Decluttering in Lockdown
Here in the U.K. we’re well into our second month of lockdown due to Covid 19. I know there are many of us still trying to adapt to our new lifestyle and if you find yourself busier than you’ve ever been before, you’re not alone! My husband and I are trying to balance working from home and looking after our two children. One thing that’s giving us an incredible sense of peace is that we live in an uncluttered space. Yes, there is the daily mess that accumulates in the kitchen and playroom/lounge, but what is wonderful is that we can recreate our sanctuary within twenty minutes of our children going to bed, because we live with less and all of our belongings have a designated home.
No matter how busy you are, this time at home is an opportunity for us to acknowledge the distractions in our lives and implement positive habits. One of the ways we can do this is through decluttering. I’m not saying you should KonMari your entire household during this time, but you can take small steps to reorganise a small space in your home and experience the great benefits that come from tidying.
As a KonMari Consultant, it’s my job to encourage you to follow the specific KonMari order of tidying through the categories (clothes, books, papers, komono and sentimental) but during this unprecedented time at home, what is important at the moment is feeling good about our actions. Tidying up a space, however small, can give us a great sense of achievement and order in our lives, amidst the chaos. Whether it’s a small junk drawer or all the entire contents in your kitchen, an underwear drawer or your entire wardrobe, your cookbook selection or entire library, let’s focus our decluttering minds for a great dose of self care.
Declutter Focus: Underwear drawers
Declutter focus: cookbooks
Declutter inspo: junk drawer before
Declutter inspo: junk drawer after
Not yet convinced? Here are five good reasons for completing a lockdown declutter, however small!:
It’s a good distraction: Be honest, how often are you ‘glancing’ at the news everyday? This does nothing for our levels of unease and anxiety. Focus your efforts instead on something productive, instead of getting dragged down in negative news feeds.
It relieves stress and helps us to solve problems: Tidying allows you to refine your decision-making skills, which for some can offer a much needed confidence boost in these uncertain times. If we can achieve order in our own home sanctuary, it may just give us more confidence to deal with the unpredictability of the outdoors.
Decluttering gives us clarity and puts us in a positive headspace: How good do you feel when things are organised? You can find things when you need them and you let go of the unnecessary mess taking up a space. Letting go is liberating and gives us a fresh start.
Conscious consumerism is a natural by-product: If you know exactly what you own, you only buy what you need in the future. Tidying puts you back into the driving seat in determining what items come into your home. A good area to focus on right now is the contents of your kitchen, particularly food. We’re going to be spending a lot more time in our kitchens during our time at home so let’s take stock over what’s there, so we don’t waste our time purchasing surplus items we don’t need during our precious weekly supermarket visit or online shop.
You will no longer be distracted by the cluttered areas of your home: Let’s take a look around our homes right now. Are there ‘clutter traps’ vying for your attention as you attempt to start work? Do you have to move things around just to create a work station for the day? Does cleaning take twice the amount of time because you have to relocate everything first? If you can resonate with any of these examples, give yourself a little more focus by removing these things and saying goodbye, or through giving them a permanent home.
Worried you won’t be able to donate the items you’re discarding throughout this crisis because the charity shops are currently closed? I’m sure there is one spot in your home, your garage or (dare I say it) your loft that you would be happy to use temporarily to house these items. It’s more important you give yourself the motivation boost and peace of mind right now, than worrying about getting these items out of the house. You can have a free pass from me on this right now. Once lockdown is over, I will be reminding you all to get these things out of the house pronto!
As always, I’m here to help you if you need it. Although I am unable to support you in your home right now, I have been supporting clients virtually, some as far as San Francisco. For more information about my virtual services please click here.
Stay safe everyone.