Hello and welcome to my first ever blog!!

I am so excited to be sharing with you my knowledge, experience and sometimes random ideas. For anyone who already knows me you will know I love all things organising! I live and breathe this so sit back and enjoy!

Where to start….. There’s no where better than the beginning so today I am going to share my top tips for getting started on your decluttering and organising journey.

The single most important thing I am going to tell you and will keep telling you is ….. YOU ARE ALL UNIQUE! YOUR HOMES ARE UNIQUE, YOUR SITUATIONS ARE UNIQUE! There is no one way route that will work for everyone. My aim is to give you all something to think about after every blog. It may not work for you or be relevant but if it makes you think I will be a happy lady!

Ok so let’s get down to how we begin.

Firstly I want you to think about what you want to achieve from this journey… Are you looking for a clear minimalist home? Are you hoping to clear a room so it can be used for hobbies? Are you fed up of tidying day in day out and never noticing a difference. This question is key. It is what will keep you motivated and on task as I can assure you this will not be an easy journey BUT it will be a rewarding and potentially life changing one.

Once you’ve worked out your why I want you to think about when? Is this a desperate situation that needs doing now? Or are you planning to grow a family in 3 years time? Are you wanting to move in the near future? If the answer is this needs to be done NOW I highly recommend getting someone else involved. It doesn’t have to be a professional but someone who can be with you to keep you on task, keep you motivated and give you a hug when things get tough. I really really don’t recommend this being someone who struggles themselves with letting going of things or that clean freak friend who doesn’t keep anything so think wisely about who you choose. A professional of course is going to make the whole process easier and a lot faster if budget allows. If not think podcasts, webinars, online coaching. Having someone to keep you accountable is so helpful to the progress you will make.

Now we have the why and when we can make a plan.

A really important tip is to have an exit plan for your items. Make sure at the end of any day you have time to relocate anything you are not keeping, whether that is a local charity shop, a friend or family member or the recycling centre just know where everything is going - AND TAKE IT THERE! You do not need to move your clutter from one place to another and have to deal with it at a later stage. So often I see rooms where items have been put to get rid of but then by the time we make it to that room we have to go through it all again to make sure its all leaving the home.

Next focus on a small area with big wins - what this means is something that niggles you daily and will make you feel relieved once it’s clear. These are usually bedside tables, kitchen counters , bathroom surfaces and floordrobes! That dreaded chair in the corner that no-one can sit on as its piled high….. imagine knowing that tomorrow you can sit there and read!!

Don’t start with anything too emotive for you. For some this is sentimental items and for others this is clothes or children’s toys. Start with something that has no meaning to you.

If you’re finding it too overwhelming to take the first step a really good thing to do is remove only rubbish. Empty shampoo bottles in the shower or the empty tissue box next to the bed. These items need no thought. Just a bin bag and a productive attitude. Once you get into the swing of it and see areas becoming clearer the bigger decisions will be much easier.

When working in any space don’t be tempted to pull everything out. While it is important to assess everything it is not a good idea (unless working with someone who can help put it all back) to get yourself in a situation where fatigue kicks in and you cannot get to your bed because of a mound of clothes. That said, do check every item. We so often skim past and say oh yes I love that but actually have no idea what it is. Our brains just do this to make it easier to cope with. You also don’t need to organise while decluttering. It's ok to put it all back and organise the next day when you know what you have. This brings me on to another top tip! DON’T BUY CONTAINERS until you have fully sorted what you need to store. You are just adding to the problem. I’m not saying not to have them as I think containers and storage solutions are key to an organised home, just make sure you know what you need before wasting your time, money and space on them. I will do a blog on this another time.

Now you’ve got a plan and are ready to get started think about how you work best… Are you a 10 min and then bored person? Are you a work until the job is done person? Are you easily distracted? Do you have time to do a long sort?

You can do whatever works for you.

A few ideas -

• Timers - 10mins, 30mins, 1 hour.

• Listening to a podcast or audio book. Creating a playlist for an amount of time that suits you.

• Having a friend or family member over. They don’t need to help , they could work next to you but with them just being there it will keep you on task.

• Rewards - Give yourself something to work towards , small and big, I'm thinking an ice cream after 2 hours, a spa day when the house is as you want it.

Whatever you choose do it for you. Not because someone told you that its the best or only way!

As I said - YOU ARE UNIQUE!

I am going to leave you to get those notepads out and start planning your perfect space - REMEMBER A PERFECT SPACE IS A SPACE THATS PERFECT FOR YOU.

If you want to learn more and dive deeper into getting started please head over to my website and sign up to my webinar on Monday June 9th at 8pm.

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But for now.. enjoy the process!

With love from Lauren xx