I recently read an article on House Outlook that introduced two handy rules for organizing.

The first is the 10-10 Hack.  This hack has you get rid of 10 things for 10 days.  That’s 100 things!  That number feels huge but done in small bites over 10 days is doable.  You can count anything or you can challenge yourself for them to be tangible “things.”  Maybe picking a different area each day to make it a bit easier on yourself will make you successful.  Have 2 boxes on hand before starting this for donations.

For example:

Day 1 – closet (get rid of 2 shirts, 2 pairs of shoes, 1 coat…to get to 10)

Day 2 – kitchen (get rid of 3 gross containers, 2 old pans, a baking dish you don’t use…to get to 10)

Day 3 – office (get rid of 4 books, a beat up binder…to get to 10)

Continue all 10 days and you have 100 items!  If you like this, just hit repeat!

The next rule is the 5-7 Rule by minimalist Madeline Hegedus.  Surface clutter.  Only have out on critical surfaces (think kitchen counters) things you use at least 5 out of 7 days.  For the example of kitchen counters, if you drink coffee every morning, you should have your coffee maker on your counter.  If you only use your blender to make margaritas for parties, that should be in a cabinet.  It can be a tough rule but anything you use at least twice a week would be easier left out unless it is small and you have an easy place to park it.  Explore this rule on the coffee table, kitchen table, your desk – any flat surfaces you use frequently.

Another rule to add while I’m at is the 1% rule.  Before leaving a room, ask yourself how you can make it 1% better.  Can you make the bed, can you bring a pile of recycling out, can you place the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Think of small tasks or chores that take 1 minute or less!