Six Useful Decluttering Tips That Actually Work

You know you need to declutter. But there are so many different decluttering tips all over the internet, how can you figure out which ones actually work? The truth is, only you will know which tips work for you. With that said, I have compiled a list of tips that will help you determine what you, personally, need for your home and your circumstances. In order to truly be successful with decluttering, you need to become aware of your personal strengths, weaknesses, habits, and preferences.

So let’s get right into the 6 decluttering tips that actually work for everyone!

KNOW YOUR CLUTTER THRESHOLD

How much clutter are you willing to live with?

What about your spouse and your kids?

It’s an interesting question to consider… But it’s also an important one.

You see, everyone has their own “clutter threshold”. This is the amount of clutter that you, personally, are willing to live with. And it’s different for everyone.

So how does this actually help you declutter?

Knowing your clutter threshold means you will be much more likely to be successful. Instead of decluttering just for the sake of decluttering, you will have an end goal in mind – something that you can literally work towards.

If we all have different levels of clutter that we are willing to live with, that means a “clutter-free home” will look different for everyone.

Your vision of a clutter-free home may include a comfortable environment, with all of your favorite possessions on display. While someone you follow on Instagram may prefer to have no visual clutter anywhere in sight.

Knowing what your clutter threshold is can be a game-changer because it allows you to understand why all those Instagram-worthy homes look so pristine, while yours looks more like a toy store.

Plus, it will help you recognize what areas of your home need to be prioritized.

So let’s say that you cannot stand having stuff piled on your flat surface tables, chairs, and counters. But having piles of laundry baskets doesn’t really bother you… Use this information to help you determine where you should start decluttering. And then, come up with some effective solutions to keep the clutter off your flat surfaces!

CREATE A DECLUTTERING PLAN

The second decluttering tip that will help you be successful with decluttering is to create a personalized decluttering plan.

I have a decluttering plan worksheet that you can use to help you through this exercise. But all you really need is a blank sheet of paper and a pen!

TO DETERMINE YOUR PERSONAL DECLUTTERING PLAN, ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

• Start by writing down your vision for your home.  How will it look & feel?  What do you need to do to reach that vision?
• Where do you plan to start decluttering?  Do you have a specific room in mind?
• How will you get rid of your unwanted items?  Will you sell them or donate them?  Where to?  Jot down any names, numbers, and rates.
• Will you follow a specific decluttering strategy?  You can choose to have a big declutter session or short, mini sessions. Will you focus on one category, one room, or one small space at a time?

Having a decluttering plan will ensure that all your bases are covered. It’s also a great way to get motivated – when you plan for something in advance, you’ll be much more likely to follow through.

IMPROVE YOUR MINDSET 🧠

Out of all the decluttering tips, your mindset is arguably the most important!

This is because your results are coming from your thoughts. Every single result that you get in life is directly related to the thoughts that you have.

That may be a hard pill to swallow, but recognizing this will change your entire life.

The only difference between those who are successful with decluttering and those who aren’t… It’s not that one is more organized than the other. It’s their belief in themselves.

So if you have been unsuccessful with decluttering, it’s because you BELIEVE that you’re not good at it.

Your thoughts control your feelings. And your feelings impact the actions you take.

So when you tell yourself, “I’m bad at decluttering. My house is trashed, my family never helps, I’ll have to live like this forever”, you will FEEL uninspired, unmotivated, and pretty uninterested in decluttering your home.

And if you feel uninterested and uninspired, what kind of action will you take? That’s right – none! You will end up avoiding your clutter because it leaves you feeling so badly.

This is why focusing on your mindset is such an important part of decluttering! Mindset is what is holding a lot of women back from being able to declutter their homes.

So what can you do differently? For the sake of time, I will go over a few of the basic tips to help you get started improving your mindset. But if you know that your mindset is holding you back, click here to join our free community, The Declutter Society. You will get more individual support and more specific trainings to help with your decluttering mindset!

👉🏻 Recognize that you can choose to believe whatever you want by becoming more intentional with your thinking.  When you understand that YOU dictate how you think, feel, and act, you will have limitless potential.

👉🏻 Do a thought dump.  You can do this by spending 10 or 15 minutes writing about the thoughts you’re having.  This is different from a brain dump, which is when you unload all of the tasks you need to complete.  A thought dump is more focused on your actual thoughts and what you are thinking.  This will allow you to separate yourself from your thoughts so you can shift towards thoughts that support the life you want to have.

👉🏻 Prove your limiting beliefs wrong.  Each morning, when you wake up, write in your journal for a few minutes about how you’re feeling and what you’re thinking.  When you’re done, read what you’ve written and then, ask yourself if it is an absolute fact. Most of the time, you will recognize that it is a simple thought or a feeling – not a true fact.

