I asked professional organisers how to avoid that ‘what have I done?!’ moment we all feel mid-clear-out – and it makes total sense

As Ideal Home’s go-to for all things storage, organisation and decluttering, you’d like to think that I love decluttering my home. And I do… for a little while. But when I’m halfway through, and my house looks like a pigsty, I question why I even started in the first place (and go off in search of chocolate to make me feel better).

Yes, I’ve tried so many of the best decluttering methods out there, but I often still find myself surrounded by piles of items and making an even bigger mess when I’m trying to declutter - and it’s incredibly overwhelming. And while I appreciate that sometimes things do have to get worse to get better, does that always have to be the case?

According to the three professional organisers I spoke to, no, it doesn’t. These are their top tips for decluttering a home without making an even bigger mess in the process, and what to do if you reach that ‘oh gosh, what have I done?!’ moment.

1. Work in small sections

If you plan to organise your clothes or give your kitchen a complete overhaul, it can be tempting to pull everything out of the cupboards and drawers and start from scratch with everything laid out in front of you. And as someone who has done this many times, I can tell you that this is the worst thing you can do.

Shannon Murphy, Professional Organiser and Founder of Simpl Living Co, agrees, saying that working in small sections is one of the best ways to avoid overwhelm when decluttering a home. She says this also allows you to ‘fully complete an area before moving on to the next.’

‘I often recommend working clockwise around a room, focusing on one small area at a time. This gives you a clear starting point and a sense of progress as you work your way around the space,’ Shannon adds. ‘If you do reach that overwhelmed moment, remind yourself that you don't have to tackle the whole room today. Make the task smaller.’

By working this way, you’ll ensure that you don’t end up surrounded by all of your belongings and abandoning your task - and you’ll finally be able to get rid of the clutter that’s been building up for months (and perhaps even years).

2. Separate and remove items immediately

It can also be hard to know what to do with items when you’re decluttering, often leaving old clothes, paperwork, and toys sitting on the floor with no rhyme or reason for where they’re headed. That’s why separating these items using the four-box method is key.

‘Use four containers - keep here, move elsewhere, donate or sell, and rubbish or recycling. And make sure to finish one zone before expanding,’ advises Gemma Bray, Founder of The Organised Method. If you struggle with emotional clutter, she also says you can ‘allow yourself one small, dated “unsure” box for difficult decisions.’

But even if you have good intentions to get rid of items after a declutter, these boxes and bags can still continue to clutter up your home when you’ve finished if you don’t deal with them immediately. So, try to remove them from your house as quickly as possible to finish the task properly.

Gemma says, ‘Put donations by the door or take them directly to their destination, but do not drive them around until next year!’ Then, you can tick the task firmly off your to-do list.

3. Set a timer

Another reason decluttering becomes so messy is that we get distracted, and I recently wrote about how body doubling can help with that. However, a timer can also work wonders if you struggle to stay motivated. Plus, it helps you break down your decluttering into these smaller tasks.

Kate Dufton, Professional Organiser and Declutterer at Ace Your Space, agrees, saying, ‘I recommend clients use a timer and start with just 10 minutes. We often overestimate how long decluttering a small area will take, and once clients see how much they can achieve in 10 minutes, it often creates momentum to continue.’

She adds, ‘The timer also helps them keep their focus and avoid getting sidetracked.’ But that’s not all. By using a timer and keeping these tasks small and manageable, you can keep the room usable and see a visual difference in your decluttering efforts.

Of course, you can set the timer for as long as you want, but most experts wouldn’t suggest choosing anything over 20 minutes, as you’ll once again be at risk of making a bigger mess and feeling overwhelmed.

4. Start with non-sentimental items

Most people don’t know how to declutter sentimental items and hit a roadblock when they come across things they're emotionally attached to. And if you’re one of them - and you often abandon your decluttering efforts because of it - Kate suggests leaving these items until last.

‘I always recommend starting small with an area that has no sentimental attachment to my clients. When you try to declutter a whole room in one go, you can quickly end up with your belongings everywhere, feeling overwhelmed and with no energy left to finish the project,’ she warns.

‘Instead, start by clearing one drawer or one small surface of items containing items that don’t hold any sentimental attachment. I normally suggest choosing an area with similar items to get you into the flow. This could be a pan drawer, underwear drawer, or dressing table,’ she adds.

And when you’ve done this, you should have built up enough momentum and confidence in your decisions to handle the sentimental items. If you genuinely can’t, take a quick break, but make sure you come back to your task.

5. Take stock of your energy levels

It can be incredibly easy to give up on decluttering when you’ve made an even bigger mess, but this mess will just get bigger as the weeks go by. To avoid this, it’s important to take stock of your energy levels during the process, as you ultimately need to be in a calm, motivated headspace to see results.

Gemma explains, ‘Overwhelm often hits when the room temporarily looks worse and your energy drops. You have not failed; you are simply in the untidy middle. When it happens, stop taking out more things. Remind yourself why you started and that this is usually the worst part, then take practical action.’

She suggests focusing on four key tasks: throwing away obvious rubbish, putting items you definitely want to donate in a bag (and get rid of it as soon as you can), returning anything that has an obvious home, and then clearing one visible surface or pathway to create some physical (and mental) breathing room.

Seeing this visible difference should perk up your energy levels, but you then need to ask yourself another question: Can you continue? Or should you try again tomorrow? There’s no shame in taking a break if it’s going to render better results.

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I'm definitely stealing these tips!