Forget a January Refresh, I Tried the ‘Houdini’ Hack in November for Successful Decluttering of Claustrophobic Winter Mess

To be truly successful at decluttering, there is a little bit of a magic formula. You need great tips, focus, some of the right tools, but crucially: Confidence to adapt methods and techniques, or be really honest with yourself about your capacity for the job.

That’s why this month, I decided I’m not waiting for January to refresh my home, whilst simultaneously accepting I have neither the time nor the physical energy to do a proper declutter.

That’s why I tried the easy ‘Houdini’ decluttering method to clear visual clutter out of my vital spaces at home and reset the calm I desperately needed during this busy time. Here’s how you can easily do the same with very little time or effort.

What is the Houdini decluttering method?

In short, the Houdini Decluttering Method is a ‘cheat’ decluttering tip, in that you’re not really streamlining, but making everything look less fussy and busy, whilst gaining functionality around your home with minimal effort.

In my case, placing a beautiful set of scalloped seagrass bins from Amazon on my busiest surfaces, and reusing empty storage bins as a catchall for items until I am good and ready for a deep clean and January decluttering session has been the win. Who knows, maybe I’ll even leave it till February to declutter and cut myself some slack.

Professional organizer and KonMari® Master Consultant Rebecca Jo-Rushdy of Spark Joy & Flow explains, ‘Cheat decluttering is such a relatable concept, especially at this time of year when life and surfaces just get fuller. I actually call it “shushing the space,” and it's such a powerful nervous system tool.

‘When things feel too busy or loud visually, using thoughtfully chosen baskets or bins to soften that noise can be a relief. It offers our minds a moment of pause, which is often exactly what’s needed to sustain momentum rather than tip into shutdown.’

And that is exactly the beauty of the Houdini Decluttering Method. It makes the mess disappear like magic, much like its magician namesake, with very little effort, and without needing you to find the will to focus on decluttering.

Rebecca adds a gentle caveat: ‘When we tuck items away without intention, the hidden clutter can quietly snowball. So when using this approach, I’d always recommend anchoring it with a future commitment, whether that’s adding a “tend to basket” reminder in the diary for January, or simply deciding that one box will be revisited at a time during a quiet Sunday morning.’

You can lean into the Sunday Butterfly Decluttering Method for naturally found chore time that doesn’t feel hard to focus on or maintain. It's especially useful for neurodivergent minds as it allows you to flit from one job to another without pressure to complete. Focus on one room or area for maximum benefit if using Butterfly decluttering.

As for forgoing January decluttering, don't feel guilty about it. Rachel Bearn, author of A Year to Slow Down, available at Amazon, says January is the least biologically natural time to reinvent ourselves, or our homes.’

Rachel, who is chronically ill, says, 'As humans, we often forget we’re part of the natural world. While animals and plants conserve energy through the coldest, bleakest months, we pressure ourselves to overhaul our lives at the very moment our bodies are craving restoration. Winter is designed for recovery, not reinvention at 100 miles an hour.'

That's why, personally, as a fellow spoonie (that's a nickname for those with energy-limiting or chronic illness), I wholeheartedly agree with Rachel's philosophy, and I am cutting myself some slack to get by this winter.

Rachel adds, 'Slow living isn’t about curated minimalism, as most people can’t overhaul their entire lifestyle, despite what social media often implies, nor should they have to.'

She advises instead to focus on 'small, manageable acts of rest that can be folded into everyday life to create pockets of peace.' That is the beauty of the Houdini trick.

How to Use the Houdini Hack in Your Home

For this time-poor, high-stress season packed with social events and hosting, and often, an increase in work tasks and school work, place a pretty bin in the area where clutter has accumulated and treat it like a catchall you will return to sort out in the future.

Rachel adds, 'There is a growing cultural shift toward seasonal living, nervous-system regulation, and intentional rest. TikTok videos tagged #slowliving have amassed more than 500 million views, reflecting a growing desire for change and a return to simpler, more grounded ways of being. “Wintering”, the practice of embracing slower rhythms during the darker months, is gaining traction because it offers something we’re collectively starved of: Mental breathing room, emotional steadiness, and sustainable well-being.'

