How to Declutter Your Home + Life: A Mindful Decluttering Guide

Do you need help decluttering your home and life? If so, you’re in the right place. Keep reading for everything you need to know to clear the clutter.

As a shopaholic turned minimalist, I know how it feels to drown under the weight of too much stuff and too many responsibilities. It’s a heavy burden to carry but the good news is there’s a way to lighten your load.

You can declutter your home, your schedule, and even your mind—and this guide will help you get started. You’ll learn practical decluttering tips and strategies that can change your life.

How To Declutter Your Home and Life

What Is Decluttering?

“Clutter is not just stuff on the floor—it’s anything that stands between you and the life you want to be living.” —Peter Walsh

Decluttering is the process of clearing clutter from your home and life—but you can also think of it as an invitation to write your story. As you let go of the excess, you have the opportunity to decide what really matters.

Ultimately, it’s about creating space. With less “stuff” weighing you down, you have more time and energy for the things that matter most.

Image of woman walking barefoot in the grass, with grey overlay. Text overlay reads: "Clutter is not just stuff on the floor—it’s anything that stands between you and the life you want to be living." - Peter Walsh

What Are The Benefits of Decluttering?

If you’re new to decluttering and minimalism, you might be surprised to hear about the many benefits. Owning less means less stress—you have less to clean and less to trip over—but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Decluttering is also a powerful tool for self-discovery. As you let go of the things you think define you, you learn more about who you are. It doesn’t seem like much at first but this is where the magic happens.

A decluttered home leads to a decluttered heart, with space for the all unique things that make life worth living.

To learn more, check out:

How Do I Get Started With Decluttering?

The first step to getting started with decluttering is creating the right mindset. This involves getting clear on your why —what does decluttering mean to you and why are you deciding to walk down this path?

If you’re really struggling, it might help to read this post about what to do when you’re overwhelmed by clutter. There are also a lot of tips in this post about finding the motivation to declutter.

Then when you’re ready, check out some of these practical decluttering tips:

I also recommend that you download Mindful Decluttering, my free guide and workbook. I share my step-by-step process for clearing clutter from your life, as well as troubleshooting tips to help you overcome your biggest challenges.

To get your copy, simply subscribe using the form below. As a bonus, you’ll also get my regular newsletter with tips, stories and offers (but don’t worry, you can unsubscribe at any time and still keep your free guide).

How Do I Decide What to Keep While Decluttering?

A lot of people struggle with deciding what to keep while decluttering. Trust me—I understand this feeling! As a reformed shopaholic, I used to own a lot of stuff. I knew I wanted to let go, but I felt overwhelmed by all the decluttering decisions.

It took me several years of trial and error, but eventually, I learned a lot about how to let go. The most important lesson is to focus on your long-term goals. What do you want most out of life? Get clear on what you want and then keep this vision in mind as you evaluate your stuff.

For more on how to make decluttering decisions, be sure to check out:

What to Do When You’re Struggling to Declutter

Once you’ve decided what to declutter, the next step is to follow through with letting go—and that’s often easier said than done.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the things we own reflect our thoughts and beliefs about ourselves. For example, a serving tray can be so much more than just a fancy old plate!

It might also represent your hopes and dreams—maybe you’ve always wanted to throw enviable dinner parties that the neighbours can’t stop talking about. Or perhaps you long for big family dinners with loved ones who are no longer around.

Decluttering often means grieving the past or letting go of a future you once imagined. It’s not easy but getting to the heart of our stories, and tackling our limiting beliefs is a great way to get started.

Here are a few resources that will help you learn more about overcoming decluttering challenges:

There is also a detailed troubleshooting section in the Mindful Decluttering guide that will help you overcome challenges like what to do with sentimental items or items you’re keeping “just in case” — so be sure to subscribe and get your free copy!

A simple glass vase with delicate flowers on a wood floor against a white background. — Decluttering can be hard to do, but it’s worth it. Less stuff = more time, space and money for the things that matter most.

How to Declutter Your Closet

Personally, I found that decluttering clothes can be particularly hard so here are a few specific resources about letting go of clothes and creating a minimalist wardrobe:

More Decluttering Tips + Resources

Here are a few more of my favourite decluttering tips and resources! I’m always updating this list so be sure to bookmark this page and keep checking back.

How to Declutter Your Life (Moving Beyond the Home)

Decluttering your home is a great place to start—but don’t stop there! You can also declutter your life. Here are some tips and ideas:

Free Mindful Decluttering Guide

Mindful Decluttering is a free guide and workbook. You’ll learn:

The mindset switch that helped me decluttering more than 80% of my belongings
Step-by-step, how to declutter your home
How to troubleshoot your biggest decluttering challenges

To get your copy, subscribe using the form below! (You can unsubscribe anytime and still keep your free book.)

PRAISE FOR MINDFUL DECLUTTERING

“Hi, Jennifer! I just wanted to let you know that even after starting my minimalism journey 9 years ago, I got real value and direction from your Mindful Decluttering e-book. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, you have a wonderful way with words.” — Michelle

“I loved the connection you made with mindful decluttering – others talk about becoming more mindful as part of a minimalist journey, but the fact you’ve made it part of the framework of the process itself sets it apart.” — Christina J, 38, St Albans, UK

Online Decluttering Courses

CLEAR YOUR CLUTTER: LEARN HOW TO LIVE A MINIMALIST LIFE

Clear Your Clutter is an online course that will teach you how to live a minimalist life. This is everything I learned on my journey from feeling busy, overwhelmed and stuck … to feeling free, at ease and in love with my life.

This isn’t your average decluttering course—I’m going to teach you how to think like a minimalist. Learn how to let go of everything that’s been holding you back so you can finally create the life that deep down, you know you deserve.

CLICK HERE to learn more.

THE ONE DAY CLOSET CLEANSE

Is getting dressed each morning a struggle? Do you feel overwhelmed when you think about your wardrobe? Are you dreaming of a clutter-free closet full of items that you love and actually wear?

You can make this dream a reality with the One Day Closet Cleanse—an easy to follow roadmap that will empower you to finally follow through with your decluttering plans.

Don’t spend days, weeks or even months struggling with your closet when you could see real results in just one day.

CLICK HERE to learn more.