Declutter IN A DAY

Professional organisers share their personal tips for getting sorted in hours, not weeks!

Pre-game plan

1 Have an exit strategy – know how you’re going to move stuff out of the house and where it’s going. Set up a box or basket for each destination to streamline the end process.

2 Allow yourself a moment to sit in the middle of each room and visualise the finished look.

3 Take stock of available storage – how you can best

use what you already have and whether you need extra.

4 Have one “maybe” box for items you’re torn over – a single tub to sort later is better than hours of indecision.

5 You won’t finish every room, but these are things our experts say make the biggest difference in a short time.

Home office

• If you need storage for your work area, make it separate to daily life admin.

• Don’t operate on instinct – before you tackle paperwork, check how long you actually have to keep it, as you may find you can cull years’ worth (for tax return documents it’s seven years).

• Bin all broken items, from tech to pens. Check your local council website for e-waste disposal guidelines and collection dates.

• Kids’ art and memorabilia tends to congregate here. Fill one box or file per child, close your eyes and chuck the rest.

• Have one basket for unopened mail, one for bills to be paid and one for filing.

• Colour-code your children! Have one coloured folder per child for useful info – everything from birth certificates to sports and after-school rosters.

• Remove unnecessary distractions such as old post-it notes and business cards.

Clever idea!