Autumn Home Reset: How to Declutter Your Home Without the Overwhelm
We may earn a small commission on any purchases made through the links in this article.
I used to be such a mess. We all know Type A and Type B, but you would have had to make a new type for me a few years ago.
I decided to start decluttering and getting my life together when I read that it helps with anxiety. Obviously, I didn’t believe it, but I thought, oh well, might as well try.
I never thought I could be the person who enjoyed decluttering and keeping my space tidy, but I can now say I am, all because I found ways to make it less overwhelming.
Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything I’ve learned so you can declutter your house this autumn.
1. Pick a Small Area
Start by picking a small area to declutter. When I say small area, I don’t mean a room, even if it’s a small room. The best thing to do when you feel overwhelmed is to break something up into little bits, just like you’d do with a uni or work task.
Choose a small area to declutter instead of trying to tackle everything at once.
Choose a space like your bedside table or one shelf. Once you’ve finished that area, it will either give you motivation to keep going or at least you’ll feel good that you accomplished something.
2. Put Something on in the Background
I don’t know about you, but I can barely do anything in silence. I force myself sometimes to try to be mindful, butttt it’s way more fun to declutter, clean and organise with something playing.
Depending on your mood, you can go for music, a show or a YouTube video. If you’re really lacking motivation, specifically put on baddie music or decluttering YouTube videos. Old makeup decluttering videos are my favourite. If you want to romanticise it and make it cosy, put on a show you’ve rewatched like Gilmore Girls or any sitcom.
3. Evict the Obvious Clutter
The obvious stuff has got to go first. I’m talking about empty packaging, old receipts, plates and cups, and random pieces of paper.
This is the easiest way to see an immediate difference, and it means you’re not using all your energy on difficult decisions from the beginning.
4. Use the 5-Pile Method
When you start deciding on each individual thing, sort it into 1 of 5 piles: Keep, Sell, Donate, Bin or Not Sure.
The “not sure” pile is important. You don’t have to make every decision immediately, and often, I find I’m more willing to let things go towards the end, when I revisit the pile.
You want to ask yourself better questions when making your decision. Instead of “Could I possibly use this one day?”, which is basically guaranteed to make you keep everything, ask:
When deciding on an item, sort it into a Keep, Donate, Sell, Bin or Not Sure pile.
Have I used this in the last 6 months to a year?
Would I buy this again today?
Do I actually like it?
Do I have something else that does the same job?
Am I keeping this because I love it, or because I feel guilty getting rid of it?
For sentimental things, it’s really your call. I believe sentimental things deserve to be kept, as your home should contain things you love. Try to keep the sentimental items that really make you feel something when you look at them. You can let go of less meaningful items.
5. Give Yourself 20 Minutes
When you think of decluttering, you probably think you need to dedicate a whole day to it, and that makes you immediately feel overwhelmed. But guess what? Literally no one said you have to do that.
I’ve found 20 minutes is more than enough time to declutter a small area, so start there. You might be surprised by how much you can achieve in that time when you’re not trying to tackle everything at once.
If you’re still motivated afterwards, great, carry on. If you’re not, you can stop without feeling like you’ve failed.
6. Make It Easier for Future You
Once you’ve done the hard part of decluttering, the last thing you want is for everything to be a mess again a week later.
The best ways to keep that from happening are:
Doing a 5-minute tidy at the end of the day
Following a one-in, one-out rule where, when you buy something, you try to get rid of something similar
Decluttering every season
Having good storage is also key, and it’s a great way to make you feel more excited to keep things tidy.
Here are my favourite storage bits that you can shop below:
Want More Homey Content?
If you love to buy cute decor and have a bit of a shopping obsession in general, we hope the decluttering tips above have helped you make your space less overwhelming.
At Sofia Magazine, we're building a quieter alternative to social media, filled with honest beauty, fashion, lifestyle and wellbeing content.
Our Winter Issue is landing this December! Pre-order now or get every seasonal issue with The Exclusive subscription.
Join The Loyal Edit Newsletter
Stay up to date with our newest articles, every week, straight to your inbox.
