Why a Clear Decluttering Goal Makes the Process Faster and Easier

I recently had Brett and Christina from Sourdough Lifestyle on the Paring Down podcast, and while yes, we talked a lot about bread (my sourdough-obsessed husband was highly enthusiastic about this episode!), what stuck with me most had nothing to do with delicious carbs.

What stuck with me was the common thread of what has helped them pare down their life: they were always moving toward a very specific goal.

Why Big Decluttering Goals Make It Easier to Let Go

Brett and Christina have made three radical goals, each of which required decluttering. First, they moved from Pittsburgh to Tampa, taking only what they could fit in their car. They decluttered everything they owned—furniture, decor, kid stuff, wedding presents, all of it—in order to live in one bedroom as a family while they pursued their dream of opening a sourdough bakery. 

The next big goal didn’t involve physical decluttering, but when their sourdough business began to take off, they needed to pare down their baking process in a way that could scale. That meant doing away with the unnecessary bells and whistles and instead developing a process that focused on the main goal: Baking delicious bread that customers want to buy. 

And their most recent goal that required paring down was that they would sell the bakery they’d turning into a thriving business in order to travel the world full time. This meant everything they owned (and everything their two kids owned) had to fit inside of a carry-on and a backpack. 

Each of those chapters required them to let go of the excess. And each time, it was the goal pulling them forward that made it actually doable.

When you have a clear idea of why you’re letting go, the decision of what to keep gets a whole lot simpler.

Why You Stay Stuck in Clutter Without a Clear Goal

Most of us aren’t decluttering toward anything. We’re just decluttering away from chaos, or guilt, or the pile of stuff we’ve been stepping over for six months. And that’s not a terrible thing. The goal of living a more peaceful life is absolutely worthy.

But when our goal is abstract or to get away from something negative instead of moving toward something positive, it’s much easier to get lackadaisical about reaching it. 

So this begs the question: What are you clearing toward? What goal can you set that will provide clarity and motivation?

Maybe it’s hosting your family this summer. Or perhaps turning the basement into a playroom. Anything concrete that requires clearing the clutter to make room.

Big Picture

Decluttering as an act of self-improvement or in response to stress is great, but if you choose a clear goal, you’re likely to make faster progress with more determination in your decisions. Give yourself a destination, and the stuff that doesn’t belong there will start to make itself very obvious.

Want to hear the full conversation with Brett and Christina? Listen to this week’s episode of Paring Down — and yes, we also talk about sourdough. (My husband insists.)

Ready to declutter your life? Start with my FREE Decluttering Checklist!