… is what my parents used to tell me when we went out on our teeny tiny boat when I was a child.
Yup, that’s me and my Mum. I was quite cute – don’t know what happened! Anyway, you can see why, with two adults and a three-year-old on board, we needed to keep tidy. Overdraught II was beautiful but very, very small. I took this motto to heart. I delighted in putting everything away in the teeny tiny cupboards and wonderful little storage spaces on board.
Fast-forward 25 years and I live in a little house which is full of colour, texture and things I love. Unfortunately, it’s also full of clutter that has accumulated over the years. My inability to say no is the cause of this. There’s also a bit emotionally attached to things issue here! I’m sure you’ve done it too. You earmarked a bag of stuff for the charity shop or eBay. And then had a look through it before actually giving it away and falling for all your stuff all over again. Sound familiar?!)
My declutter mission
I’m currently on a bit of a mission to declutter and beautify my living space. Our Ink Drops journey and ethos inspired this. As did Anna who is wonderfully organised. I’ve been recommended lots of books to read on the subject, and actually my first declutter-y purchase was a Kindle. This feels a lot like going over to the dark side. But also gives me a massive amount of space because I won’t be buying ALL THE BOOKS every time I walk into or past a shop that sells anything vaguely book-shaped.
I also have two large garden tubs under my stairs. One for the charity shop and one for things I could eBay. I then simply pop stuff in them as I wander around getting on with my day. Every now and again I’ll empty them, The contents of one go to charity. Then I list the contents of the other on eBay.
As summer makes its way here, I’ll also be sorting out my shed and conservatory. I can only dust for spiders at arm’s length! And I have somewhere to run when they poke their sneaky little heads out at me. Additionally. I will be making inroads into my studio, sorting out stuff that I really want from stuff that I haven’t touched in years.
For the first time ever, I feel excited to tidy up, declutter and get organised. This is partly I have chosen to do so. This is not taking action as a result of nagging. Partly because I want my home to be beautiful. And partly because a chaotic living space contributes to the chaos in my brain. So hopefully the reverse is true, and a tidy home/boat equals a happy and calm mind.
What are your best decluttering tips?