Here’s a good test to see if you’re cluttered or not.
Set a timer to see how long it takes you to find and lay your hands on the following common household items…
- your passport
- the spare front door key
- your address book
- your last bank statement
- an envelope and a stamp
less than five minutes?
fantastic you’re pretty decluttered, and efficiently organised
more than five minutes?
You’re probably already wasting time on a daily basis looking for things you’ve lost.
Having a home for everything, and making sure things go back there really does make sense. It will save you so much time, wasted energy and stress.
“I’m keeping it, because it might come in useful later”
Lofts, garages and spare rooms throughout the UK are piled high with magazines, old newspapers, plastic bags full of leaking cosmetics, broken electrical appliances, margarine pots and empty jam jars. Not forgetting unopened boxes that have been transported from one house move to another.
Ask yourself why are you keeping all this stuff? Would your life be better without all these things cluttering up your space. Before you chuck it in the bin, see if it can be recycled or perhaps a local GP would like the magazines. Keep a couple of jam jars if you like, but not dozens (unless you make jam).
People often say to me – the minute I threw it out I needed it! Yes there is a small chance that you will let go of something that could be useful in the future. But balance this against the incredibly positive benefits of having clear and organised space. I know which I prefer.
“It might be valuable in the future”
People often hoard all sorts of objects in the hope that they will become valuable in future. The current trend of TV programmes such as Cash in the Attic and Flog It encourage this sentiment.
The problem start when all these things stop you enjoying your home now. I often find that people are not storing things carefully so they may be losing value anyway. Clients often want to “fix” this by hiring a storage unit to keep all this stuff in.
Before doing this and holding onto bulky items such as old magazines ask yourself what is itcosting you to store. You’re paying mortgage or rent on that spare room that you can’t get into, not to mention that storage unit. Be selective about what you keep. Try to only keep collections you enjoy looking at.
Why not sell some now and have fun with the proceeds!
“One person’s clutter is another person’s treasure”
Absolutely. And in two ways.
Turning your clutter into someone else’s treasure…
The whole secondhand and charity shop market is based on this fact. So when you decide to let something go don’t chuck it in the bin, there are lots of people out there who will love it and give it a good home.
You could…
- Donate to charity – check out www.charityshops.org.uk . It has a shop locator. Ask if they will come and collect. Some will also collect good quality furniture.
- Turn your clutter into cash. There are many ways to sell your stuff. Auction, car boot sale, Loot, free ads in local papers, newagent windows or online www.ebay.co.uk.
- Give it to friends or family. Some workplaces get together and have swapping days when you can exchange your clutter for treasure. Why not organise one?
- Recycle – if something has had its day perhaps it will have to recycled and made into something new before it becomes treasure again.
and, your treasure is not clutter…
Remember that the whole point of decluttering is to recognise what is truly treasured, and to be able to discard what is not. My clients often feel the most elated when they are able to give pride of place to a truly loved possession.
“Home is where the heart is”
What does your home mean to you? Is it a place where you can relax, happily invite friends and family in, or maybe run a successful business from?
If clutter is clogging up your home, the thought of someone else seeing it can cause terrible stress. People often tell me they’re too ashamed to invite anyone in.
Whenever you are planning to declutter, keep a strong picture in your mind of what makes your heart lift and soar. Look at home magazines and take inspiration from TV makeover shows. Whether it’s cosy cottage or minimal loft style – don’t let clutter stop you creating the home your heart desires. Start decluttering today!
“A stitch in time saves nine”
This is so true when it comes to clutter. In fact one definition of clutter is things that have not been dealt with. Procrastination always goes hand in hand with clutter
For example you come back from a trip and don’t unpack your suitcase. You can’t find your suntan lotion so you go out and buy some more. You shove your suitcase still unpacked into your spare room and fall over it every time you look in.
The longer you leave it the less inclined you feel to open it. Things that haven’t been dealt with acquire a kind of negative energy. You feel guilty every time you see it but you try and stay out of the spare room so you don’t have to think of it.
In reality unpacking it would take very little time. I know it’s easy to say but if you deal with things at the time you don’t have to waste any precious mental energy thinking about them. Your home will also stay uncluttered and things won’t pile up.
“Out of Sight – Out of Mind”
It’s common to keep things out on view to remind yourself you need to do something about them. The problem with this system is that very quickly the piles grow. That cheque that needs banking is quickly lost under a pile of newspapers. As soon as it’s out of sight, it really is out of mind – forgotten and obscured under a pile of clutter.
How can you avoid this?
Unclutter your mind by writing things down either in a notebook or on your computer. This works as a master list and every day you can make up a to-do list from it. If you’re forgetful, write down where you have stashed the cheque in the meantime. Wherever possible do things straight away so you don’t need to add them to your to-do list.
“Tidy People need to Get a Life!”
The myth here is that tidy people spend all their time tidying up. The reality is that once your home is organised and clutter-free, tidying up takes very little time. Having a home full of clutter means that everything takes much longer – just finding the keys or the kids school stuff. Not to mention the stress and frustration of always looking for things and being late. Once you are clutter free you can turn your energy to much more interesting things – like having fun!
