How to Declutter Your Home Without Getting Overwhelmed, tips from a professional organizer in Cleveland, Ohio
You've decided today is the day. You pull everything out of the closet, spread it across the floor and then you sit down in the middle of it all and stare. Sound familiar? You're not lazy. You just walked into one of the most common decluttering traps there is.
What NOT to Do When Decluttering Your Home in Cleveland, Ohio
I was recently at a senior center in North Ridgeville giving education on decluttering and home safety and a lovely woman spoke to me and she said, “I started to declutter and get organized. I took everything out. I took everything out and then I sorted it into piles and then I fell.”
She ended up going to the hospital and rehab. When people were preparing the home for her return, they scooped everything up and put it all together. All her hard work was lost. Completely lost.
So, that’s what I would say not to do. Don’t take everything out because it’s extremely overwhelming. I run a professional organizing business and we do often take everything out, but that’s because I know that we won’t get overwhelmed and we’re going to put everything back before we leave. As a regular person, you’re going to get overwhelmed. Don’t do it.
No Mess Decluttering Method for Busy Homes
There are two different strategies, and you can use a mixture of the two.
The first one is a no mess decluttering strategy. The idea is instead of taking everything out, you look for things that you can pull out. You’re identifying items that don’t belong and removing just those.
You’re leaving the things that belong there and just getting out the things that don’t.
It’s usually the same categories:
Donation items
Trash
Things you might want to sell
Items that don’t belong
Instead of making a pile, take it where it goes right away. If something belongs upstairs, take it upstairs. If it needs to go to your car, put it in your car.
The piles are what get overwhelming. They sit around, they get mixed back in, and all your work goes to waste. The more you can put things where they belong right away, the less overwhelmed you’ll feel.
The Five Things Method for Decluttering Any Room
The second method is called the five things method from the book How to Keep House While Drowning.
She says in a room there are only five things:
Dishes
Laundry
Garbage
Things with homes
Things without homes
You go category by category.
Start with garbage. Gather all the trash. If you get interrupted, at least you know you finished one category.
Then laundry. Gather clothing, blankets, anything that needs to be washed and take it to the laundry room.
Then dishes. Gather the dishes and bring them to the sink.
Now you’re left with things with homes and things without homes.
Things with homes get put away. You know where they go.
Things without homes—that’s the real clutter. That’s where you have to make decisions.
By this point, you’ve narrowed it down so much that it’s much less overwhelming.
How to Handle Overwhelm While Decluttering Your Home
It’s very common to feel overwhelmed, especially if you’re tackling a large area.
Dedicate time. Schedule it. Don’t wait for motivation.
Remove distractions. Plan ahead.
Also, expect that you will feel overwhelmed. Have a plan for that moment.
Think about what helps you:
Snacks
Water
Taking breaks
Phoning a friend
You can even plan support. Maybe you declutter in the morning and have a friend come over later to help you continue.
Take before photos. You may feel like you’re not making progress, but when you look back, you’ll see a big difference.
Another helpful step is removing items you’ve already decided on. Take out the trash, load donations into your car, or even do a donation drop-off. It gives you a fresh look at the space. If you aren’t sure what to do next, try switching gears or doing something different, the pathway often becomes clear with a little time and distance.
Why Decluttering Makes Your Home Feel Less Overwhelming
Your house is talking to you. When you look around and see clutter, what you’re really seeing is unfinished business.
It’s things you need to do:
Bills to pay
Items to return
Projects not finished
Things not put away
Your home is constantly saying, “Do this, finish this, don’t forget this.”
That weighs on your brain.
By decluttering, putting things away, and clearing surfaces, you’re quieting that noise.
Yes, it gets worse before it gets better. But when you get through it, your home will feel so much less overwhelming. If you need hands-on help to get to the other side, please reach out, we’d love the opportunity to support you.
