17 rules to help you get rid of junk and organize your life

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

In January, we published Leo Babauta that it’s better to set rules, not goals, to get results. Now he told you exactly what rules help to get rid of the trash around you, and, consequently, clear space in your head for new achievements.

When the space in which you live is cluttered with unnecessary things, it puts pressure on you. We are talking not only about the apartment, but also about the desktop, about the computer, about your electronic box. Trash can accumulate everywhere. Let's figure out how to deal with it so that the surrounding space pleases with cleanliness and freedom.

Do you feel unable to disassemble your cabinets, drawers and folders on your computer? We assure you, anything is possible. Try to introduce these 17 rules into your life, and you will see big changes. Even if you can only follow one or two of them, it is still a huge step towards success.

1. Enter some organizational rules for the start and end of the day. At the beginning of your day, write down the top three things you need to do today. Next, write down other things you would like to get done today. Put things in order on the table, wipe it from dust. At the end of the day, clear your desk again, check your to-do list, and if possible, prepare what you need to work on the next day.

2. Every time you get up from your desk, remove one thing from it. If your desk is clean, take a look around, maybe there are things nearby that need to be put away.

3. Wash the dishes every time you eat. It doesn't even need an explanation. That's right - to wash the dishes, and not to accumulate them in the sink. If you need to rinse one mug, and there is already a pile of dishes in the sink, wash at least a few more dishes at the same time.

4. Wipe down the bathroom sink after use. If you've washed your hands or brushed your teeth, wipe the sink right away to keep it clean. Do the same for the kitchen sink. Remove a few things around the sink, if possible.

5. When you walk from one room to another, put something away or throw it in the trash along the way. For example, go from the bedroom to the living room - grab something that needs to be put in the closet, laundry or trash can. Don't start a global cleanup - just take one thing away.

6. When you take off your clothes, put them in the closet. Do not hang anything on chairs or leave dirty clothes on the floor - put them in the closet or in the dirty laundry basket. Take a look around, maybe you have already accidentally left something on the chair? Take away!

7. Do not litter tables, window sills, shelves, and floors. If now there are a bunch of unnecessary things - do a general cleaning on Saturday (we will write about this rule below), if you need to remove only a couple of things - remove them immediately. In the kitchen, remove from surfaces all items that you do not use constantly.

8. At the end of the day, remove the work materials. If you use paper in your work, fold the documents into files, put them on the table or on a shelf. Clean the desktop on your computer from unnecessary files, put the necessary materials into folders.

9. Deal with email right away. Open the letter, skim your eyes - make a decision: delete, answer, complete the task, send an email to the archive or to the to-do list, if this is a large task that you will not do immediately. Opened the letter - take an action.

10. Leave a maximum of three letters in your Inbox in your mailbox. Gradually clear it of hundreds of emails: archive the necessary ones, delete unnecessary ones, split them into folders according to tasks, unsubscribe from unnecessary mailings.

11. If you really want to buy something that is not necessary, let it rest on the "thirty-day list." Create a table for yourself, enter there the things you want to buy, and the date when the thought of buying came to mind. Do not allow yourself to buy a thing for a month. After 30 days, listen to yourself: do you still want to buy this?

12. Disassemble seasonal clothing. Put on the shelf only what you carry all the time, put the rest in a separate box or bag. If at the end of the season you did not need anything from the package, then you can say goodbye to these clothes: donate, donate, sell.

13. Arrange fasting Saturdays. Spend an hour, two, or several hours carefully disassembling one nook in the apartment, for example, the top shelves of the closet.

14. Use the one-for-two rule. Bought or received one thing as a gift - give two of them. Bought a T-shirt - say goodbye to the other two. This approach has two advantages:

• You will think more carefully about your purchases.
• The amount of trash in the apartment will rapidly decrease.

If you already have few items, use the one-for-one rule: give only one item when you buy.

15. Limit the number of things. Set a limit for yourself: let's say 30 wardrobe items. Get rid of everything else and do not allow yourself to go beyond the established limit. You must determine your limit yourself on the verge of mild discomfort.

16. At the end of each month, clean up the junk in your computer. And be sure to make a backup.

17. General cleaning every three months. Spend the weekend getting rid of all unnecessary things.

Everything written above are recommendations that you need to adjust to your lifestyle.

How to start following these rules

There are many of them, so you should not try to introduce all of them at once into your life. Try one a week. During the week, focus on making sure the rule is followed. If it suits you - leave it, no - give it up and try another next week.

Set a reminder for Monday so you don't forget to evaluate how the rule of the last week worked and introduce a new one for the current one. Keep the report on paper, on a computer or smartphone, so as not to forget to follow the rule.

Gradually, you will find the rules that work for you. Your life will be cleared of clutter and more organized. And you will have the time and potential to accomplish other great things in your life.