If you are currently fighting the battle to keep clutter from overtaking your life, you’ve probably researched popular methods for decluttering. Maybe you’ve even tried a few of them with varying degrees of success. But, have you considered the Shock Treatment Declutter Method? Probably not, because it’s a method designed by me and I have not shared it with anyone else. Until now.
I’m sure the words “shock treatment” conjure up negative images in your mind. After all, shock treatment was (and occasionally still is) used as a last-ditch method to help people who suffer from psychiatric illnesses. Basically, seizures are electronically induced in the patient in order to somehow reset the brain thereby treating forms of major depressive disorder, catatonia, and mania.
Yeah, I don’t understand it either.
I promise, my shock treatment declutter method doesn’t cause seizures. In fact, it’s (fairly) painless, and can be completed in only four steps.
How to Declutter Fast with the Shock Treatment Declutter Method
If you’ve read my post on decluttering your wardrobe, then you already have a sneak peek into my shock treatment declutter method. However, I did tone down the method for that post. I didn’t want to scare anyone off! In this post, I will lay out the whole method for you. Disclaimer: the shock treatment declutter method is ridiculously simple and incredibly challenging. Consequently, it’s not for the squeamish or faint of heart. Read on (if you dare).
STEP 1 | LAY EVERYTHING OUT AND SORT BY CATEGORY
The first step in my shock treatment declutter method is to lay everything out in front of you.
This is where the “shock” of it all will come in. Whether you choose to declutter by room or by category, everything in that room (or category) must be gathered together in a separate location where it will later be evaluated.
Say your goal is to declutter your son’s (or daughter’s) room. The very first thing you need to do if you truly want a clutter-free space is to remove each and every item (except for heavy furniture) from his/her room and place it in another area for sorting. This area can be your dining room, living room, another bedroom, or even outside (if the weather is nice).
As you remove each item from the room, sort it into categories as you go.
For example, all decorative items will be placed together, toys will be grouped accordingly, and paper items will be stacked in a separate pile.
As a result, if you’ve followed my advice, you will be left with a (practically) empty room. A blank slate, if you will.
Now is the perfect time to clean that room.
Before placing anything back into it, dust off all surfaces, including the ceiling, walls, baseboards, and blinds. Give the windows a thorough cleaning. Vacuum and steam clean (or mop) the floors. In the meantime, while you wait for the floors to dry, move on to step two.
STEP 2 | SURVEY THE DAMAGE
The second step in the shock treatment declutter method is to survey the damage.
This step is essential as it helps you “put the brakes on” collecting any additional clutter.
As a result of step one, most likely, the room you’ve chosen to place everything in will resemble a war zone.
As you gaze upon the mountains of stuff, in addition to being shocked, you may also experience feelings of regret (for the money wasted), amazement (where did it all come from), and anger (at your failure to manage the clutter). These feelings are perfectly normal and it is vital you allow yourself to feel them. You need to accept the fact that money was spent, and now it’s gone. Allow yourself to be amazed at the immense amount of clutter residing in your home. Acknowledge the anger you feel (towards yourself or others) due to the fact that the clutter in your home has gotten so out of control.
The purpose of gathering everything from one area of your home and moving it to another is that it truly allows you to “see” all of the clutter at once.
If, you decided to skip step number one (don’t you dare), thinking you can just enter any room in your home and begin decluttering things one at a time, you will most likely fail in your attempts to do so. Why? Because when we leave clutter in its natural state, it has a way of blending into its surroundings. Sure, your kid’s room may look messy when you first walk into it, but I doubt it truly “shocks” you.
Until you remove each and every item from its natural habitat and place it in a new space, you will fail to be shocked by the true enormity of it.
**Have you read “Material World A Global Family Portrait” by Peter Menzel? If not, I highly recommend it. Peter and his crew traveled the world photographing the material possessions of families across the globe. Additionally, he did it in a visually shocking way. The photographers removed every item from the subject’s home and placed it outside, in front of the home, before recording it. If you truly want to be shocked, all you need to do is compare the belongings of a family in Mali to one in the United States.
STEP 3 | RUTHLESSLY ELIMINATE
The third step in my revolutionary shock treatment declutter method is to eliminate anything you do not need, use, or love.
Set aside as many boxes and garbage bags you think you’ll need for this step. Be absolutely ruthless in your decisions and do not second-guess yourself. If an item is broken or otherwise useless to someone else, throw it away. Keep anything you need or love, and discard the rest. It really is that simple. Be realistic in terms of what you decide to keep. If you lack the space to comfortably store it or the time to properly maintain it, let it go. It doesn’t matter how much money you spent to acquire it or who gave it to you. If you don’t need it or love it, rehome it.
An important thing to mention as you complete this step; do NOT get rid of anything that does not belong to you without first getting permission from the person who owns it.
