You wouldn’t go travelling into the wilderness without a map right? So, you don’t want to start the grand project of de-cluttering without being clear on what areas actually need work. Take a piece of paper and start walking around your home. List each room and for each of them write down all the storage areas and spaces where clutter builds up. Check out figure 1 below for an example of such a map.

Why is this approach so important? What does it achieve? It boils down to basic project management principles and it’s so much easier to work on something when it has clear, defined lines to it. Without this list you will find yourself going into a room wondering where to start, or even worse picking on bits to do here and there without making much of a dent. Thinking about your de-cluttering in terms of entire rooms, rather than in just in terms of a storage box in your bedroom and the pile of papers on your desk in the office is so much more overwhelming and will almost certainly lead to you putting off the whole process. Try walking into a room without a plan and then immediately determine where to start. There are so many distractions, so many facets to the room that need attention… your head will struggle to process what’s in front of you.

Fig 1: Example clutter map