Inside: Are you looking to simplify your home by decluttering but feeling overwhelmed? Here are ten simple steps to declutter when feeling overwhelmed to streamline the decluttering process.
A clutter-free home can help simplify your life in many ways, including making it easier to clean and maintain and allowing you to cook more home-cooked meals, saving you time and money.
However, starting your decluttering journey may feel overwhelming, so you may avoid starting.
Five years ago, I embarked on my decluttering journey, and now, I simply maintain my home to keep it tidy and clutter-free.
The more you declutter, the easier it becomes to remove items you do not need in your home.
Benefits of a clutter-free home
- Easier to clean
Having fewer items in your home makes maintaining a clean and tidy home easier. Less furniture you do not have means less dusting. Fewer items on the floor, and sweeping, mopping, or vacuuming the space is more effortless. Fewer items on kitchen counters mean fewer items are moved around to clean the kitchen counter, leading to easier cleaning.
Here is my minimalist cleaning routine.
- More free time
Decluttering will help create a clutter-free home, giving you more free time for other things. You will spend less time cleaning, giving you more free time. Less time looking for items will prepare you quickly and out the door. Fewer items will lead to less organizing.
This free time can be used doing something you truly enjoy, prioritizing self-care or self-improvement. More free time to spend with your loved ones. Or more free time to start a hobby or a new business doing something you love.
- Less stress
When you spend less time cleaning and have more free time doing things you enjoy, you will have less stress. You would love to come to a clutter-free space after a day of work or whatever the day brings, which can help reduce stress.
- Better sleep
Did you know a messy, cluttered bedroom can affect how we fall asleep and stay asleep? Decluttering your bedroom to create a clutter-free space should be a priority to get enough sleep. A minimalist bedroom can help create a cozy, clean, and tidy space, promoting better sleep.
Ten simple steps to declutter when feeling overwhelmed
- Make a plan
Look around your home and decide how many items you want to remove from your space. For example, you can declutter half of your belongings, as little as twenty-five percent or as much as eighty percent. I recommend at least aiming to get rid of fifty percent of your items so you can start to feel the benefits of a clutter-free home.
- One area at a time
Starting in an area like the kitchen will make it easier since you are probably less attached to kitchen items. Start within one area at a time and one space at a time. For example, start in the kitchen and the drawers. When you are done, move to the cabinets and the kitchen counters.
Once you have decluttered the amount of items you planned on decluttering, you can decide to continue or move to a different area, like the living room.
- Start small
You will be surprised how much you can declutter when you remove all distractions and set a timer for as little as thirty minutes.
Start by decluttering for thirty minutes daily during the week. If you can, do two thirty-minute sessions on the weekend. If not, stick to at least one to avoid getting overwhelmed.
- Take before and after photos
Before you start decluttering a space, please take a few pictures of how it looks. I would create an album on my phone and name it the decluttering journey. When you are done decluttering the space, take a few after-photos. This will keep you motivated to declutter when you feel overwhelmed.
- Remove items quickly
Now you have a few boxes and bags of items you can donate; you should remove them from your house as soon as possible. By day six, you need to make the time to take the items to a local non-profit or donation center.
Removing these donation bags and boxes as soon as possible keeps you from going through them and taking stuff out. More importantly, it avoids creating a space cluttered with bags and boxes.
- Take a break
When you start feeling tired and stressed, take a break from decluttering. This can be for one day or two days. While taking a break, do something you enjoy that does not include shopping.
This can involve spending time outdoors or reading a book. After a few days of taking a break, start decluttering again.
- Challenge yourself
Challenge yourself to make decluttering a little more fun. Instead of thirty-minute sessions daily, do one-hour sessions. Add one more day if you declutter five or six days a week. Challenging yourself will make your decluttering process go quicker.
- 30-day minimalist game
The 30-day minimalist game or challenge by The Minimalist is a great way to declutter when feeling overwhelmed. I would continue decluttering with the steps above and add this 30-day minimalist game.
Get a paper and draw a calendar for the current month, or print one out. On day one, you remove one item; on day two, remove two items; on day three, remove three items; and so on, till the last day of the month. I cross out each day to keep track of what day I am on. Or you can start on the first of the month to make it easier.
Once you finish the thirty days, you will have removed more than five hundred items.
- Donation boxes
Keep two donation boxes or bags in two different areas of your home. I keep one upstairs and one downstairs in the laundry room.
If you see an item you do not like, use, or want to get rid of while doing laundry or cleaning, put it straight in the donation box.
Even after you declutter your home, make it a habit to keep at least one donation box for items you want to donate. Once that box is full, take it straight to the donation center.
- Get the family involved
Depending on what space in your home you are decluttering, you can involve your family. For example, the living room or garage are shared spaces, and some items will belong to different family members.
Declutter your stuff, and if each family member is old enough, have them declutter their own.
Once you have followed the steps above and continue to work on your decluttering journey, below are a few tips to avoid adding clutter and maintain a clutter-free space.
Tips to maintain a clutter-free home
- Avoid mindless shopping
Start changing your shopping habits and avoid mindless shopping. Only buy what you need. Do a no-buy or low-buy challenge to avoid bringing items into your home.
Read my post Mindful Shopping: 10 Ways to Save Money and Reduce Clutter
- Every item has a home
Make sure that every single item you have has a home. For example, when you walk in after work, place your work bag in the entry closet, your purse or wallet and keys in the drawer, and when you remove your shoes, put them in the closet. Your coffee pot has a home, as do your books, skincare products, and makeup products. If you have items that do not have a home, you should find a home for them or declutter them.
- Keep a few donation boxes
I mentioned this above, but always keep at least one donation box in your home to quickly add items you want to declutter. This way, you avoid keeping items you do not need and make your decluttering process easier. Once the box is full, take it to the donation center.
- Declutter every season
Many people think that decluttering or doing a deep cleaning should be done in Spring during their Spring cleaning. I believe that is a great place to start, but since items, whether we like it or not, will continue to come into our home. Birthday gifts, Valentine’s, Easter, Christmas, and other special occasions.
Remove items you did not use or like in the past season. Decluttering while you change season décor or clothing can help you maintain your items.
Final Thoughts
Starting your decluttering journey to create a space you can enjoy and do more of what you love can take some time. I started decluttering in 2020, and now all I do is maintain my home. It may not be easy initially, but decluttering will become simpler with time.
I hope these steps to declutter when feeling overwhelmed help you stay motivated to live a clutter-free life and enjoy a clutter-free space.
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