How to Declutter When You Have Low Energy (The Window Shopping Method)

“I desperately want to declutter, but I just don’t have the energy. What do I do?”

I’ve been asked this question a ton lately — and as someone who has struggled with low energy and chronic illness myself, I know it’s an important question! 

Especially because most decluttering advice (or at least what you see on TV or social media) feels so unapproachable for people in this group. If you have low energy due to health, age, or responsibilities, then dumping everything you own and clearing it in a single marathon decluttering session just isn’t realistic. 

So instead, here are some practical tips and a system I call the Window Shopping Method. It’s a slow, steady way to declutter that gets results without burning out. 

What will you do with the things you declutter?

Before we dive into actual decluttering, there’s an important decision you need to make:

What will you do with the stuff you declutter? 

This is advice I give to everyone because mentally, it’s easier to declutter when you have a clear plan for how you’ll dispose of your unwanted items. But it’s even more important when you’re low on energy, because taking things out of your home is often the most physically demanding part of decluttering. 

If you don’t plan this part ahead of time, you often end up with piles sitting around the house “temporarily.” And temporary piles have a habit of becoming permanent — which is overwhelming at the best of times, and completely discouraging when your energy is already limited.

So plan what you will do before you open a single closet or sort a pile. It takes a little bit of foresight, but it will make the entire process easier (and it’s surprisingly motivating!). 

Here are some ideas specific to those with low energy. 

Practical ways to dispose of your items (without doing it all yourself)

There’s no single “right” option here — just different levels of effort, cost, and convenience. The best choice is the one that fits your situation.

Ask for help — with a clear plan.

If you have a friend or family member who’s willing to help, ask them to commit to a time and a plan. Set a date for when they will collect your items, and decide in advance exactly where they will take them. 

I know it’s hard when you’re asking for favours, but whenever possible, avoid vague, “I’ll help sometime” responses. You don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you’ve decluttered, and now you’re stuck with piles that you can’t move on your own. 

Pay for help if that’s an option.

You might find someone through Airtasker or a local community group who will take donations or unwanted items for a small fee. This can be a very worthwhile trade if energy is your limiting factor.

Donation pickup services.

There are organisations that collect donations from your home, such as Pickup Please (which supports veterans) or satruck.org (which supports the Salvation Army). I haven’t used these services personally, so I always recommend doing your own research — and if you’ve had experience with them, leaving a comment below this post can really help others!

Selling without doing all the work yourself.

If you want to sell your items, here are a few lower-effort options to explore:

• Services like ThredUp, where you send a box of clothes, and they do the rest for you.
• eBay selling assistants, who list and sell items for a commission (Google “eBay selling assistants” + your local area, or try Airtasker)
• eBay has their own consignment service 
• Local consignment stores.

Again, I don’t have firsthand experience with all of these, so do check reviews and trust your judgement.

A quick but important note about selling: 

I know how hard it can be to let go of things that still have value, or that you paid good money for. And sometimes selling is necessary for financial reasons.

But often, the pressure to “get the money back” is emotional. It’s tied to ideas about waste, responsibility, or feeling we made a bad decision. As a former shopaholic, I know those feelings all too well! But just remember that living in a home that makes you feel unhappy, stuck, or trapped also has a cost. 

This is a personal decision. There’s no moral high ground either way — just trade-offs. And sometimes giving things away is an act of self-kindness. 

Related Post: What to Do With the Stuff You Declutter When You’re Worried About the Environment

What not to do when you start decluttering

Once you have a plan, it’s time to start decluttering. And there is some very popular advice I want you to ignore: 

“Take everything out so you can see what you have.”

If that works for you, great. But for many people — especially those with low energy — it creates more problems than it solves.

The most obvious issue is the mess. If you run out of steam halfway through, you’re left with chaos that now needs even more energy to fix.

But there’s also a decision-making problem. When you compare items against each other, it’s easy to make choices that don’t actually add value to your life.

For example, if you have thirty sweaters, you might keep one simply because it’s the only red one — even if it’s itchy, uncomfortable, or never worn. The decision ends up being about what you don’t have, rather than whether the item itself is worth keeping.

There’s no rule that says you must declutter this way. And if energy or overwhelm is an issue for you, there’s a safer alternative.

A low-energy approach: the Window Shopping Method

If your energy is limited (or you’re easily overwhelmed), give this method a try:

Once you’ve decided how unwanted items will leave your home and where you’ll put them temporarily, stop thinking about decluttering as a big project. Instead, treat it like window shopping.

You don’t need to set aside hours. You don’t need to pull everything out. You simply open a cupboard, walk into a room, or look inside a drawer and browse.

Can you spot one or two things you no longer need? 

If yes, take them out and put them in your designated spot. Then stop.

Rest. Go about your day. And do it again another time when you have the capacity.

It might feel slow — but because you’re not exhausting yourself, you can do it more often. And over time, it adds up.

A few ways to make this even easier (and more effective)

Decide criteria ahead of time.

Before you start, set a few rules about what you will or won’t keep. For example:

• You don’t wear heels anymore.
• You won’t keep books you don’t plan to reread.
• You don’t keep cords or random wires unless you know exactly what they’re for.

Now, when you approach a space, you’re not sorting through everything — you’re just looking for items that match your criteria.

Learn from your clutter.

When you let go of something, ask why it became clutter. Was the fabric itchy? The neckline uncomfortable? Was maintenance or care more effort than it was worth?

These patterns help you refine your criteria and make future decisions easier.

Attach decluttering to existing routines.

If you make coffee every morning, look for one item to declutter while it brews. Or if you have a favourite TV show, declutter three items before watching. 

Stop before you’re exhausted.

I’ve written about decluttering burnout before, but one of my top tips is to stop while you still have some gas in the tank. 

I know it’s tempting to do a bit extra when you have the energy, and, of course, that’s OK. But pushing yourself too hard, too soon, can lead to physical exhaustion — and it might even put you off decluttering altogether. 

Final thoughts on decluttering with low energy

Decluttering doesn’t have to be fast or exhausting. 

When energy is limited, consistency matters more than intensity.

Small decisions made regularly will change your home far more than the occasional burst of effort followed by burnout.

The Window Shopping Method gives you a way to make progress without creating a mess or feeling overwhelmed — and over time, that progress adds up.

If you’d like more support, you might also find these posts helpful:

• The Preparedness Paradox: How “Just in Case” Clutter Makes Us Less Ready for Life – A helpful perspective for those who struggle with “just in case” items. 
• How to Declutter When You Want to Keep Everything – It’s easy to declutter worn-out t-shirts or expired makeup. But how do you declutter when you love all your stuff (but know you have too much)? Read to find out. 
• How to Let Go of Sentimental Items While Decluttering – A compassionate approach to decluttering that honours the stories and emotions behind your stuff.
• 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Decluttering – They say that hindsight is 20/20, and that’s definitely been true with my decluttering. Here’s what I wish someone had told me before I started.