If you feel like you’re drowning in too much stuff, it’s probably time to face your fears and battle the mess monster that’s raging in your home. Not only does a messy home affect your mood, but it can also affect your mental attitude towards life. It’s well known that when your surroundings are clean and tidy it can free up a lot of mental space, enabling you to feel more focused and positive about your life.

Many people think that tidy and organised, means minimalist and clinical, but in fact, you can still implement your personal style in your home without having to live in a world of white. We may be coming to the end of spring, but there’s never a better time to de-clutter your home and give it a spring clean, ready to take on the next months of summer fun and frivolities.

Follow these simple steps to de-clutter your home, and you’ll soon be feeling energised and ready to tackle life head-on.

Where to Start

It may seem like a mammoth task is laid out before you, but take one room at a time, and avoid trying to tackle too much at once. Enter a room equipped with everything that you need, from black bags to cleaning products, and make a list of everything you would like to do in that room to make it feel clean, tidy and de-cluttered. Being organised and focused is the key to avoiding distraction.

The Rules

Any professional organiser will tell you that there are some rules to live by when you decide to de-clutter and cleanse your home, and these words of wisdom are as much common sense as they are expert tips.

• Whenever you’re attempting to remove items from your home start small with inconsequential things that don’t have any special meanings. This can be gifts that you’ve perhaps never used or random items you’ve collated.
• ‘Just-in-case’ items need to go. If you can’t give an item date of when you’re next going to use it, then the likelihood it’s not going to get used. So be brave and donate it.
• Turn special items into extraordinary items by giving them a purpose in your home. We can all become very nostalgic about inherited items because of their meaning, but rather than keeping them hidden away to collect dust, turn them into something special or useful for your home. Framing unique items can be a way of adding them to your home without the risk of them being broken.
• If it hasn’t been used in 6 months say goodbye to it.

Areas of Distress

For many de-cluttering can be a painful experience, not only because we can easily become attached to items, but because we’re now in a society that is told constantly that our lives would be better if we bought this or that, leading us to feel an emotional connection to all of our purchases. This world of consumerism can make us spend money and keep items that we just simply DO NOT NEED!

In our homes, we may all have particular areas that cause us headaches, but they can all be tackled with a positive mental attitude and a little organisation;

• Wardrobes – ‘Nothing to wear’ syndrome is a common frustration, but it’s probably because your wardrobe is overspilling with items that you haven’t worn in months or years. But it if doesn’t fit or make you feel fabulous then it has to go. We have a common issue of keeping clothes that we think will fit when we’ve lost a little weight, but the likelihood is you’ve probably been saying this for months or years, so do yourself the favour and just say goodbye to it.
• Main Drawers – We’ve all got those draws that are home to leftover birthday candles, dead batteries, and wires we have no idea where they came from. But spaces like this are just an amalgamation of disorder bundled into a draw. Don’t be dismayed at the thought of organising this space though, it can become the treasure trove you need it to be as long as it’s organised appropriately. Tupperware boxes and labels will be your best friends in this situation of organised chaos. Bin anything that’s broken or not working, and box accordingly if in working order.
• Computers – It may sound odd, but when was the last time you gave your computer a detox and printed out those thousands of pictures that are saved on your hard drive using up all the space? If you can’t afford to print them all off, download them onto a USB stick, and store them in a labelled box. Remove any programmes that you no longer use and the same for any old documents. After all, it’s better to have them on a USB stick than at risk on the computer.

Add Purpose

It can be a little upsetting to de-clutter your home of unwanted items, especially when you realise that you have collated so much stuff. But don’t make a waste when you don’t need to. If you can give items away with purpose the task can become more meaningful. As the old saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so search around to see what other charities you can help.

10 TIDY & ORGANISATION HACKS

Living a simple life is something I am passionate about and decluttering is something that goes hand-in-hand with simple living. Keeping our environment clean and tidy isn’t just enjoyable for living in, but it helps us feel more organised, less overwhelmed and stressed, and can also help us be more productive. The habits I share below have made a huge difference in my life – I hope you’ll find them helpful x

1. CLEAN AS YOU GO

Whether in the kitchen or anywhere else, when you’re done with your items/ingredients, put them away so they don’t pile up as you use them. This makes it so much easier to stay tidy because much of the “tidying up” is already done. 

