In this post, I’ll share how I decluttered my home, and I’ll also sprinkle in practical declutter tips to inspire you on your own decluttering journey.
This is the story of an overthinking borderline hoarder who knew a hundred ways to get the job done but was still too overwhelmed and had to find the mental switch to actually DO the things and clear the clutter… and how YOU can use my story for your benefit. Trust me, if I can declutter my house, so can you!
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My Decluttering Journey
For some people, the battle against clutter begins very early. I’m one of those people. One of my earliest memories is of my mother carrying a black trash bag full of broken toys and other things children tend to collect out of my bedroom. Her warnings to clean up my stuff had not been effective, so she did it. I was probably four or five years old.
You might think that experience taught me a lesson. Spoiler alert: Nope.
There have been times in my life when I had organized clutter, hidden away in storage bins or behind closet doors. Even when it was ‘hidden,’ the clutter was still a mental load.
Then there have been times when I couldn’t stand to look at the mess and visual clutter. I couldn’t even cook in my own kitchen because there was so much clutter. I felt the need to declutter my house, but didn’t have a clue what to do, where to start, how to let go.
Occasionally, I would go on decluttering binges. I would spend a weekend or a week turning the house upside-down. At the end of it I would donate a fair amount, but somehow things always seemed messier afterward. Purging the clutter from an entire house in that short of a time period was beyond my capacity.
The worst years were when my boys were small, we had very little money, and I was a stay-at-home mom. Stockpiling boys’ clothing along with food and household coupon deals was the best way I could think of to NOT spend the money my husband earned. (Man, I got some awesome deals in those days!)
But even though I was stockpiling useful items, they were everywhere. Bins, boxes, and bags in every closet and cabinet. On every available shelf. Stacked against the walls.
When people offered to give us things, we always said yes even if we didn’t have a use for them at the time. (One of the few lessons from The Tightwad Gazette that is definitely not appropriate for everyone!)
We also had a large garden and canned the harvest every year. So there was canning equipment. And hundreds of jars, which all needed a storage place whether they were full or empty.
Over the next few years, three things happened:
- My sons grew through the clothes and we passed them along or donated them.
- The coupon deals came to a dead stop after shows like ‘Extreme Couponing’ made it a popular sport and stores changed their policies.
- I went back to work, and eventually we didn’t have the time or desire to garden any longer.
With those life changes, gradually there were FEWER bins in the visible areas of our home. But it felt like there was still so much clutter, especially in areas I would never let visitors see.
My older son graduated high school in 2015. When he graduated, I told my husband, ‘When our younger son graduates in five years, it would be nice if we could be in a position to sell this house and move somewhere else without having to deal with a bunch of overwhelming clutter.’
He was like, ‘Ummm, okay.’
We had lived in this fairly small house (1500 s.f., no basement, detached garage) for nearly 20 years. You can imagine the amount of stuff we collected. Plus, my husband realized I was talking about BOTH of us putting in the effort to get rid of stuff, so he wasn’t overly excited about the idea.
Related: 8 Strategies To Use When Your Partner Refuses to Declutter
Finding Motivation to Declutter
In the spring of 2018 I realized we only had two years left… and we hadn’t decluttered diddly-squat. I know myself well enough to understand two years is not much time to finish anything. I needed a plan.
It was time to begin the Slow Declutter of my home and life, with a goal to be decluttered and independent enough to have the option to sell our house in 2020 and have the freedom to downsize our space requirements.
Changing My Attitude About Decluttering
One thing I knew was that I absolutely could NOT declutter the ‘regular’ way… You know, pull everything out of a closet or a room and sort through ALL of it at once. I had tried that too many times and ended up with horrible, confusing messes that stressed me out instead of the peaceful, decluttered spaces I craved.
I had to take things slow. At the same time, I had to be able to see measurable results — NOT bigger messes. So, I set goals in numbers of objects that left my house.
I began decluttering in spring 2018. In just over 100 days, I decluttered 1088 items from our home and garage, working about 10 minutes a day and NEVER making a mess. That was the exact decluttering inspiration I needed to ‘flip the switch’ in my brain and get into the decluttering mindset to keep going.
Let’s talk about HOW I decluttered by home and how that can help YOU…
How I Decluttered My Home
My first ‘real’ decluttering project was a low-stakes experiment… a cluttered storage shelf that I honestly didn’t know whether or not I could declutter.
