The beginning of the new year is the perfect time for a fresh start, which is why decluttering your home should one of your goals for 2016. Physical clutter creates mental clutter, whereas a tidy living space can help you feel happy and calm. By combatting the anxiety caused by living in disorganisation and chaos, decluttering can transform your life and help boost your sense of wellbeing.
That said, if the idea of taking on your clutter makes you feel anxious, worry not, as Serena, organisation expert and Tasker at TaskRabbit is here to share her fun, creative tips to help you combat clutter:
1. Make a list
To-do lists can be extremely useful but when they're seemingly endless or too vague, it becomes hard to prioritise what to tackle first. Start off by writing everything down, even the smallest task – such as clearing out your make up bag. Then, highlight the three most important tasks you need to get done.
Once you’ve completed these priorities, STOP. Do this every day. Keeping tasks short and manageable will stop you feeling overwhelmed and ensure you’ll be able to fit these easily into your daily schedule.
2. Donate it, bin it, relocate it
This should be the official anthem for organised people. Take the 10-10-10 challenge!
Give yourself an hour to identify ten items to throw away, ten items to donate, and ten items to be relocated to their proper home. Life is much simpler when you know exactly where to find everything. If you can't find a place to store a particular item, consider whether it is really something you need.
3. Spring clean your wardrobe
Your wardrobe can be your best friend and your worst enemy. It’s easy to hide clutter behind its closed doors and pretend it doesn’t exist, but a tidy, organised wardrobe is a must for saving precious time and headaches.
Switch up seasonal clothing. Items like your favourite summer shorts and sandals should be rotated with cosy winter jumpers and boots. Get into the habit of putting clothes in storage as the weather dictates. Use hideaways such as airing cupboards or boxes under your bed to keep these out of sight, and out of mind.
When it comes to freshening up your wardrobe - be ruthless and let it go! Embrace the “love it or lose it” rule. If you haven't worn an item in the last twelve months, you don't love it. Ask yourself if you would buy this item today? If the answer is no, recycle it or give it to a friend. Either way, you can live without it.
4. Delegate to the experts
Alternatively, if the thought of tackling the chaos brings you out in hives, why not delegate to the experts?
There are a cluster of apps and on-demand decluttering services available, such as TaskRabbit, which enable you to ‘Task it,’ finding skilled professionals in your local neighbourhood to tackle the organisation tasks you simply don’t have the time or the skills to do.
By getting support with your life admin, you can free up your diary to focus on the more relaxing things in life, like spending time with friends, binging on Netflix or simply chilling out with a magazine!
5. Use smart storage solutions
Simple storage solutions can be a lifesaver for getting your clutter under control, especially if you live in a small space. Take for instance, your bathroom. Clutter often builds up quickly, usually as a result of being short on time in the mornings and having too many cosmetics. To prevent overspill, try keeping all your essential toiletries in one pretty storage basket which you can keep beside the sink.
To tackle hallway clutter, use a storage bench and shoe rack. Hang some hooks above wasted wall space to keep coats and scarves in order. For small bedrooms, under bed storage is essential! Use pull-out boxes that will hide away clothes and spare bed linen. Make the most of vertical space, by installing tall shelves. A thin wall-hung shelving unit is especially useful as it won't impose on the space but can hold decorative trinkets, such as photo frames and books.
Finally, kitchens tend to be the worst culprit for gathering clutter and miscellaneous items, from copious plastic bags and old takeaway boxes to reams of utensils. If you're going a little nuts trying to squeeze your cooking equipment into the cabinets of a tiny kitchen, consider mounting a pegboard to hang all your essentials, or use a magnetic strip to store knives on the wall and save on drawer space.
Do you have any tips of your own to add?
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