In the Schaub household, we live and die by the one-touch rule for eliminating clutter. By incorporating this one simple step into our daily lives we improved our organization and productivity.

We came across the one-touch rule on Facebook one day. A minimalism blog that we follow shared a picture that stated: "The one-touch rule...only touch an item once".

This watered-down version sounds a bit odd. What does it even mean to only touch an item once?

If we put on a shirt can we never take off the shirt? That would be touching it twice.

Of course, it's a general concept and there are exceptions. After taking the literal translation down a bit, we started to see where only touching an item once, when possible, could be a major game-changer.

And guess what? The one-touch rule was life-changing.

It was so life-changing we share it with everyone we talk to. We thought it was time we stopped talking to everyone under the sun about it and share a post about this amazing, simple concept that every minimalist should live by.

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What is the One-Touch Rule?

As we stated, the simple version of the one-touch rule is what the name implies. Only touch an item once.

But let's break it down more than that because, in real life, you can't only touch an item once ALL THE TIME. There will be times where you do need to touch an item several times.

The basic idea is you need to finish the task after touching an item. If you can't finish the task, then you need to rethink how you are doing the task.

The best way Kelsey explains the rule is when it comes to clutter around the home and putting items away. When it comes to organizing or cleaning up, only touch an item once.

If you are done with your cup of water don't just place it in the sink and walk away because at some point you will have to return to deal with this cup just sitting in the sink. Either wash/dry it or place it in the dishwasher right away.

When you are doing laundry, don't take clothes out of the dryer just to place them in a chair. Fold and put the clothes away immediately so you are not returning to finish the job and touch the items again.

We could give examples of the one-touch method all day but what we want you to take from this is the idea that when it comes to chores around the house and cleaning, try to only touch the item once by finishing the job and putting the item into the final resting place.

Why the One-Touch Rule Works

We have yet to conduct a scientific study on the efficacy of the one-touch rule but trust us, it works. The moment we started implementing the one-touch rule around the home we had less clutter and saved time cleaning later.

Our theory on why this one simple rule works so well to declutter your home is because the items are no longer waiting around but back to where they belong. When you're standing in your kitchen you no longer see all of these messes but everything organized, in its correct spot.

The other reason we think the one-touch method works is that it saves you time in the future. Instead of putting the object down just to return to it later, you get all the steps done right then and there.

You save time by completing the task at that moment. You are no longer wasting time returning to finish the job.

The One-Touch Rule for Productivity

For us, the one-touch rule started as a way to avoid clutter but then we realized it had so much more potential. What if we started using the idea of finishing the task at hand before moving on?

Turns out the one-touch rule really amped up our productivity. The idea is a bit more abstract but the main concept remains.

Focus on one task and complete the task before moving on. This even works for your electronic life including emails, pins on Pinterest, and more!

When you are checking emails, finish checking emails. Delete what needs to be deleted and send the correct responses before moving on to another responsibility.

Since we run this blog we spend a decent amount of time making pins for Pinterest. We used to make them throughout the day but now we spend an hour in the morning and schedule the whole day out.

It turns out, having to go back to the pins was disrupting our day. Overall, we spent more total time probably because we had to reorient to the task at hand and so on.

The Bigger Picture of the One-Touch Rule

If you haven't figured it out by now, we are OBSESSED with the one-touch rule. We can't stress enough how much easier life is when you focus on one job, complete it then move on to the next endeavor.

Even though we love this concept we're not blind to the limitations. Don't stress yourself out trying to always implement this idea.

There may be times where you get stuck during a task and the best thing to do might be to take a break and return at a later point. We get that, but we think this should be the exception, not the norm.

Stop multi-tasking and try accomplishing the task at hand before moving onto something else. You might be surprised at how much more you can do in one day.

The one-touch rule will help declutter your home and life if you just give it a chance. You might not fall in love with the idea like we did but hopefully, you will start to see the benefits and get hooked.