Using a 'More/Less' List Is the Secret to Keeping Your Home Tidy Without Guilt or a Loss of Motivation, Pro Organizers Reveal

If you are anything like me, then by the end of January your New Year's resolutions are already hanging by a thread. January feels like the longest month of the year, after all, especially if you live somewhere cold and damp.

Rather than give up on them entirely, however, I am switching to a more mindful approach – a more/less list. It helps to build organizing goals more attuned to your values, increasing your chance of success.

Here's why the experts love them, and how you can use your own to guide your cleaning, home organizing, and decluttering goals in 2026 and beyond.

What is a More/Less List?

A more/less list, as the name suggests, is a list of things you want more of and less of in your life overall. For example, in 2026 I want more time for my hobbies and less time spent cleaning (don’t we all).

Once you have this list of wants, you can begin to establish actionable goals that support them. Much like value-based decluttering, the idea is that you are more likely to follow through when your goals connect to a clear, measurable outcome. Simply saying “I want to be more organized this year” is vague and endless, which can make it easy to lose motivation before you really begin.

When resolutions aren’t broken down into smaller, purpose-driven goals, it can feel like you aren’t accomplishing anything. It also becomes much harder to know where to start decluttering or tidying in a way that actually improves your day-to-day routine.

In practise, setting the resolution that I will spend more time on my hobbies this year is very open-ended. If life gets busy, that kind of goal can quickly turn into guilt or result in hobbies being awkwardly squeezed into an already packed schedule. When I reframe it as a “want” rather than a “must,” and balance it with a desire to spend less time cleaning, it becomes easier to brainstorm measurable actions I can take to achieve them.

To spend less time cleaning, I could try automating cleaning tasks with smart home cleaning tools or dedicate time to creating an achievable cleaning routine that cuts out tasks I don't see as necessary for my home (such as dusting baseboards every week). I would rather do them monthly and deal with some dust and have more time to spend writing or sewing.

Cathy Orr, professional home organizer and co-founder of The Uncluttered Life, loves this approach for 'taking into account the whole person, rather than specific tasks.'

'For example, if I want to slow down this year, take a new approach to my life that includes more personal time, I need to know what my other goals are so that I can fit both in,' she shares. 'Doing some things “less” will need to take a backseat to “more” in some situations, and in others it will be the reverse.'

'This approach focuses more on listening to our inner voice and less on expectations others may place on us or that we may place on ourselves.' This makes it one of the best ways to slow down and reevaluate if you start to spot the signs you're emotionally drained, too.

When used correctly, it can also help to mitigate decluttering resentment, Cathy adds. 'A more/less list also works with human behavior and motivation and is less rigid. Setting up rigid goals caters more to black-and-white thinking or to all-or-nothing thinking.

'When you step out of line for a goal you’ve set, many times you tend to give up entirely instead of looking at your “fumble” as just part of moving forward. We also tend to feel less guilty when we need to take a little break, try harder, or other things get in the way.'

Setting Your Own Goals

When setting yourself up for a successful decluttering session or finding the right cleaning balance in your home, start by writing down what you want more of and what you want less of (the prettier the notebook, the better, I find. I love this faux-leather-bound manifestation journal from Anthropologie). Like morning pages, write whatever comes to mind first. You can filter the thoughts later.

For example, you might want to reduce stress when leaving the house each morning. In this case, you can set smaller, specific goals, such as organizing your entryway or refining your morning routine, rather than leaving it open-ended and risking floundering and giving up.

Alternatively, you might want more restful sleep, in which case you could set smaller goals of implementing closing shifts to help signify that it's time for bed in a more routine way. Or, you could set the goal to invest in the best bed sheets to make your bed more comfortable. It gives you something measurable to work towards and tick off, giving you the sense of achievement our brains so often crave.

If you feel stuck, a five-minute gratitude journal from Amazon can help you identify stuck points in your life.

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Meet the Expert

Cathy Orr

Cathy is a cofounder of The Uncluttered Life and the Declutter Deck. She is also a certified master in the Kon Mari method.

Looking for more ways to cut clutter and stress without completely changing your routines? There are some great ways to own less without being a minimalist that can help you with your goals.