Declutter Craft Room {15 Minutes . . . At A Time Mission}

Today's mission is to declutter your craft room, or if you don't have an entire room, the area you do your crafting in.


As you may note from the headline of this article, I don't expect you to get this mission done in just 15 minutes. Instead, you should work on this 15 minutes at a time, and in fact, we've been working up all week long to this task.

This mission is designed to be done while working on the Craft Organization Challenge, which is part of the 52 Week Challenge here on this site, and all week long we've had declutter missions about crafts.

These included decluttering:

• Abandoned or unfinished craft projects


• Hobby and craft supplies and equipment; and


• Kids arts and crafts supplies

I did this for a reason, and here is why.

When You Think About Your Cluttered Craft Room Do You Feel Overwhelmed?

I've been running these Declutter 365 missions for several years now, and inevitably when we get to this mission there is always an expression, from at least some readers, of feeling overwhelmed with the task in front of them.

Yes, I totally understand that feeling. Anything that seems like a big task, and that you know will take a lot of time, and where you have to make tough decisions, can feel overwhelming to take on.

The result of that can be quitting before you even start.

I don't want that to happen to you though, because you'll feel so much better when this task is completed, and you're able to enjoy your craft area or room again, and actually use the space to work on and enjoy your craft projects.

Here's a photo sent in by a reader, Erika, where she expressed her own sense of overwhelm and frustration:



Erika said: "This is a fraction of my sewing/craft room! Every time I walk in here to do a project I get very discouraged and just walk back out! I need an un-clutter 101 class in here!"

Here's my advice for Erika, and for anyone else that feels the same way.

Break Down The Project Into Smaller Parts To Stop The Overwhelm

When you feel overwhelmed with a project the best way to help yourself mentally trick yourself into getting started is to break it down into smaller parts. That's, in fact, the concept behind the entire Declutter 365 calendar.

So if you work on all of the missions listed above, for previous days of this week, sometimes themselves for multiple 15 minute sessions, you'll have gained a lot of momentum toward this craft room decluttering mission as well.

But in addition to breaking it down into smaller pieces, time wise, which is what the 15 minute time increments are about, I suggest you also break down the task of removing your craft room clutter into smaller steps by either focusing on one type of item at a time, or one area of the room at a time.

For example, you could go through all of your yarn first, before you tackle fabric. Or you could focus on just one shelving unit, or one shelf on a shelving unit, before you move onto a new area.

You can also "trick" yourself into the decluttering groove by dealing with the easy stuff first, and doing several passes over the same area being more ruthless each time. If you start with the easy stuff, for example, getting rid of bobbins for a sewing machine you no longer own, then you mentally get ready for the tougher decisions.

Once you've gone through everything in the room, you may need to do it yet again, perhaps a couple of times. The reason is that you'll see how much space you've actually got.

You've got to keep decluttering until what you've got left fits into the space you can store it in, preferably with a bit of room for expansion so it doesn't all feel so jammed into the space.

I Know This Will Be Emotionally Tough

Decluttering craft supplies, and the room or area they're in, can be emotionally challenging. Crafts really are something we love, that are designed to bring us joy, so saying goodbye to some of this stuff can seem almost impossible.

Before you begin, if you're feeling overwhelmed not just from the sheer amount of stuff to declutter, but also from the emotions associated with it, read the article about decluttering unfinished craft projects where I discuss this issue further.

Below I've shown several pictures sent in by readers who've already taken on this mission to get you inspired to tackle your own craft room or area.


Top photo courtesy of chrissy.farnan

Declutter Whatever Space You've Got, A Room, A Closet Or A Corner Devoted To Crafts

I know I've focused in this article on a "craft room," but not everyone has a whole room devoted to their crafts or hobbies.

If you don't (I don't) that doesn't mean you're off the hook for this mission.

This is the day to focus on whatever area you've got that you use to store craft supplies and equipment, or the workspace where you work on the projects themselves.

Here's an example, above, from a reader, Lara. She showed the before and after when she tackled her craft closet. It looks great, doesn't it?

With Clutter Removed I Feel I Can Breathe

Mary sent in this before and after photo above. She stated, "No where near finished but I'm starting to breathe now."

Good for you Mary! It can be difficult to get started, but I can see how much progress you've already made and I'm glad you're starting to feel the positive effects from your decluttering efforts.

Those positive feelings can help you keep up your momentum to keep going and get it finished after some more 15 minute sessions!


Here is another set of before and after photos, from a reader Amy, who also did this mission.

Decluttering really can make a difference, can't it?

Getting Rid Of Craft Clutter Makes A Difference For The Room

Another reader, Lori, also sent in her before and after picture as she decluttered and organized her craft room, shown above.

This looks great Lori! Awesome job!


In addition, here's another set of before and after photos from a reader, Kathy.

Kathy said of the before picture, "Here is my messy craft room." Then, of the after photo she said, "My organized craft room after three full days of decluttering and organizing."

Finally, to top it off, she sent in the other picture, describing it as "My tower of empties!!!!!" That's a great way to describe all the excess storage containers and organizers you may find you've got, after you get rid of the clutter. (You can find out more about decluttering storage containers here, because once you do a bunch of these Declutter 365 missions you might just find yourself with this problem! (Hey, it's a good problem to have, right?)

Once you've done this mission I'd love to see what you've accomplished too. You can click here to submit your own photos. The best ones will be featured here on the site!

Want To Do More Decluttering Missions? Get Started With Declutter 365 Today!

Once you declutter one type of item in your home I bet you'll want to declutter some more. After all, decluttering gives you a great reward for even a small investment of time and energy.

The Declutter 365 system is designed to help you declutter, over the course of a year, your entire house, with just 15 minutes of decluttering each day!

Hundreds of thousands of people use this proven system to get rid of their clutter, and bring peace and calm back to their homes.

Declutter 365 works to guide you to clear the clutter without overwhelm, focusing on just one small area at a time, and without making a huge mess in the process, so you see consistent forward progress without all that "messy middle" that makes it even harder to function in your home than before you started.

In addition to building a daily decluttering habit, the Declutter 365 program, along with the accompanying 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, teaches you the skills, habits, routines, and mindsets necessary to maintain the clutter free and organized state of your home from now on, so it'll never be as messy and cluttered as it is right now, ever again.

If you haven't already, make sure to get your copy of this year's Declutter 365 annual calendar here (it's FREE!), find today's date, and do 15 minutes of decluttering on the day's mission. Then, repeat again tomorrow, and again and again. Over the course of the next year, if you do this 15 minutes per day, you'll declutter your whole house!

In addition, here are over 60 craft storage solutions and organizers, for many types of crafts and hobbies, to get your supplies, tools, and equipment organized and ready for you to use and enjoy (referral link). Once at my store scroll down to find this list.

Related Pages You May Enjoy

Getting Clutter Free 15 Minutes At A Time Hall Of Fame

Craft Organization Challenge

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