Use Simple Math To Declutter Your Home Faster Than You Have Before

Despite the amazing mental health benefits of decluttering and having an organized space, beginning the decluttering process can be an overwhelming prospect. If your home is stressing you out and you're surrounded by clutter and mess, it may seem impossible to figure out where to even begin, much less how to get every task done. This can be even more stressful if you have a specific date or event you're trying to get your house decluttered by. Taking a deep breath and pulling out some paper and a calendar can go a long way towards making decluttering a more manageable project though. Instead of attempting to do it all at once, divide your number of tasks by calendar days leading up to your goal date. 

First, make a list of all the tasks you need to complete to fully declutter your house. Don't make any of these tasks too large though, like decluttering the entire garage. Instead, have them all be a manageable size, perhaps beginning with the easiest place to start decluttering your crowded garage, like a specific workbench or a cabinet, for example. Any task that takes longer than an hour or two to complete should ideally be split into two separate tasks. Once you have your list of tasks, you're ready to pull out your calendar and see how long it will take you to complete your declutter.

Begin by counting up how many tasks your declutter will entail. Then, if you have a date your declutter needs to be finished by, count how many days you have until then. Only count the days when you're available to take care of a task, so don't include weekends where you're out of town or any other days when you aren't available to spend at least a bit of time on decluttering. Divide the number of tasks you have by the number of days you have available to complete your declutter to figure out how many tasks you need to take care of each day. You may be surprised by how manageable the number is. If you don't have a set date you have to finish decluttering by, then simply plan to do one or two tasks per day. Remember, you'll still have to take care of things in your house you should be cleaning daily, like dishes, so don't overestimate how much time you can devote to decluttering each day. With this pace, you'll likely be finished within a few weeks. 

Much like with the "one bag a day" decluttering method, breaking your decluttering journey down into small daily tasks helps make the process manageable. Be sure to check off tasks on your list as you complete them as well — there are few things more satisfying than a list full of finished tasks. To get the whole household involved, you can even turn the list into a daily challenge game. It shouldn't take long until you see a huge improvement.