I Tried The 90/90 Organisation Rule, And My Home Has Never Had Less Clutter

Cluttered shelf on the left: more organised on the rightI live in a tiny one-bedroom flat, but you’d never guess based on the amount of suitcases I brought with me when I moved in here. The clutter problem has only gotten worse since. I can’t help it: I accumulate books, obscure spices, and “too nice to throw out, but will never actually be used” food containers like nobody’s business. Worst of all are my food cupboards – I struggle to let go of long-lasting foods like cans, and woe betide anyone who opens my baking cupboard, which until recently risked showering whoever dared to with flour and sugar. Well, no more, I decided recently. I gave the “90/90” rule a go, and it was exactly the kind of ruthless but reasonable approach I needed. What is the ’90/90′ organisation rule? Invented by Joshua Fields and Ryan Nicodemus, known online as The Minimalists, the rule is simple.“Look at a possession. Pick something,” they instructed. “Anything. Have you used that item in the last 90 days? If you haven’t, will you use it in the next 90? If not, then it’s okay to let go.”This is often used specifically to clear wardrobes, but I figured I’d give it a go on my baking cupboard. Usually, my attempts to clear my shelves of dusty hot chocolate or expired spices are wincingly painful – never mind the fact that I haven’t touched the pack for the guts of a year, or that it costs about a quid.But the 90/90 rule was so clarifying that it both made dismissing unusable packs easier and gave me a higher respect for my existing ingredients. I didn’t mind dumping the chocolate flakes we’ve had for two years that have since developed a white bloom.But thinking about how much flour, brown sugar and dried fruit I’ve used recently, as well as how much I’m about to tear through in winter, made me want to place them in a better, more easily-reachable home – so I decanted them into labelled containers (who am I?!). The method was so helpful, I used it on my bedside shelves immediately after.Shelves cluttered on the less, decluttered on the rightDoes the 90/90 rule have to just apply to 90-day periods?No. As The Minimalists explain: “Maybe your rule isn’t 90 days. Maybe it’s 120. Maybe it’s six months”.But, they caution: “Whatever your rule, be honest with yourself”. The 90/90 rule is not so much about the exact timeframe as it is about optimising your space to fit your real, actual needs, rather than accumulating stressful amounts of stuff in the event of unlikely potential scenarios. I’ve found it immeasurably helpful. And while I’ve got a lot of decluttering left to go, I reckon the 90/90 rule will make it all a lot easier.Related...I Tried The '1-Minute Tidying Rule', And My House Has Never Been Cleaner6 Easy Tasks For A More Organised Home (That Take Less Than 20 Minutes)The 10 Secrets To A Super Organised Inbox

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