Jul 16 2008
Employing the One Touch Rule
One of the most brilliant ideas I have come across with regard to frugal time saving tips I learned while I ran the office of a small trucking company years ago. It was a receptionist who first told me about the one touch rule and it has saved me a ton of time over the years.
In a nutshell, the one touch rule dictates that you touch a piece of paper only once.
This can be applied to anything from a magazine to a newspaper, bills, junk mail and even recipe clippings. When you pick it up, read it, make a decision about what course of action needs to be taken and make it happen right then.
To do so will put an end to those endless piles of “things to do” and you won’t be left with stacks of pages to sort through - many of which will end up in other piles or just tossed in the trash anyway.
If you need a pile of things to be read later (and as a writer I always do), that is fine. But don’t allow your pile to overtake a desk, kitchen counter or dining table and make a deal with yourself to set aside time once per week to clear through that pile no matter what.
This will save you a lot of time and you need to be just as frugal with time as you are with your money!
That’s a fine rule: simple to remember, and should be simple to apply. I find I waste a good two days a month going through piles of papers and trying to remember why I kept them, if I need them and so on.
Thanks again for sharing.
My mother was a tax preparer and taught me this at a young age. Its how I handle everything from getting rid of clothes to tax papers. Its also something I teach small businesses on a daily basis and always wondered why no one had heard of it.
I like that you touch on time. Being frugal should not drive you to insanity. Really, it should just open your eyes to all of the crap you buy and why you buy it.
Nice blog!
This is great advice. I often try to do this everyday
Thanks for sharing this!