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!
This story is from the August 9, 2021 edition of New Zealand Woman's Weekly.
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This story is from the August 9, 2021 edition of New Zealand Woman's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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