Why has home organisation become so popular?
Home organisation isn’t just big, says Vicky, it’s ‘huge’! “It has been for years now,” she says. “One thing that people love is visuals. There’s a lot on social media of ‘how this could look in your home’ so people are definitely cottoning on to that and, also, the massive connection to wellbeing, the connection between decluttering and organising, and having the control back within your home.”
In the 12 years since she began her own business, Vicky has been fascinated by how people’s interest in home organisation has grown, and says the pandemic added to that: “To have all of that time, literally in your four walls, made a massive difference, and it had a massive impact on how much time people were spending in their home, therefore what they start to notice that they wouldn’t usually when rushing around.”
Clean space, clear mind?
Vicky explains how and why she believes organisation in the home can affect our wellbeing, giving an example of going to a yoga class, feeling calmed, and then returning to a home that’s cluttered and chaotic: “Piles of stuff that you need to sort, stuff that you haven’t taken out, that you haven’t dealt with… for me, shoulders would be back up, stress would be back there.
“If I don’t have control of my home, I feel more stressed, I feel more anxious. There are so many studies that show if there is so much visual distraction in our home, it can have such a negative impact on our wellbeing, and I think more people are standing up and listening and realising that it’s a really obvious connection.”
Top tips if moving in the next six months
Advice for moving home
Vicky gives her thoughts on how you can get children involved in the move – and when it might be helpful to get things done on your own – and details how people like her and her teams can help to unpack your personal belongings to make everything easier.
She suggests there are certain items you should always unpack first, including the kettle, teas and coffees, and items that should travel in the car with you – like the children’s favourite toys.
Thinking about priority areas to unpack is also key with children’s rooms and kitchens high on the agenda: “Kitchens are always really lengthy to unpack. I don’t think people realise that, I think they underestimate how long it takes,” says Vicky, who also stresses it’s important to do it right first time. If you think you can just get things away and do it properly another time? “It doesn’t happen.”
How to stay organised – Including at Christmas
There are those who have everything arranged to the nth degree, but you don’t have to overdo it - otherwise you can feel disappointed if you can’t keep up. “If crisps are in a basket, they’re still organised,” Vicky says.
Revealing the magic answer to staying uncluttered is ‘to have less stuff’, she goes on: “I believe you could take, in the majority of homes in the UK, 50% of the belongings away and when you woke up the next day, I don’t think it would make a single difference to your day-to-day life.”
It makes organising systems easier, she says, and there are lots of things you can do with the items you get rid of without sending them to landfill: “It’s rare to find things that can’t be passed on and used for good in some way, shape or form.”
When it comes to the festive season, again, de-clutter before and, among other things, give the gift of experience ‘rather than the gift of stuff’!
