What Is The Ski Slope Method For Decluttering?

Living in constant clutter or disarray can cause stress, discomfort, and even anger once the mess reaches an unmanageable level. Whether work or daily life has become overwhelming, or it's just the time of year that daily chores have been overlooked in favor of guests, vacations, or a barrage of other interruptions, you might be due for a reset. Facing the piles and crevices filled with items might feel more terrifying than leaving them, but the best way out is through.

With the rise of Marie Kondo and her minimalist approach to decluttering, more and more methods have come to the forefront for homeowners to apply to their organizing efforts. Kondo's ideas revolve around focusing on categories, but another method can help you create a plan of attack on a room without worrying about navigating classifications. Zero Waste Lifestyle System notes that clutter falls into its category of miscellaneous items, but that still doesn't help you figure out what to do with everything. Enter: The Ski Slope Method.

Envision a room filled with random items taking over surfaces, clothes strewn on the bed or other furniture pieces, and random appliances, papers, or anything else that accumulates over time, stacking up in corners. You might want to hyperventilate at picking one of these areas to sort through first, or this picture might be exactly what you are dealing with in your own home. The Ski Slope Method, introduced by a therapist-turned-interior decorator, Anita Yokota, focuses on the idea that you should work your way across a room like you would while traversing a mountain.

Instead of remaining in one area until it is clean, Yokota suggests starting in one section, tidying and decluttering it, then crossing over to the other side of the room to tackle a different area. In her book, "Home Therapy," she uses the metaphor of thinking about a room like a slope. By moving from corner to corner instead of going straight down, you are training your mind to focus on a singular area without the overwhelming feeling of an entire room that needs to be cleaned. Yokota notes that by decluttering your space thoroughly, you can make your life more functional and efficient because your room is concise and organized for success.

As you "ski" across a room, set the intention to focus solely on that before moving on. Once there, Budget Dumpster recommends having three large boxes or bins that can hold items for each of the following categories: keep, give, and dump. All your things will find a home within one of these boxes, making cleaning and decluttering even easier. Before you move on to another space, find homes for the "keep" items, throw out the ones from "dump," and put aside anything you plan to donate or give away. By emptying the boxes after every section, you're refocusing on a new spot and making room to fill them up with clutter or keepsakes.

Even if your home doesn't look messy or cluttered, there might be pieces that can be removed from the collection that are mentally blocking your headspace and your actual space. Clutter doesn't have to be made up of towering stacks and piles of furniture. Sometimes, it's in the shape of old documents collecting dust in a cupboard that no longer serves a purpose. Another perk of decluttering is that it makes room for new items or updates. If you have a collection of older blankets, why not donate them and replace multiple throws with one large throw that can warm several people at once? Whether it's an office space or a living room you're organizing, the Ski Slope Method will allow you to approach it in a stress-free way that is proven to produce excellent results.