Try the ‘Move-Out’ Decluttering Method: 5 Tips to Help You Clear Clutter

Inside: Try the move-out decluttering method to help motivate you to clear clutter from your home.

If clutter is an ever-present struggle in your space and you can’t quite figure out how to address it, the move-out decluttering method might be a great option.

The move-out decluttering method is as straightforward as it sounds: act as though you’re moving and need to clear out clutter as you prepare to transition to your new space.

Even though you aren’t actually moving, this strategy can help you make surprising progress by addressing your clutter and helping you get organized. 

Not sure why – or how – to embrace this strategy to overhaul your home? I’ve got you covered.

Keep reading to see why the move-out method might be right for you and how you can make it work. 

The Move-Out Decluttering Method: Why It Works

The move-out decluttering method might sound a little strange at first, but it makes a lot of sense.

Why?

There are a couple of compelling reasons.

First, moving requires a mindset shift. When you’re simply decluttering your space, it’s easy to justify keeping stuff around. After all, it’s always been there, and it isn’t taking up that much space.

But when you prepare to move, everything is up for consideration.

If you want to keep something, you’ve got to go through the added effort of packing it away, hauling it to your new space, and finding it a new home.

Every item you keep requires more time and effort.

It allows us to be more critical as we declutter, with an easy justification for letting things go.

There’s also the cost involved with moving. You pay for moving boxes, bubble wrap, and tape.

And then you pay movers to load everything up, drive it to your new destination, and unpack it.

If you’re doing it yourself, there may be less monetary cost, but there’s still time and energy that goes into the task – a physical and mental cost to you.

By tapping into our sense of frugality and efficiency, we can more easily declutter when we’re in a move-out mentality. 

5 Tips to Clear Clutter With the Move-Out Decluttering Method

Not sure how to make the move-out decluttering method work for you?

Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you navigate the process:

1. Set a ‘move-out’ date – even if you aren’t actually moving.

One of the best things you can do to make the move-out decluttering method effective is to set a move-out date – yes, even if you aren’t moving.

By giving yourself a decluttering deadline and treating it as though that’s a drop-dead end date for your time in your current space, you create a sense of urgency. 

Keep this date front and center as you tackle the task at hand. Write it on a whiteboard in your kitchen, or put it on a sticky note in a visible spot.

Put it on the schedule on your phone. Create a countdown to tick away the days until you need to be “out” – and prioritize accordingly. 

2. Focus on one space at a time. 

When you move from one home to the next, you typically take a methodical approach to packing your stuff.

You don’t spend weeks with boxes and bins covering every surface of your home. Instead, it’s best to tackle the rooms and spaces in your home one by one. 

Focusing on one small space at a time will minimize the mess and overwhelm that can come with decluttering.

Start with the stuff you don’t use as often. Some options include the spare bedroom, the attic or basement, or the closet full of extra linens and board games that only get used when guests come over.

Then, move to the more high-traffic, high-use spaces in your home. This would include your bedroom and master bath, or the kitchen.

Not only will focusing on one room, drawer, shelf, or section of your home at a time help you stay focused and make meaningful progress, but seeing the results of your hard work in action will motivate you to make more progress.

3. Dedicate specific time to the task. 

Decluttering can quickly feel like an endless task, making it hard to stay motivated and focused. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to address that problem: set time limits for yourself. 

Look at your theoretical move-out date and figure out roughly how much time you think you’ll need to declutter. Then, plan it out.

Do you want to work in 15-minute sprints throughout your days? An hour or two each evening? A nice four-hour block of focused work on the weekend.

Think about what works best for you. Then, embrace that strategy to schedule specific times to declutter your space. 

If you want to approach decluttering more slowly, that’s fine too. By consistently making progress, you will eventually reach your goals.

4. Be ruthless. 

Pretend you’re moving across the country into a space that’s smaller than your current home but is also your dream home. Envision the aesthetic.

How will your current belongings fit? What energy do they carry? Will they support your vision or distract from it?

When it comes to deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, keep this vision in your mind as you work and be ruthless in letting go of the junk that’s just taking up space.

Don’t make excuses for keeping things you haven’t touched in years as you imagine someday when you might want that item. Don’t try to justify having endless duplicates of things you don’t actually use.

If you’re still holding onto physical media such as DVDs or even VHS tapes, or a collection of CDs from your favorite artists, ask yourself if you really want to keep hanging onto them.

Do you love and actually use them? If so, it’s fine to keep them. But if you can’t remember the last time you used an item, now is a good time to let it go.

5. Ask for help if you need it.

If you were moving out of your home and had a hard deadline to meet, you’d bring in reinforcements if you couldn’t get everything organized and packed by yourself.

As you leverage the move-out method to declutter your home, you can, and should, ask for help if you need it.

And since you aren’t actually packing up every item you own to move it, but rather adopting a move-out mindset, people may find it easier to assist in the process.

Help can come from your family, friends, or even a professional organizer to help you clean, declutter, and organize.

By leveraging your resources and getting help when needed, you’ll be more likely to reach your decluttering goals.

Have you tried the move-out decluttering method? Leave a comment and let me know how it went!

Sign up on the form below to get weekly decluttering and simplifying inspiration sent straight to your inbox! You’ll also get the free Declutter Plan of Attack Worksheet to help you customize your own decluttering plan for your home.