How To Declutter Your Life 🕸🗑

I've wanted to write this blog post for the longest time. But I decided to wait until now because I feel this time of year is a time for transition. The holidays are over for me and my peers and it's back to either (a) education or (b) work. September is the beginning of new starts for people; whether you're making the move from school to third-level education or you've left college and are on the hunt for work. Or maybe you've already nabbed a job - in that case Congratulations!

These transition periods in your life are a great time for rejuvenation; to metaphorically dust off the cobwebs and start afresh. I have some tips on how to declutter all aspects of your life below 👇

Declutter your mind by:

Switching your phone off by 10pm Mon-Fri:
This is something I've recently started doing and I am seeing the benefit of it. It's easy to get sucked into the world of social media as a way to chill out after a stressful day in work/college but mindlessly scrolling through your FB/ Instagram feed has zero-benefits and just opens up those feeling of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Fortunately for me, I usually have no problem nodding off - like I will literally be gone the second my head hits the pillow - but for others who find it hard to nod off will only find it more difficult after using your phone seeing as technology keeps your brain alert.

**A little side tip: if you find yourself waking up feeling tired even after plenty of sleep, I would highly recommend using the sleepyti.me app; it calculates the best time you should be going to sleep at night, based on what time you should be waking up. Check it out here

Let go of grudges:
This one is a lot easier said than done but I promise you forgetting not just about whatever bad deed someone has done to you, but even just erasing that person from your mind entirely will free your mind of negativity. So, delete them, block them, unfollow them and move on. Do it!

Saying no every once in awhile:
Transition periods will see you say goodbye to some really good friends and hello to new friends/work colleagues which means weekends might be spent catching up or growing friendships. I'm all for this but consider saying no to a meet-up once in awhile and using that time to catch up with the most important person; yourself (ok, I apologise for that Tumblr-inspired quote haha!)

Staying in on the weekend: and waking up early on a Sunday:
Ok, I'm definitely sounding like an old granny right now! And I'm not suggesting you spend every weekend in but think about staying in on the weekends leading up to a stressful week, like the weeks you have tons of assignments and presentations due (because they all seem to come at once) or you feel like your workload is becoming insurmountable. Use Saturday as your chill out day and then get ready to kick some ass come Sunday morning. I promise it'll get your head in a good mindset for the coming week.

And doing this  👇

“Don't promise when you're happy, Don't reply when you're angry, and don't decide when you're sad.”

-Ziad K. Abdelnour,

Declutter your surroundings by:

Buying an actual organiser:
I am a lover of to-do lists which works well with my bad short-term memory. By having a physical organiser - and not just using notes on your phone - and sitting down for 5 minutes every morning or night to recap on things you need to get done for the next day/ next week/ next month will ensure you stay on top of things.

S/O to my friends for gifting me
this gorgeous organiser!

However, the Notes section of your phone is great for when you're on the go. Just make sure to transfer said notes into your actual organiser.

Photograph before you buy:
Something that I started doing about a year ago which I feel has been very effective. By photographing items and then getting away from that setting - because most shops are designed in a way to make you want to impulse buy - you can honestly decide if you truly want to make a purchase. So say goodbye to bulk-buying those end-of-season clothes from Penneys because they're reduced to €3. 

Get stuck in to cleaning that wardrobe:
My decluttering philosophy always comes back to clearing out clothes. And the only way to do that is  by emptying the contents of your wardrobe onto your floor. Separate your clothes into three piles:
>What you wear regularly
>What you haven't worn in 6+ months (be honest!)
>What you will wear each season 

Some people choose to do the backward-hanger technique - where you face the clothes you haven't worn on the hanger facing a separate direction and if they're still facing that way in 3+ weeks, you chuck them - but I prefer to just let go. Before you chuck, consider some clothes that could do with some reinventing, e.g. a new zipper, different buttons, which could save you from buying new clothes in the future. 

Hangers facing in = keep
Hangars facing out after 3+ weeks = chuck

**Tip** When disposing of clothes, consider bringing them to consignment shops where, if the clothes are in perfect condition, you can get up to 40% back on the price they're sold at. For more information check out Siopaella. 

Hopefully you found these tips & tricks helpful. As always, I would love to hear if you tired these out and if they worked or not so make sure to leave me a comment below!

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Until next time...

Aimee♥