"Tidying orders and relaxes the mind." These are some wise words said by one of our favourite reorganizers, Marie Kondo.
To declutter and reorganize not only gives your home ease of function, but it clears your mind and has an extremely positive effect on your overall mental and physical wellbeing.
It also allows you to access and use the spaces in your home for their intended use, while cleaning them more efficiently and spending time with your loved ones without being surrounded by piles of stuff.
Here are five creative ways that can put some fun into the process of decluttering, while clearing out and simplifying your home.
Give Away an Item A Day
We encourage you to try this for a year. Take note of the items you use on the regular and the ones that you simply just love. Then, begin taking out one item each day that you have no need for anymore, or you simply don't use. You'll be surprised at what your space looks like after clearing out 365 items. The key: don't replace them with more things, try to be more mindful when you go to make a purchase and decide if it's a necessity or an impulse buy.
Try The Oprah Winfrey Closet Hanger Experiment
This is a great way to clear out your closet, without getting rid of the things you love to wear on a whim. Begin by hanging up all of your clothes in the reverse direction. Once you wear each item, place it inline in the proper direction. After a few months, you'll see a clear pattern of which clothes you wear and which ones you're merely hanging on to for "one day."
30 Day Declutter Challenge
Reorganizing and decluttering your entire home can be a daunting task and sometimes it's hard to know where to start. This 30-day challenge shows you what to tackle each day and breaks things down into simple tasks, such as clearing out your medicine cabinet, washing and clearing your breakfast table, organizing your magazines and books, and emptying out your purse and book bag. Some are larger tasks than others, but this method allows you to take it one step at a time as you clean out your home and reorganize.
The 4-Container Method
Compartmentalizing can make a large task seem not so bad. This method uses four categories to help you sort and determine the proper place for each item, as you go through and conquer each room with confidence. The categories are as follows:
Trash: Anything that is broken, not worth donating, can't be repaired, expired and can't be sold.
Give away or Sell: One person's trash is another person's treasure. If an item is no longer serving you, but still works and can be used by someone else, consider donating or selling it. You may as well make some extra cash off the things you aren't using.
Storage: This is where the items you still use, but don't need regularly, can go. Be picky about what goes into this box. Things such as seasonal clothing, Christmas décor, or larger pots and pans are good examples of items that can make their way into storage. Try keeping an inventory of what you put here so that you can keep track of what you have and nothing goes unused.
Put Away: This category should be the smallest. These are the items you use regularly, but make sure you do a fair assessment of what you actually use and what you plan on using.
The KonMari Method
Created by Marie Kondo, the KonMari Method focuses on tidying by category, rather than location. Starting with clothing and moving to books, papers, miscellaneous items, and sentimental pieces. She encourages you to thank the items that no longer serve you for their service and let them go, while holding on to the things that speak to your heart and spark joy. Read about her six basic rules of tidying, or watch her hit Netflix show "Tidying Up With Marie Kondo" to get inspired.
Do you have any creative tidying tricks or hacks? Share them in the comments below!
If you're working hard to declutter your home and struggling to get the organization right, perhaps some custom cabinetry or shelving could help. Let us work together to create something that fits your space and organizes your things so that they are easily accessible, while enhancing the design and emphasizing its function.