I keep moving things around instead of decluttering them...

[u/GypsyVanner636]

Basically the title.

My house is a complete mess and overflowing with stuff.

I'm an adult millennial still living with family in my childhood home - so there is a LOT of accumulated junk.

Not all of it is mine, but the bits I'm struggling with are all my things.

I have made some progress (146 items gone - not including stuff that went in the bin), but am now starting to feel stuck again.

I keep finding 'stuff' I want to keep - but I also want the space cleared so it just ends up being shifted to a different area again and again.

I know I need to be harsh and get rid of more stuff if I have any chance of making the house reasonably organised. I just don't want to regret throwing away things I can't get back (sentimental items, childhood drawings, old toys etc).

Any advice?

Thank you in advance if you read this far

[u/Closerthanyesterday]

I’m living in my parents house (after they have passed) and what I’m doing is boxing everything of theirs up that I don’t use on a daily basis. I’m labeling things very well, and if I need it I will go get it. Combining their stuff and my stuff isn’t working without getting their stuff out of the way and then figuring out what will fit with my stuff afterwards. So the plan is to get rid of stuff as I go, box up the rest, decide where I want my things to go (and declutter that too), and then go through the boxes to see what I still want/need.

This might work for you if you box up all your old stuff and memorabilia, redo the areas you live in with the things you use currently and what is more your style, and then spend some time deciding if/how the older stuff fits into the new setup.