Ready to declutter your home? Start with these simple 5 steps to get started decluttering!
Welcome to Day 10 of the 30 Days to Less of a Hot Mess Challenge! We’re decluttering, reorganizing and taking a breath of fresh air to create a home we love. If this is your first time at the challenge, you may want to start here at the beginning. This post is sponsored by Kirkland’s as a part of their Resolve to Organize campaign. Affiliate links used for your convenience.
Update 2019: This is from my Less of a Hot Mess Series from January 2017. In 2019, I revamped the content and created a Less of a Hot Mess 30-Day Declutter Challenge (e-mail series) that you can join here!
30-Day Decluttering Challenge
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If you’ve been following my 30 Days to Less of a Hot Mess posts or Instagram and Facebook, then you have caught wind that I’ve decluttered and organized my office! Yay! I can’t wait to share all about that today. I’m using this room as my example for how to declutter an entire room! It’s not too hard, I promise.
My office is actually a corner of my guest bedroom. The space pulls double duty, which can sometimes be a challenge. In the past I have had a hard time keeping it clean and guest-ready, so it really stressed me out. Honestly it just stressed me out to walk in there most days because it looked like this:
And here’s another angle from the door …
I certainly didn’t want to work in there! (I’m trying to gloss over my embarrassment that I even shared those pics, because even my closest friends don’t necessarily get to go in this room. 😬) I ended up working at the kitchen table or the couch or wherever I wanted. It sounds like fun, but it’s not very conducive for productivity and running a business. I need to have a room and work without the clutter.
So, my #1 New Year’s goal was to declutter the whole room. The whole dang thing! I was tired of not being able to find what I needed and having to buy things I already had. I was tired of tripping over random junk laying all over the floor. I was tired of spending my time looking for things instead of spending them with my family.
This method works, my friend. And it will work on any room in your home. And in time as your work through your home and declutter your kitchen and your living room and get rid of clutter throughout, you’ll reap the benefits of decluttering your life. Less stress. Less wasted time. And more time spent living your life instead of managing your things. It’s really a win/win!
Side note: if you’re going to try this at home, it may take some time, depending on your schedule and your clutter. Give yourself grace to work on it a little at a time and not just get frustrated and walk away. Commit to it for the entirety of the process!
How to Declutter an Entire Room: Decluttering Tips
1. Empty the Entire Room – So, I did what I’ve learned to do: I pulled everything out. And I mean everything (except for the furniture, but you can do that too). Things will look so much worse before they look better, but trust me on this. You want to touch every item that is coming or going in that room (or closet or drawer or space). This is key!
Use the box method, having one for each category: trash, donate and keep.
Have the donation box set up and as you bring things out as well, so if you immediately know you want to donate, toss them in the box. Pull everything, and I mean everything out of the room. You’ll be shocked as to what you find.
I even cleaned out the drawers and closet. It was all gone. I promise that you will purge more and throw away more if you touch it all. Here is some of my stuff in the dining room; this wasn’t even all of it!
2. Consider Your Needs for the Room – Once everything was gone, I analyzed the furniture layout and reorganized it a little bit.If you want to get rid of something or add something, or rearrange it, then this is the time to do it! I left the desk in that corner, but I moved the bed over to the opposite corner so that there is more floor space. I have plans to change out the bed and redo some night stands for the room, so that’ll come later this year, I hope. But for now it’s much easier to walk through the room.
I also realized that the extension cord, modem and router weren’t working for me in the corner of the room. They were plugged into the middle of the wall next to my desk, so it was just unsightly! And I got rid of my brown filing cabinet (see this post), so my printer needed a home as well.
I found this gorgeous farmhouse table at Kirkland’s (similar) that fit my needs perfectly. The new monogrammed basket (similar), also from Kirkland’s, fit nicely on the bottom shelf and holds all of my electronics that used to live in the corner.
And my printer found a new home, too! I’m so happy with how it looks now. Rethinking your space to fit the items you need to keep is a key part of organizing your home to work for you.
The sweet little boxwood trio and the monogram coasters are fun items I picked up on my Kirkland’s trip! They just popped right into my arms and asked to go home with me. 😉
3. Group Like Things Together – Once I’ve pulled everything out, analyzed the furniture and done the initial trash and donations, I start grouping like things together. I put all of the ribbon in one pile, all of the notebooks in one spot, all of the office supplies in another.
And slowly, but surely, I grouped everything with something like it. If something didn’t work into an obvious category, then I made my own miscellaneous pile. And at the end of the day if I still couldn’t figure out a category (place) for it and it didn’t spark any joy, then I got rid of it.
