Move Over Marie Kondo, There’s a New Decluttering Tactic in Town

The Core 4 Method is…Sparking Joy

The irony isn’t lost on us that, when it comes to decluttering, there are countless experts, methods, and tips out there—ultimately resulting in a, well, cluttered mess. But there’s a new decluttering method that has been making waves and it seems like the simplest of them all.

Enter: The Core 4 Method

The Core 4 Method breaks decluttering down into four, manageable steps:

Step 1: Clear Out
Step 2: Categorize
Step 3: Cut Out
Step 4: Contain

It’s a method that professional organizers have adopted and it’s a method that’s repeatable in your own home. Here’s how:

Step 1: Clear Out

The first step in declutter, no matter the method, is to truly understand what you have. Think about it: How many times have you gone to put away a box of pasta in your pantry only to realize you already have a box in there?

If you’re decluttering your closet, for example, the Core 4 Method suggests taking every single thing out of your closet. Lay clean sheets on the floor or pile your clothes onto your bed and take a real inventory of everything you own.

Step 2: Categorize

Keeping with the closet example, once you have all of your clothes laid out in front of you, begin to separate them into categories. Group all t-shirts together, all jeans together, all dress shoes together, and so on. You can put them into piles, into clear containers, or put Post-It notes on them.

Similarly, if you’re decluttering your pantry using the Core 4 Method, group baking staples like flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder together; group pastas together; group spices together.

As you go, you’ll start to notice consistent themes—perhaps you notice you have five white t-shirts but only consistently reach for two. Perhaps you realize you have three opened boxes of macaroni pasta, each half-full. As you categorize your items, you’ll start seeing patterns and begin to mentally identify areas where your belongings can be more streamlined.

Step 3: Cut Out

This may be the hardest part: Getting rid of items you no longer need, no longer use, or are just worn out or old.

As you are categorizing your items, have a few bins handy—one for trash, one for donation or selling, and one for mending. For example, as you’re cleaning out your closet, maybe you find a t-shirt covered in stains and holes that you didn’t realize was shoved in the back corner. You can either add it to the trash bin or set it aside as a new dusting rag. Similarly, if you’re cleaning out your pantry and notice a few cans of expired food, toss them immediately into the trash bin.

Step 4: Contain

The final step is containing and organizing everything you have left. Remember the three, half-empty boxes of macaroni pasta from before? Consolidate them into one, clear container in your pantry so you can easily see that you have plenty of pasta (and that macaroni and cheese can be in your next meal plan).

Also, don’t feel like you have to go to the store and buy an entire haul of plastic clear containers to organize with—start with what you have! Maybe in your clear out and categorize phases, you found a number of Mason jars or baskets looking for a purpose. Use them! Consolidate duplicate spices into smaller Mason jars or contain your hat collection in a basket so they are all together in one place.