The Tip You Need To Clean And Declutter Even When You're Overwhelmed By A Mess

Decluttering your house from time to time is a simple way to keep your space from resembling an abandoned property. However, it can feel like rolling a large boulder up a steep mountain if your brain kicks into overdrive and you feel frozen every time you think of cleaning up a messy spot. Under such circumstances, avoid focusing on the entire room and limit your attention to cleaning and decluttering only one small area. It doesn't even have to be the messiest spot. You can choose something as simple as the side table in your living room or your nightstand.

You can even tackle that chair brimming with worn clothes that aren't dirty enough to be washed yet. Alternatively, start with the dirty dishes piled in your sink, the empty food containers you keep forgetting to trash, or the Amazon boxes that don't serve a purpose and you won't be recycling any time soon. Basically, think of it as having agency over your disorganized mess. So, you can start wherever you like. Your only goal here is to get the ball rolling so you can stop feeling paralyzed by the sheer amount of clutter. And once you successfully clear out a spot, the high from this small win may propel you to tackle other areas, helping you organize your home one messy room at a time. But don't overdo it, or you'll be back to square one in no time. Still finding it hard to declutter your home? Try out a few best practices to help you clean out messy areas one day at a time.

Although choosing a small spot is an easy way to get your clutter under control, it may still not be enough if certain rooms are piled high and your attention keeps being pulled in a thousand different directions. To ensure you don't leave a job half-finished or quit before you truly start, form a plan. For instance, if you're feeling overwhelmed when decluttering your bedroom, an easy out is to just focus on clearing things that don't belong there. To illustrate, put back that chair you brought from the living room or those books you took out of the shelf in your home office.

Even when you feel pulled in different directions, disregard the visual stimuli. It's important you stay on task and don't waver until it's complete, or you might get overwhelmed again. In other words, don't start organizing your nightstand or dresser while taking away the piled books. That being said, any task that feels like an extension of the current one is okay. For example, don't be afraid to start a load of laundry instead of just dumping your dirty clothes in a hamper. But if you're afraid the diversions will set you back, make a mental list of chores you need to tend to after you're done with a particular task. If creating a plan seems like too much work, give yourself a head start by focusing on the low-hanging fruit, a.k.a. the trash, in a particular room. Bring a large garbage bag and fill it with all the damaged, rotten, and single-serve items in there before throwing it away.

Even if you dream of an organized space, it's all too easy to delay the actual work to another day. In case you're in this boat, set up a rewards system for yourself to make the task a little exciting. You can go the traditional way and entice your brain with treats. Or, try changing your end goal from basic decluttering to "I need a clean surface to put down a vase of fresh flowers." Your new and improved aim can be anything as long as it encourages you to tackle a messy area.

Another tip is to leave the obscure items in your overflowing closet and cabinets be, and instead concentrate on the things cluttering clearly visible surfaces, like the dirty clothes on the floor or the crammed open shelves. The lack of visual clutter will make your room seem tidier instantly and give you a rush of dopamine. But if you have a lot of things to wade through, section your belongings into small categories, such as documents, books, clothes, and rubbish. Then, assign each category a specific day and handle it accordingly. In case it's too boring, take care of a few chores you can do on a quick commercial break to keep things interesting and prevent your brain from spiraling. And if you just want to start tackling a small area without tricking your mind, set a timer of 10 or 20 minutes, pop in your earbuds with your favorite playlist, and get to work.