2 Easy (and Fast) Decluttering Tasks That'll Get You So Organized
Apartment Therapy’s January Cure is a free 18-day program that’ll help you reset your home for the year ahead. Sign up here and get all assignments delivered to your inbox.
Welcome to the second day of the January Cure! Yesterday was all about envisioning your best home yet, and I hope it made you feel inspired — because today we’re taking the first step to making that vision a reality.
We’re going to take it easy so that we can build momentum as we ramp up to more difficult and dedicated tasks, so we’ll tackle two very iconic Cure tasks that are so simple and satisfying to complete.
Day 2: Declutter one drawer and set up an outbox.
Today’s assignment is twofold: We’ll be decluttering one “drawer” and setting up our outbox.
Declutter a drawer, anywhere in your home.
We say “drawer,” but you can choose any one small spot in your home that needs some decluttering — whether that’s a bin, basket, cabinet, or drawer! It just has to be small and manageable.
Once you’ve picked your spot, let’s set aside 15 minutes dedicated solely to decluttering it. Start by taking everything out. Then, clean inside. Now, get to sorting. Decide what items need to be tossed, recycled, or moved elsewhere. Put everything back and organize it to your liking.
Set up your outbox.
If you’ve ever done a Cure before, you might be familiar with the outbox concept. An outbox is a place where you’ll be putting items you’re not sure about and need more time to decide if you want to keep or get rid of. The outbox doesn’t have to be a traditional box, either. You can use a trash bag, extra storage bin, or an old cardboard box you haven’t gotten around to recycling yet. As long as it can hold all your “maybe” items.
Once you’ve settled on what your outbox will be, you’re going to want to decide where it’ll be placed. You want to pick somewhere that’s easily accessible, like the back of your closet, as you’ll be using it a lot during the Cure program. (And feel free to move it around too, especially from room to room, but if things get too heavy, park it back where it belongs.)
And that’s it! Now, not only is your space a little bit cleaner, but you are also much more organized for what’s to come.
PRO TIP: Drawer organizers are helpful tools to keep clutter at bay. This one from The Home Edit is from our 2023 Organization Awards, which features the best home-organizing products you need to see.
Tell us what you decluttered and what you’ll be using as your outbox in the comments below.
More ways to participate in the January Cure:
Sign up for email updates or SMS alerts
Visit the 2024 January Cure page and catch up on assignments
Download the January Cure calendar
Get organized with the 2023 Organization Awards
Check off that you’ve completed this task and track your overall January Cure progress here!
The Cure Program is a tradition here at Apartment Therapy — it happens every January, April, and September. Click here to learn more about the year-round program and when to sign up.
