7 Signs You Need to Declutter

Living in an organized and clutter-free space can have a significant impact on your well-being and productivity. However, it’s easy for clutter to accumulate over time, leading to a disorganized and overwhelming environment. Recognizing the signs that it’s time to declutter is the first step towards regaining control and creating a harmonious living space. In this blog post, we’ll explore seven common signs that indicate you need to declutter and provide practical tips to get started. Get ready to reclaim your space and experience the benefits of a clutter-free life!

Welcome to my Year Long Thorough Declutter Series. We declutter 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Each day we do a daily task based on the room we are working on. Today, our task is to start decluttering your clutter in your master bedroom. If you prefer watching videos, check out my youtube channel here. Today, we’ll look at some tips for decluttering any broken lamps in your master bedroom.

The best way to develop a new habit is by slowly and daily application. We will begin a new daily declutter habit starting with the 2nd bathroom. In the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series, we will declutter 30 minutes a day, five days a week on weekdays. Sign up to receive daily encouragement and motivation.

Plus, you’ll learn your specific daily task to work toward completing the goal of a Year Long Thorough Declutter where you will declutter every space and learn how to start to purge your house. Are you ready to finally get organized? If so, will you join us? Leave a comment below to subscribe.

If you are new to the blog, welcome! I blog about cleaning, decluttering, and organizing. You can find my free printables to help you get organized in the drop down menu under the Printables category.

Currently we are working on decluttering the Master Bedroom. The daily task for today, July 5, 2023, is to begin decluttering any broken lamps in your master bedroom. Remember, we are focusing on just the master bedroom area, so don’t declutter your whole house. We will cover each room separately.

7 Signs You Need to Declutter: Is it Time to Clear the Clutter?

1. Difficulty Finding Things

If you frequently find yourself searching for everyday items like keys, phone chargers, or important documents amid piles of clutter, it’s a clear sign that you need to declutter. When you spend excessive time looking for things, it hampers your efficiency and adds unnecessary stress to your daily life.

2. Overwhelm and Anxiety

Do you often feel overwhelmed or anxious when surrounded by clutter? Cluttered spaces can contribute to a sense of mental and emotional chaos. If you find it challenging to relax or concentrate amidst the clutter, it’s time to declutter and create a calm and soothing environment.

3. Lack of Available Space

When your living areas, closets, and storage spaces are bursting at the seams, it’s a sign that you need to declutter. Limited space leads to a cramped and claustrophobic atmosphere, making it difficult to move freely and enjoy your surroundings. Decluttering will help create more breathing room and enhance the functionality of your space.

4. Decline in Productivity

A cluttered environment can have a negative impact on your productivity. It creates distractions, reduces focus, and makes it harder to stay organized. If you’ve noticed a decline in your productivity levels or struggle to stay motivated, decluttering your workspace or home office can help restore order and boost your efficiency.

5. Constant Cleaning Challenges

Excessive clutter makes cleaning a never-ending task. If you find yourself spending an excessive amount of time tidying up or if cleaning feels like a futile effort due to clutter, it’s a sign that you need to declutter. Streamlining your possessions will make cleaning more manageable and efficient.

6. Emotional Attachment to Possessions

Do you have a strong emotional attachment to items that no longer serve a purpose or bring you joy? Holding onto sentimental clutter can hinder your ability to let go and create space for new experiences and opportunities. If you find it difficult to part with items due to emotional attachment, it’s time to reevaluate your belongings and prioritize what truly matters.

7. Feeling Stagnant or Uninspired

A cluttered space can stifle creativity and leave you feeling stagnant. If you’re lacking inspiration or struggling to find a sense of renewal in your environment, decluttering can help reenergize your space and open up possibilities for fresh ideas and perspectives.

Recognizing the signs that it’s time to declutter is the first step towards creating a more organized and harmonious living space. Whether you’re experiencing difficulty finding things, overwhelm and anxiety, limited space, declining productivity, constant cleaning challenges, emotional attachment to possessions, or a sense of stagnation, decluttering can bring about a positive transformation. Embrace the opportunity to let go, create space, and experience the benefits of a clutter-free life. Start small, be consistent, and enjoy the freedom and peace that come with decluttering your surroundings!

Remember, decluttering is a continuous process. By adopting mindful consumption habits and regularly reassessing your belongings, you can maintain a clutter-free lifestyle and enjoy the benefits of an organized and inviting space.

