Root, Bloom & Thrive
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Paper Flowers
  • Craft Tutorials
  • Contact Me

How to be tidy - when you're really not

13/5/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
So you want to be tidy? I want to let you know that I I feel you. I am 26 and I have only just realised the benefits of being a tidy person and I wish I had known sooner! Let me set the scene - growing up I was very messy, infuriatingly messy, over flowingly messy. It was a constant battle and this poor habit followed me to university and beyond. 

I used to think it was too much hard work to keep things tidy - oh how wrong I was! Because the truth is - once you are a 'tidy person' it is so EASY to keep things tidy! 

Now I know a big thing to do is read the famous book about tidying up but I kind of wanted to do it the 'So Lovely, So Simple' way. Now that is understanding why I wanted to be tidy. I think that is the key. You won't do something or change a habit unless you understand why. 

My reason for wanting to be tidy was to help my husband. He had a stroke five years ago and his memory is an issue, so having things in certain places and less mess gives him more of a chance at remembering. But since changing my ways, my main reason for maintaining a tidy space is now to make me happy. I also love knowing where things go and having systems to make our life easy. It has freed up so much space in my over crowed head. When I look at our space I feel at ease and proud. 

  1. Just start - give yourself a deadline, plan a dinner party to show off your new space
  2. Don't overthink it - at the end of the day it's just stuff
  3. Sort - mend/recycle/donate/store
  4. Give everything a place 
  5. Decorate - make your space beautiful - it will help you keep it tidy
Picture
Right, so you have finished your mammoth tidy up! You are not a tidy person yet!

However, from now on it is easy! All it is now is maintenance. 

1. Make your bed - every day 
I remember my sister doing this for years and me thinking 'oh I just don't have time' and the truth is there is absolutely always time to make your bed. It sets you up for the day ahead but it also sets you up for a better nights' sleep.

2. Make time to tidy everyday 
It is so much easier to do 30 minutes everyday rather than hours at the weekend. The photo above - although not hugely messy - and only took me five minutes to tidy and I probably do that about twice a day in Reggie's room - easy. Make sure at the end of the day everything is back in their place, or as much as possible. 

3. Make it quick, make it easy 
You won't do it if your systems are hard and complicated. All the toys (in the photo above), went straight into a basket - no organisation - just plonked all together in a large basket. It couldn't be simpler. Plus it looks clean and organised without any fuss. This was laundry day as well, I roll up all of Reggie's clothes and this makes it so much easier to sort and find. 

4. Contain any 'mess' and use to decorate
Now this may seem strange but let me elaborate. The best thing I think we did was put up shelves in our room and Reggie's room. In ours, we use it to store my many books, sentimental things and pictures, and I think it looks beautiful. It means there is nothing on the floor, which is especially important in Reggie's room. In his room we use the shelves to store toys and books he's not old enough for yet and any gifts we want to keep safe and away from little fingers. 

5. Hide anything you can!
We have lots of things hidden in these two rooms and you wouldn't know! Behind the sofa in Reggie's room is his old cot we keep out for when his cousin comes to visit. Under his bed is all the spare wipes, nappies and our carrier (all from Aldi! Man, I love that place!) Under our bed are all of our winter clothes, stair gate (which urgently needs to go up) and all our important documents. 

6. Follow people who inspire you to keep it up 
This for me is crucial. I spend far too much time on Instagram but you can use this to help inspire you. I follow @Sunshinesamblog and @Maisymeowblog who always have such gorgeous homes and do amazing things with Zaflora. I also have a weird obsession with watching speed cleaning videos on Youtube, here are some of my favourites. 
How to use Zaflora
​
Speed Clean With Emily Norris

Anyway I hope you found this helpful, and I promise you, if I can become a tidy person you definitely can! If you have any tips I would love to hear them!

Happy tidying! 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Beauty And Fashion
    Card-design-ideas
    Motherhood
    Poetry
    Simple Series
    So Crafty
    So Delicious
    So Happy

    Follow on Bloglovin

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Paper Flowers
  • Craft Tutorials
  • Contact Me