The Simple Decluttering Solution That Will Have Your House Organized In No Time

Decluttering can feel like a fuzzy and overwhelming process with no end in sight. Between the constant influx of items and the endless online tips for decluttering, it's easy to find yourself feeling powerless to regain control of your space. Rather than getting stuck and not doing anything to get your house organized, however, there's an approach to decluttering worth trying. Nicknamed the "Domino Decluttering Effect," this approach capitalizes on tiny wins that can provide you with the momentum you need for a whole house declutter — all in less time than you may imagine.

The concept behind the Domino Decluttering Effect comes from professional organizer Side By Side Design, who explains that you need only start with a small area to declutter before you'll find yourself working through a bigger pile. You may have experienced this before, when you intended to sort through only the junk drawer in your kitchen, but afterwards decided to declutter the other drawers as well. The idea is closely linked to the concept of flow state — a physiological shift where you are completely immersed in what you're doing and can easily lose track of time. When you're in flow state, the task at hand doesn't feel like a heavy burden or chore at all; rather, you'll feel decisive and positive about what you're trying to accomplish. If you find that you struggle to find the time to declutter, the easy trick to getting it done painlessly could be the domino approach; it is also more intuitive and self-directed than structured methods like KonMari or the highly effective 20/20 rule for decluttering.

While the Domino Decluttering Effect is pretty straightforward as a method for getting your house organized, there are a few tips to help it be a true success. For starters, begin with an area that you know will be easy to declutter. This could be something like your mail pile, junk drawer, or kids' art supplies; in all of these cases, you can easily find numerous items that will be painless to part with. This trick is called "momentum stacking" and meshes perfectly with the idea of the domino effect. By starting with a goal you can easily accomplish (i.e. decluttering your kids' dry markers and paintbrushes) you'll feel motivated enough to do something a little bigger and more difficult (like your kitchen tools drawer).

Implementing some additional principles while using the domino effect can be helpful. Firstly, since this approach could get you motivated to declutter and then declutter some more, start a session when you have some time to spare — this will prevent the frustration of having to quit before you're ready. Secondly, whenever you're working on clearing out excess possessions and organizing your home, there's a smart decluttering trick to make sure you don't miss a thing: arm yourself with a black trash bag and a donation box. Anything you're throwing away goes straight into the trash bag, which will prevent second-guessing your decisions, meanwhile, donations will be ready to take to Goodwill without fuss. Finally, don't feel pressured to keep going or burn yourself out when using the Domino Decluttering Effect; the beauty of this method is in its simplicity. Trust your gut and stop when the momentum slows, as you can always pick up right where you left off next time.