A Decluttered Home in 24 Hours

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but who says your home can’t be decluttered in one?

I’m a firm believer that small steps every day add up to big changes (and I explored ways you can turn your decluttering power session into a lifestyle in this post here!) but decluttering is an area where a power session may be just what you need to kickstart your good habits!

If you want to see more, click below to watch my YouTube video!

Start by pinning down a day on the calendar that you can dedicate to decluttering – make sure it’s clear of other commitments (like grocery shopping and soccer games) and block out the whole day to be put towards your power session. 

The night before your big decluttering day I’d recommend doing these three things:

• Laundry (washed, dried, and folded!) 
• Dishes 
• Take out trash

By getting those chores out of the way you’ll be able to dedicate your whole day to decluttering and organizing instead of getting side tracked from the get go. 

One more thing to do before you go to bed – gather up your supplies. Make sure you’ve got some garbage bags, some sort of box or bin for items you want to donate, and maybe some sticky notes for labeling and sorting items. 

Get a good night’s sleep so you’re rested and ready to tackle the clutter in the morning! 

When you get up in the morning, dress like you would to go to the gym for a workout – all the way down to your favorite pair of tennis shoes. Something breathable and comfortable is best because you’ll be moving around a lot – and if you already have your shoes on nothing’s stopping you from taking out a full bag of trash or loading donations into your car! 

Now it’s time to get started!

But where to start? Choose either the category method or the zone method to stick with all day long. 

Category Method

The category method involves going through your home one item type at a time. So, for example, you declutter all the books in your home, then all the clothes. This approach helps you make informed decisions (do you really need a dictionary for three different rooms in your house?) but it can get a little overwhelming, especially when you find a forgotten bookshelf in a closet after you’ve already moved on to decluttering clothes! 

Zone Method

The zone method is more common and simply involves decluttering one room at a time. I personally love this method because it allows me to see progress in short order. Whichever method you use, turn on your favorite music (maybe bust a dance move or two) and start decluttering. 

Eventually you’ll come across a really tricky item. Does it stay or go? When you find a real stumper make sure you’re asking yourself the right questions: 

• Do I use this time regularly?
• Do I love this item? 
• What’s the worst case scenario if I got rid of this item?
• Do I have the space to store this item?
• If I were moving soon, would I keep this item? 
• Would I purchase this item if I didn’t already have it? 

These questions help shift the focus toward what you want to keep instead of what you have to get rid of. Click below to get a handy printable version of these questions to carry around with you while you declutter. 

Do your best to make quick decisions. Since you’ll be racing the clock to get your home decluttered in a day it can’t take five minutes to decide about every pair of shoes. I know I can talk myself into keeping just about anything (I talked myself into buying it after all!) so now is a good time to go with your gut. If your first reaction is to toss it, then into the trash it goes. 

Items that you’re really wrestling with can be set to the side to decide on later – just make sure you give them a designated area so they’re not cluttering things up and you know where to go when you’re ready to go back to them. 

It’ll take some hard work and elbow grease, but you will sleep so good after working hard to declutter your home in a day – and waking up the next morning, well, I can already see the smile on your face as you roll out of bed into your newly cleaned home.