Creating New Habits: A Simple Guide to Lasting Change

Decluttering, purging, and organizing doesn’t always come easily to everyone. For many, it’s a skill they need to learn, step by step, and then truly commit to practicing. When these habits are integrated into your daily routine, they gradually become second nature. But how do you make that happen?

Forming new habits can feel like a challenge, but it’s something we all experience at different points in our lives. Whether it’s eating healthier, moving more, or improving our work or spiritual routines, the goal of creating better habits is universal. But the question is: How do we make those changes stick?

Habits, especially the “good” ones, seem harder to form than the bad ones. So, how do we turn positive actions into automatic behaviors that we don’t have to think about? Let’s break it down into a simple, three-step process that can make any new habit easier to implement.

Step 1: Decide What You Want To Do

The first step is crucial: get clear about the habit you want to create. Don't just say, “I want to exercise more.” Instead, make it specific: “I will go for a 30-minute walk every day at 5:00 PM.” The more precise you are, the easier it will be to track your progress.

Committing to what, when, and how you will execute this habit is half the battle. By defining your goal in concrete terms, you set yourself up for success.

Step 2: Remind Yourself to Get It Done

At first, forming the new habit might feel exciting. You’ll be motivated and energized. But as days pass, the enthusiasm can fade. That's when reminders come into play.

Set an alert on your phone, or add your new habit to your daily to-do list. A few days in, life will start to get in the way—rainy weather, busy schedules, or simply forgetting. Having a daily prompt ensures you don’t fall back into old habits and keeps you on track.

Step 3: Make It Part of Your Routine

Over time, the new habit will need to feel less like an “extra task” and more like something you just do without thinking. This is where routine comes in.

Making the habit a regular part of your day—like integrating your daily walk into your after-dinner routine or swapping a sugary snack for a healthy one at 10 AM—helps make it automatic. With consistency, you’ll find that your new behavior becomes second nature, and eventually, you’ll no longer need to remind yourself. It just happens.

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Congratulations, You’re Well on Your Way!

By following these simple steps—deciding clearly what you want to do, setting reminders, and making it part of your routine—you’re already on the path to forming a new habit. Keep practicing until it becomes as automatic as brushing your teeth, and soon enough, you’ll be enjoying the benefits of your new, healthy habit without even thinking about it.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

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What’s Stopping You from Decluttering?

And How to Finally Let Go Without the Stress

Your closets are bursting. Your garage is a maze. There’s a growing sense that your home is less a space to live and more a storage unit for memories, obligations, and “maybe someday” items. Everyone tells you it's too much. You know it's too much. But every time you try to declutter, you get stuck. Why?

It’s Not Just About Stuff

Decluttering sounds easy in theory—just get rid of what you don’t use. But for many of us, clutter isn’t just physical. It’s emotional. It’s tied to grief, identity, guilt, and hope. That’s why even broken lamps, yellowing greeting cards, and old mismatched mugs can feel impossible to part with.

1. You’re Afraid of Forgetting

That chipped vase? Your mother gave it to you. The chair you never sit in? It was your grandfather’s. You’re not really keeping the item—you’re trying to hold on to the person, the memory, the moment in time. There’s a quiet fear that if you let go of the thing, you’ll lose the connection.

What to do instead:
Take a picture. Write a note about its story. Keep one meaningful item from that person instead of twenty. Memories don’t live in objects—they live in you.

2. You Think Your Kids Will Want It

You imagine your children someday taking these things into their own homes. The fine china, the antique mirror, the hundred family photo albums. But more and more, adult children are saying: “We don’t want it.” It’s not because they don’t love you—it’s because they want to choose their own life, just like you did.

What to do instead:
Ask them directly what they want. Respect the answer, even if it’s hard. If they say no, consider selling, donating, or giving those items a new life with someone who will appreciate them.

3. You’re Tied to “Someday” Thinking

You might be holding onto clothes you haven’t worn in a decade, gadgets you never used, or fabric scraps for a quilt you never started. There’s comfort in the idea that you might need it, that someday you’ll be the person who uses it.

