10 Ways to Declutter Faster

The number one thing you can do to optimize your happiness and peace is to create a decluttered environment. But sometimes it would be great if the process didn’t take so long. Well, here are 10 legitimate ways to declutter FASTER.

It can seem daunting, I know. Looking at the piles of stuff you’ve accumulated over the years feels like standing at the bottom of Mt Everest. A tough-looking mountain to climb! And while it may not be realistic to think that you’ll transform into a minimalist overnight, if you want some tips on the fastest, easiest route to getting there, then keep reading! 😊

#1. Write It Down

Before you begin decluttering, the first thing you should always do is take some time to make yourself a nice cup of something hot and sit down in a comfy spot with a pad and pen. ☕️📝 There’s been extensive research by psychologists that says you’re 42% more likely to complete a goal or a project if you write it down. 

Something magical happens when you put your thoughts onto paper. Whether you’re writing down a micro-scale task list to map out the steps to get your spoon and cup over to the sink or describing in vivid detail your grand dreams of a renovated spotless kitchen – writing it down helps you to get clear on the steps and focused on the end result, propelling you into action.

#2. Enlist Help 

You’re not going to be sending out formal invitations to your entire extended family. It might just be your best friend coming over 🥰 Even if they’re doing nothing other than standing in the corner of the room playing DJ, simply having another person present adds a little bit of accountability to the mix, which can make all the difference.

I do this all the time, even on a micro-scale. When I need to go to the convenience store, if Matt’s coming along with me, I’m way more likely to get up and get moving. So, if I really don’t feel like going, I’ll invite him along. Suddenly, the boring task has turned into a fun little adventure!

#3. The Process Of ‘Actual Selection’

The third way to help you really speed up the decluttering process is to use what I call the process of ‘actual selection’. Go through and select all the items you know you’re going to need and get rid of everything else.

This is opposed to the other method, which I call the ‘Thunder Eggs Method,’ where you’re just chipping away at the clutter, item by item. Before you know it, you discover something sentimental and you’re taking a trip down memory lane. Old photos from childhood. A workbook from school. Your grandmother’s diaries. All these thoughts and stories that captivate us slow down the process and can even bring it to a halt.

If you’re serious about wanting to declutter faster, start with intentionally selecting the things you absolutely know you want, put them to the side, and then emotionally detach from everything else. You won’t miss it as much as you think! 👌🏻

These are really the only 2 ways of minimizing your belongings and you can read more about them here!

#4. Forego Selling 

Guys, unless you want to be trapped for weeks by boxes of stuff people may or may not want, forgo the selling. Find a place to donate the items and get the bonus of feeling good from doing something nice for someone else!

It’s much easier to find somebody who can use the things that you don’t need anymore and save yourself the time you would have spent selling. Remember, we are trying to declutter faster. Think about all the time you spend taking pictures, posting, reposting, and following up. And all just for $20! It’s not worth it. There are much more profitable ways to use the time you’ll save boxing it all up and donating the lot.

 #5. Organic Decluttering

The fifth way to declutter faster is to do what I call “organic decluttering“. In other words, decluttering throughout your day. For example, if you had stairs in your house and you have a box of things that you need to declutter and move downstairs to the garage, you could naturally wait until you’re going downstairs anyway and bring that box with you and kind of move things along organically.

If you’re cooking in the kitchen, rather than gazing wistfully out the window, snap up the spare moment and clear the junk out of a drawer. It all adds up, one small item, one precious moment at a time! 

#6. Create A Sense Of Urgency

Tend to mull over things for months before kicking into action? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. The good news is that you can learn to increase your internal time pressure by adding some simple parameters to work with.

One easy example of this is using a timer. Here’s a little challenge to try. Set it for just five or ten minutes. Your single goal is going to be to declutter as much as you can as fast as you can. Ready, set, go!

There are lots of great apps you can use to help you with this. I use one called the Pomodoro app for all the work I do. Google it – it’s amazing!

#7. Recharge First

One of my biggest secrets for getting things accomplished is taking time to get myself into the right mindset. You can choose to make it fun! I tell my students “if you go into the declutter session with the sensation that it’s going to take all day and be a total drag, it probably will.” Self-fulfilling prophecy.

How do you want to feel when decluttering? We have the power to self-regulate and choose what kind of mood we want in a situation. The first step is to get your mind there and your body will follow suit. If you want to feel pumped up and energized, make that decision with intention. Maybe it’ll inspire you to put on some jams and have a dance party.

But getting pumped up isn’t always the best thing. Perhaps it’s some clarity and ease that you need. What kind of sensory stimulation and activities can create these for you? I like to walk around outside and pop on a meditation track. You can see what I mean in this video about 10 healthy habits.

#8. Remove Distractions

You know what it’s like. You were meant to be doing a task and then all of a sudden, you’re scrolling through your friend’s wedding photos on Facebook and discovering a new favorite show on Netflix. It can be easy to draw yourself away from whatever task you’re currently doing.

When you’re distracted, time becomes a void that just expands and expands…before you know it, half the day is gone! Put your phone in flight mode and turn off the TV. It will save you hours – and I mean hours – of time.

#9. Don’t Get Too Comfortable

If you want to have a long, leisurely, comfortable time of going through your belongings with a glass of wine and music, that’s totally fine. There’s no shame in that at all. But we’re talking about how to declutter faster.

Sometimes I won’t even let myself sit down. I’ll be like, “no, I’m only investing five minutes in this, and I can stand for five minutes!” Avoid giving yourself too many of those feel-good things to do while you’re in the process of decluttering. It’s going to help to move the process along more quickly. 

#10. Rip Off The Band-Aid

We waste most of our time at the beginning of activities – avoiding them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat down to write a blog post or to record a video only to drag out the whole intro process for like three or four hours.

When I just sit down and press record, what do you know – it only takes me 20 minutes! We tend to do that, don’t we? Getting started is the hardest part. So give yourself a hard countdown, whether it’s counting down from five or counting down from 10, and just agree with yourself that whenever you reach one, it’s GO TIME! I know you can do it 🙂

At the end of the day, it’s all about your mindset. If you see it as a big mammoth task, it will be. Hopefully, applying these top ten tips to declutter faster will help get you started on your way to quickly becoming a clutter-free superstar! 😄