MY TOP FIVE DECLUTTERING HACKS

Spring is on the way, or so I'd like to hope, when this deep freeze of winter is behind us. I mean surely it's not just me that feels like we've been stuck in winter months, for years. Perhaps it's because of the snow in March or the longest January ever - but I am over winter now. It's no surprise that our thoughts are turning to brighter days and getting organised for spring and summer. One of the biggest things I enjoy doing, and feel as though I don't just benefit physically but mentally, is de-cluttering in my home, work and other aspects of my life. But how do you start the process? It can often feel like an overwhelming task to take on, but actually, once you get started you may find that other aspects come much easier. I wanted to share with you two of the ways in which you can take simple decluttering to the next level.



Digitally detox your life to help clear your mindset
One of the first things you can consider doing is digitally detoxing and decluttering your life. This covers a vast amount of your life and once you get started, I promise you it's difficult to stop. First of all, look at your social media platforms. Facebook especially could have meant that you have accumulated a friends list that is far bigger than the true reality. Do you really need to be friends with Jenny who you went to primary school with and haven't spoken to since? Are you truly that interested in what they're up to? Do you even engage with them at all? The truth is, we can end up having added people to social media that actually mentally don't make us feel that great about ourselves. Nobody needs that, and if you're a blogger trying to run a business, don't panic about reducing the followers number, your mental well being is far more important. The good news is Facebook friends amount to nothing in terms of blogging stats, so a facebook friend cull is a great way to feel refreshed and genuinely see the content you want to see. The same can be said for all other platforms, if you aren't happy with what you are seeing, it's time to change it. Another way to digitally detox that I've found works wonders, is sifting through my e-mails, finally unsubscribing from all the spam newsletters or promotions I'm registered to. Organising things into folders and even having a sort through my files. Just flicking through my phone and deleting anything that's irrelevant anymore. That print screen of a mince pie recipe - probably wont need that in March, it has to go.

Work around your home and get rid of things you no longer need.
We all have things in our home we no longer want or need. I have a strict process when I'm decluttering in the house, if I didn't use it in the last year, it's going. Chances are if you haven't used it last year, you won't use it next and therefore it's just taking up space in my eyes, space that we certainly don't have. It can be that you have a loft full of junk, I am definitely guilty of putting things that I'm not certain we wont need, up in the loft and it might as well be an abyss up there as I never get it down again. Out of sight out of mind, right? Clothes you don't wear anymore, but yet you cling onto, even ones that don't fit, just in case. I think it's much easier to fall into that trap once you've had a baby, you're wardrobe consist of maternity clothes, postpartum clothes, pre-pregnancy clothes, each set that you're just holding onto for absolutely no other reason than a 'maybe I'll need them again'. Yes, maybe you will. But chances are your taste will have changed and they'll end up unworn regardless.  Gadgets and technology is my other halves falter, he tries to hold onto all his older models even when he upgrades.

Think about your car.
We use our car every single day, for long or short journeys and overall probably spend a hell of a long time in there by the end of each month. Yet I have zero enthusiasm in making it a nice or enjoyable space, I'd never even thought about doing it before till last week. It just gets us from A to B. In reality though my car does frustrate me, it's often filled with a variety of coats and footwear - thanks to a toddler that loves nothing more than to rip his shoes off the moment he is in his car seat. There's a few wrappers, lots of mud, and of course some obligatory toys and crumbs as part and parcel of driving with children. We gutted it last week and I can't tell you how good it feels, having little storage boxes in the back for a couple of hats, some snacks and drinks - I feel like I'm winning at life.

Make some money from your unwanted items.
So you may find you have a huge amount of things that need to vacate your home, so why not make some money in the process? Decluttering doesn't always have to be about throwing things away, don't forget about donating to charity too, if you're heading near a town that has charity shops, it's a great way of doing a good deed that helps you out too. Thanks to websites like ebay, gumtree and even Facebook selling groups, you can quickly and easily sell your items online. Even dispatch doesn't have to be an issue with websites like Shiply. Selling things online doesn't have to always be the small items of clutter, lots of couriers will deliver large items of furniture. We've sold sofas online previously, as well as wardrobes and cots. It's a great way to offload items you no longer need, but that will be of great use to someone else, whilst earning some extra cash in the process.

Decluttering your life.
Finally, an aspect of decluttering I never thought of before. Your life, I know there are so many aspects of my life that I could change. Decluttering what you do with your time can be seriously invaluable, do those box sets really have to watched again or could you be doing something more productive that will make you feel better in the long run? Decluttering your mind is also another way to make life easier, meditation is a fabulous way of doing this. Focusing your thoughts, allowing you to clear your mind, if you haven't done it before guided meditations talk you through what to do and when, I've found them really helpful.

These things are cluttering up space in your home and if you're serious about de-cluttering then you may want to consider some of the options available to you. If a task seems overwhelming, then just start with a simply 15 minutes every day, or make a promise to yourself to target one area each week. This may be a slower process, but if you're serious on de-cluttering then anything is better than nothing. There isn't any point in starting something out that you know realistically you can't achieve. With two young children, there is no way I could sit and say 'Right I'm de-cluttering the whole house this week' it wouldn't work, I'd fail and I'd feel pretty rubbish about it.

*this is a collaborative post