When it comes to decluttering, we often talk about what to do and how to do it, but there is value as well in discussing what not to do with regard to decluttering.  I've identified ten common pitfalls or obstacles to successful decluttering that can sabotage even the most well-intended efforts. Be on the lookout for these attitudes and behaviors when you are decluttering.

Decluttering is a process.  Before you can determine the process you need to pursue, you need to identify what it is you're hoping to achieve. It all starts with a vision for your space. How do you want it to function? How do you want to live within the space? What do you want to be able to do? The answers to these questions will help you to decide what to get rid of and what to keep. You can read more about this phenomenon in my post The Power of Positive Purging.

The first thing many people do once they've decided to declutter is to run out and shop for tons of organization products. While its important to have good storage options for organizing stuff long term, shopping first defeats the purpose of decluttering. The whole idea is to get rid of stuff you don't want, need, or use.

People who buy a lot of organization products up front often end up stuffing things into boxes and bins without doing much, if any, decluttering. The presence of storage containers gives a false sense of being clutter-free when in reality the clutter has just been contained (temporarily). Before long, it will escape it's confines and re-emerge, perhaps in another form, but it will be back. 

Another reason to declutter before  you shop for organization products is to ensure that you get exactly what you need. It can be tempting to overdo it when it comes to the plethora of organizational baskets, boxes, and bins. There are so many wonderful options available! Buying simply what appeals to you or looks promising, without a real understanding of exactly what  your storage needs are, can lead to empty organization products becoming part of your clutter!  

Decluttering is an ongoing, whole house process. If you haven't done it in a while, it's going to take some time. Even if your goal is only to declutter one room or area of your home, it's going to take longer than you think. 

​Be prepared to get sucked in by things you might not be expecting - old letters, photographs, paperwork that needs sorting, etc. To truly declutter,  you have to go through everything and make a determination about what stays and what goes.  

Any number of things can sidetrack people when they are decluttering. You might uncover something you forgot you had, or something you haven't seen in a long time that brings you joy, or something that's going to take a long time to sort through (like paperwork). In such cases, I recommend setting the item or group of items aside to sort through separately at another time (soon).

You might notice things that belong in other spaces and get sidetracked putting them away. It's a good practice to have a container for out of place items. Stick anything that doesn't belong where it's at in the container and return those items to their rightful homes at the end of your decluttering session. 

To quote author Christina Scalise: "Clutter is the physical manifestation of unmade decisions fueled by procrastination." 

Some organizers will tell you to create a 'maybe' pile if you're having trouble deciding what to part with. I'm going to tell you that this is a bad idea. Maybe piles just turn into their own form of clutter and before long you forget why those particular items are in that particular location. In a fit of organization, you may even put them back where they belong! The whole concept behind decluttering is letting go - letting go of things we don't want, need, or use, the things that weigh us down unnecessarily without providing benefit to our lives. 

Indecision fuels clutter. Be decisive.

A lot of people think they are decluttering when what they are really doing is transferring their clutter. Decluttering means getting rid of stuff, not just moving it to a new location. The desk may be clear, but if there is a new pile of paperwork and other stuff on another surface or in a closet somewhere, you haven't decluttered. You've just moved the clutter. This is a form of indecision and procrastination, and it is counterproductive.

It can be tempting to sort through other people's things, especially if you live with them, but it is not a good idea. Doing so can (and often does) create tension, and even long-term rifts, in relationships. Each person has to deal with their own clutter in their own way. We hope that everyone will choose to do so, but forced decluttering never works. It can actually leave people with an unconscious need to hold onto things (out of a fear that others might try to get rid of them). 

When it comes to decluttering kids stuff, there are some exceptions. For more information on this topic, click here. 

Many people start the decluttering process only to abandon it part way through. The reasons are varied. Perhaps they felt overwhelmed by the process. Perhaps they got busy with life and lost sight of what they had set out to do. Whatever the case, if you want to see real, lasting results,  you have to be consistent. That means not only seeing the process through, but continuing to declutter over time to maintain a sort of clutter equilibrium. 

