5 Ways to Declutter your Living Space…NOW! ⭐

With the new year coming up, it is time to refresh our space and our mind. It has been proven that having a clean and decluttered living space can help to have a better mindset and to reduce stress (Kristen Domonell). What a great way to start a new year! In this post, I propose to you 5 ways to declutter your living space that will help you get ready for this new year coming up. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s get to work!

Declutter…your papers

Whether it is on our desk or in storage space, we do accumulate a lot of documents during the year that might…or might not still be useful for the upcoming year; health-related documents, jobs-related documents, birthday cards, etc. Divide those papers into three piles: to dispose of, to keep, to place somewhere else. You will be surprised by the amount of paper that you kept that were invading your space.

*Safety tip: dispose of papers containing confidential information into the trash instead of the recycle bin for more confidentiality regarding your personal information.

Before After

Before After

Declutter…your cosmetics

Did you know that you should keep your mascara for no longer than 3 months to reduce the risk of infections? (Cynthia Dulude makeup artist) For your liquid products such as a liquid foundation, the expiration date is between 6 to 12 months after the opening. Whether there is a change in odor, color, or texture, it is a sign that you should probably throw away your product. When you are done disposing of what is not good anymore, I suggest organizing your products into their respective categories such as lips, skin, eyes, etc. It is more pleasant to do our makeup when we can see effectively the products that we have.

Before After

Declutter…your finance/money related papers

It is now time to attack the pile of receipts on the counter, on your desk, or in the abysses of your coat pockets. Make sure to double-check before throwing them away to see if some contain information regarding the return policy for products that you are unsure to keep. Keeping track of our expenses is important, but thanks to technology, no need to keep your receipts for your daily coffee. Keep the receipts for bigger purchases, for what you are unsure to keep, or for gifts in case you need to do an exchange.

Declutter…your closet

This one is a big piece, but worth the time and work. Start with your clothes. Are there some pieces of clothing that you haven’t worn in the last 6 months? If yes, what is the reason? Maybe it does not fit anymore or is not for the current season, or you simply do not like it anymore. If you want to dispose of it, I suggest you to look for organisms that collect second-hand clothes that would make someone else happy or help someone in need. For the pieces of clothing that are simply not for the current season, put them into a box and identify the box with the right season the clothes belong to. Finally, put your clothes that need repair apart. No need to keep in your closet your pair of jeans with the broken zipper. You will put it back when repaired;)

If you have shoes in your closet, take also the time to toss away those that you do not wear anymore or that are broken. If you have many different soles or heels accessories, put them in an identified box to facilitate access when needed. Sometimes, we tend to forget what we have when not well organized.

Declutter…your bags and purses

It is quite surprising the number of things we can accumulate in a year in a purse. Old receipts, melted lipstick, notes, flyer of the exhibition you went to four months ago. Take the time to declutter your working bag or your everyday purse and put back only the essentials. You could be surprised by what it actually weighs;).

This is is for this post, I hope it motivated you to go through your stuff and declutter a little for better living spaces and a better mind! The holidays are the perfect time to do this type of activity since we get plenty of time. With the intense year 2020 has been, let’s start the new year with the right foot:)

Make sure to follow Simplement Juliette on Instagram (see the icon at the bottom of the page) if you are interested in some decluttering stories and/or want some tips and tricks to improve your day-to-day productivity and organization:)

À bientôt!

Juliette

References:

The link between decluttering and stress: Kristen Domonell, Right as Rain by UW Medicine

Makeup product expiration date: Le Petit Guide de la Beauté by Cynthia Dulude (French only)