Try ‘Micro-Decluttering’ When Cleaning Is Too Overwhelming

For some people, cleaning and organizing is liberating, relaxing, or even fun. For others, it’s overwhelming—and only gets worse when the aversion to it outweighs the motivation to do it, resulting in bigger and bigger messes that need attention. Some cleaning and decluttering methods are geared toward people in that first category, the ones with the attention span and drive to take on a big project all at once. For everyone else, the methods need some modification. If you struggle with feeling overwhelmed, try micro-decluttering. 

What is micro-decluttering?

The term “micro-decluttering” has been trending on cleaning blogs for some time and while the phrase is novel, the idea is pretty well understood: Instead of cleaning all at once, choose small sections to tackle instead. 

So, instead of vowing to clean the bathroom in a day, hone in on the medicine cabinet. Instead of cleaning your bedroom, go after the closet or the nightstand. Instead of cleaning the kitchen, consider the fridge or the silverware drawer. Obviously, you’ll get around to all the “micro” spaces within those rooms, but you don’t have to do them all at once. Rather, you can really spiff up a small section, revel in the feeling of accomplishment it brings, see some immediate results, and check in with yourself on whether you have the capacity to do another section quickly. 

How to micro-declutter

To micro-declutter, find a system that works for you. You can dedicate one day to small sections of individual rooms, working through each room for about a week, or you can switch from room to room every time you clean. This is like a modified version of the ski-slope method, which calls on you to clean in a zig-zag fashion instead of going straight through a room. The nice thing about micro-decluttering is that it can be more metered out. You can space out your sessions in a way that works for you, decreasing the amount of overwhelming feelings. If it doesn’t feel like too much, try to create a schedule so you’re doing at least one micro section per day and getting a little structure to go with the plan, keeping you on track.

Try taking before and after pictures of the small sections you work on to reinforce the feeling of accomplishment. Being able to see the results will go a long way toward motivating you. As areas start to get cleaner, the whole room will slowly follow suit, giving you even more of a boost. Eventually, you may be able to do bigger sections or more sections all at once. 

As with any decluttering attempt, make sure you sort everything into four piles: keep, throw, donate, and sell. Grab a set of stacking boxes to make this easier. Every time you finish a micro section, make sure you address the boxes, moving the things you’re keeping into their proper place, throwing away everything from the trash pile, and getting the rest ready to donate and sell. Don’t let anything hang around and impede your progress. Then, go at your own pace, taking on sections bit by bit until the job is done.