What NOT to do When Decluttering the Clutter - 5 Great Tips!

For many of us, it seems to happen at least a few times throughout the year- we get bitten by the organizing bug! Whether you crave a deep spring clean or a full-on minimalist get-rid-of-everything-purge, today, we have some tips on what NOT to do when that bug bite itches.

DON'T BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW. Do not set aside an entire day to organize your whole house. Very few people have the energy or stamina to spend 8 straight hours organizing. You'll likely become frustrated and less efficient as the day progresses, and it's much better to spend a few hours — 2 or 3 — on one project or space. In the end, you'll feel motivated to do more, not burned out or overwhelmed by the process.

DON'T PROLONG THE INEVITABLE. There are no shortage of gimmicky 'get organized one bag at a time' tricks floating around the internet - the 40 bag challenge (committing to getting rid of a single bag of 'stuff' every day for 40 days), the 12x12x12 challenge (locating 12 items to throw away, 12 items to donate, and 12 items to be returned to their proper home), the 365 Less things challenge (giving away 1 item every day for an entire year)...

Although these challenges sounds simple and even a little fun in theory, the reality is they draw out a process that is best handled quickly. No one wants to be thinking about organizing or dealing with their clutter for an entire year, and seeing the amazing transformation of an entire room over the span of a few hours is much more impactful (and thus, more motivating) than watching items slowly disappear 1 at a time. So do the hard work and commit to powering through - the end result will be much more enjoyable.

DON'T BUY STORAGE CONTAINERS BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY ORGANIZE. We get it. Buying cute storage baskets and containers to house your things is definitely the most exciting part of organizing, but containerizing is one of the LAST step on your organizing journey.

The Room to Breathe team organizes using the Julie Morgensten's SPACE method:

• Sort || Going through everything and grouping like with like according to categories that make sense to you.
• Purge || Get rid of items that are broken, useless, superseded or otherwise irrelevant. Morgenstern and RTB are a firm advocates of the notion "if you haven't used recently, ditch it!"
• Assign || Assign a permanent home. Think outside the box (or room you are in) and pick a location that makes use of your own preferences and existing habits. Doing this ensures you always know exactly where everything is at any given moment, and saves you from searching endlessly for items you tucked away somewhere.
• Containerize || Now (and only now) is the time to evaluate whether you need to bring in any containers- whether that's a new bookshelf or a little box to keep toiletries in, evaluate what you already have and can repurpose, and what might be most useful to keep your belongings neatly secured in their new home.
• Equalize || The final key step is dedicating time every day (or every week for less frequently used rooms) to equalize: returning every item to its proper home. If you've been diligent with the previous steps, this shouldn't be time consuming.

Ultimately, you can't buy storage containers without knowing what and where you are storing things, so resist the urge to shop for pretty containers and only purchase items after you have sorted, purged, and assigned a home to your belongings.

DON'T LEAVE THE JOB UNFINISHED. This is the most important part: Once you have decided to part with something, take it there! Never keep bags for donation or boxes for friends in your home to deliver later, or you will absolutely start to second guess your decisions. Finish the process- take the bags and boxes out immediately. You've done so much work getting to this point, seal the deal!

DON'T DO IT ALONE IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED HELP. We all have different strengths in life, and for some us, organizing may not one of them. So if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, burdened, or nervous about tackling a project on your own, give Room to Breathe a shout. We will guide you through the process step by step, teaching you along the way, and leaving you with an individualized organizational system that actually works! And in less time than you probably thought. 


Blog post written by Jessica Thorburn - Our Vancouver-based Marketing and Administration Superstar.

The Benefits of Organizing (More Than Just a Tidy Home!)

We all know that getting our space organized and decluttered is a good thing, but did you know that organizing can actually be good for your mental, physical and social well-being?

Not convinced? Have a peek...
 

DREAMING ABOUT A CLUTTER-FREE SPACE ISN'T HELPING YOU SLEEP

We generally understand the value of a good nights sleep - it's imperative for optimal immune health, emotional stability and cognitive functions, such as memory, decision-making, and the capacity to focus.

But with sleep disorders on the rise, leading experts on the subject believe a cluttered bedroom could be to be blame.

According to Michael Breus (aka the Sleep Doctor,) “When you walk into a room, what your eye sees can actually determine whether or not you’re going to have an easy time falling asleep.” A pile of laundry at the foot of your bed, a ransacked closet, or random papers and unopened mail on your night stand, could all be contributing to a restless night. That’s why the first thing Breus advises patients with sleep complaints is, “Clean up your bedroom.”

HEALTHY EATING STARTS WITH... A TIDY KITCHEN?

A recent study found that a cluttered kitchen can nudge us to overeat.

To test their theory, researchers set up two kitchens - One kitchen was neat and tidy. The other was strewn with mail, newspapers and dirty dishes. The participants were provided with snacks - cookies, crackers and carrots - and told they could as much as they like. When the study was complete, they discovered the participants in the messy kitchen had consumed twice as many calories from cookies as those in the tidy kitchen. (an interesting note: there was no difference in the rate of consumption of carrots or crackers.)

"We think we're smarter than the environment around us," Wansick said. "That's why these external cues are so powerful. We're often not even aware that they are influencing our behavior."

STOP FEELING STRESSED WHEN THE DOORBELL RINGS

An organized home makes it easier to have people over without the stress of cleaning and preparation. It has also been shown to reduce family conflicts and resentment and tension between couples.

Once your home is clean and clutter-free, it is easier to maintain the level of cleanliness you desire: A study found that people are significantly more likely to litter in already-messy environments than they are in clean environments. The same theory applies to the home — when you have a clean, relaxing space, you're more likely to keep it that way. 

PRODUCTIVE MINDS LIKE CLEAR SPACES

No real surprises here, but when your home feels like a place of restoration instead of 'unfinished projects,' you'll feel more energized and productive being there.

The Journal of Neuroscience reports efficiency and productivity increase when you're not weighed down by clutter and the distractions of your space. This also flows over to the workplace - excess clutter has been shown to result in decreased productivity and unprofessional behavior.

 

STRESS LESS (AND ASK FOR HELP IF YOU NEED IT) 

It can be hard to clear out the clutter, but it can be even harder to keep living with it.

According to an online survey, home organization is one of the most universal stress triggers. 84% of recently stressed Americans say they worry that their home isn’t clean or organized enough, and within that group, 55% called it out as a source of recent stress. 

Should you find yourself feeling stressed or overwhelmed in your home or office, please give us a call. It's important to remember that we all have different strengths - for the Room to Breathe team, that strength is creating organizational systems that actually work and help you maintain order in your home or office. We are here to help, without judgement, and in much less time than you might think. 

This blog post was written by Jessica Thorburn - Our Vancouver-based Marketing and Administration Superstar.