Martha Stewart's Move-Out Decluttering Method
Martha Stewart's new "Move-Out" decluttering method approaches organization as if you're moving, keeping only items you'd bother to pack and bubble wrap. The strategy joins the trending "30-Day Decluttering Game" where one writer purged 465 items by removing one item on day one, two on day two, continuing for a month.
- The "30-Day Decluttering Game" is also known as the "Minimalism Game" and was created by "The Minimalists," a trio of decluttering experts. - Stewart's pragmatic approach contrasts with the well-known KonMari method from author Marie Kondo, which asks people to keep only items that "spark joy" and to declutter by category, not location. - An even more extreme decluttering strategy is the "Minimalist's Packing Party," where a person packs all of their belongings into boxes and only unpacks items as they are needed over a set period, discarding the rest. - Scientific studies have linked physical clutter to mental stress; a UCLA study found higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol in households with more clutter. - Researchers at Princeton University's Neuroscience Institute determined that physical clutter in your environment competes for your attention, resulting in decreased focus and increased distraction. - The psychological difficulty of decluttering can stem from a person's emotional attachment to items, the comfort possessions provide, or the fear of losing memories associated with an object. - Other popular decluttering frameworks include the "Four-Box Method," where items are sorted into keep, donate/sell, trash, and relocate boxes, and "Project 333," a challenge to live with only 33 clothing items for 3 months.
