How To Start Decluttering Your Home When Overwhelmed In 5 Easy Steps

If your cluttered space is stressing you out, but you have no idea how or even where to start, this blog post is for you. This post is Part 1 of my three-part miniseries on all things decluttering, so come see me next week for Part 2!

This week, I’m breaking down exactly how to start decluttering when overwhelmed: where to start, what to focus on, and how to get motivated when you’re feeling overwhelmed to begin with. There’s also a FREE home decluttering checklist, but we’ll get to that in just a minute. Let’s jump in!

What Is The Point Of Decluttering?

You may be wondering, what’s even the point? Especially when you have younger children, taking time and effort to declutter your space may feel pointless when you know they’ll just mess it up again.

Or if you’re like me, you may have a ton of stuff and nowhere to put it, which can also make the task of decluttering feel pointless. But it’s not, I promise!

Last year, I remember listening to a podcast episode on decluttering and organizing where the host said, “If you take care of your space, your space will take care of you.” And it’s always stuck with me. I took it to mean that a clean, and organized space is a lot more enjoyable on those quiet, relaxing days than a messy one.

Decluttering is definitely an act of self-care, perhaps one of the most important self-care activities you can complete. Think about it. It’s hard to curl up with your journal, or even watch a movie with the babies, if you’re constantly moving things out of the way.

A clean, organized home helps to declutter your mind as well, so you’re more relaxed and more productive throughout the day.

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Where To Start Decluttering When Overwhelmed

The next question you may have is where to even start? This is usually my biggest problem too! Recently, I started focusing initially on the areas that give me the most anxiety.

Think about your space. I bet there’s an area (maybe even 2 or 3) that stresses you to the max whenever you think about it. THAT’S where you start!

If you start with the part of your home that stresses you out the most, completing that area will remove a huge weight from your shoulders. Plus, other cluttered spaces in your home will seem a lot easier to tackle by comparison.

Stress and feelings of overwhelm happen to us all, but you don’t have to let it take over your life. These 8 tips to overcome overwhelm will help keep you centered, calm, and stress free!

How To Start Decluttering When Overwhelmed: 5 STEPS To Get Started

STEP 1: Let Go Of The Guilt

This is a big one! If you’re feeling guilty about the state of your home, please give yourself a little grace. I know that’s easier said than done but look at it like this: clutter happens to EVERYONE.

Your house is not cluttered because you’re a bad human or because you’re immature or whatever negative thought is taking up space in your head.

It happens, and it’s okay. The only thing that matters now is you’re developing a plan to declutter and taking steps to keep the clutter to a minimum in the future. That’s really all you can do!

STEP 2: Develop A Plan Of Attack

Speaking of plans, here’s where you figure out your plan of attack. You already know where to start (HINT: scroll up!) but when do you start decluttering?

I say pick a date on the calendar (sooner rather than later) when you have a large block of free time and schedule your decluttering session the same way you would date night or a playdate for the kiddos.

If you’re decluttering in preparation for visiting family and friends, DO NOT wait until the last minute.

You have the best idea of what needs to be done in your space, so plan accordingly. But I recommend starting at least a month out, maybe even two, depending on the workload. That way, you don’t have to rush.

This is also where you want to make sure you plan for your littles, if you have them. Come up with a few engaging activities that will keep them entertained for a few hours, so you can focus on your decluttering session. If you have small babies, consider hiring a sitter for the day to look after them!

STEP 3: Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help!

Think about what exactly is contributing to your feelings of overwhelm. If the thought of dealing with the clutter alone stresses you out, consider asking for help! Ask a close friend or relative to come over so the task at hand doesn’t feel so overwhelming.

Also, just want to put this out there: DON’T feel guilty about asking your partner to help. Even if they work outside of the home, they still live there, right? That means the responsibility of keeping your home clean is a SHARED ONE. This is not something you have to do alone.

If you have older kids, you can enlist their help as well! Make it fun for them; let them pick out the “cleaning music” or maybe treat everyone to fancy drinks from a local coffee shop before you get started.

STEP 4: Commit To Continuing The Task Until It’s Finished

This applies to each decluttering session as well as your home as a whole. If you’re attacking your home one area at a time, don’t move on until that specific area is complete.

It may take you more than one session, and that’s okay. But resolve to keep at it until that space is completely decluttered.

In the past, I’ve started in one room, and then gotten easily distracted by other tasks that need doing. Oh, let me sort the mail. Or, oh let me run a load of laundry through. It never goes well, so now, I try to focus on one area at a time.

STEP 5: Be Realistic About The Timeframe

Your space likely did not become cluttered in 24 hours, so don’t expect everything to be perfect in a day! This will take time, especially, if you’re doing it correctly!

Consider the amount the time you’re able to dedicate to decluttering your space and set realistic goals for yourself. Example: today, I’m going to declutter and organize my bathroom cabinets.

Once that’s done, if you want to move on to something else, GREAT! If you’re out of time and need to move on with your day, that’s also GREAT. There’s always tomorrow(:

Still Feeling Overwhelmed? Try This!

If the thought of decluttering your home still makes you feel overwhelmed before you even start, try the pomodoro timer! Here’s how to do it. Set your timer for 25 minutes and start decluttering a specific area in your home.

Once the timer goes off, give yourself a 5 minute break. Then, set the timer for another 25 minutes and continue decluttering.

Depending on how much time you’ve set aside for your decluttering project, you can repeat this timer a few more times. Once you’ve hit around two hours, take a longer break, this time 15-30 minutes.

Take this time to have a nice lunch, or maybe get out of the house for a walk. Then come back and repeat! Do this as many times as you need to until you’re finished for the day.

The idea is to help you focus on the task at hand AND take a little pressure off yourself. You’re only decluttering for 25 minutes at a time, right? Not so bad! Try it and let me know how it works out for you!

Home Decluttering Checklist & Supplies List

CLICK HERE for a linked Supply List with my go-to products to help you along your decluttering journey!

Overwhelmed With Too Much Stuff? I’m Right There With You!

Can I tell you a secret? My house is pretty cluttered right now! GASP! With one thing or another, we’ve definitely let our space go, but we’ve also taken the steps above to start turning it back into a home that we can enjoy.

I figured if I was dealing with clutter, some of ya’ll might be dealing with it too, so I wanted to share the things that have helped me start decluttering when I was overwhelmed with everything.

If you found this post helpful, stay tuned! Next week, I’ll be dropping Part Two on how to make the task of decluttering fun (or at least slightly less boring!) See you soon!