Decluttering – The Ultimate Tips and Tricks

As we enter 2021, we all want to shake off the previous year and see some changes for the better! Now we’re back at home again in a 3rd national lockdown, more and more of us are starting our spring cleaning early. It can be easier said than done though, especially after the festive season, so we’ve put together some helpful tips and tricks for you!

1. Accept it isn’t a 5-minute job

Decluttering is often a long process which is what puts people off doing it, but once you can accept that it can take a while and it’s absolutely fine to break it down into little chunks, it can really help to make the whole thing easier. Depending on how much stuff you’ve got to sort through, decluttering could take you months – but that’s okay. Take it a step at a time and don’t let yourself get overwhelmed, as this often means that people give up on their mission. 

A helpful way to declutter is to start small and work up from there. Set yourself 10 minutes a day in a room, and sort through a drawer or a pile of paperwork. After doing this for a few days, you’ll already start to see a difference and it often encourages you to increase those 10 minutes. In no time at all, you might be doing half an hour a day – but if you don’t, that’s okay! Move at a speed you feel comfortable with.

2. Know what to keep and what not to

Before you start your decluttering, spend some time thinking about what you want to keep and what you will be getting rid of. Having an idea of this will help you when you’re clearing out and save you time and stress. Try and be firm with yourself once you’ve set these outlines – otherwise, you may end up keeping everything and having to do exactly the same next year. 

We know that it isn’t always as easy as being able to simply throw something away, especially if you’ve had your items for some time and they have sentimental value. If this is the case, what can be helpful is to rehome those items rather than throw them away. This often brings some peace to those decluttering, as you can know that the item is going to serve a purpose somewhere else rather than being binned. Whether you choose to donate to charity, sell online, or give to friends and family, this can be a great way to make it easier.

4. Go paperless!

We’ve probably all got it – a draw of unorganized paperwork that we don’t really need in day-to-day life but we don’t want to let go of. Any important documents you can file and put away, but you’ll probably find that you don’t need most of it anymore. You can scan these papers and have them on your computer to make it more organized, and easier to sort out too. When doing this, it’s worth putting a date range in place to ensure you only keep work that you need – anything much older than a year is probably no longer needed. 

Make sure when you clear out paperwork that you dispose of it properly. Shredding is a good option to ensure any sensitive information is destroyed for safety purposes. 

5. Tackle the wardrobe

Sorting through clothing is a task a lot of people don’t like, especially if you think that you wear most of your clothes regularly. However, especially with so many of us having stayed at home for the last year, the chances are we’ve all got bits and pieces we could get rid of. A great way to see what you wear regularly and what you don’t touch is to arrange all of your hangers one way in the wardrobe. When you take something out to wear, you can turn that hanger around. After three months, or a timeframe that you can set, you can look at which hangers haven’t been moved and see which items you haven’t worn. This then means that you can sort through those items and decide which ones you want to get rid of.

There are plenty of ways to aid your decluttering, and we’ve listed just a few to get you started. The most important thing is to find what works for you, so whether you’re decluttering to sell your house or you simply want to enter 2021 with a more minimalist approach, take it one step at a time and you’ll have a lot to be proud of in no time at all!

Organizing Through Downsizing

It’s long been the wisdom in American that bigger is better. But is that saying always true? Lately, many people have been rethinking the idea entirely. Did you know that the size of the average single-family home in the U.S. has ballooned to more than 2,500 square feet – that’s two and a half times the size immediately after World War II! For too long, home owners have bought into this notion that living in as much space as possible is the goal and that bigger is always better but the reality is a bit more complicated than that.

Owning a large home can be tolling at times. They require more work and upkeep, keeping our attention away from other aspects of our lives. The extra space encourages us to fill them with things we don’t need, sometimes leading to a disorganized mess. And not to mention the sheer expense of owning a large home. This is precisely why people are rethinking the idea and are looking to downsize to a smaller home.

Deciding to move you and your family into a home with less space should not be made lightly. Take your time to think over every aspect of the move because it’s not simply a question of storage space. Downsizing means changing your lifestyle entirely. Yet the benefits can be well worth it if you do it right. With the right planning and soul-searching, losing some square footage means you can gain more in other aspects of your life.

If you’re considering this kind of lifestyle change, read more about it in the accompanying guide!

Downsizing 101 from Pivotal Home Solutions

Tips for Setting Up a Productive Learning Space in Your Home

This year’s pandemic has changed many aspects of people’s lives and that includes students of various ages and their ability to attend school or work. Many have had to turn their bedrooms, basements, and or even kitchen tables into their brand new workspace. This has caused many headaches over the past few months, and with school now in full bloom, students and parents alike are still struggling with setting up the perfect remote learning space for themselves or their kids.

If you find yourself in this position, here are some starting points to fixing up your learning space for the time being.

Choose the right space

The first and most important step in building a productive workspace is finding the room or area that is going to be the most fruitful. The environment is everything when it comes to choosing a room, so be thinking about what kind of atmosphere you enjoy as you’re in class, doing homework, or studying. 

If you are someone who needs complete silence, for example, seek out a space that will give you that serenity you need to focus (like a spare bedroom or a hideaway in the home office). On the other hand, if you need a little more background noise to keep you engaged with your work, try something a little more in the open like a small area of your family room or near the main areas of your home. Of course, there are pros and cons to any space you choose in your house, so be sure to weigh these as you make your decision.

