How to Start Decluttering When You Are Overwhelmed

Inside: A complete guide with 16 tips for how to start decluttering when you are overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by clutter and, if you feel this way, you are certainly not alone.

The mess of stuff can mount up very quickly and become so much to manage. Before you know it, you feel like you have a mountain to climb and no energy to do so.

However, you want to declutter and have an organized home. You want to get rid of the excess because you know it is healthier for you and your family. The benefits of a decluttered home includes less stress, more time and more savings!

The good news is that conquering clutter can be done. You don’t have to be a Marie Kondo or Martha Stewart-type to find serenity and organization inside your home.

Below is a practical guide with 16 doable tips on how to start decluttering when you are exhausted or it feels too overwhelming.

16 Practical Tips to Start Decluttering When Overwhelmed

1. Know your why

When you first decide to declutter, ask yourself why…is it to make more room?  To lower your anxiety?  To have less things to manage?  Consider your motivation for decluttering.  Get started by zeroing in on your why, in the first place.  This mindset is key for accomplishing goals and will get you started on the right path.

2. Start with trash

If you are struggling with step one, simply start throwing away trash. You can take this first step with just a trash bag.  Go room-to-room with a bag and toss items that are completely useless (see 10 Items You Can Toss Right Away further down in post).

Make quick decisions and don’t overthink it. If you look at something and consider tossing it straight away, it probably means you should!

3. Schedule a time on your calendar

For big decluttering projects (a full room or closet) schedule time when you are motivated and ready to take it on.  Block just a small, chunk of time on a Saturday morning fueled by coffee or when you feel most productive (which may be late night for some). 

Consider these ideas for scheduling time to declutter:

• A weekend with limited or no commitments
• A weeknight when your children are sleeping (for small projects)
• A morning when alone at home
• A day off work

Scheduled time holds you accountable.  Other plans may come up, but you’ve already dedicated to doing this for yourself and your family.

4. Have a plan

Spontaneity may work in some situations, but having a roadmap will give you a step-by-step strategy to decluttering so you don’t feel so overwhelmed from the start.

The FREE 30 Day Declutter Challenge is an easy-to-follow plan.  It maps out small, manageable tasks for a simple daily declutter.  This guides you through progress you will be proud of!

5. Think small, not big

Start small, tiny.  Overcome feeling overwhelmed to declutter by starting with one micro-sized area.  For example, one pile of mail, one drawer of your dresser, one area under your bathroom sink.  Starting with micro tasks make the big picture much more manageable.

6. Set a timer

Start decluttering when you are overwhelmed by only allowing yourself a small amount of time to work. Give yourself 15 minutes to clean out one small area (i.e., one book shelf, your nightstand drawer, your Tupperware).  You’ll be surprised by how much you can accomplish in a focused amount of time. Don’t stop the task until the timer goes off. If you are making progress and feeling good (which likely you will), set timer again.

7. Don’t organize at the same time

Decluttering and organizing are two separate things.  Do not attempt to organize while you declutter.  To be specific, decluttering is the process of removing excess items from a space that you no longer need.  Organizing is the containment of what is left over.  Trying to do both these actions at once just creates confusion. Remove what you don’t need first; organization comes after decluttering, not at the same time.

8. Make it a pleasant experience

While decluttering, do something you enjoy at the same time such as listening to music or a podcast.  Have the scent of your favorite candle burning. Create a productive environment. 

Often when I see a sink of dirty dishes, a cluttered kitchen pantry and piles of laundry in my kids’ rooms, I pop in ear buds and listen to a favorite podcast to keep me entertained while doing these mundane chores. Make decluttering a pleasant experience to occupy your other senses so you can diminish some of the overwhelmed feelings.

9. Find support

Don’t go it alone!  Find support by way of a friend, family member or even a Facebook Group devoted to decluttering (there are many out there).  Utilize this blog as a form of inspiration and practical advice for your decluttering journey.  

I am very familiar with the emotion of feeling overwhelmed.  That is a big reason why this simplifying life blog even exists.  Finding a person or people who can relate to how you feel and cheer you on, can be incredibly transformative.

10. Acknowledge your progress 

No matter how small, acknowledge your progress with decluttering.  You cleaned out one junk drawer?  Amazing!  Your can actually see your family room coffee table now? That’s awesome!  Be proud of your accomplishments because you know how hard it can be. 

Post “after” photos in your Facebook support group or text them to your friend.  Or just sit and admire your newly decluttered space with a smile and pat on the back.  Relish in your progress so you will want to achieve that feeling again and again.

11. Stop overbuying (avoid Costco!)

To stop feeling overwhelmed by clutter, stop bringing clutter in.  Avoid big box retailers like Costco and Target that are designed to make you overspend.  You think you are getting a deal, but even a deal or sale still takes your money and pushes more things into your home. 

12. Understand it doesn’t happen overnight

It took a long time for the clutter to accumulate – it will won’t go away in a day. Recognize that major decluttering takes time. If you are tackling a whole house declutter or dealing with a bigger issue alongside this process, accept that it will take time. Keep in mind that slow and steady wins the race.

13. Know where items will go

What do you intend to do with items you remove?  Donate, trash or recycle?  Have a simple plan in mind about where these things will end up.  You won’t feel as overwhelmed to start decluttering if you know what happens afterwards. This sense of control will help you finish the plan.

what to do with your decluttered items:

• Goodwill or Salvation Army drop-off
• Homeless shelter
• Church
• Books to library or school
• Utilize a community garage sale
• Post gently used, worthwhile items for free on Facebook or Next Door

14. Donate, don’t sell

Selling used items can be a job in and of itself, creating more stress and work.  While re-selling is admirable and can help offset the original cost of something, it may be more trouble than it’s worth. 

I have sold many gently used items but have found donating or gifting is much easier and more efficient.  The hassle of negotiating a price, setting up a time for potential sellers to see it, etc can be time consuming. Consider ways (as listed above) to get rid of your stuff straightaway, not drag out the process. You’ll likely feel less overwhelmed with decluttering if you accept you don’t need to sell the items but can simply give them away.

15. Look at decluttering as self-care

Decluttering is a form of self-care.  Yes…it really is!  You want to lower your anxiety and feel more in control.  Decluttering the unusable items in your home can help accomplish that.  Surrounding yourself with useful and joyful objects is absolutely a form of self-care. 

16. Visualize how you want your home to look / feel

When you feel overwhelmed about decluttering, start by visualizing how you want your space to look without all the clutter and focus on your why.  How will your space look when you are done with this worthwhile project? Your home is meant to be a haven.  A sanctuary.  Envision how you see that and the comfortable, secure feeling it will bring you.

Feeling Too Overwhelmed? Declutter These 10 Things First

• Take out containers
• Take out chopsticks, plastic utensils, containers you’ll never use
• Tiny toys your kids got as birthday party favors
• Dried out pens and markers
• Junk mail
• Catalogs and magazines you won’t read (be honest!)
• Expired food from fridge and pantry
• Empty shampoo bottles
• Bad artwork from your toddler (you will not miss this)
• Expired coupons

Your Plan for Results: The 30 Day Declutter

Having a plan is key to accomplishing any goal. Plans keep you on track and focused, one step at a time. For an easy-to-follow declutter plan download this free printable PDF with 30 days worth of small decluttering tasks that take you room-by-room. Or sign up with the form below!

Decluttering can be very overwhelming. You want to do it, you know the benefits it will bring, but you struggle to find the time or motivation to get it started. But even just reading this blog post is a great first step! Action creates action so you are well on your way to a tidy, clutter-free, inviting home. I just know it.