Learning How to Declutter: A Guide for Moms
If you’re tuning in, it’s probably because you’re a mom looking to declutter your home but feel overwhelmed by all the small, everyday tasks that pile up. Let me tell you—I completely get it. Between raising kids, keeping up with messes, handling job transitions, or dealing with postpartum exhaustion, learning how to declutter can seem impossible. But today, we’re going to talk through some practical strategies to get started, even when it feels overwhelming.
Why Decluttering Feels Overwhelming
Let’s be real—mom life is full of tiny tasks that compound over time. It’s easy to feel like you’re always behind, and when you think about tackling decluttering, it feels like just one more thing on your never-ending to-do list.
For example, imagine waking up in the morning, ready to get the kids fed and off to school. You get down to the kitchen, only to find last night’s dishes still sitting in the sink. Then you realize you can’t find your child’s lunchbox, and when you do find it, it’s still full of last week’s snacks—gross! Individually, these are small things, but together, they can make life feel really heavy.
This is what I hear from so many moms in the Motherhood Simplified community: they want to declutter, but life’s daily demands leave them with no time or energy. Between getting the kids to school, managing meals, and just keeping up with the basics, it’s hard to imagine adding decluttering to the mix.
The Best Part Of Learning How to Declutter: It Actually Reduces Your Workload
Here’s where decluttering can be a game-changer. While it feels like an overwhelming task, decluttering actually reduces your overall workload. When you declutter, you have fewer items to clean, fewer things to organize, and less clutter to manage day-to-day. Instead of cleaning up after a million toys, clothes, and kitchen gadgets, you only need to deal with what’s truly necessary.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of decluttering, remember this: it’s the one thing that will actually reduce the number of tasks you have to do daily. The less stuff you have, the easier it is to keep your home clean and functional.
Why Decluttering as a Mom Is Different
It’s important to acknowledge that decluttering as a mom is different from decluttering in any other phase of life. When you’re a mom, you’re juggling so much—raising kids, maintaining relationships, running errands, and possibly even managing a career. You simply don’t have the same amount of time or energy that someone without kids might have, and that’s okay!
Here’s what I want you to remember: you can declutter, but it’s going to be slower, and that’s perfectly fine. You won’t be able to dedicate entire weekends or long stretches of time to decluttering, and that’s normal. As a mom, you’ll need to approach it differently—by breaking the process down into small, manageable pieces.
Step 1: Break It Down into Bite-Sized Pieces
Instead of waiting for a big block of time to declutter (which may never come!), start with tiny decluttering projects. If you wait until you have an entire weekend to yourself, you’ll never get it done. Instead, commit to small chunks of time—10 minutes here, 20 minutes there—and focus on one small area at a time.
When you do get a burst of energy or some extra time, go ahead and tackle a bigger project. But don’t rely solely on these rare moments of free time. By consistently doing small projects, you’ll make more progress than you might expect.
Step 2: Create a Decluttering Plan
Having a decluttering plan is a huge help. It allows you to use your time effectively, so when you do have a free moment, you can jump right into decluttering instead of spending time figuring out where to start.
If you’re not sure how to create your own decluttering plan, don’t worry—I’ve got you covered! I offer a range of decluttering courses specifically designed for moms like you. These courses will walk you through every step, from deciding what to declutter to actually doing it. Whether you’re focused on toys, clothes, or your entire house, I’ve created plans that fit right into mom life.
You can check out the courses here.
Step 3: Stop Letting Yourself Off the Hook
I get it—sometimes life is too overwhelming to add decluttering to your list. And sometimes, that’s a valid reason to take a break. But more often than not, the excuses we use to avoid decluttering end up holding us back.
If you find yourself saying things like, “I can’t declutter because I have kids,” or “I can’t declutter because I’m too tired,” ask yourself if those are true reasons or just excuses. Decluttering can feel hard in the short term, but not decluttering makes life harder in the long term. The less stuff you have, the less time you’ll spend managing it.
Step 4: Be Honest About Your Priorities
One of the biggest challenges in learning how to declutter is figuring out what you actually need to do in a day versus what can wait.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I really need to clean the bathroom today, or can I spend that time decluttering?
- Is cooking dinner from scratch every night necessary, or can I order takeout a few times this week to make time for decluttering?
- Do I really have to attend that playdate, or would it be more beneficial to use that time to declutter?
Remember, decluttering is something you do once, and it has long-term benefits. Cleaning and organizing, on the other hand, are tasks you’ll have to do repeatedly. By choosing to declutter now, you’re giving yourself a cleaner, more manageable home in the future.
Step 5: Build Momentum and Adjust Expectations
Decluttering isn’t a one-time event—it’s a process. You won’t be able to declutter your entire home overnight, but that’s okay. By doing small projects consistently, you’ll build momentum and start to see progress.
It’s also important to adjust your expectations. As a mom, things are going to go slower, and that’s normal. But slow progress is still progress, and every little bit counts. You don’t have to declutter your whole house in a weekend. You just have to keep moving forward.
The Bottom Line: Learning How to Declutter Is Possible
Learning how to declutter, especially as a mom, is all about adjusting your approach. By breaking it down into small projects, having a plan, and being honest with yourself about your priorities, you can make decluttering work for you. And once you start, you’ll see how much easier your daily life becomes with less stuff to manage.
Ready to simplify your home and life?
If you’re tired of feeling overwhelmed by clutter and want a straightforward, easy-to-follow plan, Decluttering Simplified is here to help. This course is specifically designed for busy moms like you, providing step-by-step guidance to declutter every part of your home—no matter how chaotic things feel right now.
With Decluttering Simplified, you’ll finally be able to:
- Clear out the clutter that’s been weighing you down
- Create a home that’s easier to manage
- Free up more time and energy to enjoy with your family
The best part? You can do it all at your own pace, with lifetime access to the course so you can revisit it whenever you need.
Join Decluttering Simplified today and start creating the peaceful, clutter-free home you deserve.
👉 Click here to join Decluttering Simplified
Let’s declutter together!
