We are in the process of organising our two separate apartments before finally moving into a bigger house together in the next few months. Clutter was the order of the day in both. I recently fell in love with kallax cube units and a cube has never made me so happy. Both apartments are literally covered in cubes units but the amount of extra space thos jas created is unbelievable. Our daughter doesn't have to throw her toys away anymore and every single room is organised. Decluttering even cures you mentally if you're prone to depression, which I am. I feel light and clear and free to enjoy the summer. Finding a system that works for you can change your entire outlook on life and it doesn't have to be expensive. In the bedrooms, I've used the wire and faux leather cube units which are cheaper than kallax, along with foldable fabric cubes. Loving it! Oh, the wire cube units are from amazon. So are the foldable cube baskets.
Hey Reynard, can folding dining tables from IKEA be a good option for a small 80 m/sq apartment? Or can you share any option for 4/6 seater table that would look good in 80 m/sq apartment.
Amidst what must be hundreds if not thousands of RU-vid videos on organizing, decluttering, simplifying, or minimizing one's possessions, this is one of the clearest, most concise, and realistic guides to having a genuinely clutter free home that I have yet come across. I can't say that every concept is novel and revolutionary, but you set things out so clearly and in such a calm & sequential format that there is minimal risk of feeling overwhelmed. Yet another success in your inventory of very practical and useful guides to home decorating, configuring, and maintaining ... thank you.
I got some great advice from an old book called Clutter’s Last Stand. Avoid the “clutter bunker”. That is a larger basket or box used to organize clutter but ends up being a place you have to clean out because it gathers things that don’t have a specific place. I started them because my husband has ADD and leaves recites, batteries, and other stuff around. It gets full and then I have to ask him to clean it out. By giving him special places to put things and lots of wastebaskets, he does better.
Making things accessible is a lesson that I learned while dealing with a shoulder injury. I could not reach up so more frequently used items had to be in lower locations. It didn't matter that it wasn't the usual kitchen arrangement.
Tbh, minimalism is luxury. People who live rurally need to plan ahead & buy extras in case they run out (food, cleaners, medication, etc.) & it's a 30m to 2h drive to town.
I think a lot of people realized this during lockdown, that the convenience of not having to store things at home and having basically shops storing them for you until you need them, is indeed a luxury. Can't just nip down to the corner shop to buy something on the fly because the corner shop has been closed for 3 months and you have no idea when it'll open again. Essentials such as those you listed need to never run out and you can't always rely on being able to buy them, I agree.
I just need a bunch of built-ins. ^^; I want to sell or repurpose my clunky dressers & just have an entire closet wall that stores clothes & misc. hobby items in my bedroom. I think most contractors should skip the closets or just have 1 or 2 & just throw up some cheap built-ins for 1 or 2 bedrooms. A huge mistake is getting anything other than flat panels for cabinets as everything else collects dust & grime ridiculously easy.
You make some really good points. If I have a pile (or piles) somewhere and, uh, A Lot of time has passed, (1.) do I even remember what’s in the pile?! (2.) If I still like it, I TAKE A PHOTO OF IT then, it’s easier to give away.
If I could ad an 11th idea to the list, buy nicer baskets and keep your mess's looking good. rather than having cheap plastic bins for dirty laundry, keeping my dirty laundry in something like a jute laundry bag looks nicer in the corner of my room. you maybe hit on this on your 3rd rule but it applies to more than just trays
Agree Reynard. A place for everything and everything has its place is a CWA precept. It is old school adage and key to organisation. To put things back where they belong. Or go. If you find the gate open, leave it open when you leave . If the gate is shut, you shut it upon leaving . They are "upkeep" principles. Staying clean and tidy is so much easier on oneself if it is done everyday as you are merely maintaining a standard already in place . If you lapse on that, is when things compound and become so much harder . But doing a rote clean and tidy each day, doesn't take as much time or organisation as one is only leaving things, how they are found . See, they are all Country Women's Association teachings Reynard . If you do dishes each day, it takes ten minutes . Bugger all. If you don't do them and let that standard lapse, is when you are making a rod for your own back, as upkeep and maintenance is exactly that. Upkeep and maintenance. They are key principles of organisation. Good vid thankyou.