2. MINUTE OR LESS RULE

This rule is simple: if a task takes a minute or two or less to complete, just do it! Washing a dish, hanging up your coat, putting your shoes on the shoe rack, or making the bed are a few examples of tasks that take no time at all. Resetting my Home every night before I go to bed is my favourite tidy habit – it sets the tone for the next day and makes my Future Self very happy when she wakes up.

3. HAVE A SPOT FOR EVERYTHING

This one’s a game-changer. It is so easy to bring something home and not have a proper spot for it! This alone is a recipe for clutter. Take a moment to select a proper basket, drawer, jar, etc. for your household items. This not only tidies your space but makes it so much easier to find things as they’re always kept in the same location. Having a spot for everything also applies to the files and documents on our computer. If you’re like me or many others, you use your computer a lot. Get into the habit of saving documents and files to properly labelled folders so they’re easy to find 

4. ONE IN, ONE OUT

The one-in, one-out policy essentially means with each item brought into your space, another item is eliminated. Whether it’s a new piece of clothing that can replace an older piece you no longer wear, a new piece of furniture, a kitchen gadget, or a rug. This helps prevent over-accumulating too many things. Simply be aware of what “new” items you bring into your space and donate or get rid of what’s being replaced. 

5. HAVE A CLEANING SCHEDULE

Having a specified cleaning day (or more than one day, if that works for you) is an excellent way to help you stay organised and on track with your tidying duties. For me, Friday afternoons always feel like cleaning days; Laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the windows, and a bit of decluttering if need be. 

Doing the weekly reset of our Home on Friday, I get the weekend off to enjoy the weekend.

6. ASSESS YOUR BELONGINGS REGULARLY

This applies to anything, and it’s so very helpful! Regularly assess the things that you have: Go through your kitchen cupboards, your pantry, clothing, makeup, drawers, etc. and get rid of things you no longer have or that have expired. This feels so good to do! 

7. HAVE A DONATE BAG / BIN

Having a bag or bin handy that’s dedicated to items you no longer want or need and can donate is a fantastic way to help you stay tidy. Simply put away the items in the bag as you come across them and make a trip to your local charity shop when ready. Something I recently started doing is listing unwanted & unneeded things on an app called OLIO.

OLIO connects neighbours and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away. This could be food nearing its sell-by date in local stores, spare home-grown vegetables, bread from your baker, or the groceries in your fridge when you go away. For your convenience, OLIO can also be used for non-food household items, too.

8. MAKE USE OF YOUR TIME

The time spent while cleaning can simultaneously be used to your advantage by learning something new or interesting by listening to a podcast, an audiobook, or simply just playing some music. Turn your cleaning time into an enjoyable activity. In fact, I find tidying often becomes “me” time, and I really enjoy it. Looking after my Home & belongings is a way of practising gratitude for all that I am blessed with.

I recently started practising KINTSUGI – the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold – built on the idea that by embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. My old self would have just thrown these plates away, but KINTSUGI taught me about accepting fragility, building strength and resilience, and taking pride in the imperfect.

9. CREATE A BLANK SLATE

Ever tried this before? Completely clear off your desk, counter, table or whichever surface you choose, and re-add items one at a time. This is a great way to assess belongings and have a vision of how you want each space to look and feel. You’ll likely realise you have so many more things than you thought that you can now store elsewhere, donate, or toss. Before I go out shopping for new things that I need, I’ll walk around our Home and see if I can find something I can use instead – I shop our Home first. Most of the time, I end up finding something I can use.

10. UNSUBSCRIBE FROM MAILING LISTS

How many of you have mailing list subscriptions and receive emails constantly that you don’t read or just delete? These emails quickly pile up – so take a few moments to scan your email inbox for subscriptions you no longer care for. Keeping your email inbox tidy is another way to keep our computer spaces organised, which in turn helps our brains feel a whole lot more organised, too.

Feel free to sign up to my Sunday Morning Letters HERE! It's like having a cup of tea and a chat with me on Sunday mornings - a strong dose of inspiration and encouragement to help you Curate & Live a Well-Designed Life; Consciously, Intentionally & Wholeheartedly. I want you to live your life fully - each day, less on autopilot and more on purpose - living a life of meaning ♡