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Image: Shana Novak/Getty ImagesClothes scattered all over the floor. Trash precariously stacked above the bin. Dirty dishes crowding the sink (and spilling over onto the counter). When your home feels like complete chaos, it’s easy for the clutter to keep piling up. What’s one more t-shirt on the floor when you already can't see your floor beneath the heap?
This is where the '5 Things Tidying Method' comes into play. Created by KC Davis, a licensed counselor, author of 'How to Keep House While Drowning,' and founder of Struggle Care, this approach provides a practical solution for tackling ever-growing clutter without draining your mental or physical energy. Read on to learn how the '5 Things Tidying Method' can help you regain control of your space.
What exactly is the '5 Things Tidying Method'?
The '5 Things Tidying Method' is designed to help those who feel overwhelmed by the mess in their home. It's particularly useful for individuals dealing with ADHD or mental health challenges. The concept is straightforward: focus on decluttering just five categories—and nothing else. These categories are: Trash, Laundry, Dishes, Items that belong somewhere, and Items that don’t belong anywhere.
Trash
To avoid feeling overwhelmed, you need to tackle one category at a time across the entire space, explains Davis in her video. Start by grabbing a large bag and scanning the room for anything that can be thrown away. Fill the bag with trash—think snack wrappers, juice boxes, napkins, and other disposable items.
Laundry
Next, walk around and gather any stray laundry. Make sure to place it where it belongs: in the hamper.
Dishes
Next up, tackle the dishes—just gather all dirty plates, cups, and silverware and place them in the sink. As Davis points out, the goal isn’t to finish every task. In other words, you won’t be taking out the trash, loading the dishwasher, or doing a full load of laundry. The purpose is to set a starting point that reduces stress and avoids decision fatigue.
Things That Have a Place
Now, focus on putting away items that belong somewhere. Clothes go in the closet, pens and pencils on your desk, books back on the shelf, and so on.
Things Without a Designated Spot
Things that lack a designated spot should be gathered into a pile in a corner. Whether they are items for donation, returns, or anything else, let them sit until you're ready to handle them. Alternatively, you could attempt to find a spot for them if you feel motivated. Once everything is sorted, you could either tackle some laundry, do the dishes, or just take a break.
Why the '5 Things Tidying Method' is Effective
Davis emphasizes an essential point: Shame is not a productive motivator. Feeling ashamed of a messy environment won’t help you create a space that feels comfortable. "This sets up a cycle where the uncompleted task creates shame, which in turn saps motivation and energy, pushing one only to avoid the task altogether," Davis writes on her website about the Six Pillars of Struggle Care. Cleaning should not be moralized, she believes, and no one is a failure for leaving laundry undone.
The '5 Things Tidying Method' helps to alleviate feelings of shame by breaking large, overwhelming chores into manageable pieces. It’s designed to be a sustainable, non-exhausting approach that doesn’t drain you in the moment or over time.
Davis stresses the importance of adopting a mindset of self-compassion when managing household tasks. By letting go of the pursuit of perfection, you can start being kinder to yourself.
"A lot of our distress doesn't stem from the laundry that’s left undone, but from the negative messages we tell ourselves. Lazy. Failure. Unlovable. You don't have to excel at household chores to cultivate a more compassionate inner voice," Davis writes. "You are worthy of kindness and love, no matter how skilled you are at taking care of tasks. Challenging these harsh self-judgments will help ease your distress."
The bottom line? The '5 Things Tidying Method' offers a manageable and enduring approach to staying on top of the constant stream of small chores in life.
