Test-taking skills offer a perfect analogy for decluttering. We teach kids to do the easy questions first and finish as much as they can before they come back to the more difficult ones. I encourage this approach with decluttering. I know this goes against a lot of conventional advice that says to “only handle it … Read more
I understand the good intentions behind the “Only Handle It Once” (OHIO) rule. Clutter exists because someone couldn’t decide what to do with it, so the OHIO rule tells us to force a decision by vowing to only handle each item once. Unfortunately, this rule has one very big unintended consequence: paralysis! I’ve had many … Read more
Several years ago, I heard some great advice from a registered dietitian. She had a list of 50 ways to improve eating habits, and encouraged her clients to choose one or two new habits to implement per month. This was much less overwhelming, and ultimately more successful, than adopting a totally new dietary regimen overnight. … Read more