Ep 40: How to Actually Declutter Your Entire Home in ONE Weekend
How many times have you looked around your home and wished the organization fairies would come and clear away all of your old stuff and clutter? Do you dream of having a home you where you welcome friends and family over at a moment’s notice? Are you tired of constantly wasting time looking for lost things?
Well, I have some good news…you can have a clean, clutter-free home that you are proud of and can find what you need when you need it. And you have have it next week!!
No matter how much stuff you have, I can help you declutter it in a weekend. This is not for the faint of heart, but I believe in you and know that you can commit to making a huge positive change in your life in just one weekend.
With a few supplies (that you probably already have), a good attitude, and some even better music I will show you how to sort everything you own, create purpose for your home, and turn it into the rejuvenating space you and your family need.
This episode of the Wannabe Minimalist Show will help you discover:
How to succeed with a big decluttering project
The 2 simple steps you need to do before you begin decluttering
The #1 reason people fail when decluttering and how to avoid it
Questions to ask yourself when you are stuck
The secret to making a big declutter stick
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STEPS TO DECLUTTER YOUR HOME THIS WEEKEND TRANSCRIPT
You’re listening to the Wannabe Minimalist Show with Deanna Yates Episode number 40. I love when we get to these round numbers and wanted to go big for this one. Today I’m talking about how you can declutter your entire home in one weekend. It sounds impossible, but with a little planning, awesome music, and a great attitude we can do it.
Hey there wannabe minimalist friends! Welcome back to the show. As always, I’m your host Deanna Yates, creator of WannabeClutterFree.com and the Wannabe Minimalist Podcast.
In today’s episode we’re looking at how to declutter your entire home in one weekend. Yes, it’s a big goal. Yes, it’s going to take a lot of work. But, I think that with a little planning it’s possible.
Now, if you’re trying to go to from borderline hoarder status to extreme minimalist…that’s not realistic. But, if you are looking to clear out clutter that is not helping you, bring some breathing room back into your home and clear out upwards of a thousand items…yeah…that’s totally doable.
The first thing you are going to need to do is pick up my QUICK Decluttering Workbook. It’s completely free and while you can succeed in decluttering your entire home in a weekend without it, I will be referencing the QUICK method and the workbook quite a bit so it’s helpful for you to have it in front of you.
The second thing is to listen to this episode in full and then come up with a plan. I’m a firm believe that failing to plan is planning to fail when it comes to big changes. There are lots of times I will dive right in, but with something this big, you need to have an idea for how to make it happen.
The third thing is to bring a good attitude and commit to the process. While a giant decluttering weekend is not for everyone, I know this process works. Plus, life is stressful right now. Schools about to start up again and there are so many uncertainties. Wouldn’t it be great if your home was a peaceful retreat and somewhere you felt rejuvenated?
If that sounds good to you then let’s get to work.
Oh, and don't forget to pick up the show notes and a copy of the QUICK Decluttering Workbook at LittleGreenBow.com/40. Again, that’s littlegreenbow.com forward slash the number 40.
I am so excited for you and can already feel the relief you will have on Sunday night or Monday morning as you look around your newly decluttered home. So let’s dive in and talk about the steps you need to take to declutter your entire home in one weekend.
For the remainder of this episode, let’s assume we are decluttering on a traditional weekend, meaning that we’ll start on Saturday morning and finish Sunday evening. If your schedule is different, please change out the days of the week as needed. Make sense? Cool.
Step Number 1: Prepare Mentally & Physically - done Friday or before
The first thing I want you to remember is that you didn't just magically wake up with a home stuffed with clutter. It took time to get here and while we're decluttering your house in a weekend, it's going to require work. The more prepared you are for that the easier it will be.
The best thing to do is to commit right now. Know that this is going to require effort on your part and commit to seeing it through. The worst thing you could do is to start sorting and then get tired and stop. That’s because you will have created a bigger mess for yourself. So, choose to see this through to the end.
Step number one needs to take place before the decluttering weekend begins. It doesn’t need to happen weeks before and in fact can be completed on Friday with a decluttering start of Saturday morning. But, the more responsibilities you have - think kids, work commitments, recreational activities - the more planning is required.
