No matter how committed you are to decluttering, when you’re trying to reduce the amount of stuff in your home, you’ll inevitably hit a few snags. Here’s where different decluttering philosophies can come in handy. If you’re combing through your sentimental items, for example, you have to go slow but be pragmatic; while if you’re just worried you might need something in the future, there are a few mental exercises that can help ease your anxiety about getting rid of them.
If you find you’re still having trouble deciding which items are truly worth keeping, the 10/10 theory can be helpful. It’s a way of reframing how you think of your stuff, and ascribing it a “value.” Once you know its worth, the theory goes, you’ll have an easier time deciding whether you need to keep it around.
How the 10/10 theory works
This method comes via the Minimalists, decluttering specialists with a Netflix series and bestselling books to their name. They recommend rethinking the way you assign value to your possessions, and dividing them into two categories: Expensive items, and things that bring you joy.
The monetary value aspect is an obvious consideration: If you can extract value from something you aren’t using much, it’s a lot easier to entertain getting rid of it. And thinking specifically of joy when you’re cleaning and decluttering is familiar component of other decluttering techniques, including KonMari, and it makes sense: Your space is supposed to make you feel happy, safe, and fulfilled, and an abundance of clutter won’t help you there.
How to use the 10/10 theory to get rid of your stuff
To get started changing your mindset about the things you own, the Minimalists recommend making two lists. The first is a list of your 10 most expensive possessions—things like your car, your house, your antiques, your electronics, and anything else with a big price tag. Next, make a list of the 10 things in your life that bring you the most joy. These needn’t (and probably shouldn’t) be tangible items. They suggest experiences like watching a sunset or hanging out with your kid, since those will demonstrate a real contrast when you compare them to your list of valuable, tangible items.
The goal of this exercise is to give you a chance to reflect on the difference between what seems important, and what is truly important to you—then get more comfortable with getting rid of the things that don’t truly matter.
It might seem like to great a leap to translate this mindset shift to decluttering, but hear me out: Instead of making just these two lists, make a bunch of lists:
your most expensive items
the physical possessions that do bring you joy
the things you use the most
the things you use the least
the things you got a great deal on
the things you could easily replace
the things you can never replace
Compare each of these lists—with particular focus on the list of things that truly bring you joy—to develop your own hierarchy of what really matters to you.
Spending a little time assessing the value of things—while using different measurements of what value even is—can reveal patterns in the way you think about your stuff, and will help you to change your mindset about what really matters in your life. Simply put, you’ll realize that you really can let some things go.
It takes some time to make the lists, but it prepares you to critically assess your belongings when you start the physical decluttering process. No, you probably can’t do away with your house or your car, but you can get rid of the things that have no meaning, bring you no joy, or can be easily replaced.
When it comes time to actually start the decluttering process, start by dividing the items in front of you into four categories: Keep, toss, donate, and sell. If you get hung up on whether something should stay or go, consider where you would put it—or where you did put it—on your various lists. Does the item have monetary value but no emotional value? It could be sold. Do you use it frequently, but it’s inexpensive? Probably hold onto it. Do you rarely use it, but really love it? It can stay as long as it’s truly meaningful.
The more you train yourself think of the values your item hold or represent, the easier it will be to figure out which ones can stay in your life—and which ones need to go.