Deciding what to discard or keep can often be an overwhelming task for many individuals looking to clean up their space. A seemingly unconventional yet effective strategy, known as the “poop rule,” could assist you to make progress in your decluttering journey.
The “poop rule” gained popularity after a content creator specializing in ADHD and organization, Becka Karle, posted about it on the social media platform, TikTok. To determine whether an item is worth keeping, one should consider if they would clean the item if it had poop on it or if they would just decide to throw it away.
This concept was initially shared with Karle by a therapist she was visiting to better manage her attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms. As Karle struggled to go through and purge items she had collected over time while minimizing her home, her therapist advised her to visualize each object in her hands with feces on it.
For instance, an old toiletry would be gross, right? Would you clean the poop off that? If the answer is no, then you have your cue to discard the item. Similarly, consider a shirt that you wear frequently. Would you clean the poop off the shirt? If the answer is yes, it shows the item has value and should be kept. According to Karle, the poop rule resonated with her as she tends to be a visual and literal person. It served as a tool to keep her “accountable.”
In the social media correspondence of Karle’s viral video, one user compared the poop rule to the famous tidying technique of Marie Kondo, but with a much-clearer twist. Another user on social media, an archival researcher, and scriptwriter, Cooper Ownbey mentioned how the poop rule had a deep impact on her life when Kondo’s approach didn’t work.
Dealing with the clutter and maintaining cleanliness at home can be challenging for individuals with ADHD, largely due to a condition called executive dysfunction— a main symptom of ADHD. For them, regularly employing their executive function skills might be difficult. These include the brain-centered abilities to translate intricate, task-oriented thoughts into goal-directed actions that significantly help in implementing a certain behavior.
This trouble with executive dysfunction can make it difficult to tidy and organize your home, specifically without getting sidetracked, bored, or tired. The poop rule could offer a fun and effective solution for people struggling with executive functions or anyone looking to declutter.
The poop rule can be particularly beneficial as it offers a novel, tangible, and straightforward way to address the decision of whether or not to keep an item. This can be entirely useful in simplifying the intricate decision-making process related to decluttering, which individuals with ADHD often grapple with due to their executive dysfunction.
Ultimately, you don’t necessarily need to have ADHD to leverage the benefits of the poop rule. If it helps you, you can use it to make those challenging decisions about which items are worthy of keeping and which ones you should let go during your decluttering efforts. It might just prove to be the tool you need to finally achieve a tidy, organized space.
