Most of us would love to live in a well organised and low clutter home. Research shows us in fact, that we perform better, are more time and cost efficient when we surround ourselves with a low clutter and well organised space.

To help you start the new year on the right foot, here’s five quick tips to help diminish your clutter and get organised.

1. Clear out

Before you begin considering how to organise yourself better for the new year it is essential that you are starting the year from a good place. It is important that your living and work spaces are clutter free.

Why?

There’s significant research that connects low creativity, reduced efficiency and poor mental health with visual and physical clutter in the home and the workplace. You know it too – you always feel better when you’ve only the things you truly want and need around you.

If you want to live and stay organised in the new year, you’ll have to make sure you trim around the edges first, getting rid of anything hampering that organisation.

2. Develop a plan

No home is accidentally well organised. You need a plan.

You can establish a plan for every area of your life: personal, professional, home management, cleaning… the list goes on and on! How do you start?

For each area, map out what needs to be attended to, then map out the tasks that need doing and assign someone to be responsible for them.

Don’t forget to pop a timeframe on there too. Match the task to the age and/or interests of the person it’s being allocated to (for kids it always helps to attach a reward). If you’re on your own, assign areas and tasks to days, across a set period. When you’ve completed a step on the plan, stop and reward yourself. Don’t slog ahead and kills the buzz.

Ultimately, this is your individual plan, so there are no golden rights and wrongs. Just make sure it’s honestly achievable and incentivises you to get the job done.

Having a plan will help you remain focused and if you derail at any point, it gives you a document to revisit and get back on track, fast!

3. Think twice before you buy

Once they de-clutter and get organised, one thing many of my clients find challenging is not bringing more and more clutter into the home.

Learn to think twice before you purchase new items or accept hand-me-downs from friends.

Ask yourself: Do I really need it? Am I just buying it because it is such a great deal? Would they think me ungrateful if I say no thanks?

4. Make the most of technology

A lot of clutter in people’s homes is their attempt at being organised.

For example, the pile of school newsletters and bills on the kitchen bench, the fridge that has reminders stuck all over it or the multiple calendars and diaries on the bench that are synchronised with each other to make sure everyone knows what is happening with each family member.

If this sounds like your place, maybe it’s time to use technology to free you from your own organisational efforts.

There’s a multitude of applications available now (many are free) that can help you to stay organised and informed without the clutter.

Try using shared Google Calendars with your family or Wunderlist for the many lists that you carry around in your head or handbag.

Popular apps like Clear make to do lists breathtakingly simple, even fun, to manage.

Search for organisation, home, cleaning and de-cluttering and you’ll be amazed. Pick something that works for you and use it.

5. Take a step (even a small one)

No matter how much you read or how many great tips you receive, nothing will replace the benefits of taking action.

If time is an issue (and isn’t it always), try this range of organisational tips that you can do in five minutes. There’s no excuses.

You might like to check out the International Institute of Home Staging’s online De-Clutter Boot Camp, starting on 14 January.

It’s an online program that will teach you how to prepare your mindset to make de-cluttering easier, plus tips, tools and step by step processes to get you to an organised place.

It’s easier to make changes with peer support and a program or course lets you lean on others when you feel the bad habits coming back or it all feels too hard.

Here’s to a year of decluttering and organising that will help you build great habits for life.

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