Living in a small apartment I realize that any item (no matter how small) out of place makes the whole place seem disorganized and invites more items. There is no extra space to obscure or distract the eye. I feel I am constantly organizing or tidying up. I have found that organizing like any other endeavour (weight loss or fitness routine for example) is about changing your habitat, not your habits, to suit you.
Really great video. I've been following you since the beginning of your channel and always enjoy what you post.😊 Thank you for sharing your expertise with us. (Also, it's nice to see that you seem to be more comfortable on camera. I had a channel for a while and really struggled with that aspect. Kudos on your hard work!)
I need clean space, so motherhood was a big shock for me, and very stressful. It may seem endless now, but one day you’ll wake up with a strangely quiet tidy home. My sister didn’t have children so she got a 20 year start on me. 😂
Great organizing ideas. About the actual video if I may, you talk very fast and, in doing so, this video is not as enjoyable or productive as it could be. Please slow down even if just a bit.
I find it helpful to go to 'settings' and reduce the speed to .75 instead of normal. It really helps me to understand it better. I also turn on the closed captioning so I can read the words as well. I learn better by reading than listening.
What I often miss from these videos is how to organize items that are in those annoying in-between states. Like products you just bought that need airing for a couple of weeks to let them gas off that factory smell before you can store them away or even use them at all. Or used towels that need washing but that are still too wet to toss into the laundry bin yet. These things cause most of the clutter in my home.
If it helps, you need to find a home for all your belongings and needs. Example I have space for temporary things like an Amazon return, something to sell or give to someone, etc. In my laundry room (which is a large cupboard), I have 2 wall-mounted clothes drying racks (it looks like an arm that can be folded in 3, it doesn't really take up much space), I put my laundry there dirty household items to dry before putting them in the dirty laundry basket.
Yes this. If it is something you struggle with often, then it needs a designated spot - kind of like a drop zone. Maybe a smaller basket beside the main laundry bin to house the wet towels, something like that.
@@reynardlowell If only it were that simple. Purchases off-gazing take variable amounts of space depending on their size and number of them, and they have to be put in different areas depending on how much they smell, whether they resist sunlight etc. Wet towels in a basket will mould, not dry, and you won't want to hang these on a rack right next to clean drying laundry either. Same with sports clothes you're not immediately able to wash, or yoga mats you've just cleaned after exercising and before they've air-dried enough to be rolled back etc etc. It's not a trivial issue I'm afraid. Unless you have a lot of space, these temporary things can easily take over your place and they keep varying from one moment to another, with varying requirements.
Wet towels, hand towels, flannels, wet gym clothes, I put on my indoor airers, washing machine door or radiators to dry, then put them in the laundry basket. But I do find in general that I have this issue too, the in between items!
I loved the questions to ask yourself, in case you holding on to things you don’t need. No, no and no again 😊 Thank you so much for creating these amazing videos with great tips in the most calming voice😊
This is so helpful! I've just moved into an unfurnished apartment with only kitchen cupboards (no wardrobes or shelves). So everything feels chaotic. The idea of gathering everything that doesn't have a home yet into containers is a wonderful tip. Thank you!
For me the worst flaw in my bathroom set was the insufficient number and less-than-optimal size of railings and handles. There were only two by the main bath - and now I'm tied to standing in the same exact spot. Sitting down is not an option at all. It just happens with age.
This is exactly what I needed 😭😭😭 I have been trying to figure out how to add a banquet for my tiny “dining” room without customer furniture and was not having any luck. Thank you thank you thank you so so so much
This is exactly what I needed 😭😭😭 I have been trying to figure out how to add a banquet for my tiny “dining” room without customer furniture and was not having any luck. Thank you thank you thank you so so so much
I am not sure why vertical blinds make the list. I have Levolor vertical blinds that have lasted more than 20 years. That said, I have seen cheap vertical blinds that literally just self destruct.
