I’m pretty good at saying goodbye to things I don’t need; however, the messiest room in my house has long since been a fail.
That’s why I was so thrilled that the Smartphone Decluttering Method worked so brilliantly on my daughter’s diabolically packed room. It was an excellent and rapid fix.
Here’s why professional home organizers agree it’s a top decluttering method, especially for people who don’t know where to start or are struggling to clear the mess in their homes.
What is the Smartphone Decluttering Method?
If the sight of a cluttered room makes you want to cry, dry your tears and grab your smartphone. Snap a picture of the offending area, and then sit down with a cup of joe and really look at that image to plan a successful decluttering session.
You can use the picture to make a list of what you’re going to keep, throw, donate or sell, and true to the four-box decluttering method, sweep in after you’d made your decisions to simply act on them in a matter of minutes without needing to feel guilty or overwhelmed when decluttering.
In a room with lots of little trinkets and toys to clear out, a small sorting basket like this will be very handy. When you're done, you can organize your cosmetics in it. Dimensions: 32 x 12 x 11 cm
I tried it
Whilst I have to carefully use adapting pacing when decluttering to avoid pain and fatigue flares due to my chronic health issues, my husband Andy is a former rugby player, and fortunately, a freakishly strong man.
That’s why this Smartphone challenge worked so beautifully for me. Instead of having to slowly chip away at a decluttering session over many days to avoid injury, I was able to look at the pictures I’d taken of the mess and easily point out what should stay, go or have a home elsewhere.
Andy has aphantasia, which means in layman’s terms, he is entirely unable to picture anything in his ‘mind’s eye.’
That means whilst he was being my arms and legs for the decluttering, if I had asked him to please remove the purple kit, unicorn craft set, and orange jumper in our daughter Amelia's room, he’d have no idea what any of that might look like.
Being able to show him what I meant and where the item was exactly with the picture of my Apple iPhone was so easy, especially after I texted the image to him and we were able to talk across rooms to each other. While Andy was doing the physical work, I was able to do the planning and lay comfortably on my bed. This meant a pain flare or fatigue no longer had to spell the end of the task I'd set out to do.
Who knew smartphones could actually do us some good?
The additional good news is that you don't need to have health, fatigue or mobility issues to make use of this. If you find decluttering overwhelming, don't know where to begin the task or find that you struggle to stay focused when decluttering, this one is perfect for you.
Will you give it a go? Let us know in the comments below!
Verdict
In the end, decluttering my child’s room took us 20 mins as a dream team, rather than me chipping away at it over the course of a week. Thoroughly satisfying.
I also enjoyed the way looking at pictures took away the sense of overwhelm when decluttering that can easily occur when you’re faced with a lot of mess.
It felt like wizardry if I am honest, and something about that layer of separation between me and the mess helped fix my clutter blindness, and truly ‘see’ what was there.
A resounding success, and a 10/10 for me. I’m going to use this all over my home.
What to shop
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
I use over the door organizers to make use of wasted space in closets, and on the back of doors in rooms that are not much used to add storage that won't get in our way.
Professional organizers and home editors alike love good-looking baskets like this set of sea grass ones was Wayfair. They are so pretty, useful, have great capacity and metal handles for durability.
Swap out seasonal items from closets, and use plastic bins like this with wheels and latching lids to store clothes over the longer term. This will protect them from mold and pests, and free up space elsewhere.
Whilst I will not be doing this daily to keep on top of the mess, it’s a great method that’s gone straight into my rotation of tidying up, streamlining tricks, alongside the 20/10 hack and the Didn’t Know rule.
The next outing for it will be to clear the visual clutter in my living room.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.