Use the ‘Calendar Method’ to Finally Declutter Your House

While being surrounded by clutter in your home can feel chaotic and overwhelming, much of it can probably simply be discarded. How much of your kid’s old artwork really needs to be kept forever? There’s nothing of value in that stack of junk mail. And what do all the cords in that drawer even do? I’m not saying it’s easy to part with all of it, but you can make it easier. You just need a calendar.

The calendar method of decluttering

It’s simple, really. On the first day of the month, set out to declutter your house—but with the intention of it taking the full month. You start easy: On the first day, you find one item to throw away (or donate). On the second day, you throw away or donate two. Add another item each day so you’re slowly building your decluttering muscle.

On a day with 31 months, you’ll end up parting with nearly 500 pieces of junk—and yet, you’re pacing yourself. On the first few days, don’t throw away anything too hard to part with. You’ll have plenty of time to get rid of every receipt, every unused appliance, and every expired container of food. Try to focus on one room at a time and make sure you stay on track with the numbering system.

Why the calendar will help you declutter

This method helps you get in the habit of tossing out a predetermined number of things, so that by the time you’re up to the teens and 20s, it’s much easier to part with stuff. You see the progress and gain momentum along the way. Getting rid of hundreds of pieces of clutter at once is an overwhelming task; but chunking it up so you get a little thrill of accomplishment every day is much more sustainable.

And at the end of the month, if you still have a bunch of clutter around, start back over at one.