2018 Archives - OrganisedWell - Professional Declutterer & Organiser

Can Decluttering be Good for Your Mental Health?

If you’ve ever found yourself getting frustrated at the possessions lying around your home, been unable to concentrate on a task when surrounded by stuff piled on surfaces, or if you’ve tried to read a book, mediate or have a quiet cup of tea but couldn’t relax until you’d zipped round and tidied up everything first, then you’ve been affected by clutter. I share why I believe that removing clutter from your home is good for your mental health.

I believe that removing clutter from your home is good for your mental health, even if you don’t have that much.

What is Clutter?

Google says clutter is ‘a collection of things lying about in an untidy state’. Interestingly we’ve used this term increasingly over the last fifty years.

Research published in 2011 in the Journal of Neuroscience found that clutter means we have too many stimuli in our environment, which can make it hard to focus.

Humans are innately organised but we all have different styles that determine how we feel about clutter. Clutter can cause stress and lower self-image. It can cause anxiety about how and when we will be able to regain control or how others will perceive us. It can also take us longer to finish simple tasks making us feel incompetent.

According to a Lovespace survey:

a whopping 80% of people in the UK admit their mood is influenced by the state of their house with a less cluttered living space making people much happier!

The good news is, we can maintain a less cluttered home by sorting our things regularly and being more conscious of what we bring into our home.

How can Decluttering Improve your Mental Health?

It creates a sense of confidence as we use our decision-making and problem-solving skills
It creates order and control – we only keep the things we need and have the space to organise them
It gives you feelings of gratitude and abundance – you might find lost things, forgotten treasures, things you can sell or give away. All of which makes you feel that you’ve gained or can benefit others
It can lift the weight of guilt, the feeling that things are left incomplete, makes us feel lighter, freer, calmer and leaves us with a renewed sense of ‘home’

Five Ideas for Creating a Clutter-Free Home

Keep a bag in the boot of your car for charity donations. As you come across something that is no longer needed, pop it in the bag. When it’s full, drop it off at your nearest charity shop
Practice the 1 in 1 out rule – anything new coming into the home has to be exchanged from something that you no longer need or love
Treat pending school holidays, birthdays and Christmas as good opportunities to sort out possessions that can be passed on for others to enjoy
Engage the rest of the household in the benefits of decluttering their own things. They will know where to find what they no longer use and may even make some money selling old things. Here’s what I learned from a quick declutter with my family
Focus on tackling one room and rotate rooms over the year

So what are waiting for… rally your household, pick a room, put some music on and go for it!

Would You Like Help Creating a Clutter Free Home?

If you need guidance, ideas and practical support to make more of your home, organise your possessions in a way that supports your best life or to get started with your decluttering project, then give me a call.

I provide practical advice and sensitive support to clients looking to make changes, to create calm space and free up time to focus on the important things in life. I specialise in organising rooms, garages, wardrobes, paperwork and much more; see my services or get in touch.

Sunday Evening Organising

There never seems to be enough time in my week for everything I want to achieve so I love it when I find a hack for getting ahead!

Don’t you hate it when you always feel on the back foot; your morning is a crazy rush, whilst trying to get ready yourself, you dig out a school uniform only to find that there isn’t a clean school cardigan. You play hunt the school shoes with your youngest when you really need to be leaving the house and when you finally get out of the door, you realise you’ve left a bag behind. During the day, your diary pops up a reminder for an event that you didn’t realise was coming up and haven’t prepared for, so you end up rushing to get prepared. You also need to zip round and sort out the house as you realise your friend is popping round for a coffee after school pick up. Later in the day your hungry family come back from work and school and are asking what’s for dinner. You haven’t had the head space to plan anything or shop for any ingredients.

Here are my 6 top tips for getting organised on a Sunday evening so that you’re well prepared for the week ahead.

Review your diary for the week ahead so that you know what’s coming up. Add time for any preparation and to complete any related tasks
Make a meal plan for the week. That way you don’t need to think about dinner after your busy working day and when everyone is starving. We have a dry wipe board attached to the inside of a kitchen cabinet – we can open the door to review it whenever needed and whip it out to rewrite at the end of each week
Now you have a meal plan you can also make a food shopping list using a corner of the white board. You can take a photo or copy into your phone when you are ready to go to the shops
Put out children’s school uniform ready for the following morning
Ensure packed school bags, coats and shoes are all in the launch area (hall way) – I recently added a child height hook to the hallway so that my daughter can be involved in managing her things. She’s now feels proud to be able to get her coat down from the hook and check everything she needs is in her school bag ready to leave the house!
Have a quick tidy round the house; recycle any kids drawings (unless they are special – pop those in your keep sake box), papers, notices (you’ve either actioned them or added them to your to do list right!), magazines (if you’ve not read them by now – skim them to establish if they contain any articles you want to read, otherwise recycle). Return things back to where they belong and take with you anything that belongs upstairs.

Now you are much better organised for your week!

About OrganisedWell

Would you like help getting organised?

We provide tailored advice and practical support to clients looking to make changes, to create calm, ordered space and free up time and money to focus on the important things in life. We specialise in organising rooms, garages, wardrobes, paperwork and much more; see our services or get in touch.

Buying feels good but holding on is the problem

It’s easy to buy more things (and get a real buzz from bagging a bargain) so it’s not surprising that we accumulate so much in our homes. As we accumulate more we also need to manage our storage and declutter more frequently to avoid being overwhelmed by stuff.

In today’s world the Consumer rules; it’s so easy to buy anything and everything to meet our wants and needs. Often we don’t really even need the item but it makes us feel good to buy something new. It’s amazing how we can buy clothing, easy-build furniture, electronics and goods from all over the world and have them arrive at our home within a few days. We don’t even need to leave the comfort of our own home to make the order.

