3 Awesome Decluttering Rules You Can Use to Remove The Headache of Organizing Your Home

When it comes to decluttering, analysis paralysis often kicks in when you give a glance at what you’re up against…
You planned your day, and now it’s time to take action!
However, when you look at the mountains of clutter, you just kinda look around and go, “How am I supposed to do this?”
Sound familiar?
Visual clutter can be extremely intimidating and create some serious decision fatigue.
That’s why going in with a plan can make things seem less daunting and more achievable.
Here are a few rules you can use to make your decluttering easier!
3 Awesome Decluttering Rules You Can Use to Remove The Headache of Organizing Your Home
1. One-In-One Out Rule
The One-In-One Rule: This rule is simple and involves making an intentional effort to remove 1 item if you’ve just purchased an item from a similar category.
This can be commonly used for clothes when upgrading your wardrobe.
The main idea is to take note of the things you’re bringing into your home and make a conscious effort to prevent overconsuming and adding more clutter than you intended.
If you don’t take note of what’s coming into your home, before you know it, you’ll have a whole new mess to deal with.
This is a small but practical way to set boundaries and prevent the accumulation of things that can overwhelm your home month after month, year after year.
2. 30-Second Rule
The 30-Second Rule: This rule involves giving yourself 30 seconds or less to explain to yourself why you love or how you can use an item. If you can’t give a reason, then you should toss it.
This rule can be controversial because it can be unforgiving…
The obvious cons are that you may be getting rid of things you do need and have a use for, but may not need immediately.
This results in potentially poor decisions or even more decision fatigue out of fear of getting rid of stuff you actually want.
This is why using the one-box rule is always a great way to declutter the “maybe” items effectively.
The Pros: Despite this rule being cutthroat, there are some positives! Quick decisions and progress are some of the main benefits of using this rule.
When you’re forcing yourself to confront the reality of how you feel about your stuff, you may find that a lot of it doesn’t hold that much value and that you’re able to make faster decisions due to the time constraint.
Combine this with the one-box rule for those things you’re on the fence about, and you can make serious decluttering progress without losing things you may still value!
3. 1-3-5 Decluttering Rule
The 1-3-5 Rule: This rule isn’t just for decluttering but can be utilized for different areas of life. Start by sorting your tasks into three categories:
- Complete 1 hard task that requires the most of your time and energy.
- Complete 3 intermediate tasks, but with less difficulty/effort.
- Complete 5 smaller tasks that take even less time/effort
This rule can be used in a variety of ways and can be an effective way to break down your decluttering to-do list!
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