When it comes to decluttering, often the hardest part is just getting going. Finding the motivation it takes to start the task is half the job, which is where decluttering methods come in. They’re designed by clever pro organisers to make the process quicker, easier and ideally pain-free, with some of them tailoring their method of madness to those of us who need help pulling the trigger in the first place.
The doom diamond method sounds incredibly intimidating but, in reality, it’s a simple, speedy visually, interesting approach to looking at your clutter. With clear rules and parameters, the goal with this one is to help declutterers reduce decision fatigue and stop umming and ahhing over everything.
I put this method to the test to see how it improved my own decluttering experience – here’s how I got on with the doom diamond decluttering method.
What is the doom diamond decluttering method?
The method was posted by content creator and pro organiser Abigail Roe and the idea goes like this: do a big sweep around the space you want to declutter, ideally a busy room with lots of different types of clutter you’ve been meaning to sort.
Sit yourself and the bag or box of clutter in the middle and imagine a diamond shape around you. At each point of the diamond, you can either imagine, or actually place, four boxes or labels. Each point represents a category for your clutter: rubbish, action items, items without a home and items with a home.
The idea is to go through your bag of miscellaneous items and place them into each category. The variety of options and ‘sit down and do it’ aspect of the method is intended to quiet decision fatigue and help those who need a more visual and practical way to look at their clutter in order to go through it. So, it should be speedy and effective – sounds like my kind of method. Here’s what happened when I gave it a go.
How I used the doom diamond decluttering method on my clutter
I started, as instructed, by gathering the clutter. Approaching it similarly to the four-box decluttering method, I went around my bedroom, scooping anything that had been lingering on surfaces into a bag. Rather than focusing on something more granular, such as my wardrobe or desk drawer, I kept the goal broad – to improve the overall look and feel of the room.
Once the bag was full, I set up my ‘doom diamond’. I sat on my bed, placed the bag in the centre and used pieces of paper to clearly label each point of the diamond: rubbish, action items, items with a home and items without a home.
Straight away, I could see the appeal. This method is ideal for visual learners or anyone who needs clear physical parameters to stay focused and avoid procrastination. From there, I began pulling items out one by one until the bag was empty. What I was left with felt almost like a physical to-do list, which made the whole process far less overwhelming.
I started with the easiest category: rubbish. Old magazines, greeting cards and, rather sadly, a plant that was no longer with us were quickly dealt with.
Next came items with a home. This involved a quick dash around the flat, returning things to where they belonged – newly purchased beauty and cleaning products to the bathroom, laundry to be put away and other bits that had simply wandered.
At this point, I realised this isn’t just a decluttering method, it’s also a brilliant general tidying system. In the midst of spring-cleaning season, I could easily see this working as a great first step before a deeper clean.
Then came action items. As I suspect is the case for many people, this pile was mostly made up of things I’d been putting off. Paperwork, laundry – all the small tasks that quietly build up over a working week.
Finally, I tackled the ‘items without a home’ category. This is where the method becomes a little less prescriptive. You’re left with the more miscellaneous bits, and it’s up to you to decide their fate. For me, this included spare beauty products I didn’t need (which I passed on to friends and flatmates) and books I’d already read but felt oddly attached to, most of which were eventually donated after a bit of internal negotiation. I did find this category could have used a little more guidance to help you make those decisions if decision fatigue is something you struggle with.
My verdict
If you struggle to get started with decluttering, the doom diamond method is genuinely worth a go. Its clear structure and visual layout take a lot of the mental effort out of decision-making, making it far easier to just get on with the task at hand.
What surprised me most is how well it doubles as a general tidying system, too. With spring-cleaning season in full swing, it feels like an ideal addition to the to-do list – after all, every deep clean must start with a declutter. This method quickly cleared surfaces, dealt with backlog tasks and created a sense of order in under an hour. It’s not completely foolproof (the ‘no home’ category could use a bit more guidance), but as a quick, motivating reset for cluttered spaces, it absolutely delivers.
Handy storage solutions
