by Natalie Morey | Jun 3, 2016 | Home Organisation
I have met Peter Walsh a number of times and have heard him speak on all things decluttering and organising. It’s great to see an Aussie be so successful in the USA especially on a topic that I am so passionate about also. He is a lovely, down to earth guy who has some very practical tips to help you declutter and get organised. Decluttering the Peter Walsh way is fun and an easy process. After watching him on the Living Room, it got me inspired so I have included a couple of my favourite Peter Walsh declutter tips below. I hope you find them useful too.
Peter Walsh with Natalie Morey, Professional Organiser, The Lifestylers Group
He once said that “the secret to successful decluttering is this: you’ll never get organized if you don’t have a vision for the life you want”. This is so true. People have got to want to change the way they do things. They need to have a goal in mind about how they want that space to work. When I start working with a client, I get them to stand in the room and tell me how they would like to see it. It helps them develop a vision and get them motivated for the declutter process.
Another point that I think is really important to mention is that a large portion of why people need help to declutter and get organised is that they have developed bad habits. The kitchen table becomes the dumping ground for your bag, the mail and anything else you bring into the house. That pile of newspapers sits on the bench because you plan to read them at some point. When we do a declutter session with our clients we spend some time talking about this, because it’s important that people start to identify how and why the clutter is building up in their home.
Decluttering the Peter Walsh Way – The Linen Press
I love Peter Walsh’s brilliantly simple linen system. To store his white sheets, he the folds fitted sheet, top sheet, and extra pillowcases inside a pillowcase of the same set. Needless to say, he never has to ransack his linen press for an elusive match.
Decluttering a Linen Press
Decluttering the Kitchen
Image Credit: Photo: David Tsay
Decluttering the Peter Walsh Way – Plastic Food Storage Containers
To avoid accumulating a draw full of mismatched plastic containers in ten colours, Peter Walsh uses just one brand of food storage container so lids will always fit. He stacks just a few sizes in a cabinet for easy access.
However, if you don’t want to have the cost of replacing all of your plastic containers at once start with this declutter tip. It’s one of the first things I do when I am decluttering plastic containers in a client’s kitchen. Match up all the containers and get rid of any that don’t have any lids. I cannot tell you how many times I find tones of missing lids in client’s homes. They clutter up the cupboard and just get moved from one spot to another, because you can never find the matching lid. Once you have done this, stack them neatly inside each other to save space.
Decluttering your wardrobe
Decluttering the Peter Walsh Way – Wardrobe Decluttering: Reverse Coat Hanger Trick
Turn all the clothes hanging in your wardrobe so that the hangers face back-to-front. For the next six months, if you wear an item of clothing, return it to the wardrobe with the hanger facing the correct way. If you try it on but decide not to wear it, make sure you put it back with the hanger turned backward. No cheating. Be prepared for a shock; you are going to find you own lots of clothes you never wear. You should seriously consider decluttering and getting rid of anything you don’t wear regularly.
I love this quote by Peter Walsh: “Set limits for the amount of space you’re prepared to dedicate to items i.e. clothes, toys etc. – and stick to those limits. Three bins for toys, four shelves for baby cloths. Kids only need you, not all the stuff you feel attracted to”.
Keeping toys organised is a big problem many of our clients face. I am a big believer of the principal “one in” “one out” when it comes to containing the amount of “stuff” you have . So next time your child is given a toy, select an existing toy that you can donate to charity and know that you will be giving it to a child less fortunate than yours.
If you need help with your decluttering and home organising, then contact The Lifestylers Group. Based in Melbourne, we are experts at helping people to declutter and organise their homes, lives and houses.
by Natalie Morey | May 25, 2016 | Home Organisation, Personal concierge, Tips
Are you always busy and always playing catch up? Do you wish that you could be more organised? Is there never enough hours in the day, to get everything done?
Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours every day. You cannot change that, but what you can change is how you use your time throughout the day.
Tips To Stop the Busyness and Get You Organised
Here’s a few tips to help get you organised and “get the most” out of your day.
- Use Sunday morning to prepare for the week ahead and map out a weekly plan listing everything that is happening. Kid’s activities, personal appointments and important dates should all be included on your list. Include a meal plan for the week noting down what’s for dinner every night. It is so much easier when you get to Thursday and you know exactly what you’re having for dinner.
- Write a list the night before you go to bed or leave work and include everything you need to do the next day. Then prioritise that list with the most important things at the top of the list.
