If you’ve ever wanted to declutter your home but been overwhelmed about where to start this is the article for you! One of the wonderful features of the KonMari Method™ is that it lays out a step-by-step plan on how to declutter your home. In fact, not only do you get a step-by-step plan, that plan allows you to grow in skill and ability as you move through the steps. That means you’ll get better and faster at decluttering as you go which will allow you to be ready to face some tough decisions at the end of the decluttering process. Here are some key ideas on where to start when decluttering your home.

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Start in your own closet. Begin with your own wardrobe in order to declutter. That may feel counterproductive since you likely want to start in an area of the home more visible, but there is a reason! That reason is that your own clothing is the easiest thing in your home for you to sort and discard. Why? You are intimately familiar with which clothes you like (you wear them!), and you don’t have to consult anyone else or any even any other space in order to sort through your clothes and declutter.

Because clothes are relatively easy and inexpensive to replace, we usually have less attachment to them. We also understand that clothes wear out, they go out of fashion and our sizes change so there is much less resistance in getting rid of clothing than there would be, say, in sentimental items. Your clothes are also already in their final home to some degree, so that also makes this category of items easier to start with. Other categories of items might need big changes in storage or location, but your clothes are most likely still going to go in your own closet.

Related: How to organize your clothes

Another great reason for starting with your wardrobe is that you will easily be able to pick out what you like and what brings you joy. This will build the foundation of the feelings and energy that you want to bring to the rest of the home as you move on. So, begin with your clothing and strengthen the decluttering muscle before you move on. Get some early, easy wins.

Leave the hardest for last. If your clothing is the easiest to declutter and downsize, then sentimental items will most assuredly be the hardest. There is a sliding scale in difficulty of items, so be sure to stick to the plan. After you complete clothing, it’ll be time to tackle books.

While many people have an attachment to books, it’s again an easy category to tackle because books are also easy to replace. Also, like your clothing, you know whether you’ve read the book or not. Moreover, you likely know if you’re ever truly going to read a book again. Moreover, 24 percent of American adults haven’t read a book in the last year. Pair that with the statistic that over 750 million books were sold last year in America, up eight percent. Something’s got to give!

“If your clothing is the easiest to declutter and downsize, then sentimental items will most assuredly be the hardest. There is a sliding scale in difficulty of items, so be sure to stick to the plan.”

After decluttering books, you’ll move on to paper. This means all of the financial items, warranties and more. Papers do not often inspire joy, so this will again be a great category to strengthen your decluttering muscles.

Then you will systematically go through the categories of items in your home including CDs and DvDs, makeup, valuables, electronic equipment, household supplies, kitchen items and the rest. After you move through these categories, you’ll finally be ready to tackle the sentimental items category which includes momentos, keepsakes, childhood items, items from your children’s childhood, photos and more. We often hold onto things for reasons we may not understand, but psychology can explain. These sentimental items will clearly be the most difficult for you to pare down, but there is a great quote from Marie Kondo that might help:

“It is not our memories but the person we have become because of those past experiences that we should treasure.”

Yes, going through these items, processing the emotions and the sentiments is a great exercise. It’s also a great time to really think about what you’re keeping and how you’re keeping it. If you have so many sentimental items that they are boxed up under a bed or in a closet, is that honoring the items or people they represent? Or, would it be better to be able to pick out a few truly special sentimental items and keep them somewhere you will see them and treasure them?

Find the joy. If you’re following the KonMari Method™, you’ll be decluttering by category, as noted above. When you go through each category, start by finding one of your favorite items in the category. When you pick it up, you’ll understand just how you’re supposed to feel. By picking up something you know you love first, you’ll understand how every item you choose to keep in your home should make you feel. This will keep confusion to a minimum and help you build momentum. As you move on, remember you are decluttering in order to be left with an organized, joy-sparking home to live in, so stay committed!

If you’re wondering where to start when decluttering, do not let the overwhelm win. Simply start with your clothes, then go through every category, step by step. Start with what to keep, with what brings you joy, so that the entire process is more enjoyable.

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Where to start decluttering your home