Our home environment can have a huge impact on our emotional and mental wellbeing. If your space is in a constant state of chaos it can clutter your mind as well as your home.
If you are feeling some clutter anxiety, you’re not alone. Life is busy, and at the end of the day decluttering can feel overwhelming.
But it doesn’t need to be. Here are some tips and tricks to start decluttering without feeling overwhelmed.
Go in with a plan
Make a list of the areas you want to tackle. Know which areas need the most work, and break those areas into smaller more manageable tasks.
For example, if you want to declutter your kitchen there are many smaller tasks you can break that into. Some of these could include
- Countertops
- Spices
- Pots and pans
- Pantry
- Fridge
- Freezer
- Upper cabinets
- Lower cabinets
- Under the sink
Once you have a list of smaller tasks you can fit them one at a time into your schedule to avoid overwhelm.
Get your supplies ready before you begin
Make sure you have what you need before you start so you remove any barriers to making progress.
Be sure to have some garbage bags and some boxes or bags for any items you want to sell or donate.
Begin with some easy wins
If you’re anything like me you have some areas of clutter that bother your more than others? These can often be surface areas like countertops or highly visible areas of your home.
For me, those spots are the counter near my coffee pot and the dining room table. Both areas seem to be a catch-all for papers and nonsense. They are relatively small areas and can be decluttered in 10 minutes, and the benefits are huge.
Tackling one of those high-impact areas can really help you to see the rewards of decluttering and allow you to gain some momentum.
Set a timer
To combat that overwhelming feeling that you have to do everything all at once, start with short bursts of time. You can even make it a game. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes and see how much you can get done in that time.
Build consistency
Aim to do just a little decluttering each day, You’ll be surprised how much progress you can make in just 5 minutes per day.
Start with the easy decisions
If starting to declutter feels overwhelming, start with stuff you know can be thrown away.
Don’t start with sentimental items. Those will be more difficult to make decisions about. Getting caught up in analysis may derail you before you make any real progress.
Make it fun
Try to make decluttering as much fun as possible. Some things you can do to add a little fun:
- Listen to a podcast, audiobook, or a great playlist
- Make the space you’re in smell nice by lighting your favorite scented candle.
- If you’re in an area with a tv, put on one of your favorite movies or shows. Just be sure it’s something that will not demand your attention. Old favorites that you know by heart can be soothing background noise. It’s the perfect excuse to rewatch the Office.
Stop adding to the clutter
Taking the time to declutter is not going to make a true impact in your life if you don’t take some action to keep it that way.
Take an honest look at your buying habits. What areas do you have more stuff than you need? What steps can you take to ensure that area doesn’t get out of control again?
Before I had kids, one of my biggest areas of clutter was my closet. It wasn’t that I was buying an outrageous amount of clothing. It was that I was holding on to EVERYTHING.
Once I went through the effort of getting rid of what needed to go I wanted to be sure I didn’t end up in the same scenario again. I made a rule that for every new item of clothing I bring in one needs to go out. It helped so much in keeping things manageable.
Set Goals and Rewards
Determine a timeline and set goals for your decluttering. Break your tasks into weekly or daily goals. For example- Decluttering all the kitchen cabinets this week. Or cleaning out the spice cupboard today. Write your goals down. You’ll be more likely to achieve them.
It’s also helpful to reward yourself for your efforts. Other than the reward of a calm and decluttered home. Try to avoid choosing rewards that contribute to more clutter.
Conclusion
When you make the decision to declutter just aim for progress, not perfection. You don’t have to do everything all at once. Even a little progress can be really impactful.
I hope you found these tips helpful. Let me know in the comments if you have any decluttering hacks that have helped you.