How to Declutter Your Home for the New Year

With the New Year approaching it’s the perfect time for turning a new page in your home by getting rid of stuff you don’t need or use, in order to start 2016 with a tidy and organised home ready for a new year. Here are some top tips on the most effective ways to declutter your home in preparation for the next year.

Start with the Biggest Problem

Often just starting to clear things out can be the hardest part. The best way to make a start is to choose the thing that’s annoying you most, put some time aside and just do it. Once you’ve done one part and can see the results you’ll be more motivated to do the rest. If you’re struggling to find time to declutter then schedule time specifically for it, for example a few hours on a Sunday.

Try writing a list in the order that you want things done so you have a clear idea of what you want to do next. This will prevent indecision and mean that when you want to do some decluttering you can get straight to it by checking the list. Plus the areas that need the most attention will get done first.

Do One Thing at a Time

Don’t try and fix a huge problem in one sitting. Decide what you want to get done in each clearing session and actually do it. Don’t set yourself massive goals either, instead of saying you’re going to tidy the garage today, say you want to do all the gardening tools in one hour – and when you’ve finished that set yourself a new goal. This way you will stay on task easier.

Getting side-tracked by other tasks can be an easy trap to fall into. If you start doing more than one task at once you’ll end up with two partially decluttered areas and not very much visible progress. If you stick to one task at a time then you get a major area fixed each time you work on it.

Only Handle an Item Once

Once you’ve got something in your hand put it down somewhere that you won’t have to pick it back up again. Whether it’s in the bin or somewhere else just don’t put it back in the same clutter pile you got it from. This stops you putting off figuring out where things are going to go and means once you start something it will definitely get done plus stops you spending too long thinking about one specific item.

To do this try and figure out where everything you want to keep is going before you start. Also, try to know what you want to do with your clutter before you start so you can have bin bags, recycling or transport ready. The same goes for having storage ready in advance whether it’s a file for keeping paper, a box for toys or a bowl for your keys.

Find Out What You Actually Use

It can be easy to think you need everything that you own but that is almost always not the case. To avoid clutter you should try and get rid of everything not regularly used. Sometimes if you think something has sentimental value then instead of keeping it a picture might do just as well.

It can be hard to even figure out what you do use regularly. To find this out try keeping everything in one direction: clothes hangers, tools, cleaning products etc. Once you’ve used something turn it the other way. This will give you a clear picture of what you actually need to keep and what isn’t getting its full use.

Try to Buy Less

This seems an obvious solution but it is often completely forgotten that the best way to keep your house free of clutter is to not put clutter into it. If you don’t specifically go out to get something then don’t buy it.

For some people this can be quite a hard task but there are ways to make this easier. Try writing a list and not letting yourself stray off from it. You could also set a timeframe so that you aren’t spending hours shopping when you don’t need to be. Finally try not to focus on sales, if you really need something you won’t be able to wait until it’s on sale so try not to think of something being on sale as a justification to buy it.

Use a Flexistore Self Storage Unit

If some of your clutter has sentimental value, such as your grandmother’s antique dining table, and you don’t want to get rid of it you might want to consider self storage instead. Although we come to your doorstep to pick up the things you want to put into storage our service won’t break the bank.

Get a quick storage quote online and see for yourself!

 

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