Two years ago, I quit my job and sold my 1,500-square-foot house without any real plans. That still feels like one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.
Before I was comfortable enough to make that leap, I got rid of about 75% of my belongings. Since then, I’ve continued decluttering — and now live quite happily in a 350-square-foot off-grid yurt with my husband.
I’ve learned a lot about decluttering over the past couple of years — and honestly, it’s (embarrassingly) one of my favorite things to talk about. If you’re at the beginning of your own decluttering journey, or somewhere in the messy middle, here’s everything I know.
1. Don’t Get Hung Up on “Your Why”
Every resource out there says to start with your why. I agree… but don’t let this part hold you back.
I didn’t have a perfect reason when I started. It began with a gut feeling: I wasn’t as nimble as I wanted to be.
Eventually, that vague discomfort turned into a goal: to carve out one free hour a day (hence the name Hobby Hour). And it worked. Less stuff really does afford you more time. My things were slowing me down. Honestly, my things were keeping me from knowing who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do.
Here are some other reasons I’ve heard or experienced:
You panic before guests come over, but you want to host
You keep buying duplicates of things you already own
You dread packing and unpacking for trips, but you want to travel
You have a closet full of clothes, but you never know what to wear
You’re making a gazillion tiny decisions a day — and it’s exhausting
2. Let Yourself Be Inspired
There are so many decluttering voices out there. Some will resonate, some won’t. I liked The Home Edit’s show for entertainment and an idea here and there (though I’d warn you about the heavy consumerism they promote). I also really loved listening to the ClutterBug podcast while I decluttered, and found a lot of inspiration from Substack writers and books on slow living.
My favorites:
Clutterbug Podcast - Good motivation when you are actually decluttering!
The Life Edit - Shira’s whole message is less but better. I agree.
Living Small - Laura writes with sustainability in mind, and talks about the benefits of living with less.
Your House Machine - Rebecca writes about systems in your home. And it always makes me chuckle a little bit.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer - A Christian approach to how we spend our time and honestly I need to re-read this soon.
Project 333 - About a capsule wardrobe, which is still a work in progress for me, but is worth investing in.
The Minimalist Kitchen - I read this and realized this is how Zach cooks. And that wee don’t need so much in our kitchen. This is a great place to start.
And if you love a good crowd-sourced list, here’s a comprehensive Reddit thread on decluttering.
3. Keep a Mantra (or a Goal) in Mind
Decluttering can be emotional. And it’s hard! It’s kind of like running, where you actually have to practice and train to be able to do it. Having a little guiding phrase helps. Mine was:
Keep moving the needle forward.
That reminder — borrowed from ClutterBug — kept me from getting stuck or overwhelmed. Yours could be “Stay nimble” or “Clear space, gain time.” You could borrow from the scouts and use “Leave it better than you found it” and consider the footprint you leave behind for your family (morbid, I know, but I bet you don’t want your legacy to be “Grandma had a ton of $#!+”. You know?)
Use whatever keeps you going when you hit a wall.
4. Expect Resistance
You will hit roadblocks. Most of them are mindset shifts that might allow you to explore your relationship with stuff. I find this fascinating. Be gentle with yourself and ask yourself why a certain thing might be hard to get rid of.
The most common roadblocks I’ve encountered:
Guilt about letting go of expensive items or gifts
Try giving yourself grace and imagine these sunk costs as tuition of life. My dad always talks about the education we get from The School of Hard Knocks and considers mistakes tuition. Just try not to make the same mistake again. Or,
Try reframing your guilt of having spent the money to guilt of wasting the great thing you have that you aren’t using. Wedding dresses come to mind in this. They are only stylish for so long, so why not donate it early so a new bride can use it? How selfish are we to hold onto something and allow it to collect dust when somebody could be using it!
Scarcity mindset — what if I need this someday?
This is a very real way to think. Especially if you or your family have ever experienced poverty. This is especially a roadblock for survivors of the great depression and their offspring. You are so thrifty and that is awesome, but what if you started to feel like you had already had enough? Exhale.
Not knowing how to get rid of something (or where to donate it).
