Now that the cloudy skies and cold weather have passed and the warmer season is here, it’s time to brush away the cobwebs and freshen up your home with a spring clean.
But where are to start? Here are some of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to decluttering.
Do plan and prepare
So you’ve have had enough of struggling to deal with your disorganised drawers and you’ve decided that in this very moment, you’re going to clean your home immediately. But hold fire!
Consider which rooms and areas need the most attention straight away and how much time it might take to tackle them. This way, you’ll avoid disappointment and have a more realistic idea of what you can actually achieve.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew
Don’t attempt to declutter more than one area or room at a time. Maybe you’ll take care of books one day, then clothes another.
Now is not the time for a scattergun approach – you’ll just end up dissatisfied with the results and frustrated and confused as to what you have and haven’t dealt with. Work your way through one area before moving onto the next.
Don’t procrastinate
Set aside a time and day when you plan to attack your home. Treat it like you would an appointment – don’t postpone it, show up and get started. If it seems like too much work, call a friend to give you a hand.
Need some help?
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Don’t take a walk down memory lane
As the decluttering expert Marie Kondo herself has instructed, don’t get taken over by nostalgia when clearing your home, as tempting as it may be.
Read one letter your best mate wrote you when you were kids, and suddenly it’s two hours later, you’ve read your teenage diaries and your bedroom is even messier than before. Keep to the task at hand.
Don’t ‘fake’ declutter
Simply creating tidy piles of stuff is not decluttering. Think about what you want to do with your things and where it should go. Your items could go into four different categories: bin, keep, donate or sell.
Do take action
Once you have decided what you want to keep, sell, throw or donate, make sure those items don’t simply hang around your garage.
Throw out what you no longer want, whether it’s taking it down to the hard garbage bins, organising a council pick-up or taking it to recycling. Take the items you want to donate to your local charity or give them to a friend or loved one. Store away the items you do want to keep. And if you’re going to sell your items, think of how you plan to offload them, whether it’s online or through a garage sale or the markets.
For more ideas, sign up to our VIP Style club or visit us in centre today.
Image courtesy of Urban Rhythm
