Probably not, but it should! Spring cleaning may get all the hype, but fall and winter are actually the best times of year for decluttering your home and garage.
Quite simply, the six-month rule for decluttering suggests that if you haven't used an item in the past six months, you can let go of it. For some very seasonal items, it might not apply, but it's a useful way to frame decluttering and help you to clear out things you rarely use.
When applied to our homes, the 80/20 rule suggests that we roughly use 20% of what we own around 80% of the time. The remaining amount serves little purpose, taking up space and mostly just gathering dust. Think about it - how many of the utensils in your kitchen crock do you use daily? Probably very few!
When struggling to make decluttering decisions, the 20/20 rule says you should consider letting go of an item if: You can replace it for less than $20. And you can replace it in less than 20 minutes.
There's a saying that goes, “If it won't matter in five years, don't spend more than five minutes worrying about it.” If you're someone who gets stuck on what to declutter and what to keep, remind yourself of this rule to keep things in perspective.
The 90/90 rule for minimalism encourages you to keep only items you've used or will use within 90 days. This minimalist rule is all about timing.
Simply by dealing with an item immediately, whether it is your shoes, incoming mail, or your used coffee mug, less clutter will be created. One touch, one movement, equals less effort overall. This rule can also be applied when you are purging, editing, and organizing.
Think 90 days past and 90 days ahead
Do I anticipate needing it within the next 90 days?" If your answer is "no" to both of these questions, it's probably not an item you need to keep. Following the 90/90 rule is a really easy way to determine which items are actually useful and helpful in your life.
Rule #1 – Don't have a Maybe Pile
Well – the fact is that decluttering involves decision making. Decisions on every item as to whether you keep it or let it go.
Take the 12-12-12 challenge.
The rules are simple: locate 12 items to throw away, 12 to donate, and 12 to be returned to their proper home. That's it. Repeat if desired.
Recent surveys indicate that household decluttering takes on average 208 hours a year, at least. In a lifetime, this is 1 year and 3 months. Some will use up to 2 years based on their yearly average time decluttering.
There is not one definite answer as to where you should declutter first, as we all lead different lives in different spaces. Rather, experts suggest picking whichever space is the most overwhelming, to begin with – whether that means decluttering a living room or decluttering a closet – or by picking a category.
The challenge is really simple. Basically, for the next five days, I'm going to write down five things every day that I'm thankful for and declutter 20 things from my home. By the end of the challenge, I'll have gotten rid of 100 things! That's pretty good for just five days, I think!
WHAT IS THE ONE IN ONE OUT RULE? The name is self-explanatory: once you bring a new item into the house, you get rid of another one. One in, one out! You won't accumulate more than you need when following this simple rule ― on the contrary, you will stay balanced as you slowly adapt to a more minimalist lifestyle.
Decluttering an entire room at once can be daunting, so break it down into smaller tasks. Start with one drawer or closet and work your way around the room. Breaking it down into smaller tasks makes it more manageable, and you'll feel a sense of accomplishment as you complete each one.
Project 333 is a minimalist fashion challenge where you dress with only 33 items-including clothing, accessories, jewelry, and shoes-for 3 months. I'm going to tell you more about the rules later on, but right now, you're probably either thinking, Cool . . . let's do it, or . . . That's nice, but not for me. Or . . .
Overall, minimalists are happier because they have less worry, stress, and chaos in their lives. To a minimalist, material things are trivial compared to what they value most, which consists of quality time for relationships, time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and spiritual health. Are minimalists happier?
Minimalism is about simplicity, and black is a simple colour. Black is unobtrusive, barely noticed. Nobody is distracted by your plain black shirt, or the fact that you always wear identical plain black shirts (compared to something bright, or patterned).
Extreme decluttering is when people get rid of huge amounts of things in the decluttering process. This isn't when people end up with a bag or two of things. When people extreme declutter they are getting rid of a high volume of things. These people went for it and have very dramatic before and afters.
The idea is that you'll instantly give your room a refresh and in the end, you won't have anything in the room that you don't love or need. It's a flip of the typical decluttering script that tells us to subtract. Instead, quieting a room focuses on adding in the items that uplift you and meet a need.
"The true purpose of tidying is not to cut down on your possessions or declutter your space," Kondo says. But rather, to learn to make meaningful choices and find gratitude in everyday life.