The Houdini decluttering trick allows for this easily, especially if, like me, you find visual clutter very stressful to deal with.

Here’s what pro organizer Rebecca suggests to make it Houdini decluttering successful and as useful as possible, without it spiralling out of control:

• Label Your Houdini Bins: Indicate a month to help avoid your Houdini bins becoming long-term clutter caves. If you don't want to ruin the look, place a label underneath, keep a digital note on your phone, or add Post-it, which is great for providing easy visual cues for tasks, inside the bin.
• One In, One Out: A festive version of “one in, one out” method will come in handy. Anything bought for hosting should free up something that no longer sparks joy. Rebecca adds, ‘At the moment, I’ve got a shopping bag tucked in the sitting room that’s become our “Winter Fair donation bag.” Anything I come across that could go to one of the stalls goes straight in there. I’ve even been going through listed Vinted items and unlisting/surrendering those I no longer want to store just to get them physically out of the house. It helps me feel like I’m moving things out as new things naturally come in during this season, rather than waiting for the perfect time to do a full declutter!'

I Tried the Houdini Decluttering Hack

Two places on the first floor of my house descended into chaos in November, and I decluttered successfully with the Houdini trick.

The first was the sideboard that houses our ‘leaving the house’ or ‘coming home’ essentials, as well as our mail. The surface had become a pile of letters and paperwork to declutter, which we struggled to find time to sort out, and was a catch-all for things that needed to go upstairs.

Now I have placed a pretty shallow seagrass basket from Amazon on top with a tray organizer, also Amazon, that is perfect for our keys, wallets, and trinkets we may need on trips out, such as noise-cancelling earplugs for my daughter.

The back end of it now has our unfiled letters in, and since it has a limited amount of space, it’s forced me to scan and recycle mail I need to keep, or immediately take recycling to the appropriate bin.

This binning of waste without delay is a decluttering success tip from professional organizer Dana White, creator of the no-mess Five-Day Clutter Shakedown, and something she shared when I interviewed her last month on making decluttering easier.

Now, the new seagrass bin in this space has been a game-changer for clearing visual clutter in our entryway, and coupled with an agreement with everyone in my household to place things that need to go upstairs in the allocated stair tidy basket, the space has remained tidy, and our lovely table lamp is the star of the cozy corner, instead of a pile of mess.

Similarly, I’ve been doing a lot of online shopping for gifting season, an arctic snap of cold that made us realise our winter coats and boots needed replacing, and my daughter’s latest growth spurt. All those parcels and some awaiting returns had made our living room footstool look like a mini Post Room. It was visually messy and a constant reminder of a ‘to-do’ list that in itself was quite stressful.

Now I have a pretty lidded wicker basket from Wayfair there, which is much-needed winter storage for this flurry of online shopping. In the new year, I will return it to its former function as a toy storage box for my daughter’s things.

We’ve decluttered her toys ahead of Christmas, therefore freeing them up at just the right time as well as being about to donate potential festive gifts to local thrift stores when customers will need them most.

What to Shop

Pro organizer Rebecca adds, ‘Pretty, affordable storage that hides in plain sight and still invites you back in works beautifully. Scalloped seagrass, woven lidded bins, even stackable fabric cubes in soft neutrals or greens, or mossy sage tones, really help bring calm.’

Here are my top picks.

Meet the Experts

Rebecca Jo-Rushdy

With a background from Parsons School of Design, NYC, Rebecca is a KonMari success coach and professional organizer who helps clients around the world to declutter their homes, hearts, minds, and workplaces so they can instead become sanctuaries that spark joy and flow. Rebecca loved my Houdini Decluttering method.

Rachel Bearn

Rachel is a freelance writer and author of A Year to Slow Down, which she was inspired to write after relentless striving, achievement pressure and New Year self-reinvention goals left her burned out and deeply unwell. An M.E. diagnosis forced her to rethink everything, including what January is really for.

If you are looking to slow down on chores whilst still retaining calm at home, or perhaps you need to declutter with health challenges, delve into our Library of Tried and Tested Best Decluttering Methods for more streamlining tips to suit your time, energy, and health.

It's also possible to clean with adaptive pacing in mind to allow for chores to be completed during this busy season, without flaring your fatigue, pain, or health conditions.