The 2 minute toss it rule

If you’re actively trying to declutter, you may be trying tricks like sorting boxes of stuff (i.e. stuff to keep, stuff to toss, maybe items). This does work for many people. In fact I advocate this as a pretty good decluttering tactic.

That said, it doesn’t work for everyone. Some people NEVER finish deciding about that maybe box. Boxes like this, if you’re undecided, basically just move around your house. That’s not decluttering; that’s called reorganizing clutter.

If this is you, if you’re stuck, you need a harsher rule. The 2 minute rule. Set a basic kitchen timer for 2 minutes. Grab one item from that maybe box. Look at it. Think. When the timer goes off, the item needs to go into the stuff to keep or stuff to get rid of box.

If you can’t decide that you need an item in 2 minutes, then frankly, you probably don’t need to keep the item.

Harsh? Maybe, but this is faster and less cluttered than moving stuff around in a box for years.