How To Start Decluttering When Overwhelmed (7 Simple Tips)

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Have you ever thought how would it feel to have a clutter free home? To find anything you need in a matter of seconds? Not worrying about a state of your home when someone visits you unexpectedly?

I have. Many times.

My home has been a mess for as long as I can remember. Stuff thrown everywhere, clutter dominating every space… and me, living in constant stress somewhere in the middle of this mess.

In one house we lived not that long ago, we had an entire room dedicated just for empty boxes and stuff we don’t use or need. Living in big houses allowed me to hide clutter behind the closed doors, thinking that I’ll take care of it later. This “later” never came, though.

The funny thing is that we’ve been moving around the country once a year on average. It didn’t stop us from collecting random things and buying new items. We’ve been lucky, as almost every time we moved, we rented a bigger house than previously, so the only thing we really had to worry about was to fit all that crap into a moving van.

As a neurodivergent person, I find being organised extremely difficult. My parents didn’t give me a good example, too, and even now they complain about having to look for a bigger house to have more place for their possessions.

So the idea of decluttering feels… overwhelming.

Where should I start? What should I do with all those items I don’t need? Should I create a plan? How am I supposed to find time for that? The enormous amount of questions were running through my head for days.

I need to declutter as much as I can, and do it fast. I can feel my anxiety raising every time I see clutter tucked in the corner, or on a top of a shelf.

But how to start decluttering when you feel overwhelmed?

How do you start decluttering when you’re overwhelmed?

Before we actually dive in into the topic of this post, I want to answer one important question you might have right now.

Who are you to give an advice when you feel overwhelmed yourself?!

Well.. It wasn’t always like that. Not that long ago, I decluttered my home before moving from 80m2 house to two times smaller flat. I threw away 60+ huge trash bags filled to the brim with clutter in less than 2 weeks, and then, after the move, I got rid of even more stuff.

I know from the experience how difficult it is to start decluttering when you’re overwhelmed, even if I’m back to a square one and struggle to do it again.

So, what to do first when you feel overwhelmed and you really want to get something done?

Start with a clutter sweep

Snowball method is one of the easiest way to get started with decluttering. Take a bin bag and go around the house, trying to find any items that are broken or you simply don’t need them.

By removing visible clutter, you can see how much of a difference it made and you may feel more optimistic about the entire decluttering process. If you threw away many items, your house might already feel lighter and cleaner, which just adds up to you feeling accomplished and successful.

When you’re done with the clutter sweep, take a box, and make another round around your house.

This time, collect all the items that don’t belong to the room they’re currently in. For example, plates and glasses should go back to the kitchen, dry clothes to the wardrobe, and toys most definitely shouldn’t lie on the kitchen’s floor.

Take before and after pictures

Don’t forget to take pictures before you start decluttering. I guess I should’ve put it as a first step in the decluttering process, but it doesn’t give you that motivational boost that you might need when you feel overwhelmed.

Taking pictures of your messy and cluttered house can feel wrong, I know. I don’t think I’ve ever taken any photos before I started decluttering simply because I’ve been feeling ashamed of the state of my home.

Now I slightly regret it, as it would be amazing to compare before and after and see how much difference decluttering has made! Pictures might be useful to remind yourself where you’ve started and how much you’ve got done every time you feel discouraged and demotivated.

Gather supplies

Before you jump into action, gather all the supplies you might need while decluttering. Make sure you have everything ready so you won’t have to make any unnecessary breaks.

Here are some decluttering supplies you should prepare beforehand:

• boxes – must-have when you’re planning to do some major decluttering. They can be useful also when you have a lot of items you want to donate or sell.
• bin bags – another must-have. Get a roll of strong bin bags to avoid any tears that could lead to making a bigger mess.
• markers – making lists of things to do, mark boxes for storage, sale and charity… you’ll need them without a doubt.
• timer – you can use a timer on your phone, although basic kitchen timer might be a better option for you if you get easily distracted. How many times have you taken your phone to check the time and ended up scrolling through Instagram?
• stepping stool – it’s useful to reach top shelves.
• cleaning cloths – even though you should focus solely on decluttering now, cleaning clothes might come handy if you decide to wipe surfaces or if you spill something during the process.

Start small

You don’t have to declutter one room in a day. Or the entire house. I don’t think it’s possible, anyway! Start small and focus on one drawer for starters.

If you don’t know where to start, then start at the doorway and work clockwise. Another way of choosing a place to declutter is by taking care of a place that will make the most difference or bring you the most stress. I believe everyone has at least one unorganised and cluttered area in their home.

If the area you’re working on is too big to be finished in one go and it stresses you out, set a timer for 5 or 15 minutes and do as much as you can in that time. Once the times goes off, you can stop and go back to it the next day or keep going.

Remember, every minute counts! Your home hasn’t become cluttered in a day or two, so don’t expect to reverse this process in a short timeframe, too.

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Donate or sell?

It’s tempting to want to sell as many items as possible. Donating seems like a waste of money, doesn’t it?

The thing is, though, that you wasted money when you bought the item you’ve never really needed in the first place.

Donating helps in getting rid of things immediately.

