January is a good time for reflection, specifically a declutter reflection! It’s important to take some time for review and to reflect on where you were when you first started. How far have you come since you started on your decluttering journey? What have you achieved? How have you (and your home) grown and changed?
Declutter Reflection
Look back twelve months or five years. What was your house like then? What habits did you have? Are you better off?
You might be at the start of your decluttering journey. That’s ok. Take stock of where you’re at now. This will be something you can look back on in time, and have a comparison point.
If you’ve been on the journey a while, where have you come from? Looking back occasionally can be a great motivator. We can beat ourselves up thinking, “I still have so much stuff in my house! I’ve been working through this forever and it doesn’t look any different. What’s the point??” However, when you take the time to reflect back to a time before you started this journey, you’ll probably notice that you have made a lot of changes. There are a lot of habit shifts. There might be some new systems set up in your home to make your house flow better.
Acknowledge your Achievements
I’ve got several clients who look back over the years we’ve been working together, and they can see the improvements they’ve made. They can see how it’s positively affected their lives. There is a sense of relief at not having to deal with the situation they would be in, had they continued doing nothing. They are grateful to themselves for investing that time and effort into chipping away at it.
This reflection helps you see the shifts you’ve made around habits. It might be changes you’ve made to your purchasing or shopping behaviours. Perhaps it is how you respond to stuff people give you that you don’t want. If that’s you, pat yourself on the back. You deserve to be acknowledged, even if it is just acknowledging yourself. Tell yourself, “You’ve done an amazing job. You are responsible for the positive changes that have happened in this home!”
But There is Still So Much More To Do!
If, during your declutter reflection, you observe that there might be something that you can improve on that’s okay too. Reviewing where you’re at can give you some pointers as to how you want to improve. If you’re not where you want to be on this journey, then ask yourself what’s stopped you from being able to move forward in the way you had intended? What can you do to support yourself in moving forward?
Let’s be honest, as there’s no such thing as perfection, there’s always room to improve. So be sure to be realistic and kind to yourself about your progress.
Beware of Comparisons
When it comes to comparisons, comparing to your own journey is okay. Just be sure not to compare your journey to someone else’s. A client, and friend, shared this quote with me:
Don’t compare your Chapter 1 to someone else’s Chapter 20!
Anonymous
That is such an important thing to remember. Even comparing your Chapter 1 to someone else’s Chapter 1 is useless. You have different characters, different locations, different plots, and different genres! Your life situation is very different from anyone else’s, and comparing your home to someone else’s isn’t useful to you. Sure, take inspiration from someone else, but don’t let their situation get you down. Compare your Chapter 20 to your Chapter 1! That’s all that counts! Being aware of your story thus far will perhaps give you some solace if you feel like you’re not where you want to be.
I’d love to hear what your experience has been. What changes have you made? Come and share on the WellSorted Facebook Group.
