Declutter like your life depends on it... because it does.

If you’ve ever stood in the middle of a messy room thinking “I can’t live like this, but I also can’t deal with it right now,”— you are not alone my friend.

I’m not a natural housework kinda person. I don’t love cleaning... I mean do many of us love cleaning? Maybe you won the Stepford Wife lottery but I just don’t get excited about plugging in the vacumn cleaner or putting on my gloves to scrub the toilet.

But I do love how life feels when things are easy to find, when benches are clear, when mornings flow smoothly and my mind feels calm instead of cluttered. BUT I'm also a busy working mum who juggles home, my teaching job, my business, after school sports and activities. And you know... being a loving wife (lol!).

I didn’t declutter to have a Pinterest-perfect home. I did it to stop the last-minute stress, the frantic searching, and the constant mental noise that comes from visual chaos.

And if you’re nodding along, you probably know that a messy space isn’t just a mess — it’s a drain on your energy, your focus, and your peace.

Dr Julie Smith, author of the fabulous book Why has no body told me this before? talks about the strong connection between your environment and mental health. A messy chaotic environment actually causes depressive like symptoms... it's true. And I can actually personally relate to this. On Friday night I went to bed super early and woke up to a kitchen haemorrhaging with dishes - like baked on yoghurt and berries and slashes of sticky honey and crumbs.

Anyway I'll move on before I get cranky again. Let's talk about our options.

Here's the podcast link for this blog if you want to hear share my own experiences.

Option 1: Clean It Up Yourself — Relentlessly

Sure, this works — but it’s exhausting. You become the house’s full-time unpaid cleaner. You constantly chase crumbs, socks, and Lego. And you become worn down and resentful.

Option 2: Ask (Nag) Everyone Else to Help

Asking is a noble idea… but sometimes, no one moves at your pace or seems to see the mess you see. Cue frustration and that low simmering resentment we all know too well. This is where you fight daily with your loved ones and end up exhausted and someone cries. THe outcome here is burn out and living in a mess.

Option 3: The 5-Minute Daily Declutter Method

Dahdah! This is a simple yet POWERFUL strategy that works. And it's my five star recommendation.

This is where we focus on one one space at a time. This is the method ensures no one ends burnt out, exhausted and quitting decluttering (aka leaving a bigger mess than when you started).

You absolutely don’t need to overhaul your home — you just need to start with one small space at a time. And repeat this everyday.

Five minutes daily may seem umimpressive, but don't be deceived. Small steps lead to BIG changes. And everyone has 5 minutes to spare.

Over the course of 30 days, this daily 5 minutes truly adds up. After 7 days your home will start to feel lighter, calmer, and easier to live in. You'll notice less personal melt downs and less time wasted searching for that thing you can't currently find.

You will feel more clarity and the quiet calm that comes from feeling in control again.

I’ve made a 5-Minute Daily Declutter Checklist for you here. It's simple, personalisable, gentle and it works. I suggest printing it and putting it up on your fridge to tick off each day. It'll help you to create one calm corner at a time. And this will seriously change your life.

Now... to make decluttering feel peaceful and not like an agonising punishment we are starting small - smaller than you think.

One small space

Lets start with a space that will support your life right now. I would suggest starting with the area causing the greatest frustration. This might be the kitchen, linen cupboard, wardrobe, kids play area, laundry or garage.

Now go even smaller

Let's say you've chosen the kitchen space. The temptation is to attack the entire kitchen space in one sitting. But the 5 minute method is different. It is a sustainable way to declutter that avoids burn out and exhaustion. This method requires you to just choose one single drawer, shelf, or surface in this area at a time.

My beautifully organised project started with my utensil drawer (biggest area of frustration). I set my five minute timer, emptied out that drawer, binned broken pieces, put the 3 extra spatulas, 4 fish slices and multiple odds and ends in the thrift shop pile, wiped out the drawer and put back in what was actually needed. All in five minutes... six tops. You then stop, put your tools down and have a big drink of water.

Or you have chosen the linen cupboard. In this case you'd start with just the pillowcases or towels today. Set the five minute timer on your phone then empty out only those items and if they don't fit, flatter, work or serve your current season - it's clutter. Release those things with gratitud and put them into your recycling, thrift box or bin.

Pause and Breathe

When it’s clear and done, pause, admire that beautifully organised space and enjoy that little rush of calm. This step helps train your brain to love simplicity.

No one is going to rescue you

Caveat. We all want to be rescued. We all want someone else to do the thing we want. Trust me when I say that I prayed my husband would declutter the garage. Spoiler alert: it never happened. So don't wait for help - be your own knight in shining amour. Maybe others will get involved as they see the benefits of an organised space. Maybe not. But we can be the gentle example and enjoy what we create.

Progress over Perfection

Celebrate the lightness, brightness and progress and remember we are not chasing perfection. This is about making room for peace, creativity, and breathing space — not chasing Instagram-worthy order.

We are busy mums. We need to keep things simple, sustainable and do-able. May your decluttering project bring so much joy and flow to your life.

If you loved today’s episode, grab my free 5-Minute Daily Declutter Checklist that will help guide you to create calm, one corner at a time.

Oh and if you found this helpful, please share this blog link with a friend.

Love Tina | Founder of The Flourishing Mum Club xoxo