What a year we have all had on this decluttering journey together! Our home are now more functional than ever, we have simplified systems and reduced volume and we no longer have anything in our homes that doesn’t serve a purpose.
You are all amazing and we thank you for sharing your stories, your successes and your challenges along the way.
After all of that time and effort you have invested in creating a functional and efficient home, how do we go about keeping it that way?
Five Simple Tips for Staying Organised
- Have a home for everything and return everything to its home…….today!
- One in, one out
- Finish the cycle – later never comes.
- Do it, delegate it or diarise it
- Get the whole family involved
Finding (and keeping) homes for your things
Have a home for everything and return everything to its home.
When contemplating a purchase, consider where a new item will live. Is there room, do I really need it, will I use it? If it is replacing something or you have limited space but you just have to have it – discard the old for the new.
When leaving a room, if you spot anything that lives elsewhere, take it with you and return it to its home en-route.
Do a 10-15 minute sweep of key clutter magnets daily. These might be the kitchen bench, dining table, hall table or even the bed. Remember, clutter attracts clutter!
Keeping on top of the paper mountain
As with your “stuff” have a home for all of your paperwork so that it is easily found in a timely manner.
The same goes for papers that need action in the future. Have an identified home for the papers, place a reminder in your calendar a day or two before action is required and in between times, you won’t have to give it another thought.
With all paperwork coming into the home, keep it flowing. It is preferable to just touch it once, make a decision and take action (do it now, delegate it or diarise it for future action) and then scrub it straight off that to-do list you have in your head. Refer to the Incoming Paper Management System model for some ideas for temporary storage of items requiring future action.
If you have a competing priority, set up an in-tray for all paperwork (including junk mail) and make a habit of ensuring that it is cleared at a minimum, weekly. It might be a Sunday night activity while you are chilling with a cuppa on the lounge so you have a fresh start for the week.
Celebrating your successes
Time to celebrate your successes – we are so proud of each and every one of you and thank you for spending the last 52 weeks with us on this giant decluttering journey. We hope that you have gained skills, space and freedom from clutter – just in time for a great 2019 ahead!
If you ever need to revisit a specific category, the full list of categories from this challenge is available here.
Happy maintenance!
Melissa x