Helping Family Declutter

Helping family declutter may sound fairly straightforward. You just go in and get it done, right? But unfortunately it’s usually never quite that simple.

We can feel sad, confused and even frustrated when we want what’s best for those closest to us but they can’t seem to see what we see, or they just don’t want to change.

Decluttering is, for many, a very sensitive area, and if we don’t understand the complexities of human behaviour and emotions or the reasons someone is gathering or unable to part with their physical possessions we are unable to make much headway. Unfortunately, despite our best intentions, we can cause more damage than good if we make someone declutter and they are not ready, or we declutter on their behalf or behind their back. Forcing never works, and the dynamic of our relationship with the person whom we are trying to help always comes into play.

Even if we are great to organise and declutter ourselves being able to help and motivate others to organise and declutter is indeed a very different skill.

I’ve witnessed countless clients who learn to declutter themselves and end up naturally motivating and inspiring friends and family, without saying a single word to them. It’s important we always lead by example and that we ourselves have a healthy and happy relationship with decluttering our wardrobes, homes and lives if we really want to help others.

We are all so different, and for decluttering to be truly successful in the long-term a person needs to be empowered to understand their own unique body shape, their colouring, their signature style and what works for their age, lifestyle and homes, and other seen and unseen requirements. We are actually doing a disservice to someone if we are not equipping them with or teaching them the necessary tools, knowledge and skills.

If you would like to inspire and help family and friends declutter and organise in the right way with ease and enjoy positive, life-long change you might be interested in The Declutter Academy, my leading-edge professional decluttering and organising training. You can check out the online version here and the in-person version (in Ireland) here.