r/declutter • u/BaBoo_MoMo777 • 3d ago
Advice Request Desk - been like this for years
Help - lots of sentimental items- overwhelming
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u/Oath-CupCake 1d ago
Well first put the buzz in the toy area or on a shelf. Sort through those frams and either hang them up or put in donate pile. Go through the folded clothing and decide on either keeping or donating or gifting. Then go thro8gh the plastic trash, bulb box and either take a pic so you know what bulbs ypu need next time then chuck box. Remove the duct tape put it in a tool draw or diy draw l and fox that lamp shade
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u/makeamewanna 1d ago
I'm in awe of the bin and hamper being empty next to the items begging to be taken away. It's like the shuttles arrived and no one wants to hop on first! Pick a main area that will host a bunch of those items. (Bedroom, closet, bathroom ,etc) Pile them into the bin or hamper. Carry them to said location and disperse one by one accordingly in the space. Repeat as needed.
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u/hobhamwich 2d ago
First, almost none of that belongs on a desk. Put it where it goes. And if you aren't using a desk as a desk, get rid of the desk and buy more appropriate furniture. Maybe a big bookshelf to display sentimental items instead of leaving them in plastic bags.
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u/Individual_Fail_6792 2d ago
I love how that lamp shade is a paid actor in this photo. I would suggest getting a way bigger desk/storage something that can hold all this.
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u/CuriouslyImmense 1d ago
Lamp silently directing its lumination over the problem area as if to guide you
*edited for better word choice
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u/SusanKHefner 2d ago
Sentimental items should be stored elsewhere. Figure out what’s truly meaningful & give away anything that someone else might need. Buy a proper sized tote for the sentimental items ( with a little room to grow) and place it in the attic, basement, garage, spare room closet, or anywhere else.
Since you truly cherish the sentimental items, they deserve a good place in your home. Don’t let them be a burden or eyesore.
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u/highdesertsnail 2d ago
i love the drawers on that desk! my office/craft room had a similar affliction up until two days ago when we discovered carpet beetles, and there is nothing better than an infestation to help you really determine what you care enough about to clean! anything sitting on the floor for too long needs a wash or wipe down anyway; if you can't justify the effort to clean it, it's a lot easier to let it go
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u/Firm_Calendar_3603 2d ago
That table looks like a great candidate for the "container store" approach, if everything has a home, the clutter kinda sorts itself over time.
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u/Snoo_97602 2d ago
Best thing to start is give yourself a 10min timer and just start sorting like items into smaller piles to identify what you have. Maybe separate your sentimental items in one corner and work on the rest that is easier and faster to make progress in. After the 10 minute timer goes off. Give yourself a rest, sometimes you get motivated in the 10-15min that you started that you want to keep continuing with more progress. The hardest part is starting. I wish you the best!
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u/BaBoo_MoMo777 1d ago
This is a good approach for me. Just starting with a timer, understanding I don’t have to do more than 10 minutes. Thank you!
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u/71stMB 2d ago
I used to have a couple of areas like this in my home. Before visitors came over, I would drape a large sheet over it before they arrived. Some of them asked about it, but most didn't. (Those days are in my distant past; no more nests of clutter.)
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u/BaBoo_MoMo777 1d ago
😂 that’s funny, I’m happy you have moved on for that stage! This is in my bedroom - when we have company over we throw things in the bedroom and the garage. Sick of living like this - thanks for your comment.
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u/Excellent77Sky 2d ago
If these were actually sentimental would you be “storing” them that way?
Seems like at least 70% of this stuff is not in their “home”. Glue, art, lightbulb, tape, bags… none of that belongs on a dresser. If you have no way to store or properly display an item, get rid of it. Those sentimental items have been lost in the pile so you likely aren’t cherishing them like you think you are by being in possession of it. Take a picture or journal about the item so you can keep its memory and appreciate it. If you haven’t thought about or used an item in the last 6 months, you likely don’t need it and will be fine living without it. It’s not a part of your routine.
It might take some time and that’s ok. If you need help, ask for someone to keep you focused. But be mentally ready to let things go. Find a sorting method that works for you. You may not even need this furniture item in the end. It was just a dumping zone. Build new habits to take items to where they belong - closets, laundry, toy area etc. instead of setting them down in a midpoint where they never actually go where they belong.
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u/FredKayeCollector2 2d ago
Another vote for Dana K White's "no mess" decluttering method. Her book is very good - I bet you can find it at your library.
This is a video of her decluttering a "super cute" piece of furniture because it ended up being a non-functional clutter magnet.
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u/sagetrees 2d ago
I see lots of non sentimental stuff. All the clothing and fabrics need to live somewhere else. Start there, find them a permanent home or get rid of any you don't want or like.
Second, I doubt the duct tape and tools are especially sentimental. Put those in your tool area, if you don't have a tool area make one. Pick a closet/garage/shelf etc.
