The "One Touch" Rule

Well, I am back to update you on how I have been doing with this new rule I have applied to my life.  I must say in the last couple of days I don't know how many times I have told myself (in my head) to only touch things once!  I have had to re-evaluate how I do quite a number of things around the house, but for a great cause!

So far I am doing better with the dishes and trash.  I am also doing better at taking things upstairs all at once when I am going up there.  I need to come up with a few ideas regarding dirty laundry.  Since the kitchen and a guest bathroom are downstairs, there are always towels that get dirty and need to go upstairs where our laundry room is located.  I need to come up with a creative place/way to keep the dirty laundry for the day that is not in the way that I can just take upstairs at the end of every day instead of having to walk upstairs every time there is a dirty towel...thoughts/ideas?

I would love to hear how you de-clutter and keep your home neat and tidy.  Please share with me.  Feel free to share links to where you got ideas or how you came up with them!

Cheers to keeping your home tidy and organized!

Getting Rid of "Flat Surfaceitis"

Lately I have been thinking about how to become a better helpmate (& now parenting mother).  While there are many things I can do to begin this process, one jumps out at me at the moment.  I need to be more organized in certain areas of life.  I must admit, I have what my sister and her husband coined as "flat surfaceitis"...i.e. if there is an empty table, chair, etc... I put stuff on it!  

So, my first goal at becoming a better helpmate is to rid myself of "flat surfaceitis".  I don't care how long it takes, I am setting my mind to this and I am going to conquer it!  I think like most people I have too much stuff.  Not only that, I am great at getting something out and not putting it away or getting things out to use and leaving them out.  

In my quest for ideas, I have come across this post from Natalie's great blog regarding the "One Touch Rule".  This is one of the simplest, yet BEST, rules I have come across to get a great start at cutting down clutter!  Read more about it here.

I would get lofty with more ideas, but I want to be honest with myself, so for now, I am going to start with just this one goal.  In an effort to hasten my goal and earn some extra $$, I have opened an eBay store here.  I am beginning to go through things that I no longer use or need to sell or give away.  If the items are in good condition someone else may as well get use out of them! 

Then, when I get the "One Touch Rule" down pretty well, I will move on to another goal. 

What are some ways that you minimize clutter in your home?

Wish me luck!