Winter Is The New Spring

Winter Is The New Spring

Why wait until spring and the new season to declutter your life and home?

When the weather is cold and bitter, it is a good time to take control of your clutter.

'Spring" cleaning need not be a daunting or boring task. In just a few easy steps it can be done in no time and can also be fun!

Set A Day To Start

Choose a day on which you want to start as this will allow you to plan ahead and be prepared.

(Note: Do not go out and buy any storage items at this stage. Wait until you have sorted your stuff and eliminated what you longer need, use and love.  Then you will know what space needs to be  allocated and what you need to store things in.) 

Take A Before Photo

Always have a camera handy – and take a before photo. This can be very satisfying and motivating when you see the progress you have made along the way,  and when you compare this to the final product.

Start Small and Do Sections At A Time

Make sure you always start with a smaller task to get you going, because the words 'Spring Cleaning"  can automatically cause us to feel a little overwhelmed and we tend to set the task aside for later. Starting small  allows you to see progress and motivates you to do more.

Always divide the areas you are working on into sections. E.g. a section of your wardrobe, just the pantry in the kitchen or your office drawers.

Note: Don't take everything out and place it on a bed, desk  or a counter .  The reason for this is if you need to put it away in a hurry it will be too difficult . Take out sections or categories at a time and work on each these.

Say the Door Bell rings unexpectedly and you cannot get back to your spring cleaning right away?  You don't want to be stuck with a bed full of clothing and nowhere to sleep that night do you?

This can be very discouraging and make the area seem much harder to deal with than  it needs to be! 

Declutter and Release

Spring cleaning means a time to clean and to reduce clutter.

Use this time to get rid of the things you no longer  use, need or love!

Now is the time to release these things .

Set up 4 bins GIFT IT , SELL IT , MOVE IT OR BIN IT

GIFT IT – to family , friends or charity –  let someone else  now have the pleasure of using this item

SELL IT – If there is value in your items think about selling them on sites like E-bay and Gum Tree

MOVE IT – Put items that do not belong in the area you are cleaning and sorting but rather in another area of your home in this bin. ( To be repaired can also be included in this bin)

( Note: only move them later .. moving them right away causes distractions )

BIN IT- Throw away items that cannot be gifted, sold or repaired.

Allocate and Label – 'Everything in its place and a place for Everything"

Once you have sorted what you are keeping, allocate a space for them to go.

(Note: Now is the time to buy or use any storage boxes or devices you require.)

Label whenever possible.  Labelling assists all those who live in the house to know where things should go, and is a long-term solution to prevent clutter.

Celebrate – Time to take out the camera again and take your after photograph now.

Treat yourself to a reward – you deserve it!

Maintain – Remember to keep the areas tidy and uncluttered.

Use the 'One in – One Out rule"  When anything new comes in .. something old needs to go out to keep the area uncluttered and organised.

There you go .. SORTED!

Sue would love to assist you in taking you from overwhelmed to organised and saving you time, money and stress.

Organising options for any budget including  skype sessions, in-home or office consultations and workshops.

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