What to do instead:
Be honest about who you are now, not who you might be in some hypothetical future. If an item hasn’t been used in years, it’s probably not going to be. And that’s okay.

4. You Feel Guilty Letting Go

There’s a silent weight of guilt with certain things: gifts you never liked, things that were expensive, items you inherited but don’t enjoy. Giving them away feels like a betrayal—or a waste.

What to do instead:
Remind yourself: the gift has served its purpose. You appreciated the gesture. Keeping something out of guilt is not honoring the person—it’s burdening yourself. Free yourself to let go.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

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Visit our Life & Business Coaching website:  North By Northwest

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Declutter Without Thinking: A 10-Minute Blitz That’s Actually Fun

Let’s be real—decluttering sounds productive but often ends in overthinking. Decision fatigue. Emotional spirals. “What if I need this someday?” Nope. Not today.

You want less clutter and more calm—fast. Here’s how to declutter without thinking, in one quick, fun 10-minute burst.

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🕒 Step 1: Set a Timer

Start with 10 minutes on the clock. That’s it. The urgency keeps your brain from spiraling into “maybe” territory. This is a speed round, not a therapy session.

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🎵 Step 2: Play a Feel-Good Song

Crank up something upbeat—whatever makes you want to move. You’re not just decluttering—you’re starring in a cleaning montage.

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🚮 Step 3: Grab a “Goodbye Bag”

Trash bag, box, laundry basket—anything to collect stuff you’re ditching. Label it “Bye!” if you want to make it official.

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🔍 Step 4: Pick ONE Tiny Zone

Not the whole house. Just one drawer, shelf, or corner. Some ideas:

• Kitchen: Spices older than your last vacation. Crusty condiments.

• Bathroom: Dried-up makeup, stretched-out hair ties, half-used samples.

• Closet: One category only—sweaters, pants, shirts. Grab what you don’t love. Don’t think. Toss.

• Bedding: Old, scratchy towels or sheets with mystery stains? Gone.

• Tupperware drawer: Anything with no lid or base = out.

• Socks & water bottles: If it has no match, it has no future.

• Junk drawer: Expired coupons, dead batteries, mystery cords? Bye.

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❌ Step 5: Use the “No-Brainer Toss” Rule

If it’s:

• Broken

• Expired

• Unloved

• Forgotten

• Missing a match
  … it goes. Skip the guilt and move fast. If you hesitate, leave it for later.

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📧 Bonus Round: Digital Declutter

• Emails: Delete 10 a day for 5 days or set a timer and purge for 10 minutes.

• Unsubscribe as you go. Your inbox deserves peace too.

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✅ Step 6: Stop When the Timer Dings

Seriously—stop. You did what you came to do. Toss the goodbye bag in the trash or put it by the door for donation. Want extra motivation? Snap a “before and after” pic for yourself.

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Repeat Daily (or When You’re Bored)

Ten minutes a day. Different zone each time. It gets easier—and dare we say, a little addictive.

You don’t have to think. You just have to start.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com
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Visit our Life & Business Coaching website:  North By Northwest

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Hoarding Disorder: More Than Clutter - by Cecelia Garrett, MSW, LICSW

Hoarding is a complex issue that affects a lot of people. Ceci Garrett grew up in a hoarding situation. Her story is heartbreaking and inspiring. She overcome her past to find her passion as an advocate for children of parents that hoard. She went on to become a therapist, an advocate, and a mental health educator in hoarding issues.

Below is a Podcast that gives you a picture of life as a child of a parent that hoards.

Ceclia “Ceci” Garrett, MSW, LICSW, is a therapist who specializes in treating Hoarding Disorder, anxiety, and trauma. Ceci’s unique personal and professional experience with hoarding informs her advocacy efforts with individuals, families, agencies and communities. Her passion is destigmatizing hoarding disorder through compassionate and engaging education about the importance of mental health treatment as a vital part of addressing hoarding behaviors

Practical Psych with Kyrie Russ  - a Podcast

Hoarding Disorder: More Than Clutter.   with Cecelia Garrett, LICSW

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com
.

Visit our Life & Business Coaching website:  North By Northwest

*** check out the Products tab for self-paced workshops, planners and more....