steps you can take to get out of your rut. Here is your plan:

Think about your decluttering mindset and what is motivating you to tackle the mess
Now think about the actual cost of clutter to motivate you even more
Envision your motivational plan to conquer the mess
Start small to avoid being overwhelmed by the mess
Touch every single item to reduce the mess
Set deadlines to overcome the mess
Organize your decluttering team to help with the mess

You can do this. People face their messy homes and get organized every single day. There is no reason why you can’t be one of those people. Believe in yourself, and use the tips above for the motivation to clean and organize your home, even if you are overwhelmed by the mess. I believe in you! Now start small and get started!