Try the Five Things Method When Mess Overwhelms You
We talk a lot about how cleaning can be therapeutic and fun for some, but downright overwhelming for others. There are several methods you can use to manage your time, but one of them has received a lot of attention lately, partly because it leaves room for some imperfection and allows you to move at your own pace.
The 5 Things Method comes from K. C. Davis , author of How to Keep Your Home During a Drowning and a CleanTok influencer . The licensed occupational therapist has 1.5 million followers on TikTok , where she expands on her concept of caring for the sick, advising them on how to clean without being overwhelmed, discussing mental health issues and sharing household tricks.
What is the 5 things method?
Davis suggests that if keeping the house in order seems out of control, you should only focus on five things while cleaning:
- Garbage
- Laundry
- Dishes
- Things that have a place
- Things that have no place
Any clutter can be broken down into these categories, she says, and once you start sorting things into these categories, you’ll feel less overwhelmed no matter how much you have to solve.
“In order not to get overwhelmed, you have to do one at a time throughout the space,” she explains in her original video introduction to the method.
How it works?
Pick up trash first, then throw it away. Then move around the space again, this time collecting only clothes and shoes and putting them in a basket (while actively ignoring everything else). Then put all the dishes in the sink, but don’t worry about it just yet. Reevaluate the remaining items in the area. Anything with a space should be removed now. Then add up everything that doesn’t have a specific place. As soon as there is room, you can decide where to put things from the last pile.
According to Davis, you can also split this process up over several days if you feel like it’s too much to handle in one go.
You can see the method in action here:
Davis reminds his followers that “untidiness is not a moral failing” and there are a number of reasons – from ADHD to having children – that your home may not be as clean as you think. Breaking down tasks into just five categories and doing each one until it’s done is an easy and effective way to make your space more livable. Once it’s habitable, she says, you can go back and do a more thorough cleaning.