HOW TO WIN AT
If you’d like to bring a little order into your life, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve asked the exper ts for their top tips on the best ways to streamline your home in minutes
FEATURE REBECCA SHEPHERD
The beginning of a new year can only mean one thing: time to declutter. And while it might not be the most glamorous way to kickstart 2024, it’s a great way to clear the decks and look ahead. ‘At Christmas, if we’re lucky the house will fill up with presents,’ says Simon Wigzell, events director at the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers (APDO) and founder of Let’s Get It Sorted. ‘The new year brings the opportunity to put away the decorations, declutter old items that have been replaced with new and work out which presents to regift.’ Think this all seems more drab than fab? Hang on in there – your reward is a streamlined home with everything in its place. It’s time to start 2024 as you mean to go on…
SORT OUT THE…
1Grab your coat Your hallway is the first space you see as you walk through the front door, and in the winter it can become a dumping ground for coats and wet-weather gear. ‘Does it all need to be there?’ asks Liz Aitken, APDO’s operations director and founder of Carefully Sorted. ‘Can some go in wardrobes or be donated to charity shops?’
2 Do the shoe shuffle ‘Apply the same sorting principle to boots and shoes,’ Liz recommends, ‘then put the ones that really need to be there in a neat line or, if you have a shoe rack, tuck them away.’
3 Go paperless Don’t leave the never-ending stream of flyers to build up in your letterbox or, worse, on the floor with the intention of sorting them out later. ‘Pick up and deal with menus and leaflets immediately,’ says Liz.
4 Get hooked Rather than leaving keys in a pile on the side, save time – and your stress levels – by hanging them neatly on hooks (out of sight and reach of the door for security). ‘That way, they’re easy to grab when you need them,’ adds Liz.
