![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/2015-06-29-13.28.34.jpg\")
<\/a>Clutter?<\/p><\/div>\n
Inspired by a newspaper article by Rachel Johnson, the need for wardrobe space and an imminent house move, I sorted a couple of bags of clothes for charity shops this weekend. It felt really good and I\u2019d meant to get around to doing it for ages. I can now get the clothes I actually wear into the wardrobe and hopefully someone will benefit from my cast-offs.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m also a believer in the adage that a clean and tidy home equates an efficient mind. However, I\u2019m a naturally idle person, living with an untidy husband and two muddy spaniels. My vision of the perfectly clean and tidy home never seems to happen.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The article featured the book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by\u00a0Japanese writer Marie Kondo. It sounds intriguing. A method of tidying and de-cluttering, the book recommends that you tidy by category rather than room. This makes sense. I find I tidy by room, only to end up shoving stuff in another. Not solving the problem, just putting it out of sight \u2013 for a while. The Marie Kondo way is to start with clothes, move onto books, papers and then all the other stuff you have hanging around.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure I\u2019ll go as far as thanking my shoes when taking them off and putting them away but I might adopt the method of folding t-shirts and storing in drawers upright rather than laying them on top of one another. Apparently, you can fit a lot more in. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m also not sure about the concept of picking up an object and waiting to see if it holds a spark of joy \u2013 and therefore worth keeping. Some things in my house certainly do that \u2013 a few books and DVDs, my car keys for instance. I can\u2019t say the apron I put on to cook dinner has it, or the hand cream dispenser. Am I supposed to throw those out because they don\u2019t spark me with joy? And what do I do with all my elephants?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For most of my life I\u2019ve tried to follow the Arts and Crafts ideology of having nothing in my house which is neither useful nor beautiful. It hasn\u2019t stopped having two extremely ugly wheelie bins foisted on me by the local authority. It could be argued they are useful but we managed perfectly well to put out our rubbish and recycle without these monstrosities. At least in Herefordshire we only have two. In Devon each home is decorated with three.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n But, back to de-cluttering and tidying. It always makes me feel virtuous if I\u2019ve cleaned and tidied. My brain feels fresher and my heart lighter. Why then, is it always something I hate to do?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The bedroom currently (but no doubt temporarily) looks a lot less cluttered. Next stop: the study and my desk. I may need to gather my strength to tackle both!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n