New Year, New Space: a Guide for Decluttering your Home

Sometimes I feel like I am drowning in clutter. We literally have doom bins throughout the house with all the stuff I can’t get rid of, but I can’t let go of either. In a world full of endless options and constant consumption, it’s easy for our homes and lives to feel overcrowded.

Decluttering isn’t just about tidying up; it’s about creating space for what truly matters. Lord knows we just need a little bit of space. So whether you’re looking to simplify your mornings, reduce stress, or just breathe a little easier, I hope these tips help you as much as they help me.

Where to Declutter for a More Intentional Life

1. Clothing

Do you remember when capsule wardrobes were super popular? They aren’t entirely practical, but there are practically ways to go about it. Choose clothing that you can style multiple ways, with colors that can go well with anything. Less is more when it comes to your wardrobe. Sort through clothing and ditch the pieces you don’t want to keep, then work on building a modified capsule wardrobe. Trust med it will simplify your mornings and reduce decision fatigue.

Tips for Decluttering Your Closet:

• Donate or sell items you haven’t worn in a year. We’ve all seen the hanger trick, where you hang something backwards. Try it, and see which pieces you aren’t grabbing anymore.

• Keep pieces that fit well and match your lifestyle. Don’t save things that you don’t fit in, even if you think you’ll get there again. Don’t waste space with highly specific pieces that you only wore once and will never wear again.

• Store off-season items to avoid overcrowding your space. We use packing cubes to hide off-season clothes under the bed.

2. Paper Clutter

Paper clutter can pile up quickly, but going digital helps keep it under control.

Tips for Reducing Paper Clutter:

• Scan and digitize important documents. You probably don’t need a filing cabinet anymore in this decade.

• Opt for paperless billing and unsubscribe from junk mail. I know a lot of people who literally rely on the paper bill to come in the mail before they pay it online. Skip that step and quit wasting paper.

• Invest in a filing system for essential hard copies. We use a little plastic binder for passports, birth certificates, and the most important papers.

3. Kitchen Gadgets

A cluttered kitchen can make cooking feel overwhelming. We have a junk drawer that I would love to tackle one of these days. I’m slowly working my way through the gadgets to upgrade them to new ones. We just tosssed (well, tossed into a bag) all of the mix matched silverware so we could start fresh with two boxes of brand new silverware. Simplify by keeping only the tools you actually use.

Tips for Decluttering Your Kitchen:

• Donate or recycle duplicate or unused gadgets. You only need one set of measuring cups. One wine opener. One can opener.

• Organize drawers and shelves to keep essentials accessible. We are constantly finding moldy bread in the back (I really need a bread box).

4. Digital Life

Digital clutter can be just as overwhelming as physical clutter. Clearing it out creates mental space and improves productivity.

Tips for Decluttering Your Digital Life:

• Unsubscribe from email newsletters you never read. I know on iPhone there is an unsubscribe button automatically- you don’t even have to scroll to the bottom!

• Delete unused apps and organize files into folders. My husband never uses folders, and has 16 pages of random apps. Whereas my kiddo is the opposite- she has apps thrown into random folders. Neither of them organize.

• Turn off notifications to reduce distractions. This has always been a big tip of mine because it truly saved my sanity. Those little red buttons are obnoxious. Just get rid of them.

5. Beauty and Skincare Products

Skincare routine? Not me. We’re lucky if I remember to wash my face in the shower. But a simplified beauty routine definitely saves time and money while reducing waste.

Tips for Decluttering Beauty Products:

• Toss expired items and products you never use. I recently found a concealer from before my divorce. Yikes.

• Stick to a core set of products that work for you. I live for these beauty essentials, and skip the frills.

• Choose multi-purpose items to minimize clutter. Tinted moisturizer with sunscreen? perfect.

6. Books and Media

Books and media often pile up over time. Don’t let BookTok convince you that you need to convert your closet into a dark academia library. You only need to keep the ones that truly resonate with you. The library is really cool, and Libby is even cooler

Tips for Decluttering Books and Media:

• Donate books you no longer need to libraries or charities. Check out if you have a Little Free Library.

• Switch to digital formats like e-books and audiobooks. I know they’re not the same as a paper copy, but you have access to soo many more books this way.

• Organize what you keep by category or theme. My kiddo has books all over her room and can never find the next book in her series.

7. Home Decor

After I finish writing this section, I have to read it myself, because I am the absolute worst when it comes to home decor. I have so many totes still in storage and no where to even put them in my house.

Tips for Decluttering Home Decor:

• Keep only pieces that bring you joy or hold sentimental value. For a few years I collected snow globes, and last year I decided I wanted to collect bottle brush trees. Year round I collect the Target birds, and now we are starting nutcrackers as well. All this to say, I think we are going to stop collecting snowglobes and maintain the bottle brush trees, and focus on painting our own nutcracker each year.

• Avoid impulse purchases—think before adding new decor. Just because there’s a new holiday aesthetic doesn’t meant we need it.

Decluttering is more than just cleaning up—it’s about creating space for what matters most. From simplifying your wardrobe to clearing out your digital life, each step brings you closer to intentional living.

It doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing process. By tackling one area at a time, you’ll start to feel the benefits of a more organized and intentional lifestyle. Whether it’s simplifying your wardrobe, clearing out paper piles, or streamlining your digital space, small steps can lead to big changes. So start today—your calmer, clutter-free life is just a few decisions away.

Let me know if these tips helped! I’m right here with you.