Tackling The Overwhelm of Decluttering

When you choose to take on a decluttering project, it can quickly become overwhelming—looking at everything that you need to do to get to the endpoint. So how do you make sure that you don't let the overwhelm get to you that makes you want to stop halfway through?

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Photo by Humairah L. on Unsplash

Start

This might sound strange, but one of the most important places to start is the start. This could be the decision to clean out a few drawers and see how it feels. It might be that you choose to make a list of everything you need to remove.

Once you start something, most often, people get into a flow state where they can get the work done. One of the main things here is to start small. Start with a small area of the home, but one that will give you a good outcome from doing so.

Planning

Once you have started the cleaning process, you might get the bug for it. But all of that energy needs to be channeled into a little bit more structure. Creating a plan will make sure that you meet all of the goals.

Rather than writing your goal as ‘to declutter the whole house,’ make some smaller goals.

Commit at least one hour to decluttering each day
Clear one room per month
Use the storage that you have better.

Write your plan down, or you can search online for a decluttering plan to help you get started. Remember to factor in trips to the recycling center, dumpster rentals, and deep cleaning.

Choose Well

Think about where you really want to make a difference in your home. Do you need a better workspace?

Or perhaps you want to have more space for your bigger kitchen appliances, and you are ready to make some changes.

Pick a place in your home that will make a significant impact on your daily living or work.

Some other vital places when you have a busy family can also be kids’ bedrooms, hallways, and storage cupboards.

Don’t Overdo it

When you really get into cleaning and decluttering, you might find it difficult to stop. You might overdo it, though. Sometimes it’s pulled muscles; other times, it’s spending all day doing it and not wanting to do it the day after.

So try to keep things short and manageable for yourself.

Buy Less

Humans do like to furnish their nests well. This need sometimes means that it can be challenging to keep the clutter out of the home. Once you have cleaned certain areas, you might want to buy more furniture or ‘stuff’ to fill up space.

Make a promise to yourself that you won’t purchase anything that you don’t 100% need. You can also do a 30 day wait period before you buy anything. After 30 days, if you still need or want the item, then you should go ahead and get it.

This helps to curb the impulse buying that most people have.

And most importantly, you should remember that decluttering is a marathon and not a sprint. This means it might take some time to finish it, but the slow pace can reduce the overwhelming feeling of decluttering.

This is a contributed post.

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