When I was a teenager in the late 80’s, I remember my mum going on the “Cabbage Soup Diet”. Basically the diet was that you pretty much only ate this one soup recipe and very little of anything else. And it worked – mum lost the weight she wanted to lose. And she lost it really quickly, too!
However (and I think you know where this is going), it didn’t last and as soon as she went back to her normal diet, the weight came back again.
I often liken decluttering to losing weight. Like with weight loss, decluttering involves making some changes to your life to reach a goal.
Now although diets are still popular (people seem to still believe they work, despite all evidence they don’t in the long term!), we do know that real change doesn’t come from a temporary solution.
When it comes to decluttering, it’s the same. People often go on a chucking spree or an organising frenzy but find that a few months later (or sooner!), their spaces are stressing them out again.
Like long-term weight loss, long-term uncluttered living comes about from a change in lifestyle, habits and mindset, not from a 1-month project with old habits resuming afterwards.
The next time you are decluttering or re-organising a space, make sure you take a minute to think about what actions you are taking and whether they are a lifestyle change, or if they are just some more cabbage soup.