This is tough because we all know how difficult it is to actually do things without just dumping it all off at a donation center, knowing they will probably end up in a landfill anyways. Here are some, but not all of my tips (this topic alone could be a book):
Facebook Marketplace is the quickest and easiest way to actually make some money selling your things. Listing something as free is a mistake, just because of the volume of people who will message you. Instead, list something for very little money and give it for free when they arrive. Consider putting things on the porch and having the buyer simply put money under a rug. Most people are good people, and if something gets stolen, consider it a gift.
A Garage Sale is a good way to go if you just want to get rid of things. Consider your neighborhood, and don’t expect to make a lot of money. People like to barter at garage sales and expect everything to be inexpensive.
Consigning things is a good way to get rid of higher end items without doing a lot of work and still making some money. My belongings do not appeal to consignment stores, so this is not a good option for me. Apparently I have bad taste compared to the general public??
Make a pile of hard to dispose garbage (paints, batteries, medicine, etc). Save it for a get-it-done day and take all of it out at the same time. Just get them out of your way for now and dispose of them properly later.
Setimental items is a whole other category of roadblocks, and I encourage you to do that last, once your decluttering muscles are very strong.
Clutter Worth Keeping
I’ve been a bit obsessed with decluttering and minimizing my belongings for the last couple of years, and it’s become a hobby of mine, which I wholly accept.
5. Try A Variety of Strategies
Different strategies work for different people. These are the ones that worked for me:
15-minute wins: You will learn more about this from The Minimalist Edit and Shira’s books. Set a timer and declutter one tiny zone
This is a great place to start:
3 Simple Steps to Kickstart a Whole Home Organizing Spree
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Whenever somebody asks me where to begin with a whole house organizing project, I always suggest starting with their underwear drawer. It might sound silly, but the reason is that your underwear drawer should be the easiest thing to tackle and can make a dramatic impact on reducing the stress in your life. Decluttering your underwear drawer only takes a…
The Minimalist Game: Day 1 = 1 item, Day 2 = 2 items, and so on
“Would I Replace It?” Test: If I lost this, would I buy it again?
The Moving Game: If I were moving tomorrow, would I bring it? Or actually pack things up like you are moving. If you don’t need them for a certain time period, donate!
Purgetory: I grew up Catholic, so bear with me. Create a bin for maybes. Revisit in 30 days. I like to write notes on those boxes/ bins “get rid of by set date”). I won’t even look at the stuff. Straight to donate!
Sometimes I’d accidentally break a glass and think, “Oh good — one less thing to worry about.” That told me everything I needed to know.
6. Understand the Downfalls of Decluttering
You might regret decluttering some things. I sold over $4,000 worth of things, and had to spend around $100 replacing those items.
Be cautious of upgrading everything. If you realize your towels need replacing, by all means, replace your towels. For the most part, what you already have is probably good enough, but decluttering might make you feel like you should upgrade everything.
Also, don’t declutter things that don’t belong to you. Your family might catch on, but they will hate you if you throw away their stuff without their permission.
You need to create a system for moving forward. It’s as simple as being mindful of what you bring into your home. You might also consider having a system for outgoing stuff. I keep a bin in my garage that is labeled “outgoing”.
Don’t give up before you reap the benefits!
Decluttering is a moving target! You might not ever be “done” decluttering. I say that over 2 years in, knowing that it is a constant exercise. But it gets easier!!
The Payoff
Decluttering isn’t about owning nothing or chasing some Pinterest-perfect aesthetic. It’s about creating space for what matters — and letting go of what doesn’t.
Two years after letting go of so much — the job, the house, the plan, the stuff — I still think that decision was one of the best I’ve ever made.
I’d love to know from other decluttering enthusiasts— what did I miss?? And if you are new, what questions do you have??
This was so good! Thanks for sharing your experience!
I’ve realized the more stuff I have, the more I feel like I have nothing to wear or use. Every time I travel and only bring the things I really love, I feel clearer, lighter, more myself. Need to channel that same energy into the rest of my life!
(The hardest thing for me to let go of are books!)
Thank you for sharing such thoughtful tips! My house is in need of a good declutter so the timing was perfect. It may not happen until my kids are grown, if ever, but my ultimate goal is to have my volume of possessions reduced to the point that I am able to responsibly dispose of anything I no longer want or need.
I did cut some handkerchiefs for the kids out of old t-shirts the other day that were not in good enough shape to pass along. The garage rag bin is full and I realistically am not going to make a rag rug out of them any time soon, but this at least gives part of the material a second life.