What’s the Ideal Order for Decluttering? 3 Smart Ways to Start

How do I start? Where do I start? Is there an ideal order for decluttering if you want to do your whole house? These are just a few of the questions I get each week on how to tackle the huge project of decluttering a home that contains decades of clutter accumulation.

Here is an unsatisfying answer for you; there isn’t one ideal order for everyone. The size of your home, who is currently living there, what feels overwhelming to you – these are all variables that should inform the best way to approach your project. But just because decluttering in midlife is not a one-size-fits-all doesn’t mean there aren’t strategies you can use to set yourself up for success. What you want is an early win; a mini-project to get yourself comfortable with the process of decluttering and build up some muscle. Something that generates momentum and makes you want to keep going. In other words, you need the right place to begin. Here are 3 possible starting places to effectively tee you up for your next step, which will likely reveal itself as you begin the work!

1. Start Small

There may not be an ideal order for decluttering your home. But if the sheer size of the project is what’s stopping you from starting, I do have the ideal way to begin; it’s starting small.

When you start small you eliminate the intimidation factor that has been preventing you from starting at all. Pulling everything out, making decisions about what to keep, determining what is good for donation vs. trash – these can all be overwhelming feelings when the space you’re talking about is too big. But if all of these steps combined will take less than 15 minutes they cease to be scary, right? That’s because you can see the light at the end of this very short tunnel before you even begin, and that gives you confidence!

By small I mean either a tiny space like a medicine cabinet or a night stand. Another option is a single drawer or cabinet in a larger room. Or you could address a single category. Mugs, board games or cleaning supplies are three of my favorites. The anticipation of upcoming discomfort is offset by the knowledge that it will be over in 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes are up, voila! You experience a small injection of satisfaction and pleasure. And those feelings inspire you to continue.

2. Sentiment-Free Zones

Maybe it isn’t the amount of work that’s been stopping you from decluttering. For some, it’s the fear of dredging up uncomfortable feelings that is the blocker. If this sounds familiar, your ideal order for decluttering may begin with a seniment-free zone. What do I mean by that? Consider starting with an area of the home that isn’t laden with emotional items. For instance, stay away from your closet, a basement full of your father’s things or the room of a kid who’s left the nest. Save these minefields for later in the project. 

So where should you start? I find that the bathroom is usually free of sentiment, as well as complexity. Kitchens are complex. But splitting them up into categories and tackling one-at-a-time is also an effective strategy, since there isn’t much sentimentality associated with kitchens. Utility closets are another option.

I have seen it over and over again with clients; once they have decluttered some sentiment-free zones, they get a taste of how good a decluttered space feels. And they can draw on those positive feelings later when they get to the harder stuff. Starting with low-stakes emotional content is the perfect ramp up and leads to success.

3. High Impact Areas

What if your nest is still somewhat populated? And other members of your household don’t exactly understand your sudden urge to purge? Well, in that case the ideal order for decluttering your home may start in an unexpected place.

The best way to get someone else on board with your decluttering goals is to gift them the feeling of a decluttered room. No, I don’t mean their personal room. (In fact, definitely stay out of their spaces.) I’m talking about decluttering a high impact space that everyone uses. If you start with a high impact area, everyone can feel the benefit early on and potentially become interested and invested as you continue on

Options for high impact starting-places:

• The Entry. Whichever is the highest-trafficked entrance to your home is best. The one where everyone dumps stuff. Where piles appear and grow. Where nothing belongs but everything lives.
• The Kitchen. Literally everyone uses the kitchen. It is all things: a gathering place, a pass through place, a cooking place – a LOT of things happen in the kitchen. 
• The Living/Family Room. Again, go for the room that everyone spends time in. Declutter all the stuff that no one uses but has unintentionally become the backdrop of daily life. 

The point here isn’t how large the space is that you are decluttering. Rather, it’s picking a space that won’t go unnoticed once you’ve done the work.

Conclusion

None of these starting places will reduce the amount of work you have to do. What they will do is help you avoid flaming out before you are able to make progress. Momentum is so valuable to finishing a project. When you keep generating momentum, follow-through is easier to achieve. These starting places are momentum-builders that will put you on the path to your ideal order for decluttering.

I’ve included this thought process in my Beginner’s Delcuttering Blueprint. It’s a guide to help you find your ideal order and execute the process in a way that optimizes your time, energy and mental muscle. Feel free to check it out if some additional guidance and structure feel right for you!