How to Declutter Your Home One Step at a Time

So you want to declutter your home, but you don’t want to make a big mess?

Decluttering doesn’t have to be a big, daunting project! You can get rid of your clutter one step at a time without having to make a bunch of different piles.

This new way of decluttering is best for anyone who doesn’t have the time or energy to complete a big decluttering project.

I’m going to show you how you can declutter your home without having to pull everything out, without taking up all your time, and without racking your brain over what to sell and what to donate.

When you strip it down to the essential steps, decluttering becomes something you can do in just a few minutes a day without getting bogged down in the little details. Focusing on what you can get rid of streamlines your decision-making and helps you develop a decluttering habit so you can start to change your relationship with your stuff.

start decluttering today with the free declutter checklist

You’ll learn the 5 most important steps that you need to know in order to create a clutter-free and organized home 👇

what does it mean to declutter?

Maybe you’re confused and aren’t really sure what decluttering is…

And why you even need to get rid of your clutter.

FIrst, let me explain what it means to declutter.

Clutter is defined as anything lying about in an untidy mass. So to declutter means to get rid of the excess. When you’re decluttering your home, you’re getting rid of the excess stuff that you no longer need.

To put it more simply, clutter is basically anything in your home that doesn’t have a home. Piles of mail on your kitchen counter, shoes scattered all over the floor, clothes strung on the backs of chairs, boxes of things you don’t use, and stacks of random miscellaneous items.

ready to start decluttering?

why do you need to declutter your home?

A cluttered home has a ripple effect into every area of your life.

Having too much stuff in your home causes you to have to tidy and pick up all day long, only for things to still be messy.

The piles of clutter around your house make it hard to clean properly, which causes germs and pests to surface. And not being able to disinfect every surface in your home means that viruses such as the flu or COVID could be lingering for far longer than they would in a clutter-free environment.

Where there’s clutter, there is dust. And over time, that dust can trigger allergy flare-ups, asthma, or other breathing problems.

Visual clutter increases cognitive overload and leaves us feeling like there’s always more to be done. Simply put, when there is clutter lying about within our eyesight, our minds are receiving more than it can take.

There have been direct links to the amount of clutter in our homes and our cortisol, or stress hormone. The more cluttered your home, the more stressed you feel.

And finally, living in a cluttered environment causes children to have trouble making friends. As one professional organizer, Lisa Krohn put it, “clutter paralyzes children from making decisions, and it creates anger and temper tantrums because it’s all too hard to process. They can’t see the forest through the trees.”

Clutter can also effect children inadvertently through guilt, shame, anger, or low concentration issues.

Okay, but can you just get organized?

“I just need to be more organized.”

How many times have you said that to yourself?

STOP right there!

You don’t need to be more organized. You need to get rid of all that excess stuff!

It doesn’t matter how organized you get, if you have more stuff than you have space for, your home will always be cluttered.

You can organize your things neatly in baskets and bins, but if you find that your home frequently looks as if a bomb went off, it’s because you have too much.

Storage isn’t the problem – you don’t need more storage space. The problem is too much stuff for the space you’re living in.

This will be different for everyone, depending on the size of your home and the number of things that you own. Plus, we all have different clutter thresholds – the amount of clutter that is too much for one person might not bother someone else.

If your home is cluttered, the only solution is to get rid of the excess.

so start getting rid of stuff

Okay, so you know you need to declutter your home, but you aren’t sure how to go about it without making a bigger mess.

Or maybe you’re wondering how you can possibly have time for a big declutter session when you barely have time to shower.

I get it.

As a mom of 4 with 2 chronic health conditions, decluttering my entire house seemed too exhausting.

I managed to declutter a few spaces in my home, but I was always left feeling worn out, mentally drained, and it felt like I never made any progress.

IF YOU’RE LIKE I WAS, YOU PROBABLY…

Feel too overwhelmed to start decluttering…

Spend all your time cleaning and picking up after your family…

And you wonder why other moms aren’t drowning in stuff like you are.

