21 Decluttering Mistakes That Stop You From Maintaining An Organized Home
Inaction and procrastination are common themes when it comes to decluttering…
When you feel completely bogged down by clutter, it can seem like an insurmountable task that is anything but fun.
No need to worry!
By avoiding these decluttering mistakes, you’ll be able to make progress and create a peaceful, decluttered home.
In this post, we’ll cover 21 decluttering mistakes!
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21 Decluttering Mistakes That Stop You From Maintaining An Organized Home
1. Organizing Before Decluttering
Trying to organize as a remedy for clutter before sorting through your stuff can lead to problems down the line.
It may seem like the right solution at first, but it actually has the opposite effect…
When you organize without getting rid of your stuff, you may be spending extra on organization tools instead of removing the items you no longer use.
Furthermore, this leads to clutter not being removed, resulting in more money being spent in the long run.
2. Keeping Things Due To Guilt
As you know, decluttering isn’t all physical; it’s mental and very emotional…
When you have items that were gifts from a loved one who has passed or old things that were you’re favorite growing up, you may feel a certain type of guilt associated with letting them go.
Don’t get me wrong, sentimental items and things that have great importance to you should be kept…
However, if you have items that aren’t as important on a deeper level, but still feel guilty about, this may be holding you back from decluttering effectively.
Take a deep breath and consider if the item in question still holds value and if it would be better off used by someone else via selling or donating, etc.
3. Not Letting Go of “Just In Case” Items
We’re all guilty of having or holding on to “just in case items”.
It’s natural to want to have something ready for a backup or an emergency.
It only becomes a problem, however, when we accumulate too many of these types of items or even search them out to buy, even though we really don’t need them.
4. Trying To Declutter Too Much At One Time
Putting too much on your plate when it comes to clutter is a recipe for disaster…
Sensory overload and mental burnout can easily occur when you try to take on too much at one time.
This leads to problems like:
- Inaction
- Procrastination
- Feeling defeated
- Loss of motivation
To avoid this, try chunking and keeping your decluttering efforts small and strategic. Focus on one category at a time and set a timer to stay focused for a specified time, like 5-10 minutes.
5. Not Focusing On One Area At A Time
Another big mistake is trying to divide your focus into too many areas instead of concentrating on one place or even a single spot within a room.
For example, if you want to focus on tidying up your bedroom, you could start by focusing on all clothes/drawers first and then move on to any paper clutter, jewelry, accessories, etc.
The main point is to narrow your focus to make it easier to make decisions and not get distracted.
6. Not Creating Decluttering Habits
Developing decluttering habits is the main way you will make progress.
Establish your habits by setting specific times and dates. Typically, with a habit, you would want to set a specific time and location to repeat, but when decluttering, it won’t be the same area.
If you use a planner, open up your calendar and schedule time for your decluttering sessions and plan out how long you’ll shoot for.
7. Too Many Items In Your “Maybe” Pile
Keeping a “maybe” pile is an excellent way to sort items without having to decide whether to discard an item or keep it right away.
It gives you time to think over your needs and maybe make sound decisions regarding your belongings.
This only becomes a problem when your “maybe” pile becomes too large and indecision causes you to be unsure of too many things that otherwise should be sorted into donate, sell, or trash boxes.
8. Ignoring The Emotional Side of Decluttering
As we stated above, decluttering is mostly internal…
Ignoring your emotions during your decluttering blinds you from the fact that most of your decisions as to why something may be hard to get rid of stem from your emotions and attachments.
Embrace your emotions when decluttering and do your best to find the root cause as to why certain items might make you feel a certain way.
Keep in mind, these may not even be sentimental items that give you emotional feelings; they may be everyday things that you feel like you can’t live without, but haven’t used in years.
9. Avoiding The Root Cause of Your Clutter
Clutter manifests mostly as physical things that pile up and create a mess over time.
Even though the clutter in your home is physical, the root cause is something internal…
Emotions dictate a large portion of our choices when it comes to our belongings and contribute to our inaction.
This is why hoarding is prevalent and troublesome…
One may have old habits and emotions that evoke negative feelings when trying to declutter.
When this type of thing happens, it’s a good practice to reflect and ask yourself why you may be feeling this way, and ask, “Why is it so hard to get rid of this stuff?
Going deeper and asking these questions can help you to find deeper reasons for holding on to clutter, as well as deeper emotional pain that may not have been dealt with or felt.
