It’s scientifically proven that you’re most productive when you have a little bit of stress or urgency, but not too much, where you feel pressured to get something done. That’s why you clean your house better when you have company, right? But what if the house is a mess and you have no immediate plans for anyone to come over? You could put off cleaning it forever, but that’s not a good idea. Instead, try creating a little urgency with the “moving method.”

The move-out method, first coined by Katie Holdefehr, author of Embrace Your Space and deputy editor at Real Simple, is a way to declutter your space with a sense of purpose. She explains it in more detail in the book, but essentially you set a fictional “moving date” and categorize all of your stuff as if you were actually moving.

Of course, you’re not actually moving, but you have to act like it. That impending date is what gives you the push to get this done. Just like the Core 4 method, you also have to actually use boxes for this. Just like moving and moving everything from your house to another location, you have to take everything out of your closets, drawers, and rooms, lay it all out, and box it up (or at least sort it) by category.

Try starting small and set a moving date for one room so you don’t get overwhelmed. Once everything is out of storage and categorized accordingly, you’ll need to make decisions about it. This is where the real decluttering happens. Think about each item or group of items and ask yourself, “If I were to move, would it be worth it to get this to my new place?” Imagine paying a moving company based on volume. Would the thing in your hand be worth paying them for? If it was worth packing, hauling, unpacking, and putting back in your beautiful “new” space, keep it. If it wasn’t, get rid of it.