Quick tips on how to get organized.
Taking down holiday décor and rearranging your home as it was prior to the holidays might have kick started your desire to “Spring Clean” and rid yourself of clutter. So why not get ahead of the game and start tossing items out and get organized?
Surprisingly enough clutter can have some pretty interesting effects on people. UCLA conducted a study of clutter in American homes and produced the book titled Life at Home in the 21st Century: 32 Families Open Their Doors. They found that clutter actually causes stress and even depression in some cases. You can read more about it in UCLA Magazine’s article The Clutter Culture.
Making the decision to clear some items can be intimidating and even questionable. How do you know what is clutter and what isn’t? Here’s a list of questions to help navigate your quest for a tidy space.
- Does it work? Old electronics, games, miscellaneous furniture – is it functional? If something is broken or if it’s something that you’ve been meaning to fix and haven’t in a few years, it’s definitely time to rid yourself of these items.
- When was the last time you used it? Maybe the item in question does in fact work but can you recall the last time you used it? Chances are that if it’s been tucked away you probably haven’t used it awhile and thus it gets the boot.
- Were you “saving” it? I have to admit that I am guilty of this. Hotel shampoo, giveaway totes, notepads, the list really can go on and looking back, I really don’t even know why I was saving it to begin with.
- Is it expired? You’d be surprised how many things actually have expiration dates. Makeup, dried spices, cleaning products, medications, so get in there and look around. I bet you’ll have quite a few things to get rid of.
- Does the memento trigger any memories? Keeping things around for sentimental reasons is nice but if you’re still hanging onto items that don’t instantly bring any memories it’s safe to say they’ve lost their luster.
Get ahead of the game and start your spring cleaning early. You’ll likely feel pretty rejuvenated afterward!
Just another ShopRTO Lifestyle tip.
