GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER
Copyright © Summersdale Publishers Ltd, 2016
Written by Vicki Vrint
Illustrations by Konstiantyn Fedorov and Shutterstock
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a machine language, without the written permission of the publishers.
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eISBN: 978-1-78372-703-2
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CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
PART ONE: SORT OUT YOUR SPACE
Rehoming Your Clutter
Clothes
Toiletries and Beauty Equipment
Paperwork
Books
Craft and Hobby Supplies
Food and Cooking Equipment
Tools and DIY Equipment
Family Clutter
PART TWO: SORT OUT YOUR LIFE
Goals
Managing Your Time
Work, Play and Sleep
Money
Study
Career
Health and Fitness
Love and Friendship
Conclusion: Keeping Up the Good Work
INTRODUCTION
Decluttering your life will change it for the better – you’ll be able to see the living room floor again, for a start. But there’s more to a decluttered lifestyle than being able to find the car keys without sending out a search party. Imagine relaxing in a calm and ordered home, surrounded by the things you really love. Imagine having the time – and space – to indulge in your hobbies (without feeling that you should be doing something else instead). Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
And once you sort out the physical clutter around you, it’s much easier to organise other areas of your life too… the things you’ve been meaning to look at for ages, such as your career, friendships and finances.
Decluttering is a lot less complicated than you might think. All you need to do is:
1 Get rid of the stuff you don’t need/love.
2 Organise the stuff you do need/love.
3 Have fun.
It really is that simple. So why do many of us find the idea intimidating? Our mistake is that we imagine tackling everything in one go, which can make it seem like an enormous task. Break the process down into manageable categories, however, and it’s a piece of cake. Part One of this book shows you how to rationalise your belongings one category at a time. Soon your home will be clutter-free and you’ll be itching to show off your newly organised surroundings.
Once you’ve decluttered your home, there’ll be no stopping you from streamlining other aspects of your life too: updating your CV, finding time to take that cookery course, sorting out your fitness regime, and much more. It’s just a case of following the same three steps: declutter, organise and enjoy. Part Two will focus more specifically on these areas, with plenty of tips to ensure that you make the most of your newly discovered free time.
So, what are you waiting for? Get your shit together!
“OUT OF CLUTTER, FIND SIMPLICITY. FROM DISCORD, FIND HARMONY.”
ALBERT EINSTEIN
PART ONE
SORT OUT YOUR SPACE
The first step to achieving a streamlined and spangly new life is to declutter the space around you. Tackle the different categories of clutter in your home one by one and you’ll not only see immediate results, you’ll also feel inspired to move on and tackle more. Before you know it, you’ll be living in a calm and uncluttered environment and you’ll be feeling revitalised. So read on and take the first step on your journey to clutter-free living.
REHOMING YOUR CLUTTER
As you declutter your home, you’ll inevitably find yourself with bags and boxes of things that you no longer need. What should you do with it all?
Friends and family: Does anyone you know need a foot spa?
eBay: For anything that can be easily posted.
Local online selling groups: A great way to make some cash – and no delivery fees, because buyers will collect.
Freecycle, Freegle and other free recycling websites: It’s amazing how far people will travel for a free shoe rack, but beware of timewasters.
Car boot sales: Do some research first as to what sells and which are the best sites.
Charity shops: Books, clothes, alarming vases… Charity shops will be glad to take many things off your hands.
CLOTHES
It’s easy to acquire more and more items of clothing as we get older, and surprisingly hard to ditch the things that we no longer wear. Whether it’s for sentimental reasons, or from a belief that we will slim down enough to wear that favourite shirt again one day, many of us suffer from bulging wardrobes and overstuffed drawers.
But never fear! Once you start to get your shit together and de-junk your clothes chaos, you’ll feel freer and lighter – and you’ll actually be able to find your fashion favourites when you need them.
