In today’s frenetic pace, as a woman with ADHD are lives frequently overwhelmed by chaos, distractions, and stress. The clutter that accumulates in our homes can amplify these feelings, negatively impacting our mental well-being. But there’s a straightforward and effective solution waiting to be grasped – decluttering and simplifying your living space! Here are 10 compelling steps to help you declutter and can boost your mental health, streamline your daily life, and promote overall well-being. I developed these steps which are designed to inspire you to act against your clutter and invest in your mental wellness.
Step 1 Create A Space That Reflects Your Vision – Think about your ideal space, whether it’s your closet, living room, or kitchen.
-What do you envision when you imagine it’s tidy and organized?
-Do you have a picture in mind inspired by Instagram or Pinterest
-Perhaps a friend or family member’s home has caught your eye?
-Take a moment to brainstorm and let your thoughts flow freely. Write down your ideas without editing or censoring yourself.
This will serve as a source of motivation as you work through the decluttering and organizing process, helping you stay focused on your goal of creating a space that reflects your vision.
Step 2 – What 5 areas in your home that are causing you stress Start by listing the top 5 areas in your home that are causing you stress or disorganization. This could include a cluttered room, a neglected closet, or a category of items like books, clothing, or mementos that are overwhelming you. For each of these areas, take a moment to
-Describe the current situation and how it’s affecting you.
– Rate the size of the challenge on a scale of small, medium, or large.
-Indicate how important it is for you to tackle this area, using a scale of high, medium, or low.
This will help you prioritize your tasks and focus on the most pressing areas that need attention. By acknowledging the scope of the challenge and its importance to you, you’ll be better equipped to develop a plan and make progress towards achieving your goals
Step 3 Trouble with Time –Are you short on time and feeling overwhelmed by the thought of dedicating hours to decluttering and organizing? You’re not alone! Many people struggle to find the time to tackle these tasks. But don’t worry, there are solutions that can help.
-Identify how much time you can realistically dedicate to decluttering and organizing each day. Even small increments, like one hour, can make a big difference. (Free worksheet on estimating your time Estimating time worksheet )
-Break your task down into smaller, manageable chunks, and focus on the easiest areas first. By achieving quick wins in your easiest areas, you’ll be motivated to find more time to tackle the rest of your space. ( Here is a free worksheet on breaking down tasks UPDATEDCHUNKITDOWNWORKSHEET )
-Incorporate decluttering into your daily routine. As you move around the house, take a few seconds to pick up items that are no longer needed and put them in a designated spot for disposal. It may seem like a small step, but over time, these small actions will add up and make a significant impact on your space.
Step 4 Overwhelm and Stuck Are you feeling stuck and overwhelmed by the thought of decluttering and organizing? You know it’s something you need to tackle, but you’re unsure of where to start. You might be overthinking it or feeling like you’ll never make progress.
-Take a step back and focus on the most important areas that need your attention. Identify your top priorities and use your vision board and current situation assessment to guide you.
-Break down the tasks in those areas into smaller, manageable chunks. This will help you make progress without feeling overwhelmed.
-Focus on one area at a time, such as decluttering your book collection.
When you complete a category or room, celebrate your accomplishment! Take pictures, share them with your family members, and give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done. This will help you stay motivated and encouraged throughout the process
Step 5 Someday Syndrome – You may be holding onto items because you’re unsure of what the future holds and worry that you might need something. This fear is often referred to as the “someday syndrome”. To overcome this, try setting aside items that you want to keep “just in case” and focus on sorting through other items. Then, revisit the set-aside items with a more critical eye. When evaluating these items, consider the following factors:
-How often have you used it?
-Would it be a significant problem if you didn’t have it?
-Is there something else you could use in its place or is it easily replaceable?
-Is it still in style or is it outdated?
-Do you genuinely like it?
If you’re still unsure, give yourself some time and revisit the item in 6 months to a year.
Step 6 Emotional Attachment – You may be holding onto items because of feelings of guilt, obligation, or sentimentality. This emotional attachment can prevent you from decluttering. To overcome this, consider the following:
-If you’re holding onto your child’s items, ask yourself if you have similar items from your own childhood. If you do, are they truly meaningful to you, or do they just take up space?
-If you don’t have those items from your childhood, do you really miss them? Does the lack of access to them affect your quality of life?
To limit the number of sentimental items you hold onto, try the following:
-Set a box for each family member and store the most special items in it. When the box is full, sort through and prioritize discarding items that are not as special.
-Over time, this process will help bring clarity to what you truly want to keep.
Additionally, consider sharing some of these special items with other family members, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, or nieces. This can help you let go of some of the emotional attachment and still preserve memories.
Step 7 Stuck on Decluttering: Finding the Right Criteria- You’re eager to simplify your space, but you’re struggling to decide what to keep and what to let go of. This is where establishing clear criteria comes in handy. Identify Your Discarding Criteria To make decluttering decisions easier, define your own rules for what to get rid of. Some popular options include:
-The Joy Factor: Let go of items that don’t bring you joy or serve a purpose.
-Time-Based: Consider items you haven’t used in a certain period (e.g., 1 year) and decide if they’re worth keeping.
-Outdated Style: Release items that are no longer in style or have been replaced by newer versions.
-Condition: Discard items that are broken, worn out, or outgrown.
-Duplicates: Get rid of unnecessary duplicates, keeping only the most useful or sentimental item.
By setting your own criteria, you’ll be able to make more confident decisions and create a more organized, clutter-free space.
Step 8 -The Next Step: What to Do with Discarded Items You’ve finally decided what items to get rid of, but now you’re facing a new challenge: what to do with them once you’ve discarded them? You want to make sure your unwanted items find a good home, but you’re not sure where to start. You have several options for dealing with your discarded items:
-Give to Someone You Know: Offer items in good condition to friends, family, or neighbors who might appreciate them.
-Donate to a Non-Profit: Donate items in good condition to local charities or organizations that can use them.
-Sell: Sell items in good condition through online marketplaces or local buy/sell groups.
-Recycle: Recycle items that are broken, outdated, or no longer useful through your regular recycling service or local drop-off centers.
-Throw Away: If an item is truly unusable and cannot be recycled, consider disposing of it responsibly.
Step 9 Reward Yourself for Progress- As you work through the decluttering steps, be sure to reward yourself for each step you complete. This will help you stay motivated and encouraged throughout the process.