- Don’t become overwhelmed by what you have to do. One of the fastest ways to overwhelm yourself is to think about your massive to-do list. Realise that no amount of thought will make it any shorter. Just start working your way through it.
- Complete the most important tasks first. It’s a great feeling when you can tick off a few tasks from your to do list.
- Learn to say “no”. Sometimes we just take on too much and you need to say “no”. Try it, you might be surprised at the impact it can have on your day.
- Sleep at least 7-8 hours every night. Some people think sacrificing sleep is a good way to increase productivity and get a couple of extra hours out of the day. However, this is not the case as most people need 7-8 hours of sleep for their bodies and minds to function optimally. You know if you’re getting enough. Listen to your body, and don’t underestimate the value of having enough sleep to ensure you have a productive day.
- Devote your entire focus to the task at hand (or what’s on your list). There is lots of research out there now to indicate that multi-tasking may not be as efficient as we all first though.
- Work smarter not harder. The old adage, “work smarter, not harder” is so true. Sometimes though, we are so busy on the merry go round of life that we simply don’t have time to stop and think about what we are doing, or if it can be done better. Managing your time isn’t about squeezing as many tasks into your day as possible. It’s about simplifying how you work, doing things faster and relieving stress.
- Ask yourself, can I outsource any of the tasks on my to do list? Would getting a cleaner free up a few extra hours that I could spend with my family or friends. Do I spend way too much time trying to “find” stuff in my wardrobe or home office? Do I need to get some systems and procedures in my life or home? Perhaps a session with a professional organiser might help to get your organised. Working smarter is about clearing away space in your life to make time for people, play, and rest. I promise you — there really are enough hours in a day for everything you’d like to do, but it may take a bit of rearranging to find them.
The Lifestylers Group offers a personal concierge and professional organising service in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.
by Natalie Morey | May 19, 2016 | Declutter tips, Home Office, Home Organisation, Office Organising, Tips
Clutter are things that you no longer use or love and it’s also those items that start to effect the way you run your house or life because they start to build up and take over the space. I’m sure that if I asked the question, most people would say that I have clutter in my house.
Clutter in my house
I believe that there are two main types of clutter. Emotional clutter and physical clutter. Both of these types of clutter have an impact on your life. In this blog, I am going to concentration on the physical clutter in your home and home office.
Clutter in your house is:
- All those odd socks that are still in your draw – but clearly you are never going to wear
- The broken TV or printer.
- The piles of unopened junk mail and old newspapers.
- All those plastic butter containers or jam jars that might come in useful one day.
- All the piles of papers on your desk or office floor
- Expired medicine in your bathroom
- Things that might be broken but (for sentimental reasons) you cannot throw it out (even though it can be no longer used)
- The boxes of stuff that have not been unpacked from your recent house move, because there is no space for them
- The junk mail that you collected from the mail box. (You know it’s just junk mail, but you still bring it inside, telling yourselves – I will read that later)
- The things that remind you of a difficult time in your life.
- The things you liked ten years ago but your tastes have changed.
- Those shoes that you wore once but can’t bear to part with because you paid $300 for them!
We all have clutter in our house. Some people just have more clutter than others and as a result don’t know what to do with it.
Clutter in my house becomes a problem when:
- You run out of room
- When there is “stuff” sitting on benchtops or on the floor
- You feel frustrated at the state of your own home or home office
- It takes you an extra 15 minutes in the morning to get ready, because you cannot find anything to wear
- When you cannot find things.
- When you pay a bill late because you misplaced the invoice.
- You don’t want to invite friends over because of what your house looks like
- You buy duplicate items because you could not find the original one.
What stops people from clearing the clutter?
The key thing that stops people from dealing with their clutter is:
- Procrastination
- Feeling whelmed and not knowing where to begin.
Did you know that on average we use 20% of our possessions 80% of the time? Now that is a lot of clutter that is not being used at any one time. So that is something to consider when the clutter starts building up in your home, wardrobe, kitchen or home office.
Clutter in my house
For tips on help you clear the clutter click here.
If you need help to clear the clutter in your home then contact The Lifestylers Group. We are experts at helping people to clear the clutter and reclaim your home and life. We have a team of trained professional organisers, all of whom specialise in different areas of the home. They are experienced, discrete and love helping people clear the clutter.
by Natalie Morey | May 18, 2016 | Declutter tips, Home Organisation, Tips
Clutter is unnecessary and causes us to be unproductive. However, the good news is that you can easily manage the clutter in your home or life. Follow our tips on clearing clutter and you will be well on your way to a clutter free home and life.
