At times, you may feel so down, unmotivated and you just can’t relax no matter what you do. Your work, your peace of mind and your personal outlook seemed to suffer. Maybe, you need to organize your life or start de-cluttering everything. Decluttering doesn’t just save you space or organize things physically, it may also affect the way you think and your perception about things (go check your Psychology 101). Now, for this de-cluttering thing, you may need to start it from your home. Where else do you spend a time to rest and relax? At home indeed. So here are some useful hacks.
1. Do one room at a time.
So what would you want to do first? Ask yourself, where do you spend more time in? Bedroom? Living room or in the kitchen? Doing one room at a time may help you feel accomplished after the process. Doing everything at once may stress you more. Move on to the next.
photo via Flickr
2. Lessen area rugs.
Too many rugs may clutter the room. It can crowd your vision. Instead, try to use a statement rug over good carpeting. Or top bare flooring with a minimal yet eye-catching rug.
photo via styleestate.com
3. Double up your furniture usage.
How? You may try to use and double your ottoman as a storage area. Consider everything you could double space but be careful, this storage space isn’t made to keep and hide your clutter in. Keep things that are needed but may look disorganized if you put it on table tops.
photo via apartmentgeeks.net
4. Tame your cables.
Cables can be a constant source of exasperation. You may try to tame them by pulling them into a zip tie. Some cable organizers are readily available in your home stores. Or you may revise and use readily available things at home. Or if you can’t keep them or hide them, why not display them artistically? See the picture sample.
photo via Flickr
5. Velcro remotes near you, or use a bowl to organize it.
Remotes, when strewn across tables, may look messy. Instead, Velcro them in the side of the TV or in the coffee table. If there are too many of them, group these remotes in a decorative box or bowl.
photo via Flickr
6. Use shower hooks to hang things.
Shower hooks take lesser space than hangers. Use this to hang your bags and your other belongings that need organizing.
photo via realsimple.com
photo via thriftyfun
7. Clean your refrigerator on a hot day.
Cleaning refrigerator during this day will make it less of the task but will act as a treat instead. The first thing to throw away? Empty cartons!
photo via Flickr
8. Have to limit for closet hangers.
Keep your hangers to a minimum. The more hangers, the more space it will take. Fold the clothes you wear less. Keep your hangers under 30.
photo via Flickr
9. Compartmentalized boxes can be good for small things.
Keeping small things can be a headache. They can be a nuisance in drawers too. So instead of keeping these small things together and stress yourself out when you look for them when you need them, use a compartmentalized box to organize them. These small things may include batteries, pins, clips, etc. If you feel like it, you may add some label into these compartments.
Photo via Flickr
10. Organize bed sheets inside pillowcases.
You can start folding your bed sheets and insert them in the same design pillowcase. Keep pillowcases in the same place and pile them in the closet.
photo via lifehacker
11. Donate old books. Keep the latest magazines only on your coffee table.
Donate old books instead of hoarding them. You can help other people out of these donations. Your magazines should also be limited since they can fill the table.
photo via Flickr
12. Get rid of five items every time you clean.
Think about all the times you clean the house. Next time you clean, take five items that you don’t need in your life and throw them away. Be it an old receipt, an old perfume bottle or disintegrating shoes. Let them go.
Photo via media.npr.org
13. Use your under desk space.
You might be surprised how much space under your desk can be utilized. Stack things neatly and use the space wisely.
photo via scholastic.com
14. Make bed first before anything in the bedroom.
You need to make the bed first since it’s the focal point of your bedroom. A neat bed will motivate you to de-clutter everything around it since the clutter may look out of place.
15. Four box method.
Try using the four box method to declutter everything. Get three boxes and one large trash can. Label the three boxes with “Give Away”, “Put Away” and “Storage”. The ‘put away’ should be fixed and returned to the rightful place, the ‘give away’ should be put in the garage or the car trunk ready for shipping and this ‘storage’ should be packed away neatly. The rest put in the trash can and throw them right away. No second thoughts, just act.
Photo via au.yahoo.com
16. Oprah’s Closet Hanger experiment.
Okay, this isn’t by Oprah but she has caused the popularity of the method. Hang all your clothes in the closet in hangers facing reverse direction. After wearing it, return the clothes back to the hanging place in the correct direction. After a few months, you’ll clearly see which of these clothes you don’t wear and need to throw or pack away.
photo via shemadeitcrafts.com
17. Open your mail right next to the bin
Deal with your mail as it enters your home. Any mail that needs trashing can be thrown away immediately, no piles!
photo via blogs.law.harvard.edu
18. Buy one, donate one.
Or two if you like. When you buy one shirt, for instance, you may try to give away one away or even two. This will prevent your closet from piling up, especially if you love to shop.
photo via flickr
19. Keep your cleaning supplies in a bucket caddy.
And make sure it’s mobile. This will make easier movement from one room to another.
photo via hbdisplays.com.au
Now, you may be asking, how do these decluttering may help you? Here are some key benefits for it:
1. It lets you move on from the past.
2. It lets you clear some mental space.
3. It helps you reorganize mentally and physically.
3. It helps you discover what you already have, or what you think you’ve lost.
5. You can make some cash by selling some stuff.
6. Make some space for a hobby.
7. Help people.
8. It can relieve stress and anxiety.
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