Now that the New Year is well upon us, it is time to put some order back into our lives. With this in mind, we are interested in how home design professionals and minimalist devotees keep their homes organized. After reading Apartment Therapy’s What NOT to do when decluttering your home and The Green Minimalist’s 21 ‘More’ benefits of decluttering, we pulled our favorite tips and benefits to keeping your home tidy and clean.
Tips on what NOT to do when decluterring your home.
Organize first; buy second.
Before making that trip to the store to buy an assortment of containers and dividers to organize your home, start by organizing and getting rid of any belongings that do not hold a special meaning to you. By doing so, you will be able to assess what you actually need to organize your home.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Organizing your entire home in one day will feel overwhelming to anyone no matter the size of your space. Begin with one room or a section of the room and schedule time over the entire week to get everything in order. This will help you feel a sense of accomplishment throughout the whole process.
Complete each task – completely.
Further to point number two; ensure you complete each room completely before moving on to the next. If you don’t, you run the risk of running out of steam at the end of the process thus leaving some of the task undone.
Benefits of starting the year off with an organized home.
More time for you!
Once you have organized your home, office, or any space you use daily, you will be more efficient in your day-to-day activities. This will make life easier and will give you more time to put towards relaxing and unwinding after a long day.
A more pleasant view.
Once your home is organized, your environment will feel more clean, pure and zen. Your daily views will be of a home that is well put together and this will translate into a light feeling and a smile on your face.
More space.
This one is pretty straight-forward. Less clutter, more room! Make sure you use this opportunity to bask in the feeling of having a more spacious living environment. Take it all in. It feels great!
More discipline and control over your life.
When your have everything in order, you are able to accomplish more in a shorter period of time. You know where everything is and you can access it quicker, making you more productive and able to achieve more. You are also able to discern that tasks need to be accomplished and better plan ahead.
More time for your family.
This new found productivity will allow you to get your task list done in less time, giving you MORE TIME to enjoy the fun stuff with family and friends. Imagine spending your Saturday afternoon exploring in nature instead of tidying the house.
More mental room for your progress.
This one is a good one. I don’t think people understand how much clutter can affect their overall mood and attitude on a daily basis. When you are better organized, you increase your ability to analyze and make progress on your overall lifestyle. If you are always busy simply trying to make ends meet, how can you get better at anything? Trust me, your will be more motivated than ever to work on every part of your life once you live in an organized space.
A better appreciation for your belongings.
Upon going through this exercise, you will come to have a better appreciation for the things you decide to keep. It isn’t an easy task, but when you honestly ask yourself what items you TRULY need in your home, you will realize that these things are not simple things, but they have a special meaning to you.
Increased Financial Freedom
This is a great one too. When you grow your appreciation for the belongings you currently have, you will no longer need to replace them for the newest version. You will realize that they have meaning. Trips to the mall will become less frequent as you will develop the need to be organized and realize with time that LESS IS MOST DEFINITELY MORE.