Maybe you’re doubtful that you can really let go of your things…

Or you’re waiting for your kids to stop trashing the house…

Or you aren’t sure what to do with your unwanted items.

BUT GIRL, LET ME TELL YOU THAT ALL OF THAT WILL COME WHEN YOU JUST GET STARTED DECLUTTERING!

When my husband lost his job, we decided to move into my late mother’s home. Our garage was literally stacked to the ceiling with clutter.

When I finally bit the bullet and decided to start decluttering my garage, I didn’t have the time or the energy for a big declutter session.

So instead of categorizing my stuff into a bunch of different piles, I just focused on what I could get rid of.

Every day, for a few minutes a day, I would choose one small box, pile, or space. And I would just find stuff that I could get rid of!

Even with 2 chronic illnesses and 4 kids (2 of which were still at home).

And it worked!

Small progress over time led to big results..

And now, 2 years later, this is the progress that I’ve made:

The perfect time to start decluttering is RIGHT NOW!

clear the clutter with this free checklist 👇

so you’re ready to start decluttering

You’re ready to have a clutter-free home that you can feel proud of…

And you’re ready to stop the constant cleaning.

You know in your heart that when your home is clean and organized, you’ll be able to show up as a better mom for your kids.

And you don’t want to let their childhood pass you by while you’re too busy picking up their messes.

You want to be able to relax at the end of the night and spend time together as a family.

You want to have a home that works for you and not against you.

A home that serves your family in the long term…

A home that encourages your kids to be mindful of their belongings…

but you don’t think you have what it takes…

You don’t think you have what it takes to declutter your home because you don’t want to let go of your things.

I’ve been there!

As someone who is super nostalgic and really holds onto her childhood, I used to keep a lot of my toys, blankets, and clothes.

I’ve had bins stacked full of stuffed animals, Polly Pockets, and Barbies.

And I swore that I would never get rid of them.

But I started getting rid of the easy stuff. And I worked my way up to the harder things.

By decluttering items that I had no sentimental attachment to, I was able to create space in my home and build momentum.

So by the time I reached the sentimental stuff, it was easier to let go of certain items.

You might be wondering if you can do this…

You might be wondering if you really have what it takes to get rid of your clutter.

What I can tell you is that you don’t need to know all the answers right now.

You don’t need to be an expert at getting rid of things because your ability to declutter will strengthen over time.

When you start with the easy stuff, you will get used to letting go of your clutter.

And over time, you can work your way up to the harder stuff.

So don’t worry about the sentimental items you’re attached to…

Just start with the easy decisions.

before you can start decluttering

Before you can start decluttering, you’ll need these things in place:

A DEDICATED DECLUTTER BOX

A declutter box is a dedicated place to put your unwanted items.

You want to keep it in a central location in your home so it’s easily accessible by everyone in your family.

When you come across an item that you no longer need, use, or want, you can add it directly to your declutter box.

This means you can put your unwanted items right where they belong instead of having to figure out where to put them!

A PLAN FOR YOUR UNWANTED ITEMS

Will you sell, donate, or discard your unwanted items?  Spend some time getting clear on this step and create a plan of action.  

Where will you donate?  WIll you use a donation pickup service? 

If you want to sell your decluttered items, where are you going to list them?

I recommend donating everything because it streamlines the process.  But no matter what option you choose, pick one and stick to it…  Either sell everything or donate everything. 

Selling some items and donating others will cause you to get caught up in the details, as opposed to keeping your eye on the end goal – getting rid of your clutter and creating space in your home.

AND A SET TIME TO COMPLETE YOUR DAILY DECLUTTER SESSIONS

Decide in advance when you will declutter each day.  

Maybe you are a morning person, or maybe you’re a night owl?  

On the other hand, maybe you have the freest time in the afternoon, so that might be best for your particular lifestyle?

