When you think about decluttering your home, it can be extremely overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to start. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be as hard as you think it is. With a plan and a few instructions, you can get started decluttering your home today.

Before starting any new project, it’s important to know your WHY. Why do you want to declutter? Why can’t you keep your home as tidy as you want? Why do you want to take on this project? For most people, it may be a life change, moving, downsizing to a smaller place, or just being tired of all of the STUFF and wanting to try to live with less. Whatever your WHY, it’s important to keep this in mind as you declutter, you will refer back to this when you feel like you’re getting off track- it will help keep you grounded and focused.

As with any project, you will want to have your tools handy before you get started, you won’t need much to begin decluttering, but I would suggest you have these few things handy:

Black Garbage Bags - these can be used for trash and also donations - the color is important as you don’t want to be tempted to pull items out of the donation bag once they are in there

Donation Boxes - Keep as many as you can and as you fill them up, tape them shut and write “donation” on them

Phone - Keep your phone handy- it’s fun to take before and after photos and if you’re looking to sell items, it’s great to post the item immediately to your local FB group or Buy Nothing Page

Cleaning Supplies - I always like to wipe down a space after I’ve emptied it out, so having a broom, vacuum and dust cloth handy will be helpful

Snacks & Water - Don’t let yourself get hangry- keep light snacks available so you don’t get off track taking a huge meal break

Good Playlist - Music helps me when I’m working on a project, so you do you, if you like having music - have your favorites ready and if not, silence is golden sometimes

Step 1. Gather all of the TRASH- This part is crazy easy, just grab one of your black trash bags and walk through your entire home bagging up anything that is visibly trash. If it can be recycled, make sure to take a separate bag along to dispose of those items properly. Don’t give these items a second thought, just bag them up. Broken toys, missing pieces, old papers, wrappers- make sure to leave no room undone. This should be quick and painless!

Step 2. Group Like with Like - Depending on which room you are working in, you will need to know how much of any item you have. The best way to do this is to group all of your like items together. For example, if you are working in the kitchen, empty the cabinets, group all of your glasses together, wipe down your cabinets and then examine the glasses. How many do you reasonably need? Keep your favorites and donate the rest.

Step 3. Create three piles: Keep, Donate & Maybe - Go through your items and pull out your absolute favorites- these are the things that you LOVE, that you would replace if they got lost or broken- move these quickly to your keep pile. It’s important to focus more on what you want to keep versus what you want to discard; this turns decluttering into a more positive experience. Next, pull out anything you 100% know you do not want or need- move these to your donate pile (remember you already removed the trash - so these items should be in good shape to donate). The only things you will be left with are the ones you are not quite sure about. If it’s clothing, maybe you need to try it on- for example: if you have a dress that you absolutely love but you’re not sure if it still fits, go ahead and try it on and then decide. Put back all of your KEEP items into the drawers and cabinets and then determine how much room you have left to keep a few maybe items, I like to follow the 80% rule, where I only fill a space to 80% capacity, I like my spaces to have enough room to move around and find what I need without being overstuffed.

Step 4. Create a Donation Plan - Once you have a solid amount of donations, make it a priority to get them dropped off. If you don’t have the time, there are several organizations that will pick up donations from your home. Go online and search for services in your area, see what they accept and then schedule a day for a pickup, they even leave you a receipt for tax deductions. If you have the time, I recommend getting your donations dropped off the same day you do your decluttering, this will give you a sense of completion on the project and also eliminate the urge to go back through and pull things back out.

Easy Things to Declutter: If you’re still not sure what to keep and what to donate, here is a quick guide on things that you can most likely declutter from your home:

• Things that do not fit - Things like- clothes, shoes, furniture that is too big or small for your space, appliances, dishes, or food that do not fit in your cabinets, books that do not fit your bookshelf, oversized toys that do not fit in your kid’s toy space, linens or towels that do not fit comfortably in your linen closet- We do not want to make our home fit our stuff, we want to have the proper amount of stuff to fit our home. This means we have to lower the inventory in our homes to make it the most manageable that it can be.

• Things you do not like - fragrances, food, clothes, books, gifts, home decor - if you do not like it- do not keep it

• Things that do not fit into your current lifestyle- baby items if you have older kids, workout equipment if you exclusively go to the gym, hobby items for a hobby you gave up long ago, office clothes if you work from home, and snow gear if you live in Florida

• Things that are annoying- If you find yourself shuffling around something over and over and it’s always annoying to put away- it’s because you do not have a proper home for it in your space, either make it a home or let it leave your home. Other examples of annoying things- are toys with little pieces that constantly are on the floor that your kids do not necessarily play with, messy toys that are more hassle than they are worth, small appliances that take forever and a day to clean and have a million little attachments, and anything that takes up too much time to take care of.

• Aspirational Items- the books you thought you were going to read but never did, the too-small clothes for when you finally lose that weight, the bike, and gear to go with it because 5 years ago you wanted to take up biking- Give yourself permission to let these things go, along with the guilt you probably feel for keeping them around this long

• Things that bring up negative feelings- Sure, we all want to save some sentimental items but if you are holding onto something because you feel guilt or pressure to keep it, that is not ok. You need to give yourself permission to let go of the items that bring up negative feelings and thoughts. Our homes are supposed to be our place of peace and having these relics that remind us of darker times just aren’t worth it.

Give yourself the time and permission to declutter your space. It is always worth it and the peace you get in return is priceless. Use these tips to help get you started, and you’ll have a space that feels better in no time.