O-H-I-O!
No, I’m not talking about the ubiquitous football cheer for The Ohio State University.
I recently heard about a decluttering strategy called Only Hold It Once (OHIO). What a great mnemonic for getting some momentum when decluttering—especially living this close to Columbus, with scarlet and grey being so prevalent in fall. Before I go further, credit where credit is (maybe) due: the Internet says there are at least two people who may have coined the term: Robert Pozen in his book about productivity and Edward Hallowell, who studied ADHD. Given the murky origin story, we’re just going to press—I didn’t create it, but I like it.
Only Hold it Once is obviously more than just a strategy for big projects—it can be part of your daily/weekly philosophy. I’m trying to implement it in my home. The start of the weekend typically finds me going through piles of…all sorts of stuff…that have built up over the week. One of the biggest series of piles? Mail. So, how to implement? When the mail comes in during the week, and it’s a bill (most are online now, but propane delivery, certain doctor’s offices, etc. still send me envelopes filled with love), the goal is to pay it online or by check right away and then file or toss the receipt. This avoids the multiple “mail that needs to be reviewed for different reasons” piles.
Another great example: the dog toy in the middle of the floor goes into the dog toy basket in the living room. Doing it right away means there may be a few more trips back/forth between rooms (building a pile in a safe place near the top/bottom of stairs if you live in a multi-floor residence may be prudent). Still, I have found that I actually get through the full room declutter faster—because I’m not creating extra decision steps even if I am adding physical ones.
Now to apply OHIO to downsizing.
The best way to downsize is to make a decision right away about an object/paper/category and then move on. This avoids expending extra energy relitigating the hard decisions. Does that mean that once you’ve put it in a box, you can never change your mind? No, but it does mean that inertia will be your friend for once. If you’ve made a decision, changing it will be harder than any other option. So, prevaricating on whether you’re keeping that lovely (but never used) soup tureen your aunt gave you for a wedding present won’t come up because…out of sight, out of mind, unless you really dwell on it. And if it’s keeping you up at night, it may make sense to change your decision—but really, that’s likely to be somewhat rare.
The best part about this? Using an OHIO method should save time and energy. When you’re done, studies show that decluttering (whether for a move or just caring for your living space) increases available energy. Why? Because clutter makes you tired just looking at it (literally). It makes you feel guilty for not dealing with it, which uses energy. A tidy and organized space makes it easier to concentrate and reduces anxiety.
So go on, O-H-I-O!
Piles of dog toys with our tired pup 
Piles of mail at the end of the week
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