This blog post is all about how to start decluttering when overwhelmed.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed in your home, it could be related to having too many things! Having things scattered all over the place can trigger these emotions, and if you’re feeling this way, then it might be time to start decluttering!
Studies have shown that a cluttered environment can cause anxiety and stress and can also affect your mental health and productivity.
Sometimes, the thought of decluttering is overwhelming! And it causes you to burrow in your bed and ignore it all with hopes that the declutter fairy will fix it for you.
Unfortunately, the declutter fairy is you! And nothing is going to disappear magically. I know… lame.
But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming or stressful, and here’s how you can start decluttering your home today when you’re feeling overwhelmed!
How to Start Decluttering When Overwhelmed
Set realistic goals
It’s important to understand that it’s not realistic to declutter everything in your home in a few hours! But you can definitely declutter your home in a few days or weeks.
Imagining your space cluttered-free can definitely help you reach your goal of having a clutter-free home.
Give yourself grace and understand that decluttering when overwhelmed can make you feel defeated before even starting but the end goal will make you feel a lot better.
Start with One area of Your Home
It is better to start in one area of your home than to start in different areas and never finish the decluttering process.
It’s as simple as starting with your nightstand drawer or a kitchen drawer. It doesn’t always have to start in a closet.
Starting with small spaces in your home will make a huge difference when decluttering.
Here are 6 areas in your home that you can start decluttering
- Closets: Clothes you haven’t worn all year, shoes you haven’t worn all year, accessories, etc.
- Kitchen: Dispose of old or never used kitchenware, cleaning products under the sink…
- Cabinets, Drawers, Refrigerator, Pantry, Oven…
- Bathroom: Get rid of those half bottles of shampoos and conditioners under your sink that you will never use, lol! (I can’t be the only one who does this)!
- Discard expired medications, beauty products, products you no longer use or will ever use again.
- Living Room
- Bedroom: Just let things gooooo
- Top of your nightstand, nightstand drawers, under the bed, and storage areas in your bedroom.
- Laundry Room:
- Old cleaning rags, cleaning supplies, expired products.
- The lovely junk drawer: anything you haven’t used in months or even years!
- Chargers, pens that don’t work, half-torn pages, expired coupons, etc.
3 Easy Decluttering Methods
Marie Kondo Method
Marie Kondo is famous for her approach to decluttering your home. Her book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing,” covers all her methods in depth, but here’s the rundown.
If you’re using the Marie Kondo method, you first want to commit yourself to decluttering ALL of your home. You can’t turn back once you start!
Second, you want to imagine what your home would look like and feel like if it wasn’t cluttered. Is it more relaxing? Can you actually see the floor of your closet? Do you feel less stressed when you’re at home? Imagine anything that makes you want to commit to decluttering.
Third, discard your items, whether that’s throwing them away or donating them, before you start to organize. You also want to thank the item for serving its purpose in your home.
Fourth, tidying by category, not by location. So instead of starting in one room and moving to the next, you’ll essentially start with, let’s just say, clothes. Then you go all over your home and start decluttering ONLY clothes, nothing else. This is a great way to declutter when overwhelmed.
Fifth, follow the right order. Marie Kondo says this is the right order…
- Clothes
- Books
- Paper
- Komono (misc items)
- Sentimental Items
Last but not least is asking yourself if it sparks joy. If it doesn’t off with it. Don’t think about it too hard.
Four box Method
What is the four-box method for decluttering?
One of my favorite ways to declutter the home is by using the four-box method! It’s quick, simple, and easy!
The four-box method is divided into 4 different categories. Trash, Keep, Relocate and Donate. Easy Peasy!
The best part about this method is that you can easily put things in a box and either drop them off at your local donation center or throw them in the trash!
30-day declutter challenge
If you are one who likes challenges, make decluttering your home a challenge. Handle one area of your home every single day for 30 days.
An example 30-day declutter challenge
- Day 1-4: Go through all your closets.
- Day 5-6: Books & Paperwork & Electronics.
- Day 7-8: Kitchen, cabinets, refrigerator, drawers, and oven.
- Day 9-12: Bathroom
- Day 12-20: Repeat and declutter everything else I didn’t mention (garage, basement storage area, junk drawers, etc.)
How to Start Decluttering When Overwhelmed
Decluttering your home will be one of the best things you can do for your mental health and it will also help you keep your home clean and tidy! While there are many methods you could try, the best three decluttering methods are the Marie Kondo Method, the Four Box Method, and the 30-day decluttering challenge.
