Declutter in 5 easy steps

It’s not about perfection —it’s about progress.

Decluttering your home isn’t just about tidying up—it’s about creating a lifestyle that fosters calm, clarity, and efficiency. But let’s be honest: the thought of decluttering can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not sure where to start. The good news? By building small, consistent habits and following a guided approach, you can achieve lasting results without the stress.

I believe that decluttering is a journey, not a one-time event. It’s about making intentional choices and developing routines that help you maintain an organised space. Whether you’re tackling a single drawer or an entire room, breaking the process into manageable steps can make all the difference.

Let me walk you through 5 easy steps to declutter your home, designed to help you build habits that stick. From setting clear goals to maintaining your newly organised space, each step is crafted to empower you to take control of your surroundings. Remember, it’s not about perfection—it’s about progress.

Ready to transform your home and your habits? Let’s get started!

Step one - set yourself up for success

Before diving in, take a moment to define what you want to achieve. Having a clear goal will keep you focused and motivated.Start small. Choose one room or even a single drawer to tackle first.

Examples: “This morning, I am going to declutter the cutlery drawer”, or “Today, I’m decluttering the spare room”.

Once you’re clear on what, where and when, stick to it. Stay working on that drawer, or stay working on the spare room, until it is done. Have some bags/boxes ready for donation and rubbish before you start.

Step two - sort quickly

There are two ways to sort: you can remove everything from the area you’re working on, then sort, or you can sort while removing from the area. Either way, you have to sort, and sort quickly you must. Don’t dwell on items, trust your first reaction.

Pick up an item right there in front of you, decide if you need it/love it. Your first reaction will tell you. If it’s a keeper, place outside the area you’re working on. Otherwise, donate or trash. If Then pick up the next item and repeat. Your donation or rubbish bags should start filling up. Continue until you have emptied out the space.

Step three - clean and remove

With the space now emptied (drawer, cabinet or room), give it a good clean and remove your donation bags/boxes. You can place them straight in your car to take to their next home. Get rid of the rubbish immediately too.

Step four - organise what stays

Now that you are left with the items you want to keep, find a home for each. Start by grouping like items together either by function or size. For example, if decluttering your wardrobe, group all your socks in one pile, your underwear in another pile. Decide where each pile will be stored and organise them neatly in that place. If working on a pantry, group all your cereals together and your condiment sauces together, and decide which shelf they each get stored on. Think about a department store or a supermarket: each category of item is store on a shelf in a particular aisle so you can easily find it. Treat organising your spaces in the same way.

Step five - build a habit

Now that your hard work is completed, the rubbish has been thrown away, items to be donated are in the car waiting to go to their next home, and all the rest has been organised back in the space, take a step back and congratulate a job well done. Take a moment to memorise how your decluttered looks and how good it feels.

Now, if someone walked in and made a mess where you just finished tidying up, how would you feel? Annoyed? Angry? Disappointed? Well, do not let that person be you!

Commit to this: always return an item to its designated storage space. Just this.

Examples: return clean socks to where they belong; return the can opener to where it belongs; return the shoes to where they belong. This is an intentional choice! You can drop something wherever you feel but two things will happen: you won’t be able to find it easily and clutter will start building up again. You can break the cycle just by making this intentional choice to put it back where it belongs.

Progress over perfection

We are all human with good and bad habits, and some bad habits are hard to break but not impossible. When the chaos starts to creep up again, go through these steps. The whole process won’t be as arduous because you’re not starting from scratch. Eventually, your new habits will stick and you won’t remember what it’s like to live in a messy, cluttered space. This takes time because you are changing and the home you live in will change with you. Before you know it, you will have changed your lifestyle!