You know you’ve hit the right mix of your home decor favorites when you make excuses to walk by the closet just because it looks so pretty in there! (from Instagram)
4. Take Out the Trash – Now that you have your piles of like items, go through each group and ask yourself these two questions: “Do I love this?” and “Do I use this?” If you’re anything like me, then you may struggle with this step. Here are some key phrases that mean something does NOT spark joy.
- I was going to use this later for something; I just can’t remember what it was.
- Aunt Sandy bought this for me, so I can’t get rid of it, even if it’s been sitting in the back of my closet for 7 years.
- But we might need it someday.
- It’s a perfect good, working lamp, so I hate to get rid of it. What if I decide to change out all of my lamps tomorrow??
I think you get the picture. If you ask yourself if you should keeping something and your yes is not a resounding yes, then I’d question whether or not it brings you joy. If you have to hem and haw about keeping something, then it needs to go. You will feel so much freer and won’t remember what you got rid of 30 minutes after you’ve dropped it off.
RELATED: Clearing the Clutter and Sparking Joy
I am the worlds worst at making up excuses to keep unused and unloved items just because I might want it again someday.
Nope! Just let it go.
I’m getting better at it by the day. I trash everything that is actually trash and donate the rest to a wonderful local thrift store that is an amazing asset to our community. I choose to donate and take the tax deduction rather than hanging on to it and doing a yard sale or trying to sell online.
5. Put it all back in a way that makes sense! – Nail down a vision for how you want the space to work for you! And the put things back in place in an organized and thoughtful manner. It’s ok if there is empty space. Let your home breathe and don’t rush to fill it just to fill it with something.
I have rearranged the closet tremendously from its original state, but I’ll share that in another post. I want to share my new office corner with you in its pretty and organized state!
Gah!!! I’m just so obsessed with how it turned out! I love, love, love how pretty it is and how functional it is all at the same time! (Don’t mind the bed post in the picture, I’m going to replace it soon!)
I also added a new galvanized bucket “inbox” to my desk, which I talked about in yesterday’s post on eliminating paper clutter for good! And I bought the chalkboard and file organizer from Kirkland’s, which functions as my “to do” box and my “outbox.” And an awesome dose of daily inspiration as well. More to come on that chalkboard art, soon!
RELATED: Be Strong Be Brave Be Fearless Free Printable
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Yay! I can’t believe that this is actually my work space and that it’s actually organized with everything I need and love and nothing more. So absolutely fun. It’s quite freeing to not be cluttered and able to find everything I need. I have plenty of room to spread out and get my work done.
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Disclosure: I was compensated for my time and this blog post by Kirkland’s as a part of their Resolve to Organize campaign. All opinions and positions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Kirkland’s.
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Erika says
You have no idea how happy your messy pics made me:P They give me hope:) My “office” is a desk in the corner of the dining room, so, unlike yours, everybody sees my mess. And like yours, it goes unused because I can not reach the bottom of the pile. I am a WAHM also – elsewhere in the house. Hope though, the last few days have seen a shrinking of the pile.
Laura says
WAHM unite! It’s so nice to know I’m not alone, too. 🙂 Stay strong mama!
Michelle says
This office looks great. Thanks for the tips, inspiration and “organizing wisdom” of not expecting an over-night redo. I try to do it in a day, get frustrated and have half mess/half organized. Happy I stumbled upon your blog.
Laura says
Oh I’ve so been there, Michelle! I have to take several days to do one project (or weeks sometimes) because, kids and life. But keep pressing on and finish well! It’s so worth it! 🙂 xo, Laura
Susan says
You are so brave to show those photos! I have had rooms like that in the past and it took a lot of work to get them under control. I really like the idea of pulling everything out and sorting into piles as it comes out, and then resorting before putting things back in. I often need to try more than once to make a decision on an item
For now, I have my craft space in a very visible (and small) spot in my kitchen. I’m hoping this is going to keep me honest in trying to maintain control!
Laura says
Great idea to keep it out in the open! My crafts are in my closet, so they can get crazy pretty quickly if I’m not careful. 🙂
Sasha says
Beautiful tips. Sound like it was addressed to me. I really need to clear up my mess
Mandy says
Thanks for the help…your room looks great.
Laura says
Thank you, Mandy!
Heather says
Where did you purchase that perfect desk in your office? Thanks!!
Laura says
Hi Heather, it’s from Ballard Designs. It’s from the Original Home Office Collection and I got the standard desk top and 1 3-drawer file cabinet and 1 2-drawer file cabinet for the bases. I absolutely love it!
You can configure it from this page: http://www.ballarddesigns.com/furniture/home-office/collections/oho/
Heather says
Love it!! Thank you so much for your reply and the link!! You have done a beautiful job!
Candy says
Thanks for the tips, the room looks great!
Laura says
Thank you, Candy!
Rosie says
I love the White Over-the-Door Mirror Organizer – $289! They show it not over a door, so nice!
