Why visualization is critical in your minimalism journey

In this decluttering journey, I’m finding, sometimes the trek is uphill and progress is oh so slow. Boxes will sit untouched for a couple months at a time, papers will pile up, countertops’ contents will be quickly cleared and stuffed in the closet for later. And that’s okay – life happens. Most recently “life” was my daughter’s tonsillectomy followed by a week of illness.

Other times this decluttering journey feels like I’m cruising downhill, making effortless Goodwill trips and maintaining clear counters night after night. 

I’m on a downhill stretch now and am gaining momentum. It’s a new month and I’m focusing in again on the underlying themes I’d like our home to reflect: simplicity and beauty.

And although I’m donating items, the most important thing I’m doing these days is making the time to stop and visualize. To imagine every room in our home, uncluttered, with just the right amount of stuff to support our lives and not weigh us down. I visualize this goal and tell myself that a minimalist home really is possible. 

But why is visualization so powerful and why do I recommend it as part of the decluttering process?

When we visualize, we create a mental image. This specific mental image becomes infused with emotions. Emotions create desire and our minds go to work looking for ways to make our vision a physical reality. When our minds are working like this, we begin seeing more opportunities to work toward our vision. When we approach a cluttered countertop, for example, our subconscious brain will not only tell us to clear it, but also tell us that clearing it is totally doable! When we come across that shirt we still never wear but hold onto “just in case,” it will be much easier to part with it – extra space fits our minimalist vision better than unworn clothing. 

By keeping the idea of what you want on your mind, you will be more likely to do what it takes to make that dream a reality. 

Here are some tips when visualizing your uncluttered home: 

1. Make point to bring up the mental image of your uncluttered home often. Set a reminder on your phone to take some “clutter-free-home visualization time” at least three times during the day. You could pair visualizing your home with something you already do, such as eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Or, if you’re a stay-at-home mom, you could pair visualizing with anytime you find yourself in the bathroom alone and it’s quiet).

2. Hold your image in your mind 30 seconds if you can. To hold an image longer than 30 seconds is difficult, unless you’re an expert meditator. But 30 seconds is long enough to etch the image into your brain.

3. Put as much detail into the image of your clutter free home as you can. Focus your mental energy on the countertops – what’s on them? On the walls – how are they decorated? On the furniture – how is it arranged? Include colors and textures. A vague image creates vague results, and that’s not what you want. 

4. Put emotion into your image. Imagine yourself at peace and feeling joyful in a home that reflects calm and contains what you love. Imagine that you have systems in place and maintaining your home is streamline and not overwhelming. 

5. Believe. When visualizing, believe 100% that the mental image you see is going to happen. Call upon your childlike trust if you need to and believe this dream can actualize for you. 

6. Use positive self-talk during visualization. This might sound like: “My hard work can achieve this clutter-free home.” Or, “I will do this because it’s important to me. Clearing clutter will give me space to focus on what’s important in life and to live life more fully.”

When working toward a goal, having a mental image of what you want is critical to your success. Decluttering a home is no different. 

And even though decluttering – like life – can be an up and down journey, approaching the journey with intentionality and using our mind to our advantage is key.

Practice visualization as part of your decluttering process and give yourself the best shot possible at making your dream of an uncluttered home a reality.