I haven’t had much time during this lockdown to do a lot of the things I thought I’d eventually get around to since we’re kind of at home 99% of the time. But what I have been quite good at is decluttering spaces in the home. I’s always imagined decluttering one’s home would be a task one needs to set aside a day for and just hammer it. Bulldozing room to room as I get each space perfect before bedtime (if one sleeps at all). Yes I’ve tried this and it has NEVER quite worked.

We’ve also been living in kind of a construction site during this lockdown so keeping the liveable space tidy is so important.

Though incidental, I stumbled upon decluttering methods during this lockdown that have added so much more colour and freedom in my life. I have also learnt the value of watching how the children want to experience their home space, in this way I stopped being too precious about what I want to achieve but rather what is functional and makes everyone happy.  

So here are some tips on how to declutter your home without giving yourself a heavy panic attack:

Go Room By Room 

Set aside one day a week and tackle one room in that day. In this way you give yourself enough time to imagine what you want to achieve in this space, what storage you may need and what the purpose of the room is. Stop when you are done with the room. Don’t try take on another room. Don’t overthink the clutter, think functionality and purpose rather.

It was equally important to try get the spaces we are spending the most time in inspiring, so minor movable decor was done here and there. 

See link for some tips: https://bit.ly/318xjX6

Get Everyone In The Home Involved

When you get the family involved and they understand the purpose of what you are doing, they will understand why they must uphold the neatness. Get them involved in the process too!

Get Everyone To Make Their Beds – Everyday

It’s so easy to let a day of not  making the bed turn into a week… and before you know it, you (mom) and walking around the house making everyone’s bed because wow… the vibration of unmade beds is so strong. You feel me?!

So create a culture of waking up and making the bed, brushing teeth and we meet in the kitchen for tea/coffee a thing. 

Use Baskets, Containers and Bins to Organise

With having 3 under 8, the trick is having and keeping cupboard spaces organised. this is why it is so important for me to have things sorted into baskets, containers and bins.

I keep the clothing that is 2-3 years in separate spaces and cupboard containers.

Same as the 3-4 and 5-6 and 7-8.

Storing and packing them in easy accessible containers is super important. 

See how: https://www.instagram.com/tv/B5dRq2Fncmm/?igshid=la5ltgsas97l 

(That reminds me, I need to start shopping for the 9-10 phase)

If It Has No Home in Your Home, Give It Away or Throw It Away

Literally. Throw it away! Throw away the things that serve no purpose in your home. Be intentional about letting go of clutter. 

Clean The Corners, Dust Spaces and Shine The Windows

Wheew! The glow your house will have with a bit of dusting and a window shine! The best gift you can ever give yourself is booking a window spring clean and a proper deep clean (I’d recommend SweepSouth) and feel the energy shift in your home. Sometimes we clean our homes but we know that there could be that extra cleaning push that could be done in inaccessible spaces or spaces you just don’t have capacity for. Book a thorough cleaning. Disinfect whilst you are at it! Feel the freshness!

Find A Signature Scent For Your Home

There’s nothing that say “You’re home!” to me like a fresh Vanilla smell in my home. (That or the smell of Domestos… LOL)

Find your happy, signature scent. One that makes you appreciate your home and want to make you LIVE in it. 

Throw Away Lose Papers & Slips

I used to be a hogger of slips! So baaaad! I still have a box i keep slips in because I’m still on the road to recovery. But a trick i have come to learn is to take a picture of important slips and store them in a Google Drive Folder. Label them by date and name them.

So if you need to check the warranty of that faulty blender, you know where to find it without rummaging through shoe boxes in your closet full of slips (yup, that was me!) 

Another thing I had to let go of was the children’s artwork from when Mikaili first help a crayon and scribbled what looks a Picasso masterpiece. To be quite honest, these were a huge clutter in my home, so I’m arranging for Art of Love to turn these artworks into keep sake coffee table books. And alleviate the clutter in the home… my passage cupboard is packed to the rafters.