So, what are the supplies you’ll need for the weekend? I recommend gathering the following things:
trash bags
boxes
labels for your piles of stuff (included at the QUICK Declutter Workbook)
a timer
snacks
refreshing drinks
an awesome music playlist
markers
tape
a good attitude
buy-in from your family - either get the kids out of the house - hello sleep over at the grandparents - or line up some activities for them to do that will not require a ton of your time - i.e. get your partner to watch the kids.
Step Number 2: Complete the QUICK Declutter Workbook - done Friday or before
Now that your mind's in the right place, print out the QUICK Declutter Workbook. The workbook includes a Decluttering Schedule and Room Decluttering Worksheets. You’ll need one decluttering schedule and a Room Decluttering worksheet for each room in your home. However, you can group types of areas together like storage closets and bathrooms.
The easiest way to complete these worksheets is to go around your home and fill out each Room Decluttering Worksheet when you are in the space. You’ll need to think about the the purpose for the room and the emotions you want to feel when you’re there.
If this doesn’t make sense or you want more information about why I recommend this, check out episode number 38 or the QUICK Decluttering blog post which I will link in the show notes.
Completing a Room Decluttering Worksheet for each room will save you time during your decluttering weekend. When you know the purpose of a space, it makes it so much easier to make a decision about what to keep in that room and what items need to be relocated. Trust me when I say it clears up so much mental space when you will be tired of making decisions about everything you own.
The other part to Step two is to complete the Schedule for the weekend. Before you start on Saturday morning, estimate how much time you think it will take you to declutter each room. Try not to take more than 2 hours per room so that you stay on task. Here are estimates for each space:
bathrooms - 15 - 30 minutes each
master bedroom - 1 hour
master closet - 1 hour
kid's bedroom - 2 hours
living room - 45 minutes
kitchen - 2 hours
dining room - 30 minutes
entry and storage closets - 30 minutes each
That’s all the prep work. The next two steps take place over your decluttering weekend.
Step Number 3: Sort EVERYTHING - done Saturday and Sunday
With your supplies gathered, your belly satisfied from breakfast, a full pot of coffee on, music playing, and kids occupied…it’s time to get to work. The third step is to put your plan into place.
Using the QUICK Declutter Workbook and decluttering schedule, you’ll start in room one, set the timer and just get to work.
Let’s recap the QUICK Decluttering Method so you know how I like to declutter as fast as possible. It’s an acronym so it’s easy to remember and we’ll only be using the first 4 letters this weekend.
QUICK stands for:
Q - Question the purpose (this was the work you did to prep and give a purpose to each space)
U - Uncover what you have (here’s where you find out what you actually have hiding away in each space)
I - Into the piles it all goes (sort, sort, sort the stuff you own using the labels from the QUICK declutter workbook)
C - Curate your favorites (this is the step where only the items in your keep/love pile that fit the purpose of the room you are decluttering get to go back into the room)
K - Keep the clutter away (the final step is how you keep the clutter under control so that you NEVER have to do a huge weekend declutter again)
So how exactly are you supposed to put this 3rd step into practice?
Well, print the labels in the QUICK Declutter workbook or just put the items you want to keep in a pile, toss garbage in a trashcan, and write donate on a box and toss items right in. I prefer to print the labels because its super helpful if you are not decluttering alone and can keep everyone working together without any mixups.
Then, using your Decluttering schedule, look at how much time you allocated to the room you are in. My pro-tip here is to set the timer for half the amount of time so that you can gage how much you have gotten done when the timer goes off and you’ll know if you’re falling behind pace and need to go faster. Try to be done sorting through everything with about 15 - 30 minutes left that you can use in step 4.
Another hack I have for you when it comes to decluttering a room is to set a goal of how much stuff you want to keep or get rid of based on how full the room is. For example, in a room that feels a little cluttered, set a goal to declutter 25%, or 1 out of 4 things. In a room that feels very cluttered, set a goal of 50% (1 out of every two).
We can’t organize our way out of a cluttered house and just moving our things around will not make the space feel better. So, make the tough decisions that will actually make a difference in your everyday life.
