Decluttering Hacks: Make Tough Choices Easier

No doubt about it, looking at a messy, cluttered home can make it tough to know where to start when decluttering is the goal. Maybe you’ve gradually accumulated way more stuff than you can manage. Or perhaps you need to declutter before a move to lighten the load and start fresh somewhere new. Whatever your reason, if you want to cut down your possessions, you might be searching for good ideas to get the ball rolling. It may sound too good to be true, but using a simple checklist is one of the best ways to make this happen. It can keep you from feeling overwhelmed when you have to make tough choices, and help you stay focused on realistic goals so you can keep making progress.

You could create your own checklist by thinking of easy-to-get-rid-of items like worn-out shoes, old broken phones, or clothes you never wear anymore. But you don’t even have to start from scratch – there are lots of decluttering checklists online you can use to get ideas on where to begin. Then you can customize the list to fit your specific needs by crossing out anything you’re not ready to part with yet.

Going through your home to decide what to keep and what to get rid of can be really overwhelming. But if you focus on the checklist first and then go through your stuff to collect the items you’re ready to part with, you can save yourself a lot of mental and emotional drain. Focusing on the list helps you tackle the easy stuff first to free up some space. Like, your checklist might tell you to get rid of food storage containers that are missing lids or bottoms. You don’t have to overthink it – the list gives you a clear guideline, and those containers are an easy call. And as you check things off, you’ll feel like you’re making progress, which can help you keep the momentum going.

Plus, with a room-by-room checklist, the whole process will feel way less daunting. You may be able to knock out a smaller space like a bathroom in just a few hours. Tossing expired sunscreen isn’t a tough decision, and it won’t leave you exhausted. And since decluttering isn’t usually a one-and-done kind of project, having an ongoing list on hand makes it easy to jump back in whenever you have the time and energy. That way, you don’t have to waste time re-organizing your thoughts every time.