How to start decluttering when you’re overwhelmed is a common problem that can lead to ignoring the clutter or being more overwhelmed. Here are some tips and suggestions to help you start decluttering. Decluttering is a home project that can take time and cause mental fatigue these ideas aim to decrease the fatigue and increase your chances of success!
First, remember why you’re decluttering!
Is it for peace of mind, because you’re moving, or because you have too much stuff? It could be because of a loss, or because you don’t want to burden your family with going through your belongings.
Remember that even though it’s overwhelming, it’s good to do it! Clutter takes up emotional and physical space, it has negative effects on our health and productivity. Plus clutter can cause us to lose things, spend money we don’t need to, and even cause us to be late because of not being able to manage the things that we have! Decluttering now can help you be more creative later because your mind is not so weighed down by what you’re surrounded by.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed at home in general, check out this post for tips and encouragement!
How to start decluttering when overwhelmed: prepare for the excuses
Sometimes we feel overwhelmed at the thought of decluttering because we know the decision fatigue that comes when deciding what to do with each item. Here are four common thoughts that come up when trying to decide what to declutter.
I don’t want to lose the memories.
Sometimes it’s the memory of a picture a child drew for me, or a memory of a date with my husband, or something from my childhood that I don’t need anymore but I don’t want to get rid of it because of those memories. The best option by far is to take a picture! With technology these days, you can take a picture of the things that invoke memories and go back to it as many times as you would like and probably more than you would have.
If the memories are old family pictures that you don’t have a digital copy of, you can scan them so you have a digital copy. Or you can get an “old fashioned” photo album and put the pictures in there.
If the items that are memories are irreplaceable, get a large plastic tote, label it memories, and put your memories in there. But decide ahead of time that if something doesn’t fit in it, you will need to get rid of something in that box to make it fit or get rid of it.
What if I am going to need it again?
Evaluate the cost of the item. If it’s a vase that you don’t like and has only been used once or twice, consider the possibility that if you get rid of it, you can use a mason jar or pitcher that you like more instead. Or you can replace it for just a few dollars at a thrift store.
If it’s an expensive item like a tool or piece of furniture that you don’t use often but would cost you more than $50-$100 to get again, maybe consider keeping it.
I spent money on it though.
This is the hardest one for me. I hate the guilt that I feel after having bought something and not using it. Deal with this by acknowledging that it wasn’t a good purchase, or that it was and it served its purpose but that it is no longer worth keeping.
If it’s a valuable item that you know is not worth it to keep, you can plan to resell it in a certain time frame or offer it to friends for free.
I don’t want to hurt the gift giver.
This one can be a touchy. Make sure you have been and still are grateful for the thought someone put into the gift for you. You could even text the giver while you’re doing this declutter. Tell them you were thinking of them and that you’re grateful to have them in your life. Then feel free to either get rid of the item you don’t want or move it to the memory box from above.
How to start decluttering when overwhelmed: set yourself up for success
These are practical tips to help decrease your overwhelm and increase your efficiency at decluttering! First, plan a day or time of day over several days that you will be decluttering. Set a goal of decluttering a location or specific items. Have yourself armed with supplies like a dust rag, garbage bag, and boxes. Know that a lot of stuff will stay, and part of decluttering is just reorganizing what you have. Also, try to make it fun if you can. Make yourself a special drink or snack and have a special show, movie, or podcast in the background! Also, it will be easy to get distracted when you’re decluttering. One way to decrease distraction is by leaving your phone in another room while you work.
Decide where to declutter:
One of the things that prevents people from starting to declutter when overwhelmed is deciding where to even start. Here’s a list of suggestions to get you started. If there is an area we missed, let us know in the comments below!
Kitchen:
- Pantry
- Fridge
- Freezer
- Tools/Utensils you don’t use anymore
- Storage containers
- Towels and hot pads that are ripped
Cleaning supplies
Clothes and accessories
- Things that don’t fit
- Things you haven’t worn in at least a year
- Not your style
- Stained or ripped items
Hygiene products
Toys
Craft supplies
Electronics and wires
Movies
Books
Paper Clutter
Tools and outdoor stuff
Wall art
Old memory items
Pillows and blankets
Games
Decorations and knick-knacks
Old paint cans/ spray paint bottles
Baby supplies
Plan to make three categories for easy decluttering.
Your three categories will be trash, donation, and relocation. Plan to use bags or boxes to contain these categories, because piles can quickly become overwhelming and lose their defined boundaries.
Trash: Things that are easily identifiable as garbage but also broken or damaged things, items that you don’t know what they are anymore, things that are no longer applicable to your life (old keys, make-up you never wear anymore, etc), things with missing parts, and pens or pencils that you don’t use or don’t work well.
Relocation: Things that are not going to end up in the same area or the same room that you found them in. It could be putting things in their rightful place, moving things to storage, reorganizing, or changing up decoration.
Donation: Items that you no longer want, need, or use. You can rest getting rid of these items knowing that they will be given to people who currently need or want it and will love it better than you can right now. Also, you don’t just need to donate to Goodwill or Salvation Army either. You can find libraries for books, women’s shelters, and homeless shelters for clothes and blankets. Crisis pregnancy centers near you could take maternity and baby supplies as well. Your decluttering can bless people in need.
Optional fourth category: Resell
You may find yourself with some items that have a financial value or that you are more attached to and want to see the direct purpose the item will receive after you relocate it. Here are some options for reselling or getting rid of items that you aren’t quite ready to donate anonymously.
Start a group chat with your friends, let them know there will be lots of pictures incoming, and ask them to claim stuff that they want. Make sure to say when the item needs to be picked up. This helps because then you and they know that if it’s not picked up by that date, you can get rid of it.
Find a consignment shop and try to sell some of the clothes or decor that you no longer want. But make a point that if your items are not accepted, that you will get rid of them!
Yard sale. This is probably my least favorite option because it’s a lot of work and not guaranteed to give you a return on your investment. Plus, you have to take everything you don’t sell somewhere else. If you’re in an area with a community yard sale day or heavy traffic, and you don’t mind the work, try it and see what happens!
List them on Facebook Marketplace. This is one we do often. It takes a bit of time initially because of taking pictures and setting up the listings. However, once it’s done, it’s easy to renew or take them down. You can control how, when, and who you sell it to, and can make some extra cash. But you should decide how long you are willing to hold onto items waiting for them to sell, and you should have a location designated to the items you are selling.
Hopefully, these tips have helped to equip you to declutter when you’re overwhelmed. Let me know which of these tips is the most helpful, and if there are any tips that you have that are helpful!
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