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Quick decluttering wins reduce stress and give you confidence to declutter. Try these 7 decluttering ideas for when you are feeling overwhelmed and feel the stress melt away!
Lost. Defeated. Stressed. Overwhelmed.
These are the last things anyone deserves to feel when they look around their home.
But when you look around and all you see is clutter, these emotions are bound to bubble to the surface.
Where do you start? Let me show you.
Clutter Overwhelm is Normal
So many women are ashamed of clutter in their homes, but feel too overwhelmed to tackle it. Where to start decluttering? How to start decluttering? How do you find the time to work on it? Will you ever get it all cleaned up?
Guess what? Those feelings are completely normal. Decluttering CAN be a lot of work, and it IS really hard to know where to start sometimes. Clutter itself is also normal. Almost every home has pockets of clutter (even mine!). So while you might feel ashamed of your clutter, but at the same time too overwhelmed to tackle it, know that those feelings are normal.
Decluttering Even a Small Area Has Benefits
Decluttering is totally worth it – even if you just declutter 1 little area. I recently decluttered a counter in my kitchen that wasn’t piled high with stuff, but had just enough clutter that it made me scowl each time I walked by. It’s now clear, and seeing it that way makes me smile!
Getting rid of pockets of clutter in your home can relieve stress, help you relax, make it easier to find things, and make your home look and feel better.
You Have to Start Decluttering Somewhere
While staring into the clutter abyss can be paralyzing, you have to take the first step and start somewhere. Rather than try to take a huge bite out of the clutter burger in your home, start small.
If you begin by decluttering just one little area, some pretty amazing things can happen. First, it won’t take you forever to declutter just one little area. As a result, you’ll enjoy quick decluttering wins. If you’re strategic about where you start, you’ll also reduce stress and frustration in your home by quickly decluttering a high-impact area.
So, where do you start? I have 7 awesome ideas just for you. And if you aren’t quite sure how decluttering works, you might want to check out my step-by-step guide to decluttering.
7 Decluttering Ideas For When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed
These 7 areas of your home are itty bitty, but they could potentially make a big impact on your day, reduce frustration, and improve how you feel about your home. Hopefully, you’ll gain momentum, and maybe you’ll complete more than 1 in a single session!
Without further ado, here are my 7 decluttering ideas for when you are feeling overwhelmed. Watch the video below, or scroll down to read on!
1 Table or Countertop
Clutter on tables and countertops is super overwhelming and stressful. It looks sloppy, you can’t use the surface, and it’s embarrassing when guests come over. Decluttering the top of 1 table or counter will reduce visual clutter and assuage those feelings of overwhelm. You’ll be proud of yourself once you’re done!
1 Drawer
While drawers don’t usually involve highly-visible clutter like a table or countertop does, they can be just as stressful. If you hate that cluttered junk drawer in your kitchen, you can never find what you need in your bathroom drawers, or your dresser drawers are a mess, I’m guessing it stresses you out. Pick 1 drawer in your home – that one that nags at the pit of your stomach – and declutter it today for a quick win.
1 Section of Your Closet
Next on my list of decluttering ideas for when you are feeling overwhelmed – the closet.
Opening your closet door and seeing a total mess is crazy stressful. You can’t find the clothes you need, you have zero space, and there’s clothes clutter everywhere.
Declutter just one little section of your closet, like a single hanging rod, shoes, accessories, etc. You’ll create some breathing room in your closet, and you’ll also feel like you can actually tame the clutter monster that’s hiding inside.
1 Shelf in Your Pantry
If your pantry is a mess, meal prep is probably pretty stressful. Staring down a messy, overcrowded pantry is enough to curb anyone’s appetite! Tackle just 1 shelf in your pantry for a quick decluttering win. You’ll feel relieved to get rid of food that’s expired or that you won’t use, and you’ll be able to easily see what’s left on the shelf.
1 Box, Bin, or Basket
If you’re overwhelmed by clutter in your basement, attic, or other storage area, decluttering 1 box, bin or basket of stuff is a great idea. It works for more than storage areas, too! That basket of shoes by the front door, the bin of your child’s artwork, or the box of DVDs that hasn’t been opened in years are all great candidates for decluttering.
1 Stack of Papers
If paper clutter is a big problem in your home, you might want to start by decluttering 1 stack of papers. Paper clutter is especially stressful because it often represents unmade decisions and real-life issues that need to be dealt with. What to do with that old insurance policy? Dreading having to call customer service to discuss that incorrect bill? Deciding whether to accept an invitation?
Getting through just 1 stack of paper clutter will breathe a sigh of relief into your lungs. The stress from the visual clutter will be gone, and you will have likely confronted some decisions you’d been putting off. By the way, I have a simple but awesome tip on how to keep paper clutter at bay.
1 Pile of Stuff
Last on my list of decluttering ideas for when you are feeling overwhelmed is a single pile of stuff. Piles of stuff tend to nag at you – toys, random junk stacked on the floor next to your couch, that little pile of clutter nestled in a corner. Deal with that 1 pile that irritates you every time you walk by it. You’ll free up space in your home, reduce visual clutter, and give yourself a little peace of mind.
7 Decluttering Ideas for When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed: Conclusion
It’s normal to feel overwhelmed by clutter. At the same time, you have to start somewhere if you’re ever going to tackle the clutter monster in your home. Choosing a small, high-impact area is a great way to gain a quick decluttering win.
To recap, here are my 7 decluttering ideas for when you are feeling overwhelmed:
- 1 table or countertop
- 1 drawer
- 1 section of your closet
- 1 shelf in your pantry
- 1 box, bin, or basket
- 1 stack of papers
- 1 pile of stuff
Once you have a few quick decluttering wins under you belt, you’ll be ready for more. My post on how to declutter your entire house super fast is the perfect next step for clearing clutter.
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