1. THE 'MOVE OUT' METHOD
The premise is simple: if you were moving to your dream home, would you take it with you? If the answer is no, declutter it. Suzanne Roynon’s 'move out' method is a great visualisation technique that helps you to distinguish between glorified clutter and items we use, need, and love because it makes the decision-making process more clear-cut.
2. THE 12-12-12 CHALLENGE
Getting motivated to declutter is often the hardest part, given the fact there are so many other demands on our time. The 12-12-12 challenge is a great way to kickstart your clear-out. Joshua Becker, author of The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life, free at Amazon with an Audible trial, invented the 12-12-12 challenge to break decluttering down into manageable chunks.
3. THE 30-DAY MINIMALISM METHOD
If you are decluttering a garage or decluttering a loft, I’d recommend the 30-day minimalism game, which I tried a couple of years ago. It helped me to declutter over 300 items, inspiring family members to do the same. I found it especially helpful for decluttering books, as well as clothing I no longer loved.
4. THE 5-MINUTE RULE
"My golden rule is, a tidy a day, keeps the clutter away," says Craig Hoareau from A Tidy Mind London. And what if you only had to spend five minutes? This method is all about adopting daily habits to keep your house clean and tidy by removing clutter.
5. THE 'ONE TOUCH' TIDYING RULE
The 'one touch' rule is a good habit to get into to maintain a clutter-free home, especially if you are organising a small space. "The idea behind the 'touch it once' rule in organizing is that any task should be acted upon the first time it is encountered, rather than delaying or deferring the action,' explains Craig Hoareau, APDO member and managing director of A Tidy Mind London. "It is intended to reduce the amount of time and effort required to complete tasks down the line and prevent it from being forgotten or procrastinated until it becomes overwhelming."