Got a Spare 60 Mins? Choose from 3 Satisfying Decluttering Jobs
Make the most of a spare hour with these simple yet effective decluttering tasks
Hannah Young
16 April 2017
Professional Organiser in Yorkshire and a member of APDO (Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers). You can find me online at www.ReviveYourSpace.co.uk or in person helping others to declutter, organise and restyle their homes. I believe it's important to make the most of what we already have and love to share the benefits of being organised and efficient, creating more physical and emotional space for the things that are most important to us.
Professional Organiser in Yorkshire and a member of APDO (Association of Professional... More
If you have limited time or energy to make a dent in your clutter, then set yourself just 60 minutes to achieve one key task – with a motivational playlist to spur you on. Remember that decluttering is all about editing first and organising second, so keep focused on your end goal as you make decisions about what stays and what goes. Here are three common clutter culprits that you could tackle in an hour, says Hannah Young from Revive Your Space.
1. Create a stationery station
Gather all your stationery items from around the house together in one place – dig to the back of your junk drawer and check under your desk for any runaways. Throw away unusable items and pop things you’ve never used into a charity bag.
Now grab some takeaway tubs from your kitchen to sort what’s left, putting like with like. Assess and cull again, putting excess items in that charity bag.
Find a suitable box, drawer or organiser to store your remaining items in the place where you will use them. If you need a stationery station in two places, such as downstairs and upstairs, that’s fine – just make sure you’ve got suitable storage to keep everything tidy and easy to access.
Past to present: The writing desk
Gather all your stationery items from around the house together in one place – dig to the back of your junk drawer and check under your desk for any runaways. Throw away unusable items and pop things you’ve never used into a charity bag.
Now grab some takeaway tubs from your kitchen to sort what’s left, putting like with like. Assess and cull again, putting excess items in that charity bag.
Find a suitable box, drawer or organiser to store your remaining items in the place where you will use them. If you need a stationery station in two places, such as downstairs and upstairs, that’s fine – just make sure you’ve got suitable storage to keep everything tidy and easy to access.
Past to present: The writing desk
Take note of what you’ve over-bought: Maybe you’re a sucker for a pretty notebook or lovely pens? Perhaps you see yourself writing a daily journal or maybe doodling some witty cartoons? Give yourself the challenge of putting this dream into action within the week and try to make it a positive habit in the next month. Pop a note in your diary for a month’s time and then, if you haven’t put that goal into action, it’s time to pass those items to the charity shop.
2. Rethink your living room
Have you ever given consideration to how you use and want to use your living room? Find a piece of paper and take five minutes of your 60 to write down the answer to a few questions, including who uses the room, what it is currently used for and what you would like the room to be used for.
Have you ever given consideration to how you use and want to use your living room? Find a piece of paper and take five minutes of your 60 to write down the answer to a few questions, including who uses the room, what it is currently used for and what you would like the room to be used for.
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Tackle clutter item by item: Make a list of any living-room clutter that needs to be reduced, such as books, children’s toys, DVDs or magazines. It’s unlikely you’ll have time to sort all of these out in 60 minutes, so instead, schedule another hour in your diary and deal with each category of items separately. This exercise should give you a clearer goal as you get down to declutter.
Start by making a pile of things that don’t belong in the space at all – these can be re-homed in the last five minutes of your session.
Then begin sorting one of your categories, for example children’s toys. If you find there are a lot of them in your living room, think carefully about designating specific storage to house them, as it’s clear they are being used often in the space.
Browse stories about storage
Start by making a pile of things that don’t belong in the space at all – these can be re-homed in the last five minutes of your session.
Then begin sorting one of your categories, for example children’s toys. If you find there are a lot of them in your living room, think carefully about designating specific storage to house them, as it’s clear they are being used often in the space.
Browse stories about storage
Assess the layout: Once you’ve removed day-to-day mess from your living room, you should have a clear walkway that will save you having to hop over obstacles. Allocate storage for items that have to stay, such as magazines, favourite toys and remote controls, to help you limit what you have in the room and enable you to find things easily. To create a sense of order in the rest of the room, try to introduce symmetrical elements, such as pairs of candles and floor lamps.
3. Boot your hallway into shape
Gather together all hats, gloves scarves and coats. Discard as much as possible, to take to the charity shop. Keep accessories with matching colour schemes that complement each other, and try to retain jackets that are multi-functional as you’ll wear them more than single-occasion ones.
Temporarily sort your items into shoe boxes until you have time to buy suitable storage. At a later date, you can shop for attractive baskets, shelves or hanging pockets.
Gather together all hats, gloves scarves and coats. Discard as much as possible, to take to the charity shop. Keep accessories with matching colour schemes that complement each other, and try to retain jackets that are multi-functional as you’ll wear them more than single-occasion ones.
Temporarily sort your items into shoe boxes until you have time to buy suitable storage. At a later date, you can shop for attractive baskets, shelves or hanging pockets.
Personalise your storage: Designate a hook and basket to each person in your house. If you have young children, it can be fun to label their storage to encourage personal responsibility for tidying their possessions.
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Tell us
Did you find these ideas for quickly organising your home helpful? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
More
Read more stories about getting organised
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i have recently had built in pigeon holes custom made for shoes in my hall, below where the coats hang. Wish i hadnt waited 23 years......
I have always abhorred clutter, so when my children were little, one of the evening rituals was to put toys back into the toy box. I believed that this would teach them to, not only be tidy, but also to value what they owned - no tears over broken toys that someone had inadvertently stood on in the dark! Now they have grown and have instilled the same habits in their children. Our "children" now are four-legged furry canines, who are also learning to put their toys away at the end of the day! No clutter - bliss!