Yes, I'm decluttering!
I’m sure I’m probably late to the regular decluttering party, I usually have to spend a few hours or days each quarter/season having a good old clear out, resulting in 3 full charity bags, 5 rubbish bags, and numerous conversations with myself about things I forgot I had bought and probably really needed at the time, ending in a ‘Tip Trip’…who doesn’t love a tip trip? These kinds of mass culling are undoubtedly resulted in me throwing perfectly good or even new items away because I hit the ‘I’m fed up doing this now’ wall.
Since I did a totally unrelated small business challenge that included a small add-on to one of the days which was to declutter your desk space. I have looked a bit more into it and have expanded the exercise throughout the house.
Is it a New Year thing for you? Have you decluttered this month? Are you an avid declutter maintainer or can you cope with a bit of clutter? I'm really interested to know because I have kept on top of what I've done (yes it is only a few months) but I feel so much better for it generally.
Decluttering is definitely an ongoing process. It’s going to take some time but if you take your time and only select one area or room at a time, you might even enjoy it! It is definitely worth the effort, and you'll be happy that you have taken the time to do it.
Like everyone else it feels good to create space and for everything to have its place, it’s just like cleaning, we all have our own routines that make perfect sense to us…possibly not others, but that’s the fun in it, right?
I’m no decluttering Queen or Pro, I just thought I would share a few tips to help you get started, continue or maintain your own decluttering journey…and enjoy it!
DECLUTTER…You’ll be happy that you have taken the time to do it!
Why are you doing it?
I started because I had been intending to have a ‘clear out’ for my own well-being initially, I was working from home for a few days and going into the office for a couple of days. I had a few piles and bags that were for my day job and piles, boxes, stock, bags, and paperwork for my subscription boxes...all in my home office, which I love usually. I have a lovely glass desk, tasteful storage, coffee machine, wax burner, faux plants (don’t judge), and a really bright, colourful inspiring notice board, it’s a great space to work in...I just couldn't see it!
Well, it got to the point that I couldn’t get my hands on the right bag/paperwork as quick as I like to whilst doing the day job, I couldn’t see my desk, printers had their designated piles on top of them, piles were so high my notice board was less than inspiring. I was doing a course and the challenge I mentioned before…yes more paperwork ironically filed tidily in a bright orange folder so I could locate it…hadn’t seen it for weeks! The notes I was taking were written on the back of anything I could grab when I am a stationery fiend and allocate a specific notebook for each training course or challenge…usually!! It was all a total mess and I felt the same.
I never knew what I was wearing the next day, I was fire-fighting and repeating work I had already done on the subscription boxes, wasting time I didn’t have, I kept avoiding things that would take me a minute because I didn’t know where to start, I was totally all over the place. I am such an organised person and process creator and driven to try to keep on top of things at work, my job titles have included the words organiser, coordinator, manager and planner, so I know I just have to encourage my work processes to be adapted into home processes!
Why are you decluttering?
The Prep
As I mentioned before I am process-driven, so before I started I created checklists and A4 pages/labels for Sell It, Donate It, Give to a Friend, Keep It or Bin It items, together with bin bags, boxes, or bags. Also ‘Dress Size’ labels for clothing…yes, it’s true, I have a variety of clothes sizes ranging from my best to my worst, I’m not kidding I had to create 5 different size labels! Damn you covid and our constantly topped up emergency lockdown cupboard, haha.
I have shared my checklists and labels so you can download and print for your Prep’ if you want to do it that way – just click HERE
The other thing important to your ‘Prep, is to just let it go, get rid of it, remove it from your eye line! You haven’t worn, used, or possibly even seen it for months, you are not going to miss it! Caveat: if it looks valuable, get it checked out first!
Where to Start
What irritates you the most? Is it your wardrobe, a bunch of handbags all with ‘stuff’ in them, the cupboard under the stairs, the kitchen cupboard under the sink, or even a pile of papers pushed to the side in the kitchen? Start with your own things first, you haven’t got to ask anyone or create another pile for someone to go through. You never know they might do their own once they see the difference you make to yours.
It could just be removing items from each room and putting them into the room/space they have actually come from…just start there, there’s no rush!
The old saying "A place for everything and everything in its place" which I’m sure you have heard of, it’s so true and a must for keeping things tidy.
Just take a pile, a drawer, a wardrobe, a cupboard, a room at a time, or an hour or two a week/weekend. If you do it for too long you’ll hit that ‘I’ve had enough now’ wall and maybe start throwing perfectly good things away. Just step back and go back to it either later or next week.
If you like a visual you could take before and after pics, you’ll get a great sense of achievement.
Oh and play great music…music helps at any time!
10 Minute Timer
Each day when I get in from work I grab a coffee and go up into my home office and work on Remie Margot and the Subscription boxes, but before I have dinner each evening I make sure I finish what I’m doing and set Alexa or my phone on a 10-minute timer and I clean up the office rather than run-down to dinner (or to make dinner) at the last possible minute, leaving a blog or post-half-written, a brochure cover half designed or a stock order sitting in the basket unordered. If I am on top of my office, I go into a bedroom or bathroom and clean up in there until the buzzer goes off. This is something I have read about and heard people talking about on various platforms, it’s really good for our well-being.
Outdoors
It is great to get the outdoor areas ready, sort through any burnt-out candles, solar lights that don’t work, and ruined outdoor rugs. Clean down the patio, mow the lawns, plant any seasonal planters, wash and freshen up the throws, cushions, etc.
Declutter then organise! It’s definitely an ongoing process. Let me know how you get on, I would love to see the before and after pics.
FURTHER READING...I love to read about the variety of ways to get things done!
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