Inside: Use these five golden rules of decluttering to save yourself time, effort, and energy while clearing the clutter from your home.
Decluttering your home can be an overwhelming task.
Where do you begin? What do you get rid of? What do you do with the stuff you keep? And how do you keep your home organized after you’ve gone through the process?
By following a few golden rules of decluttering, you can streamline the process and create lasting change in your environment – and your mindset.
These rules aren’t just practical tips – they offer a blueprint for living with greater simplicity, focus, and intention.
From embracing the right mindset to establishing systems to maintain order and organization long after you’re finished, these guidelines provide a clear path to creating a space that feels organized and peaceful.
The 5 Golden Rules of Decluttering
Use these five golden rules of decluttering to get rid of the excess stuff in your home efficiently and with less stress.
Golden Rule #1: Find a system that works for you.
While you could just roll up your sleeves, take a deep breath, and dive into the task of decluttering, there’s a better way to do it.
Instead of forging your own path, it’s a good idea to look into tried and true decluttering systems and strategies – and find the right one for you.
The Swedish Death Cleaning, the Move-Out Method, the 12-12-12 Decluttering Approach, the Container Rule, the SIMPLE Method… the list goes on.
Experts have developed tried-and-true methodologies for efficiently sorting through clutter and achieving an organized home. Each system has a guiding philosophy and recommendation for how to go about the task of decluttering your space.
The end goal is the same for each method – a decluttered home that you’re proud of. However, the process of achieving that can look quite different.
It’s a good idea to spend a little time researching the different methods and finding one that resonates with you. By picking a system and being consistent with it, you can prevent overwhelm, stay focused, and make your decluttering goals a reality.
Golden Rule #2: Be ruthless.
Regardless of what system you choose, one thing is constant – the need to be ruthless with getting junk out of your home.
It might sound harsh, but it’s the only way you’re going to actually declutter your space. It’s easy to find ways to justify keeping things around that you don’t truly need or love.
You might argue that there’s some sentimental value tied to it. Maybe you think you’ll need it again, one day – even though it’s been years since you’ve used that kitchen gadget, or worn that particular pair of shoes.
You might feel guilty that you’re getting rid of something that you spent your hard-earned money on, even if you’ve never benefited from your investment.
If you allow those thoughts to dominate your decision-making process, you’ll find it hard to get rid of anything and won’t get the results you want.
You don’t want to end up surrounded by clutter and frustrated that you spent so much time and energy to achieve minimal results.
Instead, shift your perspective. Why do you need to keep a particular item around? What value does it add to your life? Do you use it regularly? Is the item worth the time and space it’s taking up?
By asking clarifying decluttering questions and taking a ruthless approach, you’ll be able to clear away the clutter you truly don’t need.
Golden Rule #3: Focus on one space at a time.
When you’re dealing with a lot of clutter, the urge to declutter everything all at once can be strong.
But trying to tackle the entirety of your space at the same time is a quick way to find yourself overwhelmed, burnt out, and exhausted – without a lot of progress to show for your efforts.
Instead, take a more focused approach. Pick a single space to serve as your starting point.
That space could be a messy drawer in your kitchen, a linen closet that’s been long overlooked, or that corner of your bedroom that’s constantly collecting clutter.
Whatever you choose to focus on, put all of your attention and energy on that space – and don’t start tackling other areas until it’s completely decluttered and organized.
Using the micro-decluttering method to stay focused on a small space will allow you to make meaningful progress, see the results of your actions take effect, and give you the motivation you need to continue.
Golden Rule #4: Make sure everything has a place.
When it comes to decluttering, getting rid of stuff you don’t need is only half of the equation. The other half? Make sure the stuff you choose to keep has a designated, dedicated place in your home.
After all, that’s another way that clutter happens. You buy something that doesn’t have a place where it belongs – and it ends up on a counter, shoved on a shelf, or hidden in a closet.
Over time, all of that stuff accumulates until it becomes a problem you can’t ignore.
To avoid future clutter catastrophes, be thoughtful with your purchases and make sure to organize as you go. Determine a dedicated place for everything you’re going to keep.