Tips On Clearing Clutter
Tips on Clearing Clutter
When you want to get organised and clear clutter in your wardrobe, kitchen, home office or house in general start by asking yourself:
- Do I love this item?
- Have I used or wore it in the past year?
- Is it really garbage?
- Do I have another one that is in better condition?
- Should I really keep two of them?
- Does it have sentimental value that causes me to love it?
- Or does it give me guilt and make me sad when I see the item?
Tips on Clearing the Clutter
My key tips to help you start clearing your clutter are:
- Pick one room first (don’t worry about the rest of the house)
- Start small. It is often quite overwhelming when you look at the whole house or a room so only look at one area first i.e. one shelve in one cupboard first. Clear that space and then move on.
- If you don’t have a whole day to spend clearing the clutter, set aside 15 minutes every day. Don’t get sidetracked, just focus on the job.
- Set a timer and don’t stop until you are finished.
- Create piles or categories for sorting items. i.e. keep, donate, rubbish, repair.
- Get a rubbish bag and fill it with rubbish or items to donate. If you did that every day, seven bags of rubbish would be cleared in a week. Now, that’s a great start.
I have also listed below some of my key tips to help you work through the process of actually clearing the clutter.
Sentimental Items
Be sentimental but selective. Choose a beautiful box in which to keep sentimental items. For example, 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 the others go.
Broken things
Give yourself a deadline by which broken items must be fixed by. If they are not fixed by then, they need to be recycled or thrown out.
Presents
Ask yourself, can I re-gift or give them to someone else who will use them?
Paper
Be ruthless with paper. Put junk mail straight in the recycling bin and decide how long you will keep other newspapers and documents for. Use your recycling bin and ask yourself; When will I really have time to sit down and read that pile of papers or junk mail ?
Clothes
Ask yourself when was the last time I wore it and did it make me feel amazing?
Kitchen items
Again, ask yourself when was the last time I used it. Do I really need two of them?
How does it feel when you clear the clutter?
As you put things in the bin or charity shop bag, you may feel good and even feel a huge sense of relief. Or you may feel guilty that you are wasting money by throwing things away. You may also feel guilty that you are letting go of unwanted presents or baby clothes.
Many of my clients come from families where hoarding is a common problem. Often people have lots of clutter because that’s what they were taught and brought up with. You need to identify this and take action to change those behaviours.
I take the approach – “one in, one out”. Remember, you can only use one vacuum cleaner at a time.
Helping you decide what to declutter
If you really feel panicky about letting go of something then store it for three months.
Put a date on it before you store it away. If you haven’t used it in three months then give it away, knowing that it has not been used.
The benefits of clearing the clutter
There are massive benefits for you to get motivated, clear the clutter and become more organised. You will:
- Have a more relaxed and organised home
- Feel more organised and in control of your live
- Find that getting dressed and ready for work in the morning will be so much easier when you know exactly what is in your wardrobe.
There are massive benefits physiologically as well. I know myself; if I have a messy desk then my mind feels cluttered. I am not as productive when I sit down to work because I am surrounded with papers. A clear, uncluttered desk helps me think straight.
If you don’t have lots of clutter in your pantry, you won’t go and buy extra grocery items, thinking you need them. Often because of the clutter and lack of systems, clients will end up buying duplicate packets of food because they cannot find them in the pantry. They don’t have a set stop to store certain foods. It all just gets put in the pantry on different shelves and it starts to build up after a while.
With an organised wardrobe you will have a much better idea of what you actually need when you go shopping.
Good luck with clearing your clutter. Remember, be focused and have a plan of attack. If you find you need some assistance, then one of our clutter experts is only a phone call away. A free, no-obligation chat with us may be the first step you need to help you clear the clutter in your home and life.
by Natalie Morey | May 10, 2016 | Declutter tips, Home Office, Home Organisation, Office Organising, Tips
We were pretty chuffed to be included in this months edition of the Home Beautiful Magazine – 40 ways to get sorted.
As you know, we love to declutter and get our clients sorted. These clever out of the box storage ideas will help you declutter and restore order in the most stylish ways.
In the article, 40 ways to get sorted – Storage solutions for every room of the house, it gives lots of tips and solutions to help people get organised.
Whether you need to declutter and organise your hallway, need some stylish home office organising tips or need to organise your living room, there is some great storage solutions.
We hope you get some ideas or inspiration to get inspired and organised this February. To read the full article click here.
Happy Organising,
Natalie Morey
