Want a Focused Mind? Try Decluttering Your Home.
How to Improve Your Daily Concentration by Decluttering
Being Focused Requires an Organized Space
Believe it or not – the way to a focused mind is a clutter-free home. You’d be surprised at how much an organized room will not only free up space physically, but it will also allow you to think more clearly and become more productive. If you are a full-time blogger or freelancer like me, or you’re a stay-at-home mom, or do anything that requires you to be at home for hours, read on for tips to a clutter-free zone and how I got there.
I Used to Be a Neat Freak
I used to be so OCD with many things growing up and especially throughout college. I would put away every piece of clothing after I wore them, washed every dish after cooking and eating, to even putting my college folders and books straight on my desk at all times. I needed to be organized in my home otherwise there would be this annoying uneasiness inside of me that would tell me something was off.
And then, the messiness of the love of my life entered into my world: my current boyfriend. 4 year ago, he was basically living in my space, and like most men, he would leave his dirty dishes everywhere and throw his clothes on top of the few pieces of furniture I had in my cramped studio. I was going bonkers. I tried to “train him” into being tidy, but barely anything worked. (He eventually got better).
It was about this time when I began my first full-time career in fashion merchandising. Out of nowhere, I started to become messy. All of a sudden, the time I had spent tidying up and cleaning every day was diminishing, and I soon began to throw my clothes all over the couch and leave dirty dishes everywhere. I simply ran out of time to declutter my life because I was so busy trying to perform well at my first full-time job.
The Messy Situation
Fast-forward to this day, and I still have that OCD-girl inside of me, but until recently, it didn’t quite show in my apartment. Life got in the way, long-term illnesses started occurring in my family, and now I am suffering with chronic pain. I felt like my life was mess – and I realized it was my turn to help myself.
I knew that the first step to thinking more clearly was to get rid of the junk I had lying around my apartment. My family had just moved out of our childhood home, so they packed up ALL my stuff from a 6-bedroom house and dumped it into my 1-bedroom apartment. Every day I’d come home to a nightmare because I was greeted with ginormous moving boxes in the middle of my living room.
How I Began Decluttering with Horderly
I started reading this amazing book by Marie Kondo called, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.” This brilliant Japanese cleaning consultant wrote a step-by-step guide to simplifying, organizing, and storing. One line I will always remember from her book was this: “If it doesn’t spark joy, throw it away.” I was then so inspired to declutter my home after I read her book. (You can buy the book on Amazon HERE.)
Even though I was mentally ready to reorganize my home, I was still so overwhelmed with all the clutter and didn’t know where to begin. Thanks to Jamie, the founder of the professional organizing company, Horderly, my journey to cleanliness was able to begin again. Sometimes, when things get overwhelming to tackle alone (like my cleaning process), you need another person to assist you and hold you accountable. And Jamie did just that.
In just 4 hours, Jamie was able to help me sort out ALL my junk from my childhood home. We created boxes and garbage bags full of donatable items that I later took to my local Salvation Army over the weekend. In addition, she helped me clean some shelf space and organized my mementos into these amazing stackable, plastic boxes that make my stuff easy to find. You can buy them from the Container store here.
With all this organization and decluttering with Jamie, I now have my dining room back, a dedicated study space, and a dedicated music area. Originally, the music and study space were flip-flopped, but I decided that once everything was cleaned up, that I wanted to have my desk against the wall for better concentration. Jamie helped stir up the momentum of getting me and my home organized and clutter-free!
Jamie has helped me so much in starting my journey to bettering myself. I’m going through a lot right now (if you had read in my last blog post), and I have her to thank for initiating my active steps towards self-care and a calmer lifestyle. I am now focusing better when I work, and my boyfriend and I are thrilled about our dedicated music area.
If you’re looking to turn your life right side up, book a session with Horderly – you will not regret it!
Designing With Ease
Here are the designated music and work areas that I formed after Jamie left. Thanks to her, I was able to reorganize my space with ease and to my liking! (Yes, those are a bunch of Disney plushies near my desk. I’m a child at heart. Leave me alone.)
