My Journey

During these unusual times of social distancing I’ve had some extra time on my hands for contemplation and reflection, and today I have decided to share with you some of the reasons I started Chirp.

As you read this you may find some of the things I describe also ring true for you, and if that is the case I hope that reading this will bring you comfort in knowing that you’re not alone. You can achieve freedom from your clutter, and although it’s a long journey, you’ll be amazed at what you’re capable of each step of the way.

Having joined a community of professional organisers I’ve found that the members fall into two categories:

those who are naturally very organised, and have always been so;
those who are not born organised, but have become organised through a process of building strategies, and learning the importance of organisation through coming from a place of chaos.

I place myself in the second category. I have purposefully cultivated being organised, and made a conscious choice to live this way because of observation of my own mental state when I am disorganised.

I wanted to share my story so you can see that I’ve made this journey myself. I’d love the chance to help you on your journey to a more organised life and a happier home.

How does being messy affect our mental state?

If I’m feeling unproductive one day, I can almost guarantee that this coincides with my desk being messy; or I’ve let things pile up on my “to do” list.

I recognise these things in myself nowadays, but that wasn’t always the case.

As a child and teenager I was perfectly happy to let my bedroom get messy. It never even crossed my mind that it might be affecting my mental state, but looking back now I believe it did.

The turning point for me came when I moved house for the third time in four years. This was a stressful time in my life: I was doing a gruelling two-hour commute to a job that I was not happy with. I quit that for another job which turned out to be unsatisfactory. I quit that job, too, and took on another role. And my six-year relationship ended.

I didn’t feel particularly in control of my life, and the state of my home was not high on the list of my priorities.

I spent some time living alone, focussing on my career in interior design, my friends, and putting myself back together.

A house move changed my mindset

It was when I prepared to move for the fourth time that I had a change of mindset.

I was packing boxes yet again and I suddenly realised that there were so many things which I had unpacked a year previously which had just sat in the cupboard unused this whole time. I had mindlessly bundled them into the removal van from home to home without really considering their value to me. And as such had paid the price in removal fees.

That was when I realised I was ready to make a change.

I knew I needed to thin down the amount of stuff I had, but the thought of it was so daunting because there was just so much of it. I’m also very environmentally conscious so I was worried about wasting perfectly good items.

The method I chose to help with the process was to research local charities who were accepting donations of clothing and other items directly. I found a women’s shelter, sent them an email to ask if they were accepting donations and that’s where it started.

Progress during this initial stage was very swift. As I piled up bag after bag of clothes and gift sets of toiletries to take to the women’s shelter, I started to feel a novel sense of freedom. This volume of stuff would no longer be in my life taking up valuable space and causing me regret each time I looked at it. I could literally measure the space I would be gaining.

As I dropped off the first car-load of bags to the shelter and drove away I felt elated. I think I even laughed out loud at how light I felt. That I no longer had to feel bad that I had spent money on those clothes, or hadn’t used that moisturiser gift set. They were gone, and even better, somebody else could enjoy them.

Defining clutter

I used to really take issue with the word clutter as I felt it de-valued items which had once been important to me. However I grew to understand that anything which is no longer useful to our current self can be defined as clutter. It doesn’t mean that the item never held value, or couldn’t hold value to someone else. It just means that it’s not serving us in our current life, and we would be better off letting it go.

Declutter little and often

After this initial rush of decluttering I continued doing small amounts regularly, I imagine it like trimming a plant: just snipping off a couple of dead leaves here and there, as and when I find them, to keep it healthy. This continues to this day, the flow of objects in and out of our homes is constant, and we can easily build up clutter over time if we don’t keep an eye on it.

A mindset shift for a less cluttered life

My approach to my possessions is drastically different today. I think more carefully before purchasing new items (both for myself and as gifts for other people) which has saved me money and space, and made me think more creatively about gift giving.

The thrill I used to get from getting a bargain, buying lots of cheap things and having a bulging bag of items, now comes from carefully choosing which items I really want, and knowing that I will love and use that object for a long time.

Clutter is not just about material objects

More unexpectedly, this process also began to affect areas of my life unrelated to material objects. I began to think more carefully about where I spent my energy and how I set boundaries for myself. It’s made me consider what is good for me and what is draining me of energy with no benefit.

I think I came out of the process as a kinder person, both to others, and to myself.

If you had told me years ago that letting go of clothes I didn’t wear would ultimately lead me to feel a stronger sense of self-worth, to develop better self-care strategies, and to feel more creative and productive, I don’t think I would have believed you. But here we are!

I genuinely believe that by addressing the physical clutter we surround ourselves with in our homes, the more able we are to address the mental clutter we are unconsciously dealing with every day.

Are you ready to make a change to your life and your home? Get and touch via email or phone