The Do's and Don'ts of Decluttering

Have you ever seen something on social media that just hits wrong? 

This week I saw a video that just didn’t sit right with me and it’s what inspired today’s blog post. 

I'll definitely share more about that video later in the post but first we're going to dive into some of the top things that you should and should not do during your decluttering journey.

Do Start Small

Don't feel the need to go big. Instead, start small. This is not a TV show where we're cutting to a commercial and coming back to an entire room that is now decluttered and organized. That's not real life. 

Especially if you are doing this on your own without help, I cannot stress the importance of starting small. 

And I mean as small as 1 box, 1 drawer, 1 shelf. Start small. 

Depending on the layers and levels of support that you have surround you, maybe you're able to do something bigger. 

That's why I've built a team of professional organizers. When I started my business, I was doing this all on my own. And as a solo professional organizer, I realized I needed a team to meet the needs of my clients.

So if you're going to start on your own, don't go big. Start small. 

Because when you start big and that dopamine starts to wear off as you go, you'll be left with a room full of items that are so overwhelming that you're ready to quit, walk out, and shut the door. 

If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. It's not that my clients haven't already tried on their own. It's that they have tried. But they set goals based on unrealistic expectations

So before you go through this journey, be realistic about your ability and your capacity.

Don't Rush the Process

Take your time. You're going to need time to work through the clutter both physically and mentally. You want to allow your space to give you feedback so that you can understand why you have this clutter and why now is the time to get rid of it. 

If you're rushing then you won't allow yourself the time to think about where the clutter is coming from. Any time we can slow down and get intentional and mindful about the process that we're going through, that's is going to give us a better result down the road. 

So, the next time you have to make a decision, slow down. Don't rush it. Allow yourself to take your time. This is not going to happen overnight. Embrace that.  

Do Start With Easy Items

Don't start with sentimental items. Do start with the easy stuff. 

Even though the sentimental items might be what's taking up the most space in your home, until you have successfully built up and strengthened that decluttering muscle it's going to be harder to work through the process of letting the hard stuff go. 

Start working out your decluttering muscle by doing some of the more obvious things. Get rid of trash, expired food, shoes that have a hole in the toe, or clothing that you know your child is 5 sizes past. 

What are the obvious things in your space that no longer need to be there? Start there. 

Don't start with the hard stuff because by starting small, taking your time, getting rid of trash and recycling and all that more obvious stuff, you are signaling to your brain that you've got this. 

And when you do go up against the hard stuff, you'll have something to reference. Now your brain knows, wait a minute, I have control because we've been here before, and I've got this. You've got this. 

So, start with the easier, more obvious stuff. Get in the habit. Keep doing that over and over and over again. Build those muscles up and then work your way into the more sentimental, emotional items. 

This goes for any form of clutter.

For example, if you're dealing with organizing your calendar, get rid of the events that are already canceled first before dealing with some big commitment that might take a longer time to process.

Where could you eliminate smaller amounts of more obvious clutter in all areas of your life? This could be physical trash, or maybe it's doom scrolling on your phone.

There are different forms of clutter, but any time you can start with the small, obvious stuff, that's going to get you further through the process instead of burning you out at the beginning. 

Don't Let The Clutter Sit Around

Once you start to actually dive in and clear out some of the clutter, what are you going to do with it? Where is it going to go and how are you going to start to prevent it from coming back in? 

Don't leave it in your home. Do schedule a drop off or a pick up. Send it out. Make a plan. Set a deadline.

When you've created space after you've decluttered, don't feel the need to fill the space right away. Make sure you are systematically adding the things back in. Sort them, categorize them, and put them back with thought. Don't just throw things back to fill the space that you've just cleared. 

Do Focus on You

This brings us to the video I saw on social media earlier this week. This video was meant to be funny. But I didn't laugh.

In this video a woman was lovingly folding her husband's sweatshirt. And when she was done, she threw it in the trash and went on her merry way. 

What I don't want you to do when you are working through your decluttering journey is to make decisions for other people's items, other people's commitments, other people's thoughts. That's for them to work through.

What I want you to do is to start with the clutter that's affecting you. 

Start with your own items. Start with your own commitments. Start with your own thoughts. You can lead by example, but if you start to make the decisions for somebody else, they're going to backfire. 

Focus on you.

This is about less clutter, more you. It doesn't mean you can't have a conversation with somebody else about their clutter. It doesn't mean you don't need to find a balance of being a parent with a child as you're decluttering. It doesn't mean that you can't share the benefits that you have been experiencing from living with less clutter. But it does mean that you cannot make the final decision about some somebody else's things. 

Of course, there are exceptions to these rules, and there are situations where you are left with no choice but to make these decisions. But let this be my public service announcement:

Please do not throw away somebody else's personal belongings without their permission. 

Don't Stop At Decluttering

After you've decluttered, after you've made space, don't fill up that space with bins, baskets and storage containers. 

This is a move for the professionals, someone who's been down this road a few times and can identify what a space is likely going to need because they have done it on numerous occasions. What I want you to focus on after decluttering your space is identifying if there is even a need for the baskets and bins. You may find that that's actually not even part of the solution, and most of the time, it's not. 

See what space you're working with and then if there's a need, take measurements, do research, and make mindful, intentional purchases. 

Because we know what happens when we're just buying things on a whim. They end up in the pile of the clutter that we're already dealing with at home. 

So those are just a few starter dos and don'ts when you are working your way down this curvy, windy road, of decluttering.

Keep at it. 

Start small. 

Take your time. 

Make the space. 

Be intentional and don't get discouraged. 

Don't compare your journey to somebody else's.

Set your own personal goals and reflect on your personal progress, because it's going to look different to every single person based on their space, how they're spending their time, their different routines and habits, and what their day-to-day looks like. 

You cannot compare your journey to anybody else's. 

You may find inspiration and motivation through working with somebody else and having that support and encouragement and a goal to reach for, but you cannot compare your progress to somebody else's. 

So these are a few things that you can shift if you're doing something that maybe is not ideal for your journey to living with less.

Shift your mind.

Get into action.

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 Hello, I'm Maggie! I am the author of this blog and the owner of Chesterfield Organizing Co. I help people just like you declutter and organize their physical space so they can create the space for what matters most in all areas of their life.

As a professional organizer, it's my job to use patience and compassion, above all things, to guide you through the process of clearing the clutter, creating systems of sustainable organization, and/or helping you move with more ease. Whether you want an in-person service, organizing membership, or online service, Chesterfield Organizing Co. is here to help!