Decluttering can feel overwhelming if you don’t know how or where to start. Try these 14 tiny decluttering projects to help you clear your clutter and create space without stress or hassle.
TINY DECLUTTERING PROJECTS
When we talk about decluttering, we often think in terms of big stuff. Big projects that will make an equally big difference to what our home looks like and feels like to live in.
As a result, decluttering can seem daunting, difficult and off-putting, especially when you don’t know where or how to start or you don’t have much time to declutter or motivation.
I wanted to write this post to let you know that decluttering doesn’t have to be big. Little things count too and, when added together over time, they can make a big difference.
Many of us don’t have the time, energy or emotional capacity to spend a whole weekend clearing our clutter. A decluttered home gives us calm, peace and space (plus many other benefits) but achieving that isn’t always easy!
When we’re juggling work, family and daily life, it’s just not realistic for many of us to put life on hold whilst we declutter our entire home.
So, if you’re pushed for time, don’t feel inclined to tackle the bigger decluttering projects in life or simply want to dip your toe in the water and make a little start today, this post is for you!
Here are some tiny decluttering projects that you could try when you feel like it!
DECLUTTERING PROJECTS TO GET YOU STARTED
These tiny decluttering projects will help you begin to clear your clutter in small, bite-sized chunks. Where you have the time or motivation, I’ve included links to helpful posts or suggestions for how you can carry on.
Starting something is often the most difficult part so if you manage to declutter one book or one email and would like to carry on with all your books or all your emails, then do just that! If not, one book or one email still makes a difference!
14 TINY DECLUTTERING PROJECTS
Here are 14 tiny decluttering projects to make decluttering feel easier. I’ve also included some tips and ideas how you can carry on decluttering if you’d like to!
1. An app on your phone
Get rid of one app on your phone and if you have time, you could also sort through the rest and organise what’s left. Our phones can be huge time-wasters as we sit playing games or scrolling social media whilst time flies by. I’m also guilty of this so I’ve put screen time limits on my phone usage.
Getting rid of some apps helps to simplify my phone screen, removes apps I don’t use or don’t want to waste time using and I can find the ones I do use much more easily. Here are some other productive things you could do on your phone if you’d like some ideas!
2. Unsubscribe from an email newsletter
If you get too many emails and they fill up your inbox quicker than you can read them, why not declutter your inbox, one newsletter at a time?
Sometimes we sign up to emails just to get a freebie, or because we wanted some information or service, but then we keep on getting those emails beyond what we signed up for them.
Review your email subscriptions, unsubscribe from emails that don’t add value or you don’t enjoy reading. Read more about how to do a digital declutter for some other helpful tips.
3. A book on your bookshelf
Declutter a book you’ve read but won’t read again or a book you’ve never read and won’t ever read. Can you find any more books like that?
Decluttering books is a tough topic and an area where many of us struggle. My tip, which I do at home, is to have a designated space for books. One bookcase in my living room and one shelf in my bedroom. If I have too many books to fit these spaces then that’s a signal to me that I need to declutter.
Using the limitations of my storage to define what I can and can’t keep feels easier and less stressful than deciding book by book or item by item.
4. A kitchen utensil, appliance, plate or mug
You don’t need to tackle the whole kitchen in one go. Just one item, cupboard or drawer at a time.
One area of the kitchen I really encourage you to keep clear is the counter. Not only does it make for a clearer line of sight, the illusion of more space and easier to keep clean, but it also helps making dinner more enjoyable too!
5. Out-of-date cooking spices and herbs
Can you declutter out-of-date, stale spices and herbs? Keep a list of anything you need to replace. If you still have time, why not try decluttering another type of food or section of your pantry?
Keeping your cupboards, fridge and freezer decluttered also makes meal-planning so much easier as you can quickly see what you’ve run out, what you got a lot of and what you’re running low on.
6. Socks with holes
Declutter any socks with holes (or that don’t have a partner!). Read my tips on decluttering clothes if you’re inspired to clear out your closet some more.
A streamlined, simplified capsule wardrobe is a game-changer for making it easier and quicker to get dressed each day, feeling confident and looking good.
Not only this, but having fewer clothes that you don’t wear gives you more space for the clothes that you do wear. You can organise and hang or fold them easier and take care of them better. Here are some more benefits of a capsule wardrobe, starting one holey sock at a time!
7. Expired medicine
Declutter any expired medicine that won’t work as effectively or in the way it’s designed. Make a list of what you need to replace or if you’re running low of anything. Out-of-date medicines are a great decluttering project if you’re struggling to declutter. They’re easier to get rid of than other items that require letting go of emotions and memories.
