How To Start Decluttering When Overwhelmed

Feeling overwhelmed by the clutter in your home, and don’t know where to start? It’s time to learn how to start decluttering when overwhelmed. These 15 practical tips will help you to overcome the stress and motivate you to start decluttering.

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How to start decluttering when overwhelmed

How to declutter when you're overwhelmed

1. Adopt a positive mindset

Don’t know how to start decluttering when overwhelmed? The first thing you need to do is to adopt a positive mindset.

That’s right! It all begins with having the right attitude.

Decluttering can be physically and mentally tiring. But, decluttering leads to a clutter-free home, which helps to reduce stress and anxiety.

More importantly, decluttering helps you to create a home you and your family will feel good in.

So, stop letting your negativity drag you down and nurture positive thoughts instead.

2. Make a decluttering plan

As Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote: If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!

It’s essential to make a decluttering plan before you even start. Before you freak out, don’t worry, a decluttering plan can be very simple and straightforward.

Here’s an easy guide you can follow:

What do you hope to achieve by decluttering? Set micro-goals instead of setting one major goal. Smaller goals are easier to achieve, hence you’ll experience more wins!
Where do you want to start decluttering? P/S: You might want to read this entire post before you decide.
How long do you need to declutter? Give yourself a realistic timeline.
What are you going to do with all the things you don’t want? Make a note of donation places so you won’t get overwhelmed later.

3. Get the necessary supplies ready

Before you start decluttering, you should gather all of your necessary supplies first. This will help to speed things up and keep you focused during the process.

Here’s a list of supplies you’ll need:

Trash bags
Empty boxes
Paper or labels
Tape (if you’re using paper)
Pen / Sharpie

4. Start on the area that will provide the biggest impact

Seeing the results of our hard work motivates us to continue our efforts. That’s why I highly recommend starting in the area that will provide the biggest impact.

Cluttered high-traffic areas like the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom can affect the quality of daily living. Therefore, it’s best to start with the two areas you use most frequently.

You’ll soon notice that these areas will serve you and your family well when they are clutter-free and organized.

Seeing these improvements will inspire you to work on other areas in your home.

5. Remove easy things first

The best way to start decluttering is by removing easy things first.

What are the easy things, you ask? Well, I’m referring to things you don’t have an emotional attachment to. These are things you don’t have to think twice as you’re getting rid of them.

Grab a few empty boxes or bags and fill them with things you don’t need or use anymore.

Don’t forget to keep a separate bag for trash – oftentimes, the easiest things to discard are packaging, empty soda cans, and random pieces of paper.

6. Work on larger items

Larger items like cardboard boxes, furniture, and appliances may seem daunting to deal with initially.

But, getting rid of these bulky items first will free up significant space in the room. You’ll immediately notice that you’ve made progress, which will motivate you to continue decluttering.

7. Use a checklist

Most people who are overwhelmed by decluttering don’t know where or how to start.

If this sounds familiar, you can use a decluttering checklist as a guide to help you. A constructive checklist will teach you how to declutter by room and tell you which things to get rid of.

Using a checklist makes decluttering less intimidating. All you have to do is follow the list and check off each item once completed. Now, who doesn’t love crossing things off a list?

8. Keep each decluttering session short and productive

A good way to start decluttering when overwhelmed is to keep each session short and sweet.

Some of you may have busy schedules, and the thought of dedicating an entire day to declutter scares you.

Don’t worry – you can still do a lot in 10, 20, or 30 minutes.

The idea of spending only 10 minutes decluttering is appealing because it feels quick and doable.

Just remember, it’s not about how quickly you declutter, but how consistent you are. You’ll still make significant progress if you declutter for 10 minutes every day for a month.

9. Don’t worry about completion or perfection

Are you overwhelmed because you’re worried you don’t have the time or the energy to complete decluttering?

Or, maybe you’re afraid you can’t do a good job so you put it off.

