18 Places to Use the 80/20 Rule to Help with Decluttering

Back in 1906, an Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto noticed that just 20% of the population of Italy owned 80% of the land.

That makes sense.  Few people are rich, and they're the ones who own most of the stuff.  So Romanian-American management consultant Joseph Juran developed the concept further, by observing that 80% of results come from 20% of causes.  For example, in 1988 the New York Times reported that about 80% of video rental revenues came from just 20% of the stock.  Microsoft has noted that 80% of crashes can be prevented by fixing 20% of the most-reported errors.  Studies show that approximately 80% of healthcare expenses accrue to 20% of patients.

Juran called the 20% the "vital few," and that's why this principle can help with decluttering.  If we can identify our "vital few," we can remove all or most of the rest.

You don't think this seems possible?  Hmmm....

• I almost always wear the same coat, though I own two others.
• I have a pot and a pan that I use almost daily, and I have a favorite spatula and a favorite knife.
• I have a favorite mug, too.
• And a favorite necklace.
• And a favorite pair of walking-around shoes.
• We shop at one grocery store, though there are plenty of others.
• We visit the same few restaurants even though there are well over 100 within a few miles of our house.

I could go on.  These are my "vital few."  The ratio isn't always exactly 80/20, but it's true that I make use of only a small portion of what's available to me.

Applying the 80/20 Rule

Decluttering expert Joshua Becker has written about the Pareto Principle (also called the 80/20 Rule) in connection with our clothes, and he asks a couple of useful questions:

• Why continue to collect more when I'm going to use my favorites 80% of the time?
• Why lose so much space and time storing and organizing the 80% when I use it so rarely?

The answers are inescapable – don't.  Don't spend valuable time, money, and energy buying, storing, cleaning, and organizing tons of stuff you don't actually use.

I'm not suggesting we must discard 80% of our belongings.  After all, we use a few of those things every once in a while.  However, we could certainly remove a great deal.  The 80/20 Rule is a powerful truth to help us minimize our possessions and make more intentional choices.

It's time to find your 20%.

1.  Clothes

According to Joshua Becker, we wear 20% of our clothing about 80% of the time.  If you identify the 20% of your clothes that you love and wear regularly, you can consider everything else potentially removable.

2.  Shoes

There's probably a small portion of your shoe collection that you use almost all of the time.  Even when it comes to special occasion shoes, you might notice that you reach for the same ones frequently.

3.  Makeup and toiletries

Do you have five (or more) lipsticks, but always reach for one?  That's the Pareto Principle at work.  How about hair products, skin products, nail polish, and all of that makeup?  Even brushes and combs seem to multiply.  Keep only what you like and use, and make your bathroom a more spa-like space.

4.  Jewelry

A few years ago, I wrote about how I decluttered more than half of my jewelry (I've since pared down even more).  What was surprising about removing so much from my collection was that I wound up feeling that I had more choices, because things I liked had been languishing in the jumble.  Declutter your least-used pieces, and you'll rediscover your hidden gems.

5.  Linens

We often have more towels, sheets, blankets, and even tablecloths or placemats than we use.  There might be a lot piled at the back, while the favorites you reach for are where you can access them with ease.  Keep your favorites and donate the extras.

6.  Kitchenware

Chef Mark Bittman once listed the 33 pieces you need in order to cook almost everything.  I like Jules Clancy's list over at thestonesoup.com.  The point is, if you have the typical kitchen, you probably own plenty of pieces that don't make these lists.  Do you actually use them?  Look in the back of your drawers and cabinets and find all those things you don't need to keep.

7.  Food

When I came home from the hospital after emergency surgery last year, I wanted to find ways to make my home chores simpler.  So I chose a few simple options for breakfast and lunch – foods that were healthy, quick to make, and delicious.  Jon and discovered that we were content to eat the same things all the time.  In fact, I wondered why I hadn't noticed that before.  Now we save time and money, waste less food, and have even lost a little weight.  Why not stick with 20% of your recipes too?

8.  Furniture

Notice how often you and your family sit in the same places.  Does this mean you can get rid of 80% of your furniture?  Probably not, though there may be a chair, table, or even a desk that no one uses.  Consider removing those pieces.

