Where to Start with Decluttering

You’ve decided you REALLY need to declutter your home, but where do you start? If every room has way too much stuff and every area is a problem, it can be easy to become paralyzed and not even begin. I’ve been there!

Don’t give up! Small wins add up to big changes over time!

Where to Start with Decluttering

Keep Your Goals in Mind

Get really clear on WHY you want to declutter.

Do you want your home to be easier to clean? Do you want to be able to find things quickly? Does the visual clutter make you feel overwhelmed? Do you need to be better organized? Do you just want to breathe easier? Do you want to stop spending so much time taking care of your stuff?

For me, it’s all of the above.

I want to live a slower, simpler life and decluttering is ONE WAY to slow down. It’s a tool that can help us on our journey to simple living.

Having too much stuff stresses me out and then I’m spending mental and physical energy dealing with it. That’s pretty much the opposite of how I want to live.

Since letting go of so much, I can be more present. I don’t want to have nothing in my home, or reach some arbitrary number of things. I want to have just the right amount of things for me and my family. I’m working on letting go of the excess and truly valuing the things that we do keep. Things that are important, useful and/or beautiful.

Decluttering can take a lot of muscle, so when it feels hard, return to your WHY and remember your overall goal for your home and life.

Start Decluttering with a Small Area

It’s helpful to build your decluttering muscles by starting with a small area.

Small places to start decluttering include:

• handbag
• wallet
• car interior
• car trunk
• glove compartment
• utensil drawer
• junk drawer
• medicine cabinet
• nightstand
• fridge
• freezer
• tupperware drawer
• desktop (see mine here)
• desk drawer
• email
• photos on phone
• bathroom vanity

Once you tackle a few small areas and see the progress, you’ll feel more confident to move onto bigger areas and projects.

Our Place Knife Trio | Steak Knives | Knife Organizer

Set a Timer for 15 minutes

When you give yourself a specific start and stop time, you reduce the overwhelm. I encourage you to stick with the time limit you set for yourself so you don’t get burned out. But, if you’re on a roll and want to keep going, by all means, continue.

I like this minimal digital timer for these short tasks.

Trash, Donate, Sell, Keep, Relocate

It’s helpful to have 1 black trash bag (for trash) and three bins clearly labeled “Donate” “Sell” “Relocate” while you are decluttering.

Consider which category each item belongs to.

TRASH : Clearly visible trash is easy. It just gets tossed into the black trash bag – black so you don’t see it anymore and reconsider.

If it’s a “keep” but doesn’t belong in that spot, put it in the Relocate bin.

If it’s a sell or donate, put it in the appropriate bin.

DONATE : If you put something in the donate bin, get it out of your house ASAP!

SELL : I typically donate way more than I’ve ever sold. For me, the hassle of listing and dealing with people’s comments and questions, keeping them all straight, coordinating schedules and all that is more hassle than it’s worth. But, you might decide, if I can get $X for this, it’s worth listing.

But, make sure you actually list and don’t just delay the decluttering process further. Give yourself a timeline to list the items and if it hasn’t sold in X days, let it go.

RELOCATE : Ideally, every item in your house should have a home. If it doesn’t, you’ll have to create one. I’ve heard it recommended, “put things where you’d look for them first.”

Questions to Help You Declutter

If you aren’t sure about whether to declutter in item, having a list of questions to ask yourself can help you make a decision.

• Do I Use It?
  • Have I used this item in the past year?
  • Will I use it in the foreseeable future?
• Do I Need It?
  • Is this item essential for my daily life?
  • Can I easily replace/borrow it if needed?
  • Do I have duplicates of this item that I can do without?
• Do I Love It?
  • Does this item bring me joy or add value to my life?
  • Would I choose to buy it again if I didn’t already own it?
• Is It in Good Condition?
  • Is the item broken, damaged, or worn out?
  • Can it be repaired or restored, and am I willing to do so?
  • Is it worth keeping if it requires maintenance or upkeep?
• Does It Fit My Current Lifestyle?
  • Does this item align with my current interests, hobbies, or activities?
  • Does it fit my personal style and aesthetic preferences?
  • Have my circumstances or living situation changed since I acquired this item?
• Do I Have Space for It?
  • Do I have adequate storage space for this item?
  • Will keeping it contribute to clutter and disorganization in my home?
• Am I Keeping It Out of Guilt or Obligation?
  • Am I holding onto this item because it was a gift or has sentimental value?
  • Can I let go of it without feeling guilty or obligated to keep it?
  • Would someone else benefit from this item more than I do?
• Does It Align with My Goals and Priorities?
  • Does this item support my goals, aspirations, or values?
  • Does it contribute to a clutter-free and organized living environment?
  • Will letting go of it help me focus on what truly matters to me?
• How Often Do I Actually Use It?
  • When was the last time I used this item?
  • How frequently do I anticipate using it in the future?
  • Is it worth the space it occupies considering its usage frequency?

