DECLUTTERING CHECKLIST

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Stuart Wood
5 years ago
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Today, head into your kitchen and open a drawer. Kitchen drawers are famously terrible places for clutter to gather and party, it's time for you to come down heavy on them and stop their fun.

1 Today, head into your kitchen and open a drawer. Kitchen drawers are famously terrible places for clutter to gather and party, it's time for you to come down heavy on them and stop their fun. It may be that you do actually use the special tool that makes carrots into spirals, or the toffee hammer, or the cracked drinking straws. If so, move onto the next drawer. You have 5 minutes! Ask yourself: Do I use it? Do I like it? Is it a part of something else I lost a long time ago? Does it need mending? Should it be there? If it's a tool, would a knife do just the same job? Have I got more than one of them? Do I need that many? Is it a nasty tangle of stuff that I am never going to disentangle? If, on your way, you find broken things then throw them away or recycle them. You can count them in your 5 things too if you like. The whole point of this is to get your home full of usable things that you like and that make you feel good. If you don't fancy tacking a kitchen drawer try the bathroom, or your bedroom. Just 5 minutes for 5 things. It's easy. Colour in the stars when you have done them. Choose small, not expensive, obvious things for todays declutter. Put them in the box, then head over to the Facebook Group and tell us how you got on.

2 Does it make you feel good? There is no point having things in our homes that remind us of bad times; why would we want a little nagging imp sitting on the shelf making us feel terrible every time we see it? We are not looking for things that stir up huge emotions here, just little things that nag away at us. Ask yourself these questions: Does it remind me of a bad time? Does it make me feel sad? Does it make me feel guilty? Does it make me feel I should do something I probably will never get round to doing? Ditch 5 things in 5 minutes or less. You can do this in any room and likely candidates are: Books you mean to read one day Shoes you wore once to an interview you didn t get the job for A dress that makes you feel ugly A half knitted cardi for a friends baby that is now in primary school Bottles of smelly stuff that you don t like but were given to you so you think you will be ungrateful throwing them out (you won t!) The fish tank for the fish that dies and you are keeping it in case you get new ones, one day. Sometimes, the things we have around us hold memories linked to strong emotions. If you find you are on a roll keep going but don t bite off more than you can chew. Choose small, not expensive things for todays declutter. Put them in the box, then colour in your stars. Get rid of the little things that just don t feel right to have around and if something comes up that overwhelms you, be kind to yourself. It is fine to leave it unil you have the support you need to process these emotions.

3 Things that don't fit Today we are going to face clothes that don't fit, or ones we are saving for when they are back in fashion. Here are some questions to ask yourself when you look at your clothes, either in a drawer, on a rail or on the 'floordrobe' How long have you had it? Do you still like it? Does it need repairs you are never going to get round to? Do you still like the colour? Does the texture feel nice? Does it make you feel fantastic when you wear it? Does it have a funny smell you can't get rid of? Do you really need more than 10 black t- shirts? Are you keeping it because it will come back into fashion one day? Remember It's ok to get rid of more than 5 things but don't get carried away! It's ok to bin stuff that isn't good enough to give away. Things sometimes have memories attached, if you find this happens to you it s ok to leave it until you have the support you need to cope with it. It's all ok, don't stress about it just choose 5 things that are obviously not for you right now. Don't choose anything you think might have a reasonable resale value. Choose stuff you are happy to get rid of and say goodbye to now. Just 5 minutes for 5 things. It's easy. Colour in the stars when you do them.

4 Will you finish it? Now is the time to say goodbye to those things you started and that make you feel bad for not finishing them. This will make room for something you can actually finish! As always this week, don't choose anything that has a big resale value. Choose things that nag you to get them finished. Some likely candidates are: Books and magazines Moisturiser that didn t quite suit you Bottle of liqueur too nasty to drink or cook with Craft projects Jigsaws To do lists Paintings and drawings Ask yourself: Do I like it? Would I use it if it was finished? What is it s hassle factor to finish? Sometimes it s good to give someone else a chance at finishing the thing you started. There truly are some people who would be really happy to find a couple of square feet of patchwork in a car boot sale or charity shop. Of course, if you really are going to finish something, today, this moment, not tomorrow because that never comes then stop doing this and finish your thing! Colour in your stars when you have got rid of 5 things you won t finish. You deserve those stars!

5 Look at your home in a different way. Change the angle you see your home from and you can do this anywhere. What does seeing it through someone elses eyes make you notice? Try: Looking at it from higher up Looking at it from lower down Angling your head when you look What do you notice that you don t like when you look at it slightly differently? Have you spotted places that attract clutter? Things that really don t need to be where they are? You can also think of it from a different perspective by imagining: You are a prospective buyer looking round You are a guest and it s not your home You are a toddler You are going to have a party Looking around your home from a different viewpoint, ask yourself: Do I like it? Does it work? Do I need it? If 5 items leap out at you as things you no longer need, you can put them in your box or bag for today. Of course, if you see things that need throwing away or recycling you can count them too. Colour in your stars when you have got rid of 5 things you won t finish. You deserve those stars!

6 Is it broken? Broken could jist mean that the batteries need changing, but are you really going to get round to that before they corrode? Remember this is not the week to get rid of anything with a decent resale value, just stuff you are happy to give away. If something needs a bit of minor stitching or gluing someone else might be able to face doing it with a fresh mind so why not get rid of it, give it a chance to live again, instead of sitting round your home reminding you that you haven t got round to it yet. Identify the guilty objects in your home and ask yourself: Is it expensive to fix? Is it a hassle to mend? Will I use it if it is mended? Do I have the materials to fix it? Do I actually like it? If you have a box of mending that is a great place for this type of decluttering. Here are some more questions to ask yourself: Am I just keeping it because someone gave it to me? Am I keeping in the hope it will have value one day? Is it a part of something else I lost a long time ago? Would something else I have do the same job as it? Have I got more than one of them? Do I need that many? Is it cheap and easy to replace? When you have found 5 things and either put them in a box for charity or to give away, or thrown them in the bin or recycling you can colour in your well earned stars!

7 To ditch 5 things in 5 minutes ask yourself: Do I like it? Is it just plain ugly? Does it have a funny smell you can't get rid of? Do I like the colour? Does the texture feel nice? Do I use it? Is it 2 sizes away from fitting me? Have I used it in the past 3 years? Have I opened it recently? What is it s hassle factor? Will I ever finish it? Does it need repairs I am never going to get round to? Will I use it if it is mended? Do I have the materials to fix it? Is it a nasty tangle of stuff that I am never going to disentangle? Why am I keeping it? Am I just keeping it because someone gave it to me? Am I keeping in the hope it will have value one day? Is it a part of something else I lost a long time ago? Would something else I have do the same job as it? Have I got more than one of them? Do I need that many? Is it cheap and easy to replace? How does it make me feel? Does it have bad memories? Does it make me feel guilty?

Say Goodbye to the OLD. Simple Guideline

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