Clutter Free Surfaces
If you took a photo of all the flat surfaces in your home right now what would they look like? Are they cluttered with a bunch of stuff? Can you prepare a meal on your kitchen counter? What would you have to clear off in order to eat dinner on your dinning room table? How many piles of paper do you have on your desk? Can you see the surface top of your bathroom vanity? Is there any available space on top of your dresser, coffee table, night stand, end table? Here are 10 tips to help you create and keep clutter-free surfaces.
Scan and empty surface areas each day in order to prevent clutter build-up.
Clutter-free means that there is some available, usable space. Therefore clear off an area of space on your work desk each night.
Uses these flat surfaces as temporary activity areas.
Limit yourself to 3-5 permanent items per surface area.
Don’t use surfaces as storage areas. Have a place for everything and put it in it’s place.
Stay on top of your mail, to prevent papers from piling up, deal with them as soon as you can. Read my blog on managing paper clutter for more information.
Make donation a constant way of life. You can always give away what you don’t need, even when there’s no special occasion. Gather up old clothes and unused items, pass them onto others who would love to receive them.
Stick to a “one in, one out’ policy.
Store like with like. To keep a space looking neat, keep all your shoes, books, plates, and so on in one or two particular places, and always return them there if they end up elsewhere.
Learn to love smaller keepsakes. A clutter-free home does not mean a home devoid of decorations or comfort. The way to keep—and continue to add—items you love is to go for what’s either small or useful.
