In my drafts, I have a really good post about decluttering. Of course you're see it eventually, but writing it got me thinking. Most posts about tidying and decluttering assume that you've got a decent block of time to dedicate to the task you're hoping to tackle. But when you're a super busy person, there isn't always a load of time to spare. So you end up doing nothing at all.
Around this time, I tend to declutter. Ministers move every so often and we've always moved around the same time. As a result, my internal voice is telling me that now is the time to tidy. As it's quite busy at the moment, I've been picking one thing I can do each day. It might seem a small thing on it's own, but each time I do one small thing, it adds up to a much bigger thing. And gets the job done.
Here are some ideas:
- Go though your underwear drawer, take everything out, fold and tidy it and chuck out anything that's tatty or you don't wear.
- Shred outdated / unwanted paperwork.
- Recycle junk mail.
- Tidy the airing cupboard by taking the bath towels, bedding and tea towels out, fold it and put it back neatly. Throw out anything you don't use or is manky.
- Clean the oven. Including the inside.
- Wash down the front of the kitchen units.
- Do a stocktake of the kitchen cupboards and freezer so you know what's in it. (Curse yourself for not labelling the bags properly. Or is that just me?)
- Clean out your handbag. (Could also be turned into a blog post!)
- File important documents and receipts.
- Donate unwanted or unread books to charity. (Unwanted books?! Is there really such a thing?!)
- Tidy a wardrobe. Give away any items you no longer wear.
- Clean the light switches, including the bit around them.
- Clean all the door handles, including the bit around them.
- Clear out storage and empty drawers and put away the contents neatly. (Including the top of the wardrobe Mrs Tubbs!)
- Throw away expired beauty products.
- Clean beauty tools.
- Declutter rooms.
- Donate, recycle and throw away unwanted items from the room decluttering.
- Clean and tidy your email inbox.
- Organise files and folders.
- Back things up.
- Clean out your wardrobe.
- Organise the wardrobe contents.
What's the one more thing that would make a difference to you? (And why Columbo? Well, "Just one more thing ..." was his catchphrase!)
I LOVE a good de-clutter. When we moved we did loads and it was great. gave bags of stuff away. I often just now go round the light switches with my fingers to remove the dust!!! x #fartglitter
ReplyDeleteBy the time we left our previous house, the charity shop employees knew us by name and would say hello to us in the street! We had an epic clear out!
DeleteThe toys!!!! Oh my word the toys. I'm desperate to do that but I also have LITERALLY your entire list to do first!! The clutter makes me feel anxious, a bit like the walls are closing in, (they are a bit, walls of stuff creeping closer!), but I never seem to find the time. I might print this off and tackle one thing a week! #bigpinklink
ReplyDeleteI draw a veil over the toys. I swear they breed ... Good luck with reclaiming your house from them! (I am so not sharing photos of the Tubblet's room!)
Delete'There is just one thing that bothers me.....' We quote it all the time in our house, Columbo is fab! Ahhh yes the old de-cluttering, I am so glad that I am not the only one that gets distracted and one thing leads to ten more. Good luck with it #mg xx
ReplyDeleteWe love Columbo :) They're always worth a re-watch and some of this other phrases are worth repeating too. "What did you pay for those shoes?"
Deleteyou've just reminded me of the mountain of things I have to do lol ;) #mg
ReplyDeleteGood luck with getting everything done! Thank you for commenting
Deletewith the recent move we have decluttered heaps, but I am sitting here reading blog posts when I should be vacuuming and ironing right now, there is always something to do, but better than having nothing #mg Thanks for linking up, always means a lot to me xx
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting each week. I so hope you're settling into your new home and making it your own :)
DeleteAh, decluttering is good for the soul. I chucked loads of undies and it feels much nicer than searching for a non-holey pair. I was a bit confused with the Columbas reference- thanks for clearing that up. I love tidying desk drawers too.
ReplyDelete#fartglitter
It was either Columbo or a picture of my actual house ... The horror! Hope the relocation is going well
DeleteBonus points for Columbo!
ReplyDeleteWe're working our way though this and starting to evaluate whether we really need the things we have 'just in case'.
We have a shed full of 'just in case'!
#mg
It's a strange process. I tend to go slowly otherwise you end up tossing things you don't mean too or giving up half way though. Happy decluttering :)
DeleteDecluttering is at the top of my list of things to do at the moment with baby number two just weeks away. I have had a very long to do list forever, but I am finally, slowly starting to work through it. I finally did a back up on my mac for the first time in about two years and I got round to doing the dreaded paper work and shredding task a couple of weeks back. The last couple of weeks have been very much about getting the house baby ready and comfortable for maternity leave which also means lots of cleanign and decluttering too! I hope you manage to get through your list too before you move :-) Thanks for sharing this on #MarvMondays. Emily
ReplyDeleteWe're not due to move yet - just in case anyone from church is reading this - but as we always seem to move at the same time, it's become the time of year for decluttering if that makes sense.
DeleteHappy nesting and I hope you get everything done you want too in time for baby. Thank you for hosting each week
You're right - it is good to do just one thing at a time, or it is overwhelming when you're too busy & doesn't get done at all. I actually clean the front of the kitchen cabinets every day, because I'm completely insane (I clean the whole kitchen daily, I'm not so nuts I just clean the front of cabinets). However, my wardrobe & underwear drawer really need sorting. & my handbag is eternally a mess! #fartglitter
ReplyDeleteMy handbag is a thing of horror ... I really need to get that sorted ... Besides, I need the content!
DeleteThank you for commenting :)
a) please can you come and do my house b) yep the handbag...and it's one of my personal fave blog posts! #BigPinkLink
ReplyDeletePay my air-fare and I will! :)
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