<p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Ask Yourself These Two Questions Before You Keep Something ‘Just in Case’</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Use the 20/20 rule to figure out what you really need to keep.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;"><a href="https://lifehacker.com/home/ask-yourself-two-questions-before-throwing-something-out?utm_medium=email&utm_source=pocket_hits&utm_campaign=POCKET_HITS-EN-DAILY-RECS-2024_04_29&sponsored=0&position=9&category=fascinating_stories&scheduled_corpus_item_id=044ac0ba-a1ae-4e3e-af9f-ec5ba38ab3ea&url=https://lifehacker.com/home/ask-yourself-two-questions-before-throwing-something-out" target="_top" class="ke-link">https://lifehacker.com/home/ask-yourself-two-questions-before-throwing-something-out?utm_medium=email&utm_source=pocket_hits&utm_campaign=POCKET_HITS-EN-DAILY-RECS-2024_04_29&sponsored=0&position=9&category=fascinating_stories&scheduled_corpus_item_id=044ac0ba-a1ae-4e3e-af9f-ec5ba38ab3ea&url=https://lifehacker.com/home/ask-yourself-two-questions-before-throwing-something-out</a></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Like so much else, decluttering requires you to consider both the theoretical and the practical. Yes, you have to get in there at some point and physically start throwing things away and organizing what you keep, but you also have to do a little work on and with yourself.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Not to sound all woo-woo, but there is an element of visualization and self-knowledge that comes into play. For instance, some of the most popular decluttering methods call on you to visualize your ideal space so when you start actually decluttering, you’re always building toward the creation of that vision. The deep thinking doesn’t end when you get to work, either: You should be intellectualizing your choice of whether to keep or get rid of every single item, too. Try asking yourself just two simple questions about each thing. </span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">The 20/20 rule</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">This approach, like the “packing party” decluttering method, comes from organizational gurus The Minimalists. It’s called the 20/20 Rule and to use it, you need to ask yourself two easy questions when you’re deciding between keeping or getting rid of an item. It’s especially important when you think you’ve found something you ought to keep around “just in case” you need it some time in the future. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">First, ask yourself, “Could I replace this item for less than $20?” Then, ask yourself, “Could I replace it in less than 20 minutes?” </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">If the answer to those questions is “yes,” you can afford to get rid of the thing. A good example is, say, a lighter. If you’re not someone who regularly lights candles or smokes, you may never use a lighter, but it’s something that could easily strike you as a “just in case” item. You might rationalize you need it just in case someone comes over with a cigar or just in case you host a birthday party. But realistically, that’s not going to happen. And if it does, the few bucks you spend on another one at the corner store down the street are worth the space you save by getting rid of the original one. </span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Why this works</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">If this sounds familiar, it’s because the 20/20 rule isn’t the only example of an easy, two-question quiz you can give yourself when decluttering. When following the “Decluttering at the Speed of Life” method, you are supposed to ask yourself, “If I needed this item, where would I look for it?” If you can’t answer that, you ask yourself, “If I needed this item, would it occur to me that I already own one?” Those “just in case” items you hold onto are usually so infrequently used that you don’t even remember you have them at all, let alone have a specific spot to store them. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">For some people (myself included, for transparency) decluttering is hard because of a hangup on these “just in case” items. I can rationalize keeping anything on the basis that I might need it one day, but the truth is I just never do. That’s where the two questions come in: They’re objective, yes-or-no questions that remove the sentimentality and guesswork from deciding whether to keep something. They remove the emotions and provide you with a backup plan (spending less than $20 without inconveniencing yourself) in the event you ever actually do need something, so you don’t have to get hung up on worries about the future and can just trash the item and move on. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Have fun. Be respectful. Feel free to criticize ideas, but not people. Lifehacker has a strict commenting policy.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Commenting as Guest</span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Sort by </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Agree with a few other commenters. A lighter? Wow. I feel like I can spare a couple of cubic inches for that one. It's one of the most worthy pieces of clutter in my home, anyway.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Even if not used frequently, it's incredibly frustrating to think of being in a situation where I need something as bas...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">fire, and candles for dark times. Um duh!</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">For others, like me for instance, i have 20 lighters that don't work in my desk, trash time.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">27 April, 2024</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Figuring out what I SHOULD get rid of is the first step, and it's hard but not impossible. The second step, though, is harder: overcoming the need to try to keep from throwing things into the trash--by recycling, selling, donating, modifying, and so on. These are all daunting and they all take tim...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Same here! Right now I have a sizeable pile of stuff in the upstairs hallway and another larger pile in my bedroom - all of which I am quite happy to no longer want. But as an eco-conscious person the guilt about throwing them in the trash is overwhelming. As is the job to photograph each one, p...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Yes, it is the whole 'trying to do it thoughtfully' that makes it so time consuming...if we could be like 90% of humanity and just toss it it would be much faster...</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I'm fortunate to be a volunteer for the White Elephant Sale, benefiting Oakland Museum of California. It's so easy to give things that might be useful some day to WES because the doyens of the respective departments will find out what it is and what it is useful for and price it/them. Over the s...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I guess this method is for people who regularly have $20 to spare. I live on Disability and am sure I save hundreds of dollars per year by not following this advice. Yes I do have a lot of clutter.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">16 hours ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I think the point is more that if you are saving something just in case you need it some day but you haven't actually needed it in the last 10 years AND you could replace it easily for under $20, then it's probably more worth having the space than the item. Obviously if you are constantly having to...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">The thing is, if I think I have the watchband tool, the package of little pointed wooden sticks, or that particular red blouse, I'm going to go on a searching rampage. I probably will have forgotten that I threw it away, so I'll keep looking. Finding the item stops the search. That's why I end up k...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I think you would have to dive deeper into your clutter, or yourself, my roommate and I were just discussing the reasons for keeping old paperwork and files. Here in the United States to get a passport or specifically, to get on a plane one will need what we call a "real" ID or Driver's License. To...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">1 day ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">You can get a legal ID without applying for a driver's license. My mother in law has never had a driver's license, but has ID. As for the REAL ID required for a passport, I'm quite sure that if you have at least 2 forms of identification (birth certificate and social security card), you can apply...