For example, you may write something similar to, “I’m feeling very frustrated because my kids never help out around the house and my husband leaves his clutter everywhere.  We’re gonna have to live like this forever.”

In your head, that seems like a very real situation.  But when you’re able to separate yourself from your thoughts, you can see that statement is not 100% true.  In fact, both of the above situations are something you have complete control over – you can work to get your kids to help out around the home, and you can find some organizing hacks to help you manage your husband’s clutter hot spots. This means you won’t really have to live with your messy home forever!

When you view your thoughts from an outside perspective, it helps you see things more positively.  And that is a step in the right direction towards changing your mindset!

👉🏻 Ask yourself one question every day that supports your thinking.  “How can I declutter my home?  What kind of mindset will support that?” 

For example, let’s say you want to start decluttering your home.  The mindset you may want to adapt could look like, “I’m getting better every day.  A calm and well-run home environment will allow me to save time and become a more present mother so I can raise my children to be responsible, driven adults who know how to take care of their things.  I am learning how to declutter so I can create a home that serves me and my family for the rest of our lives.”  Or you can always go with something more simple, such as, “I deserve a clean space. I can let go of one new thing every day.”

TAKE NOTE OF YOUR PEAK HOURS

A big part of the decluttering process is making decisions. But as adults, we already make more than 30,000 subconscious decisions every single day! This could very well be why it’s hard for you to declutter – because you’re trying to make decisions on items during a time when your mental capacity has been exhausted.

Me, personally, I know that around 6pm, I’m done making decisions for the day. I spend the entire day answering questions that my kids ask, dealing with my barking dog, breaking up sibling fights, and trying to raise responsible, respectful human beings. Every evening after dinner, almost like clockwork, I get frustrated easily and I’m quicker to snap at my kids. This is definitely not the best time for me to declutter!

If you have a very demanding day job, you may prefer to relax and unwind during the evenings.

Alternatively, you may work overnight. If so, the early evenings might be more productive for you compared to the early mornings when you first get home from work.

When are you ready to tune out for the day? What time of day would you prefer to not answer questions or make decisions? Choose to declutter at an opposing time! This will be your peak hours – when you are at optimal capacity.

MAKE IT A HABIT

If you’re looking for decluttering tips that will truly help you be successful in your home, developing a decluttering habit will make a huge difference!

5 years from now, you will have items in your home that you have outgrown. And if you have a family, that will probably be closer to 5 weeks from now. 😉

You see, decluttering has no finish line. This is because we are constantly cycling through things that we no longer need, use, love, or want. Whether that’s clothing that no longer fits you, a blouse that isn’t in style anymore, baby gear that you don’t need anymore, ripped-up socks, broken toys, or expired makeup… There will always be items in your home that you need to declutter.

So even if you successfully finish decluttering your home this year, you will need to declutter again in the future.

But when you make decluttering a habit, you won’t have to worry about having a full-blown decluttering session multiple times a year!

You can choose to declutter for a few minutes at a time, multiple times a week. Or you can choose to have a bigger decluttering session one weekend a month. Or maybe you would prefer to declutter by season… Such as every summer and winter.

Whichever you choose, a decluttering habit is something that will serve you well for the rest of your life!

HAVE FUN!

You can try all the decluttering tips in the world, but if you have negative feelings about decluttering, you will never be successful. But you can avoid all that by making decluttering fun!

When something is fun and exciting, you will look forward to it and begin to truly enjoy the process. And that is how you will be able to keep your home clutter-free in the long term!

Here are a few ways to have fun while you declutter:

🔹 Race your kids!  See who can be the first to find 12 items to throw away, 12 items to give away, and 12 items to put back where they belong.

🔹 Turn on some classic rock or 90’s rap songs and have a dance party while you declutter!

🔹 Come up with a reward for decluttering a space in your home.  This can be something small like a new blouse or a pedicure, or it can be something bigger like a night away with your spouse.  Just be sure to choose a reward that you’re really excited about!

🔹 Give away one item each day and keep track of your progress in a notebook.  Or follow the Mins Game… For one month, how many items you declutter will correspond with the date of the month.  For example, on Day #1, you’ll declutter one item.  And on Day #30, you’ll find 30 things to declutter!

FINAL THOUGHTS ON DECLUTTERING TIPS

I hope these decluttering tips will help you declutter your own home!

If you have never learned how to declutter, it’s important that you find a way to make it work for you. And these tips are a great starting point!

Now that you know how to be successful, let’s get you started decluttering! 

Click here to join over 700 people who are winning over their clutter inside our free community, The Declutter Society.  Each week, you'll find tips to help you with your home, live sessions, and accountability.