This Declutter Your Life Checklist will help you remove clutter from your kitchen, closet, mind and so much more. If you work through this checklist, you’ll be clutter free in every area of your life.
Consider this Declutter Your Life checklist an invitation to let go with more ease. It will also help you begin to consider what you want your life to be like. So often, we fall into an auto-pilot life of consumption, deleting email and crossing things off our to-do lists. Creating more space in every area of your life inspires more intentional living.
While decluttering can feel like an impossible task, sometimes a big glass of water, a fun, let-it-go playlist and a checklist of things to declutter can get things started with more fun and ease. Start by decluttering the items from the list below and consider what else you want to let go of to create a happier life with less stress.
The best part about a list of things to declutter is that it removes most of the decisions you have to make. If you get stuck with decisions about what to do with the stuff you declutter, simply box it up and get it out of sight for now. Slow progress is still progress. Here’s the list of things to declutter.
Declutter Your Life Checklist
If you want to enjoy your favorite things, only own your favorite things. The LA Times has reported that the average American home contains more than 300,000 items. It’s impossible to have 300,000 favorite things! This list of things to declutter starts with easier things and ends with more complicated things to declutter. If this isn’t enough, check out this list of 120 things to declutter when you finish.
If you feel stuck, stop thinking about what you are getting rid of and instead consider what you are making space for. Make space for laughing, resting and connecting. Create space to show up for your life. Make space for what matters to you.
When you aren’t sure what to do with the stuff you are decluttering and wonder if you should donate it or sell it, make a rule. For instance sell anything worth more than $100 and donate anything else.
The 62+ item checklist will help you create a more spacious, intentional life.
It’s so interesting and frustrating how clutter can sneak up on us. From belts we don’t use to Tupperware, condiments and take out menus we never use to old computers and their cords, phone boxes, magnets and manuals, stuff always seems to be building up.
Even though I decluttered a big house and downsized to a space that was ½ the size and stopped bringing extra things in, I’m still surprised by clutter. When I walk in my laundry room and find towels I never use, or extra things that I bought as back up for the pantry that never get used, I remember the saying, out of sight, out of mind. Now, before I buy anything new, I ask questions like, “Do I really need more things to declutter?” and “Do I want to manage more things?”
As you’ll discover by reviewing the Declutter Your Life Checklist, clutter goes far beyond your junk drawer.
Start by decluttering duplicates and extras (especially in the closet and kitchen).
You always use your favorites, but still have extras for a variety of reasons. Maybe you bought it on sale, you are holding on “just in case” or someone gave it to you. P.S. We may have to stop giving each other coffee cups! You get to determine how much is enough for you, maybe it’s one or none or less or more.
1. coffee cups
2. water bottles
3. measuring cups & spoons
4. wooden spoons
5. wire whisks
6. spatulas
7. random lids and containers that don’t match
8. the same shirt in different colors
9. handbags (yep, I went there)
10. sunglasses
11. skincare products
12. cosmetics/makeup
13. hair accessories (hair dryers, curling irons)
These are some of the easiest things to accumulate and because we use some of them, we don’t always think they fall under the category of things to declutter. They are some of the easiest items on the Declutter Your Life checklist and letting them go will give you more confidence to let go of the other stuff.
If you feel nervous about letting go right away, remove the items for a few weeks and see if you miss them or if you enjoy the new space more when they are gone.
Declutter things that make you feel bad
If you want to feel good, stop surrounding yourself with things that make you feel bad. We hold a lot of emotions in our stuff so if there is stuff hanging around that makes you feel bad or sad, you get subtle reminders all day long. You’ll feel lighter with less of the bad stuff.
14. sentimental items that remind you of things you don’t want to remember
15. mean things people said about you
16. old journals from a hard time
17. breaking news
18. clothes you spent too much money on
19. anything that doesn’t fit your body or your lifestyle anymore
Sometimes these items can be hard to let go of even though you know they make you feel bad or sad. If you struggle here, consider an experiment or challenge around the items you are working on. For instance, if you aren’t sure if the news makes you feel bad, remove it for a week and see if you feel better. You may decide that a daily or weekly check feels better than non-stop notifications.
With clothes or other items you spent a lot of money on, consider that you’ve already gotten your money’s worth and that you have paid enough. Why continue to pay for the item with time, space, energy and emotion. Let go instead.
The next part of the Declutter Your Life Checklist is the stuff you don’t use.
If you are holding on thinking, “it’s not hurting anything,” reframe and ask yourself, “How is it helping and contributing to my life?” If it’s not, you don’t have room for it. With everything that is vying for our attention, there simply isn’t room to hold everything … not in home, not in drawer and not in a life.
