Organize Your Stuff With the ‘Chaos Method’

When you're decluttering and organizing, there are a handful of methods you can use to make sure you're adhering to the primary principles of storing similar items together and making sure they all have a designated spot. It seems logical to designated a place for each category, then put the items from that category into the spot, one by one. That works, sure, but it has some flaws and you might end up doing more work than you intended to do if you proceed that way. Instead, why not try a little chaos?

What is the "chaos method"?

This tip comes from Kim Jones, a Kentucky-based organizer who described her method to The Kitchn. She was describing what to do when you move into a new place, explaining that instead of unpacking each box bit by bit, you should unpack them all at once, leave everything out in the open, make a big mess (the "chaos"), then clean up that mess. The idea is that by categorizing and grouping each item out in the open before you put it into its designated containers, shelves, or drawers, you can assess how much stuff you have and figure out if it'll all fit in the space you set aside for it. The other way—bringing each individual item over to its new home, one by one—leaves a lot of room for misjudging how much storage space you actually have. More often than not, this will result in you having to re-organize everything, move things around, or even start all over.

How to organize with "chaos" even when you're not moving

You can use this technique even when you're not moving. In fact, I recommend it as a standard organizational practice for the home you're currently living in. It gives you the chance to declutter and organize in a way that makes use of the space you actually have available.

First, pick a small section of your home, like one closet, drawer, shelving unit, or small room. (Don't try to do a big room all at once if you can help it.) Then, empty out that space completely, putting everything in the center of the room. If you're doing the hall closet, pull out every coat, scarf, pair of boots, umbrella, etc. Once you have your big pile of chaos, don't freak out, even though it will definitely look a lot more disorganized and cluttered than it did before. Start categorizing everything, moving them into smaller piles away from the big one. Coats go in one pile, boots in another, and so on. Once you have your smaller piles and categories, you can see just how much volume is in each, then decide where they should go within the closet again. You can put them in the most logical, economical space (ideally a container!) and make that decision based on how much space they really need.

While you're creating those piles, do a little decluttering if you feel like you need it. I recommend the five-second rule and a classic decluttering approach: Keep bags and boxes on hand and designate one for things you want to throw away, one for things you want to donate, and one for things you want to sell. Typically, you'd have a fourth bag or box here for things you want to keep, but since you're doing this with the goal of immediately putting your "to keep" items back where they belong, that's not as necessary. Every time you pick something up from the main pile, give yourself five seconds to make a decision about which of those categories it belongs in. If you're tossing, selling, or donating it, put it into its corresponding bag or box right away. Once one of those bags or boxes is full, use the five-second approach again, forcing yourself to immediately take it to the trash or your car. Paring down the amount of stuff you have as you do this will help you lessen the volume you need to put back in place, giving you some wiggle room in the original closet, drawer, or whatever else. When the space you were working on is complete, move on to another small space and start the chaos again.