I Tried the “ODT” Method to Declutter, and It Went Better Than I Expected
Often, the easiest part of any decluttering project is the beginning. While it may take some mental (and emotional!) gymnastics to get to the point where you decide to tackle the attic that’s still full of unpacked boxes or the overflowing junk drawer, once that decision is made, it’s a downhill battle.
Until you reach the hard part in the middle where your momentum is lost, that is. I call this part of a decluttering project “the dregs,” those bits toward the end of the project that are the hardest to deal with. As you near the end of a decluttering project, you’re faced with the items that you don’t quite know what to do with, and this is what stalls the project. I discovered this recently when my energy began to peter out during a clean-out of our under-stairs closet.
The interesting — and super useful — thing I realized was that putting one foot in front of the other meant making one decision at a time. As I dove back in with renewed energy, I repeated to myself, “one decision at a time” until the project was completed and our closet was in order.
I coined the “one decision at a time” process the “ODT” method and decided to use it next time a decluttering project began to fizzle out. I didn’t have to wait long. A few weeks later, I decided to replace some slanting, too-small bookshelves in our playroom and to declutter our children’s library (again) as I replaced the books. I expected to deploy the ODT method once I hit the dregs, but having “one decision at a time” ringing through my head from the beginning helped the entire project run more smoothly.
Every part of a decluttering project involves a decision. For instance, I had to create the criteria for keeping board books or letting them go. My children have outgrown board books, so I only kept ones that we absolutely love, ones that still make my heart squeeze. I also had to decide which kinds of books went where. I concluded that board books, early reader books, and picture books would all go in one shelving unit and chapter books would go in another. How would I organize the books on the shelf? Another decision, but an easy one this time! Rainbow order, of course.
All these decisions were being made, one and a time, and I moved so efficiently through the project — until I neared the end, where I inevitably stalled. But taking it one decision at a time helped me power through.
The ODT method has merits that span every single part of a decluttering project, right from that first decision to begin the project. Then the ODT method keeps you on track and efficient through to every decluttering project’s end.
Further Reading
I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It’s a Game-Changer!)
Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Article’s DTC Furniture
See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room