20. random spices and sauces
21. uncomfortable shoes
22. empty frames and other containers
23. exercise equipment
24. outdated hobby stuff
25. career related stuff that no longer applies
26. aspirational items
27. books you’ve already read or never plan on reading
28. junk drawer things
29. knick-knacks
30. freebies (when you bought things you didn’t need to get things you didn’t want)
31. gifts (yes, if you don’t want them, you are welcome to let them go)
This category sounds easier but these are things that build up because they come into your home with little resistance and then they decide to live there forever. That is until you say, “enough.” Once you thoughtfully remove these items, you’ll notice their red flags before you bring them in moving forward.
Declutter the digital things too.
You don’t have to save it all. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. The stuff we can’t see like digital things to declutter is still taking up space in our lives. For extra support and inspiration, try the Digital Declutter Hour.
32. podcasts you don’t listen to
33. music you don’t enjoy
34. documents you saved and never access
35. email you don’t need or never open
36. screenshots
37. subscriptions you aren’t using
38. accounts on social media you don’t want to follow anymore
39. apps that drain your time and energy
40. scrolling social media
41. digital devices and the boxes they came in
Before my big home decluttering, I had two filing cabinets. I carefully stored everything I could think of. I saved pay stubs, receipts, recipes, checklists, manuals from small appliances, sheets of paper from old notebooks and journals, cards and letters and more. When I decided to clean out the filing cabinets, I realized I had rarely looked at any of the saved things. I never used them and I did not need them. I try to approach the things I’m saving digitally with the same lens and I before I “save” instead of “trash” I ask, will I ever look at this again? Usually, the answer is no.
Declutter photos and paper.
If you want success in declutter paper and photos, remember, it’s not about getting organized. It’s about saving less. If the piles keep growing, ask these two simple questions. Most of these things to declutter are things that feel important but also things you never go back to. For more support and direction (and great tips), try the Paper Declutter Hour.
42. photos that are duplicates or similar to others from the same event
43. blurry photos
44. photos of things you don’t remember or don’t want to remember
45. coupons or mailers you aren’t using
46. bills, statements and receipts you can get online
47. old newspapers and magazines
48. children’s artwork and homework (save some but not all)
49. anything you’ve ever ripped out of old magazines
50. piles of paper that don’t require action
Saving photos and paper has become a secret hoarding project for most of us. How many photos do we need on our phones? Why do we need piles and piles of paper that we never go through? This story of what I did with photos of my grandparents helps me remember that when everything is important, nothing is.
When you are ready make space in your heart, soul and mind.
Here comes the real life-changing stuff on the Declutter Your Life Checklist. This is the clutter you can’t see. It’s the hard stuff, the stuff that’s holding you back. And it’s yours to let go of when you are ready. It’s probably the hardest things on this list of things to declutter and probably makes the biggest difference when you let go. It is going to take some time so don’t expect to drop it all overnight. Give yourself lots of grace as you move through these items slowly and gently.
51. believing everything you think
52. other people’s opinions
53. drinking too much (or at all)
54. apologizing for things you don’t need to be sorry for
55. being normal
56. perfection
57. comparison
58. old goals and expectations
59. guilt
60. the past
61. regret
62. anything that keeps you up at night (except your kids, pets, partners)
You may not have to declutter all of these things. Some of these things to declutter may not be an issue for you or maybe you already removed them. Simply remove the things that remove you from your life. Do what is best for you.
Consider your decluttering pace
To avoid decluttering burnout (it happens), consider your decluttering pace. Decluttering Your Life can have a positive effect not just on your personal living space but on your mental health too. If you are feeling overwhelmed, create a calm, soothing space with less stuff. It will give you a sanctuary where you can relax, unwind and not feel so distracted and pulled to deal with too many things at once.
When you begin decluttering and are trying to figure out the best place to start, think instead about your time and energy availability. How can you approach decluttering in a way that works well for you. Would 10 minutes a day serve you better than spending an entire weekend getting rid of things? When you don’t feel well enough to declutter the kitchen, do you still have the energy to declutter digital photos and files? Instead of measuring your decluttering success by how many items you get rid of, give more attention to how you feel. Tiny step simplicity works best when it comes to big decluttering projects and decluttering your life.
Once you finish decluttering things from this list or a room in your home, celebrate. Take a walk, call someone who makes you laugh or make a delicious cup of coffee or snack and recognize your progress. Big change is a result of hundreds of tiny steps and they all count. I’m cheering you as you continue to simplify your life.
