2 min readSpring is synonymous with a thorough clean and reset. As the natural world stirs back to life and a new cycle begins, our homes can benefit from that same sense of renewal.
Decluttering—letting go of items we no longer use or need—is one of the simplest ways to feel lighter, calmer, and more organised as the season shifts. There are countless organizing methods to choose from: some favour a gradual, step-by-step approach, while others take a far more radical stance.
One of the more intensive options is chaos decluttering. Often credited to Kim Jones of the organizing service Lock & Key Home, the method is built on a simple premise: you have to make a mess before you can create order.
In practice, that means emptying the contents of, say, a drawer—or, for the brave, an entire room—into one large, unavoidable pile. “The idea is to see the enormity of what you own rather than trying to declutter a little at a time,” explains Max Wilson, cofounder of the London-based self-storage service Pocket Storage.
“Once everything is laid out in a big pile, it becomes extremely difficult to avoid the reality of what one is looking at. In a way, it becomes a kind of honesty that other approaches might try to avoid...it breaks the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ cycle instantly.”
It's undeniably intense, but also highly effective and time-efficient. By confronting clutter head-on, you can achieve in a few hours what might otherwise take days. Tempted to give it a try? Read on to learn how to “chaos declutter” at home.
How Does the “Chaos Decluttering” Method Work?
At its core, chaos decluttering is about momentum and fast decision-making.
“Because you’ve disrupted the entire space, you’re far more likely to follow the process through to completion, which helps people make decisions they’ve often been putting off for months,” Max says.
The process can be broken down into three stages:
- The chaos: Empty everything from the space you're tackling into one big pile.
- The purge: Work through the pile quickly, deciding what to keep and what to discard. The key is not to overthink—keep moving.
- The re-entry: Return only the items you've chosen to keep to their place. Everything else should be banished from your home.
Granted, creating a mess on purpose may not be for everyone. As interiors expert Steve Larkin, CEO of Lark & Larks, puts it, “This method is best for people who are already relatively organized but lack time for thorough decluttering, not those who struggle with decluttering or are easily overwhelmed by the process.”
For anyone prepared to tolerate a bit of chaos, the payoff is considerable—a noticeably clearer, more organized home in a matter of hours.
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