The Simple Method I Use to Declutter Any Room in One Afternoon

Decluttering often eats into our weekends. But if you set the right intention and use a proven method, you can transform a messy room in a single afternoon. Like everyone else, I love a tidy environment, so over the years I've tried to stick to a simple routine.

1 Start With a Clear Goal

Before I touch a single item, I ask myself: What do I want from this space? Maybe I need a calm reading nook, a distraction-free desk, or a closet where I can grab a T-shirt without digging. Any major reorganization of a room determines what stays, what goes, and how much of the afternoon I have left to spend.

I jot the goal and a short checklist in Notes on my iPhone (a sheet of paper works too). I then split the project into manageable chunks that can fit into a block of time, like the 25 minutes of a