It's human nature to underestimate how long it takes to do a job. In our initial burst of enthusiasm it's so easy to set ourselves wildly unrealistic targets like we'll turn around our spare room in a couple of hours when it'll actually take the whole weekend. I've heard it said that we should always multiply by 3 when we work out how long jobs will take.

Do set small achievable targets - it's better to aim to clear one drawer and succeed rather than dragging everything out of the wardrobe and then getting discouraged or running out of time. That way you can always revisit the calm corner in your home to remind yourself that soon everything will be like this.

If decluttering is truly terrifying you then let go of one thing a day for a week to break the deadlock. Why not give it a go?