It always helps me to consider how much lighter I’ll feel once those things are gone, as opposed to the heaviness I’ll feel if I keep something I don’t really need.

And, if I keep in mind that someone else could actually use this thing I’m holding on to, but not using, it’s easier for me to let it go.

One of my biggest hangups with decluttering is the money I’ve spent on those things. I just have to remind myself that the money is already spent, and I’m not recouping it by keeping the thing. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but also helps keep me from purchasing things that I’ll likely just declutter in the future.

Declutter One Drawer with Me

Oh the power of a 15-minute declutter!! I decluttered this bathroom drawer that had been nagging at me on Friday in about 15 minutes.

It’s the middle drawer in my vanity.

Bathroom Tour

BEFORE

This is the drawer where I put lipstick and other beauty items that I don’t store in my top shallow vanity drawers.

Decluttering Process

I took everything out and wiped the drawer clean.

Here are all the items that were in the drawer.

I thought it might be helpful for you to hear my thoughts as I considered each item and decided whether to keep, toss, donate or relocate.

Tartelette Mascara – I love this tubing mascara and it’s all I’ve been wearing since I got it, easy KEEP.

Maneater Lip & Cheek Gloss – Really like this too, but I’m only using one shade and I realized I prefer to apply it with the doe applicator or my fingers as opposed to the brush. KEEP one & RELOCATE to my makeup drawer, DONATE the other color and brush to a friend.

Setting Spray – I like both of these, but the Urban Decay is really old, TRASH.

NARS blush – It separated and lost its color, TRASH.

Triangle Puffs – I use these, but don’t need that many. KEEP one.

Beauty Blender – I had two, KEEP one.

Blending Sponge – I was influenced to buy this from a beauty blogger, but I never use it because I prefer my brushes, TRASH.

Alastin Hydratint Sunscreen – This is a sunscreen with tint that goes on like a foundation and smoothes your skin. It’s empty and I’ll consider reordering, but not just yet. I’m working on using other things and I’m currently loving that Kiehl’s sunscreen. EMPTY, TRASH (will likely repurchase in the future).

Grande Lash Mascara & Clarins Mascara – I couldn’t bring myself to declutter, even though I’m just using the tubing mascara. These are “just in case” items, but I’ll give it 30 more days, and if I haven’t used them, I can toss. KEEP, then TOSS if I don’t use in the next 30 days.

Lash Curler – Use this every time I apply mascara, easy KEEP.

Foundation Brush – Use, KEEP.

Fluffy Brush – Use, KEEP.

Blotting Papers – Use, easy KEEP.

No Bend Hair Clip – Use, KEEP & RELOCATE to the drawer I store hair things.

Lumify – Use, but only occasionally. I’ll keep until it expires in July 2024.

Lipsticks – I tried on all of these and didn’t really care for several. The gloss was old. KEEP 4: MAC Pink Plaid, Snob, Fusion Pink & the Sephora one.

Chanel Chance – I rarely wear, but on special occasions. KEEP, RELOCATE to closet.

Phone Case & Gripper – Use occasionally, KEEP, RELOCATE to under bathroom sink organizer.

DECLUTTER PILE

Wowza! That’s a lot of stuff to declutter! It was taking up a lot of space in my drawer.

AFTER

So much better, right?

The more I’ve decluttered, the more I want to.

It can take many passes through a single area to REALLY get to the perfect amount of things for you. And I’ve found that decluttering doesn’t necessarily have an END point. Things have a way of coming into our house constantly, especially if you have kids or a partner. It’s a slow journey, but so worthwhile.

I hope this post was helpful! Are you inspired to start decluttering in your house? Where will you begin?

Let’s hear it in the comments!