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DIY “Sort your life out”?

103 replies

DeclutteringNewbie · 02/08/2024 11:10

“Stuff” has taken over our home. Have been watching Sort your life out (the Stacey Solomon show) with DH and DC, who are keen to do something like this.

Probably not feasible to hire a warehouse and removals but wondering if anyone has successfully broken it down into a workable DIY approach? Not sure whether to do it room
by room or item type (eg clothes, toys, bedding etc). Where to do it etc. I feel like once stuff is laid out it will be easy to sort, but the practicality of the clear space needed to look at stuff is challenging me. We have a decent sized living room so I guess we could move furniture out of the way and use that?

Grateful for any ideas/experiences.

OP posts:
DeclutteringNewbie · 02/08/2024 21:45

Kids are away for a few days from tomorrow. DH and have some time on Sunday after about 3pm. I reckon that gives us 8 hours to agree an approach and test it on a small scale.

I’ve started the clutterbug masterclass in preparation.

OP posts:
DeclutteringNewbie · 02/08/2024 21:46

fatcathatmat · 02/08/2024 21:34

We've got 2 ADHD brains and two hoardy gift-giving families, so I feel your pain. The points above about systems are 100% the way to go because throwing stuff out is not even half the battle. You have to have systems or you can't know what you need and you'll never clear it and it just contributes to ADHD overwhelm. We have been inspired by SYLO and what we did was:

  1. Identify a process which is causing a significant amount of clutter (e.g. DH clean clothes storage)
  2. Think through a system which is actually workable for this storage (eg open shelves with everything hung up)
  3. Remove all items of any kind from the space where this system is going to exist (e.g. DH wardrobe, empty it and the space in front of it, remove wardrobe doors, dump it all somewhere-anywhere- else for now)
  4. Go through the items that might go into that system. Keep only what you will actually use and have space to keep the system functioning (eg donate or recycle anything he doesn't wear, make sure you can hang up or put away clothes so everything is visible)
  5. Move on to next system

Things to bear in mind are you have to meet yourself halfway, there's no point in building systems on the basis that you should do things (this is why my clothes are still everywhere because I just won't put them away), and it will get worse before it gets better but as you keep chipping away and adding new systems you'll get the reward of things like finding socks just working and that will keep you motivated

Thank you.

OP posts:
SaltyChocolate · 02/08/2024 21:51

DeclutteringNewbie · 02/08/2024 19:14

I have the world’s most OCD sister but one of us would have stabbed the other within an hour. 😂

I don’t think external help would help. I need the people I live with to do their share.

Could they help if you send photos? Before and after?

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