Use boxes, bins, and shelving to keep everything methodically stored away. When needed, use labels to your full advantage, eliminating any ambiguity around where something might belong.
Golden Rule #5: Set realistic goals.
If you think you’re going to declutter your whole house in a weekend after it’s taken years to accumulate all of your stuff, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.
Decluttering is a process. It takes time. You have to be intentional, and there aren’t any quick fixes.
Set realistic expectations about your decluttering objectives and the time it will take you to reach your goals.
There is nothing wrong with taking a slow approach to decluttering, and in fact, it’s often the best way to go.
By going slowly, you can be thoughtful with your decluttering decisions. And by breaking the process down into significantly smaller projects, it feels more doable and less overwhelming.
As you see the progress you’re making, it will help encourage and motivate you to stick with the process.
Bonus Golden Rule of Decluttering: Stop the cycle.
The goal of decluttering is to create a relaxing space that you love. But that won’t happen if the cycle of clutter continues.
To slow the flow of stuff into your home, be more intentional with shopping.
By avoiding impulse purchases and reducing the number of things you buy, you’ll not only prevent clutter but also save money in the process.
It’s also good to keep in mind the other ways that clutter may be entering your home. It could be things you got for cheap or free, as well as gifts from well-meaning family members and friends.
The more you work to decrease the number of things that come into your home, the easier it will be to maintain the progress you made in decluttering your space.
What golden rules of decluttering do you follow? Leave a comment and let me know!
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I am using what I call the calendar method. I get rid of one item the first day, two the next and so on until I’ve gone for thirty days. Then, I start over with one item on day one. Using this method I get easy days of decluttering. When I get past the single digit days I go to the file cabinet or wherever papers are piled. Counting each paper in a file as an item continues the easy decluttering. On some days I do more decluttering than my system calls for. It depends on how productive I feel like being.
Hi there, i love this. I did this in Jan and Feb. it worked really well. then I had som health issues and a family death and I haven’t got back to it yet. you’ve reminded men i shall start on 1st Sept.
I started on the top shelf of the bureau…those cards that workmen hand out and you keep in case….then find they’ve gone out of business or numbers have changed..what a free space I had. Those old letters from a friend that passed away, I don’t need those to remember them by. Thank you for making it easy to tackle just a small area at a time..
thank you so much – – I have accumulated a massive amount of junk in my office, bedroom, home, car, Etc! what you have written is truly liberating and I thank you from the bottom of my heart! it’s the first thing on this subject that has ever made sense to me- – your approach makes a tremendous amount of sense, and in that is the liberation. my best to you, Joseph
I like to use the “container method”. For example, I can have as many books as I want, as long as they fit in my bookcase. I can have as many clothes as I want, as long as they fit in my closet/dresser.
I have systems through the house such as laundry baskets in one location, kitchen ware stored in the same places, a container for storing odd socks and so on so everything is readily accessible. I regularly clean out wardrobes and book shelves and use hooks, and shoe racks. I put smalls in one drawer, leggings in another and shirts grouped together. It’s effectient and contributes to a relaxed and comfortable environment.
for every item purchased you have to rid yourself of at the least one item. the replacement plan
I leave sentimental items for the end. For me it slows me down as I go down memory lane. Every night before I go to bed I spend five to ten minutes picking up the livingroom or kitchen. Lastly I have boxes or bags when decluttering labeled trash, donate and put away.
I use Dana Whites container method and take everything to where it belongs straight away, no keep boxes that will have to be gone through later. For me this is the only method that works, when I follow it!
I have decluttered down to the things I love and the things I need, regardless of liking them. Now I face the maintenance duty. I don’t shop for new things. I don’t need anything new, but I’ve gotten a bit messy. I had a great cleaning system that involved scan and pick up nightly and cleaning the kitchen before bed. But I still find myself not hanging up sweaters after I wear them, not tossing recyclables daily, not emptying trash bins routinely, letting dust pile up. Perhaps I’ll try doing one different thing daily. Clear a sweater pile, dust the bedroom, organize the to-be-read pile. These are the bane of my home life. I’d rather piddle around sipping from my 20 ounce thermal coffee cup achieving absolutely nothing.