The work of decluttering is done. Items are set aside for donation...and they sit, and sit, and sit indefinitely in the garage, or the front hallway or the laundry room or even the trunk of the car. Months pass, and still the get rid of items sit waiting to be gotten rid of. This is a common tale. Don't let it be true of you. Your decluttering is not complete until the decluttered items have left your home...permanently (the trunk of the car doesn't count). 

The absolute biggest mistake you can make with regard to decluttering is not doing it. It can change your life. It can ease your burden and lighten you soul and make your home a place where you feel comfortable and at peace. No matter what, decluttering is worth the time, effort, and energy involved.

Clutter is a reality. To some degree every one of us has to deal with it day in and day out, and we always will. That is the nature of clutter. It accumulates. Keeping it at bay requires diligence and an effective strategy. That said, life happens, and often when we're busy focusing on the stresses of life, that's when clutter creeps in and threatens to overwhelm us. 

Ideally, the best time to deal with clutter is when it presents itself, but that isn't always practical or even possible. There comes a time, however, when it becomes necessary to address the elephant in the room - the clutter that has taken over and is impacting the quality of life of everyone in the home. 

So how do you know when decluttering has ceased to be a 'someday' and become a must?  Here are some warning signs that clutter may be taking control of your life.

If you regularly struggle to find simple things, clutter may be the culprit. It's easy to misplace things on a cluttered surface. Necessities get swallowed up by neglected excesses. If you're feeling frustrated at the time you waste searching for stuff, it's time to schedule some decluttering.

This is a common problem in cluttered homes, and it's directly related to the first problem. You can't find what you're looking for, so you buy another one, knowing that you have one somewhere. You need it, so you buy it, but it's a waste of time and money that is both frustrating and bad for the budget. Or maybe you don't realize you have a particular item because it's lost in the clutter. Whichever the case may be, if clutter is impacting your budget, it's time to schedule some decluttering.

Studies show that a cluttered environment causes stress. It's difficult to relax when surrounded by clutter because your brain registers the clutter as something that requires your attention. Your home should be a place where you can feel comfortable and peaceful. If you regularly experience a stress response upon entering your home, it's time to schedule some decluttering. 

I've seen this all too often; many people have entire rooms of their home dedicated to clutter, rooms that could be used for sleeping or crafting or relaxing or interacting as a family. The door remains closed on such spaces, and no one enters except to deposit more clutter. If clutter has claimed one or more rooms in your home, it's time to schedule some decluttering. 

This is the situation that saddens me most as an organizer. If your clutter is preventing you from having people in your home, it's time to schedule some decluttering. 

If you recognized your own situation in any of the above circumstances, you may be feeling overwhelmed and depressed. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard someone say (when speaking of their clutter), "I don't know where to start".

My answer is always the same, "Just start somewhere."

Anywhere will do. I recommend starting in the space that you use the most or that is causing you the most stress because that will have the most meaningful impact on your life. Open a drawer and start sorting, clear off a surface, dig into a pile; it doesn't matter where you begin, only that you do.

You will find that you gain momentum as you work, and with that momentum comes motivation to continue the process. With each item you discard or donate, you will feel a weight being lifted from your heart.

The decluttering process isn't easy. It takes time and effort and energy, but it will be well worth everything you invest. It's an investment in your future and your well-being. Stop letting clutter negatively impact your quality of life. Reclaim your space. You can do it! 

If you struggle with any of the challenges detailed above, please share your experience in the comments section below. 

There is clutter, and then there is clutter. Some clutter is deep rooted, emotionally charged, and physically intimidating. Taming it demands an investment of time and energy. Surface clutter, the clutter that piles up on a day to day basis, mostly the result of procrastination, can be significantly reduced by implementing a few simple clutter-busting behaviors. 
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There are two simple steps involved in eliminating surface clutter.

