The 80/20 Rule || Decluttering Your Life

So…what is the 80/20 rule?

Basically, the 80/20 rule means that 80% of your results come from 20% of your actions. This applies to not only what you do in life—or what you want to do in life, but to the stuff of life too. Let’s take a look at some examples of how the 80/20 rule applies to real life. And all of these photos are stock photos. Some actually cause me to have a bit of clutter anxiety. Just sayin’. 😉

• Clothing, accessories, shoes: Take a good look at your closet and your dresser drawers. If you’re being totally honest with yourself, I’d bet you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time. Don’t believe me? Turn all of your hangers backwards, and each time you wear a piece of clothing, when you return it to your closet, turn the hanger forward. At the end of a few months, how many hangers are still hanging backwards? Yeah…I thought so. I’ve actually tried this experiment myself. It led to a trip to Goodwill and an emptier closet.

• Work: 80% of results come from 20% of your work.
• Pantry, drawers, cupboards: Look at your dishes. How many do you use regularly? I know I have dishes for “special” occasions, which don’t seem to happen very often. And I know I only use about 20% of our food 80% (or more) of the time. Yes, some food items I need for special dishes, but still…I’m pretty sure I could clean out a lot of what’s in our pantry and still be able to prepare meals with no problems. And those kitchen gadgets…another 80/20 thing.

• Garage and/or basement: Here’s another place where clutter tends to congregate, and the 80/20 rule definitely applies here.
• Books: Even though I’m a book lover, I did go through my books a while ago, and while it was painful, I got rid of quite a few that I knew I’d never read again.

• Phone apps: Take an inventory of all those apps on your phone you thought you couldn’t live without when you downloaded them. How many do you actually use at all or on a regular basis? I’d guess you use 20% of them 80% of the time.

• Nutrition: The 80/20 rule works a little bit differently here. Healthy eating is all about balance, and experts say you should eat healthy, whole foods 80% of the time and enjoy those foods you love (that might not be quite so healthy) 20% of the time. This leads to fewer binges, increased consistency with your nutrition program, and general overall and long-term good health. Restriction of any kind often leads to overeating, especially when you restrict those foods you love so much. “I’m never eating chocolate again!” will. not. work. At some point, you’ll reach that breaking point, and all the chocolate in sight—and even that chocolate not in sight—will be gone. So enjoy your favorite foods 20% of the time, and you can still achieve your goals!

How can you use this rule to make positive changes and get even closer to achieving your goals?

• • Declutter, declutter, declutter. Get rid of 80% of the stuff you’re not using regularly as much as possible. With your clothing, for example, yes, you might have a few clothes for special occasions, and so keep those. But the rest? Donate them to charity. Do the same with all those accessories that you rarely or even never wear. And those extra shoes. Why is it so hard to get rid of extra shoes? I have no idea… Take a good, hard look at any other stuff you have anywhere in your house.
  • If this feels totally overwhelming, start small. Do a drawer a day, or a week. Or start with a box. Whatever works best for you.
  • For the non-stuff, like the time you spend doing different tasks or at work, do a thorough inventory of how you’re spending your time and see how much of that 80% that doesn’t really amount to much can be eliminated or reduced. Maybe incorporate some new planning tips and tools to help you get the most out of your time.
  • If you’ve got a transformation goal, cut yourself some slack from those rigid nutrition programs and put the 80/20 rule into practice. It will allow you to still nail that goal AND not have to deal with those mind-cluttering feelings of deprivation. #winwin

Now that you’re working on decluttering—narrowing life down to that all-important 20% as much as possible, notice how freeing this is. Notice how much clearer you can think, how less stressed and anxious you feel, and how life just seems to go better. Use this new-found freedom from that now gone 80% to better focus on your goals and on improving the quality of your life!