musicMagpie Blog

It's the bank holiday weekend! An extra day to relax, have fun…and declutter.

Yep, a bank holiday is a great time to get those jobs you've been putting off done. If a good decluttering session is on your to-do list, follow these top tips to get it done quicker and more efficiently!

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Organise your clutter into categories

Decluttering isn't as simple as throwing some stuff away and keeping the rest. Some objects are worth more than others, and you may need more time to decide the fate of more sentimental objects.

The best way to tackle clutter is to grab a few boxes and mark them with various categories: keep, sell, throw and maybe.

The keep, sell and throw boxes are fairly self explanatory; the "˜maybe' box will contain items you can come back to in a week or so. A general rule of thumb is that if you don't even think about using the items in your maybe box in that week, you can probably sell them or throw them away!

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Don't tackle everything at once

The biggest mistake people make when decluttering is to try and tackle everything at once. No-one in the world has the patience or stamina to declutter an entire house all at once, especially if they're doing it on their "˜day off'.

Instead, tackle your house room-by-room. It doesn't matter if you only get a couple of rooms done over the course of a weekend; it's a start, and your progress will inspire you to keep going.

When it comes to tackling a room, try using a time management method like the Pomodoro technique, which breaks down work into 25 minute intervals (pomodoros) with a 5 minute break in between. After 4 "˜pomodoros', you get to have a longer 30 minute break.

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Don't expect to get rid of everything

The chances are you won't get rid of absolutely every item of clutter in your home, even with an extended weekend. And that's fine. Just starting is a step in the right direction.

That doesn't mean you can just sell a couple of DVDs and be done with it, though. Set yourself a goal for the weekend (i.e. "˜tidy the entire bedroom' or "˜sort out my games collection') and stick with it.

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Build for the future

Unfortunately, decluttering isn't something you can do once and never have to think about again. It's an ongoing process that requires dedication.

The good news is you can make life a lot easier for yourself by a) establishing new storage solutions for your stuff and b) committing to decluttering little and often (not just on bank holiday weekends!).

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Enlist help

If you know anyone who is willing to sacrifice their bank holiday weekend for free, enlist them immediately. If not, we're sure you can tempt with the offer of beer, pizza or money (pay fairly, but make sure you still profit from your clutter!)

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Plan and schedule

Let's be honest: you'd probably rather spend your 3 days off drinking, eating and generally being merry. Getting anything done in that context is going to be difficult "" but not impossible, if you plan ahead.

Schedule in a couple of hours over the weekend to declutter, ideally a few hours before or after any plans you have. Early in the morning is a good choice because you can get the "˜work' out of the way and enjoy the rest of your day in peace!

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Don't bother buying more storage

When you're facing a huge pile of clutter, it's hugely tempting to pop down to Ikea (other furniture stores are available), buy a new storage solution and shove a load of rubbish in it. Out of site, out of mind.

Of course, as decluttering expert Dr Elizabeth Forrester pointed out in a previous post, this is just a quick fix that avoids the real problem. In fact, you might end up buying more stuff to fill your new space!

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