I’ve been asked how we can prevent this overwhelm so here are my top tips to help manage possessions:

Be mindful about what you bring into your home. Consider your motivation for buying that new item. Do you already have a similar item at home? Do you really need it? Why do you need it? What will you gain from purchasing the item (and does the desire to purchase it outweigh the space that it will take up in your home)?
If replacing items that are old or damaged, before you think about buying new, explore if it’s possible to repair the item before you purchase another. If you need to buy new, always ensure that you remove the old item – avoid the temptation to put it to one side and deal with it later. Recycle, donate, throw away asap – you already decided that it needs to go when you replaced it!
Clothes purchases; consider if you can repair damage or have ill-fitting clothes adjusted. Review your wardrobe before shopping so that you know what you have and can avoid buying duplicates or similar items by mistake. If you still want to buy new clothes, ensure that you remove something that is now out of fashion or doesn’t fit as you’re adding the new item to your wardrobe. Sticking to a one-in-one-out rule will really help you to focus on maintaining rather than growing your wardrobe.
Test yourself. If you just have to have it, maybe a cool down period of a day or two will help you clarify whether you really need it or are just feeling that initial passion. It’s easy to be seduced by clever marketing and pricing strategies that create that feeling that you must have it there and then or you might miss out if you don’t! I find taking a photo and walking away a great strategy. I give myself a few days and if I still have to have it, then I go back for it.

We will always buy new things, but the key to successfully managing the flow of possessions is to consider purchases carefully and remove unwanted items to make space for the new.

If you would like support decluttering your home of those old purchases contact me. I’m based in Nottingham, work all over the Midlands, and can be part of your support network!

Email me at laura@organisedwell.co.uk or call on 07970 989955.

UPDATE: I went clothes shopping and thought I’d share how I ensure that I don’t get wardrobe overload!

About OrganisedWell

Would you like help getting organised?

Spring clearing!

Spring clearing ideas and my exciting new competition to win time with a professional organiser!

I love snowdrops. I saw these and just had to take a pic of them!

What a beautiful first sign of spring, peeking through the grass after the recent snow. Snowdrops are a delicate announcement that Spring is truly here! They bring promise of better weather, longer days and a renewed energy after what feels like a loooong winter (and a renewed inclination to get out my running shoes!).

Spring cleaning; thoroughly cleaning or organising ones home, is traditionally carried out at the end of the winter. As the weather warms, it’s an opportunity to throw open the windows, wash curtains, shake out rugs and freshen the whole house!

It’s also a great time to use that spring in your step to do a bit of Spring clearing – have a good sort out and get organised for the year ahead!

Here are some projects to try:

Give bedrooms a good clear out. Pull everything out from under beds and on top of wardrobes and have a good look through – do you still need it all? Give away any winter clothes and shoes that have not been worn recently. Re-organise your wardrobe to make sure you can see your clothes easily and can choose easily as you navigate cooler and milder days in quick succession!
Ask the children to review their toys. If they didn’t have a sort out after Christmas, now is a good opportunity to pass on any toys that they no longer play with – ask them the questions below and get them to make some choices! They will appreciate having move space to play!
Sort through the books and possessions in your living room. As the weather improves, the light will change and you will see the possessions that are cluttering up your space. Rather than feeling cosy and comfortable, you’ll want the room to feel more airy, spacious and inviting for guests. Are there any books that you’ve read during winter nights that you can now pass on for someone else to enjoy? Are there any other items that you want to remove or replace for a fresher look?

Freshen up your kitchen? Empty out cupboards, give them a good clean and exam items you’ve removed – does it all need to go back into the cupboard or are they better off with someone who will use them? Or are you going to start using them and cooking up new delights? Let’s face it, we always want more space in our kitchen not less! Anything that won’t be used needs to go!

If you’re having trouble deciding on whether to pass an item on, ask yourself these questions:

Is it useful? When was the last time you used it?
Is it precious? Do you love it?
Why are you taking up valuable space in your home storing it?

If you need positive, non-judgemental, practical help organising your home this spring, contact Laura.

What does a Professional Organiser do?

Professional organisers work with clients in their homes, taking time to understand the client and what they want to achieve. They support with making decisions about items that are no longer useful and develop storage solutions that will work for them.

The more I look into what organisers do, the more fascinated I become.

If you think about it, we are all so different, we all have different preferences, skills and interests. Marie Kondo makes an excellent point in her book (1), tidying is not a skill that we are born with and we are not taught how to organise ourselves by our parents or at school. If we learn through trial and error, it’s a wonder that we are all as organised as we are!

Sometimes, our mental or physical health can affect our ability to manage our things. It can be incredibly difficult to maintain an organised environment or manage possessions as we once did. Our surroundings can also negatively impact our health; ‘messy homes and workspaces leave us feeling anxious, helpless and overwhelmed’. (2)

This is where a professional organiser can help. Experts in their field, professional organisers are insured, trained, experienced and passionate. They know how to organise, maximise storage and put systems in place to stay well organised. And they like to help others learn to do the same!

Professional organisers work with clients in their homes, taking time to understand them and what they want to achieve. They support with making decisions about items that are no longer useful and develop storage solutions that will work for them. The client may want to develop new habits or ways of doing things, or make things simpler and easier to manage and the professional organiser can help them to do this.

We all have busy lives and can’t be knowledgeable in everything, so it makes sense to save valuable time and effort by getting help from an expert when we need it.

Keep an eye on my website for details of my Spring Clearing Week competition to win an organising session worth £120!