Recognise - Often the hardest thing to do is recognising that you need to do something about the mess you are living in!  Don't try and tackle a the whole house in one weekend, break it down room-by-room over a number of weeks; it's much easier to manage this way.

Remove - when deciding what to remove, buy 4 large plastic bins (rectangle ones with wheels and a lid) and dedicate one each to Remove, Repair, Recycle or Retain. The bins can later be used for storage around the home.  If you have lots of items to remove, consider a mini-skip - it is gone straight away and you don't have ponder about what you've thrown out!

Repairs - be realistic about items for repair, it is really worth it?  Set yourself a timeframe for addressing all the items in your Repair box and make sure you stick to it - at the end of the allocated time, the item should go into either the Recycle or Remove bin.

Recycle - always keep an old fashioned plastic garbage bin (complete with liner, leave the full pack of liners in the bottom of the bin) in the laundry for all items for charity. When it's full, simply lift out, re- line your bin and take it to your favourite charity.

Retain - start by arranging the clothes you currently have in your wardrobe on hangers the facing the same way (ie hooks all facing inwards or all outwards), when you wear an item turn it around - at the end of the season remove all the clothes that have the hangers facing the original direction.

Re-Arrange - feeling creative? Draw boxes (to scale) that represent all of your furniture and a scale outline of your home, this way you can re-arrange furniture around your home on paper before you start. Don't forget to leave space for doors to open and access to windows.

Review - each item in your home will have a logical location, ie all paperwork and stationery items in the study/office area, all clothes in your bedroom, all cosmetics in the bathroom. Move them accordingly so they can be easily found.

Receptacles - it is cliché but there really should be a "a place for everything and everything in it's place".  Invest in really good storage items from trays for paperwork to bookcases that can be used for just about everything!  Storage boxes and trays are now very much a decor item so will only go to improve the final result of your de-clutter project.

Re-Organise - if an item isn't in the first place you think it will be, when you do eventually find the item, move it to the first place you looked.

Resources - if it's all too hard, don't despair - there are resources available to help you.  Blair Lifestyle Management can provide such a service and help you Reclaim your home. 

Adele Blair

www.blairlifestyle.com.au 

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