Five tips on how to start a house declutter

Introduction

Is the Clutter in your house getting you down? Feel you want to have a less messy, more organised home? Not sure how to start? Read on; below are five tips on how to get started on house decluttering while minimising stress and overwhelm.

Create an action plan

It would be best to create an action plan before attempting house decluttering. Sit down with a cup of your favourite drink and a piece of paper or notebook and brainstorm why you want to declutter, how you want to declutter and when you want to declutter. Having a plan ensures your project won’t be a shot in the dark, making you feel overwhelmed and defeated. You aim to declutter, not to give up halfway successfully and, as a result, have a messier home.

Define your why

It would be best if you had a clear idea as to why you want to have less Clutter in your house—decluttering because minimalism is the latest fad or because you watched a YouTube video while procrastinating isn’t good enough.

What are your motivations for having a tidy home? Calmer? Easier to find your belongings? A new flatmate, baby on the way or partner moving in? Think about it and write it down. This will motivate you.

Make time for decluttering.

With the best intentions in the world, it won’t get done if you don’t make time for something. How often have we told ourselves that we wished we could play an instrument or learn a language and ended up repeating it regularly but never acting on it? That is because we have convinced ourselves we don’t have the time.

So, it is vital that you actually make time for your decluttering project. Look at your calendar and decide when to do it. Do you want to take a week’s leave or do a few hours every Sunday afternoon? Write it in your diary and treat it as an outside appointment. Time-strapped parent with a full-time job? Carer for elderly parents? Student while working or otherwise busy? Why not do 15 minutes each day? That’s nearly two hours a week or seven and a half hours a month.

Don’t do it all at once.

Decluttering your entire house or flat might seem overwhelming. Please don’t do it all at once. Start with one area and take it from there. This could be a ‘quick win’ part of your house, i.e., something that you can do easily in a couple of hours and reap the benefits straight away. This would spurn you on to continue with the rest.

Alternatively, you could start with the messiest or largest room to give you the most outstanding results and feel like a weight has been lifted from your shoulder.

Decide what tools and equipment you need.

With some planning, you can make your decluttering project run more smoothly. Decide what tools you need and have them handy when you start. To declutter, you might want to have boxes for items you wish to donate or sell, for items you wish to recycle and for items to keep. You might also want to have bin bags for rubbish and cleaning utensils to give surfaces a quick wipe before putting stuff back on. Comfortable clothing that can get dirty is another must.

I hope these five tips have been helpful and spurned you to start decluttering. Have any other suggestions, comment below or let me know via email. Still feel overwhelmed and want my help, get in touch via: [email protected].

To get further ideas on how to get organised and more productive, check out my other posts here.

To get further tips and tricks on how to declutter individual rooms in your house, check out the series of articles I wrote for Spring Clearning Week.

trabantbettina

Bettina Anna Trabant, Founder of Life Organised, your professional organising and decluttering service in East London. Eco-conscious minimalist and avid tea drinker,