Good morning! I hope you are well, re-energised and excited about 2015!
I’ve had a great morning with lots of lovely people kicking off their week with fitness! Which inspired me to mention a goal I’ve been working on and chatting about today…de-cluttering. I love this photo above, because, at times I’ve simply wanted to shove all those old boxes of stuff on the fire just to get rid of it!
But after meeting my incredible friend Audrey, who by the way has the flattest stomach and most incredible arms and legs after having 2 kids, she inspired me to simply stop buying new stuff I don’t need, throw out all the old stuff I don’t use and wear the things I actually loved (but maybe couldn’t see hiding in the wardrobe) So over the past 3 years I’ve been changing my habits and you know what, I feel so much better for it, so here are some reasons why you should de-clutter…
– A clear space gives you a clear mind
– Having less stuff gives you more time to exercise, read, try new things… because you are no longer wasting time looking for that thing/ top/ leggings/ the kids school bag… and you can relax a bit more
– It makes you appreciate the things you have, go quality over quantity!
– It makes going home/ opening the wardrobe etc. enjoyable, more like your sanctuary, somewhere to relax and unwind… basically it is good for your health and your pocket!
One of my favourite blogs, www.marcandangelhacklife.com has a great quote… “stop buying things you don’t need, with money you don’t have, to impress people you don’t know” I love it!
By not buying un-necessary junk we reduce our stress levels, our nervous system’s are calmer, we are happier and more content and we can do the things that really do matter, like seeing friends, family, exercising, trying new healthy recipes ad so on. So here are my top tips to start de-cluttering your life…
1. Try starting with something small like your sock drawer or a box of bits and get rid of anything unnecessary.
2. Try throwing out or donating one thing a day to charity. My tip, if you are a bit of a hoarder like I was, is to start getting rid of easy things like old magazines, chuck out old spices from the rack, clear out your freezer, then tackle your underwear drawer and build up. Like anything, the more you practice the better you will get!
3. Get a friend to help, sometimes we need someone to say, “come on, that wasn’t even a good look 10 years ago” to see sense of some of our clutter or clothes. So get someone with style you admire and who is ruthless and make a morning of it. But make sure the stuff leaves your house that day!
4. Stop buying more white t-shirts or black leggings or whatever your vice is! My friend Jane told me about a woman who wrote an article about minimising her wardrobe after counting that she had 11 of the same white t-shirt! Now she only has 100 items in her wardrobe!
5. Don’t worry about missing it! Undoubtedly, once I get rid of something I come up with 8 uses for that item, which last about a day, then I forget about it. It’s normal to want it back momentarily when we are not used to getting rid of things, but I promise it will get easier!
So I hope that’s inspired you to clean out your car, house or handbag… I’m off to find my 1 item of the day I can live without!
Please let me know how you get on!
Love Aimie xx