Insanity

Insanity:

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

Albert Einstein

Those of us who have struggled with our clutter for more than 5 years have tried all the most common methods to deal with it – biltzing, piling, weeding, moving, reorganising and storing.

Then when those methods fail get the results we want, because we don’t know what else to try, we start trying them again, on constant repeat, hoping that this time it will be different, this time we might get different results.

Based on Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity you would be forgiven for thinking that people who struggle with clutter are crazy. We’re not. We’re not stupid either. Before we discover Clutter Clearing, we just didn’t know what other method to try.

The irony is that Albert Einstein was right. It IS insanity to do the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. Yet sadly, even when we are on our 7 Step Journey, we can still struggle.

There are 7 reasons why we struggle to do the same thing over and over again, even when we know it’s what we need to do to succeed.

1. We Are Predominantly In-Time People

In-time people are impulsive, we struggle to focus and finish things and we get distracted quickly and easily because we are always looking for something more interesting to do that will give us a quick adrenaline hit NOW. If we don’t feel like doing it NOW, we are not that interested.

We get bored quickly and easily and we hate routine which is why we allow the resistance to sabotage us, even when we set aside just 30 minutes a day, three days a week to be a Successful Snail on our Journey.

2. We Are Impatient

As a result of being predominantly in-time people we are also impatient. Even though we know it took years or even decades to accumulate our clutter, and we know it will take time to clear it, we still want it all cleared instantly. We keep looking for the magic wand that doesn’t require much (if any) of our time, energy or effort. We procrastinate for longer than it would ever take us to complete our 7 Step Journey if we got the regular help we need to get into a routine of making regular time to ‘Do the Doing’.

3. We Have Very Strong Habits

Based on Albert Einstein’s definition, insanity is a habit. Habits form when we repeat the same thing over and over again a minimum of 66 times. If we repeat the same thing over and over again expecting different results, then it becomes a habit to repeat the same thing over and over again expecting different results, even when we know from our previous experiences that we are not going to get different results.

Conversely, to break habits we already have we must consciously choose to repeat the positive opposite of that habit between 66 and 254 times. As we are predominantly   in-time  people and impatient, we are unlikely to consciously repeat the positive opposite 66 times without giving up – unless we have appropriate support and accountability in place, which we rarely do. 

4. We Self-Sabotage

Those of us who have a clutter challenge have a lot of fear tied up in our clutter that leads to self-sabotage, especially the fear of the negative feelings that the memories and emotions in our clutter might trigger. Even positive memories can trigger negative feelings because they can remind us of happier times in our life.

We often have a fear of change. We have a fear of the void that clearing our clutter will leave, so we self-sabotage to stay in our cluttered comfort zone, allowing our in-time tendency, impatience, and habits to sabotage us so we can avoid those negative memories, feelings and emotions. Before we know it, self-sabotage and giving up become a strong automatic habit.

5. It’s Just Us

When you start clearing your clutter the Clutter Clearing way, it can feel as though you are the only one doing it this way. If we ignore the fact that the TV programmes don’t actually help people become clutter free Forever, you will notice that most of the case studies they feature are extreme. In comparison, our clutter isn’t THAT bad. Watching those programmes can actually make us feel better. Yet that can make us feel even more alone, hopeless and helpless, especially given that the Clutter Clearing way of dealing with your clutter isn’t anything like the way they deal with it on the TV.

6. Overwhelm

Overwhelm is responsible for so many failures when it comes to our clutter, and it is a significant reason why we struggle to do the same thing over and over again, even when we know what we need to do to succeed.

The reason why is simple – our expectations cause us to feel overwhelmed and we try to do too much. We think we ‘should’ be doing more than we are – so we do too much and become overwhelmed, even though we only need to be a Successful Snail to succeed, doing a minimum of 30 minutes of our Journey videos three days a week.

We don’t ask for help because we think we ‘should’ be able to do this on our own. We feel overwhelmed by how long it might take to succeed which leads to paralysis by analysis, procrastination and the inevitable giving up – AGAIN.

7. Mental/Physical Health

If we struggle with a mental or physical health challenge – many people on their Journey are dealing with depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, cancer (treatment or recovery), some are wheelchair bound – it can significantly affect our ability to do the same thing over and over again.

That is why it is so important just to focus on being a Successful Snail, doing a minimum of 30 minutes of your Journey videos three days a week. That way you can make steady progress, and you can always ask for help and advice to adapt and manage your Journey around health issues.

Ultimately, if you have a clutter challenge you have a choice about how you want to prove Albert Einstein’s theory. Continue to biltz, pile, weed, move, reorganise and store/hide your clutter, hoping that one day you will get different results, or instead change the method by doing your Clutter Clearing Journey over and over again, precisely because you know you will get different results. The choice is yours…….

You can clear your clutter fast, or you can clear your clutter forever, but you can’t clear your clutter forever, fast.

If you NEED to clear your clutter and you’re ready to accept that you can’t clear it forever FAST, click on this link and visit my Help Centre to find out how I can help you get started. https://www.clutterclearing.net/clares-help-centre/