It's APDO's annual 'National Organising Week' #NOW2021 and this year the focus is on organising our homes to help us to all be a bit more accountable and sustainable.
This is a topic that I've always been a little interested in, but that has really taken centre stage for me throughout my own decluttering journey and subsequently through helping others live with less.
So I thought I would collate some of the ways that being organised can help. Here are my top 5:
1) Being mindful of what you already own
I've yet to work with someone who hasn't been surprised at the amount of stuff that they own.
We call it 'The Power Of The Pile' because when you see your items all piled together, it can be overwhelming.
When things are all put away, sometimes in various different locations in your home, it can be hard to know (or remember!) how much you really have.
Only by collating everything together can you truly know how much you have.
(I once worked with a client, who had 39 pairs of identical black leggings!!)
It can also help you to understand what you actually need, and what you don't (in my clients case, no more black leggings!)
2) Shop Intentionally
Following on from knowing what you already have, the next step is to be more mindful when shopping. I mean, how many times have you walked into the shops meaning to buy one specific thing and come out with a whole basketful?! (that's the curse of Home Bargains for me!)
By being mindful when you shop, shopping with a list and not deviating from this, you will not be over-purchasing.
The good news is that once you know what you own, you can clearly and easily see what you need.
3) Recycle and Reuse
Once you've decluttered, I know the quickest thing would be to just chuck all the things you don't
want in a skip, or drive all your unwanted items to the dump, but to spend a little extra time sorting will mean that your discards can be re-used and not just put in landfill.
The fashion industry is one of the main polluting industries in the world, we can help to change this by donating our unused clothes and by buying second hand clothes, clothes that are made more sustainably or rent clothes.
I wrote a blog a couple of weeks ago with suggestions of where to put your discards. Check it out HERE.
After all, the things you no longer want could well be treasure for somebody else.
4) Go paperless
Part of the tidying festival that I lead my clients through, is organising papers. Most of us keep way more papers than we actually need. A really satisfying way to be more sustainable, is to reduce the number of papers you receive.
This is good in many ways. Firstly for us, as we no longer have huge numbers of paper clutter, but it's also better for the environment.
Most things (including manuals) can be found online, eliminating the need for paper copies.
So next time you receive a bill or some junk mail, take a moment to remove yourself from the mailing list or sign up to go paperless. Your future friend will thank you.
5) Meal Prepping!
Cooking meals at home is a great start to living sustainably. But meal prepping is one way to level this up.
Once you've planned your meals for the week, you will have a clear list of what you need and you are less likely to waste food by buying more than this.
You can also save yourself time (and money!) what's not to love?!
If you have leftovers, don’t throw them away. Save them for your lunch or tea the next day, or even freeze them. However, if they do go off, use them to create compost for you garden.
I hope this has shown you a few different ways that being organised at home can make a difference not just to your own home and health, but the sustainability of our planet.
If you have any top tips that you think my readers would benefit from, I would love to hear them. Please leave me a comment below.
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