Decluttering and organising are so much more than the physical clutter. Over the festive season, is the perfect time to reflect on your organisational goals for the following year. Will you focus on your home, your work and/or life in general?
Each of my clients are at a different stage on their organising journey. I wanted to share with you some of my top tips to help you achieve your organisation goals in 2020.
More Than Physical Clutter
When people think about decluttering, they tend to focus on the physical clutter in their space, but there are other kinds of clutter in our lives also which can take our energy and time.
Time: Our time is precious, and we can often feel like we don’t have enough time to do the things that we want to do. Make a list of your top priorities then review how you spend your time. Look at ways of decluttering anything that does not fit in. Be mindful of not over committing your time.
Distractions: Clutter isn’t just physical. Anything that beeps for your attention will distract your attention from where it should be and impact your ability to focus and perform tasks. Digital clutter has the same impact on your mind as physical clutter i.e. managing the files on your computer, managing your digital photos on various gadgets, responding to and managing emails, social media alerts, App updates etc
Routine/Habits: Small changes to our daily habits can have a big effect. Start to be aware of your daily habits that are creating clutter or taking your time i.e. Where do you leave things? Do you put things away or leave it until later?
Limiting Beliefs: What is blocking you from achieving your goals?
My Top Tips to Achieve Your Organisational Goals
- Prioritise: Schedule time in your diary to declutter and organise.
- Small Steps: Declutter and organise in small blocks of time. If working alone set the timer for 20 minutes and work on a specific area without distractions
- Value Your Space: It’s important to value the space that you have so that you feel relaxed and happy in that space. Visualise how you would like to enjoy and use your space
- Celebrate Success: Decluttering and organising takes time, especially if you are working through paperwork or memory items. It’s so important to reflect on what but you have achieved so far
- Stop the inflow: Be conscious of what you bring into your home. Changing purchasing behaviours can reduce the amount of time needed to manage the things that you have. Learn to love open space in a room and cupboards storing only the items that you need
- Daily Habits: Be aware of how you live/work in your space. Where do you leave things? Do you have a space to put everything away?
- Guilt free: Don’t be afraid to let things go. Don’t keep items out of guilt or obligation. Recycling the things that you no longer need reduces environmental impact as you keep stuff in circulation, rather than simply storing and not using it in your own home
- Ask for support: I always tell my clients that they’ve made the biggest step by asking for support. Even if you know what needs to be done working with someone to support you, guide you and motivate you can achieve a lot more and be a positive experience
Let’s keep organising!
Tracy Ross
Professional Organiser
Blissfully Organised