10. Not Creating Designated Storage Space
While you shouldn’t over-rely on storage, it’s important that you do create and maintain a designated storage area or areas in your home.
This way, you know where storage should be, and when other areas start to become unintentional temporary storage areas, you know you will need to find a new home for your stuff or declutter it, etc.
11. Not Keeping Things Simple
Overcomplicating and overthinking can ultimately prevent you from taking action.
No need to doubt which rule to follow or overthink which decluttering strategy might work best, etc.
Keeping it simple is the name of the game.
You’re already overwhelmed by physical clutter; no need to overcomplicate the solution.
Try these steps to declutter easily with no friction:
- Grab a trash bag
- Set a timer for 5-10 minutes
- Pick one room
- Pick one type of clutter to toss (paper, accessories, duplicates, clothes, etc.)
- Throw away anything you automatically know is trash or don’t need
- Ask yourself if you have used the item in question in the last year
If you feel comfortable and have made some progress, transition over to another room and try the same steps.
Getting rid of the trash and stuff you don’t need is like getting rid of layers and slowly simplifying towards a less cluttered living space.
12. Adding More Things
This is a big no-no…
When you’re trying to declutter, one of the worst things you can do is keep buying and adding more things that you may not even need at the time.
Buying things you want in moderation is okay if it makes you happy, but buying things when you’re trying to get rid of things in your home is a big mistake.
This is like working out hard and then eating fast food right after.
You’re ruining previous progress that you worked hard for.
13. Trying To Declutter Alone
Another big mistake is trying to declutter alone or thinking you have to “do it all”.
It may be natural to think that way, especially if your spouse or family is completely on board with the effort.
Even if that is true, your family can still help in small ways and take the burden off your shoulders if you ask.
14. Thinking Decluttering Is A One-Time Thing
Like most things, decluttering is an ongoing habit that can’t be accomplished at one time.
It’s something that you work on regularly and eventually get better at.
Even if you’ve done a massive decluttering spree in your home and made a big difference, it’s important to note that you shouldn’t think it’s over.
Yes, you might not have to declutter as much anymore, but the hard part now is maintaining your decluttered home and learning to be intentional about what you spend on and bring into your home.
15. Choosing Storage Over Decluttering
One trap to avoid is choosing to get more “storage” either in your home or in a storage facility rather than declutter.
Using up more storage may seem easy and nice in the beginning, but you’re really prolonging the issue and not addressing your clutter.
16. Overcomplicating Your Decisions
When it comes to deciding what you need to keep, sell, or donate, don’t overcomplicate it.
First: Focus on what you want to keep and what has value to sell
Next: Utilize a donate/maybe bin for things you aren’t sure about + trash bag
Don’t focus so much on items you’re not sure of and simply keep them in the maybe pile to review afterwards.
17. Not Decluttering Regularly
If you’re not careful, clutter can quickly accumulate even after you’ve made good progress.
To ensure this doesn’t become a problem, make a plan to declutter consistently and keep your home organized.
This can be something easy, like decluttering 5-10 items daily if you’re low on time.
18. Putting Things Off For “Later”
Putting things off for later feels good in the moment, but more times than not leads to worse outcomes down the line…
When it comes to clutter, this could be delaying putting away your laundry, not cleaning up your countertop before leaving a room, or leaving mail and other bills for later.
Check out some helpful tips to avoid procrastination here:
19. Not Thinking “Less Is More”
Thinking larger efforts are the only way you’re going to rid yourself of your mess is not the right mindset…
It’s actually the small, consistent efforts mixed with large efforts that allow you to make progress.
Overall, it’s better to declutter 5-10 minutes a day than to declutter for 1 hour over the weekend once a month
20. Letting Perfectionism Get In The Way
Perfectionism isn’t a bad trait at all, but can be something that holds you back…
Wanting things to be just right and, for lack of a better term, “perfect” will cause you to delay and procrastinate!
This can make it hard to get started with decluttering and can be a major mental obstacle.
21. Not Maintaining Your Decluttered Space
Like we’ve mentioned throughout this post, maintaining your decluttered space is paramount if you want to keep your home tidy.
What could be worse than decluttering your entire home only for it to regain clutter all over again in a few years?
Final Thoughts
By avoiding these decluttering mistakes, you can set yourself up for success!
Don’t get discouraged if you’ve made these mistakes, as we’ll all probably make one or two along the way.
Be patient with yourself and take things one step at a time!
What’s Next?: Check out more posts to help you declutter your home!
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