An Easy Guide to Decluttering and Organising in Bite-sized Chunks
Clear out the mess in your home, without feeling overwhelmed, by following this simple plan of action
Are you short on time and finding it impossible to get to the bottom of that to-do list? Perhaps you don’t have time to even write a list, never mind take action. Sound familiar? Take comfort in the fact that you’re in the majority, not the minority. Vikki Cunliffe from Clear the Chaos shows you how to make a difference in a very short space of time.
Step 2 Clear the decks
Let’s use the example of an understairs cupboard, which should be easily cleared in 55
minutes. Pull everything out of the cupboard so you’re left with a blank space. Don’t feel overwhelmed or daunted, it always looks worse in the beginning.
Now pick up every item and make a decision about whether to keep it. Anything that is broken or has lived its useful life goes straight in the black bags to be thrown away or, preferably, recycled. Put items that someone else will benefit from in the box, which you can later give to charity. If you’re giving away clothing, make sure you empty the pockets first.
Let’s use the example of an understairs cupboard, which should be easily cleared in 55
minutes. Pull everything out of the cupboard so you’re left with a blank space. Don’t feel overwhelmed or daunted, it always looks worse in the beginning.
Now pick up every item and make a decision about whether to keep it. Anything that is broken or has lived its useful life goes straight in the black bags to be thrown away or, preferably, recycled. Put items that someone else will benefit from in the box, which you can later give to charity. If you’re giving away clothing, make sure you empty the pockets first.
Step 3 Organise your space
Check the time. This is when motivation really kicks in as you should have removed a considerable amount of stuff, leaving you with a manageable pile of essential items that can go back in the cupboard.
But first, make sure you put everything back in an organised way. Use coat hooks, shoe racks and shelves efficiently and if you need to stack any items, label them for easy finding. Front-opening plastic boxes work brilliantly and are readily available from various stores and online.
Need some help? Find home organisers in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Check the time. This is when motivation really kicks in as you should have removed a considerable amount of stuff, leaving you with a manageable pile of essential items that can go back in the cupboard.
But first, make sure you put everything back in an organised way. Use coat hooks, shoe racks and shelves efficiently and if you need to stack any items, label them for easy finding. Front-opening plastic boxes work brilliantly and are readily available from various stores and online.
Need some help? Find home organisers in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Step 4 Tackle one task a week
Doing one task like this per week is enough to make a huge difference, allowing you to resolve areas within a room, such as a bookshelf or a cupboard.
Don’t forget, the one essential thing you need is a timer or stopwatch. It helps you stay focused and allows you to tackle tasks in bite-sized chunks.
Tell us…
Do you think you’ll be following this simple decluttering method? Share your experiences in the Comments section.
Doing one task like this per week is enough to make a huge difference, allowing you to resolve areas within a room, such as a bookshelf or a cupboard.
Don’t forget, the one essential thing you need is a timer or stopwatch. It helps you stay focused and allows you to tackle tasks in bite-sized chunks.
Tell us…
Do you think you’ll be following this simple decluttering method? Share your experiences in the Comments section.
Pick an area of your home that you want to tackle, and consider what you want to achieve. Then set a stopwatch for a specific period of time, such as 15, 30 or 60 minutes, and prepare to take action.
Make sure you have a few refuse sacks and a large box to hand, or some different coloured bags that are easily distinguishable.