#167 10 experiments to customise your dehoarding habits so they suit YOU

That Hoarder: Overcome Compulsive Hoarding

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In this episode, I propose ten experiments to help customise your decluttering journey, focusing on individual preferences to uncover what strategies work best in your home. These experiments encourage a flexible approach to dehoarding. It's all about tailoring your methods to fit your style and your personality, ensuring that decluttering becomes a more intuitive and effective process.

• Approaching Tasks as Experiments
• Tasks viewed as experiments inspired by CBT
• Reduction of perfectionist pressure
• Emphasis on personal differences and no right or wrong answers
• Testing different time slots for tasks
• Effectiveness of beginning the day with decluttering
• "Swallowing the frog" concept
• Long-term goals vs. short-term goals for motivation
• Experimentation and Adjusting Over Time
• Periodic repetition of experiments to adapt to changes
• Use of structured time frames and spontaneous urges to declutter
• Experimenting with personal preferences for initiating action
• Options such as music, TV, silence, social interaction, or media consumption
• Use of podcast as motivational tool
• Upbeat music playlist
• Group accountability sessions via Zoom for shared motivation
• Productivity based on to-do list specificity
• Decluttering strategies: by space, type of item, or item within a space
• Handling Difficult Categories
• Approach to emotionally challenging items
• Tailoring strategy based on personal readiness
• Consistency in Dehoarding
• Short daily durations vs. longer weekly sessions
• Finding the best fit based on routine
• Time Constraints
• Setting strict vs. flexible schedules
• Combination of structured and spontaneous efforts
• Personalising Decluttering and Productivity Methods
• Focus on individual preferences and method effectiveness