One of the best ways to prepare for an upcoming season or the arrival of a new baby is to take the opportunity to declutter your home. If you are pregnant, you may have heard of the word ‘nesting’ which women talk about. This is a time when pregnant women have the urge to clean and organise their home for the arrival of their new baby. This will help you create more room and tackle areas of your home that have become overwhelming and cluttered. It also helps to create small changes in your home that are inexpensive but will help your environment and mental wellbeing.
The first step to look around your home and think about what you want to achieve. Ask yourself which areas you want to tackle or have become too overwhelming to look at. If you are pregnant think about the space that will be allocated for the baby. Write a list of these areas and be specific for instance, is it the kitchen cupboards you want to sort out or just the cupboard under the sink. Is it a box room that is filled with storage that you want to clear out or a section of your wardrobe that will be for the baby?
The next step is to be practical about your time and energy. Think about what you can realistically achieve in the time you have especially if you work, are pregnant or have other responsibilities like small children to look after at home. Do not overwhelm yourself or your body by trying to achieve too much at once. Spread the tasks out and slot them in whenever you have free time. Decluttering and organising your home can take weeks depending on your own situation.
The best way to be successful is to have a system that works well for you. Organise items into three boxes/bags or corners of a room. This can be divided into items to be put in the (1) bin (2) charity (3) keep. Having a simple system will mean you can be more effective with your time.
When working around your house or a certain section of your home try to move quickly and be ruthless. Its very easy to get caught up on sentimental items and get stuck in a rut for hours until you get fed up. If you think you might procrastinate, then set yourself a timer and stick to it. If you are pregnant then enlist the help of your husband or friend.
Remember to really scrutinise why a corner of your home is messy or if an item you are unwilling to let go serves any purpose in your home. Ask yourself if your hallway is a functional space for your family? How can you change it to fit your needs? Does this draw need a simple storage solution to make it more organised? Do I really need seven different pairs of jeans? By asking us these direct questions we can make sense of the space around us.