You'll need materials to help aid your study time. Get activity books on the basics: reading, writing, and math (you'll learn more about this as you read further on). Also, look for digital and printable homeschool materials such as assessment books, reading journals, planners, and sermon notebooks for your kids. A softcopy allows multiple reprints, so you never run out of pages.

Start with deep cleaning

Once you’ve decided on what room in your house you want to claim as your work zone, it’s time to start deep cleaning. Since you may spend multiple hours, if not a whole day here, you should make sure it’s clean and avoid dust, crumbs, and any dirt. Start with deep cleaning your table or desk where you’ll spend a lot of time sitting. Dusting, cleaning with antibacterial wipes, and even vacuuming the cracks between the table and wall to get the nooks and crannies. Next, work on the floor. If you have a rug, thoroughly vacuum, especially if you’re cleaning your child’s workspace where leftover food may lie from lunchtime. If you have hardwood floors, try mopping every once in a while to avoid sticky spots in your workspace.

We understand cleaning can be a not-so-fun and time-consuming task that often gets avoided, especially for a busy student or an overwhelmed parent. However it is crucial to clean out this area for maximum productivity. This is where technology can help you out and lend a hand. For example, can’t make it to the store after a busy day of classes? Have your home cleaning supplies delivered to save some time and mental energy. Completing removing the need to go to the store to get those cleansing wipes will ease some of the pressure you may feel when trying to clean before a busy week. Struggling to schedule out when you can actually take time to clean? Use a planning app on your phone to help structure your time around your work. Using technology to help you’re cleaning efforts is something many people don’t think about, but it can truly make a difference.

Avoid distractions

Your remote learning space should be your getaway. A safe space to focus and help you block out distractions to get your work done. This means eliminating anything that may cause your mind to wander. It’s crucial to be proactive about this as well. Many people, particularly people in their teens and beyond will have TVs in their offices/spaces and this can be a huge distraction from your class or work. If you can build your setup without unnecessary technology you’ll find yourself much more focused.

Another idea to bounce around is to keep your phone away from you if possible. Find a place in your space to leave your phone while you are logging into your Zoom calls, doing homework, or need to just buckle down and focus. Many people, including kids, spend so much time on their phones and gadgets that it takes away from what they are supposed to be doing. Be mindful of leaving these things either out of the room or far away from where you’ll be sitting. Trust us.

Make it comfortable

Tying back into the idea of creating an environment in your remote learning space, it’s imperative  to feel comfortable when you’re designing the look and feel. We touched on your desk setup earlier but let’s get into the furniture. Many people forget about how important chairs are to their arrangement. Make sure you are picking out a seat with proper back support and that will help you sit up straight and concentrate. Specific office chairs that are meant for posture are some of the best on the market, but any simple chair will do. Stay away from lush seats though like sofas or love chairs. These kinds of seats can make you “too comfy” and may cause you to fall asleep.

The other element of comfortability to think about is lighting. What do you prefer while you’re working or at virtual school? Do you have windows in your space that can allow for natural light? This can breathe a sense of refreshment while you’re hard at work. If not, can you add some lights yourself to add some personality and make sure it’s adequately lit? The last thing you want is to cause yourself headaches from lack of sufficient light.

Keep supplies and essentials organized

Last but not least, it’s important to keep all your day-to-day items organized properly. Start with making a checklist of essential items you use every day. For example, a laptop, notebooks, binders, etc (or for smaller kids items like markers, pencils and pens, glue sticks, etc). Next, find a place where you can stow all these items, so that they have a home when you are not using them. Creating this list of what you use a lot versus no so much will make it so much easier to prioritize. 

Drawers, shelves, and bins are all great investments that can be made at any wholesale or furniture store. Keeping things tidy will help you avoid any stress of misplacing things. Try sorting out your items into different piles by categories. What kind of item it is, what day(s) of the week you use it, and how close it is to your desk are all great starting points when sorting your things. It’s crucial to get creative as well! Playing around with where and how things are stored in your room will help your space feel much more comfortable and you’ll find what works best for you! 

Adjusting to remote learning has been tough for many people and as you continue to adapt to your new arrangement, you will continue to tweak your surroundings. Be sure to give our tips a try and let us know what has been working for you! For more tips and tricks, be sure to follow our blog for the latest. 

Declutter Your Home. De-Stress Your Life.

Is one of your goals to lose weight or get healthier? Or maybe simply to get more organized? If so, we’ve got good news — decluttering your home could not only help you get organized, but may help you lose a few pounds, lower stress levels and improve your overall health as well!

First, a cluttered or disorganized home simply makes it harder to find items you need, and you are more likely to misplace your cellphone or keys — causing stress and wasting time. Studies have also found that simply being exposed to a chaotic or messy environment makes you more likely to overeat fatty or unhealthy foods, which can result in weight gain. Other research has found that if you find the inside of your home stressful, you’re more likely to feel depressed and to have higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that is linked to a higher risk of poor health.

That’s the bad news. The good is that making some small changes to declutter your home could make it more organized and feel more peaceful, decreasing stress and improving your health. The accompanying infographic, The Organization Diet: Cut the Clutter & Improve Your Life, presents proven, practical tips will help you streamline your home. Give the “organization diet” a try. Chances are you’ll shed not only unnecessary clutter but stress and extra pounds as well, setting you up for better overall physical and mental health.

Graphic created by Closet Works.