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Step 2 – Organise your stuff

Now you’ve sorted through your things, you know what you’ve got. Next, all those things need somewhere to go. Time to organise your home. And those spaces in between? That’s where you breathe.

How much space is there?

How often do you talk about your home in terms of floor space? That’s how homes are sold, and it’s how we tend to carry on thinking about them.

Time to think in 3D.

It’s not square metres, but cubic metres, that count. Make sure you use all potential space in the home – high up on walls, under windows, above a wardrobe or on ceilings. Don’t just focus on what the floor can accommodate.

Choose the right storage

Storage needs to suit what you’re storing. Some things are best hung up, either on rails or hooks. Others are best lying in stackable boxes.

Think about wiggle room.

If the box only just accommodates all the things in it, it’s too small. You should have a bit of space to move things around and add to it. And storage boxes with good handles make lifting and moving much easier.

Did you know? According to research, we are more likely to make mess in an already messy space.

Store it where you use it

This might sound obvious, but it makes a big difference. Plus, when you open your storage, keep the most regularly used items at the front or the top.

Always think: who needs what I’m storing? If it’s sharp tools or paint cans, make it a secure, high place. If it’s seasonal bed linen, vacuum bags in the attic (top tip: cedarwood will deter certain pests from textiles). If it’s kids’ toys, clothes or kitchenware, make them super accessible.

Keep a sense of calm

Storage suited to the user – such as kid-sized storage – gives them ownership and reduces the number of times you will be tidying it up. There’s nothing like having the power to put things where you want them – whatever age you are!

When you bring a new item home, make a habit of really considering where it will live. Think through the item’s day-to-day life. Who needs it? How often? If there isn’t space for it, maybe something else needs to go to make extra room?

Pass it on

Don’t need something anymore? That doesn’t have to mean ‘throwing away’. Time to create a new start for all the things left over once the organising is finished.

Free your stuff

A more organised you

Well done, you’re on the way to a decluttered life – with space for what’s really important to you. Want more?

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