Tips on Decluttering
And if you wanted to get started on your own, here’s some quick decluttering tips, provided by Jamie herself:
- Go through each item 1 by 1 and decide “keep, toss, donate” – Make sure donations are leaving your house as soon as possible
- Stay true to your style – Ask yourself “do you love it, would you wear it, would you buy it now?” You want to be able to “shop your own closet”!
- Keep the “best of the best” – i.e. if you have 20 mementos from your grandma, consider keeping only 2 of the best things instead
- Take photos of items to remember them instead of physically keeping it
- Create “zones” in your home when organizing – i.e. I created a “music” ,”study”, and “memento” area
- Use containers with lids to sort items and keep them in good condition – We used these super-affordable ones and you can buy the larger size HERE and smaller size HERE. If you don’t like these options and would rather buy online w/o ridiculous shipping, scroll down for alternatives that will work just as nicely.
- Label each bin so that you remember what all you have – i.e. mom mementos, personal memento, photos, etc.
- Hire a professional to make the process easier – You get rid of much more when someone is there asking simple questions and holding you accountable
- Create a home for everything – When everything has an exact home, it is easier to make sure things get put back, causing less clutter in your home 🙂
Hope you enjoyed this blog post and found it useful!
Now, let’s see you clean your homes !!
Xoxo,
Kasey
P.S. If you can’t get to a Container Store and because shipping is ridiculously expensive, I’ve linked some from Amazon, that you can easily order online! I also included the book by the amazing Marie Kondo who really inspired me to live a decluttered lifestyle.
This post was created in partnership with Horderly. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Now, SHOP AWAY and get to DECLUTTERING and FOCUSING again!
Marie Kondo’s “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” – Buy on Amazon HERE
Drop Front Shoe Boxes: Buy HERE and HERE
Stackable Clear Containers with Lids: Buy HERE, HERE, and HERE
Philomena Pride
says:How’s it going, horderlynyc?
Want to be Instagram popular?
If you are like me, you’ve rummaged through Instagram, thinking “how do so many friggin people get so rich and famous”?
Now, imagine that it is Friday and you’ve just woken up from a sound sleep.
Roll over, check your cell.
Make your way to Instagram.
Youare surprised at what is waiting for you: Over 738 likes on a single one of your pictures! There, you can see a flurry of likes on your pictures–over 652 on a single photo alone.
You hop out of your bed, meander to the kitchen. You want a drink, so you put the kettle on for some tea, and check Instagram again.
Presto! Another 63 likes.
Ding—a message pops into your inbox from a follower. They’re asking you for advice on how you manage your food, and are congratulating you on your third month of hitting the gym.
A smile appears on your face as you read another message. This person emailed you to let you know she loves your posts.
As you begin to write back, your cell buzzes again.
Hmmm, ANOTHER message. You close your cell and throw it in the bag. Time for the gym.
Let’s stop the simulation there. Most people have a hard time getting what they want in life. People can hardly get themselves to eat a good breakfast.
My job is to take people from Instagram nobody to Insta-celebrity. (It sounds ridiculous, but results don’t lie.)
Now, what if you could raise your popularity by 100%, or 1000%?
Truth is, it’s not the most complicated thing in the world to get more. As an example, all the old pros use our website.
In just minutes after posting, you have your images piled with likes.
With this you have a big chance to be featured in the “Top Post” section.
And because we love you, we made testing things out as simple as kitchen-cooled apple crumble:
1. Check out https://picturestorm.casa
2. Put in your Instagram username.
3. 10 – 15 likes will be sent to your three most recent pictures. Just like that.
Hitting the Top Post page will 10X your InstaGrowth. But you have got to do more than just want it–you have got to do something about it. Are you willing?
Chow until next time
Lonny Hinkle
says:Hey, horderlynyc!
OK, I used to be Instagram-”big”, too.
Well, today I’m going to teach you some things that will change forever the way you Instagram.
Imagine: it is Friday morning and you’ve promised yourself you’d go for a run today.
You pull out your cell.
Navigate your way to your page.
Wow, you think, Over 1000 likes on one picture.
Heading to the kitchen, you put the kettle on for some tea and glance at your Instagram while you wait.
Bam! Another 63 likes.
And another message just popped up. It is from one of your followers asking about your workout regime, and congratulating you on your twelve official month of practicing yoga.