If you have children who are emotionally mature enough to make a decision, be sure to include them in the decluttering process. Never, ever dispose of your spouse’s belongings without consulting them first. Even if you “think” they don’t need it. Trust me, I’ve been there, done that, and suffered the ensuing fall-out. Allow me to save you the stress.
The key to this step is to actually eliminate the items you have chosen not to keep.
I don’t care which method you employ when disposing of your clutter. You can sell it, donate it, recycle it, burn it, whatever. Just be sure you remove it from your home in a timely manner. Set a deadline (say one week) and make sure you have kicked your clutter to the curb by the end of that week.
An alternative to step 3
Another, less shocking way, to accomplish step three is to keep what you need and love and box up the rest. Put the boxes somewhere you won’t trip over them (eg. the garage). Only open the boxes if you discover you absolutely need something. Set a deadline (a month or so) and be sure to eliminate the clutter before the end of that time period.
STEP 4 | PUT EVERYTHING BACK WHERE IT BELONGS
The final step in the shock treatment declutter method is to find a home for all that remains.
If you have followed my advice and only keep what you need and love, this step should be a breeze. Showcasing your most valued items will not be difficult because you have freed up so much space. Perhaps you will need to purchase some attractive storage solutions for the items that remain. Go ahead, you’ve earned it.
*Click here for some of the Best Home Organization Products available on Amazon. Your goal for organizing your new space should be to have it serve your needs. Your home does not need to be Pinterest-worthy! It simply needs to be worthy of you.
Shock Treatment Declutter Method Graduation
So, you’ve made it to the end of shock treatment declutter 101. You are very brave indeed! Therefore, I officially declare you a graduate of the course. I now challenge you to put what you’ve learned into action. If starting with an entire room intimidates you, start with a single category instead. You can apply this method to a junk drawer, closet or single cabinet and slowly work your way up to a larger space such as a bathroom, bedroom or living room. Don’t be scared! I’ve given you the tools you need to effectively declutter your home.
READ MORE:
- How To Declutter Paper In 4 Simple Steps
- The Ultimate Guide To Decluttering Clothes
- How To Declutter And Organize Craft Supplies
« How to Declutter Paperwork - 4 Simple Steps You Can Take To Declutter Paper
» How To Declutter Books When You Love To Read
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Ok this is exactly how I just did my kitchen. I took all the glasses from the entire kitchen and put them on the table. I put away what was most important, or what I wanted to keep the most, and then discarded what I didnt have room for. Same for coffee mugs, travel mugs, water bottles. I even took a picture to remember how bad it was. I will do the same for my clothes and my linen closet. It works the best. That way you can prioritize and only keep what fits. If you then don’t have enough space or tools to put it all away, THEN invest in storage solutions to put those extra items away.
I resonated with most of what you recommended, but here’s the “however” I’m struggling that I didn’t see mentioned…
I have lots of hobbies and “convenience buying” accurately described as a tell-tale sign of being overwhelmingly disorganized.
Most of my things, I need or will need at certain times. (i.e. camping, boating, fishing, gun shooting, landscaping the yard, and even health & wellness things like back, neck, arm, wrist, elbow and knee braces, tens unit and various supplies all neatly stored in provided bags. I also have things from a rent house waiting for when í move out of my mother’s house, eventually so we basically have 2 houses in 1 if you know what I mean. Obviously, I’m lacking the storage space for the hobbies and necessities. I wish I could just put a shelf around every wall and store things alphabetically (yes, I’m very OCD) so I’d be able to find them when I needed or wanted them but that’s not realistic in my Mother’s Victorian home. Somehow, I need to figure out how to organize these things. My downfall would be old cassette tapes, CD’s, DVD’s that are boxes up that I’m thinking I need to get rid of to free up some space. My problem is that I feel it’s far too much of a hassle to try and sell some of these things than to merely bless the less fortunate who may have an interest in the non-pterodactyl items. BTW, is there a place that maybe recycles outdated technology type things as an effort to be environmentally friendly? Nevertheless, I have gotten rid of 8 boxes of clothing that I finally came to the realization that I’ll never be able to wear again, despite my desire to use the many workout items and gadgets that are coincidentally taking up space also. (And I havent even gotten to the hanging things in my closet!) Any ideas on storing the aforementioned hobby and necessity things that I consider my “keep” pile?
Also, what does one do with previous years of tax paperwork. I’ve got 3 piles on various areas just collecting dust. Any and all criticism is appreciated; good, bad or indifferent. Thank you so much for your posts and I am thankful I discovered them as they are all very easy reads and pair well with my particular lingo or verbage.
Looking forward to any ideas and thank in advance for taking the time to reply!!
I really appreciate you saying not to throw away things belonging to other people. I’m horrified by how many “victory stories” there are in decluttering and minimalist groups that involve just…throwing or giving away childrens’ things without them having any input.
It’s a horribly violating thing for kids, and it’s an excellent way to establish distrust and anxiety.
