Decluttering the entire house can feel overwhelming, especially after a year of non-decluttering. The easiest way to start is to go from room to room, focusing on key zone first. Before you begin to declutter your home, set up a sorting system: prep five baskets, boxes, bins or big bags (get these from Ikea or Daiso) for things you want to: #1 throw away, #2 recycle, #3 fix, #4 give away and #5 donate.
If you haven’t been throwing out stuff, you most likely would not be able to declutter your home in a day. Decluttering is not just a physical process, it can be highly emotional as well. That’s because a lot of our stuff is connected to memories, and it is very likely that you would be smiling, laughing or even, cursing your way through the declutter process. So, make time for the emotional ride.
While clutter refers to things that no longer serve a purpose in your life, or something that doesn’t bring you joy anymore (this is dependent on the declutter philosophy you go by; we do like Marie Kondo’s), clutter can sometimes be disguised themselves as treasure. You need to see through that veil. Repeat this phrase to yourself: “Keep the memories, get rid of the stuff!” This phrase came from Linda Hetzer and Janet Hulstrand, authors of Moving On: A Practical Guide to Downsizing the Family Home, and the blog Downsizing the Home: Lessons Learned.
In any case, don’t rush and give yourself time (if you have no time, reschedule decluttering and do this instead). Declutter a room in a day, perhaps all the bedrooms at one go, or one room every night. Here’s how you can bring control to the chaos in your house.