It also saves a lot of time that you’d have to spend replying to people’s messages and arranging collections.

I still have that mentality where I want to get back as much money as possible. I’ve donated nothing except for clothes, so I’m unfamiliar with it, and that’s precisely what blocks me from decluttering now.

It’s difficult to decide what to do with stuff you don’t want to keep, at least for me. But you know what? Sometimes throwing items away is fine, too.

Do whatever feels best for you and move on. Don’t overthink it!

Just start

Commit to the entire decluttering process and just start! There’s no better moment than now, so instead of waiting for a perfect opportunity, just start. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes and declutter the box of books that’s been on your living floor for months. Do the clutter sweep or go through your make-up bag.

If you’re waiting for the perfect time to declutter, the amount of things you’ll need to go through will keep increasing and it will get more overwhelming.

Make a habit out of it and keep decluttering every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. This way, you’ll slowly get closer and closer to the finish line.

There’s never a perfect moment to start decluttering when overwhelmed, so stop waiting for it.

So, start now. Start small. Make a habit out of it. You can do it!

7 tips for decluttering when feeling overwhelmed

Have someone guide you through the process

I’d never thought about finding someone to guide me through the decluttering since I thought it’s an obvious thing to do. But, then I found books, YouTube channels, Instagram accounts, courses about… decluttering! You have no idea how surprised I was.

There are lots of motivational and inspirational content online. You can find anything you can only think of, from tips and tricks, simple checklists, to extensive courses guiding you through the entire decluttering process, cheering you on along the way.

The Minimal Mom, Madeline, and Confident Mom are my go-to when it comes to everything decluttering and cleaning related. Finding inspirational people and easy to digest tips and guides lessen my overwhelm and feeling stressed immensely.

Work in 10-minute increments

Knowing that you’ll need hours to get through all the stuff can be demotivating. It’s pretty obvious that you won’t be able to tackle the entire garage full of forgotten items in one evening.

If you’re overwhelmed and don’t know where and how to start decluttering, setting a timer for just 10 minutes can be a good idea.

Instead of waiting for a few hours of spare time to get to work, take small steps regularly. This way you’ll not only minimise the risk of getting burned out but also you’ll be much more likely to reach the finish line.

There’s a high chance that once those 10 minutes pass, you’ll get in a flow and will want to continue decluttering for longer.

Make decluttering a habit

When you don’t know how to start decluttering because you’re overwhelmed just by the sole thought about it, create a simple habit to get you started. It can be 10 minutes a day or a one area a day kind of thing. Whatever will help you get it done. When you commit to decluttering regularly, you’ll soon start noticing the difference you’ve made.

Set a deadline

Some people like to have a deadline ahead of them to increase productivity and motivation.

Start with choosing a date you want to get finished with all the decluttering by. Then, make a list of all the rooms you want to go through during that time and decide how much time you want to spend on each of them to stay within the timeframe you chose.

Focus on the positives

Decluttering is a daunting task and can become boring. You might feel bad about getting rid of so many items you’ve bought with your own money.

What a waste, isn’t it?

Instead of focusing on all that negative thoughts, shift your mindset and think how much space you’ll gain by getting rid of things you don’t need and haven’t used in months.

Focus on positives so you won’t get discouraged and give up somewhere in the middle.

Accept that decluttering is a time-consuming task

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

John Heywood

Decluttering is a heck of a task, so don’t feel discouraged when you won’t see huge progress immediately. Instead, keep working regularly towards your goal and accept the fact that this is an ongoing process that will take weeks, sometimes even months.

Every time you feel discouraged by the amount of things you still need to go through, look at the pictures you took before you started decluttering and see how much you’ve got done already!

Soon, you’ll be able to enjoy your cosy, clutter free home, so don’t give up.

Develop maintenance systems

Once you’re done with decluttering your entire home, it’s crucial to develop maintenance systems in order to prevent clutter coming back in.

Always shop consciously and don’t buy new things if you’re unsure if you really need them.

Give yourself a 24h break between finding an item and buying it or create a wish list to keep your “wants” in check.

Pay attention to the way clutter creeps in into your house. Is it because you don’t deal with the mail immediately but leave in on the kitchen counter instead? Do you buy online regularly and leave opened boxes inside the house instead of throwing them away?

Create a plan on how to deal with things like that to make sure that your decluttered home stays that way for longer than just a couple of days.

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Concluding thoughts on how to start decluttering when overwhelmed

A lot of studies confirm that clutter negatively affects our mental well-being. I know how difficult it is to be overwhelmed by the sole thought of decluttering, let alone getting into action and doing it.

I’ve been there more times than I can count, and frankly, I’m here now, too.

My home has been a mess since I can only remember, no matter whether I lived with my parents or on my own. Staying organised is extremely difficult for me and having clutter everywhere around me doesn’t help.

That’s why today I wanted to share my 7 tips on how to start decluttering when overwhelmed. I know how it feels to not be able to get started, struggle to keep going, and keeping your home decluttered for more than a few days.

Hopefully, you found here some useful tips to help you get started and changing your surroundings for the better.

Good luck!
M.