Unclutter one drawer.

Clearing a whole house is overwhelming, so don't. Start with one drawer. Twenty minutes, a bag for donations and a cup of tea.

Empty it completely

Take everything out and wipe the drawer clean. Now you are choosing what goes back in, not what to take out, which is a very different feeling.

Keep what you use and what you love

Duplicates go. Things you are keeping for a someday that has not come in three years go. The good scissors, the pen that writes and the one corkscrew you actually reach for stay.

Give everything a place

Small trays or dividers make a huge difference: once every object has a home, the drawer tends to stay tidy on its own.

Then do another tomorrow

One drawer a day becomes a kitchen in a week and a home in a season. And it turns out that a calm drawer is very satisfying to open.