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National Organising Week Starts

7/11/2016

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National Organising Week, taking place between 7-13th November 2016, is designed to celebrate the positive impacts of decluttering & organising our homes.

APDO (The Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers) is running its third annual National Organising Week and posing the question: why delay letting go of the possessions which are cluttering your home and impacting on your precious living space? Declutter N.O.W.

So from 7th to 13th November, APDO is launching a mission to encourage UK households to tackle those niggling tasks and start to feel good about their homes again. Professional Organisers specialise in assisting people to clear their clutter, organise their homes and can also help clients mentally declutter negativity from their lives or reduce digital clutter. Some professional organisers have backgrounds in life coaching or mental health, whilst others are experts in interior design. Whatever the slant, the common theme is an ability to motivate and inspire.

As Britain's experts in decluttering and organising, APDO are aware that some do need a push in the right direction. In fact, “Procrastination Nation” has become something of an epidemic. Crucial.com conducted a 2016 survey which revealed the majority of people (58%) had left jobs undone for over six months; a third leave tasks for a year and one in 10 just can't find motivation to even begin a chore - for over five years.

Now that's a lot of unfinished business…So if you need that push in the right direction, here are some top decluttering tips from APDO to get the job done:

TIP ONE – Don’t delay decisions.
Avoid the temptation to put unwanted possessions ‘out of sight and out of mind’, whether that’s in a cupboard, attic, shed or in self-storage outside the home. You’re essentially just postponing dealing with the clutter. Just because it’s out of sight, it doesn’t mean it can’t weigh on your mind.

TIP TWO - Don’t give up.
When you start decluttering and organising, things can look worse before they get better. The key is to commit some time to the process, not become distracted by other tasks and push through feelings of overwhelm.

TIP THREE – Be realistic.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. It took longer than one weekend for things to become disordered so it will take time to solve the problem. Don’t be discouraged if it seems like you have a mountain to climb. Break down the task into bite sized chunks and it will be far more manageable.

TIP FOUR – Call in the professionals
Sometimes the task of tackling clutter on your own can feel too overwhelming. That’s when a professional organiser can help you clear a path through the mess and stress in order to achieve a calmer home and life. They have the experience and ideas to help you make the most out of the space you have. They have the expertise to advise you on what to do with unwanted possessions and they can teach you to maintain the changes for good. Above all they are non judgmental, confidential and supportive.

Procrastination is a genuine blocker to productivity, stealing time and draining emotional energy. A 2015 YouGov survey found that 41% of Brits procrastinate for up to an hour each day – that equals 15 days a year. And 13% of us (that's 8 million people) sometimes lie awake at night worrying about procrastination.

Additionally, procrastination could be harming important relationships. According to psychologytoday.com, delaying action has a high cost to others as well as oneself; it shifts the burden of responsibilities onto others, who become resentful. Procrastination destroys teamwork in the workplace and cohesion within private relationships. Not only that, but it's a common cause of conflict: over a quarter of UK couples argue about unfinished tasks at least once a week according to crucial.com

National Organising Week is a great opportunity for you to stop and think about the mental and physical clutter you are living with. It's a chance to consider how you are using your precious time and APDO hopes to inspire the UK to take action to tackle things - NOW.
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Declutter and Organise your Winter Wardrobe

5/11/2016

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Curate a beautiful capsule wardrobe this season
How to declutter and organise your wardrobe

With the cool autumn air firmly here and the crisp white mornings showing their faces, it is certainly time to dig out those winter coats and hats from storage and pull together a winter wardrobe. But if your wardrobe is already full to bursting, how can you make room for those bulky coats, jumpers and thermals in your wardrobe? What's more it would be nice to be able to see everything clearly and not cause a clothing avalanche every time you try to take an item out to wear?

Here is my step by step guide for sorting out your wardrobe this autumn.

Get everything out on your bed!
And I mean everything, you'll need a blank canvas to work with here, so remove all items; clothes, shoes, scarves, hats, swimming goggles, old Christmas cards, that picture that you're waiting to hang up etc etc... and then give the wardrobe a clean. Wipe away any marks, flick a duster round and get the hoover out. You want the wardrobe to look like an inviting space to store your clothes so don't skip this step. If you cover your bed with clothes you'll have an incentive to finish by bedtime. It goes with out saying you are going to need a put aside some time for this.

Does it deserve your space?
Next you need to look at each item individually, pick it up and see how the item makes you feel. Clothes and accessories can make you feel great or can prompt less positive feelings. If an item makes you smile because it looks fabulous on you, you love the colour/style or has happy memories then it has earnt its right to live in your wardrobe. However if an item makes you feel sad, guilty, too fat, too thin, too something else, doesn't look right on you, has seen better days, or hasn't been worn in ages then it is time to say goodbye. You don't need to open up your wardrobe every morning and been confronted with those sort of negative feelings before you've even started the day. This stage can be quite tiring and even emotional so don't be surprised if you find it a bit overwhelming and time consuming. This is often the hardest bit for many people but also the most rewarding.

Sort your items into piles as you work.
Those items to keep can be stored away at the end of the sorting season, but you may also need piles for things that need to be repaired, dry cleaned or washed. Decided if the discarded items are good enough to donate to charity, sell on eBay, recycle or throw away. You may want to donate some items to friends, but just be awear that others might not be so supportive of your decluttering efforts and could question your decisions. So you will need to stand firm if you plan to pass onto friends or family.

Well done the hard work is now over.
The next phase is to place all your items back into the wardrobe and it's going to look amazing if its just holding your favourite pieces. Let's start with the seasonal clothes that you are going to need easy access to this season. That way if not everything fits you can pack away non seasonal items. Personally, I like to keep everything out (except strictly holiday clothes) as I tend to just layer up in the winter.

Store like with like.
For example, hang all jumpers together, all blouses/shirts all together, all trousers/skirts together. And if you really want to go for it, by colour. During this phase you should aim for no more than 80% capacity. That way you can easily see and access everything (with out that clothing avalanche) it looks nicer, your clothes will have room to breath and are less likely to get creased.

Hanging verses Folding?
It is worth investing in good quality hangers, you clothes will last longer and it gives a luxurious feel to your wardrobe. These can be easily obtained from Ikea and other outlets at an affordable price. When it comes to folding I am a big fan of the Marie Kondo method of vertical storage, your clothes can all be seen at the same time, you don't need to dislodge items to pull out something from underneath and they remain cease free. When it comes to deciding what to hang and what to fold, I think this depends on how much hanging and drawer space you have, but for what it's worth, here's what I do.

Hanging - Dresses, coats, jackets, blazers, blouses, jumpers, smart tshirts, trousers, skirts.
Folded - Vertical folded tshirts, long sleeved tops, vest tops, tights, leggings, sports wear,night wear

Good luck and do let me know how you get on.

For further ideas and inspiration check out
Courtney Carver's "Project 333" on Capsule wardrobe
Marie Kondo's book "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying"
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The "Konmarie" way of vertical storage
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    Author

    Helen Cousins
    ​Owner of Fresh Spaces, decluttering and organising homes so that they are a joy to live in. I love my job.

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