1. Develop an awareness of the problem.
2. Develop a plan, or system, for consistently preventing it from building up.

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Start by training yourself to notice things that are out of place. One way to do this is to routinely scan a room to identify items that have strayed from their proper home. As you practice scanning, make a mental note of the kinds of clutter that tend to pile up. This will give you a sense of where systems are needed. In particular, be on the lookout for common contributors of clutter – dishes, mail, clothing, etc.
 
The next step is to begin turning clutter-building habits into clutter-busting behaviors. It’s easier than you might think. To help you get started, I’ve identified five common problem areas and suggestions for building clutter-busting behaviors. These simple habits can significantly reduce the daily buildup of clutter. Consistently do these five things, and I guarantee you’ll notice a difference in the amount of surface clutter in your home. 

The bed is the focal point of the bedroom, and as such, it has the power to dictate the mood of the space. A rumpled, unmade bed is an invitation to be messy. Clothing, shoes, and other articles strewn lazily about look perfectly at home with an unmade bed. On the other hand, a neatly made bed communicates order and inspires tidiness. To toss things about sloppily in such a space creates a sense of discord and unease. In essence, the space feels at odds with itself.
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​A made bed communicates something to its owner as well. It says, “I care. I’m invested in my space and myself.” Simply making the bed starts each day off on the right foot. Before leaving the bedroom, you have accomplished something productive and set a positive tone for the day.

It’s tempting to toss dirty dishes in the sink and walk away, but like an unmade bed, a sink full of dirty dishes sends a message that order is not a priority.  It also serves as a nagging irritant. Those dirty dishes are a constant reminder of a thing that requires your attention. The fact that you’re not dealing with it can lead to feelings of guilt. The more dishes that pile up, the less appealing the task becomes, and the more you’ll feel like procrastinating. The longer you procrastinate, the more dishes pile up and the more time consuming the task becomes.

​Before you know it, a few dirty dishes can lead to a whole lot of [unnecessary] stress. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Try these tips for controlling dirty dishes – so they won’t control you.

• Start meal prep with a clean kitchen. If there are dirty dishes in the sink when you enter to prepare a meal, take a few minutes to clear them out. Otherwise, before you know it the sink will be overflowing. Starting with a clean slate makes it easier to stay on top of things and makes the task of cleaning up after the meal less onerous.
• Wash as you go. Fill the sink with soapy water and place kitchen tools in the suds as you finish with them. They can soak while you prepare the meal, and when you’re done, all they’ll need is a quick rinse.
• Utilize cook time for cleanup. While dinner is in the oven, use the time to wash any dishes you used to prepare the meal. This will mean that all you have to deal with after dinner are the plates, glasses, and flatware used during the meal which only takes a few minutes.
• Practice rinsing and loading dishes immediately. This is important whether you are dealing with onesies and twosies or dishes for a dinner party (including pots, pans, and other preparation tools).  The quicker those dishes are dealt with, the better you will feel.
• Washing dishes can be therapeutic. Instead of treating the dishes as a dreaded task, look for ways to make it more appealing. Set up a bluetooth speaker and listen to your favorite music, podcast, or lecture series while you work. Think of washing dishes as a metaphor for washing away stress. As you scrub the grime off of plates and pans, picture the stresses of the day gurgling down the drain along with the residue of dinner. 

Clothing, whether dirty or clean, can be a major culprit in contributing to clutter.  The funny thing is, it only takes a few seconds to hang up or put away a single article of clothing, barely more time than it takes to dump it on the floor, the bed, the furniture, etc. If, however, it’s left to pile up over the course of days, the time required to put things where they belong increases significantly. The key is to set yourself and your family up for success.
 
This can be achieved by simplifying the process as much as possible. Here are some examples:

• Install hooks on the wall near the door for coats. If you have the space, set up a shelf with baskets for accessories and a shoe cubby of some sort.
  
