Week 1: Planning

The first week focuses on the reason for the decluttering, why it's needed and what the impact will be.

Spend days 1 and 2 detailing the following:

• Decide which areas will receive the most attention.
• Decide which areas will take the longest to complete and need more resources.
• Identify the important items that aren't involved in the decluttering.
• Determine whether the process will follow an item-by-item approach (clothing, kitchen items, paperwork) or a room-by-room approach.

Days 3 and 4 can be used to:

• Create a detailed plan for each section or room that needs attention.
• Decide what the desired outcome is for each space — for instance, whether you'd like to create more storage space or simply do a cleanup.
• List the articles to keep, store, donate or sell.

• Keep pieces that still serve a purpose and bring you joy.
• Store items that you don't need all the time, such as holiday decor.
• Donate things that are still in good condition but won't fetch any sale value.
• Sell objects that are worth your time to list and facilitate the sale process.

Days 5, 6 and 7 should be used to gather supplies such as containers or storage boxes. For seniors with limited mobility, this is a good time to arrange a packing assistant.

• Ensure each area has the required storage for the items that will remain.
• Find boxes or containers suitable for sorting the different items.
• Divide containers or boxes into each room to keep track of the resources.

Week 2: Declutter

In the second week, you should focus on getting rid of all the clutter. For those looking to downsize into a smaller property, it's important to consider how much space is available in each area. Have the appropriate amount of containers ready for each section where the items need to go.

Use days 8 to 12 to work your way through each room or area.

• Use the lists you created in the first week to identify items that need to go into the different boxes (sell, donate, keep, throw out).
• Do a major declutter of items you don't have any attachment to and can make a quick decision on.
• Keep the more sentimental items for later.
• Start with utility areas, such as the kitchen, garage and guest rooms, before moving on to more personal or private spaces such as your bedroom or study.

For days 13 and 14, take time to address any other concerns or issues that may have popped up during the process. Fix any broken items, and take some time to relax and regroup.

Week 3: Finalize

In the final week, you'll focus on clearing out items and setting your environment the way you visualized it in the first week.

Days  15 should focus on getting boxes out.

• Work through each room. Gather all the boxes to donate and arrange for these to be collected or dropped off.
• List items that need to be sold and move these into a temporary space until they're collected.
• Throw out items that can't be sold or donated.

Days 16 and 17 should be used to organize the things you're going to keep.

• If items need to go into storage, arrange this.
• Move your remaining items into the spaces you've cleared for them.
• If the decluttering or downsizing is due to a move, move all the boxes and items ready to be moved out into a centralized location.

Days 18 and 19 are good for cleaning.

• Work through each room and clean up anything that shouldn't still be there.
• Dust, vacuum and mop.
• Clean out cupboards and closets.
• Wipe skirting and wash walls.
• Place items that are staying behind.

Day 20 should be dedicated to keepsakes and heirlooms.

• Work through the items that haven't been stored or packed. Determine whether there'll be sufficient space for them and whether they'll be helpful in the next stage of your journey.
• Some items can go to loved ones. Arrange for delivery or collection.
• If the items include large photo albums, try to find more compact solutions such as smaller albums or store the pictures in digital format.
• Take time to decide to avoid regret later on.

Use day 21 to reflect on all the joy decluttering or downsizing can bring.

• Take a moment to celebrate the accomplishment of taking on such a major project.
• Apply finishing touches, such as setting the environment with a few finishing touches.

Keep the declutter plan in a safe place and use as needed.

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