1. Pick one room
Don’t overwhelm yourself. Break down your decluttering tasks by room or area. Then select just one room or area at a time that you’d like to work on. Begin examining the room’s contents - from furniture to closets to drawers - to see what you can tackle first.
2. Set a goal
Make sure you set a reasonable goal for what you’d like to accomplish. If possible, give yourself an achievable amount of time so you’re not setting yourself up for failure. For instance, set a date that you’d like the task to be finished so you can work toward that (e.g., “Clean guest room by Thanksgiving for overnight guests”).
3. Manage your time
Decluttering burnout is a real thing. Try to set aside finite increments of time each week or each day for your task. If you have the time daily, you may wish to designate one hour per day to that task. That way, you’ll feel more motivated to continue rather than be burned out by the process.
4. Group items into categories
It’s helpful to organize items by categories as you’re working. These can include: toss, recycle, donate, give to friend, and put in deep storage. Sticking to one of these categories for each item can help you move more quickly through the process. Use boxes, bags or bins for each category to put items in.
5. Start with an easy task
Beginning with a manageable project offers less opportunity for being overwhelmed and gives you motivation for continuing the process. Organizing a drawer is a great place to smart. It’s manageable and gives you the sense of accomplishment that you need to continue.
6. Give the decluttered area a good scrub
Of course, when you’ve decluttered enough to see the floor of your room or the bottom of that junk draw, make sure you give it a good scrub before adding items back. Libman makes over 350 cleaning products that can give you a hand.