My flat is so full of random stuff I don't know where to start

Siebrie

I've tried only keeping things that bring which joy which is most things in a small way.


Maybe you should re-think if you really need to keep them at your place? I'm really happy my bookshelves are at the library


How much time do you spend dusting, cleaning, rearranging your things?

LameWolf

Chant Wolfy's Mantra to yourself whilst sorting:
"If in doubt, turf it out".

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Cat123456

Welcome :hello:

You have been given so much good & great advice :T but if you are still feeling bewildered & do not know exactly where to start, may I suggest getting a large sheet of paper & a working pen :rotfl: & listing the advice/suggestions that resonated most with you. Then spend a few minutes listing them in the order you would find most convenient to you. I needed a plan so found this idea really useful.
I have a few more thoughts/ideas for you (you may be doing some of these already:D) which hopefully will let you feel more in control :-

1. When you get up in the morning always make your bed - it will be an oasis of calm
2. Wash up, dry & put away your pots, pans, crockery & cutlery after every meal.
3. Try to follow the ‘1 item in 2 items out’ mantra
4. Pick a drawer, table top, small corner of a room & clear it completely. Clean & then only return the items that belong Deal with the rest of the items e.g. bin, donate or drop in a small box for later consideration :rotfl: Most importantly keep this area clear & tidy
5. Pick another spot & repeat no.4

Two years ago I could have written your post :rotfl: then one day I just took the plunge & dived in :rotfl: For a year I floundered about - getting rid of lots of ‘stuff’ but having no clear plan & not noticing any real difference but then I found the ‘Kondo’ thread - it was a bit too much for me to handle ALTHOUGH I did take on board her clothes folding techniques :T Then I found the ‘2018 - No Clutter To Be Seen’ thread & it has been my saviour
There are so many of us drowning in ‘stuff’ & now a growing army of us who want to be clutter free, leading a Simpler, calmer life & discovering the things that make us happy.

You are at the start of your journey & sometimes it will seem like you are climbing a mountain, but there are so many lovely, kind people on the Old Style threads - you will find encouragement galore Please do not get discouraged - you WILL start to notice little spaces appearing & I for one would love to read about your progress :T maybe you could join us on the Decluttering thread

Good luck Cat123456

MrsSD

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Cat123456, how are you doing? I would love to hear if you have taken the plunge into the world of decluttering & tidying
I know how hard it is to start, but be brave There is an army of declutterers waiting to encourage you & praise you - every item out of your home or tidied neatly away is a success

Good luck

MrsSD

trailingspouse

Another little tip when dealing with all the stuff - if you pick something up, you're not allowed to put it down until you've decided what you're actually going to do with it.

So - pick something up... Then it either has to get put where it belongs, or go in the bin or the charity bag or the recycling. You're not allowed to just move it to somewhere else.

When my kids were little we made it a bit of a game - we would pull everything (every. thing.) out of their room, then I would hold an item up and they had to decide what was going to happen to it. We had bags and boxes laid out ready - throw out, pass on, charity, recycling - or back in the room. I didn't try to influence their decisions - but I would get quicker and quicker at holding things up so they didn't have time to procrastinate. It was quite good fun - they thought their Mum was completely barmy because all their possessions were piled up on the landing. But it was obvious when the job was finished (nothing left on the landing), and with me holding things up like a maniac and shouting 'In or Out' it really didn't take very long!

lessonlearned

trailingspouse wrote: »

Another little tip when dealing with all the stuff - if you pick something up, you're not allowed to put it down until you've decided what you're actually going to do with it.

So - pick something up... Then it either has to get put where it belongs, or go in the bin or the charity bag or the recycling. You're not allowed to just move it to somewhere else.

When my kids were little we made it a bit of a game - we would pull everything (every. thing.) out of their room, then I would hold an item up and they had to decide what was going to happen to it. We had bags and boxes laid out ready - throw out, pass on, charity, recycling - or back in the room. I didn't try to influence their decisions - but I would get quicker and quicker at holding things up so they didn't have time to procrastinate. It was quite good fun - they thought their Mum was completely barmy because all their possessions were piled up on the landing. But it was obvious when the job was finished (nothing left on the landing), and with me holding things up like a maniac and shouting 'In or Out' it really didn't take very long!

We used to do this every school holiday. Pick a rain day and go for it. Great fun.

splishsplash

trailingspouse wrote: »

Another little tip when dealing with all the stuff - if you pick something up, you're not allowed to put it down until you've decided what you're actually going to do with it.

So - pick something up... Then it either has to get put where it belongs, or go in the bin or the charity bag or the recycling. You're not allowed to just move it to somewhere else.

When my kids were little we made it a bit of a game - we would pull everything (every. thing.) out of their room, then I would hold an item up and they had to decide what was going to happen to it. We had bags and boxes laid out ready - throw out, pass on, charity, recycling - or back in the room. I didn't try to influence their decisions - but I would get quicker and quicker at holding things up so they didn't have time to procrastinate. It was quite good fun - they thought their Mum was completely barmy because all their possessions were piled up on the landing. But it was obvious when the job was finished (nothing left on the landing), and with me holding things up like a maniac and shouting 'In or Out' it really didn't take very long!

A Place For Everything And Everything In Its Place and Handle Everything Once were my mantras for keeping the house clear. If it doesn't have a place or a use then it's gone.

I have a seasonal clear out through the whole house. It doesn't take long but it does mean there's room for new stuff coming in - so spring cleaning in Feb/Mar; summer clear out in Mary/June; autumn clear out just before term time started and winter clear out ready for Christmas.

I also use another useful approach to clearing stuff called dostadning or Swedish death cleaning. It sounds a bit morbid but is really not. It means you re-evaluate your stuff in the context of someone else dealing with it if you are gone tomorrow. While it mainly deals with physical stuff, it also highlights the need to sort out passwords and your digital signature. It's sorting and organizing everything.

YORKSHIRELASS

If your whole flat needs dealing with then tackling it all in one go is going to be really hard. I strongly recommend the Kon-Marie method but even that is not easy.

How about tackling one room, or dividing a room into 4 quarters and tackling one quarter? The idea would not to be just move stuff somewhere else but deal with each item that you pick up until you have cleared it away.

If you did this you could have boxes for chartiy shop/rubbish/keep and fill them up as you work through the flat. Keep getting rid of the boxes as they fill up or they will become permanent fixtures themselves.

If time is a problem set a timer for an hour/half an hour and make yourself keep at until until the timer pings.

I think baby steps and doing it in stages is the only way. Good luck.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

How are you doing Cat123456? Have you taken the plunge?

Curious minds want to know :rotfl:

MrsSD

flubberyzing

'Handle everything once' is good advice, which I try and follow. Whether that's a receipt from the shops, a bit of post, a mug after your final sip of coffee... Make that final touch of the item count.
For example:
The receipt - do whatever you normally do with receipts, then bin in.
Post - Put it in the recycling, or action whatever is being asked, then file it however you file actioned post.
Mug - After the last sip, take it to the sink/dishwasher.

It takes practise, but I find it works really well at stopping the general trash from piling up.

Also, Summer '17 I decided to "sort" my 2-bed flat... I had a week before my parents were coming round for a very infrequent visit... So I spent that week blitzing it. And honestly, it's never looked so good. I went through each room with a fine toothcomb and ended up throwing out 19 full binbags of stuff I've NEVER missed or thought about since. In all honesty, I can't even remember what the stuff was.

I do need to do it again sometime soon, especially in my spare room... But honestly, my space has never felt nicer than it did for those few weeks.