Tidy Room, Tidy Soul
Lord knows I’m a messy soul. But I really need to sort my room out.
I really cannot be the only one who has been sick of their personal belongings during lockdown? I feel like this has been the time where people have finally had a sort through and realised half of the stuff they own isn’t needed or would be better off with someone else.
With the charity shops being shut for the past three months, theres not been a particularly easy or sustainable way to dispose of your stuff. So you’ve probably been stewing over the piles of clothes you want to be rid of; you never know, you may have even debated a Depop account.
But the overall problem can’t be solved that easily. Your space is a mess and filled with clutter. It might even be bringing your mood down.
So let’s do this together, this is our time to truly declutter our space. The shops are reopening but for many of us, working from home is still a reality. We have ample time to sit and have a good old fashioned clear out!
I’ve been looking for ways to streamline the process of clearing out my stuff (typical me). And I’ve found five big tips that will help us get started on the process. So join me, let’s Marie Kondo the life out of this!
Reduce Papers
By this I mean magazines, takeaway menu’s, receipts, odd greeting cards and anything laying about old draws.
Instead of letting these odd scraps and bits of paper pile up, try a lot time to read the magazines and work your way through the outstanding receipts. Set time aside each day or each week to clear through them.
Takeaway menus are pretty much redundant nowadays, but if you have some favourite food spots that aren’t on Deliveroo yet then find a way to organise them neatly. I’ve found loads of blogs that suggest you put them into a laminated binder!
Declutter Your Bedroom Closet
Before moving back home. I had a Uni wardrobe and a Wolverhampton wardrobe. Each one had either Winter or Summer clothes in at any one time. So now I’ve moved back home and the two wardrobes have joined, my wardrobe is absolutely overflowing.
This one is going to be a longer process but I’m excited to see how it turns out. I’m going to start by bagging up the Winter clothes, as I won’t really be able to test the efficiency of that for a little while.
To determine which clothes you can safely part ways with, hang them up with the hanger facing you. After you have worn an item, hang it back up with the hanger facing the wall.
Treat Decluttering as an Ongoing Process
Instead of treating decluttering as something you do once in a while, treat it as an ongoing process. Otherwise it gets a little too difficult and unmanageable, which is just off-putting!
Dealing with Mail
In both the digital and physical sense. My digital inbox has become a real problem, I’ve had the same email since I was 13 (because I had the intelligence not to go for a silly one!) and as a result I’m subscribed to a grand total of 86 mailing lists. To fix the issue I followed the recommendation of many and used Unroll.me . Honestly I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner. My phone is always going off with pointless emails and updates from companies I haven’t used in years. So yeah, definitely do this one.
My physical inbox requires a bit more manual labour unfortunately. If there’s anything you subscribe too, from news letters to digital bank statements. Try wherever possible to turn to paperless. It’ll stop countless letters coming through your door!
Get Rid of Unneeded Gadgets and Utensils
Let’s be honest. If you bought it off AliExpress, it was probably going to be rubbish anyway.
Ask yourself, do you really need it?
When was the last time you used it?
Does it bring you joy?
The nice thing about decluttering is that even though you are getting rid of things, it helps to make your life feel more peaceful and organized. Unlike dieting or exercising, you get instant results.