When I was a little girl I was the one always tidying up my sisters bedroom. At my grandmas family parties I used to be the one in the kitchen clearing up the 'mess' whilst everyone was relaxing!! I have always gained such pleasure in sorting and organising and now I do it for a living!! Putting my skills and expertise into practice every day helping people who need it most. Today we all lead busy lives and more often than not the thing that can get neglected is our home. Leading to people living in chaos and clutter and as a consequence causing stress and resentment of our homes. “Clutter is a lot of things in an untidy state, especially things that are not useful or necessary” (Collins Dictionary 2021) Keeping our homes organised can be a constant battle for many, especially those who have busy lives, children and demanding jobs. Keeping an organised home is a never ending journey and therefore to ensure you keep on top of your home you need to get rid of clutter on auto pilot!! Our Environment can affect our mood. If our surroundings stress us out, we feel the impact. Reducing the clutter in our lives – be it physical, digital or otherwise, allows us to tackle ‘stressors’ head on and that will benefit our mental health...Clutter can also cause feelings of stress, fatigue and depression. Thanks to Marie Kondo everyone is ready to 'tidy up' their homes and clear the clutter. As a busy mum, partner and business owner I would love to share with you a few ways to help you live in a more decluttered stress free home that you can enjoy and relax in. Are you asking yourself 'but where do I start?' If you have been hesitating or are easily overwhelmed by clutter in the past, the best method is to start with the small tasks. By tackling small areas, one at a time you will make quick progress – which is super motivating! Before you know it these small steps will add up and your entire home will feel more ‘clean’ and organised. While it may be tempting to tackle a large project in the beginning, this may have the opposite effect and may leave you with more mess than when you started. Here are a few tips to get you started with decluttering your home:
Stop Procrastinating – While this may seem obvious, its honestly the number one reason why many people continue to live in cluttered homes. Its really easy to procrastinate or find something else to do, but this is just going to delay the benefits that are waiting for you on the other side of the clutter. The sooner you start decluttering your home the faster you will see the progress. You dont need a reason or event to happen in order to start, you can start today!!
Clear just one surface – I often suggest starting with a kitchen surface, your dinning room table or bed side table. Choose a surface you see daily and commit to keeping it clear. If you focus on this one simple step this will help you create habits to create a clutter free home over time. Repeat once each month until all flat surfaces in your home are cleared.
Empty just one shelf – Maybe a bookshelf, or a shelf inside a cabinet. A shelf in the kitchen or bathroom is easy to keep clear by throwing out expired or unused products. Again repeat this once each month until all shelves have been cleared.
Tackle junk mail immediately – Nothing accumilates more than junk mail. Get into the habit to open, process and shred all mail as soon as it comes into your home. Many people find financial organisers, simple boxes to store these in and a shredder to discard will help with this process. Repeat daily.
Find a permanent home for 5 items – There are always items around the home that never seem to get put away. Carefully choose your five most commonly left out items and find a place to store them. Repeat monthly.
Donate three pieces of clothing – Clothes are often the hardest things to declutter. We tend to get attached to our clothes and stay that way even if they don't fit or haven't been worn in years. You can make the process pain free by donating three pieces of clothes each week. Soon you will have a bag full ready to go to the charity shop. Repeat weekly.
Dump one drawer – Pick a drawer to declutter and then empty it out. This allows you to see everything in the drawer and makes sorting easier. Group similar items and then decide what you need to keep. While you are at it you could pop in a drawer organiser. You will be shocked at how much tidier everything is when its nice and organised. Repeat every week until all drawers are decluttered.
Organise your medicine cabinet – Tackle your medicine cabinet by creating a neat and tidy place to keep the up to date items you use most often.
Prioritize your living room – We spend the most time awake in our living rooms. Its the space that guests see when they visit your home and where the majority of your attention goes when you enter the home. Set some rules with your family for the living room to be kept clean and clutter free. Maybe have a basket for each member of the household and at the end of the day all items are placed into the baskets and returned to the bedroom they belong in. Repeat daily.
Donate items daily – A common reason for clutter is that it sticks around because it isn't dealt with immediately. As soon as you have decided the item does not belong in your home and could be helpful to someone else, the items then needs to leave your home. It may be worth considering to keep a large bin in your home or a bag in the boot of your car for all things to be donated. When this is full it can be taken down to the local charity shop.
I really hope these tips can help you live a more stress free life and create a long term, long lasting decluttered home for you to enjoy and relax in.