As you read it, you begin to grin. It’s a amazingly hot person, and they love your posts.
While you sip your tea, you start typing up a response. But then your cell buzzes.
Oops, another ping. But you can’t write back—you’ve got to hit the gym.
Let’s stop the simulation there. Most people have a hard time achieving what they want in life. People can hardly get themselves to eat a good breakfast.
I’m here to show you how to take control of your Instagram.
Now, what if you increased your engagement by 100%, or 1000%?
Truth is, it is not the most complicated thing in the world to get more. For example, all the old pros use our website.
Automagically see tons of likes on your images just minutes after posting.
If you’re anything like our other customers, you will have a great chance of hitting the “Top Post” section in a very short time.
And because we love you, we made testing things out as simple as kitchen-cooled apple crumble:
1. Check out https://plantspace.press
2. Put your Instagram username.
3. 10 – 15 likes will be sent to your three most recent uploads. Just like that.
Hitting the Top Post page will 10X your Instafame. But you have got to do more than just want it–you have got to do something about it. Are you willing?
Chow until next time
Booker Ochoa
says:horderlynyc,
Want to be Instagram popular?
If you are like me, you’ve trawled Instagram, wondering “how do so many darn people on Instagram get so famous”?
I want you to imagine that it is Friday and you have just woken up from a sound sleep.
Roll over, check your cell.
Hit the Instragram App.
Whoaaa, you think, Over 561 likes on one picture.
You put your soft slippers on and head to the kitchen for some tea. After putting on the kettle, you pull out your phone again.
Presto! Another 38 likes.
Here comes another one. This time it is not a like but a message from one of your followers. They commend you on your success and let you know they absolutely love your content.
A grin appears on your face as you receive another message. This person emailed you to let you know she loves your posts.
As you begin to write back, your phone buzzes again.
Wow, ANOTHER message. You close your phone and throw it in the bag. Time for the gym.
Anyways, you get the point. This is the life of an Instagram celebrity. I should know, because I have made many of them.
I’m going to show you how to take control of your Instagram.
Now, what if you raised your engagement by 100%, or 1000%?
Truth is, it’s not the most difficult thing in the world to get more. For example, all the old pros use our website.
In just minutes after posting, we get your images piled with likes.
The “Top Post” section, all of a sudden, does not seem that far away.
Sound too good for reality? Here’s what you’ve got to do to get a taste:
1. Visit https://rhymbo.icu
2. Enter in your Instagram username.
3. 10 – 15 likes are going to be sent to your three most recent pictures. Just like that.
Hitting the Top Post page will 10X your Instafame. But you have got to do more than just want it–you’ve got to do something about it. Are you willing?
Chow until next time
Robin
says:I love clutter as well but after some time it starts irritating me. Nice work.
Kartik Sharma
says:Hi Kasey,
Your post about de-cluttering and focusing, perfectly manages to establish a relationship between your mind and your house. It was really an useful and informative post
Thanks for sharing
Alessandro
says:I love this article ! I have never been a control freak or an OCD-guy, studying or working in a messy area isn’t the best option. Currently my wife and I are working as bloggers and the room we spend most of our working time in has to be decluttered; if it gets cluttered, I notice concentration starts to be affected negatively. I had never heard of Horderly before; I am sure her tips are valuable !
Kasey
says:Thanks so much Alessandro! It’s so true how inefficient and distracted you become when your place is cluttered. Cluttered eyes call for a cluttered mind!
Echo
says:I love this! We are currently going through a remodel and the clutter and mess are driving me crazy! It is totally true how much a clean and organized space helps the creative juices flow and just how much more productive you are with a clean space.
TheStyleWright
says:Yes it’s certainly true! I encourage you to look at these tips and read Marie Kondo’s book to help kickstart your journey after remodeling. I know how that feels – I’ve been there!
Star
says:This is so satisfying for me to see! I’m such an ocd best freak, Monica from Friends has nothing on me lol. Never heard of Horderly before. Will have to pay this forward and tell my sis about it 😉 great post xx
TheStyleWright
says:Yes of course!! Tell Horderly of my recommendation – maybe she’ll give your sis a sweet deal. 🙂