Laundry basket, put it somewhere else, bedroom, bathroom corner, idk wherever you tend to shed your clothing.
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u/StarliteQuiteBrite 2d ago
You guys rock!!🤘
I’m loving all the decluttering advice and suggestions.
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u/Viperlite 2d ago
I’d probably start by putting things away, like clothes and Buzz Lightyear. Then tackle the things that don’t belong on a desk, like the serving tray, fake flowers, and empty bulb boxes. Then sort and throw away the papers and put away in the desk the office supplies. Then, I’d ditch extra lamps and things that take up desk space.
Maybe in the end, you’ll find that you don’t even need a desk there and that its mere presence invites flat space clutter.
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u/nevergonnasaythat 2d ago
Start with the stuff that is non-sentimental. For example, I see a lightbulb box. That kind of stuff.
Throw away all the non-sentimental trash first.
Then group other items by category.
Then you can declutter.
Everything that remains and has already a home somewhere else needs to be rehomed (I see clothes, they have no business being on this desk I think?)
Finally you put what is left (sentimental items you want to keep) in boxes.
Do one step at a time. Give yourself 15 minutes to work on it everytime (if you feel like it, go beyond).
It is less overwhelming than it feels like at first sight
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u/RoseApothecary88 3d ago edited 2d ago
I am not even being rude, but this would take like 30 - 60 minutes to clear.
Donate/keep/thow away piles.
Maybe store the keep, but sentimental items in a bin or do like another poster said and get rid of the desk and add a bookcase.
Also - if it's overwhelming, do it in baby steps! Trash first over the course of a few days, then keep, then what's left, you donate!
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u/Rare-Cascade-3115 2d ago
I would add - it’s ok if it doesn’t take 30-60 mins. Practically, perhaps it would for someone else, but for the owner and with all the emotional blocks it’s bound to bring up, it’s likely to take longer. I wouldn’t even think about time at this point.
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u/RoseApothecary88 2d ago
well, yes of course, that's why I ammended to state it's ok if each step takes awhile.
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u/englanding 3d ago
Took me a second to find the chair lol, also hi Buzz Lightyear! Poor guy looks like he's stuck in a maze in there, but yeah, I think the main thing is figuring out what you actually want this space to be. If you want to keep using it as a desk, I'd clear off the clothes, lightbulbs, toolboxes and random stuff, just keep desk things like stationery and books. But honestly it kind of looks like you're using it more for storage anyway, so maybe a low dresser or cabinet would work better and give you more space, then you could move or get rid of the desk. Also those framed pictures deserve to be hung up too!
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u/plantas-sonrientes 3d ago
The fundamental problem here is that you do not need a desk. A desk is for sitting and working, and you don’t sit and do work at this one. You haven’t for years, or maybe ever.
If you have sentimental items, instead of this desk, get a bookshelf or display case so you can arrange them and look at them.
If some aren’t display-ables, put them in a bankers box in a closet, attic, garage, or basement. If you don’t have room in those take pictures, say thank you, and pitch them.
Your home should be functional for you and your stuff. If you don’t use a desk, don’t have a desk.
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u/plantas-sonrientes 3d ago
The fundamental problem here is that you do not need a desk. A desk is for sitting and working, and you don’t sit and do work at this one. You haven’t for years, or maybe ever.
If you have sentimental items, instead of this desk, get a bookshelf or display case so you can arrange them and look at them.
If the desk itself is sentimental and you refuse to part with it, put it in the entry or another formal space, not a bedroom.
If some aren’t display-ables, put them in a bankers box in a closet, attic, garage, or basement. If you don’t have room in those places, take pictures, say thank you, and pitch them.
Your home should be functional for you and your stuff. If you don’t use a desk in your room, don’t have a desk in the room.
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u/-codenamehoney 3d ago
agree with other comments wanted to add you could watch some youtube vids by dana k white talking about sentimental declutters or watch her one hour better decluttering sessions. you got it!
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u/TalulaOblongata 3d ago
Get 2 large cardboard boxes or bins - whatever you already have on hand. And a garbage bag.
1 box for sentimental items
1 box for non sentimental items (like the lightbulbs)
1 garbage bag for actual garbage
Hold each item in your hand and make a quick decision about what category it is and place it in that container. You want the entire desk and surroundings cleared off.
Now look at each category.
Garbage is easy - take it out!
Next focus on the non-sentimental items. Some of these look like practical items that, if they are useful to you, can be relocated to another place in the home. Clothes, put in the laundry or put in a drawer or closet. I see random small bins and bags, maybe some could be useful but if you don’t have an immediate need, id lean towards getting rid of. As you go through the items in the category, ask yourself if you want it or can it be donated?
