You know you want to declutter a lot- actually, the whole house and you want to do it now. But then the question arises: "Where do I start decluttering?"
I am here to help you get started with decluttering and will explain different methods for how to go about this.
Then we look at different spaces in your house and some tips or tricks that could help you in specific rooms throughout your home.
There are several aspects to where to begin/start your declutter process and what to declutter first.
Before we dive headfirst into our piles of stuff, we should have a look at the time you have available at the moment and the spaces you need to declutter.
How to Start Decluttering When You Are Overwhelmed
Start with the time you have, even if it is only 5 minutes. Then choose one way to begin: a space, an item or a specific focus. Getting rid of one big item, such as an old mattress or boxes of books, is a quick win that gives you relief and shows you can do this.
How do I start decluttering my house?
You can start decluttering by knowing your schedule. So let's focus on Time. How much time do you have?
If you are anything like me, you have either:
No time (trying to get through the day, thank you very much - I could give you 5 minutes tops )
A short burst of time, for example, some public holidays off. You could do a “3-day declutter” or “declutter your home in a weekend” challenge.
A longer break, for example, summertime or the Christmas period. I like to use these times for decluttering projects, as it’s a time when the world around me shuts down.
Depending on your available time, if you have more than 5 minutes, you can start to declutter and work on it like a project.
Where do I start decluttering? Which space and items go first
Declutter spaces first
Clearly, the most well-known way is to pick a room and go through it. I recommend you start on one end and work your way through. For example, go clockwise until you have completed your particular room. This is easier said than done. Instead of rooms, you may get better results if you focus on specific items or have a specific focus on what you would like to achieve. If you instead focus on specific items or have a specific focus on what you would like to achieve. Let’s unpack this.
Declutter items
The things you can declutter are manifold; this could be specific items, for example:
Do you have an old mattress, chair, bed, several boxes of books?
Go for these items first. This could mean making a 5-minute phone call to a second-hand shop or a recycling service. When you get rid of a big item, there is a wave of relief and some confirmation to yourself that you can do this decluttering thing. Plus, you are reminded every time you walk through this space that you have acted.
You could tackle smaller items and only pick up clothes, books, kitchen containers, or toys. Another way is to go through bags with stuff in them, closed boxes or pick up piles of stuff that are strewn throughout your house. (This last suggestion is harder than picking up large items or like items.
“I call this approach quick wins (little effort but big result) ”
Specific Focus
The last of the three is that you could have a specific focus in your decluttering
For example: Focus on "floor clutter"; clear all items on the floor, and all of a sudden your space feels less cluttered. Your focus in this example is to clear the floor. You could also focus on clearing one wall of clutter or one specific corner or surface with stuff in it.
Another example of focus is the dreaded feeling you get when (unexpected) guests will arrive soon. You end up with laser-like focus; it goes something like, “make this room look presentable”.
When you have a focus, you have a clear goal for the outcome of the space. Through the exercises and this information, you know which areas you need to declutter. When you look at times, you look at the volume of the items or the space they make up.
So this goes to show, there are many ways and things you can declutter. You don’t have to follow one. try them all and see which one works best for you today.
Regular declutter time, anyone?
We could expand it further and create a regular/weekly Declutter Day. This does not mean you'll declutter all day, but you might choose to spend Tuesday afternoons or Saturday mornings decluttering. Choose a time when you have little or no work and/or family distractions and a time you have naturally more energy or motivation (morning person anyone?). Don’t worry too much about this for now, I will unpack this more on the “how often should I declutter page” for now it is most important to get started.
You now know to either focus on a particular space, items or have a specific focus.
Like this page? You’ll love
A great book to start getting into the organising mindset.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Start with how much time you have. Then pick one of three ways to begin: a space, specific items, or a specific focus such as clearing floor clutter. Big items like an old mattress give a quick win.
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If you have more than 5 minutes, you can start. Public holidays suit a weekend challenge, and longer breaks such as summer or Christmas suit a bigger declutter project.
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It is a task with little effort and a big result, such as getting rid of a big item like an old mattress or clearing everything off the floor.
