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Easy Ways to Declutter Your Home Without Feeling Overwhelmed

The majority of people who feel a need to declutter keep putting the process off. For most, the issue is that it feels too overwhelming because there is just so much to get through.

There are other potential issues too. When it comes to dealing with sentimental items, it can trigger emotions that we’d rather not deal with.

Fortunately, there are recommended methods for dealing with decluttering. The suggestions here are mostly aimed at dealing with those overwhelming feelings, but they can also help with other personal concerns.

1. Make a List

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It all starts with a list. Most tasks are better tackled this way, and dealing with clutter is no exception. How you approach the list is up to you. You could note down every room in the house before getting started.

As an alternative, you may want to list the items you wish to tackle; furniture, collections, etc. Getting it all down on paper is the first step to not feeling like it’s an impossible task.

2. One Room at a Time

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It’s essential to have a plan: You may want to declutter every part of the house, but it’s not advisable to do this in a haphazard way. Start with one room, and don’t move on until it’s finished.

This is an excellent piece of advice for those who feel overwhelmed by the process. Breaking it down into single rooms makes the task seem more achievable.

3. Gather Essential Tools

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Every process requires a certain set of tools and decluttering has its own list. Among the items you need will be trash bags to eliminate the things you no longer want and are not fit for recycling.

Pens and Post-It notes for labeling are also useful, while you’ll need some boxes for the items you want to keep. Be prepared with these essential tools, and the task will seem less daunting.

4. Delegate

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Chances are, not every item in the home is your responsibility. There may be children’s toys, college projects, and others that could be tackled by another family member.

Even if that person has left home, you could ask them for some help in decluttering their personal stuff. Delegating certain tasks reduces your workload, and makes you feel less stressed about the overall project.

5. Set a Time Limit

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When you first start, set yourself a limit. It can be as short as you like, but a timeframe of thirty minutes may be ideal. It’s long enough to get things done, but it won’t feel like an endurance test.

As you work through the house, you can extend this period if you like, but starting out with a smaller time limit will lift the pressure in those crucial early stages.

6. Three Options

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When considering any item, there are three possible options. You will either keep it, or you will dispose of it. The third option is a gray area where you are unsure.

It’s OK not to make a decision right away, and we’ll come to that problem next. In the short term, knowing that there are only three possible outcomes for every household item may make you feel less concerned about the task ahead.

7. The Six-Month Method

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At various stages in the decluttering process, you will come across items that leave a question mark. Should you throw them in the trash, or will they prove useful at a later date?

A good way to approach this is by having a six-month box. Put all of those pieces into a central box. You may need several boxes, depending on the size of the task. If you haven’t used an item after six months, put it in the garbage.

8. Who Benefits?

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This is the next question to ask: By keeping an item indefinitely, who stands to gain from your decision? If it’s something you use every day like a couch or a microwave oven, it’s an easy answer.

In other cases, you may have to ask the more difficult question as to whether anyone will appreciate your stuff when you’ve gone. If, for example, your children have always loved your vinyl collection, that’s fine. If nobody is likely to want your collections, maybe it’s time to move them on.

9. Ditch the Guilt

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As you work through the process, you’ll likely come across many unwanted gifts. You’ve kept them because you didn’t want to seem ungrateful, and now you’re feeling guilty over their disposal.

Guilt can slow you down and make decluttering longer and overwhelming, and it’s vital you deal with it. A good idea is to regift, but make sure you don’t offer it to the person who gave it to you originally!

10. Maintain Focus

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It can be easy to become distracted while decluttering. You’ve decided on the room where you want to start, so remain in that room and don’t stray anywhere else.

You might, for example, find a pair of scissors that belong in a kitchen drawer. Before you know it, you’ve gone off course and are working on that drawer. Losing that focus will make decluttering seem like an endless task, so keep concentrating on one room at a time.

11. Sell or Give Away?

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If you identify an item with no monetary value, simply throw it out or give it away. Let’s say you have a box of old paperback books you never read. They are not rare and won’t fetch any value, so take them to the thrift store.

If they were rare first editions, you could maybe look to sell them online, but don’t hang on for too long. Making a quick decision on selling or donating can reduce those overwhelming thoughts.

12. Arrange Collections

Side View Of A Smiling Young African Couple Lifting Sofa In Living Room
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The thought of disposing of larger items of furniture can add to your stress levels. Smaller products will fit into the car and you can take them to recycling, but what about surplus chairs, couches, and wardrobes?

Be aware that there are people who will collect, even if there is a small cost. Larger thrift stores and local authorities may help, or you could list items for pick up on freecycle websites.

13. Earn Milestone Rewards

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Like all unpleasant tasks, decluttering can be made easier by giving yourself some achievement rewards. For example, when you complete your first room, you can go out for coffee or order takeout.

After completing an entire floor of the house, why not head out for a family dinner? All of these little incentives can help to make the experience pleasurable while helping you feel you can cope.

14. Quit Buying Stuff

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As you work through the process, the last thing you want is to increase the workload. Use this declutter period as a point where you stop buying unnecessary items.

If you continue to make those purchases, decluttering will seem like a futile and endless pursuit. Quit buying stuff and you’ll never have to go through this again.

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