If you have ever looked around and thought – holy shit, my home is so messy, where do I start? This one’s for you.
As a former messy, creative, (current) ADHD mum, I know how paralysing it can feel to do nothing but housework and still live in a home that’s always cluttered and messy. Honestly, it sux. It’s so hard.
And then you see those mums who just seem to have it all together, their homes are easy to maintain, their kids are always well dressed and they have time to workout. Sigh.
Getting from where you are to where they are seems impossible, right? But I’m here to tell you that I did successfully go from a messy house person (who did nothing but housework and never got anywhere) to a mostly tidy house person who honestly has so much more time on her hands. I legit tried everything. I read everything, I wrote all the things and I failed, a lot! And now I get to help you all get it together because I have a LOT of tips and tricks.
If you couldn’t be bothered reading this article – here are the crib notes.
- You have too much stuff.
- Tidy house people don’t focus on tidying mess, they prevent the mess from happening in the first place.
- You have to start small, maintain and build over time. Like a snowball.
- Decision fatigue will take you out – having a clear map can help you avoid it.
So, what does this have to do with the debt snowball strategy? Just like paying off debt, tackling clutter and getting your home under control requires a clear plan. Let’s take it back for a moment.
What Is the Debt Snowball Strategy?
The debt snowball strategy is a method of paying off debt by starting with the smallest balance first. The idea is that quick wins create momentum, boosting your confidence to tackle larger debts.
While it might not be the “fastest” way to pay off debt, and it doesn’t take into account interest rates and a million other variable factors, it works because it’s designed around human behaviour, not spreadsheets. It builds motivation by showing you tangible results early on.
And this is why I think the same approach works wonders for decluttering and home organising. No matter what state your home is currently in. Each small victory reminds you that you’re capable of creating a home that looks after you, not the other way around. And let me be clear, you are. If I can do it, anyone can.
Also, the debt snowball strategy focussed on getting rid of those debts and living within your means so you stay debt free. And that’s what we’re going to try to do here with your mess.
I don’t think this is the only way to approach a big job, and it’s certainly not the only information you need – but it is simple and it is a clear plan, and if I was starting from scratch, knowing what I know now – this is what I would do.
Story time; this is how I created change in our house
About ten years ago, my husband and I had recently moved into our rickety little shack with our three and one year old. I was firmly in the drowning-in-my-home-season of my life. We had too much stuff, there were chickens running through the hallway, chased by naked kids. The laundry basket was overflowing, I was running a small content business with no child care and my husband was working insane shifts and commuting 3.5 hours a day. Civil construction life IYKYK.
Montessori at home was the vibe, we were crafting and cooking bread from scratch – the sprinkler was always running, the sandpit was spilling out onto the deck and being walked into the house. There was a stream of random kids over. I was building a blog and instagram following that meant gifted packages and opportunities were landing on my lap daily. Life was sweet in every way. Except one. To the outside world I’m sure it looked like I was killing it. But the Cactus Shack was a beast that required 24/7 maintenance and if I looked away for a second it was destroyed.
And then we took on our first reno project, our bedroom. For the first time in my life I was the proud owner to a freshly painted, freshly carpeted bedroom that boasted a brand new custom wardrobe I knew I wasn’t going to let any of that chaos in there. And that’s what I did.
I decided to start making my bed every morning. I even simplified that by ditching the top sheets and throw pillows. Then I added two side tables – without storage because I knew they would become a dumping ground.
I added a pot plant to encourage myself to open the curtains every morning. and I only brought the stuff that I really wanted back into my new wardrobe. I left the rest in the garage – a problem for another time. (Not a strategy I would widely recommend but feel free to use it sparingly.)
And guess what? The kids were instantly drawn to my bedroom. It was tidy and bright and lovely to be in.
So, like the overwhelmed lady I was, I started locking the bedroom door during the day. Sounds crazy now but it’s what I needed to feel more under control. And slowly but surely the kids learnt that my room was for quiet play, not fort making or shop-setting-up and it became the oasis of our house.
This was around the time Marie Kondo’s first book came out, there were no such things as professional organisers in Australia and women were still not being diagnosed with ADHD. I was constantly trying to get the toys and kids clothing under control and failing. But a master bedroom with nothing in it? That was something I could achieve. The boost of confidence that space gave me was enough to set off a snowball that eventually led to me starting my home organising business. I mean – there were a bunch more stops on the way, but you get it.
*Our toy area was also beautiful and organised for a couple of minutes a week. But it was a beast, unlike our bedroom which was my smallest challenge, and the one I could “pay off’ and maintain.
If you want to give it a go, write a list of all the areas in your home – from tidiest to messiest
Ok, here’s what you’re going to do. Firstly, put a stop to shopping/scavenging. No more bringing things through the door until you have a home that doesn’t make you want to cry.
Break your house into areas in order from least to most hectic. The smaller the better. And write a list. 1. bed, 2. bedroom, 3. hallway, 4. bathroom, 5. wardrobe – and so on. It might look like this;
1. Tackle your bed (or all the beds in your house) – declutter excess pillows and throw rugs, decide if you need a top sheet and even consider a comforter instead of a doona. Put your nicest bedding on it and chuck out the crappy stuff. Then make it daily. If it takes you more than 1 minute, figure out how you can pair back more.
2. Your bedroom – declutter dramatically, get rid of clunky furniture, get a plant that will remind you to open your curtains daily. Stop using it as a storage space, stop bringing the family laundry in to fold and let the kids know that it’s out of bounds, guard this peace with your life. Then maintain it daily. If this takes more than 3 minutes, then you need to figure out what else you can declutter.