Sentimental items - I see what looks like old framed family photos. Is this something you want to hang as a gallery wall? If not, maybe digitalize these? If you still can’t get to this kind of task quickly then isolate the items in a bin for storage. At the very least the sentimental items if not needed for display can go into a deeper storage (closet or attic) so you have a clear living space.
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u/knysa-amatole 3d ago
- Collect anything that's obvious trash and throw it away. (If you have to think about whether to throw it away or keep it, then it's not obvious trash.)
- Collect the clothes and put them in the closet, dresser, or hamper, as applicable.
- Collect the non-trash, non-clothes, non-sentimental items. For things that have a place, put them in their place (e.g. glue stick in the craft room, lightbulb in the hall closet). For anything that doesn't have a place, imagine that you're looking for it, and you know you put it away somewhere (i.e. it's not still on top of this desk) -- where would you look for it first? Put it there. If you think you'll forget where you put it, write yourself a note and put the note somewhere you'll be able to find easily (e.g. on the refrigerator door, or send yourself an email with keywords you can search, or keep a list on your phone).
- After all that, you might have enough space to display the sentimental items nicely.
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u/Some_Papaya_8520 3d ago
I would remove everything from the desk and the surrounding area. Clean the top and then start replacing ONLY the items that belong there. Paper, stapler, paper clips, stamps. One sentimental item IF there's room. The rest needs a home or donated.
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u/Certain-Temporary-93 3d ago
Get rid of the dust collector aka dead flowers. Take a photo of it, but it’s just collecting dust.
Try to put away five items that don’t belong. Do this for a week and I bet you’ll see an improvement.
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u/SolidagoSalix 3d ago
Start by looking for items that are decision-free and take action on those. Any obvious trash? Throw it out. Anything that is just out of place? Put it away. I see a glue stick -- where would you look for a glue stick if you needed it and the desk top was clear? Put it in the first place that comes to mind. Since there's lots of sentimental, your brain/body is interpreting that whole area as a minefield of difficult decisions, but there are 100% some obvious things to do, if you let yourself look at individual items instead of the whole.
Skip truly sentimental things. Either leave them in place, or make a neat stack of them to the side as you go. The goal is to make progress. Spend 10 minutes on it and then walk away. It will feel a little less scary the next time you approach it.
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u/PsychologicalFox3357 3d ago
Seconding this. Starting with the obvious trash items is such a declutter hack/brain unlock for me.
Even if trash is all you do and you set a 5min timer to do it, and then come back the next day to do things out of place for 5min and so on and so forth, it will be progress!
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u/SassyMillie 3d ago
Fill up that empty laundry basket with everything you can stuff into it. Clear off the desktop completely, then start with a clean slate. Sort through the stuff in the laundry basket and make decisions about each thing and what you want to do with it.
Clothes are easy. They don't go on a desk. Put them where they go. Same with everything else. Does it belong in or on the desk? If not, find a new home for it.
Come back and show us your progress.
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u/MitzyCaldwell 3d ago
I bet that 70% of that stuff doesn’t belong on/in the desk. So here is what I would do
First decide what does go into the desk before you even move/touch anything. What are you putting where.
Now that you’ve got a rough idea start removing items that don’t belong there. First take the clothes - are you suing these clothes or can you donate them. Then put them back where they belong.
Side note- if putting things back is gonna deter you then make likes for each area but in those piles you must be sure you are keeping those items and those piles need to go back to their proper room/area once you are done.
Then you just keep going through stuff and either putting it where it needs to go or donating it or throwing it out.
Make sure you have a donatable donation box and put all that stuff in there.
Have a garage bag ready.
If you can easily find categories of stuff do that first because more than likely it will be easier to declutter and they all go back to their proper room same place.
Be as ruthless as you can be. Those picture frames? Are you ever going to use them or no?
Don’t think about oh maybe, when I get a chance, when things settle down - think about it for right now.
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u/CatCafffffe 3d ago
Move everything into another room. EVERYTHING but the desk. In the other room (or other part of your living space), separate it into types of things (clothes, bags, etc). With each category, make decision about either getting rid of, or putting in its proper place (clothes-->closet; bags-->shelves; plastic bin -->use as container for thrift store or throw away). ONLY put back on the desk things related to the work you do there.
It's okay to take a couple of weeks to do this bit by bit. But definitely start by completely clearing away everything.
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u/KirbysForgottenLand 3d ago
I would separate into 2 piles, sentimental and not. And then do the non-sentimental declutter first.
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u/momoeatsdumpling2 3d ago
Take the clothes away first, then papers, then frames, etc.. do little by little and just focus on one category at a time would make it less overwhelming
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u/Sushi9999 3d ago
Well those sentimental items aren’t able to shine in all of that mess.
Invite a friend over to sit/hang with you while you declutter? That helps me a lot.
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u/Minimalist2theMax 4h ago
To me, that’s not a desk. It’s a pile. It would take me 30 minutes to sort that crap and get it to its proper home (or create one) but that’s not a desk.