31 Days to a calm, clutter-free home: {Day One}

So, why declutter? I'm a bit of a hoarder in that I tend to hang on to a ridiculous number of books, magazines, notepads (full or otherwise)... mostly just in case. You know, just in case I decide I actually do want to finish reading Fifty Shades of Grey (despite not making it past the first chapter during my first attempt), or just in case I need those notes I took at a launch in November 2009 for an upcoming beauty article, or just in case I decide to make that casserole in the January 2005 issue of House & Leisure. As a result, I have little piles of 'stuff' accumulating in every corner of our home. These  start off as a result of good intentions: I'll just create a pile of items to sort through later, when I have some free time. The reality is, I never seem to get round to sorting through this specific pile and it ends up growing and growing in size. It gnaws away at the back of my mind and I know I need to get started on organising it, but by now it's grown to such an extent that I can't bear to face it. As the pile grows, I start to avoid that particular corner of the house, and eventually, I may even avoid going into that particular room altogether if I can help it!

Truth is, a clutter-free environment equals a clutter-free mind. Freeing your home (and mind) of clutter creates space for the things that really matter: where's the sense in hanging onto books you've never finished because you couldn't make it past the first three chapters? Doesn't it make more sense to clear that shelf to make space for the books you really enjoyed, really loved?

As we prepare to welcome our little boy into our lives and home, I decided that it's about time that I actually created more space for him - beyond just decorating a bedroom for him. Babies come with a lot of gear - we've suddenly had to create space for his little clothes, countless little fitted sheets, his pram, toys and even more books! Yes, these have been stored in his bedroom for now, but there's no denying the fact that he's going to spread into the rest of the house pretty soon, and when he does, I don't want those unsightly little 'piles' to get in his way. I want him to feel as though he has space to move and to grow, space to create his own little piles, if he so wishes! My poor husband has had to deal with my 'piles' for almost two years now, and I think it's only fair that I finally attempt to rid our house of these, if only to create more space for him as well. Hence my incredibly ambitious resolution to rid our house of clutter in just 31 days. For day one's project, I decided to focus on a quick, easy task; one that wouldn't take longer than about 30 minutes to complete and would make an immediate difference in our lives, so I decided to declutter our bedside tables. Here, in all it's horrific glory (and I swear I didn't touch it before snapping a pic!) is my bedside table before I got started:

  

 And here's my bedside table after about half an hour of intense sorting:  

Much better, right? So, what exactly did I do? I started by clearing everything off the surface of the bedside table and making three piles: keep, toss and relocate. I was ruthless when it came to my 'keep' pile and asked myself whether I truly need this particular item or product beside my bed as I went through the pile. Do I really need to have the beautiful Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv range that I'm not currently using on display beside my bed? Do I really need my Nivea Firming Body Oil next to my bed, or would it be better off stored in the bathroom along with my other body oils and moisturisers? Do I really need air freshener right beside my bed? You get the picture.

The sorting process: lemon juice on my bedside table? Go figure!

I managed to narrow my bedside essentials down quite a bit, and used a handy box with three compartments to organise my stash into three sections in my drawer: nail care (all the way at the back, you can't see it in the photograph, below), body care and face care. Products that made the cut? Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, a nail file, nail clippers, OPI cuticle oil, an eye cream from Kiehl's, lip balm, my calcium tablets, and a pen, among others. 

I usually keep quite a lot on the surface of my bedside table, but this time, I've opted to keep it fairly simple with just my lamp, two scented candles and the books I'm currently reading (all related to babycare - I plan on switching back to something a little more intellectual soon!) on display. This is mainly because we've decided that Bean will be sleeping with us in our bedroom for the first few weeks of his life, so I anticipate that I'll need plenty of surface area to stash bottles, soft toys, nappies, breastfeeding supplies, etc...

Oh, and while you're at it... you may want to give your bedside table a quick wipe down before you place items back on (and in!) it. I initially used a makeup remover wipe, mainly because I was too lazy to go all the way downstairs to fetch the Handy Andy, but also because I thought there was no way it could be that grimy. Boy, was I wrong! I swiftly decided Handy Andy was very much needed and got up off my lazy behind and did I proper wipe down...

Now, if you thought my bedside table was bad, you should've seen the husband's! I forgot to take a 'before' pic of the actual nightstand before I cleared off all the junk onto the bed to begin sorting, but here's a peek at the items he had lying about:

So that's where the rechargeable batteries went!

 Here's a pic of hubby's new, zen-like bedside table. Let's see how long he can keep it this way...

My top tips for decluttering your bedside table?

• If you're anything like me, the bedside table is one of the first spots to accumulate clutter, simply because it's so easy for items that don't belong to end up here. For example, I have a habit of doing my nails while watching a movie in bed, so it isn't uncommon for the nail polish remover, nail clippers, nail file, base coat, nail colour, top coat, etc to spend weeks living beside my bed. Eliminate this by putting together a nailcare kit and storing it in an easily transportable bag or caddy, and ensuring that your kit is returned to it's spot after finishing your nails, or the very next day. I keep essentials, like a nail file, clippers, and cuticle oil in the drawer beside my bed. 
• If you've finished reading a book or magazine, move it away from beside your bed so it doesn't end up lying there for weeks on end. I have a system in my home: new magazines that I haven't read or am still in the process of reading stay beside my bed. Once I'm done with these, they go on the pile on my coffee table in the lounge or in the guest room for guests to enjoy. Once the lounge or guest room piles get too big, I do a big clean out and donate old magazines to retirement homes or recycle them. It's a similar process for books: once I've finished reading a book, it goes onto the bookshelf downstairs in our lounge. 
• Less is more. After this decluttering session, I've promised myself that I'll only keep very necessary, super-essential items beside my bed. I'm generally very good when it comes to removing makeup before going to bed, so keeping makeup remover wipes beside my bed is pretty pointless. Hence, I've relocated these to my skincare drawer. Same goes for moisturisers and serums; I usually apply these directly after cleansing my skin, so it makes more sense for me to keep these in my bathroom or on my dresser. Find what works for you and work around that.

images: All Chereen Gibson, via Shapely