Tempted to stay up all night and just declutter my house! Anyone ever done similar?

[Poppysball]

We have too much stuff. It’s really getting me down. I am not a natural organiser or very good at home management and with too much stuff it’s even harder.
So much of it just sits there not being used. Paperwork, books, clothes that don’t fit or I don’t like, stationery, things I’ve bought on a whim to get organised and never used (i’m looking at you useful plastic storage boxes in all shapes and sizes..!)

My DD is 6 and had a friend to play the other day. She said to DD you have so many toys. Any yet I felt they didn’t quite know what to play with. Like it was all too much.

My DS is 12 and his bedroom is full of books and random stuff. He is never even in his room apart from to sleep.

Everywhere I look there’s stuff. I don’t like the way it makes me feel and I’m tired of constantly shuffling it around. Trouble is when I’m out I’ll see something I think will help me get organised & buy it!

I would love a simplified home but is it really possible with a family? Why do we all have so much stuff these days?
I never have time to sort it properly so am thinking of just staying up late at night to do it while DH is away.

Anyone else feel like this or done any major simplifying?

I've thought about doing it at night, but haven't actually tried it.
I have read the Marie Kondo book, and sorted through stuff by category and managed to get rid of a substantial amount, but it seems to be filling up again.

The problem with nighttime is trying to do it without waking the DCs up!

Booksandpens I am always filling up a bag for the charity shop and yet my house never looks any better for it. It’s actually making me feel quite sad when I look at how much stuff we have and how much I then get rid of.

I've lately put a pile of stuff that was waiting to be ebayed in the bin. I find that 'stuff' around the place makes me anxious. I'd tripped over it for 6 months, it was fragile so going to be tricky to sell, and just feel happy to have got rid of it.
The magazine and paper recycling at the tip takes paperbacks too, that might be useful for your sons books if they are tatty.

You need to fill up the car a few times, not just fill up a bag

I used to regularly stay up til all hours catching up with housework...

Yes I have also thought about doing it at night, but haven't actually done it. Mostly I would have to work the next day, so I'm not sure it would work out too well!

No because it would disrupt my family’s sleep!

Yes I have work in the mornings too so probably not the best idea. I am a night owl though so feel I could be quite productive at night. My family are all deep sleepers so wouldn’t be worried about waking them especially if I was downstairs.

I sometimes get up an extra hour early and do two things, say clear the desk of extraneous paperwork and get rid of empty bottles and ancient crap from the bathroom shelves. Could you do something like that with your late nights, identify specific things to target each time you blitz? I find it easier if I have a goal rather that just some vague sense of I must clear up

Recently embarked on a huge declutter and I can’t comment on the impact of doing it in a night as it’s taken me much longer but it feels great after.