This week is National Organising Week! There is a buzz about the organising community as we come together to share tips, hints and advice on how to get organised and create calm and relaxing homes which – crucially – are easy to live in.

This year the focus is on sustainability – which I find can be both a driver encouraging us to organise our homes (having only what you love and need, organised in a way which makes it easy to find) but also a barrier to getting started (“I know I don’t want all of this stuff, but where can I pass it on to?”)

I’d like to share with you my 3 stages to effectively decluttering your space. I use these in my own home as well as when working with clients – and it works!

1. Have everything in front of you. If we are decluttering a group of items (e.g. shoes) then get all items from wherever they currently are (the hallway, the back door, your wardrobe etc) into one place. If we are decluttering one area of your home, remove EVERYTHING before starting to work through your items. TOP TIP: Try using a flat sheet on the floor as your processing area.

2. Consider each item individually. Anything you decide to keep in your home should be either useful to you (now, or in the not too distant future) or you should love it (ideally both!).

3. Put each item into one of three piles:

1. Keep

2. Recycle/Landfill

3. Someone else’s treasure (for the charity shop/friend/neighbour)

Then – you can move on to ORGANISING the things you are choosing to keep.  Over on my social media accounts (Instagram and https://www.facebook.com/yourorganisedspace) you’ll find tips on organising your possessions, but if you’re stuck with a specific organising question, feel free to drop me an email and I will try to help!

Happy Organising

Gemma @ YourOrganisedSpace http://www.yourorganisedspace.com