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Do you feel overwhelmed just thinking about starting a decluttering project? You’re not alone. However, there are steps you can take when you feel overwhelmed by clutter.

cluttered messy room
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I wish I was a girl who was naturally neat. But I’m not.

While some people are born with a neat gene and automatically do the things required to keep a house clean and clutter-free, that’s just not me.

Instead, I have to constantly work at keeping our house from becoming overrun with stuff and clutter. It’s just too easy to come in and plop items on the den table (or anywhere else).

So every now and then I look up and realize that things are a bit…messy…and it’s time to clear out the clutter and clean up the mess. And yes, I have been on a mission to downsize some of our belongings because we have more stuff than we need and I’m getting tired of dealing with having so much.

But let’s be honest. Sometimes the thought of decluttering and getting rid of stuff is daunting to say the very least.

So the question is how to start decluttering when we feel overwhelmed.

Know Why You Want To Declutter

One phrase we’ve all seen tossed around a lot these days is, “Know your why.” It’s used to remind us why we want to start some project, why we want to begin some endeavor, and why we want to do anything else. Basically, it’s become the catch-all phrase we’re supposed to answer before we do anything in life.

And even though I’d really like to be snarky and not do this (because I tend to resist jumping on any bandwagon just on general principle), the truth is that spending the time to understand our motivation for doing something actually IS helpful.

The reason it’s helpful is because when the time comes – and it will – that you want to throw up your hands and wallow in your mess, you’ll need to remember why you decided you wanted to declutter and simplify things at your house in the first place.

Remembering why you decided to undertake the decluttering project will help you stay on track when you’re ready to quit.

Set Aside Time

When you feel overwhelmed by clutter or realize you have too much stuff, your first step is to realize that nothing needs to be accomplished overnight. Set aside a general amount of time for the project, knowing that your timeline can be fudged slightly, if necessary. But giving yourself a general time frame takes the pressure off while also giving you some structure for the overall project. In other words, it helps take the pressure off so that you don’t quit.

Develop a Plan

decluttering plan written on a napkin

Any time you want to achieve something, it’s useful to have a plan mapped out and in place. Likewise, in order to complete a decluttering project, you also need to think about your plan and how you’re going to get it done.

I’d suggest that you take the time to write your decluttering plan down. Consider things like what rooms you want to tackle first (or what specific area of a room you want to go through first). You might want to assign certain rooms to a specific day (or week) and determine what order you’re going to complete the rooms in.

You’ll also want to consider what you’re going to do with the stuff that you decide to get rid of. Are you going to take it to a donation station? Or would you prefer to sell it – and if so, how and when?

Here’s the deal: if you don’t have a plan to actually get the items you’ve decluttered out of your house and off your property, they just turn into another kind of clutter. So figure out when and where you’re going to dispose of these things.

Think About What You Want Your Space To Look & Feel Like

This step is crucial – don’t skip it.

There’s something very motivating about knowing what you want your space to look and feel like. Think about a time you checked into a hotel and enjoyed that feeling of clutter-free clean. Or maybe you visited someone’s home that felt spacious and airy. How would it feel to live in such surroundings and not feel closed in?

Getting that image in your head head helps when it comes time to actually go through items and make the decision whether to keep or toss. You’ll be able to refer to your ultimate vision as you ask yourself whether a particular item contributes to – or detracts from – your end goal.

By the way, Peter Walsh has written the best books I’ve ever read about how to declutter. They’re definitely worth checking out.

Deal With Your Mindset Issues

Often one of our biggest hurdles when we begin to declutter or downsize is dealing with our mindset. It’s easy to get caught up in the emotions that surface when we begin examining the stuff in our homes.

Here’s what we need to remember: We are not our stuff and our stuff holds no special magical power. It’s literally just stuff. It doesn’t hold memories. It doesn’t make us good or bad. And getting rid of it doesn’t make us bad, wasteful, ungrateful, unappreciative, or anything else.

Stuff is just stuff. No more, no less.

home cleaning planner

Work The Plan

Now it’s time to do the actual decluttering work. But congratulations are still in order because you’ve already done a lot of the mental work that it takes to begin a successful decluttering or downsizing project.

And if you’ll commit to working through your plan then you will eventually get the entire project done. It’s a bit like that old story of how you eat an elephant…one bite at a time. Remember, that getting started is often the hardest part of any project. But you’ve done the mental work necessary and hopefully you’re feeling ready to begin.

clickable graphic for clutter challenge

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