Home organisation can go one of two ways. If you romanticise it, it can be a really therapeutic experience. If you’re dreading it, it quickly becomes a task from hell.
It often depends what state of mind you’re in, as well as how much work needs to be done. A little tidy? No worries! But if you’ve got shit strewn everywhere and no idea where to begin, you can become overwhelmed, overstimulated, and have no FKN clue where to begin.
Founder and director of Graceful Guidance, Renee Reader, said that it’s important to start small.
“You just start with little, small pieces,” she told PEDESTRIAN.TV. “You’re not setting aside a whole day to go through your entire kitchen and pull it apart, because you will get through halfway and be like ‘this is too much’.”
Instead, Renee suggested blocking out time in your calendar to complete small tasks. For example, set aside 20 minutes on your Saturday morning to sort out your sock drawer and throw out any holey or odd socks whose pair is long gone.
Got a spare 15 minutes while you’re waiting for your dinner to cook in the oven? Sort through what you’re stashing under your sink.
But if you want to keep your home organised, it can’t just be a one and done thing. Renee told us that organising and decluttering is a journey, and a priority shift needs to happen.
“We prioritise our mental health. We prioritise our physical health, our emotional health,” she said.
“Our home sets the foundation to our life. So, if you live in a chaotic space, your mind is going to feel chaotic, and a clear space really does create a clear mind.”
The Home Organisation Mistakes You’re Probably Making
1. You’re Holding Onto Shit You Don’t Need
When it comes to home organisation, Renee said the top mistake she sees people make is holding onto stuff they don’t want, need or like.
You know that bag of random crap you’re saving for a rainy day because you might need it? Or that cupboard filled with countless cords that may just come in handy one day, but you don’t even know what devices they’re for? Yeah, it’s probably time to get rid of those.
“Essentially, you’re just moving around this clutter,” Renee said.
2. You’re Not Measuring Your Space Properly
Another common mistake Renee sees is people getting ahead of themselves and buying a bunch of organisation tools that don’t actually fit their home.
“People don’t measure their spaces properly to get the right products to organise [them],” she said.
“A lot of people will think, ‘I want to get my home in order. I’m going to go to Kmart and buy all these containers and baskets and tubs’, but they haven’t actually looked at the space, properly measured it, and even thought about what’s going to go where.”
So at the end of the day, you essentially end up with more clutter. Sound familiar?
3. You’re Not Labelling Things
“How can you set up a system or a home for something if it’s not labeled, if it’s not contained, if you don’t have like with like items?” Renee pointed out.
Touché.
Renee’s X Home Organisation Ideas To Tidy Up Your Home
1. Set Up A Donation Tub
Renee said one of her easiest tactics to keeping her home organised and clean is by having a donation tub set up in her garage.
“So if I’m going through my house and I come across something that I haven’t used for 12 months… I actually just walk downstairs and I put it in the tub,” she explained.
“Then over a few months, that tub is full, and I reach out to a [Melbourne] company who come and pick up your donations from your doorstep for free.”
This way, you’re decluttering as you go. Big W has a bunch of affordable plastic storage containers that’ll do the trick just fine.
2. Get A Lazy Susan
You know that turntable that’s often in the centre of the table at restaurants with menus designed for sharing? Turns out they’re a great organisation hack, too.
“You can put it under your sink and put your cleaning products there. You can put it in the laundry for your cleaning products,” Renee said.
You just spin it around to grab what you need rather than knocking everything over. Gamechanger.
This one from House ($55.99, usually $79.99) has dividers to help keep your stuff organised even further, and this one from Amazon ($23.99) has a barrier to help keep your tools from toppling over.
3. Invest In A Label Maker
This home organisation tip plays into one of the top mistakes Renee sees her clients making: not labelling where their things are.
My mum’s had her Dymo label maker ($40) since the dawn of time, and it’s still chugging along nicely. Or, you can get one that makes fancier designs if you want to jazz it up a little.
4. File Fold And Colour Coordinate
A home organisation trend Renee has noticed gaining popularity is file folding, also known as the KonMari method. Instead of stacking your clothes on top of each other, roll your clothes and put them into your drawers so they’re all visible.
Target has drawer organiser sets ($9) that help keep your clothes lined up neatly.
5. Decant Your Pantry Into Glass Jars Or Plastic Containers
This isn’t essential to keeping your home neat and tidy, but it’s Renee’s personal preference.
“I think it just keeps the food fresh for longer,” she said. “It also looks nicer.”
Renee’s favourite brand for containers and jars is Little Label Co, but she said you can also find plenty of organising products at Kmart or on Amazon.
At the end of the day, Renee’s number one tip is to consume less.
“Less mess equals less stress,” she said. “Honestly, the less stuff you have, the easier your life is going to be.”
Image credit: Renee Reader / Graceful Guidance / Instagram
The post I Asked A Organisation Expert How To Actually Declutter My Home & These Are Her 5 Tips appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
