This One Technique Is The Key To Finally Decluttering Your Home

Keeping clutter under control isn't always easy, especially when it starts to pile up and get away from you. You might stare at a messy area, instantly get overwhelmed, and decide to leave it for another time. Yet the reality is that decluttering is just as important as cleaning everything in your home. Aside from home maintenance, decluttering can even benefit your physical and mental health. One possible tidying strategy to consider is the "Core 4 Method," which was developed by Washington-based professional organizer Kayleen Kelly to help tackle clutter and maintain the results.

As the name indicates, there are four key steps to Kelly's Core 4 Method of decluttering: collect, categorize, cut out, and contain. The steps are designed to help you tackle any space in your home, whether you're looking to organize an entire room, a closet, a kitchen pantry, or even just a junk drawer. Aside from fulfilling the mission of removing and organizing clutter, Kelly's method is also strongly rooted in awareness of stress, anxiety, and neurodivergence, as she points out on her official website. The Core 4 Method is designed to help make decluttering easier for people experiencing these things — and in theory, getting a hold over clutter might even reduce anxiety.

If Kelly's Core 4 Method sounds like a strategy you'd like to try in your own home, start with step one: collect. Round up anything that doesn't belong in that particular room and put it into boxes to put away later. At the same time, focus on throwing out anything that's clearly trash, and grab your deep cleaning tools if anything is particularly grimy.

For step two, categorize your items into more coherent groups of like items. Consider labeling these categories to keep you better organized. During step three, go through each category and cut out anything you don't really need. At this point, you can decide whether something is donatable, recyclable, or really just garbage. This can be a challenging step of the process, but the key is to avoid overthinking and cut out any items you haven't used in a long time or are ready to let go of.

Once you've decided what you truly want to hold on to, you're ready to contain it as part of step four. Before you put everything away though, be conscious of staying organized within baskets, bins, and other types of storage containers. It's best to focus on sizes of containers that make sense for the space, such as smaller baskets you can fit inside drawers and larger bins for attics and basements. Resist filling containers with items to the brim, as this will only lead to more clutter.

A quick internet search for the Core 4 Method reveals plenty of success stories. Based on Kelly's background as both a professional organizer and a mental health advocate, the Core 4 Method is designed to take mental health into consideration as you declutter. Since the hands-on approach also allows you to visualize your progress during each step, it can arguably help with motivation. However, if you don't find this decluttering strategy is a right fit for you, there's no need to get discouraged. Whether you use Kelly's Core 4 Method or another decluttering strategy, there are a few tips to prevent your plans from derailing.

First, know that it's okay to take breaks when you feel overwhelmed. It's also helpful to tackle one small area at a time with simple decluttering hacks before working your way up to a bigger project. The more accomplished you feel, the more likely you'll have the right mindset to keep going. Celebrate all your home decluttering successes, both big and small. Whether you spent a few minutes cleaning out a drawer or you finally tackled that cluttered basement, every decluttering accomplishment is worth being proud of. Decluttering is something everyone has to keep doing to maintain the results, so finding a method that works for you in the long term is key.