4 Easy Ways to Declutter when Overwhelmed

It’s been a long day at work after a long week. You’ve fought through traffic and a long checkout line at the grocery store. You pull into your driveway and turn off the engine. A part of you is relieved to finally be home. Another part of you feels a sense of uneasiness. As you open the door and walk into your home, the uneasiness turns to a stomach sinking feeling of dread. There are piles of stuff everywhere, just waiting for you. Piles of mail and bills, baskets of laundry, unfinished projects, stuff that you meant to put away but never had the time. Any thought you had of your home being a place of respite has vanished. You take up the tasks that are demanding your attention the loudest, and those probably aren’t decluttering.

If this sounds familiar, you are certainly not alone.

The problem with the clutter is that it adds to feelings of being out of control. Our mental “to-do lists” get longer with each look around our own home. This place which is supposed to be a safe and nurturing space for us adds to our stress.

“Home” is the place where we let our guard down and relax. It is the space in which we recharge our batteries by sleeping, eating, entertaining ourselves, and making love. Ideally, it is a safe place. How do we make it safe and relaxing when we are already tired, stressed out and overwhelmed?

#1 – Start small

Decluttering projects get waylaid for one simple reason: the scope is too large for our current energy level. By saying, “I’m going to clean out the garage,” we set ourselves up for failure. Especially if that garage is stacked to the rafters with clutter. When the overwhelm sets in, it often kicks off a stream of unhealthy and unhelpful negative self-talk. This can set back the decluttering process months or years.

Instead, let’s focus on a small, manageable area that will yield positive results. This will give you some forward momentum that builds confidence. Here are a few suggestions that have a high impact value as well (more about that in a minute):

• Bedside table
• Entryway table
• Kitchen table
• Bathroom vanity

#2 – Choose a flat surface to declutter

What all of the above suggestions have in common is that they are flat surfaces. While it seems to make more sense to tackle the pile of clothes in the corner of your bedroom, it’s just too overwhelming a task to start at floor level. By choosing a tabletop surface, we are bringing your workspace to an easy reach. Grab a trash bag and make four piles of items:

• Things to be put away (somewhere else)
• Items for donation
• Recyclables
• Things I’m not sure about (60-Day test)

At the end of your decluttering session (are you feeling a little lighter?), make sure to take the time to put away everything in the first box. Put your recycling in the appropriate container. Take items for donation to the car and drop them off ASAP. If you are not sure about letting go of an item, place it in the 60-Day test box. Close it up and store it somewhere. Finally, put an alarm on your calendar to check this box in 60 days. If you haven’t thought about the items in the box during the 60 days, it’s probably time to release them with love and gratitude.

#3 – Choose areas that will make “first” impacts

Let’s start with the first space you see when you wake up in the morning – your bedside table. Or how about the entryway table by your door? The condition of these spaces set the tone for the next block of time in your home. I love to walk into my kitchen in the morning (I am NOT a morning person by nature) and see my clear countertops and kitchen table. It makes me feel like I have a clean slate for the day. Contrast this with walking into the kitchen and seeing cluttered counters, dirty dishes in the sink and old newspapers on the kitchen table. When we clear clutter from our space, we give ourselves room to breathe and to feel expansive and relaxed.

#4 – Set a timer

One trick I learned that has transformed the way I approach any household cleaning task as well as decluttering is to set a time limit on the activity. This helps me to stay focused on the job and makes me less prone to distractions. If I only have an hour to accomplish my goal, I tend to do it within that timeframe. This also helps with overwhelm. If the job requires more time than allotted, that’s ok – just find another time in the next few days to return to the task. We do our best decluttering work when we are fresh, before fatigue sets in.

These four simple tricks can transform a small space into a starting point for change. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Kids and spouses often balk at the suggestion of a large decluttering project but can get on board more easily for something smaller. Remember, if you are feeling overwhelmed by the clutter in your home, they may be as well. They may not show it in the same ways, but the feelings are likely to be there. When you take the first small step, you are helping them to do the same.

Clear your Space – Recharge your Self – Direct your Life

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Christina Laberge

Owner at Wellspring Energyworks

Liturgical Fabric Artist, Composer, Reiki Master Teacher, Space Clearing Consultant, Energetic Better Living Coach - Christina Laberge is living abundantly in the Boston area with her wife, Kelly, her two cats (Tam-Tam and Rosie) and one very cranky parrot (Daisy). She loves choral music, creating fabric art, travel, and riding on the back of a very large Harley motorcycle.

Latest posts by Christina Laberge (see all)

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