3 Decluttering Styles That Actually Work

3 Decluttering Styles That Actually Work

Being in the business of decluttering and organizing, I have noticed that most people want to declutter but they think there is only one way to do it.

That way doesn’t work, they get discouraged and then give up.

I am happy to let you know there are different ways to declutter and maybe the way you have been trying for years has never worked for you but there is another option!

Compare decluttering to dieting. There are so many programs out there. Although weight watchers may work for Karen, it may not work for Susan.

Decluttering is the exact same way. Some people are able to grab a box and just start purging and it works!

For the people who just feel lost, stop halfway through, and give up, all you may need to refuel that decluttering spark is to try a different decluttering style.

In this day and age, nothing is black and white. Instead, we are being slapped with rainbows of options and decluttering styles are no exception!

So how do you figure out which decluttering style is going to work for you?

  1. Ask yourself what hasn’t worked for you in the past and look for a different alternative.
  2. Go with your gut instinct! If you feel like this method makes sense for you then give it a shot!

Remember to not limit your self (remember we are in the rainbow world, not a black and white one).

One of these methods might work for you or all three mixed up might be the solution.

The goal here is to help you find how you can truly get through the daunting task of decluttering your home, especially if you have tried and failed over and over!

(This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Some of the amazing following photos are not my own, click on them to head straight to the source!)

01 | LIKE ITEM STYLE

Who Benefits the most?

  1. The person that has little to no time to dedicate to decluttering
  2. The person that gets very distracted while decluttering 
  3. The person who has a hard time parting with their stuff
  4. The person who has never followed through with decluttering
  5. The person that is OK with taking their time getting their home decluttered

If any of these sound like you, The Like Item Style, might be right up your ally!

This is a great style of decluttering that many people never consider. Declutter all like items to simplify and focus in on one very specific decluttering task.

For example, you would go and declutter through all of the clothing in the home one day and then maybe all of the coffee mugs the next.

You could even go a step further and say you will just declutter all of your t-shirts one day and then the long sleeves on another.

This style helps people who may struggle with getting distracted while decluttering, or for those who have trouble letting go of their belongings.

When you start ripping into your things your life may temporarily feel chaotic and you might sub-consciously fear that you will part with something you will later regret.

Yet when you take the time to really evaluate one certain collection of items, you are allowing yourself to make thoughtful decisions about your possessions’ departure from your life.

Mostly because you can take a physical inventory of what you have.

You might have trouble getting rid of your books, that is until you realize you have about 100 scattered throughout your home, thus making it easier to donate a few or a few dozen!

If this method of decluttering seems good for you then I would suggest making a list of like items in your home.

Get as specific as you need to be in order to be successful.

THE ADVANTAGE: Very easy to do and doesn’t take a lot of “planning” to get yourself started. You will become so much better at not bringing in unnecessary clutter back into the home.

THE DISADVANTAGE: May take a while to start feeling like your home is getting actually decluttered.

02 | TO DO LIST STYLE

Who Benefits from this style?

  1. The person who does not have a lot of time to dedicate to decluttering
  2. The person who knows what they want to be decluttered
  3. The person who starts projects but never finishes them 
  4. The person who is OK with taking their time to get their home decluttered

If any of these sound like you, The To Do List Style, might be a great choice for you!

This style is for all of those people that thrive off of to-do lists. Even if your the type that likes to make to-do lists but doesn’t actually use them (That would be me!)

The reason why this style works so great for people who write down to-do’s often in because this method of decluttering requires you to create mini-projects or mini “to-do’s” regarding what needs to get decluttered.

Unlike the Like Item style, you would choose to tackle specific projects.

For example, you would declutter and organize the dresser one day, and then the pantry the next.

This allows you to take one decent-sized section and create a game plan for not only decluttering the items you no longer need but also how you want that area organized.

Think of it as killing two birds with one stone, but not allowing yourself to get overwhelmed with too big of a project.

FUN FACT- This is 100% my decluttering style!

Everyone is different and once you figure that what works the best for you, decluttering won’t seem so overwhelming anymore.

