Professional declutterer, Lizzie Grant set up Simplify Stuff believing in the value of decluttering to not just create physical space but to also reach beyond that. By clearing one’s physical space, one also clears the mind too, in order to make the necessary changes in one’s life. This may be feeling calmer and more confident, a career change, weight loss or even new relationships, all of which decluttering and organising can help bring about.
But the trend now isn’t just for simply reorganising and pairing down one’s belongings, it’s also about sustainability and upcycling unwanted items at local recycling stores, depots including Beauty Banks as well as donating items to charities such as Little Village.
Lizzie’s top three tips for decluttering are:
- Tackle one category at a time
Don’t get overwhelmed, start with one area such as clothing, then you can divide this into sub-categories such as socks, underwear, jumpers, dresses, skirts.
- Sort into 4 piles
Have bin bags, recycling bags and boxes/ bags for charity at hand when decluttering. Pick up each item and decide whether to put it in the following bags:
- Keep
- Donate to charity
- Recycle
- Throw away
This makes getting rid of things at the end of your decluttering session much easier and helps focus your mind on the decisions you need to make!
- Start with the easiest items
You will probably know which items you will find the hardest to declutter. For some it is sentimental items such as photos; for others, it could be shoes or books. Train your decluttering muscles by starting with the easiest items first and working your way towards the hardest. Having easy wins at the beginning of decluttering will mean you feel motivated to continue the process!