Well, here’s the thing – there’s no such thing as perfection. Most (if not all) of the picture-perfect images you see on social media are staged and edited.

Plus, a home is meant to be lived in, so it’s completely normal for things to move around.

If you’re worried you can’t complete decluttering in a day or a week, that’s fine too. Decluttering is a journey, not a destination. Small progress is still progress!

How to declutter when you're overwhelmed by the mess

10. Make decluttering a pleasant experience

When you think of decluttering, are you imagining yourself sweating profusely as you separate things in different boxes?

Sometimes decluttering can feel overwhelming because we picture it as a negative and tiring experience.

But, there are many ways to make decluttering a pleasant experience. You can:

Play your favorite playlist
Listen to a podcast or audiobook
Prepare your go-to beverages
Freshen up the room with a nice linen spray
Open the windows and air the room (or turn on the air-conditioning if it gets too hot!)

It’s very important to create a peaceful environment you enjoy working in, as this will give you the motivation to start decluttering.

11. Recruit help

Having the right company can help to eliminate the stress you face before you start decluttering.

Whether it’s a family member or a friend, it’s a good idea to get someone who is more experienced to assist you with decluttering.

Not only can they offer sound advice during the process, but they can also give you the moral support you need to keep going!

12. Donate instead of sell

Selling items take up a lot of time, energy, and effort. Plus, it requires communication and coordination with others, which can be very stressful, especially if you’re an introvert.

If you’re already feeling overwhelmed, you should avoid signing up for tasks that give you more stress.

Donating your items is an easy, fast, and efficient way of getting rid of your clutter. I highly recommend sticking to this method if you don’t need the additional income.

13. Don’t declutter and organize at the same time

Decluttering and organizing at the same time will not only distract you from the end goal but will also lengthen the process. This may cause you to feel tired and demotivated.

Additionally, you might be wasting more money because you don’t know what you need until you’ve decided what to keep and what to declutter.

Always declutter before you organize. It’s a lot easier and more effective to organize when you’ve gotten rid of everything you don’t need anymore.

14. Reward yourself

Imagine toiling all day and not rewarding yourself after a decluttering session. No wonder you’re exhausted and overwhelmed!

It’s important to reward yourself after all of the hard work you’ve put in. The reward doesn’t have to be a physical item – remember, you’re trying to get rid of clutter, not add to it!

You can reward yourself by doing things that make you happy like a long bath, watching your favorite TV show, or going to the park and playing with your pet.

Rewarding yourself will instantly boost your mood and make you happy.

As a result, you will look forward to the next decluttering session because you know you will be rewarded for your effort.

15. Just get started!

This step may feel like the hardest, but it truly is the simplest.

Overthinking or overanalyzing something usually leads to more stress. That’s right – the more you think about decluttering, the more overwhelmed you’ll feel.

So, don’t spend too much time thinking about the decluttering process. If you don’t know how to start decluttering when overwhelmed, I encourage you to just get started.

I promise once you get started, it’s a lot easier to keep going!

15 easy ways to start decluttering when overwhelmed

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I declutter a room in 30 minutes?

Only got 30 minutes to declutter? No problem!

The key to decluttering a room in 30 minutes is to tackle the easy stuff first. For instance, things you don’t care about like expired food, medication, supplements, and trash.

Want more ideas? Here are 12 ways to help you to declutter quickly.

How can I motivate myself to declutter?

Feeling demotivated to declutter? You’re not alone! Sometimes we just lose our momentum and can’t be bothered to continue.

When that happens, take a break. Give yourself grace and celebrate how far you’ve come!

During that time, you can also seek for inspiration from these sources:

Conclusion

I know decluttering can feel very overwhelming, especially if you’ve never done it before. Trust me, I’ve been there!

But, don’t let your emotions hold you back from a good thing. Decluttering will seriously change your life for the better.

Just focus on one step at a time, and you’ll get there eventually. All the best in your decluttering journey!

Want more decluttering tips and tricks? Check these posts out:

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