We all know the benefits of decluttering by now but what’s not always made clear is the how. If you own a lot of clutter and tackling it seems like a mountain best not climbed, how can you approach decluttering in an organised and structured way that will result in a permanent change? Here are the best methods for decluttering your home and your life.
KonMari Method
Possibly the most well known method for decluttering thanks to Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. The main principle of the KonMari method is dividing your belongings into categories; everything you own must be collected together and sorted through. The key question when choosing what stays and what goes is: “does this spark joy?” Marie Kondo recommends holding, wearing, touching, and feeling each item so you can “connect” with it and choose whether to keep it or let it go. If you follow the book precisely, this method gets a little woo-woo at times.
This is a very thorough method for decluttering; it’s an intense and time-consuming process that demands uprooting everything in your home and sorting your entire life in one go. It can take days to complete. On the plus side, Kondo says if you follow her method word for word you’ll never have to declutter your life every again.
Box Party
Pack up your stuff in a box and only unpack what you need when you need it. After a set amount of time you should get rid of everything that is still boxed up. This is a useful method for tackling specific areas in your home, for instance the bathroom cabinet, pantry items, that draw you shove everything into, items under the bed, your spare cupboard - you get the idea. It’s a simple method which enables you to rediscover the things you really need and get rid of those you don’t without having to consider every single item individually. This also works really well with clothes you’re unsure about whether to keep.
A more extreme version of this is the Packing Party, a method devised by The Minimalists. It’s an intense process and not recommended unless you are moving home and need to downsize. Everything you own goes into a box. When you need something you remove it. The idea is you only remove the things you need, everything else stays boxed up. After a certain period of time - usually a few months - anything still in the box gets sold, donated, and recycled.
The Minimalist Game
The Minimalists - Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus - provides a far more relaxed decluttering experience. It’s simple: start at the beginning of the month. On day one get rid of one time, on day two get rid of two items, on day three get rid of three items.. and so on. By the end of the month you will have removed 496 items from your life. This method gradually increases the workload and gives you room to adjust to removing things from your life and building your confidence when it comes to letting go of stuff.
If you struggle with decision-making or find letting go of belongings difficult to handle, the Minimalist Game is a gentle way to start decluttering. It provides you with a method that is consistent and allows you to work at a steady pace without forcing you to tackle large piles of stuff all at once.
The 5-Step Method For Decluttering
Clutter can be overwhelming and tough to deal with but it doesn’t have to be. The 5 Step Method for Decluttering is a no-nonsense, straight talking way of decluttering you home, forever. It allows you to focus on each room individually and methodically work your way through your home at a pace that suits you. This method also allows you to break down each room into sections so those can be tackled independently; storage spaces can be broken down so you deal with appliances, products, ingredients, paperwork, utensils, stationery, digital files, etc. one at a time.
In this book, you’ll learn why you accumulate clutter, how to prepare yourself mentally for downsizing, what the best method for thoroughly and successfully decluttering your space is, and learn the everyday habits that will keep your home clutter-free.
With this method you don’t need to uproot your entire home; you don’t need to tackle everything at once, box it all up, or devote an entire week to decluttering. With a simple question “does this add value to my life?” you can work through your belongings at a pace that suits you to slowly and methodically declutter your home.