It has concerned me for a while that my posting here at 365 Less Things has been very sporadic, and that even has begun to occur with the Monday Mini Mission posts. I put this down to a couple of things. One is personal commitments that seem to take up so much of my time of late. And the other is that my interest in writing about decluttering has waned with my lack of a decluttering goal. This goal concept has always been a thing here at 365 Less Things but I didn't realise how much of an encouragement it was for me until recently. With the lack of an actual goal to work towards when it … [Read more...]
Overflow
I have experienced examples lately on how clutter can lead to disorganisation which in turn causes more clutter. Actually, in the cases I am thinking of, the clutter is useful and used stuff but in such abundance that it ends up scattered making items hard to find. This can then lead to acquiring more of the same because of the mistaken idea that things have run out. Of course this isn't something new to me, I have written about it more than once already. However it is worth a repeat mention on a regular basis. My own craft supplies can get like this at times. Usually due to the fact that I … [Read more...]
My bedroom declutter: Part 02 – out with the wardrobe! by Andréia
I never thought I would change my bedroom as I did this year. It was a challenge I set to myself. In part one I told you all about my struggles to get rid of clothes and one piece of furniture in my bedroom. Now I am telling how I managed to get rid of a wardrobe. Late last year I was talking to Colleen by e-mail and I was anxious about the state of my bedroom. It was a mess. I occasionally watch some Peter Walsh show and my bedroom was as far from a “haven†as you can put it. It stressed me out. Always. There was always stuff strewn across the “floordrobe†(I would like to thank … [Read more...]
Avoiding a cluttered wardrobe
I'll be the first to admit that I am no fashion expert. So I am not going to give you any advice on what clothes to shop for. However, what I am going to share with you today are tips that I think will help you to avoid a wardrobe cluttered with clothes that you don't wear. So without further adieu I will give you my opinions on ways to avoid adding clothing clutter. Don't insist on keeping up with the trends. Trends are all about changing whats "in fashion" in a  ploy to keep you buying whether you need new clothes or not. So don't be a sucker to consumerism and only buy clothes when … [Read more...]
The hurricane method of decluttering. Part 1
The hurricane method of decluttering, as Moni dubbed it, is when one rips through the house decluttering a vast amount of stuff all at once. A person's hand is often forced into this action due to a sudden change in circumstances which makes a big declutter necessary. A hurricane declutter was exactly what I was helping a friend with on the weekend. She had been thinking of moving but found a new place quicker than expected, and just when her best friend was leaving for an overseas vacation. She phoned me in a panic on Wednesday last week begging for my help. I quickly agreed and took a three … [Read more...]
Control Issues
All that "I might need it one day!" clutter is about control. Control over your future, a future that may never unveil itself. A future created in your own mind that won't allow you to relinquish items you don't have a use for right now, probably never will and in all honesty, although used in the past, were never really needed even then. What tragic outcome would ensue in the future if, today, you decluttered that spare potato peeler? If you got rid of that ever growing pile of ragged bath towels you save in case of a huge spill? If you put all those magazine clippings in the recycling bin … [Read more...]
Rationalising Clothes
Last week I was interstate visiting my parents and my in-laws. There was a change of weather in my absence. Actually it had started turning prior to my departure, but I wanted to wait until I returned to deal with bringing down my box of winter closed from the top shelf of my closet. Yesterday I began putting it all through a refresh cycle in my washing machine in preparation for wearing. This is a very handy steam cycle that takes care of any chance of allergy inducing dust mite while wasting very little water. Separating the items, hanging them out to dry, then folding and putting them … [Read more...]
Cleaning out closets ~ By Linda Bailey
Here is a guest post from July 2013 by Linda Bailey from housekeeping.org that I thought was worth repeating for the lessons it contains. Enjoy! So I tend to bite off more than I can chew. A few months ago the opportunity to have everyone out of the house for a weekend seemed like the perfect time to do some major cleaning up. I had high hopes. I was going to tackle the worst room in the house. It was filled floor to ceiling with boxes from the move and just had enough floor space to walk a thin path around it. Since the move had taken place some five years before I had the brilliant idea … [Read more...]
Mini Mission Monday
Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and "fun" for you to achieve some quick decluttering. There are definitely specific items that, in excess, make your home harder to keep tidy, organised and efficient. For today's mini missions I will make some suggestions of items to declutter and why they can have a negative effect in your home when in over-abundance. Most of the items I mention … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Clothes You’re Saving for “Some Day”
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom Let's see a show of hands: Who has a box (or more) of clothes saved for the day when you lose 10, 20, or 50 pounds? Or, perhaps worse, who is clogging their closet with these reminders of days gone by? Let's get serious here, people. Do you have a plan that you are implementing to lose weight? When was the last time you wore this size (these sizes)? Do you know what's in this box (these boxes)? Can you actually name even 3 or 4 of the items? Here's my challenge for you. First of all, what are you doing to lose weight? If the answer is nothing, or … [Read more...]