Several of the virtual organizing clients I’ve recently worked with were experiencing overwhelm due to their physical clutter. They wanted less stuff and clearer spaces, yet felt stuck with getting started and letting go. With support, desire for change, and sound strategies, they began moving forward. It was exciting to see their positive transformations. How was it possible? 

While each client and situation is unique, some strategies consistently help. Are you or someone you know is feeling clutter-stuck? If so, I encourage you to test these five strategies, which establish parameters for support, time, place, supplies, and decisions.

5 Strategies to Destroy the Clutter Barrier When You Are Overwhelmed 

1. Support

Especially if you have tried to let go of clutter on your own and haven’t made progress, it might be time to enlist help. What type of support do you need? Reach out to a nonjudgmental friend, family member, or professional organizer (like me) to help provide accountability, insight, a listening ear, and cheerleading. Having someone support you as you make decisions is invaluable. Finding the right support could be the missing parameter that will help you get unstuck.

2. Time

Clutter can feel overwhelming when we think too big. Typically when you are stuck, go small for your decluttering sessions. For the time parameter, instead of thinking, “I’m going to work all day until I declutter my entire closet,” only work for a short period. Experiment with organizing for 60 or 90 minutes, and then stop. Return another time to do more. Shorter sessions will be more manageable, be less likely to cause burn out, and keep you receptive to organizing again. Besides, a mini time block is easier to integrate into your schedule.

“For the time parameter, instead of thinking, ‘I’m going to work all day until I declutter my entire closet,’ only work for a short period.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®

3. Place

The parameter for going small also applies to the selection of your decluttering project. Let’s say you want to remove the clutter from your bathroom. You set your time parameter for one hour. Reduce the project scope to lessen your overwhelm. Instead of decluttering the entire bathroom in one session, think small. Work on decluttering one cabinet, one shelf, or one box. Keep the goal tiny. Set mini-goals in short time intervals. Repeat until you’ve completed the entire space.

4. Supplies

To help with your decluttering project, prepare the supply parameters. What will you need before you begin? Gather the basics such as trash, donate, and recycling bins or bags, masking tape, markers, and/or a label maker. A small pad and pen or your smartphone are useful to jot down ideas, replenish items, or note discoveries. If you are working virtually and using a video platform, it’s beneficial to have an adjustable stand to hold your mobile phone or tablet, so you can work hands-free, and your support person can see what you are working on.

5. Decisions

The final parameter relates to decision-making. Before you begin decluttering, establish some global project boundaries that will help expedite your choices. You want to set up parameters so that you don’t have to question every decision. Let’s say you’re decluttering your clothes, and you have a lot of everything. Before you begin, you might decide that you will only keep five pairs of black pants, two pairs of jeans, and no skirts (because you never wear them.) Or, you might decide that any stained shirts or torn clothes will go. All decisions will be based on the boundaries you establish at the onset. You can always alter or add to the parameters as you work. Decluttering involves many choices, and it can cause decision-fatigue. By building in a few letting-go rules upfront, you can minimize that stress.

When you are overwhelmed by clutter and are stuck, what helps you move forward? Do any of these strategies resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

The most frequently asked question by my organizing clients is,

“Where should we start?”

It’s an excellent question for figuring out the next step. The first step was deciding that getting organized was a priority. Now that you’re ready to begin the organizing process, you’re unsure about where to begin. I’ll share some ideas that my clients have found useful.

If you take away nothing else, remember . . . there is no wrong place to start.

To figure out where-to-start, ask more questions.

Are you organizing single, confined areas like closets and drawers?

• If so, have you cleared time in your schedule to complete an entire single project?

• Or, will you need multiple time blocks to complete one single area?

• Base your where-to-start decision on the time component and scheduling the time you need to complete a single spot.

Are you organizing multiple areas, as in many rooms or every room in your home?

Time and scheduling are also part of these multi-phased projects. Also, choosing where-to-start requires asking additional questions because there are so many options. Again, remember that there is no wrong place to start.

Here are some questions consider:

• Which room would be most helpful to organize first?

• Is it the area you spend the most time in?

• Is it the room that’s easiest to organize because it’s almost done?

• Is it the room that’s causing you the most angst?

• Is it the room you know what to do, but just need the time to do it?

• Is it the area that will have the biggest, positive effect on your daily living?

• Is it the one that you feel like organizing today?

• Is it the area that you have the mental and physical energy to work on today?

Some spaces are more emotionally draining than others. Papers, for instance, take a lot longer to process, and decision-fatigue can set in quickly. Clothing closets and drawers are usually faster, and results are realized more easily. Of course, this varies by person. Some of you many love organizing papers and detest closet organizing.

Once you’re in a room, more where-to-start questions arise. They include:

• Do you want to edit the floor first so you can move around more easily?

• Do you want to edit the surfaces (counters, chairs, shelves) first to notice the visual change more quickly?

• Do you want to edit the closets and drawers first to make space for things that don't have any place to be stored?

• Do you want to work in a zigzag pattern or move methodically from one end of the room to another?

• Do you want to edit the biggest, bulkiest items first to make more space?

• Do you want to remove the items to discard first?

Guess what? You know what I’m going to say, right? There is no wrong place to start.

The questions are useful so that you can define your parameters and figure out where to begin. Remember, there are no wrong answers.

I’ve given you a few questions to get you started. What other questions are useful for figuring out where to start organizing? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join our conversation!