Start With What’s Easy to Let Go

Woman sorting clothes while decluttering and organizing a living room.

If you’ve ever looked around your home and thought, There’s clutter in every room. I don’t even know where to start, you are certainly not alone. When everything seems to be calling for your attention at once, even deciding what to tackle first can feel overwhelming. That’s when I encourage my clients to forget about doing everything and simply start with what feels easy.

Grab the Low-Hanging Fruit

One of the things I say often is, “Grab the low-hanging fruit.”

In organizing, that means looking around your home for the things you already know you’re ready to let go of. No difficult decisions. No sentimental boxes. No standing in front of a closet wondering whether you might wear something again someday.

Just start with the easy things.

When you begin there, something important happens. You create movement. A little space opens up. You see progress. And suddenly, the whole house doesn’t feel quite as overwhelming as it did five minutes ago.

Look for the Easy Decisions

There are certain things I see again and again in homes that can often be cleared out fairly quickly.

Expired food is a great place to begin. Take a look through your refrigerator, pantry, and cabinets. If something has expired and you already know your family isn’t going to use it, that can be an easy decision.

Expired medications are another category to gather. Set them aside for appropriate medication disposal rather than allowing them to continue taking up valuable space.

Then there are old eyeglasses. Maybe your prescription has changed, nobody in the family can use them, and they’ve been sitting in a drawer for years. Those glasses may be ready for donation through an organization that accepts them.

Clothing can offer some easy wins, too. Look for pieces that are threadbare, have stretched-out elastic, or need repairs you’ve been meaning to make for years. Sometimes we already know, deep down, that we aren’t going to wear those pieces again. Giving yourself permission to acknowledge that can be surprisingly freeing.

And then there’s the paper.

Most homes have some version of the junk-mail pile. Advertisements, flyers, old offers, envelopes and papers that came into the house but never really needed to stay. A few minutes spent recycling and shredding can make a visible difference very quickly.

Let Easy Progress Build Momentum

You don’t have to begin your decluttering journey with your hardest decisions.

In fact, I often recommend the opposite.

Walk around your house with a bag, basket, or box and simply notice what is easy to release. You may find five things. You may find fifty. Either way, you’ve started.

And starting matters.

Organizing isn’t about creating a perfect house. It’s about creating a home that works better for the people who live there. Each unnecessary item you release gives you a little more breathing room. Each small decision makes the next decision easier.

You don’t have to declutter your entire house today. Start with one expired item, one worn-out shirt, one stack of junk mail. Let yourself experience the relief that comes from making a little progress, and then build from there.

Your home deserves to support the life you’re living, and you deserve to be happy in your home. Sometimes that transformation begins with something very simple: letting go of the things you already know you don’t need.

Pinky Jackson is a Decluttering Specialist and Home Organizing Expert. If you need expert organizing help, don't hesitate to reach out. Pinky and her team would love to help you. Onsite Organizing services are available in the Louisville, KY area and Virtual Organizing services are offered for clients in other locations and for those who prefer to work online. Visit pinkyjackson.com to learn about our services and schedule a free assessment.

Photo : cottonbro studio @cottonbro