Take a moment to consider your home when it feels cosy and inviting. It’s likely to be much more relaxing and aesthetically appealing when it’s at its tidiest – better still, when it’s clean, unfussy and thoughtfully decorated. I believe it takes just a little bit longer to put things away in an orderly fashion than it does to do it in a disorderly way, but the result is disproportionately better. Here’s a few simple habits to help create a tidy, uncluttered home, that can easily start to feel like second nature.
Mind over matter
Firstly, it’s important to try to imagine the art of keeping your home tidy as an expression of how much you appreciate your home, rather than it being a chore that you despise. In fact, the virtue of tidiness can be introduced to all areas of your home, so long as you change your perspective on the matter.
Take notice of cluttered areas
Find the areas in your home that accumulate clutter, and undertake to keep them clear. These are likely to be the high-traffic areas of your home, such as the entrance, dining room table or kitchen bench. Keeping these areas clear can be as simple as having a designated place for your belongings.
Create storage for miscellaneous items
Allocate a series of lovely hooks on display for your keys and handbag, a desk for your children’s homework and a tray or filing system for the miscellaneous letters and paper that always seem to cause disarray. It might take a few extra seconds to put everything in its proper place, but you’ll be glad you did so.
Work on one area at time
Hidden-away areas such as cupboards, drawers and underneath the bed can easily attract clutter. Despite being out of sight, the build-up of things in these areas can affect us just as much as the clutter in the visible areas does — just knowing it’s there can make you feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Aim to organise one area a day, or one a week. Most of the time, you’ll find that the things that have been hidden away are no longer useful or appreciated.
Take note of the things you bring into your home
Each time you want to buy something that’s not absolutely necessary, give yourself a week or two to think about it first. More often than not, the need (or want) for a particular item wavers, or we forget about it altogether. If you do end up buying something new, make a rule that for every new item that comes into your life, you must let go of one in return.
And once tidying and simplifying has become an everyday habit and you recognise it as a means to a beautiful, inspired style of living, you might begin to enjoy it.
