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Many of us buy more than we should, especially when we see something we really MUST have when out and about in town. And many of us resist the urge to tidy up on a regular basis, often because we make excuses why we should leave the housework to another day.
But tidy up we should, as clutter is not good for us. It can cause us to feel stressed. It can distract us when we’re trying to rest and relax. And it can also cause us an injury when we trip over something that has been left haphazardly on the floor!
So, if your home is cluttered, now the time to get rid of things you don’t need. Donate or sell unnecessary items, and consider hiring a storage unit for anything you don’t have space for at home. Both you and your home will benefit if you do.
To help you keep a home free of clutter, here are the rules you should adhere to.
Rule #1: Have a place for everything
You know the old saying: a place for everything and everything in its place.
When everything in your home has a place of its own, you won’t have anything cluttering up your living spaces. So, add more storage to your home if you need to, and clear out things you don’t need to create more room for your essentials. And when you have given everything a place, remember to return your items to these places before your house becomes cluttered again.
Rule #2: Don’t live beyond your means
Consider this in two ways.
Firstly, don’t buy what you can’t afford. Not only will you protect yourself from financial ruin this way, but you will preserve the space you have in your home too. Secondly, consider the amount of space in your home. Let the size of your living space dictate what you buy, as you should only bring into your home those things that can fit inside it comfortably.
Rule #3: Have a daily tidy-up
Sure, you could leave your clutter lying around for a day. You could even leave it lying around on a second day. But here’s the thing: the longer you put off your tidying chores, the more things will accumulate around your home. And when more items pile up, the less inclined you will be to tidy-up, as you will realise the job will take you a lot longer to do.
So, don’t let your clutter get on top of you. If you make the effort to have a tidy-up each day, you won’t have to worry about an epic housework task later in the week.
Rule #4: Have a monthly purge
Set aside time each month to assess what has entered your home. If you realise you have duplicated other items, and if you come to the conclusion that you don’t want something anymore, purge anything unnecessary from your home. Go through those items that have become damaged too. If they are beyond repair, get rid of them instead of letting them sit in your drawers or attic space.
There could be months where you get rid of very little, and that’s fine. But still make the effort to assess what you have, as you will stop clutter accumulating when you get into the habit of purging what you don’t need.
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