Minimalism and the 80/20 rule (2024)

FAQs

Minimalism and the 80/20 rule? ›

'The 80/20 rule

What Is the 90/90 Rule? Created by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus of The Minimalists, the 90/90 rule is a decluttering process that requires you to ask yourself two questions about objects you're not sure about: Have you used it in the past 90 days? And if not, will you use it in the 90 days ahead?

If you are interested in minimalism or simple living, the 80/20 rule is a great one to apply to your life. Here are some examples: 20% of your clothes are worn 80% of the time. 20% of your books are read 80% of the time.

The 20/20 rule is a genius invention by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus from The Minimalists. This simple rule is if you can replace something you are decluttering in less than 20 minutes for less than $20, you can declutter it.

The 80-20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, is a familiar saying that asserts that 80% of outcomes (or outputs) result from 20% of all causes (or inputs) for any given event. In business, a goal of the 80-20 rule is to identify inputs that are potentially the most productive and make them the priority.

If you want to take the Project 333 Challenge

Choose 33 items (or less) including clothes, shoes, jewelry and accessories. Pack up and hide everything else and then you don't have to think about shopping or what to wear for the next three months.

To stave off impulse, I created a rule that helps me avoid unnecessary purchases. If something I want costs more than $30, I ask myself whether I can get by without it for the next 30 hours. Hence, “the 30/30 Rule.” (If it's $100 or more, I tend to wait 30 days.)

Disadvantages of using the 80/20 rule

The 20 and 80% numbers don't refer to the amount of effort you're putting in, but the causes and consequences you're working on. The goal is not to minimize the amount of effort, but to focus your effort on a specific portion of work to create a bigger impact.

'The 80/20 rule is the concept that we use 20% of what we own 80% of the time,' says Sara Bereika, founder of Sara Jane Organizing. 'That means the remaining 80% (the stuff we use less frequently) is clutter. More than ever many of us have aspirations to live more simple lives.

80% of crimes are committed by 20% of criminals. 80% of sales are from 20% of clients. 80% of project value is achieved with the first 20% of effort. 80% of your knowledge is used 20% of the time.

What is the 333 decluttering method? ›

The 333 styling method is a minimalist fashion challenge encouraging individuals to select and wear only 33 items for 3 months. This includes clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear, and shoes, aiming to simplify wardrobe choices and promote sustainable fashion habits.

Take it room by room: Start decluttering one room at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Focus on a specific area before moving on to the next. Sort methodically: Divide items into categories (keep, donate, sell, discard) and work through each category systematically to prevent decision fatigue.

The Pareto chart is a visual representation of the 80-20 rule, featuring a bar + line chart. The bars represent the value of each item on your list (arranged in descending order), and the line indicates the cumulative percentage of those values.

What is the 90/90 decluttering rule? The premise is simple and somewhat brutal: if you haven't worn something in 90 days and don't see yourself wearing it in the next three months (90 days), then it's out the (wardrobe) door.

'The 80/20 rule is the concept that we use 20% of what we own 80% of the time,' says Sara Bereika, founder of Sara Jane Organizing. 'That means the remaining 80% (the stuff we use less frequently) is clutter. More than ever many of us have aspirations to live more simple lives.

In computer programming and software engineering, the ninety-ninety rule is a humorous aphorism that states: The first 90 percent of the code accounts for the first 90 percent of the development time. The remaining 10 percent of the code accounts for the other 90 percent of the development time.