Can The 10-10 Decluttering Rule Keep You Organized For Good?

At the end of a long, hard day, nothing's better than heading home. But when you're surrounded by clutter, it can be hard to feel at peace. Decluttering has been linked to numerous benefits, ranging from financial to psychological. That's why having a few easy-to-implement strategies that work best for decluttering your home is important. One popular method, called the 10-10 decluttering rule, offers practical and easily actionable steps that help you declutter in short bursts, preventing overwhelm and guilt. Here's how it works: every day, you set a timer for 10 minutes and get rid of at least 10 items.

Since you're only committing to 10-minute pockets of action, it's easy to incorporate decluttering into your daily routine. While it might take a while to sort through every space, the benefit of this method is that you're creating a habit. With time, you'll see the amount of clutter in your home drastically reduced (by at least 100 items in just 10 days), and you'll get into a groove of making this a daily practice so that your home stays clutter-free.

Before getting started with the 10-10 decluttering method, it's smart to make a few decisions ahead of time — like what you're going to do with the items you get rid of. While some broken or unusable items may be obvious candidates for the garbage can, there are some things you should always donate after decluttering. Create a bin or box specifically for these items and know where and when you'll drop them off. It's helpful to pick one day a week for donation drop-offs so items don't pile up. (Ironically, defeating the purpose of decluttering.)

Then you can decide when you'd like to incorporate your ten-minute decluttering sessions. You can do it at the same time every day, like at night before you relax for the evening, or whenever a few extra minutes arise. Dedicating a little bit of time each day to working on your house is a simple mindset that will help you maintain a clutter-free home. Plus, getting rid of items you don't love, use, or need can help reduce daily housework, since fewer belongings are easier to manage and keep organized.