Learn how to declutter your home, even when you’re overwhelmed. Whether your home just needs a little organization or it’s a messy house and you don’t know where to start, this decluttering and spring cleaning checklist will help you get past that first mental hurdle. I also have a decluttering your home printable checklist that’s free to everyone. In just 30 days you can have a decluttered home.
The 30 day declutter challenge can be completed in just an hour a day. You’ll tackle that cluttered or messy house and overcome what may feel as an impossible task. This can be done yearly as spring cleaning or do it any time of year when you need to declutter your home.
How To Declutter Your Home When You’re Overwhelmed
1. Create an action plan.
Create your own plan or download my free 30 day declutter guide. It will help you figure out which rooms and areas to tackle and what to focus your energy on. Having a cleaning checklist or a decluttering your home printable checklist will help your brain stay focused on the task at hand and not get overwhelmed.
2. Set a timer.
Commit yourself to 30-60 minutes a day. Set your timer and stop when the timer goes off. You might be tempted to keep going but if you’re prone to being overwhelmed it might burn you out. Stick to your set time and work as quickly and efficiently during that time period.
Don’t check your text messages or your social media while you’re working. Just stay focused on your one task during this period.
3. Stay in one area.
While you’re decluttering your bathroom, don’t leave the bathroom. If you’re like me you’ll find something in the bathroom that belongs in the bedroom so you’ll walk out of the bedroom to put it away and notice something in the bedroom that needs to be done so you’ll do that and before you know it your timer is going off and you haven’t been in the bathroom for 30 minutes.
Follow your action plan (step 1) and stay in that area until your timer goes off. This will help your brain stay focused on your one area and task. This is a very important key for how to declutter your home if your mind is prone to wander.
4. Gather your cleaning supplies.
Before you begin, gather your basic cleaning supplies. This isn’t for a deep clean but before you put things back in a drawer you’ll want to wipe it down. I suggest having these items:
- Your basic all purpose cleaner (this is the best one to use).
- A rag for cleaning and a rag for dusting.
- Paper towels
5. Use 3 bins to organize your clutter.
One of the most common tips by experts on how to declutter your home includes this tip. Whether these are laundry bins, buckets or something else, keep 3 bins with you during your decluttering time. Label one as trash, one as donate and one as keep (but not in the correct place). You can spend the last 10 minutes of your time throwing out the trash, putting your donation pile in the trunk of your car or putting the “keep” items away in their other areas.
Having these bins on hand will help you stay focused in one location and keep you on task for your whole spring cleaning time period. My cleaning checklist has a printable that will help you decide whether to keep, toss or donate items as well.
6. Learn to say goodbye.
If you find it difficult to get rid of items you don’t use frequently this could be a challenge for you. But, especially if it doesn’t have a proper place to be put away, or if you don’t use it, it’s time to learn to get rid of things. A messy, cluttered house is often the symptom of having too many things.
Use the 30 day declutter challenge guide and worksheets to help you learn to say goodbye to the messy house. If it doesn’t have a home or isn’t used, give it away.
How To Declutter Your Home And Organize Specific Areas
Here are some fun and creative ways to organize specific areas of your home. From organizing all the shoes to jewelry and, the the worst: toys.
Free 30 Day Declutter Challenge Guide and Worksheets
Add your name and email address to receive the free 10 page declutter challenge and cleaning checklist. This will help you learn how to declutter your home and stay on task so you don’t become overwhelmed. This decluttering your home printable checklist is totally free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sometimes the best way to start is to just start. Once you’ve read through my 6 tips for decluttering when you’re overwhelmed you should grab your timer and just begin with step 1.
The key to decluttering quickly is to have a plan and to stay on task. These 6 tips should help you do that. If you want to declutter quickly then don’t aim for perfection. Set your timer and get as much done in your 30 minutes as possible. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
There’s no right answer. For most people, clutter in the home leaves them overwhelmed. There’s a common theory that clutter in the home is clutter in the mind. But, as we know, not everyone is the same. So decide for yourself if the clutter in your space is impacting you or the other occupants negatively.