How do I get started decluttering my house? If you’re completely overwhelmed by the clutter in your home, the thought of doing the thing you desperately need and want to do (decluttering), can feel intimidating and unsolvable. Seeing where you are and knowing it’s so far from where you want to end up can make those first steps feel elusive.
I felt the same way when I started my deslobification process. I had to figure out where to start and how to start. I still follow these same strategies whenever I declutter because they work in any situation.
Here are some blog posts, podcasts, and videos in which I address this question.
Blog Posts about Getting Started Decluttering:
When the Thought of Decluttering is Overwhelming, Start Here.
Cleaning Up. . . When You Don’t Know Where to Start.
Working through the Feeling of Overwhelm
Overwhelmed? Work through These Non-Overwhelming Steps
Podcasts to help you Get Started Decluttering:
When the Whole House is Just Overwhelming (Podcast 367)
Getting Started When the Project of Your Home is Overwhelming (Podcast 410)
Back to (or Start With) The Basics (Podcast 380)
How to Start Getting Your House Under Control (Even When You’re Overwhelmed) Podcast 001
How to Get Started Decluttering (Podcast 002)
Videos that Teach How to Start Decluttering:
How to Start Decluttering Even When You’re Overwhelmed
Questions I’ve answered about how to get started decluttering:
When you click on the link, you’ll go straight to the timestamp in the video where I answer the question.
Decluttering Q&A:: 2.27.24 “Why can’t I get started? I know I would feel better just getting it done but it’s been years and I still do nothing.”
Decluttering Q&A: 5.14.24 “It is much easier to watch another than to get started. But even when I have the time I still seem stuck in inertia and play Spider Solitaire instead of doing anything productive.”
“What helps you calm down and get started when you are too overwhelmed to start cleaning?”
LIVE September Q&A/Comment Responses – “My basement is a disaster and it hinders daily life. But I have 4 small kids, homeschool, and no help available. How do I get started when I’m too overwhelmed with just the basics?”
Decluttering Q&A “I have been gleaning lots of advice from your decluttering podcasts, website etc. and I’m eager to dive in! However, I am extremely overwhelmed and feeling paralyzed. Not quite sure how to begin.”
Q&A 11.24.23 “IEP Papers plus declutter everything else, I’m so over whelmed – where to begin with paper or other stuff in my way.”
Additional Resources:
Take Your House Back is a thorough online course I teach with Dawn from The Minimal Mom and Cas from Clutterbug. Thousands of people have truly transformed their homes going through this course. It is on SALE through January 17th! Learn more here.
My book, Decluttering at the Speed of Life, spells out my decluttering strategies in thorough, step-by-step instructions to help you work through your clutter, no matter how overwhelmed you feel.
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