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">1 day ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I've come up with a method that seems to work well for me. It has some similarity to the questions above but covers a broader range of situations, and is more flexible. It is comprised of 4 questions.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;"> Is it valuable? Value includes sentimental value, and monetary value will differ depending on your ...</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I think a package of matches would be a good idea. I carried them in my purse for a good while for birthday candles, altar candles, campfires. The question might be: What's the alternative for use. The other: what fits in that space? Choose your best stuff and when that limited space is full, disca...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I know where ALL of my just in case items are! I have "junk" drawers that are very organized. I amaze myself with how often I'll have just what is needed at a moment's notice for whatever weird situation (like using little zip ties to attach a stuffed squirrel on the back of a sweater, a la "Christ...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Christmas Vacation GIF</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Half the utensils in my kitchen could be replaced for less than $20 in 20 minutes. But that's just creating a throw-away society. I agree with Banane, a lighter that works is staying. Otherwise you'd be throwing things away and buying over and over again. 20/20 rule is illogical.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I would love to do this, but my partner is a hoarder, and I have to sneak whatever the other doesn't remember that we have out to donate or trash. It's depressing.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">So sorry, it is hard. My mother isn't a hoarder exactly but if I take something while she is watching she needs to know where it is going. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">The example of a lighter as a way to free up space? Not that convincing </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I too am trying to cull the clutter from my house and life. However what I have found is that it just needs to be more organised. I can't count the amount of times something that I would have thrown out has been needed or recycled into something usable. My Grandkids might have a project for school ...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">When i cant find my tools because of clutter--My 20/20 rule is, it i can buy for 20 or under and can buy in less than 20 minutes -- i go and buy it. Otherwise it will take me day or two to find it. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">27 April, 2024</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">wholeheartedly agree with spoons, getting rid of a functioning lighter that makes one of man's most life changing elements - FIRE - is probably the most horrible example to be using for such an article!!!!</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">You forgot to mention "Will I have $20.00 in the future to replace this item?" That's what keeps me storing things now. Limited finances.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">26 April, 2024</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Getting rid of a functioning lighter, isn't a good example of de-cluttering. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I've just finished reading another article in your publication.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;"> It's called, "20 movies that have aged badly", or something and I've a feeling that the "de-cluttering" craze will be in a similar type article in the future....</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">27 April, 2024</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I spent a few years being livid at modern culture for our consumerist, excessive ways for awhile. Then I tried the grandma-style hoarding method a bit. Then I went in a whole different direction with life and moved to the ends of the earth to homestead off grid in an actual swamp. Now my family res...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">27 April, 2024</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I kind of get the lighter thing. I still have several lighters left over from when I smoked 25 years ago. I kept them, and a ton of candles, in case of a power failure. But, over the last 25 years I've accumulated solar/crank charging led lights that pretty much render all my candles obsolete. I'm ...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">My situation is more complex. My clutter isn't necessarily personal items. I have an online store, and have tons of inventory that i haven't uploaded yet.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">My wife went out yesterday to buy an electric string trimmer that our daughter needed. After buying a more powerful one, I gave a suitable one away in a Buy Nothing group about two years ago. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">15 hours ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I just have to say that everytime Do make the decision to donate it trash something, that is the thing i end up needing the next week. It never fails. Thankfully now I am donating and getting rid of many more things(easier to do when moving), so the odds of the things being needed the following we...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">1 day ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Great point. My problem is I have about $1,000 worth of “just in case” stuff in my garage that costs less than $20 per item, and that I can replace in less than 20 minutes. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">The struggle is real.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I have started donating a great deal of 20/20 items … just in case someone else needs them. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">9 hours ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">There is a time component here. It may be possible to get a replacement for 20 bucks in less than 20 minutes today, but in another 5 years, maybe not so much.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I keep a special box for all those just-in-case items, it's proven quite useful so far. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">11 hours ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Well, I live in a semi rural area and I can’t replace anything in 20 minutes. More like an hour. The second set of questions is more useful for me. I wonder why the author chose a lighter for their example as it is surely the most useful bit of « clutter « that one can have. I have several in ...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">1 day ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Have been shopping for a lighter to do birthday candles but can't find one. Does anyone know where I can get one?</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I like this policy of being respectful in the manners you mentioned! </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">18 hours ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">One comment. The most important question is why do you need to buy more stuff. If you are just going to toss and it replace it, then you are contributing to waste and landfill, neither of which is a good thing. Keep one of whatever it is then pass the rest along to Buy Nothing groups in your 'hood....</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">So every time I want to light my stove, or water heater, I run to the store, (its open most times, no qualifier for "always" 20 minutes.), come back, light the stove, and instead of putting the lighter away I put it in the trash. So about 10 lighters or more a year. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Obviously wrong. The mathe...</span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;">See more</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">2 days ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I think if your drawer looks like the one on the photo, you have another "problem" that needs more attention than decluttering. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">15 hours ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">I think counseling people to throw away useful items because they can buy a new one quickly anytime is environmentally irresponsible, full stop. Especially if it's something containing lighter fluid. Mentally setting fire to this article. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">10 hours ago</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">My hang up is "what do I do with items I want to dispose of"? I don't want to put them in the trash just to go to landfills :(</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Powered by</span></p><p> </p>
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