How to de-clutter your home

Will Sayner Will Sayner
Re:Toyosaki, coil松村一輝建設計事務所 coil松村一輝建設計事務所 Eclectic windows & doors
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 You don’t have to be a hoarder to have problems with clutter accumulating in your home, unless you’re unbelievably organised or a little O.C.D. there’ll be times – if not most of the time – where certain spaces in your abode get a little overrun with junk.

 It can be hard to find the time to devote to sorting through your possessions, and even harder to let go of many of them, but it’s important for a clutter-free home and the resulting piece of mind that comes with it. With this in mind, today's theme is tips for success in throwing away old and unnecessary items. Let’s get started…

​1. Plan your first move

 It’s important to plan how and when you’re going to have a big clear out, considering the problems you may have had in the past. For example, if you’re prone to procrastination, plan exactly when you’re going to begin and don’t overburden yourself; instead make small goals that you know you can achieve.

​2. It’s not ‘all or nothing’

 Building upon our first point, don’t expect to do everything in one day; it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to and instead you’ll just end up disheartened. Start with one room, with a specific start and end time in mind.

​3. Reward is very important

 That’s absolutely nothing wrong with incentivising yourself! In fact, it’ll probably help. If you’ve got a firm plan in your mind of what you hope to achieve, then also plan how you will spend your time afterwards; making sure it’s something that you enjoy doing.

​4. Clothes are a major culprit for clutter

 Your wardrobe is a simple place to start when it comes to a serious sort out of the home, as it’s fair to say that almost all of us will have a few items of clothing that we could part with. Be ruthless, as the hardest part is letting go. You may be attached to particular item of clothing, but when’s the last time you wore it? And when do you think you’ll wear it again?

​5. Make sure your bookshelf is looking its best

 Books are important for a great many reasons, even for decorating your home, but as with anything, there is such a thing as too much. That's not to say designated library space—like the interior architects have shaped in the office pictured above—should be removed, but if you’re running out of shelf space maybe it’s time to have a clear out or your reading material, particularly with regards to old magazines and travel guides that have long since served their purpose.

​6. Pointless paperwork

 Papers piling up around the place can be a major problem; preventing a clutter-free property, so maybe it’s time to get sorting! We’re not going to lie, sorting through old paperwork while trying to sift out what’s important is one of the most gruelling tasks when organising the home. However, if you do it properly the first time then you may never have to do it again!  Once you’ve got a simple, clear, labelled, and accessible filing system, maintaining it is relatively easy.

 Now that you’ve got your home organised, here’s how to keep it tidy.

 Adapted from an article by AYA F.

Have to got any helpful tidying tips to add? If so let us know in the comments below!

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