Sophie Mew 5/28/19 Sophie Mew 5/28/19

On time… decluttering and organising.

On time...

August feels like the right month to talk about time — it reminds me of long summer holidays, where time and routines are suspended, and languishing about all feels a little bit indulgent!

Concepts of time are as integral in the processes of decluttering as in all spheres of life, shifting constantly between feeling tangible, intangible, lengthy, immediate, graspable and slippery, imagined and owned. In this short space I want to look at three primary angles (time will pop up again in my other blogs, for example with regards to sustainability), but let’s look at some general practical, liminal and cyclical approaches. Each one offers unique insights into how we can better understand and manage our spaces and, ultimately, ourselves.

Practical Time

Online searches often present decluttering as a quick fix: "It just takes 10 minutes to organize," "Declutter your home in 30 minutes," or "5-minute declutter rules." These catchy titles suggest that decluttering is a task that can be swiftly accomplished, like ripping off a band-aid. But why is there such a rush? Some people just prefer doing other things, which is fair enough. It can also be guilt over spending time on our belongings, or a perception that investing time in self-care is indulgent? The tension between self-care and busyness is palpable here.

Consider a local initiative at our Morrisons supermarket: two chairs and a table were set up next to the frozen food aisle with a sign inviting customers to take a seat. Does it challenge our notions of time use and self-care? Is it indulgent to sit and rest amidst grocery shopping? Allocating time for self-care, including decluttering, should not be dismissed or rushed. It is essential for maintaining a healthy home environment and, by extension, a healthy self.

Professional organizers often use the "miracle question" to help clients visualize their ideal space: "If you woke up tomorrow and your space looked exactly as you’d like it, can you describe it?" This technique can motivate clients by providing a clear goal. In his research study on house building in Maputo, Nielsen (2014) discusses the impact of imagined futures on motivating present actions. The visualization, for our own purposes, helps clients see the value of investing time now to save time in the future. It helps to project a little, perhaps imagining a future wardrobe which contains just the right number of items to find our clothes in the present. We can use this to work towards a goal: a bit of time invested now saves us time in the future.

And as such, booking a decluttering session is viewed as a time-saving task. For further reading, Greg McKeown discusses the shifts between Chronos and Kairos in his compelling book ‘Essentialism’ (2014 p.217).

In my experience, clients set aside specific hours to tackle their clutter, knowing that it’s a step towards a more organized life, jumping from the present to a future. One client informed me that she refused to do anything outside of our regular hours — she would put aside two hours a week to tackle her paperwork (which she immensely disliked) to free up the rest of her week. Many of my clients book time off work to get on top of their homes. It’s important to remember though that decluttering years of accumulated habits and possessions can’t be undone in a day. The process requires patience, we experience and perceive time in different ways, and if we question ourselves honestly, I think we know ourselves best. Avoiding procrastination and managing time effectively by hiring an objective organiser can help to make the investment worthwhile.

Reflections:

Decision-making during decluttering can be fast-paced, much like exercising a muscle that gets stronger with practice. I’ve witnessed this in practice — sometimes challenging clients to slow down! However, the process of physically getting things out of the home often takes longer and requires more effort, as Cooper (2005) and Muster, Iran, Munsch (2022) note. Clients’ commitment to sustainability and finding new purposes for items can slow the process, as they navigate what to do with each possession (‘my cousin really likes these types of cooking bowls, I will see her next month at my parents’ house, I’ll keep them here…’!).

Mentally preparing for a decluttering session by setting a date and creating the right environment can make a significant difference to being ‘in the moment’. This is particularly important for individuals with ADHD, who may struggle with time management. Booking a session and setting boundaries signify a commitment to the task, creating a temporary liminal space where time seems suspended yet constantly shifting as memories and objects are handled and reminisced over: memories come flooding from different moments in my clients’ lives.

Prompts like "When did I last use this?" help with difficult decision-making, preventing clients from getting lost in time tunnels. Shared generational experiences and reminiscing about mementos are one of my favourite parts of this job. The anthropology side of me kicks in as I enjoy listening to stories about special events or particular occasions, but I’m also mindful that my role is to keep things moving along, it’s crucial to keep the momentum going. When decisions are too difficult, a "six-month box" can provide a temporary solution, allowing attachments to shift and sometimes wane over time.

Time for a reset:

The question of when to declutter is a golden one. While marketing slogans might say, "There’s no time like the present," and wise sayings like "chaque chose en son temps" suggest that everything has its time, the truth is more personal. People often decide to declutter during significant life changes or when the time feels right. There is no universal right or wrong time; it really depends on when you feel ready to commit to change, no matter how big or small the job.

