So if you’re ready to declutter but you don’t know where to start, this post will help you map it out. These steps won’t tell you the how-tos but they will guide you in figuring what will work for you! There are lots of checklists, challenges, courses, and more out there so I’m not going to reinvent the wheel. I’ve mentioned many times that there’s no magic or one-size-fits-all to decluttering (or fitness or clean eating or planning or writing a book or most anything we think seems easy because we saw it online). You’ve got to find what will work for you in this season of your life.
1 | Find Your Why
When we say “yes” to something, we’re saying “no” to something else. There are lots of great things we can say yes to, but if it is a reluctant yes, we aren’t going to be thrilled or motivated to follow through. So you’ve taken the step to say yes to join this group but what’s your WHY? Safety reasons? Is there so much stuff that you trip over things or things fall on you? Health reasons? Are there hidden areas that may have mold or mildew because of the stuff? Overwhelm? Does seeing the piles make you stressed out but it’s been too much to deal with in the past? Space? Do you need space for a growing family or to host gatherings with family and friends? Timing? Have you been in a busy season of life and now finally able to find time to get through the things? ???
2 | Decide When + Where Your Stuff Will Go
One of the roadblocks I saw in our groups this past year was that we didn’t decide where our stuff will go once we’ve decluttered it from its old home. They sometimes sat in donation boxes in the entryway or in bags in the trunk of our cars without a destination. It may seem like a small decision but it will greatly impact how you make forward movement in your decluttering. To give you an idea of what I do: list items for 7-10 days in the CV Swap + Sell offer it for free either in S+S, Buy Nothing, or to friends donate If you’ve found that trying to sell thing was an extra obstacle, just donate/give away/trash everything to start off. Or if you specific places to donate to, list them out. i.e. books are donated to Friends of the Library (once they’re open), clothes go to the ____ homeless shelter, post overabundance of food on Buy Nothing, etc.
3 | Design Your Challenge
Here’s the fun part! YOU get to design your own challenge. So far, for all the decluttering challenges I haven’t ever participated in, I have never 100% followed their plan…or even 90%. Some days called for decluttering rooms I didn’t have in my house (mudroom, basement…) and other days crazy life stuff happens and I seriously don’t have 30 minutes. I think you already have an idea of what you want to do and that’s great! To create something that will better guide you through the next 3 weeks of decluttering, I suggest choosing one of the OPTIONS below.
By Room – Assign a room to each week or every few days (depending on how much work needs to be done) i.e. Week 1, declutter kitchen, Week 2, declutter bathrooms, etc.
Hot Spots – Hot spots are the most used spots where clutter seems to land OR the areas where you host guests so you need it to be cleared. i.e. front door/porch, entryways, couches, dining areas, etc.
By Theme – Theme just means types of items that are assigned to the days regardless of where they are in the house. i.e. Day 1, declutter shirts Day 2, declutter office supplies, etc.
By Space – Space can be similar to room and hot spots but it just means assigning an area of a room to each day or week…so working in even smaller areas/piles than room/hot spots. i.e. Week 1, declutter the kitchen Day 1, kitchen island, Day 2, top shelf of refrigerator, etc. Week 2, declutter the garage, Day 1, top of washing machine, Day 2, top of dryer, etc. OR you can choose one room to work for the whole month like I did last year.
Small –> Big – If any of this seems overwhelming because your home is seemingly too far gone, start small by decluttering one drawer and then tackling more and make your tasks bigger as you feel more confident about deciding which items need to stay or go. i.e. Day 1, top right drawer of desk, Day 2, bottom right drawer of desk, Day 7, top of desk, Day 20, office supplies in the office area, Day 30, office storage shelf
Low-High Goals – This option provides both structure and flexibility for when life happens. Just choose one – items or minutes. i.e. LOW = It’s a busy week so declutter 10-15 items or declutter for 5-10 minutes. HIGH = There’s a bit more margin so declutter 20-30 items or declutter for 20-30 minutes.
Number of Items – This is similar to low-high goals but it remains the same for the entirety of the month/session. Decide to declutter (get out of your house!) X# of items each day or week. i.e. Declutter 10 items every day. Declutter 100 items each week. Declutter 1000 items at the end of the challenge.
Number of Minutes – Again, this is similar to low-high goals but it remains the same for the entirety of the month/session. Decide to declutter (get stuff out of your house!) X# of minutes each day or week. i.e. Declutter for 10 minutes every day. Declutter for 100 minutes each week. Declutter for 1000 minutes at the end of the challenge.
Personally, I change it up every season or so but here’s how I did it the last round: I decided to work on school stuff.
- Week 1 – Desks: office, mine, the teen, the tween, closet, catch-up day
- Week 2 – Boxes: return to school, science 1, science 2, workbooks, supplies, catch-up day
- Week 3 – Bags: grade 4 books, grade 5 books, grade 6 curriculum, grade 7 curriculum, files, catch-up day
Another month, I dedicated the whole month to the file cabinet which was an overwhelming spot to me, so I made sure that I worked on something different once a week. I did one file folder for 5 minutes each day and ended up getting rid of almost 5000 sheets/bundles of papers.
4 | Follow Your Plan
This part – the follow-through – is easier said than done. That’s why we’re all here together. I don’t think I can do any of the hard things in life without a community to lean on. I’m easily distracted and can lose my motivation. I’m thankful you are brave enough to come to join me. Wherever you are in your decluttering journey, just take that next step. I’d love for you to share how you’re going to celebrate when we finish. I’m more intrinsically motivated, but in the past year, I have found that rewarding myself with something that helps me with another goal makes for a great finish. That’s it! Go forth and declutter. I’m cheering you on!
BONUS | Celebrate
Select a reward for when you’ve reached your goal! I’m more intrinsically motivated so rewards don’t really help me to complete my tasks but since I’ve recruited the family to join me this month/year, we have a few things planned. 🙂 It can be something small, something fun, something you’ve needed, etc…I’d love to know what your reward will be!
If you’re still wondering if decluttering matters, read Why Decluttering Matters. If you’re looking for resources to help you along the way, I can help you find what works for you. (I have a resource post coming soon, but you can also search decluttering books/podcasts/etc. and I’ve posted a few in older posts.) If you already know the how but need some help and accountability, join The Declutter Community!
Action Step
Grab a piece of (scratch) paper and work through the 4 steps.
Question to Consider
In the past, where do you always get “stuck” when you’ve tried decluttering?