Start tidying up

Tidying up. Photo of bicycle with a pile of cardboard.

You have a good idea – to make time to clear up your house. But how do you start? I’ll give you a few important tips:

  1. Begin with the room (or cupboard etc.) with which you have the most trouble;
  2. A – Divide it into parts; thus do one shelf, or one box, or one corner – OR
  3. B – collect together all the items of one sort (e.g. tools, sports equipment etc.), select what has to be kept, and store them. And on to the next item;
  4. Conserve your energy and take time to organize. It doesn’t have to (and can’t) be done in a day. After all, it took a long time to accumulate the piles, and fill the cupboards;
  5. Think what you are going to do with the stuff that you no longer want: throw away, take to the recycling centre or charity shop, or perhaps sell. Make a pact with yourself (of maybe with someone else) – that makes decisions easier. Place boxes ready for the stuff to be discarded, and make sure that these leave the house as soon as possible;
  6. Ask three questions: How many of these do I have? Do I need this? Do I get pleasure from this?
  7. For the stuff that is staying, assign as soon as possible a specific fixed place. That could be an attractive casket or box for things that are dear to you;
  8. Always keep some space spare – in the cupboard, in a box, or on a shelf. That way it is easier to find things, and there is always space for another item. An organizing rule of thumb is to keep a quarter of each space free;
  9. Keep it up. Clear up weekly any stuff lying around. If everything has a specific spot, then this can be done very quickly. And if you have something new, use the rule – one in, one out.