17 Simple Rules for Getting Organized and Decluttered

What would it take to get your life decluttered and organized?

This post originally appeared onZen Habits.

Here are the rules I suggestthough I dont suggest adopting them all, and especially not all at once.

Try a few out, see how they work for you, then try a few others.

Get yourself organized at the start and end of a day.

As you start your work day, write down your three Most Important Tasks (MITs).

Write down a handful of other things youd like to do today as well.

Clear your desk, get things in order.

When you get up from your desk, put one thing away.

If your desk is clear, look for something nearby.

When youre done eating, wash your bowl.

Mindfully wash your dishes instead of leaving them in the sink.

If there are other dishes in the sink, wash a few of them too.

Wipe down the sink when you use it.

Do the same in the kitchen sink.

Clear away a few things around the sink too if you’ve got the option to.

When you walk through a room, find one thing to put away.

You dont have to get stuck in putting everything away, just one thing.

When you take off a piece of clothing, put it away.

Look for a few other clothes to put away too if there are more lying around.

Keep flat surfaces clear.

Your tables, counters, desks, floorskeep them clear.

If theres a ton of clutter there now, see the rule below about decluttering on Saturdays.

When you walk by the kitchen counter, look for things other than oft-used appliances to put away.

At the end of the work day, file stuff.

If you still use papers, file them at the end of the day.

If you are all digital, clear your system desktop and put files where they belong.

Deal with an email instead of putting it off.

When you open an email, give it the space to deal with it immediately.

Read it, reply, take action, or archive it.

Or put it on your to-do list for later if its a big task.

Dont just constantly open emails without handling them.

Work to only having three emails in your inbox.

Slowly clear away the hundreds or thousands of emails in your inbox.

Put non-essential items you want to buy on a 30-day list.

Then dont allow yourself to buy anything until its been on the list for 30 days.

At the end of the 30 days, see if you still want it before buying.

Put your clothes in a different closet or box, and only take out what you need.

Only remove the clothes you really need to wear.

After a month of doing this, youll see what clothes you’re free to consider donating.

Every Saturday morning, spend an hour or two (or half a day) decluttering one area.

One in, two out.

For example, if you buy a pair of shoes, donate two other pairs.

Limit how many things you have.

Consider limiting yourself to 30 pieces of clothing, or 30 books, or something like that.

Get rid of everything else, dont allow yourself to go beyond the limit.

The individual limit you set is up to you, whatever feels slightly uncomfortable is good.

At the end of each month, clear out computer clutter.

Every three months, purge.

Spend a weekend purging all your unneeded belongings.

Of course, these are just suggested rules, and you should modify them to suit your life.

In fact, I suggest trying one per week.

Really focus all week on making that rule happen.

If it goes well, keep it.

If not, toss it out.

The next week, try another.

Have a physical, paper note somewhere visible so youll remember to do the rule throughout the week.

One at a time, youll find the rules that work for you.

And one step at a time, your life will slowly become less cluttered, more organized.

And youll be set up to make great things happen in the rest of your life.

Rules for Getting Organized & Decluttered| Zen Habits

Leo Babauta is the creator and writer of Zen Habits.