9.  Décor

If you're honest, you may discover that only a portion of the pictures and knickknacks in your home are really meaningful to you.  Why not just display those, and remove the rest?  You might find this is also true of holiday decorations.

10.  Mementos

You may be tempted to say that all of your mementos belong in your "vital few."  But when is the last time you looked at or touched them?  Consider that things sitting in a box in storage might not mean as much to you as you think they do.  For help decluttering keepsakes, read this and this.

11.  Books

I love books.  I can spend all day in a bookstore, and I will probably not leave it empty-handed.  I'm especially partial to gorgeously-produced hardcover classics (these Masterpiece Library editions* are beautiful).

But which books do I read and re-read?  Which ones hold strong sentimental value?  If you have a large collection of books, then maybe there's some you can remove without too much pain.  I started with about 400, and now have 52, plus hardcover copies of the books I've written, plus 32 books for my grandsons (more about that in #12).

Weird... I just noticed that 52+32=84, which is just about 20% of the 400 I mentioned starting with.  I didn't plan that, I promise!

* This blog relies on your support!  If you buy through my links, I may earn a small commission.

12.  Toys

Just like adults, children tend to have their favorites, and play with them most of the time.  The last time they were here, my older grandsons focused on the Legos, Tinkertoys, and Matchbox cars I have for them.  Otherwise, they want to play chess or Uno Flip with my husband Jon and me.  My youngest grandson likes the Duplos, but he's obsessed with a carry-along wooden dollhouse that has four compartments, four dolls, and four (different-sounding) doorbells!  It fascinated his brothers when they were younger, too.

However, the large collection of wooden trains and tracks hasn't been played with by anyone for a while.  And there are several meant-for-toddler toys that I need to wash and donate.  And if I'm honest, at least half of the books aren't being requested any more either.  There are sentimental choices they all know by heart, like Blue Hat, Green Hat and We're Going on a Bear Hunt.  But at least a dozen could be decluttered.

If you help your kids see the truth of the 80/20 Rule, they may be able to help you identify toys that can be removed.

13.  Craft supplies

Do you have more yarn, beads, sewing notions, paints, etc. than you will ever use?  Maybe you used to be into scrapbooking, and have an awesome stash that you haven't touched in a few years.  Keep the supplies for what you're into now, and get rid of the rest.  (A school or senior center might love to have them.)

14.  Games

We have a lot of board and card games sitting in a cupboard.  I don't know when or if we'll play them again.  It's possible we'll take Bananagrams on a trip (it's very portable), and once our grandsons are all reading, I can imagine them playing it with us.  But the rest may be good candidates for decluttering.

15.  Media

Jon and I started streaming Netflix last year, and I can count on two hands the number of DVDs or Blu-ray discs we've watched since then.  I use an app to listen to my favorite radio station, so the number of CDs I've played is even less.  If you're like me, it's safe to remove all of the extras.

16.  Electronics

The old versions often get tossed into a drawer or the back of a closet when we upgrade to something new.  If you have a large stash of outdated tech, or it you're only using a portion of the gadgets you currently own, this is a good place to start minimizing.

17.  Apps and websites

It's easy to subscribe to a new blog or news source, or download an app we need once.  When's the last time you weeded out the ones you no longer use or visit?  It's likely that you need 20% of these programs 80% of the time, so bookmark and organize them.  Delete the rest.

By the way, do you call, text, and email about 20% of your contacts 80% of the time?  It might be time for a little purging there too.

18.  Your home

Studies show that at least 80% of our time at home is spent within a small area – the kitchen, bathroom, our bedroom, and our preferred seat in the living or family room.  Recognizing this pattern might inspire you to declutter heavily in the areas you use less often, and to prioritize repairs and home improvements where you spend the most time.

But go a little deeper, and you might question whether you own or rent more space than you need.  Your home is your greatest expense, and it might be time to downsize to a smaller one.

The 80/20 Rule is universal.

I'm sure there are many other areas where the Pareto Principle applies.  How about tools or sports equipment?  And I'm pretty sure I use just 20% of the tech features on my car.  The plethora of bells and whistles on even the simplest of modern cars reminds me that I want the most basic model I can find whenever I'm in the market for a new one.

Look around and find your 20% today, and use it to streamline your home and your life.