A Guideline to Equalize The Amount of Things You Keep

Remove One to Add One is great guideline for keeping emails, documents, spare parts, shoes, books, or just about anything. The concepts is just as it says – before you buy, borrow, and otherwise add something to the things you already have, remove one to make room and keep your inventory or stash from exploding. This works especially well if you've got 'just the right number' of things to start.

Teaching this guideline to kids is a great way of setting them up for success in the future. For example, once they have a collection of DVDs – say 20 or 100, they should pass one on before getting any more. Encourage your kids to give their 'excess' to the library, a shelter, a camp, the Y, or other charitable organization – they always have limited budgets!

If you've got a glut of things right now modify this rule to be: Remove Two to Add One. Follow that two out step consistently and you'll have a relatively pain-free reduction of stuff. For example, say you have two thousand people in your contact or address list. When you add a new contact review the names just before and after the new entry and delete two that are inactive. They may be so inactive that you don't even recognize them anymore. You won't miss them.

Why do this?

• Less to manage
• Faster Access to what is useful and meaningful
• Lower cost insurance
• Less to clean
• Quicker response from your computer
• Better image
• Good feelings
• Few distractions

Do any readers use this or their own guideline today? Please tell us by leaving a comment!

Comments

[Oxiana]

Hi Susan! Thanks for this post...and all of your other amazing tips!

Just thought I'd share...I've been using a time tracking tool from TSheets.com to track both my work and personal time. After using this app on my iphone, I was astounded at the results at months end. Not only have I seen where I'm spending way too much time doing one thing...but also pinpointed areas where I need to block off certain amounts of time for other things. Have a look at TSheets tool at: http://blog.tsheets.com/time-tracking-tool

Thanks again, and keep up the GREAT work!