The brutal 5-second decluttering rule is brilliant – my minimalist self approves

Clutter and chaos are not welcome in my minimalist home. Yet, despite my best efforts, piles of paperwork seemingly appear overnight, books get haphazardly added to my bookshelf and if not closely monitored, my beauty stash can spiral out of control.

When things get busy, I find myself putting off decluttering. It takes hours (if not days) to do properly, right? Well, after trying out the 5-second decluttering rule, which tasks you to decide whether or not to keep an item in five seconds or less, I learned otherwise.

After using this decluttering tip in three different areas of my home, I’m now a big fan. Here’s why I’ll be using this hard and fast rule for the foreseeable future, and how it’s helped me clear clear clutter with ease

I tried the 5-second decluttering rule

Aptly named, the 5-second decluttering rule challenges you to pick up an item and within this short time frame, decide whether to keep or discard it. If you can think of a place to put said item, it’s a keeper. If you’re failing to come to a conclusion, it’s time to let that item go.

As is the case with many of the best decluttering methods, the 5-second decluttering rule helps to break down the often overwhelming and stressful task of clearing clutter, while helping to easily declutter accumulation pieces.

When trying a method, I ask myself useful decluttering questions such as: ‘Do I use it? Do I need it? And do I love it?’

While these questions help to streamline my space, it can leave a bit of wiggle room to end up keeping more items than I have space for.

But that’s where the 5-second rule steps up to the plate. In a shorter-than-usual amount of time, you have to be honest about what items to keep and what items to donate, sell or recycle, even in your overlooked decluttering spots. So it’s fair to say that this minimalist decluttering method isn’t for the faint-hearted but it will help you connect to your gut instinct.

What you'll need

Jamie Hord, founder of Horderly Professional Organizing says it’s wise to have a few items within reach. Jamie explains, ‘Before you start decluttering, it's best to have trash bags or boxes for donations and a sharpie and Post-it notes to keep track of your piles,' the expert notes. So, along with grabbing some Post-it Super Sticky notes, it’s also worth grabbing:

• Bin bags: To make sure my decluttering efforts don’t see me move one pile of stuff to another area of my home, I place any donations and items for recycling straight into bags, like these Color Scents With Microban 8-Gallon Twist Tie Trash Bags from Walmart. Easy to tie, strong and coming odor-control ingredients, these bags cost under $4 and keep any donations smelling clean and fresh.
• Box: If you find the problem isn’t that you have too much ‘stuff’, it’s that you’ve got nowhere to keep it in a neat and orderly fashion, storage boxes like these stackable boxes from Walmart are worth their weight in gold. Coming with a secure lid, these transparent plastic boxes will help you keep your items dust-free and easily to locate.
• Wipes: Unfortunately, dirt and dust can often build up in crooks and crannies where you're harboring items. Tie two loose ends at once by using disinfecting wipes, like these Clorox wipes from Amazon which kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. If you prefer to use a cleaning spray, I swear by the planet-friendly cleaning brand Method, which has a range of antibacterial sprays that look good, smell good, and do good. Banishing 99.9% of household germs, this citron scent from Amazon has racked up 4.6 stars from more than 6,000 reviews.

Why I approve of the 5-second decluttering rule

1. My home is less cluttered and it feels more calm

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After

After using the 5-second decluttering rule, order has been restored to my bookshelf.

Before

Before using the rule, my bookshelf was looking cluttered and little bit chaotic.

As Hord notes, there are many feelings that can come out of decluttering. 'A lot of people feel a weight lifted off their shoulders and a new mental clarity,' the expert notes. 'But there can also be feelings of guilt or shame and many more feelings in between.'

For the last decade, I’ve tried loads of decluttering hacks to keep my clutter under control, like the 90/90 decluttering challenge and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 decluttering method, which made me first embrace minimalism, to the capsule decluttering trick that can help you maintain a capsule closet. Decluttering my wardrobe and finding items with the tag still in them has definitely brought me a sense of guilt.

But that wasn’t the case with the 5-second decluttering rule. It’s helped me banish ‘doom piles’ and untidiness in various areas of my home. And doing so has made my space feel less cluttered and more calm because order has finally been restored.

2. It’s easy and effortless

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After

After using the rule, I was able to reclaim this corner of my kitchen.

Before

Paperwork, boxes and old cards were left stacked in this corner of my kitchen for weeks.

Sometimes, decluttering challenges or rules can have many parts to them. So much so, it can leave you feeling more overwhelmed than actually doing the task at hand.

But, much like the 5-minute cleaning challenge, this decluttering task takes just minutes (or seconds in some cases!) so it’s great for bursts of tidying at speed.

I’ve often wondered when is the best time of the year to declutter? But due to taking just seconds to complete, this rule means you can declutter areas of your home all year round. It really is a win-win!

3. You can apply it to multiple areas of your home

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After

Before

Case in point: I applied the 5-second decluttering rule to help organize my bookshelf, and kitchen countertop, and declutter my makeup collection, and it helped me clear the clutter in each of these three different spaces easily, efficiently and without giving me time to change my mind.

There’s no denying that the best closet decluttering tips can help you keep your clothes neat, tidy and under control. While learning how to declutter a small kitchen can help you streamline your cooking space with ease.

But I really favor decluttering methods that you can use across the board and the 5-second decluttering rule is a great example of that. Simply apply the concept to the area in your home it is needed – large or small.

My verdict

Decluttering isn’t always so black and white so, this rule might not be the right fit for decluttering sentimental items. However, I found the 5-second decluttering rule to be a positive technique for quickly cutting everyday clutter that builds up gradually (or in some cases, all of a sudden) because it encourages you to go with your gut instinct and make a decision quickly.

In seconds, I was able to get rid of an unsightly paper pile on my kitchen countertop, tidy up my bookshelf and say goodbye to out-of-date makeup products. So it's helped me learn how to be more ruthless when decluttering and made an instant impact. Not bad for 5-seconds of work, right? I highly recommend giving it a go.

If the 5-second decluttering rule isn’t for you, check out other decluttering strategies minimalists swear by. Or, if you tend to procrastinate, discover why and how the 10-10-10 decluttering challenge can help you banish a serious build-up of clutter.

If you like the speed of this but need a further parameter to help you get rid of things, try the easy Didn't Know decluttering method. If you didn't know you had the item, or forget it was there, get rid of it.