How to Get Started with Decluttering

I look around my home and what do I see? 

A million little things staring back at me!

(Downsizing adaptation of the poem "I Look In The Mirror" by Helen H. Moore)

As humans, we take joy in collecting for decades. Things pile up – some of them practical, others not so much. But none of that matters. It’s all our stuff and we care about it. 

All of a sudden one day, we decide to downsize. With that plan comes the expectation that we just get rid of things that have meant a lot to us for a long time. 

I’m going to save the topic of emotions for another blog entry. That definitely deserves its own space. This blog will cover something equally as important though. How do we tackle the overwhelm and get started on the decluttering process?

One of the most common things that I hear when talking to people about decluttering is that they feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin. The most useful place to start is with a manageable and realistic plan. This plan is going to be broken down into 2 different categories: Time and Space. Both of these categories have one important principle you should keep in mind. Start very small. 

Time

If you have never decluttered a day in your life, time is going to be very important to strategize around. Just like you can’t wake up one day, after not running for years, and successfully complete an 8-mile run, you can’t make your first decluttering day a 3-hour block of time. Now, I know there are some of you that might be exceptions to this rule. If that’s the case, do you, boo. But for the rest of us, let’s break it down into bite-sized pieces. 

• Time of Day - Decluttering is hard – mentally, physically, and emotionally. That’s why we need to declutter during the time of day when our brains and bodies are the freshest. If you’re a morning person, brush your teeth, grab your coffee, and start your decluttering first thing in the morning. For night owls, if you find yourself finally awake and full of energy at 9 pm, that’s when YOU should declutter.

• Timeframe - I recommend starting out your decluttering commitment by only doing it for 15 minutes for the first couple of sessions. Set your timer before you start and when the timer goes off, you get to be done. Yay! Congratulations! One step closer. If the timer goes off and you feel like you can handle more decisions, by all means, set the timer again for another 15 minutes and see how far you get. Your goal would be to slowly increase this timeframe and your stamina until you can make it at least 1 hour at a time.

I’m fond of the saying, “Things expand to fill the time allowed.” Sometimes when you know you’re short on time, you will work so much faster than if you think you have all the time in the world to get things done. 

• Calendar - We all live by our calendar. There’s just a level of respect commitments get when they are put on there. That’s why you MUST put your decluttering sessions on your calendar for best results. If it’s on your calendar, you’re much more likely to show up and do it.

Space

If this is your very first day decluttering, you will need to pick a space to start with. Just like with the time aspect above, your chosen space needs to be small and manageable. Most people can’t tackle a whole room on Day 1 of decluttering. For the beginners among us, I suggest a closet as your starting point. And more realistically, especially if we only have 15 minutes, a SHELF in a closet.

What closet should you choose, you ask? Definitely the linen/hall closet. The reason why this closet is a good one to start with is because there is not as much in the closet that has sentimental value compared to other spaces. In your linen closet, maybe you have some old towels, sheets/blankets, tablecloths, toiletries, etc. It’s much more rare to find yourself in the hall linen closet crying over the thought of getting rid of your great-grandmother’s brooch that you haven’t worn in 27 years. 

Decluttering is a muscle that you will have to slowly build and strengthen. Don’t despair. If you’re terrible at first, just know, it gets easier the more you do it. And you CAN do this! I promise. You have what it takes to be successful. Just take it one step at a time and inch forward little-by-little and you’ll be surprised how much you accomplish in a very short amount of time.