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I just discovered the ’90/90 rule’ for decluttering — here’s how it helped me clear out my home
I despise clutter, but that strong emotional distaste doesn’t always translate into being good at throwing things away. So, while I can dream of a clutter-free life, I find it hard to actually live one.
I want to blame my two small kids and the fact I just moved house, but ultimately, I’m a bit of a ‘what if?’ thinker, keeping items just in case — and that unfortunately leads to keeping things for no reason whatsoever.
Then, I heard about the ’90/90 rule’ and I was immediately intrigued and then slightly confused about why the sum wasn’t summing, until I took some time to research it and realized the beauty behind it.
And I can say right now that it’s truly helped me transform my home by giving me a seriously good reason to get rid of items I’ve held onto.
I’ve tried (and loved) the ‘poop rule’, but there’s parts of my home where it didn’t translate and I’m also a big fan of the ‘drip drop’ method for organizing and cleaning. But, here’s how the ’90/90 rule’ really got my clutter habits under control.
What is the ’90/90 rule’?
The ’90/90 rule’, also known as the less catchy ‘seasonality rule’, was created by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus of The Minimalists.
Through books, social media posts and even a Netflix documentary, they’ve demonstrated ways to live a minimalistic life.
And in the TikTok video featured below, Joshua explains the ’90/90 rule’.
You pick up an item and ask yourself whether you’ve used it in the last 90 days and whether you’ll use it in the next 90 days? It’s as simple as that. If the answer to both of those questions is no, then you give yourself permission to let go of it.
While Joshua demonstrates how the rule works in his closet, it can be translated throughout your entire home from the trinkets you’re keeping to the spare home goods you’re holding onto ‘just in case’.
The reason for the 90-day window refers back to the seasonality part of its name, in that if the reason you’re not currently using an item or a piece of clothing is because of a season change, the 90 days will account for whether the item becomes useful when the seasons do change.
But, there’s flexibility in this quest to declutter, and The Minimalists write on their blog: “Maybe your rule isn’t 90 days. Maybe it’s 120. Maybe it’s six months. Whatever your rule, be honest with yourself. If your material possessions don’t serve a purpose or bring you joy, then they are likely in the way to a more meaningful life.”
And nothing has ever spoken to me more. Why should I hold onto clutter, when letting go of it will free me? So, I put it to the test.
Trying out the ’90/90 rule’
Tackling my entire home felt like a bit of a wild endeavor to start with, so like Joshua suggested, I began with my closet.
It was also an easy place to start since I hadn’t quite unpacked all my clothes to put them away in my new home. So, before I gave them shelf space or used up a hanger, I asked myself the two important questions — have I used it in 90 days and will I use it in 90 days?
And, honestly, looking at items and realizing it’s been so long since I wore it that I can’t even remember when I did was eye-opening. But, following it up with the question of whether I’d see myself wearing it in the future really sealed the deal.
I found it incredibly easy to start sorting out my clothes based on this logic and my closet slimmed down.
I appreciate as well though that it didn’t ask me to make a ‘capsule wardrobe’ it simply asked me to be realistic about my use of clothes I owned.
So, I started on my living room and this is where the questions started to feel a little harder.
I don’t necessarily use all the clutter I keep as some of it is decorative trinkets or family keepsakes, so I didn’t use the ’90/90 rule’ on these items given they hold a different meaning in my life.
Instead, I focused on ‘usable’ clutter like the pile of notebooks that’s grown over time or the pile of design brochures I’ve kept in the hopes I’ll get round to making that moodboard I’ve envisioned.
But, I haven’t in 90 days and realistically, I won’t. So, I sifted through rooms of clutter, chipping away with those all-important questions and thinking about whether items really need to stay.
And eventually, while I’m not finished, I have felt a shift in the way I look at what I own. It turns out there’s a lot of gravitas in the phrase ‘use it or lose it’ when it comes to clutter and I feel more free than ever before.