• Try replacing dressers with a set of cubbies filled with baskets. Designate a basket for socks, one for t-shirts, one for pajamas, etc. Don’t worry about whether or not every item in the basket is properly folded; just be glad the items make it into the basket instead of onto the floor.
  
• Use lidless hampers for dirty clothes.  
  

For many people, there is something truly intimidating about mail. Mail requires decision making, and we often encounter it at a point in the day when we’re tired of making decisions. So, we leave it to deal with later, and before long, it has become an overwhelming pile.  On the other hand, if you’re only dealing with a single day’s mail, it only takes a few minutes (sometimes less) to complete the task. 
 
The secret to preventing pile up is to develop (and utilize) a system for dealing with the mail. Designate a spot for opening the mail each day. Make sure there is a pair of scissors or letter opener nearby. It’s also useful to have a bin handy for recycling junk mail. As soon as the mail enters your house, sort it according to type: things to be recycled (put them directly into the bin), things to be shredded, things that require immediate attention (to do now), and things that require action but can wait (to do later).  Have a place for each type of item, and immediately put items in their proper place.  If you have time to deal with an item that requires action, do it.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but a lot of clutter collects from people walking in the door and dumping whatever they're carrying. The best way to prevent this is to have a place for things like purses, keys, coats, and shoes, and put them in their place as soon as you enter.

If you’ve made purchases, put them away.  If you’re carrying the mail, deal with it.  Most things can be put away in a matter of minutes (or less). Not putting things away leaves the home feeling cluttered and invites buildup over time which requires significantly more effort to be dealt with.

Try implementing these five suggestions for conquering surface clutter. I think you'll find that it helps a great deal with controlling the overall clutter in your home. 

Clutter is a byproduct of choice. With every advance in technology our choices increase, and with those increasing choices comes an increase in clutter. There are several reasons why this is true.

In some cases, advancing technology produces products we’ve never seen before but are sure we need to improve the quality of our lives. Sometimes, a newer, nicer version causes us to feel dissatisfied with our existing product, so we go out and buy a replacement. Instead of actually replacing the outdated item, though, we hold onto it because “it’s still good” or “it might be worth something”.  Thus, clutter is born.
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People think the answer to their clutter problem is more space, but in reality, the answer is almost always less stuff. A surefire way to control clutter is to limit your choices. As a bonus, controlling clutter by limiting choices can actually lead to increased happiness. Studies show that the fewer choices we have, the more satisfied and content we feel.

Lauren Migliore explains it this way in her article “I Can’t Decide! Why An Increase in Choices Decreases Our Happiness”:​

Spatial constraints result when you let the available space determine what you keep. For instance, if you’re a book lover, but you only have space for one bookcase in your apartment, then the number of books you keep should be limited to the capacity of your bookcase. Books that don’t fit on the bookcase become clutter, and as such, they lose their identity, becoming part of the landscape.

​If you are a crafter and you have a large closet available for storing craft supplies, then you must limit your craft supplies to what can be contained within that closet. Find ways to maximize the space and then minimize your supplies, keeping only those things you know you’ll actually use.  ​

Young children are natural hoarders. They are unable to assign realistic value to things. In their eyes, the cheap plastic toy that came with their lunch is as valuable as the $50 building set they got for their last birthday. Value is directly linked to ownership. I own it, therefore it’s important to me. If left to their own devices, children’s rooms can quickly become overwhelmed with school papers, personal artwork, completed coloring books, birthday party favors, happy meal toys, bits of erasers and pencils, old greeting cards, etc.
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A great way to compromise with your kids while simultaneously containing their clutter is to assign them a keepsake box. You determine the size of the box. They determine what goes inside. When the box starts to get full, it’s time to reassess its contents. This is the responsibility of the child. It is the space, and not the parent, that is limiting what they can keep, so you don’t have to be the bad guy, always threatening to toss things out. In addition, the child learns several important skills to include decision making, evaluating the true value of things, and self-limiting (because no matter what popular culture implies, we can’t have it all).