GETTING STARTED
Before you begin filling black bin bags for your favourite charity shop, here are a few questions that will help you to sort the evergreens from the has-beens.
1 Do I love it?
2 Do I wear it?
3 Does it project the image I want to project?
4 Does it itch or scratch?
5 Can I actually move in it comfortably?
Number 3 is the real ‘eureka’ question for many people. Even if you love a particular piece of clothing, do you want other people to see you in it? If you’re finding it hard to be an objective critic, enlist a friend who feels comfortable enough to tell you if something is wrong for you. Your storage space is limited, so it just doesn’t make sense to waste your prime real estate on clothes you’re not crazy about.
DECLUTTER THOSE DRAWERS
Once you’ve ejected all those items that you know you’ll never wear again, it’s time to revolutionise your storage habits. We tend to automatically stack our clothes in piles, but the downside of this is that we have to flip through them in order to find the perfect one. Eventually, the pile gets messy and our long-lost best T-shirt sinks to the bottom, never to be seen again until the next big clear-out.
If you arrange your clothes by rolling them and standing them upright in the drawer, you’ll be able to see all your items at a glance, and a rainbow of T-shirts will be at your disposal every day.
“NEVER WEAR ANYTHING THAT PANICS THE CAT.”
P. J. O’ROURKE
ORGANISE YOUR OUTFITS
Bring a sense of order to your wardrobe by following these simple rules.
Invest in some good hangers. Your clothes will look less crumpled, so no need to iron (hooray!).
Hang items that go together on one hanger, so that you can grab an outfit quickly rather than choosing random garments and spending the day looking as if you got dressed in the dark.
Organise your outfits in sections, by colour. Not only does this make it easier to find things, but you’ll feel super smug every time you open your wardrobe.
WHEN STORING SEASONAL ITEMS, DON’T FORGET TO WEED OUT ANYTHING THAT YOU HAVEN’T WORN RECENTLY. ALSO, REMEMBER TO DRY-CLEAN CERTAIN ITEMS, SUCH AS WINTER COATS, BEFORE PUTTING THEM AWAY.
“ADORNMENT IS NEVER ANYTHING EXCEPT A REFLECTION OF THE HEART.”
COCO CHANEL
CLUTTER OFFENDERS #1
Bed Linen
Think back to the last time you put away your bed linen. Did you:
A. Neatly pop it into its designated place in the airing cupboard?
B. Wedge it in with a shoehorn? You just about closed the door but the next person to open it will get a pillowcase in the face.
C. Fail to fit it properly in the cupboard… or the overflow drawer… so it’s balanced on top of the microwave, where it looks pretty darn attractive.
You are (presumably) running a home not a hotel, so you don’t need cupboards full of spare bed linen. Thin down your collection. Fold duvet covers around matching pillowcases so that you can grab a set in seconds and improve your bed linen storage experience. (And remember that if a horde of visitors does suddenly descend, you can always borrow bedding from friends.)
LIGHTENING THE LOAD
Washing and putting away your clothes is a bit of a chore, but if you let it get out of control, you’ll soon find yourself surrounded by enough clothing for the entire von Trapp family. Save yourself time and effort by following these tips.
1 Pre-sort light and dark items using separate laundry baskets or baskets that have separate compartments.
2 Avoid as much ironing as possible by being careful when hanging items out to dry.
3 Hang similar items together – underwear, socks, etc. – then remove and fold easily into piles ready for putting away.
4 If you have children, make them responsible for putting away their own clothing. Try leaving the pile on their pillow or following them around with it until the job is done, unless you want your sofa disappearing beneath a mountainous heap of clothes.
HANDBAGS AND MANBAGS
You’re heading out for the day so you grab your bag and heave it on to your shoulder. Yes, it’s a bit heavy… and you can’t quite close the zip… and, now you mention it, the stitching on the strap looks a bit strained… but you’re going to be out ALL DAY, and you might just need that hand sanitiser, eye mask or jar of pickles.