One of the best ways to eliminate clutter is to use the “one-in, one-out rule.” If you want to get and stay organized, this best practice is one of the best clutter busters for home organization that can change your life, free up more space and that you can implement immediately!
What Does This Rule Mean?
The one-in, one-out rule is a general rule of thumb or best practice to keep clutter from piling up. If you keep bringing in more stuff into your home and run out of space to store all your new purchases, the stuff will start to pile up. When things pile up, the piles attract more stuff and before you know it, your home has clutter everywhere. Notice how things tend to pile up every available flat surface.
You may even say “oh, I’ll just put it down here for now and deal with it later.” But as we both know, later doesn’t come and the stuff keeps coming into the house and gets added to the piles if not dealt with immediately. It’s a vicious cycle when the “one-in, one-out rule” is not used on a regular basis.
How Do You Apply This Rule?
You might relate to this shoe scenario. You’re at a shoe sale and you come home with one or two new pairs of shoes. Your shoe racks are already full and you may even have out of season shoes tucked away or stored in another room. You bring your shoes and decide that the best solution is to buy another basket. A month later, you come home with another pair of shoes and add them to the pile on the floor or to the overflowing basket.
Before you know it you have a mountain of shoes and you can’t get to your clothes. So you decide to get organized and start sorting your shoes. You tell yourself that you wear all your shoes or you might need them someday when in reality you only wear 20% of your favorite shoes 80% of the time. Sure, you’ll have some fancy shoes for going out or seasonal shoes for summer or winter and that’s ok. After a several hours of trying to organize your shoes you give up and decide to keep all your shoes.
Letting Go Can Make a Difference
At some point you need to realize that you only have so much space in your home and on your shelves. Letting go of something isn’t always easy, but choose to focus on how something old is something new for someone else. When you bring something new into your home and give something away to someone else, you are making a difference in that other person’s life! The stories I could share with you when I gave items away to those in need would bring tears to your eyes I’m sure. Clutter busting tips are a life skill you can easily learn and pass onto your children.
Clutter busters for home, like applying the one-in, one-out rule, is just one way to eliminate the clutter and piles and you can pass on items to family or friends, someone in need, or donate to a charity that is near and dear to your heart. Letting go can be very fulfilling and cleansing at the same time! The next time you bring home a new pair of shoes, let go of a pair that are uncomfortable and you don’t like wearing, hurt your feet or are scuffed up beyond repair. It’s time to let them go and make room for something new.
Also, don’t let your out-going items pile up in your home and get them out of the house as quickly as possible. You can apply the one-in, one-out rule to articles of clothing, kitchen gadgets, books, magazines, tools, office supplies, and so much more.
Whenever possible, when you bring something new into your home, practice this clutter busting tip by donating, recycling or tossing items that no longer fit, are broken, you don’t wear, don’t use or does not enhance your quality of life. And get to know where donation bins, drop-offs centers and recycling depots are in your area and watch the piles in your home.
Where will you practice the one-in, one-out rule in your home?