Decluttering can be seen as a reset, an opportunity for introspection and reflection. It’s a time to evaluate whether your belongings still reflect your values and ideals. The process can be therapeutic, providing dopamine hits and a sense of accomplishment. This cyclical process of editing and removing unwanted items is not new. It mirrors natural cycles like pruning plants or clearing dead leaves, making space for new growth. It can be an emotional process. I was asked to support a client whose husband had passed away, to help her to go through his belongings. It is a natural process to need change, to make space for the new and it can both heal and feel beneficial. Integral here is the understanding that to put the effort in in the present, can help make the future look and feel better — another take on the ‘miracle’ question that we started with.

But what about the maintenance question? How long does the clutter stay managed after a reset? Does it or will it ever end?! During my sessions with clients, we discuss habits that might need changing, I make suggestions, we practice some new systems together — but the process takes time and if not upheld, then the disorder accumulates again, and pretty quickly! The vision of a neat, tidy space is not a linear one-off jump into the future but a dynamic, ongoing process (again, see Nielson’s study).

To conclude, our individual relationships with time are unique and deeply personal. My fellow organiser (at ‘Free Your Space’) shared this poem with the following excerpt:

“What if I am not cut out for the frantic pace of this society and cannot even begin to keep up. And see so many others with what appears to be boundless energy and stamina but know that I need tons of solitude and calm, an abundance of rest, and swathes of unscheduled time in order to be healthy. Body, Spirit, Soul healthy. Am I enough?” (see end for ref)

It’s a reminder that we each have our own pace and needs.

Here are this month’s ‘C and D’ tips for recycling and donating goods:

C: Cameras

https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/sell-or-trade

C: Candles

The Recycled Candle Company

C: Chandeliers

https://www.chandelier.com/blogs/light-conversation/how-and-where-should-you-store-a-chandelier

C: children’s books

www.abcbookclub.co.uk

Local libraries, local schools

C: Children (storage ideas)

https://www.scandiborn.co.uk/collections/storage-1?page=3

C: Clearout

Just Clear

London Rubbish Collection, for smaller amounts: tel 07967726231

Paul Knights and Sons rubbish removal (East Dulwich)

C: Clothes

Most high street fashionwear: H&M, M&S, Tesco…

Textile recycling bank (check your council website)

Salvation Army (Deptford High Street, Denmark Hill)

Vinted

Charity shops e.g. Shelter (Camberwell) and HOTRIC (central London/ Tower Bridge)

Anglo doorstep (collection)

Redonate (collection)

ReboundRunway (Dulwich)

C: Coat hangers

Recycle, charity shops, local ironing services, dry cleaners

C: Coins

Cashcow

Morrisons

https://www.leftovercurrency.com/exchange-unsorted-currency/ (

Baldwins

C: Computers/ tech

https://weeecharity.co.uk/services/data-wiping

https://computeraid.org/it-disposal/individuals

https://computerrepairdoctor.com/

C: Craft

https://www.looseendsproject.org/

D: Disposal, local

Community drop off: Edward Alleyn Club (Herne Hill) (book by texting ‘drop off’ to 07944 102 112)

D: Duvets (non-feathers)

Dunelm

Animal rescue centres

BHF (get money for rags)

Alpkit if down-filled

Celia Hammond cat rescue

Bromley Brighter Beginnings

D: DVD

Nursing homes

Schools (for craft and collages)

https://www.henleyscan.co.uk (copying VHS to DVD)

REFERENCES:

McKeown, Greg Essentialism, The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (2021)

Muster, Iran, Munsch. The cultural practice of decluttering as household work and its potentials for sustainable consumption (2022) https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainability/articles/10.3389/frsus.2022.958538/full

Nielson, M A wedge of time: futures in the present and presents without futures in Maputo, Mozambique in JRAI (20: S1, 2014)

O’Reilly-Davi-Digui, Krista https://foreverymom.com/family-parenting/what-if-all-i-want-is-a-mediocre-life-krista-oreilly-davi-digui/2/

Sophie Mew 5/28/19 Sophie Mew 5/28/19

Back to Basics - Kids’ spaces

Back to Basics - Kids' spaces

Balancing Kids’ Creativity and Adult Order

I wrote a blog for APDO (the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers in the UK) looking at options and ideas for dealing with organising kids’ spaces and all the stress that comes with it!

https://www.apdo.co.uk/resource/blog-240918-back-to-basics-kids.html

Here are this month’s ‘E and F’ tips for recycling and donating goods:

E: Ebay

Tips on how to use Ebay https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/selling-on-ebay/

E: Electrical

Dunelm www.dunelm.com/info/about/take-back-scheme

https://www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/

Collect and recycle (fridges, computers, lamps…) https://ecolamp.co.uk/

Zapper: scan barcode or insert ISBN on their website and get a quote. They will take items they can’t sell for free to recycle www.zapper.co.uk

Curry’s

A clever electronics drawer:

https://www.organized-home.com/posts/electronics-cell-phone-laptop-charging-drawer/