6 Spots You Don’t Need to Waste Time Decluttering

Sentimental Items

While your children’s art and college photos can be meaningful at various points in your life, going through sentimental items is a waste of time more often than not, according to Maria Anderson, cleaning and organizing expert. “These items can be old photos, gifts, photo albums, and old clothes,” she says. “The only reason why people do this is that sentimental items hold strong memories. While it’s fine to go through them, spending hours [revisiting them] is simply counterproductive.”

Junk Drawers

Another time waster is going through junk drawers, Anderson says. “People feel cleaning these makes a difference, but junk drawers take the most amount of time and lead to more disorganization,” she explains. “Everybody has junk drawers, but without a clear purpose for cleaning them, you are simply going to end up in a cycle of reorganizing later.” Give yourself permission to keep your junk drawers filled and messy.

Digital Clutter

Unless you’re running out of space on your hard drive or iCloud, getting rid of digital clutter such as photos, email advertisements, and accidental downloads is generally a waste of time. “A common place where people waste time these days is cleaning their digital clutter,” Anderson says. “People spend hours going through years’ worth of emails, photos, and this can turn out to be emotionally and physically taxing.” Get a more efficient storage plan if needed, and allocate your time to more worthwhile tasks.

Sock Drawers

Whether it’s old socks with holes or grippy socks that have lost their grip, this isn’t an area worth focusing a ton of attention on. “It feels productive, but it doesn’t actually move the needle in [your] day-to-day life,” says Shantae Duckworth, professional organizer. “It’s usually a form of procrastination because tackling the bigger stuff…can feel overwhelming.”

Untouched Boxes

Tackling those “maybe someday” boxes in the garage or attic is also a waste of time, according to Duckworth. “People spend hours sorting things they haven’t touched in years, instead of focusing on the spaces they use every single day,” she says. “I always say: start where your stress lives. That’s where you’ll see real results, real fast.”

Old Paperwork

While there are some types of paperwork you should keep—like birth certificates, mortgages, car titles, and leases—the majority of the paperwork cluttering up your drawers isn’t worth going through when there are far more important things to work on, says Olivia Howell, life and success coach. “When I’m working with clients who are trying to make life transitions (whether it’s after a divorce, a move, a career change, or just a season of reevaluating), it’s really common for them to say, ‘I need to declutter,'” Howell says. While it’s a good intention, Howell reports that her clients will spend hours hyper-focused on old paperwork. “It feels like progress, but it’s usually a form of avoidance. They’re avoiding the bigger, more emotionally charged decisions that come with real change.”

Howell encourages her clients to avoid wasting time, so they can move on with more ease. “I like to work one room at a time, and if I come across items I’m not ready to deal with yet, I give myself permission to put them in a bin to sort through later,” she says. “The most important thing—especially for your subconscious mind—is to see a cleared floor, a made bed, or an uncluttered counter. That kind of visual relief creates a feeling of forward motion. You don’t need to organize your entire filing cabinet in one day. You need to walk into a space and feel like it reflects who you are becoming, not who you used to be.”