Choose a decluttering method: four boxes, KonMari, 90/90, or 20/20

Match the method to the obstacle

If you know what should leave but never finish removing it, a sorting-and-exit system may help. If duplicates are scattered across rooms, work by category. If you hesitate over rarely used possessions, a time or replacement-cost prompt can open the decision. None of these methods is a test you must pass.

Choose an area small enough to restore before the session ends. A drawer is often safer than emptying an entire room onto the floor. Keep walkways, work surfaces needed for meals, and access to essential equipment usable while you sort.

Four boxes with a clear destination

Four-box methods have several versions. For this guide, use keep here, move elsewhere, give or sell, and recycle or dispose. Separate items needing special disposal from ordinary waste. Handle one item at a time and decide where it belongs.

Finish the session by putting the keep items away, relocating the second group, and arranging the exit for the last two groups. Give a sale listing a time limit that you choose; an item waiting indefinitely for a perfect buyer still occupies space. For uncertainty, write down the question to resolve and set a review date rather than repeatedly sorting the same object.

KonMari: a category-based approach

Marie Kondo's official KonMari method works through clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items, and finally sentimental possessions. It emphasizes selecting what you want to retain and considering the life you want your home to support. The creator's site distinguishes this approach from sorting room by room.

You can compare a category across the home to see duplicates without placing every item in one enormous pile. If you need shorter sessions, smaller subcategories and accessible handling are practical adaptations. They should be described as your adaptations, rather than promises that you are following every element of the official method.

90/90: an optional timing prompt

The Minimalists' 90/90 heuristic asks whether you used an item in the previous 90 days or expect to use it in the next 90. Two no answers make it a candidate for review; they do not establish that it is safe or sensible to discard.

Apply exceptions before deciding. Seasonal clothing, occasional ceremonial items, emergency supplies, spare parts, records, accessibility equipment, and possessions used during fluctuating health needs may have long gaps between uses. A full seasonal cycle may be more informative than 90 days. Keep items when the consequences of not having them outweigh their storage cost.

20/20: test the assumptions behind replacement

The Minimalists' 20/20 heuristic considers whether an unneeded just-in-case item could be replaced for less than $20 in less than 20 minutes. This is an optional rule of thumb from personal experience, not a universal evidence-based threshold.

Check your actual situation: local availability, delivery fees, transport, opening hours, accessibility, budget, and the time to identify the correct replacement. Twenty dollars can be significant, and twenty minutes may be unrealistic in a rural area. Do not apply the rule to emergency equipment, medical needs, scarce components, or items whose absence could interrupt essential work.

A final decision worksheet and FAQs

Can I combine methods? Yes. Use category sorting for awareness, a decision prompt for uncertainty, and boxes for destinations.

What if I regret a decision? Start with reversible trials and ordinary low-consequence items. Keeping a possession thoughtfully is also a valid outcome.

What should never go in a donation box? Items the recipient cannot safely use or accept. Check the organization's conditions before traveling.