Most decluttering advice tells you to go slow, sort carefully and handle every item with patience. A single mom who goes by @devynnicoles is doing it differently, and she knows it. On day one of decluttering every inch of her house, she warned her followers that her method was going to annoy some of them.
But she has a very good reason for being so brutal, and it is one that many families facing a move or a big change will understand.
@devynnicoles
A Different Kind of Declutter
She started by thanking everyone who has followed her story, commented and shared, saying they have no idea how much that helps. As a full-time working single mom, she is trying to build her online platform into something that can help her give her kids every opportunity possible.
Then she got to the part she expected would draw complaints. She does not have unlimited time to figure out which remote belonged to a toy her kids have not touched since 2019. People have offered her wonderful, organized, meticulous decluttering methods, and respectfully, she said, that is not what she is doing. She is not going to recycle every tiny piece of plastic or open what she jokingly called a federal investigation into a ten-year-old toy that has more than earned its trip to the trash.
What Stays, What Goes
She does have a plan, though. Good clothes will be donated. Expensive items will be gifted. Furniture will hopefully be sold. Everything else, particularly the broken, outgrown and long-forgotten, is heading to the trash. Her caption joked that apparently healing comes with 47 junk drawers.
She also decided not to turn the project into a long series. She does not believe in making her followers come back for six parts of a project she finished in one afternoon. After four hours of what she called suffering, she gave them the before and the after in a single post.
Decluttering for the Life She Will Have
The heart of her message is this. Unless something changes and she is able to buy her ex out of the house, she will be downsizing to a home less than half the size of her current one, with no storage. That changes how she decides what to keep. In her words, she cannot declutter for the house she has now. She has to declutter for the life that she and her kids might actually be living.
She also shared a practical lesson she learned along the way: she will have to stop buying toilet paper and paper towels in bulk and switch to smaller packages, because there will be no place to store them. She asked her followers for more organizing tips for small spaces.
Is the Fast Way Okay?
Experts often recommend slow, careful sorting, and for many people that is the right call, especially when sentimental items are involved. But there are times when speed makes sense. If you are facing a deadline, such as a move or a sale, you may not have the luxury of weeks. If you are overwhelmed, a fast push can create momentum. And for obvious junk, such as toys with missing parts, broken gadgets and mystery remotes, fast decisions are perfectly fine.
The key is to be clear about your goal. She is not trying to create a perfect system. She is trying to get her family ready for a smaller home. That focus makes it easier to say goodbye to things quickly.
Tips for Decluttering Fast for a Smaller Home
Decide on your destination first. If you know you are moving to a smaller place, find out how much storage it will have. Use that number as your guide, and keep only what will fit.
Set up four zones. Label areas or boxes for donate, gift, sell and trash. Move through the house quickly, dropping each item into a zone.
Be strict with kids’ toys. Toys that have not been touched in years, or that are missing parts, can go. Keep a small selection of favorites, and consider letting older children help choose.
Do not over-sort the trash. It is fine to toss small, broken or worn-out plastic items without sorting them. Save your energy for the things that matter. Check your local rules for any items that need special disposal, such as batteries or electronics.
Donate the good, sell the valuable. Clothes in good condition can be donated. Furniture and higher-priced items may bring a little cash, which can help with moving costs.
Buy smaller from now on. Swap bulk packages for smaller sizes, and avoid buying anything you do not have a place for. Planning your purchases around your new space prevents the clutter from coming back.
Use vertical space. In a small home with no storage, shelves, over-the-door organizers and under-bed bins can make a big difference.
Allow yourself a break. Four hours of nonstop sorting is tiring. Take a snack break, drink water and step outside for a few minutes.
Looking Ahead
Her story is about more than cleaning out junk drawers. It is about making room, in a practical and emotional sense, for a new chapter. If you are facing a similar change, you might take comfort in knowing that you do not need a perfect method. You need a clear purpose and the willingness to get started. For her, that purpose is a home that fits the life her family is stepping into.