We have 6 kids and my living room was constantly getting TRASHED I tried to go through and take out the junk toys and I got rid of a 15 gallon bag of toys and a ton of books. It still was trashed, I saw this and figured I would give it a shot… I had NO IDEA my kids had so many toys that I had sorted out and neatly put away. No wonder it was everywhere. Thank you so much for this, I got rid of another bag, this time the huge drum size, and a ton of books. My living room has stayed easily clean for about 2 months now. This idea is amazing! <3 Thank you soo soo much! (Plus it only takes a couple of hours, which is a super plus!)
What a breath of fresh of fresh air this idea is. So different to everyone else’s. I live in a small home and mostly it’s not too cluttered as I’ve been sorting and throwing for years but my patchwork and craft tools and materials are a mess and cluttered and as my space is in my lounge and small I just seem to shift it round and round. Getting it all out, really seeing what I’ve got and catagorising it and choosing what to keep and really cleaning would make such a difference. Thank you
Due to a family issue, I have come to need to get rid off much before moving on my own. I am finding that out of thousands of “things” I thought I needed, I pretty much can keep legal documents, some books, about 2 weeks worth of clothes, computer for work, and two bins of toys and this would result in more time outside enjoying family rather than frantically running and chasing after items that have gotten lost in the Mt. Cluttereverest. The stress level has significantly decreased. What really resonated was “to be absolutely ruthless about (my) decisions” on whether it should be kept. Life circumstances have really pushed me to make this transformative change for the good.
Beverly,
As a blogger who sends out emails to people, I try to be very careful about cluttering up their inboxes. At the same time, I have benefited so much from the resources in the Ultimate Bundles, I feel I HAVE to share the information with my readers so they don’t miss out! It’s a catch-22 for sure. This year’s Homemaking Bundle has some great money saving/budgeting resources included. Even if you don’t use any of the other products in the bundle, the cost for the budgeting resources is well worth the small price tag. 🙂
My hubby is the reason I can’t get organized. I love him dearly and wouldn’t trade him in for the world (we have been married nearly 37 years). However, do you really need to keep the toilet tank cover off a toilet we no longer own. Home canned food from 1985? He itemizes everything so nothing gets by him. I have empty jars-of all kinds. You can’t pitch those. I am going to use them in the garage for parts when I get all my shelving up…he says. He is 73 and a very hard worker. We live on a farm. But honestly I give old food away to my daughters when they come to see me (telling them to take it to their house and pitch it) but in front of him “don’t you want this leftover for your lunch tomorrow?” Buried under paper because we can’t throw away a year old magazine. “I still plan to read that in my spare time” I have National Geographic Magazines from the 1950s that we have to keep because he make sell them sometime on Craig’s List. Help!
Becky,
YES! I never thought to mention the fact that you can use the proceeds from selling your stuff to redo your room! For me, the shock treatment method is the only way I get the “kick in the pants” I need to clear out the clutter. If I worked on it bit by bit, it would be hard to see progress and I would end up quitting. Congrats on your decluttered apartment!
This is the way the television make-over shows do it – and it obviously works! They have crews who clean and help sort and then paint and make-over the rooms….but still, I think it really IS the best way to do it. I have been “decluttering” for months, and feeling so depressed because tons of bags and boxes of stuff are going out, but it never really feels decluttered. I tried this method and was blown away! Yes, there IS a shock value to seeing all your stuff piled on tables and tarps in the driveway (I have a small efficiency apartment with ONLY two rooms, one closet and a bathroom). The good thing about doing that is you are FORCED to do something with it all the same day or two because of weather and leaving stuff outside under tarps! It’s no fun taking it all outside, then having to bring it back in and take it back out next day. So you act whether you want to or not! I got to paint the bathroom, and once stuff was outside (exercise equipment I didn’t use) it was very easy to put it in the van and drive it to Goodwill. I sold a lot of stuff on Craigslist and our local yardsale page on Facebook, often within hours of posting it. I’ve made $400+ so far! It paid for the paint and lumber for remodeling projects, and some storage bins. Once the apartment is decluttered it’s on to the storage unit!
Faith,
I am so glad you had positive results! Sometimes, we need to go to the extreme in order to stop bad habits. Did you take before and after photos? If so, hop on over to my Facebook page and share them!
I have tried to declutter my home for months now with no success. A few days ago I did exactly what you have described and was shocked how much stuff was in my son’s room and so was he. He donated a garbage bag of his toys (many small so a lot of toys). Now I am working on my daughter’s room and so on through my home. Feeling more better about my choice now that I see I’m not the only one who goes to such an extreme (but needed) measure. Thank you for the post and hope others get help from this method.
Cayley,
You go girl! I am so happy for you 🙂 Feel free to share photos of before/after to my Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/unclutteredsimplicity/
I followed your method and was scared lol. I started with our master bedroom, and ended up getting rid of two discard boxes, and two giveaway boxes. And my bedroom feels so sparkly and breathable! Today, it’s on to the bathroom!!
Thank you!
~Cayley