Think about the relief you feel getting rid of something that’s been bugging you for a while. It feels so great, right?
But doing that all the time for every single thing in the house can quickly feel like too much and lead to all kinds of negativity!
Chores are exhausting, right? Decluttering is a cumbersome job!
All the negativity and hard work cause your brain to learn that it is such a terrible job and should be avoided at ALL costs!
But that’s just the way your brain thinks about it!
You can actually train your brain to think about decluttering differently.
Use something you love to do as the motivator but ONLY use it during or after decluttering. Don’t use it at any other time. This creates a unique reward power for your decluttering efforts that you aren’t able to get from doing anything else. Maybe it’s a specific show that you get to watch after putting in some decluttering effort. Maybe it’s a specific podcast that you get to listen to while you’re working. Maybe it’s blasting loud music while you work.
Whatever the thing is that you love to do, do it proudly after or during decluttering sessions! Do it guiltlessly! Really let your brain enjoy every minute of the reward time!
After a while, this “fun” thing will be tied to the work. Your brain will eventually learn that you get that fun thing by decluttering and then it won’t seem so hard or impossible to get the work done.
You may even start to seek out decluttering sessions or opportunities for fun! And you may even find a few extra minutes here and there to squeeze some decluttering time into your day just so that you can get that reward!
So, go and figure out what you love and what you can reward yourself with. Like I said, it might be music, a hobby, a show or even a social outing! Then do your decluttering so that you can get on with your reward!
Finding excuses to have fun while doing hard work will give your brain that little boost of excitement so that the work doesn’t seem quite so overwhelming. Tricking your brain by adding fun to the association of hard work allows your brain time and space to enjoy rather than immediately running away from the task!
Embrace the fun!
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