Consider the time of day that you tend to be mentally drained.  You might find that by the end of the day, you’re done making decisions.

If that’s the case, it would be best for you to declutter at an opposing time of day.

Or maybe you have a high-demand job, and when you come home from work, you don’t want to make any more decisions.  For that case, you might find that it’s easier to declutter in the mornings before you go to work.

Remember, you’re just decluttering for 15 minutes each day.  So choosing to declutter before you go to work is totally doable!

declutter for 15 minutes a day

Now you’re ready to start decluttering your home!

Each day, during the time you chose in the previous step, choose one small space, pile, or box to declutter for the day.

Set a timer for 15 minutes and then…

step #1 just look for things to get rid of

Don’t sort your stuff into different piles.  Don’t try to move your things around from one space to another.  And don’t let yourself get caught up trying to decide what you want to keep.

Just get rid of stuff!

Let’s say you’re decluttering your bathroom.  For 15 minutes, find things you know you no longer want.

If you come to an item you can’t make a decision on, put it back and move on to something else. 

With only 15 minutes to spare, don’t spend your time on one specific item.  Just get rid of anything you can.

STEP #2 WHEN THE TIMER GOES OFF, STOP FOR THE DAY

When the 15 minutes is up, you might be tempted to keep going.

STOP right there!

No matter how tempting it is to keep decluttering, just stop for the day.

15 minutes is the sweet spot because it allows you just enough time to get rid of stuff without wearing yourself out.

Go back to your regular daily activities because you’ll be decluttering for 15 more minutes tomorrow!

STEP #3 ADD YOUR UNWANTED ITEMS TO YOUR DECLUTTER BOX

Now you need to do something with all of the items you chose to get rid of!

If you would prefer to throw everything away, you can bypass the declutter box altogether and just discard your unwanted items.

But for the items that you want to sell or donate, they need to go in a dedicated spot – which is exactly what your declutter box is for!

Add everything to your declutter box and then tomorrow, you’ll start back at step #1.

when your declutter box is full

At some point during the process, your declutter box will be full of unwanted items.

This is where the rubber meets the road – getting your unwanted items out of your house is arguably, one of the most important steps in decluttering.

If you don’t actually get them out of your house, you’re not truly decluttering your home.

And I don’t want that for you. So don’t get stuck here!

Do whatever you need to do to get the unwanted items out.

OPTION #1 DONATIONS

If you chose to donate your belongings, schedule a donation pickup or spend a day or two dropping your donations off.

My advice is to choose one charity you love and stick with it. 

Don’t try to donate old clothes to thrift shops because they are typically overrun with donations, especially now in the time of COVID.

Check your local homeless shelters because they will ALWAYS be in need of clothing.

Churches and preschools are a great place to donate children’s toys.  

And Catholic Charities or women’s shelters are good for household items.

Alternatively, if you live in the suburbs, you can put your unwanted items on your curb.  This is what I do because it’s easy and rewarding.  I can clearly see from my front porch when a dad pulls up to my curb to check out the pile of toys that are just sitting there.  I let him know that they’re free and that they just need to be cleaned.  And then they are gone within a matter of seconds.

OPTION #2 SELLING ONLINE

You will probably come across items in your home that you feel compelled to sell.

If something, in particular, is worth enough money to devote your time and effort, then go ahead and sell it!

I would suggest setting a limit for an amount you won’t go below.

Maybe $20-$40, depending on your preferences.  Personally, I choose not to sell anything less than $40, but $20 can be worth it too.

For anything less than that amount, it’s just not worth it for you to have to list the item for sale, message possible buyers, and then drive to meet someone for only $5 or $10.  On top of all the precautions you will need to take, like meeting in a public place, looking out for your safety as a single woman, and possibly contracting COVID.

All that time could be better spent on activities that help you get closer to your goal of having a clutter-free and organized home.

keep decluttering your home

By now, you have started to declutter your home.

