Tidy House, Tidy Mind
Hell-bent on banishing the clutter this year? Here’s how you get started!
Did ‘sort the house out’ make an appearance on the new year resolutions list this year? Is it an annual intention that usually crumbles before January’s even done?
We get it and there’s no judgement here. But if a few clever pointers are all you need to set you on a decluttering mission, then, reader, you’ve come to the right place!
Meet the lovely Jo Meare, the woman behind Devon-based decluttering and ordering service, Sense of Space. She’s helped heaps of clients towards a more streamlined, simpler home with her hacks and she’s kindly shared a few with us.
So, in the words of a whippersnapper YouTuber’, “let’s get started!”
I really enjoy working with my clients. For some, my service is about sorting out a specific ‘junk room’ in their home, others hire me to help them downsize in preparation for a house move and many use me to simply guide and motivate them towards reaching their goal of reclaiming their space.
Decluttering and organising isn’t about creating the perfect ‘Instagram-ready’ house, it’s about implementing systems that ensure you have a home that works for you and fits the needs of your family.
A place for everything
For me, being organised is about making life that little bit easier. Knowing where everything in your home lives saves you not only time and energy looking for them, but also the potential stress from that item being misplaced and the additional expense that comes from having to replace that item you can’t find! That is why I live by the mantra “a place for everything and everything in its place”.
When an item enters your house, one of the most important things to do is allocate it a home, so when you want to use it, you know where to find it. Then, when you’re finished with it, it gets returned to its home so the next time you need it, you can instantly lay your hands on it.
The key is that everyone in your household also needs to know where items live and follow the same rule! That bit can sometimes take a little more work, especially if you have small children! But starting when they are young and introducing a “tidy up time” at the end of the day will really instil good habits.
The other tip is to make sure that items are easy to put away because, the minute you have to start moving other things around in order to put something back in its home, you may not bother and the item stays out, looks untidy and gets in your way.
It’s all in the fold
I’m also a big fan of the vertical fold, where you fold clothing (or tea towels or bedding) in such a way they can actually “stand up” in your drawer. I find this method of storing much more efficient than simply folding a garment in half or in quarters and laying it down. I found with this old method, items got really creased and also my daughters only ever seemed to wear the items on the top of the pile, almost forgetting that they even owned those stored lower down!
Storing clothes using the vertical method not only means they fare better while folded, you can see your full collection of clothes and grab whichever item you intend to wear without disrupting those remaining. Not to mention the fact I think they look pretty folded this way!
Be clever with your cooking
One of the key areas of the house to be organised is the kitchen and getting into the habit of batch cooking recipes is your secret weapon!
I’d be completely lost without my freezer. If I’m making a recipe, I may as well buy double the ingredients, chop double the veg and make a bigger portion so the leftovers can get portioned up into containers, labelled and then frozen for another day.
It’s a great way to get ahead of things and then, on a day when you just don’t have time to be standing over a hob, all you have to do is delve into your freezer, pick out the dish you want and you have a healthy, home cooked meal at your fingertips that simply needs heating up in a microwave. I really enjoy cooking but to know that I have an easy tea ready to go whenever I need it is music to my ears.
Less stuff, less stress
My job takes me to a lot of homes that are often busy so I use the next sentence a lot and I really believe in it: “Less Stuff, Less Stress”.
With every item we own comes a to-do list. You need to store them, dust them, manage them and they take up our time and as we all know, life can be busy so our time is precious. When you decide to let go of an item, you don’t just get rid of that one thing, you get rid of everything that item brings with it and that is why decluttering doesn’t just free up your home, it frees up your mind too.
Feeling inspired?
We think Jo’s tips are great and you can find lots more on her Facebook page, as well as ways she can help you personally. Go look her up, and let us know how you get on!
