Keep only those things that speak to your heart

“Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. By doing this, you can reset your life and embark on a new lifestyle.” – Marie Kondo

These are the inspiring words of best-selling author and tidying expert, Marie Kondo, in her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.

And while our bins may be full to the brim with wrapping paper, food scraps and empty bottles from Christmas, there’s no denying that we have a whole lot more “stuff” to contend with than we did before.

Fortunately though, at this time of the year we also have one gift that we can really use. One that we can leverage to change our lives for the better before we step into 2019: the gift of time.

If you’ve taken a week or two off work over the Christmas period, you have time to sort through your home and declutter your life which, according to Marie Kondo, is enough to transform your mind, health and future.

Having read her book this year, CEO of ALLBIDS Rob Evans says that he took immediate steps to become a “minimalist” in his own home – selling, donating and throwing out everything he didn’t really want or need.

“Reading Marie’s book was freeing. Doing what I do, I’m always surrounded by plenty of amazing furniture, jewellery, collectables, toys, artwork, tech, and more. But my home is my home, and it’s supposed to be a reflection of me. If it’s cluttered and messy, I feel cluttered and messy too. So I have adopted a minimalist approach which has brought so much clarity to my entire life.”

By following Marie’s principles, Rob says anyone can make time over the Christmas period to sell, donate, or pitch everything (even new Christmas presents) that don’t add value to their lives.

If you’re feeling inspired, here are a few tips to get you started…

Choosing what to keep and what to bin

“We should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of.” – Marie Kondo

If you’re bedazzled by storage solutions, chances are you simply have too many things to hide away. And often the answer is not found by asking “Where can I put this?” but rather “Do I really need this?”.

To make the decisions easier, try asking yourself:

• Does this make me really happy?
• Does it serve an immediate or short-term purpose?
• Do I absolutely want or need to keep it forever?

If you keep only what you treasure, all that remains at the end of the clean up is a treasure-filled home and life.

Finding a simple way to donate

Charities usually prefer financial donations over item donations, because they can then purchase what they need to do their important work.

If you end up with a box or two of items you would like to donate, take them to ALLBIDS’ warehouse in Fyshwick and they can turn them into a financial donation for your charity of choice – in your name.

“You can donate almost anything of reasonable value,” says Rob. “This includes Christmas presents that you don’t want or need. Shopping centres are full of people trying to return unwanted presents without receipts after Christmas. If you can do without the refund or exchange, you could donate it instead and help someone who really needs it.

“You can choose any charity you like, and we will make the donation in your name.”

When to start

Instead of heading to the shops to accumulate more over the sale’s period, or desperately searching for something to do that will occupy the kids, why not try a whole-house whole-family clean up? Get everyone involved in decluttering their own personal space, with the expectation that a clear and treasure-filled home will lead to more of the same in the New Year.

“The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.” – Marie Kondo

To sell any of your unwanted items through ALLBIDS, or donate them to your charity of choice, visit ALLBIDS or give them a call on (02) 6239 2262.

This is a sponsored article, though all opinions are the author’s own. For more information on paid content, see our sponsored content policy.