The Micro-Decluttering Method Could Help You Finally Tidy Up Your Space and Keep It That Way

Do you get overwhelmed by messes but always have piles of miscellaneous stuff to tackle? Consider micro-decluttering, an organizing trend that is ideal if you own lots of micro-clutter, like craft supplies, makeup, business papers, etc.

Anyone can benefit from micro-decluttering, but it is especially helpful when you struggle with motivation and organization. It seems counterintuitive to start so small when the problem can seem so big, but we spoke with several organizing and productivity experts to walk you through the steps and explain why this method is so effective.

What Is Micro-Decluttering and How Is It Different?

First, there is micro-clutter, which are miscellaneous items that pile up around the home (and eventually create macro-clutter if you let it grow). Then, there is micro-decluttering, where you organize one small section of micro-clutter during a 5- to 10-minute session. It could also be a moment (or several) where you take as little as 30 seconds in your day to declutter.

“As opposed to the bigger task of a decluttering project, micro-decluttering can be thought of as a small daily habit one builds to chip away at the clutter as it arises,” says decluttering coach Amy Eilers. “Instead of waiting for belongings to get overwhelming and choosing to declutter a mass amount of items at once, micro-decluttering is assessing one’s possessions as we naturally interact with them in our daily life.”

While Eilers promotes micro-decluttering throughout your day, there are other intentional methods of handling micro-clutter. According to productivity expert Amy Tokos, micro-decluttering could include: 

• Organizing a small space, like a cabinet, drawer, or shelf
• Sorting through one category, like coffee mugs, cleaning supplies, or makeup
• Removing any five items from your home a day
• Setting a timer for 5 to 10 minutes to declutter a designated area

Benefits of Micro-Decluttering

Some people might prefer tackling clutter in larger chunks. As Tokos warns, progress with micro-decluttering is slow, “so if you need to feel a big shift to get some momentum, micro-decluttering won’t do it.”  But there are also tangible benefits when you make micro-decluttering a part of your daily habits.

Reduces the Urge to Procrastinate

Perhaps the biggest perk of micro-decluttering is that it’s easy to do now. “Doing small steps can help make the task less overwhelming, which in turn reduces the potential to procrastinate,” says Tokos. “It’s easier to set aside 10 minutes than 3 hours.” Also, small steps can lead to big progress. “If you put five items a day into donate, over one month, you would have 150 items out of your home.”

Eilers agrees and believes the biggest benefit of micro-decluttering is the freedom from being stuck in paralysis by analysis. “So often, we never get started with projects like decluttering because the task at large seems too daunting to take on.”

Can Become a Daily Habit

Micro-decluttering is more than just an organizational philosophy, it can become a lifestyle. “If we switch our mindset and allow small pockets of progress all throughout our day, especially as we naturally come across them, we will build the habit of a new way of life and change our home for the better in the process,” Eilers explains. 

Helps Organize Small Miscellaneous Items

According to Ashley Murphy and Marissa Hagmeyer of the NEAT Method, micro-decluttering or micro-organizing is what they call “next level” organization. “It’s the act of containing a broad category in a bin or drawer, then creating additional boundaries for sub-categories using organizing tools. While standard organizing practice typically involves just one category placed within a single vessel.”

For Murphy and Hagmeyer, the main benefit of micro-decluttering is preventing these small items from getting lost. “Additional separation means your categories are clear and will never be at risk of blending together.”

How to Start Micro-Decluttering Your Problem Areas

Eilers says the most important step for micro-decluttering is just choosing to live differently and finding pockets of progress throughout your day. Here’s how you can build a micro-decluttering habit or tackle problem areas in a short designated session. 

Step 1: Assess Your Belongings Throughout the Day

To micro-declutter, ask yourself the right questions daily to prime yourself for organizing. “Whenever you walk into a space, enter a room, open a closet, cupboard, or drawer, you are faced with the opportunity to assess your belongings,” says Eilers.

Eilers suggests asking yourself the following questions as you see items in your day-to-day living. For example, when you put on a top and immediately remove it to choose something else, ask:

• Do I still like this shirt? 
• Does it fit me anymore? 
• Does it serve my current lifestyle?

The same goes for the kitchen drawer when you reach for a spatula. 

• Do I have more spatulas than I need? 
• Are there some extras cluttering up my drawer that I never use that I can donate?

Even popping open the glove box in your car is an opportunity to take 30 seconds and reassess the contents of that storage spot. When you have a spot set up for items you want to get rid of, this process can become a quick and effortless way to declutter without setting aside any additional time to do so.

Step 2: Put Everyday Items Where They Belong

Eilers has adopted the mantra: Don’t put it down, put it away. “This mantra will prevent little messes from accumulating in your home each day. And it will also prevent decluttered items from finding their way back into your home.” If you don’t know where an item belongs or whether or not you want to keep it, proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Set Up an Area for Outgoing Items

For a timed decluttering session and in everyday life, Tokos and Eilers recommend having a place to collect items that need to leave your home, like a donate box or a sell pile corner. “While in the process, keep decisions simple. For example: ‘keep’ or ‘don’t keep.’ If the items are leaving the space, try not to think through where they are going at this point of the process,” says Tokos. Just put them in the bin or designated area.

Eilers explains that you need to be honest with yourself when choosing to keep an item. “Is it something that serves who you are today? Is it something you are hanging on to just because it found its way into your home? Also, always place your decluttered items immediately in the donation box so they’re ready to head out the door next time you run into town.”

Step 4:  Sort Micro-Clutter With Smaller Storage Containers

When you set a timer to declutter an area like a junk drawer, you may need to develop a new plan. Murphy and Hagmeyer like to set up thoughtful organizational systems to micro-declutter crafts, electronics, sewing and gardening supplies, tools, and toys. “All of these categories include small items like batteries, pins, and Barbie accessories that can roll around and sometimes get lost within the larger bin.”

“Measure the larger bin or drawer before purchasing any additional organizing products to ensure it will fit nicely within. With your measurements in hand, consider whether the sub-categories would benefit from something structured like a small canister or if a flexible zipper pouch would work,” say Murphy and Hagmeyer. “Lastly, it helps to add small labels to each sub-category when it’s not clear what belongs where.”