I Can’t Face My Clutter! What To Do When You Can’t Get Started

I Can’t Face My Clutter! What To Do When You Can’t Get Started

Organisation and declutter expert Jules Langford from Cluttered to Cleared shares her tips to face the clutter when it gets too much.

How often have you decided that today is the day you will declutter your home? And how often have you looked at the magazine-covered sofa, clothes on the floor or the clutter-mountain on the dining table and decided you’d rather live in a tent on the lawn?

Let’s be honest.  Even the thought of decluttering can be exhausting.  So it's not surprising many of us find it hard to even get started.

In this blog, I’ll give you some simple tips on how to take the most important step – the first one!

Start Small

Looking at every cupboard and surface of your clutter-filled home is the quickest way to ruin your resolve.  Instead, start by focusing on one room or area. Make sure it’s a size you feel confident you can tackle.  If that is just one drawer, that’s fine. Then pop on your “Clutter Blinkers” and give yourself permission to ignore the rest for now.

Send It Home

The thought of endless “keep it or throw it” decision-making derails many would-be declutterers.  The good news is you don’t need any decision-making for the next step. Simply collect up everything that does not belong in the room or area and put it back where it does belong.  You will see instant results – without the stress.

No Brainer Chuck-Outs

Make a big difference in a short time by filling a binbag with anything you can identify as rubbish in three seconds or less.  I call them “No Brainer Chuck-outs" and they include old magazines, dusty packs of tissues, half-packets of mints, droopy plants and leaky pens.  If in doubt, chuck ’em out!

Big And Bulky?

Can removing one item make a room look clearer?  Yes, it it’s a large piece of unused exercise equipment or redundant arm chair. It's amazing how many rooms play host to similar space-stealers.  Move them on make a difference in an instant.

Terrific Timers

Timers are a great way to take the pressure off by giving your declutter session a definite end. Work for long enough to see a difference but not so long you find it overwhelming.  If five minutes is all you can face, that’s fine.  But give the task your total focus for that time.

Sum it up

Decluttering can be challenging.  But if you keep going you will get great results.  Take the first step and the rest will follow!