The ‘Two-Foot Rule’ Helped Clear the Most Important Spaces in My Apartment

The biggest barrier to decluttering is often the sense of overwhelm that takes over before tackling an entire room in one go. In my experience, it typically goes a little something like this: I walk into the space, calculate all the different teeny-tiny nooks and crannies I know I’ll have to sort through to get to the finish line, and then ultimately decide I don’t have enough time at the moment and postpone the chore to a later unknown date.

That’s why, as someone who writes about home and organizing for a living, I typically test out methods that eliminate that sense of stress and overwhelm. When I came across the two-foot rule, I knew it was worth a shot just from its name alone.

If you couldn’t guess, the method encourages homeowners to start the decluttering process with just a 24-inch space. I spoke to a couple professional organizers to get their thoughts on the rule before trying it out myself.

The two-foot rule is all about starting small and strategically so that you don’t get overwhelmed decluttering an entire space at once.

“Instead of walking into a room and thinking, ‘I need to organize this entire space,’ you focus on roughly two feet of the area you interact with most often—the section of the kitchen counter where you make coffee, the entryway where you drop your keys and bag, or the part of your bathroom vanity you use every morning. You’re creating order at the point of greatest use first,” says Elsa Elbert of Composed Living.

The rule is less about precise measurements and more starting with the basics. “Before you feel the need to grab a tape measurer, just go with your gut! You know exactly where your messy piles are,” says home organizing expert Caroline Solomon.

When it comes to shoes, I’ll admit that I have a problem. And recently, I’ve been dreading going into my closet every morning because of how overcrowded my shoe rack has become—it’s even started overflowing into other areas of my closet. I decided to tackle it as my two-foot space.

My shoe collection before decluttering.

My shoes are now way more organized and easier to find.

First, I took all my shoes out of the closet. I focused on sorting through summer shoes first, thinking about which pairs I actually used this past season. I ended up donating a couple sandals and flip flops before organizing the rest of my warm-weather shoes into a small box for the hallway closet. This way, I had enough space for my fall and winter shoes.

After that, I made my way into the bathroom. Recently, I’ve been a bit nervous to even open one section of my vanity mirror cabinet without having items come crashing out. Logically, that’s the space I decided to go with.

The medicine cabinet before clearing out a few items.

The cabinet is now a bit more streamlined.

In the moment, It felt good to know that all I had to do was tackle just that one contained area. Having a finish line in mind that didn’t involve going through every single bathroom-related item I own motivated me to get started. I ended up tossing a few expired medications and giving away a couple unopened products I know I’ll never use.

The most obvious benefit of the two-foot rule? Sidestepping the overwhelm that comes with clearing out an entire space. Instead of walking into a room and immediately thinking about all the different spots to sort through, you can simply enter and focus on one area. But there’s more to it than that.

“The real value is that you’re not just choosing a small space—you’re choosing a high-impact space,” says Elbert. “Clearing two feet of a closet you rarely open probably won’t change your day. Clearing the two feet of kitchen counter you use every morning can. When people experience that immediate payoff, they’re much more motivated to keep going.”

Planning to try the method out for yourself? Organizers share their tips and tricks for implementing the two-foot rule at home. And remember, the key isn’t sticking precisely to the 24 inches—it’s starting with a concentrated space.

✔️ Start Easy: “If you’re overwhelmed at the prospect of decluttering, start small and start easy! The entryway table is usually a low-stakes place to start, and then work your way up to more intimidating zones like your desk surface,” says Solomon.

✔️ Identify Friction Points: “Pay attention to where friction happens in your daily routine. Where are you constantly moving things out of the way, searching for something, or setting things down because they don’t have a home? That’s probably your first two feet,” say Elbert.

✔️ Clear Out Everything: “Remove everything from that small area and only put back what actually supports what you do there. If it’s your coffee station, for example, your coffee maker, mugs, and supplies make sense. The mail, sunglasses, receipts, and random charging cords probably don’t,” says Elbert.

✔️ Finish It Out: “Most importantly, finish that small space completely before expanding. The goal is to create one area that works beautifully, not turn a two-foot project into an entire-room project halfway through,” says Elbert.

✔️ Have a Plan: “It’s easy to quickly cull items from any two-foot space, but make sure they have a future home. And if they don’t, place them in a donation bin to be whisked away as soon as possible,” says Solomon.

Laura Millar

Contributing Writer

Laura Millar (she/her) is a freelance lifestyle journalist for Good Housekeeping. She holds a degree in Film, TV & Media from the University of Michigan, and was previously the assistant lifestyle editor for GH, where she covered home design. Her byline has appeared in NBC's TODAY.com, PEOPLE, Real Simple, and Business Insider.