How to Tackle Decluttering When it Feels Overwhelming

• Why are so many of us averse to tidying up? After all, we know that good home organisation is linked with better mental health awareness and reduced stress levels. 
• What’s Causing Your Overwhelm?
• Break The Tasks Down
• Create A Manageable Schedule 
• Take Notice Of How Much Better You Feel
• Let Us Help

Why are so many of us averse to tidying up? After all, we know that good home organisation is linked with better mental health awareness and reduced stress levels. 

A tidy home is more inviting and easier to move about in. So, what causes us to dodge the duster and pretend the ever-building pile of bags and boxes doesn’t exist? If you are keen to declutter your home but feel in a state of overwhelm, we have you covered! Read on to discover practical tips on how to overcome this feeling and get motivated to tidy up.

What’s Causing Your Overwhelm?

Being overwhelmed causes us to cut corners. A survey has shown that 44% of us will hide clutter in a cupboard rather than deal with it directly. And 46% will close off a room to hide the contents, rather than organise it and make it usable. 

So what’s causing this behaviour? 

1. You might feel the task is too big

If you have reached a point where there’s little room to manoeuvre, you may give up before you begin. The task simply feels too big, and you cannot find a way to get started. 

2. You might be holding onto sentimental items

It is normal, especially as we get older, to see sentiment in most of our possessions. You might not want to throw away items that hold memories, but also don’t know where to put them, and so find yourself at an emotional hurdle. What if your clutter has been inherited? How do you know what to keep?  Do you simply live in the mess? Or throw away keepsakes? 

3. You might be stuck in a negative spiral

In the same way that tidying up is linked to a boost in mental wellness, living in clutter can cause problems like depression and anxiety, which then demotivate you, and can act as a barrier to cleaning. 

Once you have identified what it is that’s causing you overwhelm, you can make a plan to push past this. 

Break The Tasks Down

If you’re overwhelmed because the task has become too big, the easiest solution is to break it down. There are two ways to do this. The first is by making a list of every room you need to declutter. Then, next to each room, write bullet points of what specifically needs doing. For example, Bedroom: sort boxes on top of the wardrobe, go through piles of clothes in the cupboard, organise the bedding and blanket box, clear out under the bed etc. This will help you to organise your thoughts, come up with a plan and know exactly what you have to do. 

The second option is to use the Marie Kondo declutter exercise. This is similar to the above, but instead of decluttering room by room, you’ll declutter by category (e.g. clothes, books, papers etc). 

Create A Manageable Schedule 

Once you have listed your tasks, you can schedule them. If you are feeling overwhelmed, ensure that you don’t push yourself too hard. Instead, set a daily task, no matter how small. It might be to unpack a drawer in the lounge or finally organise underneath the coffee table. If you feel you can do more than one task, add it to the list. 

Take Notice Of How Much Better You Feel

As the home begins to look clearer, and you notice space and light in areas that were otherwise dark and hidden, take notice of how much better you feel. Do you feel more relaxed? Prouder? Happier? At home? Relish in these feelings and use them as motivation to move in an upward spiral of having a clean home and good mental health. 

Let Us Help

Asking for help isn’t easy, which is why we will assist you in decluttering your home for free. Instead of taking your unwanted items to a tip or giving them away, we make it easy for you to sell them. Simply put your unwanted bits and bobs into a box and affix the free postage label we send you, take it to a post office, and within 3 days you will receive a monetary offer from us. You can either accept our offer, or we will send you the items back for free. It’s that simple!

Would you like to give it a go? Order your free postage pack here.