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Tell me if this seems familiar. You’re surrounded by mess. Everything you see is triggering you. You want to start clearing up the house. But you just can’t seem to. You don’t know where to start. Is there a room you should declutter first? How do you even decide that? Truth is, the answer can really depend on your choices and circumstances. After all, there are many factors that can determine where to start decluttering your home.
Home organization experts everywhere vary greatly on their opinion on where to start decluttering. There is no right or wrong answer, really. But there is an answer that will work the best for you. But before you can find that answer, you’ll need understand each approach.
I’ll take you through each approach, as suggested by pros. By the end of this article, you will be able to make a decision on where to start – based on your own unique needs and preferences.
Approach 1: Start with The Space That’s Stressing You Out
One of the best places to start decluttering is to start with the room or area that is stressing you out the most. Many experts recommend this as a good place to start, and with good reason.
Clearing out a space that is bothering you the most gives you an instant hit of dopamine and a great sense of relief and achievement.
It could be as small as a kitchen drawer, or as large as your bedroom. The size of the space doesn’t matter. The idea is to just start with the messiest, most troublesome area for you.
This one is also my personal go-to, because it’s effective and inspiring – at the same time. It almost has a snowball effect. Once you’ve tackled the space that’s really driving you up the wall, you’ll likely feel the urge to dive into decluttering other areas in your home as well.
Approach 2: Start from the Start Of Your Home
An entryway to the home is one of the biggest clutter magnets. It can be full of loose, floating items like keys, papers, coats, bags etc.
Not only will you feel good after clearing the entryway, starting here will literally give you a solid starting point. From here on, you can work yourself into your house and clear out spaces, one room at a time.
Approach 3: Start with the Germiest
The process of decluttering is often inextricably linked with cleaning up. Once you’ve cleared clutter, you’ll most likely want to give the space a quick wipe down for good measure.
And when it comes to cleaning up, an area you should always tackle first is – the bathroom. The bathroom is home to the most bacteria and viruses. Which is why most professional cleaners start there.
Once you’ve scrubbed your bathroom clean, clear out what needs to be trashed. Check all your cabinets and throw away any empty bottles, old toothbrushes, spongers or scrubbers.
Approach 4: Start with the Smallest Area
When you’re too overwhelmed to even begin, the best way to start is to start small.
One counter, one drawer – anything controllable and clearly defined.
Once you’re done with that, take on another small area. Say, the cutlery drawer. Slowly, the small stuff adds up and makes a significant difference to the way your home looks and the way you feel.
Approach 5: Start with All the Surfaces
If you want to see visible impact, right away, the best place to start is with all the surfaces.
Start clearing out all the flat surfaces, first in high-traffic areas like the living room or the kitchen.
Then you can expand to clear all counters in your home – your bathroom, your nightstand, the console table etc.
Clearing out all visual clutter will immediately give your home a sense of calm and order. It really will feel like most of the battle is won. And that becomes your motivation to go deeper and keep decluttering.
Approach 6: Start Anywhere, Just Set a Timer
One of the biggest reasons we never get around to clearing up is because we feel like we don’t have the time to make such a huge commitment. But the fact is, you don’t always need too much time to make an impact.
A helpful hack is to simply set a 15 minute timer and start clearing out a space. It could be your bedroom. Keep a few bins ready. And start the timer. Trash what you know can’t be used. Donate what you no longer need. Keep things back where they belong. Beep! You’re done.
You’ll be amazed how much you’ll have tackled in those 15 minutes!
I have an entire post full of strategies on how to declutter your home, fast – you may want to check that out of you don’t have a lot of time to spare.
So those are it. A few approaches and ideas on where to start decluttering when you are too overwhelmed. Pick an approach that best suits your circumstance. If you’re too stressed with the mess, pick 1. Have less time? Pick 6. If you want visible results, quick, pick 5. You get the drift.
Now that you know where to start decluttering, you might want to check out my article on the exact steps to effectively declutter your entire home. And if you want to make sure the mess doesn’t make a comeback in your home – check out some quick ideas to keep your home clutter-free!
