Using the 80-20 Pareto Principle to Declutter

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16.8.11

Using the 80-20 Pareto Principle to Declutter


I love cleaning house. I know...it's a little nerdy, for sure. Ah well.. That's why you read my daily dribbles right? So we can celebrate the mundane..and find joy in a clean drawer or cabinet? I admit that I'm completely happy because my 1-2-3 approach to decluttering is still working like a charm.  Perhaps..that just means  that I'm easily pleased.

Euphoric is the word for it, really.

I've never forgotten how amazing it was to see the inside of my mother-in-law's cabinets (20 yrs. ago). Picture having ONLY what you NEED in a cabinet or drawer and ABSOLUTELY nothing else!  Not one extra bit of fluff...just the essentials.

Homemaking perfection is what I call it. :o) That's been my 'dream' ever since. And I found a principle that makes all the difference in the world. It's called the 80-20 Pareto Principle....


If you've never read about the 80-20 Pareto Principle..you should. It's simple and it goes kind of like this...20% of the people...do 80% of the work.  Twenty percent of your tools are needed 80% of the time..for any given job. Twenty percent of the people cause 80% of the trouble in any given organization.

Pareto principle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term "Pareto principle" can also refer to Pareto efficiency.
The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.[1][2]

What this boils down to..is that if you can identify the 20% of the stuff in any given cabinet or drawer that you really love and get rid of the 80% you don't need, you can simplify your home and  life in a jiffy!  No stress..easy decisions..quick results.


Step 1: Pull everything out.
Step 2: Identify and set aside anything you just CAN'T live with out. (Likely..this is your 20%).
Step 3: Put the 20% BACK in the cabinet.
Step 4: Throw away or donate the 80% you truly don't need.

It works like a charm.  Try it today and see if I'm not right.

But be careful..this CAN get addictive.  Have fun!

PS. This post was from Comin' Home's Facebook page, which you can access from the sidebar here.  This is my aim for a 'short and sweet' post. Hope you like it. :o)



5 comments

Anonymous said...

Love this idea! I'll give it a try. Only thing is I'd tend to want to keep 80% and only toss the other 20%. LOL
- Monique

Between you, me and the Fencepost said...

Yesterday,my mother and I were just talking about clutter and how to deal with it and here you are with a post! I can immediately think of five place I can declutter using the 80 20 rule. And the stuff under your kitchen sink looks great ! And very non cluttery . . . xo

Caroline said...

I like it. I'll be putting this to use when goose is in school to organize some things around here!

Donna said...

Monique..you cracked me up with your comment about keeping the 80%.LOL! That's why I've got hubby helping me. He gets me over that 'sentimental' hump.

Glad this helped you all!

xo
Donna

Lorraine said...

have been decluttering my house recently too and have painted everywhere downstairs so it all looks nice and fresh! I liked your post about the book stores..we mostly use the library or I get books off amazon..I got a really good comic verse book for the kids off there in the used section for an excellent price

“There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again.” ~ Margaret Sangster

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