Effective Decluttering Tips:

Many of us have more items in our homes than we can manage. These items take time and energy to maintain, clean, and care for. Making an effort to declutter your house can be overwhelming and you may not know where to start. It can indeed be overwhelming, but there are ways to make it less stressful. Let’s walk through some of the effective decluttering tips to get your home back to the warm and peaceful space that you desire.

Start Small: Yes, I know you want all the things gone and out of the house as quickly as possible. Let’s take a step back and concentrate our efforts on one area at a time.

Begin with a single room, a drawer, or even a section of a room. Breaking down the task into smaller parts makes it less overwhelming and helps maintain focus instead of trying to tackle the entire house at once. This can also help you feel accomplished and keep the momentum going to tackle the next space.

Take Small Steps: When things seem daunting, or even impossible, take on just one little thing at a time. Start with the easiest or least emotionally challenging area. Beginning with a space that is not as cluttered can build your confidence to tackle more challenging areas later.

How Much Time To Spend Decluttering: There are 2 methods or approaches when it comes to decluttering that most people tend to use: Full Steam Ahead, spending all day, every day going through every space in your house until it’s done. And the second is setting time limits and moving through it all at a slower pace.

We all have different lifestyles, time constraints, and different mental or physical capacities to consider. If you have the time, want to get it all done at once, and are up for the challenge, then take a week and get it all done.

Alternatively, you can limit your decluttering sessions to shorter stretches of time. Set a timer for 20-30 minutes and work within that time frame. I recommend doing this at minimum 3-4 times per week, so you don’t lose momentum and give up. This method can help make the task feel more manageable, prevent burnout, be more effective, and keep you focused on the task at hand.

Remember that this is your journey, do what works for you.

Departing with Emotional Items: Letting go of your children’s artwork from the 1^st grade, old photos, or items that have been passed down to you from loved ones can pull out all the emotions. These items hold a special place in your heart and are not easy to let go of at times.

Try asking yourself why these items are important to you and how do they make you feel? If they make you feel happy and evoke positive emotions and memories, you should consider keeping them.

However, if you feel negative emotions, such as sadness or frustration, you should let them go. Only keep the items in your life that bring you joy.

Create Categories in Bins or Boxes: Effective decluttering needs organization – Label the bins/boxes as “Keep”, “Donate”, “Sell”, and “Trash”. As you go through items, decide which category each item belongs to.

Ask yourself these questions, and be brutally honest: “Do I really need this item”, “Is it useful”, or “Am I storing and maintaining this item for no good reason”? Having a set of questions and a place for each item to land makes the decision-making process easier, while the bins/boxes help with the organization portion.

Organize as You Go: Once you’ve gone through, sorted the items, and know what you’re doing with it all, take care of it now. Don’t wait and leave it scattered throughout your house. This feels overwhelming and like you’re not accomplishing anything.

Put the items you’re keeping back in their place. Everything you keep should have a specific place in your home, nothing should be left out on the counter or just shoved in a drawer.

Bag or box up the items you’re donating. Put them in your car, now! Don’t let them sit around and clutter the space you’ve worked so hard to clean up. Drop them off, be grateful for the purpose they served you, and know that those items are now going to help someone else.

Let’s not forget that trash, take it straight out and throw it away. There’s no need to keep trash in your home for any reason 😊

Taking care of everything right now prevents piles from building up and maintains your progress.

Visualize the End Result: Keep the goal in the forefront of your mind. Imagine how you will feel and how your space will look and feel after decluttering. This visualization can serve as motivation and help you stay focused on the goal.

Celebrate Progress: Celebrate your accomplishments as you go. Take time to feel the release of stress that having less can give you.

Need a Break? Understand that this is a process that may take longer than you initially thought. It’s okay to take breaks when you need. Just don’t wait too long to get going again, this will inhibit you from keeping the momentum going.

Remember, decluttering is an ongoing process, so don’t be discouraged if it takes time. The goal is progress, not perfection.

Need a Little Help: Consider enlisting some help from friends and/or family members. Sometimes doing these types of things with someone else can make the process more enjoyable. Having the help and encouragement is also valuable. Or you may consider professional organizers if the undertaking is just too big and daunting.

Maintaining and Setting Routines: Consider the “One In, One Out Rule”. Every time you bring a new item into your home, consider which one item you can get rid of.

Establish a routine to prevent future clutter. Regularly set aside time to sort through items, organize, and evaluate what you need and what you can let go of.

Doing these two things regularly will help you keep the growth of clutter and accumulation down to a minimum.

By implementing these strategies and approaching decluttering with a sense of patience and self-care, you can make the process significantly less stressful and overwhelming.

Good Luck to you and your decluttering journey and let me know how it’s going or if you have any additional tips or thoughts to help us all out.