30 Decluttering Projects You Can do When You’re Overwhelmed

March 18, 2021 Just Jes

There are two main reasons why we hold off on decluttering our homes, we have no time and we are overwhelmed! It might be wise to tackle your messy home with some manageable decluttering projects.

Instead of ripping apart your home, you could try a different method! Work on smaller less time consuming decluttering projects until your entire home has been thoroughly decluttered.

The great thing about decluttering your home this way is that you get to the set the pace that meets your needs so you do not get overwhelmed.

My suggestion is to get a few boxes ready so as you declutter these smaller areas, you can add what you wish to donate to these boxes.

Once they have filled up, then you know it’s time to finally donate or sell!

Ready for some super easy decluttering projects ideas to get you started?

(This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Some of the amazing following photos are not my own, click on them to head straight to the source!)

Here are 30 Decluttering Projects To Do When You’re Overwhelmed

Your wallet. Think about getting rid of some of your rewards cards, most places just take a phone number now.
Your purse. Add a small bag inside your purse to catch all of the smaller things you carry around.
Your shower. Try to only have one of everything you need in your shower instead of being overwhelmed with multiple shampoos, body washes, etc.
Your makeup. Throw out anything expired and duplicates of things you don’t need.
Today’s emails. Every day for just 5 min go through your emails and erase the ones you don’t need and even click the unsubscribe button at the bottom to one or two you no longer wish to receive.
One shelf of your fridge. Just take one shelf, throw out expired food, do a quick disinfectant wipe down, and reorganize one shelf at a time.
Your freezer. Quickly purge any food that is expired, has freezer burn, or just something you know you will not eat!
Your mail. Quickly decide what to throw out, what to file away, and what will require your attention.
Your car. Grab a trash bag and remove all trash, and bring in anything that needs to get out of your car.
One bathroom drawer. Take one drawer and do a quick purge and organize what you have (don’t be afraid to find things new homes if that drawer isn’t big enough for what you stuffed in it).
Medicine. Check expirations and safely toss old medication away. Great time to take a quick inventory of what you may need.
Spices. If you transport your spices into other containers, fill them up with your reserve. Otherwise, remove old spices that are expired (yes spices do eventually expire!) and don’t be afraid to say goodbye to spices you don’t use regularly.
Dishes. Your plates, bowls, and cups sometimes start to get chipped, fog over, or just become mismatched. Let go all the dishes that are overwhelming your cupboards. If you finally purge certain things in your home, it will finally push you to replace them.
Your shoes. Grab a bag and removes any shoes you need to donate or trash.
One cupboard. Choose one cupboard at a time. Purge and reorganize.
Movies. Purge any movies no one watches any more.
Delicates. Socks, underwear, bras, pajamas. Trash anything old, dingy, or torn. Donate anything you can.
Remotes. Somehow we accumulate remotes, controllers, chargers, old cell phones, etc. Get rid of anything you no longer use, need, and or course safely trash anything that doesn’t work.
Games. Remove anything that has missing pieces or a game no one has played in years.
Linens. Get rid of old old dingy towels, extra sets of sheets, or scratchy blankets no one likes.
One dresser drawer at a time. Try folding shirts and “filing” them as if they are papers. It is the easiest way to keep shirt drawers organized.
One junk bin/drawer. We all have one or two or bins/drawers that becomes a catch-all for misc. things. Don’t let these drawers make you feel overwhelmed one more second. Take one of these junk bins and dump, a group like items, and decide where these “groups” are going to permanently be.
One type of clothing. Instead of hitting your entire closet. Declutter through one type of clothing. Take your ten minutes and go through all of your tank tops. Then another day goes through all of your long-sleeved shirts to donate.
One shelf in the pantry. If your pantry is overwhelming, only do one shelf at a time! Start by maybe only throwing away what you don’t want per shelf. Then maybe a different day you can spend more time organizing what is left.
Office supplies. If you have a lot to go through then maybe just do one thing at a time. Like checking all of your pens/markers to see if they work and discard the rest ( Tip for the minimalist in you- Only keep matching pens/markers. Having dozens of pens collected from every place you have ever been can make your office cluttered fast )
Cleaning supplies. Safely discard anything you don’t use.
Toys. In ten minutes get rid of ten toys!
Tupperware. Tupperware is fairly inexpensive to replace so don’t be afraid to go purge crazy with your Tupperware. Keep only matching sets with lids that you like to use.
Crafting/ art supplies. Try picking one thing you really go through versus trying to do it all in one sitting. Go through your fabric one day. Then a different day goes through your paint.
Countertops. Try clearing your countertops in your kitchen and bathroom. Think about finding new homes for things you always felt you had to keep on your countertops. If you only use your electric can opener once every two weeks, get it off your counter! Put in a cupboard and only pull it out when you need it. Convenience is great, but convenience can also mean clutter, and if the clutter is overwhelming you, it needs to go.

Happy Decluttering!

2 thoughts on “30 Decluttering Projects You Can do When You’re Overwhelmed”

Karen says:

February 26, 2021 at 4:13 pm

Good morning Jes! Ya know, this was such a simple, (not to sound offensive) no brainer post, but it hit me right smack in the face! Thank you, thank you, thank you, for listing in one place, ALL the little things, I can do, that really make a difference in the clutter control in my home. At the ripe old age of 71, I KNOW all of this and have seen it and heard it a million times before, but for some unknown reason, I was still frozen with the thought of overwhelm and had a shut the door attitude about decluttering a WHOLE ROOM at one time. YOU have given me the permission to take things in little chunks and eventually weed through a lifetime of clutter. A wise man once told me that in order to eat an elephant, you just take one bite at a time. For some reason that finally resonated after reading your post. My wallet, purse, shower, and makeup are all in order. Now I’m off to take another bite out of the “elephant in my room!” Thank you and bon a petite!
Just Jes says:

February 28, 2021 at 1:30 pm

Hi Karen!
I think we all get tunnel vision when it comes to our own homes and often overlook the simplest of changes that can make a huge impact! I’m glad you like the post and take each project one by one until you’ve decluttered it all 🙂

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