I tried the 'one touch' tidying rule – it's the best way to combat decision fatigue when decluttering

If you struggle with decision fatigue when decluttering, you're not alone. Deciding which items deserve a place in your home can be tiring, especially if you're sentimental. Fortunately, the 'one touch' tidying rule could be the saving grace we all need.

Decluttering a home is no easy feat, and some of us need all the help we can get when it comes to this mammoth task. After seeing people swear by this decluttering method online, I was only too eager to put it to the test. It's a technique that encourages us to make quicker decisions about what to keep and what to let go of, but how easy is it to use in practice?

I'm no stranger to trying professional decluttering methods - I recently put the 1-3-5 decluttering technique and four box method to the test, and had great success with both. I've got high hopes for the 'one touch' tidying rule too, and there are still areas of my home that need organising.

After speaking to home organisation and decluttering experts, it seems that the 'one touch' tidying rule is popular for a reason. Keep reading to find out what this technique is all about and how to use it in your own home; plus, how I got on when trying it and whether I'd recommend this method.

What is the 'one touch' tidying rule?

The 'one touch' tidying rule involves picking up an item and deciding what to do with it before you put it back down. So, you only touch the item once before deciding whether to keep it or let it go.

"The 'one touch' tidying rule is a simple yet effective technique for keeping your home organised and clutter-free," says Max Wilson, Co-Founder, Pocket Storage. "The guiding principle is to touch each thing only once and to immediately decide what to do with it, rather than setting it aside to address down the road."

This method sounds like it could be particularly helpful if you struggling with decision paralysis when decluttering. Instead of deliberating on whether or not to keep something, you can short-circuit the battle by asking yourself the following questions when picking up an item:

• Do I need this?
• Do I use this regularly?
• Do I love this?
• Does this add value to my life?

These questions are a useful framework that will help you decide whether or not something deserves a place in your home. And instead of going back to the same item multiple times, the one-touch method encourages you to make a decision there and then, so there's less chance that you'll talk yourself into keeping something when you know that it's probably time to get rid.

"This method works so well because it reduces “decision fatigue” and the overwhelm often associated with decluttering," Helen Langley, professional organiser and director of Pride of Place advocates. "By focusing on one item at a time and committing to action, you avoid procrastination and create a sense of accomplishment with every choice you make."

Helen Langley

Helen Langley is a Professional Home Organiser and Founder of Pride of Place, a team of professional organisers who are passionate about creating beautifully organised homes for their clients.

Tips for using the 'one touch' tidying rule

Like our favourite professional tidying techniques, the 'one touch' decluttering method is simple, effective, and easy to follow, but there are some tips that will help you get the most out of using it.

"Set yourself up for success by designating spaces for donations, recycling, and rubbish before you begin," Helen suggests. "This makes it easier to follow through on your decisions."

Because this method involves making on the spot decisions, it's advised to start with one small area at a time, so you can build momentum without feeling overwhelmed. So, instead of using the technique to declutter your loft or declutter your garage all at once, focus on a specific area - a cupboard, a chest, or a drawer - to start with.

"It's also really important to commit to the process," Helen says. "Resist the urge to set items aside “for later.” The goal is to touch it once and act!"

Trying the 'one touch' tidying rule

Heeding the advice to start with one specific task, I decided to put the one-touch method to the test by firstly decluttering my toiletries. My bathroom storage cabinet has been feeling ready to burst lately, so it feels like a good place to start.

I should preface this by saying that I'm quite an indecisive person, especially when it comes to decluttering. I tend to attach sentimental value to items that don't necessarily warrant it, which means there's a lot of stuff in my flat that I probably need to get rid of.

But starting with the toiletries, I decided to firstly pull everything out of the drawers and onto the floor, to give me a good visual on what I have. I start sorting through them, using the one-touch method to make a clear decision on whether or not an item is staying or going.

My favourite thing about using the one-touch technique is that I couldn't move on to the next item until I'd made the final decision on the item in my hand. As someone who tends to jump between tasks before they are finished (it's the same story when keeping up with daily cleaning habits unfortunately), this was really helpful in speeding up the decluttering process.

After sorting through my toiletries and letting go of products I no longer use, I decided to try the 'one touch' tidying method to declutter my books next. I'm anticipating this to be much more of a struggle; as an avid reader, I love my book collection, but I just don't have the space to store all of them.

This time round, I find the 'one touch' tidying rule slightly more challenging. It requires quite a bit of discipline to make a decision on an item before moving on to the next, as I realised when decluttering my books. The temptation to create a 'maybe' pile was real, but I knew that if I wanted to do the method properly, I needed to decide which books to let go of in the moment.

This forced me to be more ruthless in the decluttering process. I also didn't spend as long umming and ahhing about a specific book as I would have done normally.

Finally, I used the one-touch method to declutter my under the bed storage. This was a bigger task than the other two, with it being an area where random items get shoved for lack of a better place. I prepared by getting some bags out to sort items into 'bin' and 'donation' piles.

Using the 'one touch' tidying rule, I successfully sorted through my seasonal clothes, Christmas decorations, and boxes of memorabilia from over the years (think old concert tickets, holiday souvenirs, and randomly, a collection of high school reports). This last one was the hardest, and I found my sentimental mindset getting in the way of the quick decision-making process the one-touch method encourages. It was an exercise in self-discipline to actually follow the rule of the method and decide what to do with an item before moving on.

Verdict on the 'one touch' tidying rule

So, after putting it to the test, do I recommend the 'one touch' tidying rule? Absolutely I do. If you struggle with making quick decisions when decluttering, this method will be perfect for you. Knowing that you'll be deciding what to do with an item on the spot can be great for decluttering motivation, as it cuts the length of the process down considerably.

I will say that you'll need to be quite strict with yourself when using this method. If you feel stuck on a particular item, it's all too tempting to create a 'maybe' pile and move on to something else. But if you commit to the process, you're more likely to see the job through.

Top Tip: "When using the one-touch technique, start with the easiest items to first, to build momentum," Poppy Duffree, founder and director of Organised Interiors advises. "This makes it easier when you get to items that require more thought as you’re already in the flow and have often broken through an initial mental resistance to parting with items."

After using the 'one touch' tidying rule, my home feels clearer, calmer, and more organised, which in turn has done wonders for my mind. I'm a fan.