7 Ways to Make Time to Declutter this Spring

Spring arrives with the aura of a fresh start. A time to shed the dormancy of winter and break through to a more meaningful, aligned life. For many of us, this means an environmental refresh—a time to revive our homes.

But for this “spring reset” to stay, we need to do more than simply spring cleaning or even spring organizing. While both of those revamping actions are good, the real reset comes from spring decluttering, or more specifically, spring de-owning. Letting go of the excess physical stuff residing in your home is where the real lightening, freeing rejuvenation of the spring season is found. 

Why?

Decluttering and letting go of excess possessions, studies show, reduces the amount of time spent on housework by 40% in the average home.

Let that stat sink in for a minute—that’s almost half the amount of housework-dedicated minutes of your life. 

If you spend 10 hours a week cleaning, organizing, and maintaining things, with less stuff you will spend 6 hours. What would you do with 4 extra hours a week? (An extra 16 hours a month; an extra 208 hours (8.5 days) a year). Anything you’ve been wanting to do but haven’t had the time! Connect with your kids, take up a new hobby, spend more time with friends, read books, exercise, cook—it’s all waiting for you once your living environment contains less. 

In my experience, making time to declutter a home is one of the best time investments you can make. The return on your investment is phenomenal—invest a bit of time up front in decluttering your home and soon you have less stuff-related “to do’s,” resulting in much more free time in your daily life. 

Truth is, making time to declutter in the spring can set you up for a summer of less stress and more focus on the things and people in your life that matter.

Here are 7 ways to make time to declutter your home this spring:

1. Schedule it

Make time to declutter by scheduling weekly or bi-weekly decluttering appointments with yourself and show up for them. On time and ready to simplify. If you have children, hire a sitter during these times or ask family or friends to help with child care—just like you would for a real appointment. Decluttering is an investment in your relationship with your kids. Time spent decluttering today means much more free time in the future, which you can spend fully engaged with them. 

2. Get up earlier/ stay up later

For those of us with small kids, making time to declutter while they are sleeping is a great option. If you’re a morning person, get up an hour early. If staying up late is more your thing, do that. Or do a bit of both. While I’m not one to overlook the importance of sleep, sacrificing a little here and there can go a long way toward decluttering your home. 

3. Reduce your distractions 

Studies show we spend an average of 3 hours and 30 minutes a day on our phone (over 2 of those on social media) and over 4 hours watching TV. Could you use one of those hours decluttering daily? I’m guessing so. You might miss your favorite reality show or seeing what your old high school friend made that night for dinner. But, remember, time invested in decluttering now means much more time for all that later (if that’s how you choose to use it). Keep time spent on your phone to a minimum by deleting your social media apps for a while or by keeping your phone somewhere you can hear it ring but not see it. 

4. Think outside the box

One of my favorite ways to make time to declutter during our initial purge was by playing hide-and-go-seek with our daughters. I’d have a donate bag and a trash bag out on the kitchen table. When it was my turn to count, I’d take an extra long time finding them and would slowly work my way through a kitchen cabinet or a closet during the game. I still like to play this game for maintenance decluttering (it’s a great way to clear counter tops during the day).

5. Designate decluttering weekends

Begin committing large chunks of your weekends (or whatever days you’re off work) to decluttering. You could even use a day or two of vacation time and make it a long weekend. If you have small kids, you can declutter while your spouse spends quality time with them. Or, if your kids are a bit older, you can involve them in the decluttering work too. You can still mix in leisure time, like sorting through the contents of a junk drawer while watching March Madness. Downtime is certainly important, which you’ll have much more of after making time to declutter your home. 

6. Let go of a commitment 

Temporarily withdraw from one of your regular commitments. Maybe you stop volunteering at your child’s school for a few months, stop attending an optional meeting, or postpone a regular get-together with a friend. The fewer extra things you do for a season, the more time you’ll have to declutter and minimize your possessions.

7. Watch for windows of time during the day

Enter each day ready to watch for free moments where you can make time to declutter. Maybe your kids are playing well together after breakfast. Tackle a drawer of clothes. Or maybe you have free time during their naptime. Go through a shelf in the hall closet. Keep decluttering at the top of your mind, and take action when the moment is right.

J.R.R. Tolkien said, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

Making time to declutter is one use of our time that, before long, actually gives us more time. Owning less stuff means less time spent caring for it. Desiring less stuff means less time spent shopping for it, returning it, and thinking about it. Less time spent on our stuff means more free time to spend on what truly matters.

If you’re looking for a home reset this spring, consider what you can de-own. Then, plan to make time to declutter, and make it happen. Any time dedicated to decluttering today will soon deliver more peace and free time in your life, every day.

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Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached thousands of people worldwide through her blog. Julia practices what she preaches in her Kansas City home with her husband, two extremely lively young daughters, two-year-old son, and nine-month-old baby girl. You can also find her on Instagram and now also on Facebook.

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