The Most Popular Decluttering Methods

Simply + Fiercely

As a former shopaholic and lover of “stuff”, I spent years trying to declutter my home. Along the way, I tested many different methods but found that the most popular advice didn’t work for me.

I have a highly sensitive, overactive brain and can only assume it’s what got in my way. Most of the decluttering tips I encountered made sense in theory, but in reality … it was hard.

I knew what I was supposed to do, but I struggled to follow through. If you can relate, here’s the good news. Here are decluttering methods I’ve used, and I hope you’ll try them too!

The concept is simple: pack up everything you own. Yep, you heard that right — your entire house! Then, only unpack the items you genuinely need during a set period.

The Packing Party

Gather four boxes. Label the boxes as follows: trash, give away/sell, storage, and put away. Go through each room of your house and put things into the relevant boxes.

The Box Method

There are many steps to her process, and I’ll be the first to admit I’m not an expert in KonMari. But most people know it involves decluttering by categories, completely emptying the area you’re working on, and—of course—asking, “Does this spark joy?”

The KonMari Method

This one comes from Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist, and here are the rules: “Locate 12 items to throw away, 12 to donate, and 12 to be returned to their proper home. That’s it. Repeat if desired.”

12-12-12 challenge

I took my brother‘s items out of my closet and placed them on my dresser (put your items anywhere you’ll see them on a daily basis, but it doesn’t have to be somewhere inconvenient).

The Discharge Method

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