Creating Time in Your Week - Declutter

Creating Time in Your Week - Declutter

When lockdowns started, and we were spending so much time at home, I embarked on an extensive project of decluttering. I was reading Atomic Habits at the time, and some of the points James Clear made about creating sound systems to make things easier really resonated with me. So at one point, I put the book down and wrote a long list of everything I wanted to improve about each space in our house – what needed to go, how things could be organised or stored better or how I could make things work more efficiently. Even just minor changes can make a big difference. For example, we had all our face washers stored in a cupboard, but we used them all day long with two little ones, and they were a hassle to grab. So I moved them into a plastic basket just inside our laundry door, and we have such quick and easy access to them whenever needed. This audit led me to do a large online shop at Kmart for lots of different storage options and organisers, and then I got to work. 

Decluttering takes a lot of time, especially when you have kids and get such short time windows to work on it. But it is so worth persevering with and making any progress you can. I have found that living in tidy and organised spaces has helped clear my head and left me feeling less overwhelmed. It is so great to know where everything is. It has also saved us money as we are not buying things we already have. Spaces are easier to clean, and there is also less to tidy at the end of the day (especially kids stuff). Decluttering gives you the chance to think about what you need and what you don't. We have donated a lot to charity and taken some rubbish out to our local tip, but if you do it gradually, you can also make use of your weekly bin pick up. It is still a work in progress for me as our kids grow and the way we use spaces change and as more things come into our house, but I've made tremendous progress.