Clutter builds up so quickly, but tackling this doesn’t have to mean hours of sorting battle.

Here’s my 15-minute decluttering routine. Just four simple steps, you can transform your space without feeling overwhelmed.

Step 1: Target a Small Area and Set a Goal

The first step is to choose one or two small areas to focus on. Avoid sorting out the entire house at once, which makes many of us give up before we even start.

You can pick a drawer, a shelf, or a little corner of a room. And ask what you want to do after clearing this area up.

Then take everything out from that area and see what’s been in there.

I went for those boxes I hadn’t touched for ages in my closet. My goal was to create a space to store my violin that has been under the bed.

Step 2: Check In with a Few Questions

Now you see the things you might not have seen for some time.

Here, we need to be honest with ourselves about each item, asking three simple questions:

1. What is it?
2. Why do I have it?
3. Is it still usable (or useful to somebody else)?

Here is the checklist you can take a note try on your stuff:

To help you make a decision, here is a list of good reasons to let things go:

1. Forgotten items: If you don’t even remember having them, it’s probably not important. “No remembering = No keeping”.
2. Duplicates: We often keep multiples without noticing. I had six rulers! I decided to let go two.
3. Broken items: Those broken, worn-out items we keep meaning to fix but never do. If you don’t mend it it just a rubbish.
4. Negative associations: Some things bring back memories we’d rather not revisit. These affect how we feel in our own homes.
5. Unused for years: I found an unused plastic alarm clock from my student era.
6. Past glory items: We all keep things from earlier life chapters. I had some random hobby crafts that weren’t quite inspiring.
7. Unnecessary for the future: I had a film/TV terminology book that I already knew most of and also I can look them up on mobile.

Step 3: Sell, Donate, Recycle, or Bin?

Once you’ve gone through everything, the third step is sorting into four simple piles:

1. Sell: Good quality items that still have value. My “like new” laptop bag was just sitting unused while I used another bag.
2. Donate: Things other people might love and use, like my Canon camera lens filters (I’ve switched to Sony now) or music sheets I no longer play.
3. Recycle: Materials that can be turned into something else rather than just waste.
4. Bin: The truly broken, unusable bits and bobs like those random cables we all seem to collect.

The tip here is to make quick, decisive choices to stay within the 15-minute timeframe.

When we overthink, we end up keeping and organising them back into another storage box.

Step 4: Pack and Let Go!

Now comes the most important part. Lets actually take them out of the house.

This needs to happen right away! And… “Don’t look inside!” It’s tempting to have second thoughts and start taking things back out. Before you know it, half your ‘to go’ pile has migrated right back into your home!

Sticking to our decisions and take action makes difference between effective decluttering and just moving stuff around.

Step 5: The “1 in 1 Out” Rule

Here is a little tip to maintain your space once decluttered. Before bringing something new into your home, think about what will go instead.

I bought four new towels for the bathroom. That meant five old towels needed to go. This keeps things balanced and stops the stuff from building up again.

Simple Minimalism

This 15-minute routine is small but easy way to start minimalism thinking.

By tackling one tiny area at a time can make real progress towards more organised home naturally.

Clear space does help create a clear mind and improve productivity in life but no need to commit for hours on it.

I hope it helps and shares an idea with you to start something new today.

If you like visual step-by-step guides, check out the YouTube video that demonstrates this exact decluttering routine.

15-Minute Decluttering Guide: Your First Step to Minimalism