The Four P's of Decluttering: Pause. Pick. Purge. Put Away.

How to Stop Being Overwhelmed by Your Clutter

One of the biggest issues I see with my clients is not knowing where and how to start.

Should I start in the bedroom? The kitchen? The living room? This is a good question if you are having a 4 hour power session (here is where I think most people should start). But if you only have 5-25 minutes to try and tackle something, this is not the right question. Instead, ask, what is closest item to me that is out of place?

The Four P's: Pause. Pick. Purge. Put Away.

This 4 step process will significantly reduce the overwhelm you feel when you declutter. Think of it as the Stop, Drop, and Roll of decluttering.

Pause:

Pause your overwhelm. Stop thinking about where to start. No more walking from room to room. Stop picking up one thing just to set it back down feeling defeated. Pause and take a deep breath.

Pick:

Pick the item closest to you that is out of place. Not sure what's out of place and in it's place? Just pick up the closest object.

If your home is a minefield of leaning towers of clutter, this item is probably right next to you no matter where you're standing. So just pick up the closest item. If your home is a bit less of a disaster, this may not be quite as easy. But the same principle applies. Look for the nearest item to you that is out of place, walk to it, and pick it up.

Purge:

Purging is the most important step in this process, do not skip it! Once you have something in your hand, it's time to purge this item if it no longer belongs in your life. 

Ask yourself,

•  Does this add significant value to my life? (there is no "sorta")

•  Do I want to bring this into my future?

•  Does this support who I am becoming?

•  Does it spark joy? 

•  Is there any serious inconvenience or harm done if I got rid of it? (think of your only winter coat or last year's tax paperwork)

There are tons of questions you could ask to help you decide whether to keep something or not. So pick one or two and then use them. If they aren’t working, try some different ones.

Put Away:

Once you’ve decided if it’s to declutter or a keeper, you need to decide where to put it. 

DECLUTTER:

• Is it trash? That's easy. Put it in a trash bag or out in the bin. 

• Is it a donation? Find a box or bag specifically for that, then make sure to put that by the front door or in your car so it doesn't float around your house forever. 

• Is it to regift? Find a box for gifts and label it and store it somewhere you can easily find it.

• Is it to sell online? You'll need to find a place to store it until you can sell it. Get a box and label it or clear a corner of the garage for larger items. And why not take the time to post it right now? Post it and then store it until it get's bought. If it doesn't sell, make sure to send it to the donation center or lower your price and post again. 

• Is it to sell in a yard sale? Get a box and label it or clear a corner of the garage for larger items. Also, I recommend picking a yard sale date so you keep yourself accountable to actually doing it. Set it as an event on your calendar. If that date comes and you don’t have enough stuff for a yard sale, either reset your date, take the items to the donation center, or post them online. 

KEEP FOR NOW:

• Is it something you’re just not quite ready to let go of yet? Start and label a maybe box and then set yourself a reminder to donate anything left in the box after 6 months (the idea being that if you use it, you'd put it away somewhere not in the box). 

• Is it missing it’s match or need fixed? Start a box labeled "Lost and Broken things". Once the box is too full to put anything new in, you know you need to throw something away or mend a few things. Or, if it's a quick fix, just do it right away while it's in your hand. 

• No matter why you're keeping this item temporarily, make sure to give it a clearly labeled spot or box so you don't just loose it again in the clutter.

KEEP FOR THE LONG-TERM:

• If you want to keep this for the long-term, the obvious choice is to put it where you ultimately want it to be kept. However this can easily get you off track if where you want to store it is full of other clutter. My advice is put it as close as you can where you want to keep it without getting distracted by shuffling clutter around. Do your best.

Starting to get distracted or overwhelmed again?

Pause. Pick. Purge. Put Away.

Repeat!

Ready to start making progress with The Four P's? Learn how to implement this process with just 5 minutes per day.