If you feel this type of style is for you, pull out your favorite pad of paper and pen and get to writing down all of these areas of your home you want to focus on.

Don’t be afraid to get specific. If a full dresser is too overwhelming, then maybe one drawer at a time.

If the dresser alone is too easy, then maybe you tackle the dresser and your entire closet.

However much time you can dedicate will dictate how much you can accomplish.

The greatest thing about this decluttering method is you will feel you have accomplished more as you go since one new area is visually decluttered and organized.

THE ADVANTAGE: Very easy to visually see your progress which will help you continue to work through your home decluttering challenge.

THE DISADVANTAGE: You may hold onto more things than actually letting them go without seeing a more visual representation of how many of those types of items you may have throughout your home. Might have trouble keeping a newly organized area clean and clutter-free if you give yourself a lot of “small” projects to quickly.

Related Read

The Most Helpful Decluttering Guide Ever

03 | ROOM BY ROOM STYLE

Who Benefits from this style?

  1. The person who can dedicate hours or entire days to decluttering and organizing
  2. The person who wants to see instant results throughout the home
  3. The person who cleans until they drop (or in this case declutter until they drop)
  4. The person who won’t have trouble mentally letting go of their items

If any of these sound like you, then you are ready for the Room by Room style!

Now, this is the style most people start off with. You can easily see now why so many people fail with decluttering, and why so many people give up halfway through, or worse don’t even start!

So imagine if you are someone who doesn’t really like this chore!

The title of this decluttering method pretty much tells us what we need to know, you declutter your home room by room!

It seems pretty easy until you start and realize how impressive it is that you have figured out how to store so many items in one space!

The great thing about decluttering room by room is the serious sense of accomplishment you will get!

In one or two weekends you will have transformed every square inch of your home to an organizer’s dream come true.

If you feel you want your home decluttered quickly instead of dragging it out with smaller projects, then pull out a pen and paper and write down every room in your home.

Then decide what you will accomplish on what day you have available to do so.

Get the family involved! Have a purge weekend (not to be confused with the movie 😉 it could be a way for the whole family to pitch in and give you some much-needed help to get through this task.

Or maybe you get your family to leave you alone so you can complete these tasks free of interruption! Whatever floats your boat.

Now the idea of decluttering an entire room is not leaving that room until it is completely finished.

That means you have successfully purged everything you don’t want, you have organized what is left, and you leave the room clean and tidy.

You can see as you work room by room you will be able to really make headway in getting your home to perfectly organized.

People who love this method or give it a shot for the first time deserve a pat on the back from their loved ones, or a pat on the back by a licensed massage therapist as a reward for such a wonderful accomplishment.

THE ADVANTAGE: Such a significant change in the home so quickly will give you more free time to focus on other important aspects of your life. The accomplishment of a fully decluttered home so quickly will simply feel amazing.

THE DISADVANTAGE: More than likely you will cut corners. You want so much done so fast, that you may not take the time you need to fully purge. You may not give yourself enough time to adjust to the new changes and might get it “re-cluttered” quicker than the other slower decluttering styles.

MIXING THE STYLES

Don’t be afraid to mix and match these styles to figure out what you need in order to be successful.

Maybe one weekend a month you want to declutter and organize one full room and throughout the rest of the month, you slowly declutter by The Like Item Style.

Or maybe you have always gone with The Room By Room Style and now realize you never fully complete everything as you start to cut corners when you get tired.

Try working in only one room until its complete but split up that room by specific tasks just like The To-Do List Style.

Maybe you will make several smaller tasks over the course of two weeks but only in one room until you feel you have completed that one room 100%.

YOU GOT THIS!

If decluttering and organizing were easy, everyone’s homes would mimic that of a model home.

But the reality is most of us do not have the time, patience, or even the desire to do what we need to do to have a clutter-free environment.

Hopefully, by identifying what type of decluttering method might work for you, you might find a new urge to get started.

I can tell you the energy and effort it takes to declutter your home will be well worth your efforts.

Happy Decluttering!

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