Julie Cliff, Declutter Coach at Space and Time, is based in Ashburton and has been decluttering and organising homes for the past 7.5 years. To organise your home this spring, Julie shares the following tips.
Tip 1 – Stop more stuff coming into your home.
The best way to start organising is with less stuff. Less stuff means there is less to pick up, walk around, clean or move before you clean. Be mindful of what you bring into the home.
Tip 2 – Put on the timer for 5 minutes.
People always ask Julie, “where do I start when decluttering?” Her reply is always to put the timer on for 5 minutes and make a start. You are not trying to declutter and organise the whole house; make a start.
Tip 3 – Sort the stuff into categories
Put “like items” together to see what you’ve got. You may like to start by sorting the items on your dining room table into categories.
Tip 4 – Let go of things you no longer need.
From your sorted categories, try letting go of the “low hanging fruit” – these are items that are broken, stained, or ripped and can’t be repaired, or you may have duplicate items, e.g., multiple veggie peelers or a few of your 10 pairs black jeans that you can part with. Also, Know where you can donate it to – search “donations” at spaceandtime.com.au
Tip 5 – Make storage easy
Store your decluttered items in an area of the home where the item is used. Try storage containers that suit your budget, and ensure the storage solution is easy to use and easy to repeat.
Tip 6 – Keep it up!
Instead of an occasional project, make organising and decluttering a daily priority.
Still too hard?
Visit spaceandtime.com.au for tips and advice to take back control of your stuff or to ask for hands-on decluttering help from Julie.