I Tried the “Didn’t Know” Rule, and Decluttered My Nightstand in Minutes
I’d like to say that I’m a pretty organized person. When someone enters my home, they’ll be greeted by a mostly clutter-free space … as long as they don’t open the closets or drawers. I keep my clutter out of sight and out of mind, and while I think I know what’s stuffed behind closed doors, I truthfully don’t know as much as I think. Which is why I’m fascinated by the “Didn’t Know” rule by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus of The Minimalists.
What Is the “Didn’t Know” Rule?
The “didn’t know” rule is simple. In short, if you find something you didn’t know you own, you can give yourself permission to get rid of it. While the idea isn’t complicated, it intrigued me because of all the what if’s. What if I need the item one day? I bought it because at one point, I wanted it. I needed it! Right? The Minimalists argue that if you keep something “just in case,” the “in case” generally never comes. So you might as well get rid of the thing so it’s not taking up valuable space in your home. I had to put it to the test.
How I Tried the “Didn’t Know” Rule?
As I scanned my home looking for a place to start organizing, I knew it had to be behind closed doors. As I was getting ready for the day, my eyes went to my bedside table. My nightstand includes storage, and I for the life of me couldn’t remember what was tucked away inside the small drawer. Perfect! This is exactly what the “didn’t know” rule is all about. When I opened the door to my nightstand, memories came flooding back to me.
I was greeted by a row of books I hadn’t touched in months. All of these books were, at one point, for bedtime reading. The other reason they were hiding was because the spines don’t quite match the color scheme of other books I have displayed. I know, I know, this may sound ridiculous, but I like keeping my books color coded. The yellow, red, and orange toned books just don’t go with the rest of my home, so behind the drawer they went. I did forget that I owned a lot of these books, but as soon as I saw them, I thought to myself “Oh yeah! I remember these.”
So I know the “didn’t know” rule includes getting rid of the items, or at least giving yourself permission to, but I immediately hesitated. While I was OK letting some of the books go, I wanted to keep most of them. Books hold sentimental value, at least to me. I have a free little library in my neighborhood, so I brought my small stack of books to be donated there. I then took the books I was keeping downstairs to our bookcase.
This made me feel good because organizing like with like is a key organization tip. Because these books were a bit scattered, it felt nice to put them all together — even the bright yellow ones. All of my books are now in one place. I was also inspired to re-read one of the books I discovered, so I kept that one upstairs on my nightstand.
Another upside to all of this? I now have so much space in my nightstand! I knew immediately I wanted to store my red light therapy mask in place of where the books were. I use my red light mask just about every day (either first thing in the morning or right before bed) but it didn’t have a home, aside from just on top of my dresser. I like that it now has a spot that’s tucked away and out of sight.
I’m not sure what else I can store here, but I’m excited to have the space. Organizing the contents of my nightstand took 15 minutes in total. I always think organization projects will take way longer than they actually do, which causes me to tackle them less often. But this was done in a snap.
I would totally recommend giving this rule a try, even if you’re hesitant to get rid of things you forgot you owned. I didn’t let go of a lot of the items I forgot about, and I was actually pleasantly surprised by what I found. I was still able to create more space in my home, even without discarding items, and I’d say that’s a win!
Further Reading
I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It’s a Game-Changer!)
Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Article’s DTC Furniture