With speed being a factor here, resist the urge to sell your items unless you think you can sell it for a high amount like over $50 or $100. Otherwise, you will get tripped up and the items will never actually leave your home (trust me).
If you struggle to make a decision on an item, ask yourself the following questions:
Do I actually use this item on a regular basis?
Do I value this item or is there another reason I'm holding on to it (like guilt, or sentimentality)?
Is this item in usable condition, or is it broken and worn beyond repair?
Do I have duplicates of this item that I enjoy more?
Is there someone in my life who would love to have this item?
I’ll include all of these questions in the show notes so if you are not able to write them down at the moment, you can get them at littlegreenbow.com/40.
Step Number 4: Complete each room before moving on - done Saturday and Sunday
This is the step where so many people get hung up. But not you…now that you know this super secret tip for succeeding you are going to breeze through this weekend.
So, what does it mean to complete each room before moving on? Well, once all the items have been sorted, you have to go the final 5% and deal with the 3 piles to finish the room.
That means take all trash and recycling out. Box up the donation items and put them in your car, garage, or some other area designated for donations from your weekend declutter. And, finally, take the items you are keeping and give them a home in your newly decluttered room. If there’s something you’re keeping, but it doesn’t serve the purpose of the room you are currently decluttering, put it in the room where it will function. If you have not decluttered that space yet, feel free to place it in the middle of the room or wherever you plan to put your keep pile and move on.
It sounds simple, but how many times have you left a little pile here, a little stack of things there, or things to go into another room in the corner? That’s what landed us in this predicament in the first place. So, just go with me on this and finish out each room before moving on.
Remember to keep hydrated and eat snacks along the way to keep the hangry at bay. This is already stressful enough so we don’t need to add any additional degrees of difficulty to the day.
And that’s it. Those are the steps to decluttering your entire home in one weekend. But, I want to leave you with a bonus tip.
Step Number 5: Celebrate - done both over the weekend and on Monday or later
You need to make sure you celebrate your accomplishments.
As you complete each room or area over the weekend, take just one minute to appreciate the space and the sense of accomplishment that comes with each decluttering victory.
As you go forward, you should also plan for a big treat when you've completed decluttering your whole home. Consider booking a massage, going out for a nice meal, or better yet have friends over to show off your spacious and neat home.
These small celebrations are necessary for your soul and you totally deserve it after all of the hard work you put in.
If you want more tips for how to keep the clutter at bay, you will find them in the QUICK Decluttering Workbook and in episode 38 of this podcast. I’ll have links for them in the show notes so you’ll be able to find them easily.
Now I want to hear from you…are you ready to tackle decluttering your entire home in one weekend? Do you think it’s possible?
Come on over to my free Wannabe Minimalist Facebook Group, introduce yourself, and share your thoughts. I’m so excited to hear from you and help encourage you on your journey toward less stuff, more happiness, and an awesome life you and your family deserve.
The group is totally free and you can find us by clicking on this link or by searching for Wannabe Minimalist on Facebook. I want to meet you there and hear about your journey. Learning from all of you is one of my favorite things so I hope to see you there.
And don’t forget if you would like to get all of the show notes for today’s episode along with the QUICK Decluttering Method Workbook you can find it all at little green bow dot com slash 40. Once again get all the show notes and the links for everything we talked about today on my website at littlegreenbow.com/40.
And before I go…thank you for listening. I would love to hear from you. Let me know what you enjoyed hearing from this show and if you had any big takeaways. Feel free to tag me on Instagram stories so that I can see what you liked the most. You can also subscribe to be notified of new episodes where ever you prefer to listen to podcasts and please leave me a review if you’ve enjoyed the show so more people can find us and enjoy the benefits of a minimalist lifestyle.
That just about wraps it up for this episode of the Wannabe Minimalist show.
Be sure to join me next week for another guest episode. This time I will be talking to a mom who is just starting her minimalist journey. I had so much fun chatting with Kelsey Sholin from Delight of Mine about how she is implementing simple and intentional living practices into her family life. It was eye-opening to go back to the beginning again and I know you’re going to love it make sure you don’t to miss it. See you next week.
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