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Before you can get your home organized, you need to get it decluttered. There are a lot of different methods for decluttering, one of which is the 90/90 technique. This method was developed by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, better known simply as “The Minimalists.”

The 90/90 easy decluttering technique is incredibly straightforward. All it involves is asking yourself a simple question about any possession you have:

“Have I used this item anytime in the last 90 days?”

If the answer to that question is “yes,” you may want to think about keeping the item. You have gotten relatively recent use out of it. If you still are unsure, here is another question you can ask yourself:

“Do I use this item roughly every 90 days, or more frequently?”

If the recent use was a one-off, maybe you can get rid of it. But if you are making regular use of the item, even if it is just every few months, it may be worth holding onto.

If your answer to the first question was “no,” and you have not used the item in the past 90 days, ask yourself this:

“Is it likely that I will be using this item sometime in the next 90 days?”

If you foresee that you will be using the item in the near future, even if you have not used it for a while, that would also be a good reason to consider keeping it. You may very well regret it if you donate it and then end up needing it.

What if you answered “no” to both the questions? Millburn and Nicodemus recommend that you get rid of the item. In theory, you could go half a year without ever touching it. In practice, odds are good you would go a lot longer than that. By making the 90/90 technique a strict rule, you streamline decisions about clutter.

What about items that you often go months without touching, but then get a great deal of use out of—like seasonal clothing, supplies and so on? Millburn and Nicodemus say you can still use the 90/90 rule, but you can go with a wider timeframe. You could make it the 180/180 rule for example, or even the 365/365 rule.

How critical is it to make the 90/90 rule a strict one? That all depends on the challenges you face decluttering and what your goals and personality are. For a lot of people, it is a huge help to have simple, rigid rules to follow which make decisions cut-and-dry. For others however, some flexibility may be important. Plus, the 90/90 rule really only applies to “usable” items. It doesn’t apply to decorative items or sentimental keepsakes.

If you have been in search of effective decluttering techniques, hopefully you will the 90/90 rule helpful. Even if you cannot use it for everything, you should find it useful for quite a few things. Good luck achieving your decluttering and organizing goals!