Starting a ‘spring organise’ of your home can be overwhelming, especially after the long winter months. So what are the benefits of starting the process?
Spring is a great time to kick-start a declutter and organise of our homes. The longer and brighter days are not only beneficial for our bodies and minds, with us spending more time outdoors, but also for our personal spaces too!
Before we pack away our winter clothes & shoes, heavier duvets, and blankets etc, it’s the perfect opportunity to review those items and either donate/remove those that we either haven’t used in the previous months from our homes.
Ignoring the post-winter clutter can affect our anxiety levels, sleep, and ability to focus. It can also make us less productive, triggering coping and avoidance strategies.
Spring organising your home has so many practical benefits, not only are you removing the items you don’t use, that you don’t love and are no longer a fit for your current lifestyle. You’re also creating the space for the items, ‘the good stuff’, that you do like, want, or need to use!
How much decluttering do you have to do to feel these benefits?
Don’t expect to spring clean your home in a day. It takes time, so by doing it in small bite sized chunks, helps to reduce overwhelm and will keep you focused.
A quick win is to look at your food items, specifically at those you’ve purchased and or have been gifted during the Christmas holidays, which you still haven’t eaten!
Look out for those items that have short use by dates, these can be donated and dropped off at your local foodbank or popped on the apps Freecycle or OLIO. Not only are you removing these unwanted items from your home, (yes please to more space!), you’re being sustainable and you’re also helping others too. This is a great motivator!
Sell, sell, sell!
Selling items, is a great little incentive to make some money and recoup some costs. Go through your children’s old toys, unwanted/duplicate gifts, your unused gadgets, and any unworn family clothes! There are so many great options to sell your items online, you can use the old classic, ebay.com, but watch out for all the fees, to sites like Vinted and or more local offerings like Facebook Market Place. These are an economic and free way to sell your belongings.
How can creating small decluttering & organising goals help overcome the fear of starting?
It may feel overwhelming knowing where and how to start, as it’s so easy to get distracted or become disheartened before we begin! Those amazing transformations on social media can be intimidating.
But remember this is your home and done is better than perfect!. Create a vision to focus on; is it creating more space, spending less time cleaning, and or living with less stress. Whatever the reasoning, it’s yours to work towards. Remember, it doesn’t have to done all in a day. Breaking down each focus/task into manageable jobs and by seeing what you’ve achieved so far will help keep you incentivised.
Start small and don’t forget your digital clutter too. Unsubscribe to unwanted subscriptions or delete actioned or unwanted emails as you go.
By removing and donating unwanted items and belongings you will only be organising the things that you love in your home, and this in turn will create a sense of job satisfaction.
Plus make it fun! Put some music on and or listen to a podcast. Don’t forget to reward yourself after a decluttering and organising session. That’s right! Enjoy a lovely bath or eat a delicious meal with loved ones!
If there is one rule to live by when it comes to decluttering & organising your home, what would it be?
It’s to edit and organise little and often! Being consistent and making decluttering and organising part of your routine will help you to maintain your home more easily and prevent overwhelm.
Being organised is a lifestyle journey and it’s all about maintenance and forming positive patterns in your own time. It’s so easy to get caught up in Instagram Reels of perfection. Remember, it’s your home and done is better than perfect!
My 5 easy to follow tips on how to start the ‘Spring Organise’ of your home this April:
🌸 1. Before you start – let’s get prepared
☑️ Focus on the room or key areas that you would like to tackle first. What is the vision for this space? This is your why – your focus!
☑️ Have plenty of rubbish bags/boxes, pens and post-its to hand.
☑️ Assign each bag/box for rubbish, recycling, donations, repair and selling.
☑️ Limit distractions – Block some time out in your diary – so you know that you have the time set aside.
☑️ Put your favourite music on.
☑️ Have a bottle of water to hand and have some treats to enjoy in your breaks.
🌸 2. Let’s tackle the clutter
☑️ Start with one room and tackle all the visible clutter first.
☑️ Focusing on the floors, and surfaces and open shelves.
☑️ Throw away the visible rubbish.
☑️ Place items that don’t belong in that room by putting in a ‘hold box’ to be returned later to their rightful homes.
☑️ Start creating piles of similar items.
☑️ Pick up each item and ask yourself these questions:
• “Do I use it?”
• “Do I like it?”
• “Does it fit in with my current lifestyle?”
• “Do I have duplicates?”
• “Would I buy it again?”
☑️ Place the items in one of the piles that you’ve created; rubbish, recycling, donations, repair and selling.
🌸 3. What about cleaning?
☑️ Have to hand some cleaning supplies and quickly go over the super dusty areas before putting things back.
🌸 4. Let’s get organised!
☑️ Start returning all the items to their designated homes & or areas. Don’t forget about the ‘holding box’!
☑️ Take out the rubbish & recycling.
☑️ Place the donations in your car.
🌸 5. It doesn’t all have to be done in a day!
Please remember, the ‘Spring Organise’ doesn’t all have to be done in a day or even over a weekend!
The end goal is about creating more space in your home and living with less stress in clutter-free spaces.
If you need my help to spring organise your home, please contact me to arrange a complimentary consultation on 07533330115. I’d love to hear from you, Elizabeth 🌸
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