A new year provides an opportunity to reset old habits and build new ones. I always shun sweeping resolutions in favour of smaller, more realistic goals. With that in mind, I’m taking a new approach to decluttering in 2023. If you’re just starting to declutter or you’ve been at it for a while, I hope you’ll join me.
Today, I will look back at my decluttering journey and the progress I have made. Then, I will look ahead to my plans for this year. Because there’s always more to declutter…
My decluttering journey
In 2020, I set a goal to declutter my home. I had no idea how to go about it, so I started reading decluttering books and blogs to get ideas. After a slow start and some modest progress, a 31-day declutter challenge proposed by a member of the blogging community in October of that year helped me pick up the pace and gave me the motivation to continue.
I decided to make 2021 the year of decluttering, so I created the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge. Every week, I picked an area of my home to declutter. Then, I wrote a blog post with my tips and an update on my progress. By the end of the year, I had got rid of 3,379 items. It was a great accomplishment, but I still had work to do.
At the beginning of 2022, I was inspired when Redfin approached me to contribute to their roundup of tips from decluttering experts. My goal for the year was to go back and redo the 52-week challenge. In the first 10 months of the year, I made good progress decluttering about 2,800 digital files and close to 400 physical items.
Then, as I shared in my November decluttering update, I lost my motivation and decided it was time for a break. I took my own advice and looked back on my accomplishments. Then, I made a plan for 2023.
A new approach to decluttering in 2023
Marie Kondo famously says if you declutter little by little, you’ll be decluttering forever. I’ve never subscribed to her blitz approach to decluttering. Unless you’re facing serious time constraints, a slower approach works better for most people. Taking your time and being more thoughtful gets you in the habit of decluttering, and reduces the risk of decluttering regret.
Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist, reports that the average American household contains 300,000 items. We live in a smaller home, so I feel like my starting number was probably significantly less than that. Since the beginning of my decluttering journey, I have decluttered close to 10,000 items. Great progress, but there’s probably a hundred thousand or more to go.
With that in mind, I have a new approach to decluttering for 2023. I printed a copy of my 52-Weeks of Decluttering and Organizing checklist because it’s a handy way to keep track of progress. Twice a month, I will pick an area that’s annoying me and do a 30-minute mini decluttering session in that area. I will share my progress and any new tips and learnings here on the blog.
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If you’re ready to start decluttering, check out this post. It has everything you need to get started along with links to my free downloadable checklists.
What are your plans for decluttering this year? Tell me about them below.
You’ve made great progress on your decluttering journey so far, and it is good that you took a break and made a decluttering plan for this year.
We moved to a new apartment in August, so I feel like we don’t have much clutter (we defintily don’t have anywhere near 300,000 items either!), but I do like the idea of twice a month focusing on area of your home to declutter.
Hi Karalee. Thanks for dropping by. It’s good to do even small decluttering jobs to keep on top of things so they don’t get out of control. I wish I had learned that earlier. LOL
My goodness, you are an avid & disciplined declutterer! Good on you, Michelle! I do hope you reach your goals! 🌞
Thanks Lisa. Decluttering is definitely an ongoing process.
I like this approach of doing it room by room. I tend to want to do it all in a weekend and get the entire house thinned out.
Doing it all in one go works for some people and it makes sense if you’re facing a specific deadline like a move. Personally, I prefer the slow and steady approach. Thanks for reading and commenting, Shell!
I think it will work better for me right now because I get overwhelming. Especially when looking at my books!
This is a really helpful post on how to declutter your home, feel organised and clear your home. Start of a new year is the perfect time to declutter your home. Thank you for sharing this!
Lauren – bournemouthgirl
Hi Lauren. Thanks for dropping by. Yes, a new year provides an excellent opportunity to rethink a lot of things, including our approach to decluttering.
Informative as always, keep it up and thanks for your precious ideas. Love to back here again for fruitful stuff like this.
Hello and thank you for visiting. I appreciate it.
Maybe I need to compartmentalise where I declutter. I probably do it too randomly, making it hard to see any progress.
It does take time to see any meaningful progress. I think that’s why I started keeping track and writing about it. It’s a good reminder when I need some motivation.
That’s interesting what Marie Kondo said. I myself prefer the slow burn too. I even prefer it for cleaning. Much easier to just wipe the baseboards than to wait until I have time to clean the entire living room. Now I’m feeling that I should check under my sink, lol.
Isn’t that true with most things? Small, incremental progress works better than burning yourself out trying to do everything at once.
Ha ha. When I decluttered under my kitchen sink, I hadn’t emptied it out since we’d renovated our kitchen about 10 years earlier. It’s a very neglected area.
Lists are a fabulous way to keep track of progress and have a good idea of what to tackle in any given space! Small efforts too always add up. 🙂
Agreed. It’s much better to do something small regularly than to wait for the day when you can do something big. That day never seems to come!
We really want to get better about decluttering in 2023. This is a really great list to keep us organized. Starting with closests is a must.
Thanks for dropping by and good luck with your decluttering. I’m glad you found the list helpful.
I should do more decluttering. Yesterday, I went through my closet, and I got rid of a lot of clothes that I never wear. (I bagged them up and plan to donate them to Goodwill. It felt so good to get rid of these excess items I know I’d never wear and made it easier to find things I might. I don’t work at decluttering regularly. It usually happens because I get frustrated not being able to find something I know is there.
Hi Pete, and thanks for dropping by. I did a major closet decluttering during the pandemic. I have far fewer clothes now and they all fit in my closet and dresser, avoiding the need for a twice-a-year closet switchover. And there’s nothing like frustration as a great motivator! LOL
I’m aiming for about an hour a week to declutter my home.
That’s a great goal Rachel. You can get a lot done in a focused hour!
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I start decluttering between Christmas and new years. I do one small area a day. This year I started with my bedroom (not clothes yet though) and now I’m on my desk area. Came up with new organizing plan for some things so I’m thrilled. About 40 items donated so far
That is fabulous progress. I love the idea of one small area a day. It all adds up over time! Thanks for dropping by.
I thought I just had 2 big areas on my declutter wish-list (my home office, where everything I want to keep seems to get dumped; and the corner of the living room, where we hope to put a piano someday), but then I thought about the front closet, and the bathroom cabinets, and the basement (my husband’s area, so not really my decision to make)…Do I need to declutter my declutter list?
There’s always something to declutter, isn’t there? I just did my home office too and it feels so much better. Just wait until the mood strikes and tackle the next item on the list. It’s a marathon, not a sprint!