Getting your home decluttered and organised in order to achieve maximum functionality and ease of living sounds like a huge job. For many people, the reason they can’t bring themselves to tackle this mission is because they just don’t know where to start. Professional organiser Jo Carmichael lists procrastination and a lack of know-how as the most common culprits standing between her clients and an organised home.
But getting your home decluttered and organised doesn’t have to be a huge job, and it doesn’t all need to be done in one day. In fact, thoroughly cleaning out the house and rearranging everything for maximum organisation can take months, and that’s okay.
“Most of us use the ‘genetics’ excuse,” says Jo. “Such as ‘I just come from an un-organised environment/family’, but this is not true.”
Instead, Jo insists that many people struggle to get organised because they don’t actually know how to do it.
“People believe they don’t know how or where to start, they become distracted easily and keep using the usual explanation of I’ll start tomorrow, then tomorrow becomes next year,” says Jo.
The second most common issue standing between clients and an organised home is time.
“As most of us have extremely busy schedules, just the thought of setting aside a whole day to organise a certain area of the home just isn’t practical for a busy household,” says Jo.
What are some other issues stopping people from getting organised?
For Jo, many of her clients are older people who are still fiercely independent but are looking to downsize from large family home to smaller residences. The biggest issue these clients face are reducing a large amount of things to a small amount, in a short time frame, as well as being out of practice when it comes to decluttering and organizing.
“As these clients have lived in the same home for an average of 25 to 40 years, they are out of practice with making decisions on what to keep, what to dispose of, and how to pack and move a home. We have great fun helping them to an easier life style,” says Jo.
Other clients are simply busy individuals who don’t have the time to analyse their homes between work, family and other commitments.
“These clients love getting their home back to square one,” says Jo. “Knowing that I’m coming to help sort their home means dedicated time is locked in. the job gets done. It’s like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders. They can love their family and enjoy their home again.”
Tips on how you can overcome an aversion to organization
For the procrastinators
Set aside 10 to 15 minutes every day to declutter and organize one drawer, one table, or one cupboard in a time frame that suits you. It might be once a day, once a week, or once a fortnight. This way, you can get a draw decluttered in the time it takes to wait for dinner to cook.
For those that don’t know where to start
Getting organised is about decluttering your home of the things you don’t need, and making the things you do need more accessible. Start with decluttering, and set up three bins, one to keep, one to toss, one to donate. Work your way through a cupboard or toy box and ask “Do we need this?” if the answer is no, pop it into the toss or donate pile. This method can be used in almost any part of the home and is a great starting point for those new to decluttering. Easy starting places include the bathroom medicine cabinet (toss everything that’s expired), the ‘miscellaneous’ draw (toss any old papers or bills that have already been paid) and the toy box (ask the kids to cull their toys down to things they do and don’t play with anymore).
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