You’ve learned how to handle your unwanted items. And you’re getting rid of the things that no longer serve you.

Don’t stop here!

Keep decluttering!

Continue getting rid of the excess stuff so you can create space in your home.

Every day, for 15 minutes a day, find things you can get rid of.

When you have gone through every space in your home, go back through a second time!

As you declutter more and more, it will become easier to get rid of things.

You might find that when you first decluttered your bathroom, you were only willing to get rid of a few things.

But when you go back through your bathroom a second time, you will be more willing to let go of items you had previously wanted to hold onto.

Creating space in your home will give you momentum. Once you start to notice a difference, you’ll feel compelled to keep getting rid of things!

THIS is how you create a clutter-free and organized home…

By committing to daily declutter sessions.

Commit to yourself that you will declutter your home so that you can give your family the gift of an organized home.

A home that works for you and not against you. A haven that you can relax in at the end of the day.

So keep going…

Keep getting rid of stuff until there’s nothing left to get rid of.

And when you feel like you finally have space in your home, you’re ready to start getting organized!

get your free declutter checklist

so you want a clutter-free home?

Getting rid of your stuff for a few minutes a day is the easiest way to declutter your home.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed by all of your clutter, you can focus on one small area at a time.

Even if you’re super busy and short on time, you can find 15 minutes a day!

You don’t have to worry about wearing yourself out because daily declutter sessions are realistic, even if you’re unmotivated or you have chronic illnesses.

And best of all, when you get into the habit of decluttering for a few minutes each day, you can create lasting change in your home that sticks.

Because the truth is, if you have a family, you will always need to declutter.

Your kids will always have clothes that no longer fit them. There will always be a pile of toys they no longer play with. And there will always be things they outgrow as they move past childhood and become young adults.

Developing a decluttering habit will prevent your home from getting cluttered again in the future!

So if you are committed to creating a clutter-free home, then start by getting rid of stuff for a few minutes each day. Keep the end goal in sight – getting rid of your clutter so you can create space in your home.

not ready to declutter your home?

Maybe you’re not ready to declutter your home.

Maybe you have 3 under 3 and you’re just trying to survive the early years of motherhood.

Or you might be homeschooling your kids because of the pandemic. Or grieving the loss of a loved one.

Decluttering might not be right for you at this time in your life, and that’s okay.

Four years ago, I had just had my fourth child a month after my mom passed away. Then I found out I had a chronic illness and my husband lost his job. I wasn’t in any position to declutter my home. So I spent the next year getting clear on who I was, what I wanted, and what type of home I wanted to cultivate for my family.

When my baby turned 1, I decided that it was time to start decluttering. But since I didn’t have time for big declutter sessions. I just focused on what I could get rid of for a few minutes each day.

That small progress over time led to big results! Now my home is clutter-free and I can relax at the end of the day, as opposed to feeling stressed out and anxious in my home.

just imagine 90 days from now…

Getting up in the morning and walking into the kitchen without having to step over piles of laundry or toys…

Your kids are still asleep so you quietly open up your kitchen cabinet to grab your favorite coffee mug.

Your cabinets are organized and the counters are free of clutter.

And as you look around your kitchen, you feel peaceful and relaxed, knowing that you can sit down and enjoy your morning coffee without having to worry about all the clutter that’s standing in your way.

Smiling to yourself, you feel proud of all that you’ve accomplished.

You did it! Your home is clutter-free and peaceful!

As your kids begin to wake up for the day, you have the chance to be the present mom who savors every moment and has breakfast with her kids.

You know right where everything is so you aren’t rushing around looking for lost shoes, mittens, or keys.

And you can make it out the door without having to raise your voice. Motherhood feels easier and more rewarding!

You realize this is the life you were meant for.

start decluttering today with the free declutter checklist 👇

Get your copy of the 5-Steps to a Clutter-Free and Organized Home and cut your decluttering time in half!

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