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3 Simple Steps To A Less Cluttered Home (+A FREE Checklist)

If you’ve been around the blog long enough then you probably know that I like to keep my style clean and simple. I love a room that feels open and clutter-free. But as many of us know and understand all too well, de-cluttering is not something that can be done just once. It is a constant battle! And one that needs to be tackled regularly, if not seasonally then at least annually. But if the idea of de-cluttering your home feels overwhelming or you just need a dose of inspiration to get you started, then stick around! That’s because today I’m sharing my 3 simple steps to a less cluttered home (+ a FREE 30-Day Checklist to get you started).

Keeping your home clutter free can feel overwhelming sometimes. Make things easier with these 3 simple steps to creating a less cluttered home. (And get a FREE 30-Day Printable Checklist to get you started!)

3 STEPS TO A LESS CLUTTERED HOME

STEP 1:  THINK SMALL

Tackle your clutter by organizing things room by room and section by section.

Probably the greatest challenge to de-cluttering is getting over the mental stumbling block of purging your entire home. Yikes! It can feel downright overwhelming.

I know, ’cause I’ve been there.

But, if you stop thinking ‘big’ in favour of thinking ‘small’ then keeping things a little less cluttered will get a whole lot easier.

In fact, I NEVER de-clutter an entire room. NOT EVER.

I always target SMALL PRIORITY AREAS in a room that need to be purged.

That may even just be 1 spot in a room. It could be as small as one drawer in one of the bedrooms or the spice rack in the kitchen.

Doing these kinds of ‘quick purges’ that last 15-30 minutes feels incredibly satisfying. It means that you are able to start AND FINISH the task – an accomplishment that gives you the confidence to do it again, and again.

Progress, not perfection, is always my goal.

STEP 2:  DIVIDE YOUR HOME INTO ROOMS/SECTIONS FOR QUICK-PURGING TASKS

 

Decluttering your home starts with organizing small areas first.

Okay, now that you’ve got your mind set to ‘think small’ and doing quick purge tasks, this next step will feel a lot less overwhelming.

Taking a pen and a pad of paper, go from one room to the next and note the small areas that you’d like to purge.

Your notes may look something like mine did this year:

Kitchen:  1. junk drawer 2. tupperware drawer 3. pantry – upper half 4. pantry – lower half

Bathroom:  1. under sink 2. makeup/personal drawer 3. basket of hair products

Mudroom:  1. top shelf in coat closet 2. top 2 drawers of chest of drawers

ETC.

Note how small each project is. For the kitchen, I have 4 separate projects, each of which can be done between 15-30 minutes, depending on the amount of stuff I have.

More importantly, I’ve chosen NOT to purge the entire room! This would be senseless, self-defeating, and – I can only speak for myself here – meaningless because it would probably never get done.

TRUTH:  By choosing only the high priority areas in each room, I will inevitably leave some purging projects for another time.

Once again, progress, not perfection is the goal.

Working towards a clutter free home starts with organizing small areas first.

STEP 3:  GIVE YOURSELF A SPECIFIC & REALISTIC TIMEFRAME – 30 DAYS OR LESS

TRUTH:  Unless you provide a measurable timeline to get your purging done, it may only get partially completed (as you lose steam) or may not happen at all.

That’s why it’s important to provide a deadline for yourself. Whether you thrive on dedicating a large chunk of time (e.g., 1 or 2 weekends) or on doing small daily tasks that you can tackle throughout your week (that’s me!), then giving yourself a realistic timeline is absolutely necessary.

(BTW: I recently wrote about the value of using the ‘SMART’ method of setting goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timeline. You can get the FREE GUIDE here:  How My Vision Board Keeps Me Inspired.  It is a great tool for learning how to create tasks and goals that are specific and achievable.)

30 Days To A Less Cluttered Home:  For those of us unable to dedicate an entire weekend (or two) to de-cluttering our homes, then the most realistic scenario would be to dedicate 30 days to doing daily (or almost daily) quick-purge tasks that are no more than 15-30 minutes in length.

If that’s you, then you’ll want to get my ’30 Days To a Less Cluttered Home’ Checklist at the bottom of this post. It’s Absolutely FREE!

BONUS TIP:  No-Purge Days

When creating your quick-purge timeline, you may need to give yourself occasional days off from purging. This will help you make room for unexpected tasks, emergencies or other obligations that may come up. And, in some cases, you may need a bit more time than you originally thought!

By adding some ‘No-Purge’ days you’ll be able to get through your entire list in the time-frame you’ve set out 🙂

I know how overwhelming it can feel when you want to purge your home. But if you attack one small area at a time, following these 3 simple steps to a less cluttered home, you’ll start to see progress more quickly than you thought!

And there’s no better feeling than having a freshly, organized space 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

8 Comments

  • Reply
    Michelle
    February 5, 2018 at 7:14 am

    I soooooooo need this right now Jelica. Somewhere along the line I’ve become a bit of a pack rat and our home feels like it’s exploding at the seams with stuff. I’ve become a pro at turning my head the other way but it’s not working anymore coz the stuff is all over. Tackling one little space at a time sounds like something I can manage though. I’m going to try that right now.

  • Reply
    Katrin
    February 5, 2018 at 2:52 pm

    I love de-cluttering so much, that sometimes I throw out too much too fast. It makes me feel light and free and I love your tips, going to go de-clutter something on the weekend! Yay!

  • Reply
    Patrick@looneyforfood.com
    February 5, 2018 at 8:34 pm

    Great tips!! I hate clutter!

  • Reply
    Pat
    February 5, 2018 at 11:32 pm

    I came from a home where my Mother often said: “Easy to throw out, hard to take in.” She saved everything! It was the depression era mentality. I am better about decluttering, but I know I have much more I could get rid of. I’m a little sentimental, especially about books and memorabilia, but I’m getting better. I like your suggestion to work in small areas and make a plan. I’ve been doing that with my food pantry this winter with great success. I have challenged myself to not buy anything until I use up what I have and I’m slowly using up all my supplies.

  • Reply
    Laura Ingalls Gunn
    February 8, 2018 at 8:46 am

    I like the idea of concentrating on one area versus a room, which can indeed be overwhelming. This was a brilliant post!

  • Reply
    Florence
    February 10, 2018 at 10:57 pm

    This was encouraging Jelica. I like the idea of keeping it simple & starting small. That I can do. I’ve made little steps & I agree those are satisfying. Just making a start is satisfying. I like an uncluttered home as much as possible. Glad to hear you say you don’t do a whole room.

  • Reply
    Lisa
    December 11, 2022 at 7:51 am

    Hi Jelica! I love your idea of making small area lists to organize and purge for 15-30 minutes at a time! I agree it never gets done because it’s difficult to figure out where to begin. I recently sustained 2 major leaks in my home office/studio from an apartment above me within 6 month’s of each other. The second leak caused me to empty that room completely (after fully reorganizing it), and make some semblance of organization as I scattered items throughout my living space. My place looks like I just moved in with boxes and supplies not where they belong! I have been organizing in spurts but it’s taking too long. Thank you for sharing these stress free tips! Today I’m going to make the short area lists and go between the 3 rooms to really consolidate & purge more efficiently so I can get my apartment & studio back in shape. THANK YOU!!!

    • Reply
      Jelica
      February 9, 2023 at 4:38 pm

      Hi Lisa! I’m so sorry to hear about all the trouble you’ve gone through in your apartment. I hope you’ve been making steady progress since then. Remember to be gentle with yourself! All progress, no matter how small, is still progress. I’m so glad that my little corner of the internet gave you some ideas about where to begin – and some encouragement, too. Wishing you all the best, Jelica

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