I personally have a bad habit of placing items that need to be donated in the laundry room behind the door. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong. Delaying decisions means we still need to declutter.

Maybe you have a habit of delaying decisions, too. Let’s decide today where your decluttered items need to go. Do they need to be donated? Disposed of? Don’t delay that decision any longer. If they need to be donated, sort and put them in your vehicle. Then, make a note in your calendar to drop them off at your favorite charity.

As you are decluttering your items, I want you to try not to just move them to another room. You may be tempted to do that. However, resist the urge to keep everything. Decluttering means we actually part with these items. Otherwise, assign those items a permanent home where you can best utilize them.

A few Tips when you You Need to Declutter

1.Only spend time on your specific daily task.

2.Do not get side-tracked or distracted.

3.Work within a time of day that you have the most energy and stamina. This is one of the most useful declutter motivation tips. Listen to your body and work at decluttering when you feel the most alert and energized.

4.Avoid thinking too long about whether to keep or discard an item. This is one specific way for How to Be Ruthless When Decluttering.

5.Avoid cleaning during your declutter. The goal is to purge the dead weight. Getting rid of the clutter is your priority. Cleaning can be accomplished later. Read on for more declutter motivation tips and my room specific deep clean checklist, though, as you will begin cleaning after your declutter.

Tips for when you You Need to Declutter

Supplies Needed:

1. boxes -preferably ones you can donate (Avoid plastic storage bins because you may be tempted to just store the items and not part with them.)

2. sturdy trash bags

3. marker/pen to label boxes

Decluttering Tip: Avoid using storage bins to declutter. Storage bins tend to tell your brain to “store” the items for later. That is just delaying decisions. If you aren’t getting rid of items when you declutter, you are not truly decluttering. This is why I recommend a trash bag, also. A trash bag tells your brain to “trash” the item.

Obviously, recycle if you have that option. The boxes you use should be ones you are willing to part with, so I recommend sturdy cardboard boxes. As to donations, there are many charities that will come pick up your items for you at your home.

I use one in particular where you can book an appointment for pick-up online. This is so convenient, as it saves you the hassle of hauling stuff away yourself. Scheduling that pick-up also motivates you to declutter by a certain date.

Steps & Tips You Need to Declutter

1. Start by eliminating trash first- use a sturdy trash bag

2. Sort items by category if needed so you can see what you have

3.Get rid of items that don’t work or that work poorly, expired items, anything you don’t love, anything that you’ll never use again

4. Box up the donations and trash/recycle the rest

5.Select a charity to donate your items and schedule the pick-up if that is an option

How Do You Declutter Your Entire House (and get it deep clean?): Need to deep clean?

First, My How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen list can be found here.

Second, My How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom list can be found here.

Third, My How to Deep Clean Your Kids’ Rooms list can be found here.

Fourth, My How to Deep Clean Your Living Room list can be found here.

Fifth, My How to Deep Clean Your Bedroom list can be found here.

You can get your printable Daily Housekeeping Routine and Deep Cleaning Your House Schedule here. This 15 page printable kit is delivered digitally to your email for you to print and personalize. What Does a Deep Clean Include? It includes a daily schedule, calendar pages, and deep cleaning checklists for every room and area of your home. Check out the link above to see a sample page of what you’ll get in my printable set designed to help you create your personal Homemaking Checklist.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can find that here.

New to deemiddleton.com and don’t know where to start? I recommend going in this order:

Step 1: Check out this post on the 1st step you should take to get organized. If you don’t have a calendar, you can grab my free weekly printable calendar page here. It is in my shopify store, but it is totally free, so you won’t be prompted to put in any payment information. It is a free download and will be delivered straight to your email.

Step 2: Create a daily Housekeeping Schedule. You can use this series to start to set up your own schedule. You can also use this simplified weekly schedule.If you often ask: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Or, if you struggle to get organized and have tried and failed time and again, you can likely find out which of these 11 reasons cause you to fail to get organized.

Step 3: How do you remove clutter? How Do You Declutter Your Home?.…Sign up for the Declutter Series and get your entire home decluttered in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.”Declutter Your Home” checklists are provided in each email.

Step 4: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Use a timer and use the Deep Cleaning Checklists above. They will help you get your home sparkling after you’ve decluttered.

Interested in becoming a full-time blogger like me? Check out my blogging series. At the top of every page on my blog, you’ll find a drop down menu. Just select the BLOGGING category.