When it comes to tidying our homes, we all have our methods of organizing — some of which aren't always efficient. And if you’re guilty of always picking things up, only to move them to another area where it doesn’t belong, you’re not the only one!
Be it a coat you’ve left hanging over a chair or the laundry pile that’s been sitting in the basket for days, it’s easy to accumulate mess. And while there are plenty of organizing hacks from KonMarie to the holistic Swedish Death Cleaning, I'd still procrastinate when trying to keep on top of the clutter.
But there is one decluttering hack that has resurfaced, and worked wonders for me in my home lately. The One Touch Rule is a simple, no -fuss method of decluttering that will instantly keep your house neat and tidy.
What is the One Touch Rule?
Essentially, the One Touch Rule is exactly that. The idea is that once you pick something up around the home, you put it away or deal with it immediately. So if you have mail, you either read it at that moment, throw in the trash or file it.
I would get into the habit of leaving mail on the bookshelf, until it would all pile up, looking an unsightly mess. The same applied for any grocery receipts that would be taken out of the bags, only for them to accumulate. This One Touch method prevents items from being set aside, and simply forgotten about, which often leads to an untidy space.
This concept was invented by Ann Gomez, a productivity consultant based in Chicago. According to Gomez, the key to organization is taking quick action by putting items where they belong or dealing with them straight away. This eliminates the bad habit of shifting items from one place to another before (eventually) putting them away.
Of course, this makes perfect sense in theory, but how did I fare in putting this method into practice?
1. Laundry
Admittedly, putting away the laundry pile is the one task that, for me, often gets left and forgotten about. How many times have we folded our clean garments neatly, only to leave it in a pile on the chair? And while I’d always have the intention to put away items, there would be that inevitable distraction that would take me away from the task.
The One Touch Rule meant that as soon as I’d folded laundry, I would immediately put everything away in its designated place. Not only will this eliminate clutter, but you don’t have to waste time looking for your favorite shirt or missing sock in the pile!
2. Kitchen
There are undoubtedly times when we've left dirty dishes or coffee cups by the sink and walked away. While this can often be time dependent, the One Touch Rule suggests you clean your dishware immediately after use. And once dried, put away in your cabinets. This will save the unsightly pile-up of plates, mugs or even pots by the kitchen sink.
I made it a point to rinse my coffee mug straight away (ready for another brew!), and any dishes, cereal bowls or cutlery used. This made my kitchen look cleaner and less messy.
The same process applies when cooking up a feast. When taking out ingredients from the cabinets, it’s very easy to just leave them all out on the countertops. However, this can quickly clutter up the space, leaving your kitchen looking like a tornado has hit!
Once I started to put away each item after I’d used it, it instantly freed up more countertop space, and looked tidier — which is much needed in my compact kitchen.
If you're short of storage, this one small gadget doubled my kitchen cabinet space in seconds or you can try one of these space-saving hack to organize kitchen cabinets.
3. Entryway
The entryway is a common space that can easily get cluttered. Be it an endless shoe collection, umbrellas or excess coats hanging (and dropping off the hooks), the One Touch Rule can work wonders.
If you have any jackets or coats that you don’t regularly wear, simply put it away in the closet immediately. The same applies for any scarves, hats or gloves that are just lying around, collecting dust. I’m guilty of having coats hung up for a year, without even wearing them. So by putting away coats and outdoor wear, you will eliminate unsightly clutter and keep everything tidy.
Similarly, footwear can often pile up, if you don’t have suitable storage space. Rather than having them all cluttered by the door, try one of these 9 space-saving ideas to organize shoes in your entryway. A storage bench is a great multi-functional solution that also doubles up as a comfy seating area to put on shoes.
