In our materialistic society, it is hard for even the most determined minimalist to keep from accumulating clutter. Materialism aside, the ever changes stages of life are another challenge for collecting stuff. If we are not constantly evaluating our current needs, things that we no longer need start to pile up around us.

Is your house cluttered? Are there things in each room of the house that do not belong there? Does the task of picking up feel overwhelming or even pointless? If so, then you are not alone, and I have some good news!

I am so thankful that an organized space is a common grace that is possible for most people to enjoy. I am going to share a method of how to declutter your house fast so that you can actually clean it! After all, it is way harder to clean a cluttered space than an organized one. Decluttering is far less intimating when you have a plan, system or method. The method that I use can be easily implemented, and it can be used by the whole family.

First, you will need to get one large trash bag and collect some empty laundry baskets or empty boxes -ideally one container for each room in the house. Then you need to go into each room, one at a time, and remove the trash and place anything that does not belong in that room into the container. At this point it is important not to get distracted by the items that you are putting into the basket with the exception of dirty dishes -those can be put in the kitchen. You will deal with the other items later.

Resist the urge to organize, and just focus on decluttering! Organizing now will only slow down the process and may only lead to further distraction or discouragement. The point is to declutter the entire house at once using this method. Then the energy you create from decluttering will help you with the final step: to organize the misplaced items. You may even have enough energy to clean too.

Another great benefit from using this method is that you may find that many of the collected items are simply not needed or wanted. How fantastic is that?! You will be able to minimize some of your clutter without the painful process of figuring out what you can live without. The work will already be done for and by you!

If you, on the other hand, are a person who is unbothered by clutter, I have a hard question for you to ask yourself. Is it possible that your apathy or lack of concern is a cover for laziness? Please take my question as a sisterly challenge and not a criticism. Perhaps you don’t consider an organized house an issue, but I would like you to consider two things: God is a God of order and He does not like laziness. There are many places in the Bible that speak about order and laziness. Here are two places in the God’s Word that address these topics:

1 Corinthians 14:33a says, “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”

Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.”

So, whether you like order or not, I challenge you to give this method of decluttering fast a try. Please let me know if you give it a try and how it works for you. Do you have any great systems for declutting?