It took me 6 days, but I did it. Were the results magazine-worthy? Nahhh… we’re talking real life here, along with balancing practicality and idealism when decluttering. I was just happy to get rid of some clutter and prove to myself that I could finish something. At that point, I felt like I could declutter the rest of my house.
And I did.
7 Decluttering Ideas I Used
What I actually DID:
1. Stopped the inflow of STUFF — less shopping, accepting fewer free things, etc.
2. Started decluttering in the area that was bothering me most. This is different for everyone.
3. Decluttered in layers. That meant I didn’t have to deal with sentimental clutter until my brain was better able to handle it after practicing the decision-making process for quite a while.
4. Told myself every day that I can do anything for 10 minutes — and then set a timer and did it.
5. Set a goal of 10 items every single day. For the first push, I started with a goal of 100 items in a week. After that, I knew I could do at least 10 items every day. I tracked my numbers when I needed to stay motivated.
6. Made the firm decision to donate as much as possible and not try to sell anything. Life gets a whole lot easier when the pressure of selling is removed from the equation.
7. Made myself accountable by posting on social media.
It took a while, but it was NOT difficult or overwhelming. I just kept deciding which area to do next as I went along and I never set deadlines because I knew that would be too much pressure. There were times when I had to take breaks, but I always got back into the ‘10 items a day’ habit because it works so well.
I would say I decluttered my home for a year, but I finally did get this place to the point where the idea of packing up and moving wasn’t overwhelming.
Of course, my idea of ‘being ready to move’ in 2020 was derailed. Even after life sort of got back to normal, we decided not to move until my husband retires from his current job. In the meantime, we keep decluttering here and there, often surprising ourselves by the things we’re willing to part with every year.
Decluttered Home Inspiration Lessons
Here are some lessons I learned along the way that I later realized were really decluttered home inspiration that ANYONE can use during a decluttering journey.
1. I changed my thinking about ‘just in case’ items.
One of the biggest mental hurdles was overcoming the ‘just in case’ mentality. You know, keeping things just in case you need them later. That mindset was a huge roadblock.
I had to train myself to believe that it was okay to let go of things, even if I wasn’t 100% sure I’d never need them again. And so far — in more than 6 years of decluttering — I haven’t actually needed anything that I let go.
2. I let go of the perfectionist ‘mindful decluttering’ mindset.
I started out my decluttering journey by carefully separating everything into recycle/donate. Then a friend said, ‘You inspired me to declutter… but i just grab a trash bag and get rid of stuff.’
That statement completely shifted my perspective, because I suddenly realized I was making things harder than they really needed to be. The MOST important thing was getting the stuff out of my house, not micro-managing what happened to each item after it left.
After that conversation, I decided that the best thing I could do for the planet was to stop overbuying from that point forward… and to stop storing the existing stuff in my house out of guilt. If that meant sometimes during decluttering sessions I would separate items and donate, and sometimes I would just grab a trash bag… it was okay to go with what I could handle that day.
3. I realized it’s okay for the process to take a while.
Most importantly, I realized that as long as I was doing a little bit every day, the job really would get done. Setting mini goals that lead to long-term goals means you’re not dealing with all or nothing, ‘must get the entire house done this week’ type of pressure.
I realize that’s not always a luxury people have. In those cases, I do have posts about how to declutter in a day and how to declutter in a weekend. Just know that I don’t recommend those methods for most people, especially overwhelmed overthinkers.
More Decluttering Inspiration and Resources
9 Reasons You Fear Decluttering Clothes {And How to Get Past It}
Do These 3 Things When You’re Overwhelmed By Clutter
Top 5 Questions To Ask When Decluttering For Making Clear Decisions
Decluttering Tips for Hoarders and Pack Rats: 11 Steps to Clutter Freedom
Final Thoughts: You CAN Declutter Your Home!
If you’ve been struggling with clutter for years (like me!), know that it’s possible to turn things around. Even if you feel a little desperate, I hope you can mentally step back and get inspired to start taking some small steps after reading this post about how I decluttered my home.
It REALLY doesn’t matter how long it takes, as long as you keep moving forward and start feeling inspired by your own progress.
I hope this post motivates you to begin decluttering your home as you Build Your Best Life.
You’ve got this!
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