3. Your hallway. Clear out everything that shouldn’t be there, get used to having a clear space – do not, DO NOT move any of this stuff into your bedroom unless it is used in your bedroom and can be put away in the wardrobe. Then get up the next day, make your bed, give your room a quick tidy, pick up anything that has found its way into the hallway and find your next area to tackle. By now, the whole process should take around five minutes – if it takes longer, it’s time to declutter some more.
Yep you probably have a bunch of questions right about now. like what do I do with all the stuff? And where do I find the time to do this?
To answer the first question – You declutter the stuff. Fill a donate box, fill a rubbish bag, walk them out the front door and then do it all again the next day. You will only be able to follow your plan successfully if you’re getting rid of stuff that doesn’t serve you. This is just the map though, HOW you declutter within each space is a whole other beast. Is on the overarching concept of the declutter snowball map, and I’m desperately trying to stop my ADHD brain from going on side quests.
And where do you find the time? Well, two ways.
1. Something’s gotta give
Just like when you’re dealing with debt – something’s gotta give. Especially as this is for people who are drowning in their spaces, who has the time or energy to take on a whole house worth of organising projects on top of their already overwhelming life?
No one, literally no one but, the only way out is through. So you’re going to need to take some things off your plate – which can be easier said than done – but it has to happen.
Maybe you retire from the dishwasher, maybe you swap to paper plates, maybe you quit folding and buy freezer meals. Maybe you do all of the above.
If you have the resources, consider trying to get more childcare, find an organiser or a cleaner to help you. If not, use the strategy of body doubling, ask a friend to come and hang while you’re doing it or FaceTime your sister for a quick 20 minute decluttering session.
Give jobs to the people in your home who can help, fill your husband’s boot with donations, get the kids to go through the stationery and chuck what’s broken or run out, tell your family to complete this declutter checklist. Spend half of your weekend, music pumping, fun beverage in hand, dressed in your active wear and go hard. Just like with debt, if you need to miss a soccer game or two to use that time for your goal, do it, (they’ll live). Say no to events or things that are going to get in your way. This is going to be a big project – and you cannot do it while you’re doing all the other stuff. Rest, fuel your body, celebrate your wins and approach it like a job.
And just like the debt snowball strategy, put some two-minute noodles on the menu. Lower those standards.
2. With each space that is done – guard it with your life
Dramatic? No. Not at all. Boundaries are for baddies. They are your friend.
Remember when I said that tidy-house-people don’t focus on cleaning, they actually prevent the mess in the first place? This is key to maintaining your spaces.
I made rules that guarded my spaces, no messy play in my room, no ripping blankets off my made bed, no washing baskets – and my clothes were the first to be put away. Crazy – right?
And for the whole house, I also encouraged shoes off inside, banned the kids from sneaking the chickens in (they still did it sometimes) and I stopped buying the things that were constantly messing up my house like sultanas, glitter and slime.
All rocks, sticks and shells collected by the kids went into the bottom of a giant cactus that lived in our lounge room. I was creating rules that served me and my energy – I had a long way to go but I was on the right track.
I tell my clients all the time, if you’re drowning, do what you need to do to prevent mess. Feed the kids outside when you can, say no to bags of hand-me-downs, start using your bin more, cancel all paper bills, don’t bring stuff through your door if you can help it.
The debt snowball strategy is about living within your means, having solid boundaries and slowly but surely crawling out of the hole you’re in. And this is the same.
Wait, didn’t you say in another article to start in the space that’s annoying you the most?
Yep – and that’s why this is just one strategy. In the words of Gretchen Rubin, no tool fits every hand.
Starting in the space that annoys you the most is a great way of getting that dopamine hit, but often the spaces that annoy us the most are the beasts of our home, like playrooms and kitchens. They are the easiest hampster wheels to get stuck on and watching your hard work being undone won’t help your momentum.
Also, the thing about clutter is – every thing you have laying around your house is just a delayed decision. And because of that, decluttering projects are a minefield for burnout and decision fatigue. Having a clear map that you can’t argue with is really going to help avoid that overwhelming need.
If all else fails, just get rid of some stuff
At the end of the day, the best strategy is the one you can stick to. Whether you’re tackling debt, decluttering your home, or trying to create more space in your life, what matters is that you’re taking action, no matter how small. If the idea of a big plan feels overwhelming, just start with just one thing: make your bed and open your curtains every day.
And from a decluttering perspective, if you can fill a shopping bag and walk it out the front door, that’s all you need to focus on. Every item you let go of, every step you take toward less clutter, adds up to a bigger impact over time. Simplifying your space and life doesn’t have to be complicated—you probably just have too much stuff.
Acknowledging the problematic
Firstly, there are things about the debt snowball and the finance expert that popularised it that are problematic. It’s over simplistic and harsh, it doesn’t always acknowledge the situations that people are in or that we are all humans who deserve to enjoy our lives. And it certainly doesn’t feel compassionate and aware of the fact that the playing field is less than level at the best of times.
It also preaches an ‘all debt is bad’ philosophy.
Please understand that is not my vibe. I know not all people have space, health, resources and energy to create a perfect home. And I don’t have an ‘all mess is bad’ philosophy. Women have enough pressure and guilt, unpaid labour and unequal playing fields to battle.
I’m advocating for us – knowing that we are up against all these things, I’m trying to grant permission to women to use their family’s resources to serve them, to make rules that minimises their household labour and to remove stuff-related-stress from their lives. Also – fuck out-of-touch media personalities who tell you you don’t deserve to have holidays – you do.
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