Apr 12, 2017

How to Stay Calm and Declutter

My Spring Cleaning is in full swing, and I can’t help but feel the pressure to declutter and simplify our house even more than before. I started a little earlier this year with lots of decorating projects under my belt and I have to admit that I’ve felt overwhelmed with trying to get it all done. It’s so hard to lose your motivation when you feel like you are drowning in a never-ending sea of clutter, so today I’m sharing some real progress and after photos of my Spring clean out, along with some of my best tips for how to stay calm and declutter.

1. Remind yourself of why you started.
When you feel like you’re drowning and not making progress, remind yourself why you started to declutter in the first place. What was your end goal when you started the process? If you’re like me, it’s something along the lines of feeling more calm and in charge of your life. The quicker I work toward that goal, the quicker it will happen for me and the happier I will be.

2. Take advantage of cleaning moods.
I go through phases where I feel like decluttering and cleaning out all the things, and phases where I absolutely do not want to do anything. Take advantage of when you are in the mood to clean out and let go of excess. If you need to drop everything to declutter, do it! Send the kids away, reschedule coffee dates if you need to, finding the calm after your big cleanout must be a priority for you when you are in the mood to work at it.

3. Remember this stage is only temporary.
While you might feel like you are drowning right now and overwhelmed, remember that this stage is only temporary. You need to power through to celebrate the end result. What is holding you back? Is there anything you can change about your process? Sometimes I spend a lot of time trying to sell stuff, but in the end it is usually easier for me to just let go and donate it all.

4. Use a system.
Keep track of your decluttering progress as a way to keep yourself motivated to move forward. I usually am a huge fan of to-do lists, but Marie Kondo just released an easy to follow app that looks like it would be a huge help too.

5. Stop bringing home more clutter.
This should probably be the first tip in this post, because it is the most important! The easiest way to help curb clutter overwhelm is to stop bringing it into your home. I know that it is often easier said than done, but once you put your foot down and start asking yourself if you really need something, the less you will have to contend with when it comes time to clean out.

How do you stay calm while you declutter?

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Great article!! One of my favorite times to clear clutter is before the holidays. We’re about to bring in “more.” Clearing out lightens and brightens so holiday candles and bits and bobs really shine. It’s a supremely fantastic time of year to donate; things we’ve lost a spark for magically renewed as someone else’s treasure.

Decluttering can get overwhelming. I always do small areas and make my way around. Your home is beautiful!

You did an awesome job decluttering your space. I really need to get started doing the same before the summer arrives

I went through this very stage at the beginning of this year – I threw away SO much STUFF! And I was SO glad I did. Clutter = stress for me.

Oh wow great job. The spring cleaning bug has not hit us just yet but we usually just do it in one go. We cannot stand the site of clutter it stresses us out. As to staying calm, well I’d say wine helps lol!

I was in decluttering mode during January, and part of February. Something about after the holidays got me in the mood. I made it a point to toss items on a daily basis. It worked, but I still have quite a bit to do!

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