Purging, decluttering, downsizing – these are all different ways of referring to the process of pairing down one’s belongings. Whatever you call it, this process is often thought of in negative terms – what must I get rid of? The problem is most people like their stuff and are therefore reluctant to part with it, even if they recognize they have way too much.
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Asking “What must I get rid of?” puts a negative emphasis on the decluttering process. This is unfortunate because there are many positive effects that come from reducing the excess in our lives. Reframing this and other questions associated with purging or decluttering can make the process simpler and less stressful.

The purpose of stuff is to make our lives easier and more enjoyable. Every thing serves a function. In some cases, the function is simply to make someone smile. Often, however, we become weighed down by our things, and instead of adding to our well-being, they detract from it. To truly understand what it is you want from your stuff, you need to look deeper at what you want out of life.

If your clutter is causing you stress, then you’re not living your ideal life. What does that life look like? If your home and life were clutter-free, what would you do with your new-found freedom? What would your environment look like? How would you spend your time? How would your space feel?
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The answers to these questions will help you develop a vision for your space and your stuff as a support structure for your ideal life.

Once you have a vision of your ideal life, you can put that vision to work to help you create an environment wherein you can thrive. It can be helpful to generate mental and visual imagery to inspire, energize, and motivate you throughout the decluttering process.

Start by writing a vision statement for your ideal life and/or space. If you’re having difficulty articulating your vision, try brainstorming words that characterize what you’re striving for. These could be words that describe the space itself such as comfortable, classy, spacious, clutter-free, cozy, peaceful, homey, inviting, timeless, open, kid-friendly, rustic, personal, etc. You can also list words or phrases that illustrate how you want to live in or use the space such as relax, unwind, meditate, entertain, create, play, read, watch movies, or exercise, to name a few.

Another way to capture your vision is through images. Look for pictures on the internet or in magazines of interiors or activities that epitomize your desires. Print them or cut them out and use them to create a vision board. Place your board where you will see it frequently. It’s important that your vision board is readily visible without having to open a book or log on to your computer. It needs to be out on display to be truly effective as a source of inspiration.
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Please note that the goal here is to embrace a realistic vision for the space you live in, not a 4,000 square foot dream home with an ocean view, game room, sauna, and bocce ball court (unless, of course, that accurately describes your current home). Whether you live in a tiny one-bedroom apartment or a rambling 1960’s ranch-style home in need of renovation, focus on idealizing your space.  Keep the dream home as a long-term goal, but make a short-term goal of loving where you live now. Among military families this is referred to as ‘blooming where you’re planted’.

This blog post began with a question – What must I get rid of? When your focus is on positive purging, you ask different questions. Instead of fixating on what you have to part with, your emphasis shifts to what you’re going to keep. Your vision statement becomes the litmus test for determining what things deserve a place in your home. Instead of asking “What must I get rid of?”, consider asking questions such as:

Some stuff is junk and as such it belongs in the trash, but many items have value, even if they no longer serve a purpose for us personally. This is, of course, one reason people struggle to get rid of things they really don’t want or need. Positive purging has two facets. The first is focusing on what you want and need to keep to meet your own needs and desires. The second is finding a happy and appropriate home for those things you’re letting go. This can be achieved in a variety of ways.

Many people hold onto empty containers thinking they may come in handy. These include glass jars, plastic containers with lids or shaker tops, empty pill bottles or film canisters, and cardboard boxes in all shapes and sizes. If you do not have an immediate use for these items, get rid of them. If at all possible, please recycle them. Other items still in serviceable condition can be given to others or sold. Knowing your unneeded items are going to a good home can make parting easier. You can feel good about helping the environment and/or helping those whose circumstances are less fortunate than your own. ​