How Snow Can Kill Your Clutter

Well – wouldn’t you know it! We’re nearing the end of March and officially into Spring, yet you’d be forgiven for thinking it was mid-January, as half of the country appears to be under a blanket of snow! I’ve seen comments on Twitter from people who are ‘snowed in’ and Sky News is telling people to travel ‘only if necessary’! Not so here in Manchester, where we are pretty much protected by the Pennines.

However, if you are one of many ‘stranded’ in your own home (or office come to that!) and going a little ‘stir-crazy’ at being stuck inside, why not take some time to declutter and organise your space? Just half an hour here and there can work wonders!

In your home you could;

• Empty & sort your kitchen ‘junk’ drawer – everyone has one of these!
• Transfer some CDs to iTunes, make space by selling them online – eBay / Music Magpie
• Clear out & reorganise your bedding/towel store
• Clear your fridge & cupboards of outdated items. Make a shopping list for what you DO need!
• Find those photographs you’ve been meaning to put into frames & do it!
• Give your wardrobe a clear out, then hoover them out to remove dust, etc.
• Spend some time doing those little ‘fix-it’ jobs around the house
• Sort your magazines. Donate any you’ve finished with to your local dentist surgery, coffee shop, etc.

And if you’ve a home office;

• See what’s on your shelves/in your cupboards & remove what’s no longer needed
• Check the comments/articles on noticeboards – are they current & meaningful?
• Give your keyboard & desk space a good clean (toothbrush & damp cloth work well)
• Update the photographs around you or on your screen saver
• Cleanse your email inbox by deleting/moving items to folders and creating rules
• Unsubscribe from unwanted mailings
• Save contact details to your address book, then sync with your mobile devices.
• Tidy up your desktop documents & folders
• Write a list of tasks you need to do next week & prioritise them
• Schedule time in your diary to read motivational/educational/technical books

Whatever you decide to do, remember that if you are going to get anywhere, you need to start somewhere!! Not only will you feel revitalised for having tackled those niggling jobs, but you’ll have killed a few hours of that ‘trapped in’ time too!

Here’s hoping the snow doesn’t last too long or cause you too much disruption!