Jinger says
We are in the process of doing this in my husband’s office. Perfect timing for me to read this. Looks beautiful!
Laura says
Yay, Jinger!! I hope it’s motivating! You wouldn’t believe how many bags of trash and boxes of donations I got out of this room. At least 6 bags of trash and no telling how much donated. It’s so freeing! You’ll be so thankful you did it when you’re done!
Debbie says
Where did you get your desk…I love it!
Laura says
Hi Debbie, it’s from Ballard Designs. It’s from the Original Home Office Collection and I got the standard desk top and 1 3-drawer file cabinet and 1 2-drawer file cabinet for the bases. I absolutely love it!
You can configure it from this page: http://www.ballarddesigns.com/furniture/home-office/collections/oho/
Tanya Wersinger says
I am actually afraid to empty out my rooms….Help me God, please! your after pictures are really nice, and really peaceful.
Laura says
You can do it, Tanya!! I just know you can. 🙂 Maybe start with 1 drawer or 1 closet and work your way up. It might be less intimidating. 🙂 – Laura
Barbara says
Is your computer a laptop on a stand or a desktop that comes that way? I always have such trouble leaning over to see the computer when I try to type. I see that the keyboard is separate. My MAC is a laptop and I would love to have a stand.
Laura says
Hi Barbara, it’s a laptop stand and I’m obsessed with it! I recently purchased it because I found myself hunching over the computer all of the time and my back was in pain from not having good posture. And yes, the mouse and keyboard are wirelessly connected and work beautifully. It was this solution or purchase a separate dest top computer. I’m so glad I did this!
Here are the affiliate links to what I got:
Stand: http://amzn.to/2iejMoG
Keyboard (I bought the refurbished one, and I think it’s new, maybe just was opened once? Works beautifully! Also, the keyboard in the pics is an older, cheaper plastic one I had and I hated using it. I tried it for a few days before I decided to buy the Apple one): http://amzn.to/2j6gdFr
Mouse (I didn’t get this one refurbished, but I probably should have!): http://amzn.to/2ihu8aI
I hope this helps! My new work station is one of my favorite things in the office now. – Laura
Nadia says
You did a great job! Love how it turned our and that farmhouse console table! 🙂
Laura says
Thank you, Nadia! The table is one of my favorite things ever! And it fits my needs perfectly!! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! – Laura
Beverly Franklin says
You have inspired me! With the craziness of the past months, my office looks like a tornado hit it. Thank you for a wonderful article that will help us to get ours more organized!! I love your monogrammed basket. I could definitely use several of these to organize my office better. Thanks for all your help!
Laura says
Yay!! You are welcome, Beverly! I’m so glad it was helpful! -Laura
Tasha says
I feel better now! My room looks like yours and since you were able to accomplish this I have brighter hopes.
Thanks for being so brave. Had I not seen the before I would no believe I could really tackle my project.
Laura says
Hey Tasha, we ALL have rooms like this, or have had them at some point. I hope to never have one again, though. 🙂 I still have closets, though, that would rival my old desk area. So, I still have much work to do! You CAN tackle your projects and you will be so grateful when they are done! Go get ’em!! – Laura
Trish says
Everything looks lovely. I would just spray paint the bed white and save the money as an alternate option! I have always been a fan of the empty the room method! I’m happy you are pleased and enjoying your fresh and pretty space! Thanks for sharing! Taking before pics really helps you keep the room clean longer I find!!
Laura says
Thank you, Trish!! I ended up putting that bed in my daughter’s room when she grew out of her crib and I bought a new daybed! I just need to put it together … maybe this weekend! 🤪
Alison says
My desk–which is in our bedroom–does not look that far off from your before pic, so don’t feel bad! This is motivating me to tackle it ASAP.
Laura says
You can do it, Alison! I still have a top of a dresser in my bedroom that rivals my old desk. I’m tackling it soon!!! You’ve got this!
– Laura
Melissa Storms says
I love the Natural Farmhouse Multi-Use Wall Organizer and would definitely get it if I won the giveaway and maybe even if I don’t.
Laura says
Great choice, Melissa!! 🙂
Kathy says
Hi I’m doing this one room one closet at a time, I can see taking everything out of a closet, or a small space but why take it out of the room? I’m not understanding that concept. I’m doing what you are suggesting except taking it all out I can do a pretty bad room start to finish in one day(stay at home mom) all kids in school. I usually start on one side and start piles or boxes like you said, on a bed ECT then clean dust and then move to other side of room and volla it’s done. Thanks great blog
Laura says
I just have to do it that way … 🙂 It’s probably just the way my brain is wired, but I have to remove everything to really see the space, see how I want it to function. The KonMari book recommends touching everything, so I guess it’s my way of touching everything, but I have to go one step further and take it out of the room!