The question I’m most frequently asked about decluttering is “Where do I start?” I understand how easy it is to become overwhelmed by all the stuff. We want to throw our hands up and say, “It’s too much! I don’t even know where to begin.” I’ve been there. But there is a path forward, and it starts with that first step. As Dave Ramsey often says, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Here are a few ideas to help you decide where to start:
Start for a reason.
If you have a desire to declutter your home, there must be a reason. Name it! This is the incentive that will keep you on track even if the process becomes difficult. In my case, the extra stuff had to go because it was robbing me of precious time and energy. As a mom, I wanted to spend more time taking care of my kids and less time taking care of our stuff. In order to do that, I needed to declutter permanently. Don’t miss the important distinction between decluttering temporarily (organizing) and decluttering permanently (minimizing). Don’t fall into the trap of “organizing” your clutter. It’s time to remove it. Having a clearly defined reason will help.
Start with something easy.
Look around the house for something that obviously doesn’t belong. It could be a pile of papers waiting to be recycled. A stack of library books ready to be returned. A pair of shoes your child has outgrown. Expired food hiding in the fridge or the pantry. Start by eliminating some of these extraneous items. Joshua Becker, author of The Minimalist Home, says he began by removing all the trash from his car. Some things are easy to part with – it’s just a matter of taking the time to throw them out.
Start small.
The best way to achieve a big goal is to break it down into small steps, and develop a plan for completing each step. You may want to declutter the whole house, but you might have to start with the junk drawer in the kitchen. You may want to tackle all the closets, but you might have to begin with just one shelf. No amount of progress is too small to be worthwhile! Starting with something small will give you an immediate victory, which comes with a sense of accomplishment. As you go along, you’ll start to see areas where you can put systems in place to support your goal. (For example, a mail system, cleaning schedule, evening routine, etc.) Developing systems will be essential for maintaining your tidy home. But for now, enjoy every success, no matter how small!
Start in the area that bothers you the most.
Is there one spot in your home that drives you crazy because it’s always a mess? Maybe it’s the dining room table or the hall closet or the mudroom floor. For me, it was the kitchen counter. It seems to be a magnet for clutter. When I decided to declutter my home for good, I started with the surfaces. One by one, I cleared the countertops, tabletops, and desktops. (You can read more on how I decluttered my home layer by layer here.) Once you’ve eliminated the most annoying clutter, you’ll realize how much stress went out the door with it! As the benefits of owning less become clear, you’ll become even more committed to the process.
Don’t start with the things you value most.
Don’t make it hard on yourself by starting with the biggest decluttering challenge in your home. If photography is your hobby, don’t begin with your photos. If fashion is your thing, don’t start with your clothes. If you’re the sentimental type, don’t begin with your child’s artwork. Exercise your decluttering muscles for a while before tackling the areas you know will be tough. Who knows? Once you get rid of all the inconsequential stuff, you might decide you have room to keep more of the things you value most. That’s the goal of decluttering, right? Remove the things that don’t matter so you can enjoy the things that do.
Getting started might be the hardest part of this endeavor, but it’s also the most important. The first step is the catalyst for all the steps to come. Each tiny victory is motivation to move forward on the path of progress. You can do this! Now go get started!