8. The top of your bedside table/nightstand
For better relaxation and sleep, it helps to have a clutter-free bedroom. Why not make a start with your bedside table or nightstand?
Read this post on making your bedroom a sanctuary for more tips and why a clutter-free bedroom is important for your body and mind.
9. The front of your fridge
Photos, lists, kids’ artwork. Keep what you need and you like to look at, get rid of the rest or, perhaps better still, find another place for all of it?! A cluttered front of your fridge might not be getting in your physical way, but it can make your home look cluttered even if you’ve already decluttered.
Here are some other reasons your home might still be looking cluttered. Do you recognise any of them in your own home?!
10. Your computer desktop
Remove distractions, get organised and be more productive by limiting the icons and saved files and closing those multiple tabs. Here are some other ways that decluttering can boost productivity at home and work.
11. Make-up you don’t like
Try decluttering your make-up for a tiny decluttering project that won’t take long. If you don’t like it, you probably don’t wear it, so do you really need to keep it?
If you’d like to carry on decluttering, why not head into the bathroom and take a look in there? I wrote this article on how to declutter the bathroom and there’s a free bathroom declutter checklist you can get too which might be helpful.
The bathroom is a great place to start decluttering as it’s relatively small with items that don’t have sentimental attachment. It’s easier to get rid of a lotion or cream that makes your skin itchy than a bunch of old family photos.
12. A broken toy or toy that’s never played with
Our kids often have so many toys, perhaps in many cases, more than they need. There are some real benefits for kids to have fewer toys as it increases their creativity and interactions with each other, and much more.
Why not make a start tackling that toy mountain by decluttering toys that are obviously broken or never played with? Read more tips on decluttering toys if you’d like to continue.
13. Your purse/wallet/bag
Sort through old receipts and the random stuff which we collect in our bags and carry around with us every day. This is one way to keep on top of your money and tracking your spending.
If this is a topic that you feel you need more help with, you might like this article on how to simplify your finances for some ideas.
14. Recycling
Paper, cardboard, glass and plastic is still clutter so getting rid of waste and doing some regular recycling still counts as decluttering in my book!
Here are some more ideas on how minimalism helps the environment and promotes sustainability too.
HOW TO START DECLUTTERING
The great thing about these tiny decluttering projects is that they’re quick and easy to do – right now. They’re deliberately tiny to begin with but, if you want to carry on, then you can.
- One app may lead to all your apps
- One email may lead to all your emails
- One book may lead to all your books
The psychology behind this is that ordered, tiny actions are easier to do. We don’t feel overwhelmed or that we don’t have time or energy.
Tiny decluttering projects that give quick wins are great for our motivation and enthusiasm. Whereas deciding to declutter our entire home over the course of one weekend might seem unrealistic and hard work!
Knowing how and where to start decluttering is the key to successful decluttering – however big or small your intended decluttering project.
With these tiny decluttering projects, I asked you what to do and it was probably pretty easy to carry them out. However, what about if I asked you to go and declutter your kitchen or your garage? A little bit more daunting? Probably yes for most of us!
TIPS TO HELP YOU START DECLUTTERING
Here are some tips to help you start decluttering:
1. Start somewhere easy
Start decluttering in an easy place such as the bathroom. If you read this post on how to declutter your bathroom, there’s a free printable you can use to help guide you.
2. Break it down
Break decluttering down into small chunks, either by area, type of item or by a specific window of time. Too big a project or too open-ended the time you allocate to it, may make decluttering feel off-putting.
3. Prepare beforehand
Get prepared before you start decluttering. Have all the decluttering supplies you need to hand so you don’t have to stop and start. Once you’ve started, ideally you want to carry on until that project is complete.
4. Get rid of your unwanted items
Know what you’re going to do with the items you don’t want to keep. Are you going to donate, sell, recycle or throw them? Think about your options before you start decluttering and get rid of your stuff as part of the decluttering process.
FURTHER READING
I hope you enjoyed this list of tiny decluttering projects. Drop a comment below and let me know which was your favourite!
There are plenty of tips to make decluttering easier and I’ve included some links to further reading and resources which you might find helpful.
- Decluttering as self-care
- 5 life-changing benefits of decluttering your home and life
- 10 ways to make decluttering easier
- How to declutter sentimental items
- Declutter Starter Kit – a free workbook to help you start clearing your clutter and create space and calm right now!
Antonia Colins is the creator of Balance Through Simplicity, a website helping busy people declutter their home and life and live more intentionally. She has over 20 years of personal and professional experience in juggling work and family life and supporting individuals to remain independent and enjoy their home more. In her spare time, you can find Antonia walking, reading or planning her next travel adventure! She lives in the UK with her husband and teenage kids. Get your free Declutter Starter Kit.