With more than 88% of Australians having at least one cluttered room in their house and 1 in 8 people reporting moving house to accommodate all their possessions, 4 in 10 Australians feel anxiety, guilt and depression due to the amount of clutter in their lives.
These statistics indicate that being organised at home and at work is important to your physical and emotional wellbeing, and as this week is National Organisation Week, we are joined in the studio by professional organiser Sarah Cottman for advice on how to de-clutter your home.
Sarah Cottman
- Sarah Cottman, Principal of Heavenly Order, has personally overcome the confusion and chaos that comes with Chronic Disorganisation
- Sarah suffers from ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), as does her husband and their 3 kids
- Disorganisation was a big issue early on in their family life until Sarah decided to take control and began studying and researching the secrets of being organized
- She is now an organizing expert. She has a passion for order and wants to help people, particularly families and small business
- Sarah says she lost hours & hours trying to find lost files, phone numbers, permission notes & shoes - "The stress this creates on relationships is enormous but it's so easy to fix!"
- With a background as a wife, mother to 3, Financial Controller, Office Manager and IT Trainer, Sarah understands what it means to juggle home and work life
The golden rules of de-cluttering
1. Have a plan
What do you want to use the space for, what was the space designed for, if you had a magic wand what would this space look like?
2. Set a deadline
Tell a supportive friend so that you can be accountable. If you are so embarrassed about your clutter you can't tell a friend, hire a Professional Organiser.
3. List what stays and what goes
For example, a wardrobe. The following should stay: clothes in good repair, clothes that fit, clothes you feel good in. The following should go: clothes that are worn, clothes you have never felt comfortable in, no matter how much they cost, spare motor bike parts etc.
4. Hands on sorting
You have your plan, you have your deadline, you have a list. Now is the time for action. Take a 'before' photo so you know how far you've come at the end of your sorting. Set a time limit, put on your favourite CD and get stuck in.
Have a glass of water handy and don't get distracted. This part is great to have a Professional Organiser breathing down your neck. We can be serious task masters!
5. Complete the task and maintain
Don't stop halfway, complete the task and take an 'after' photo. Make sure once you have completed the task that you spend a few minutes at the end of each day to put the space back to how you want it.
For example, an office. Stop work 10 minutes earlier than you normally would and take that time to put away the things you have used during the day and think about what you want to do when you walk in tomorrow. 10 minutes now can add extra hours tomorrow.
Visit www.horder.com.au or call 02 9997 7135 for more information.
