A Beginner's Guide to Decluttering: Ten Tips That Actually Work

Clutter is one of those things that really seems to sneak up on you. From loose papers to packed closets, it's really easy to accumulate things you don't need. Most people end up coexisting with the clutter instead of working through it because they don't know where to start. 

It can be overwhelming to figure out where to start when you approach decluttering as a singular project. Having an emotional attachment to material possessions can also cause hesitation about getting rid of things. 

Decluttering doesn't have to be daunting. This guide will provide you with the tools you need to start working through the mess. You'll learn: 

• Why decluttering is important
• How to work through feeling overwhelmed
• Ten tips to effectively declutter
• Common decluttering mistakes 

Why is Decluttering Important? 

Decluttering can improve your overall well-being, increase focus and productivity, and give you a sense of control over your life. It can make you feel accomplished and offer peace of mind in the spaces you spend the most time. 

General clutter and messiness can add to feelings of stress and make it harder to focus in your daily life. When your home or office feels disorganized, it can make you feel like you don't have control. 

Mess makes it harder to find what you actually need which contributes to unnecessary purchases and duplicates. It can also create safety hazards by increasing the chances of tripping and using expired products. 

When you make the decision to start decluttering, you'll start to feel a weight lifted off your shoulders and a sense of calmness each time you enter these spaces. 

How Do I Declutter Without Feeling Overwhelmed?

It's vital to start small and take frequent breaks to avoid feeling overwhelmed when you begin to declutter. It's truly an ongoing process, not something that you should feel you need to knock out in a single day. 

The best way to approach decluttering is to focus on a small area and dedicate around 20-minutes to removing clutter (this even should include your CONQUERing interchangeable jewelry collections!) Create a regular schedule where you tackle a different area until you've decluttered the entire space. Be mindful of how busy you already are in other areas of your life to avoid feeling overwhelmed. 

It's also important to just focus on decluttering. Organizing and cleaning can come later. If you feel like you need to do all three at once, the task will feel larger than it should be and might cause you to give up before you've made any progress. 

Don't hesitate to ask for help. Especially if you're sharing a space with someone, delegate tasks and work through the clutter together. This can also help if you feel really attached to your possessions and struggle to get rid of things. 

Finally, once you've decluttered a space, commit to keeping it that way. If you keep adding new clutter to a space you just worked through, it can make it feel like you're not making any progress. 

Ten Tips and Tricks for Decluttering that Actually Work

Decluttering is truly one of the hardest challenges. There are tons of self-help books, articles, and videos out there sharing tips and tricks for decluttering. Sometimes it takes trying a bunch of different methods before something really sticks. 

After conducting research and trying out some of these methods on our own, we put together these ten decluttering tricks that truly work: 

1. Establish three categories. As you work through each space, establish a pile or bin for keeping, donating, and throwing away. The keep items can go back to their usual places, the donate pile should immediately be removed from the space and actually donated, and the trash pile should immediately be thrown away. 
2. Prioritize donation over selling. Unless you truly need to sell your items, donating is usually the better route. When you sell something, unless you're taking it somewhere that day to be sold, it will stay sitting in your home or office until someone buys it. The longer it stays, the more likely you are to just keep it. 
3. Take everything out. When you're cleaning an area, take everything out of its drawer, cabinet, or storage and lay it out in front of you. Ask yourself if you truly need an item before putting it back from where you took it. 
4. Focus on the present. It's easy to hold onto something if you think you might use it in the future. Shift your mindset to focus on the present instead. Unless you see a use for the item in the present, get rid of it. You can always buy new if you do end up needing it somewhere down the line. 
5. Develop a one-in, one-out mindset. If you're getting ready to buy something, commit to getting rid of something else to make room for it. For example, if you want to buy a new sweater, get rid of a sweater you no longer wear first. This keeps the amount of items you own the same and can avoid new piles of clutter.
6. Part ways with what no longer suits you. As we grow as people, our styles and tastes grow as well. When you're deciding whether or not to keep something, ask yourself if you would buy it if you saw it in a store today. If the answer is no, it's time to part ways with it. 
7. Go through paper items. Old bills, mail, and letters can easily build up and clutter your space. Dedicate a decluttering session to all of your paper items and categorize by what you'll file away, throw away, and shred. Have a designated space for the paper items you choose to file away. 
8. Marie Kondo it. You've probably heard of Marie Kondo if you've been looking into organization tips. She is a professional organizer and consultant who has produced many popular materials about the art of decluttering. Her motto is to only keep what sparks joy. If something no longer sparks joy, it's time to remove it. 
9. Throw away what's expired. One of the easiest ways to declutter is to get rid of items that have expired. Common expired items that you've probably kept for a while are spices, baking products, and makeup. Go through your cabinets and drawers and toss anything you shouldn't be using anymore. 
10. Set your own expiration dates. Many of your items don't have real expiration dates. Come up with a time range to determine if an item is expired. For example, you could decide that if you haven't worn something or used it in a year, then it's time to get rid of it. 

There are many other decluttering tips that actually work that you can try. Experiment with different methods and figure out what truly sticks with you! 

What Are the Biggest Decluttering Mistakes?

The biggest decluttering mistakes are: 

• Trying to tackle everything at once
• Preemptively adding storage space
• Holding onto donation piles
• Only decluttering once

When you try to tackle everything at once, you're going to feel overwhelmed and might abandon ship before you've even begun. Even if you live in an apartment or you're just working on your cubicle at work, it's vital to take things one small area at a time. You'll feel accomplished each time you declutter an area and will feel motivated to keep going. 

Buying storage containers before you've tried decluttering is a massive mistake many people make. This gives you the illusion that you have more space than you actually do. Storage containers should be reserved for items you decide to keep after you declutter. Chances are, you might not even need the extra storage. 

Holding onto donation piles or items you plan to sell just moves the clutter from one space to another. Sure, these items might not be crowding your closet anymore, however, now they sit in a box that takes up room in the hallway. Once you have the items you plan to donate or sell, you need to immediately remove them from the space and actually get rid of them.

Finally, viewing decluttering as a one-time project instead of a continual journey is where many people go wrong. As time passes, more things will expire, your tastes will change, and you'll buy new things that take up space. It's normal to need to return to spaces you've already worked through and repeat the process. 

Discover the Magic of Decluttering

Decluttering truly will make a difference in your life. As a company whose values are rooted in empowering others, we feel strongly that cleaning up the spaces you spend most of your time in will help you feel more in control of your life. 

Remember to always give yourself grace and celebrate the small wins. Even if it's just throwing away the receipts that are crumpled in the bottom of your purse, that's one step in the right direction. 

Use these tips and tricks to begin your decluttering journey!