No More Clutter
Let go of clutter and lighten your life
By Sue Kay from no more clutter
We live in a very materialistic society. TV encourages children to want products linked to films and TV shows. In my work I see many children’s rooms cluttered with plastic toys that probably held their attention for a few minutes. What can parents do to stem the tide of clutter that threatens to overwhelm family homes throughout the UK?
First have a quick look around your home and answer the following questions honestly:
- Can you let go of old baby clothes, piles of art work, drawers full of photos and much more?
- Do your children play with all the toys they own?
- Does everything in your home have a home?
- Do you monitor your buying habits and ask yourself do we really need this before buying something new?
If you answered No to any of these questions then you need to declutter. Here are some top tips for getting started.
1. Be sentimental but selective
Choose a beautiful box into which to keep sentimental items. Keep a few cherished baby clothes and give the rest to someone who will use them. Put photos into albums only keeping the best ones and let go of the others,
2. Model good habits to your children
Hoarding can run in families so start with your own stuff. Choose a small project such as clearing out a drawer rather than tackling the loft. Don’t start another area until this is finished Ask yourself when you handle each item do I use this, do I feel good when I look at it and does it reflect my life now. Don’t be guilty. Even if you were given something as a gift or its an expensive mistake let it go.
3. Letting go of old stuff
This can be a good time to teach your child about giving to others. Unwanted items can be given to charity, friends or family or recycled. Or you could sell them at a car boot sale and put the proceeds towards something fun such as a family day out or holiday.
4. Involve your child
Remember one person’s clutter is another person’s treasure, so get your child involved in deciding what to keep and what to hand on. Get a bankers box to store old schoolwork and allocate a folder for each year. Your child can have fun personalizing this box.
5. Storage
Once you have decluttered it is time to look at storage. If you want your child to be tidy then you have to help them. So give everything a place to live. A new toy or game needs to be allocated its place. Decide on a routine such as 5 minutes tidy up before bedtime each day.
Get child friendly containers to keep toys in that are at the right height and can be labelled with pictures for little ones or words when they get older.
6. The benefits
There are so many benefits to decluttering and letting go of old stuff. A more relaxing home where you can find things when you want them. Less emphasis placed on having material goods creating more space for your children to express their creativity and natural sense of fun.
7. Getting help
Finally if this all seem a bit overwhelming and you don’t know where to start then Sue runs no more clutter a professional decluttering and organizing service (London) for your home or office.
Contact her on 07974 076 675
Email sue@nomoreclutter.co.uk
www.nomoreclutter.co.uk