Less Clutter, not more storage!

Less clutter, not more storage.

We think that we need more storage, to store the stuff that we've bought that doesn't have a home. I disagree. What we need actually is less clutter. That means that we have more time to spend doing things we want to do and less time looking for things we've lost amidst the clutter.

 If we had less clutter chances are we would spend less money, because the things that  we do have will be suitable organized so you wouldn't need to go and get another *whatever* because you could actually find the one that you already had. You would be able to see at a glance what you need to buy, rather than replenishing things that are currently buried in the back of the cupboard, lost under a pile of clutter.Life would be far more efficient. You would have more energy, because you weren't mindlessly wasting it everyday looking for things, buying replacements for lost items, hunting around for matching socks. 

Get rid of obvious clutter. The broken things, the chipped mugs, the odd socks, the boxes that that electrical item came in, games that have lost bits, the chair with the torn seat, that kind of thing. Take away the clutter the same day, don't leave it lying around. Once you've got rid of the obvious clutter, go round again and be ruthless, do you really use it? Does it work? Do you like it? Does it annoy you? If it doesn't work, you don't like it or it annoys you, get rid of it. (N.B this does NOT apply to husbands, they're to keep! sorry.) 

Once you've got rid of the clutter, you can start to organise what you have left. Make sure that anything you use frequently you have close to hand. I completely disagree with the usual assumption that you should have your filing cabinet in alphabetical order. Put the things you use frequently at the front and those things you need to keep at the back out of the way. By all means have the things you use frequently in alphabetical order but certainly don't feel that it all has to be in alphabetical order throughout. 

Put seasonal items away in clearly labelled boxes. Gloves, hats, scarves can go away for the summer (well that's the theory at least) and in the winter, away go the sun hats, the water pistols, the shorts and bikinis and summer dresses. This leaves space in your wardrobe for the stuff that you actually use that season. 

If anything is tatty or torn at the end of the season, get rid of it. Look out for a new item that is at a vastly reduced price, if you have somewhere to store it. Certainly don't hang on to anything with the vague intention of replacing it some day.. GET RID!!

When buying anything new, adopt a policy of 'one in, one out' - throw away a tatty or unloved item when you buy a new one. 

If you have a short period of time spare, declutter a small area. Keep doing  a little clutter-weeding every day, and it soon will go. 

Deal with post as it arrives, and have a specific system in place to deal with it. File items that are for reference only, and when you've replied to any correspondence, file it away. Throw away envelopes, and any junk mail that comes with the post. Whatever you do, don't end up with piles and piles of mail lying about waiting for attention. It is too tempting to simply stuff them in a drawer out of the way, without filing. If you simply stuff them in a drawer, there will come a time when you have to tackle the drawer, thus wasting even more time.