Did you know that clutter can actually take a toll on your health?! If you feel stressed when you look at the junk stored in the spare bedroom or, even worse, in the hallway or dining room, it’s time to take action!
Here are our top tips for getting sorted:
· Book time in your diary for a declutter. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted!
· Don’t make the mistake of thinking you need to do it all in one go. Start with small steps – by clearing one table top or half of that spare room, you will get that feeling of accomplishment and the motivation to keep going.
· Start with a Three Pile System: Keep it, Bin it, Donate it. Be totally ruthless – if you’ve not used it for six months, the likelihood is you don’t need it!
· If the task is completely overwhelming, there are professional organisers out there, like Pink Spaghetti, who can help. As we are not sentimentally attached to any of your items, we can add a sense of practicality to the task, supporting you in gaining control.
Benefits of decluttering:
· Having a place for everything means that it’s always there when you need to put your hand to it – no more searching around the clutter for those scissors and sellotape when you are rushing to wrap presents for that party deadline.
· Decluttering the kitchen means no more out-of-date food, or those small appliances that seemed like a great idea but are just taking up space in cupboards or on worktops!
· You could earn a little from your ‘donate it’ pile, by actually selling it instead of giving it away for free. Remember that old adage: ‘your rubbish is someone else’s treasure’! We often help clients sell their clutter on eBay – you’ll be amazed at the value of the items that you no longer use.
Making a start on the physical clutter might even motivate you to deal with the often more difficult psychological clutter too; getting rid of anything that is not benefiting your life or bringing you value will often bring you peace.
Bringing order from chaos can be incredibly uplifting and energising: your newly ordered life can bring with it the benefits of reduced worry, better sleep, more energy, having more time to get out and about and generally enjoying life.
So what are you waiting for? Get out those bin bags!
