Heima - Fleet

30/12/2024

If you hate, nay, loathe cleaning and tidying and honestly can’t think of any way to make it bearable, because as an adult you recognise it still needs doing, here’s some ideas.

Create a playlist, put on it the most grrr songs you can find that you still enjoy, but only like 2-3 songs. Pick an area, play the music and while it’s running you clean or tidy. When the music stops, you stop. Unless you’re on a roll, then you can switch the music to something upbeat and carry on.

For larger tasks, designate a day for things. Find a Pomodoro method timer for your phone and set it up to something reasonable for the work / rest ratio. Make sure you have a treat ready for yourself during the breaks or afterwards, when you’ve done the big horrible project.

Nobody says we HAVE to grow out of using a rewards system, right? If stickers work for kids maybe a nice manicure and a glass of chilled white will work for you.

The final suggestion is to ask for help. Not in the sense of deputising the kids and making them ‘help’ but really you spend more energy wrangling them than on the task, but in the sense of asking a friend or hiring a professional.

As humans, we often seem to get stuck on the idea that we should manage all aspects of our hone ourselves, unless a CORGI certification is required. Paint a room? You can do it. Clean the kitchen? You can do it. Declutter the kids’ belongings? You can do it. And it’s true, you can. If you have the time, the energy, and the know-how. And the energy. But honestly, it’s OK to ask for help. It’s OK to pay for help. It can be your little secret for having it all, or you can tell all your friends about the life changing experience of having a cleaner. Help is a marvellous idea, really.

I don’t clean houses, I hired a cleaner myself, but I design kitchens and declutter wardrobes and kids rooms and I design home office space and I create order out of chaos.

12/05/2024

If you struggle with executive function, get overwhelmed by tasks or simply weren’t taught how to do things, here’s a few tips.

If the list of things you need to do feels unmanageable because of the amount of tasks or the size of them, sit down and plan what to do and when. Pace yourself, it rarely matters if the sheets are changed on the exact time and day every week, or if the dishwasher gets emptied completely as soon as it’s done. If it makes more sense to leave things for a day to prioritise other tasks, that’s OK.

When you have multiple physical tasks, don’t overdo it. My specialty is doing too much in the garden and then I never even want to go outside again. This isn’t sustainable and leads to a vicious cycle where the garden is never maintained and is always guilting me. Do half an hour or an hour and then stop. Rest. Drink water.

When the list involves dusting and mopping, laundry, picking up dry cleaning and stopping by the pharmacy, for example, here’s a good way of doing it. First, pop on the laundry and leave the machine to run while you do other things. Then go to run errands, where you can pick up a frou-frou beverage of choice to motivate you to carry on. When you come back dust with a damp cloth or whatever is appropriate for the surfaces you need to dust, and then the last thing is to mop. Once you’ve done those you might feel dusty and sweaty so freshen up if you want to, then empty the washing machine which will probably be finished but the clothes won’t have been hanging around so long that they’ll need redoing.

If you know you exactly what needs doing but you just can’t get started, try this: find a good song or two for raising your heart rate. Play them, and while they are on (loudly please, in headphones if needed) start the first task. You can probably empty and reload the dishwasher in that time, or quickly clean a toilet and a sink. Once the music finishes, you’ll either be in the groove to carry on going or you are free to stop. This can be repeated a la the pomodoro method (I’m a big fan!) until your tasks are complete or just as many times as you want to. Do it once or twice and see how much you can actually get done in a small amount of time.

Another thing I learn every time I put something off and procrastinate for weeks, is that the task usually takes 20 minutes. It doesn’t actually take forever, it just feels like it will.

16/04/2024

If you’re local and looking for an architect, you could do worse than chatting with Jamie.

Free consultation online with a local Architect working mainly in Hampshire, Surrey and London, although we have projects up and down the country. We help you transform your home and really make the most of what you have already invested in. Let’s chat through what’s possible, what you need to consider and next steps. In budget terms our focus for internal change is around 50k build expenditure and for alterations and extensions around 150k. Our fees are fixed price for each stage of your project which let's you stay in control. It’s a big investment on the build however the returns are big as well in terms of quality of life and enjoyment of your home. We offer a design pack at a fixed low fee. We have a unique design and build process to make your home perfect. Carefully considered house alterations coupled with an extension can transform your home. Cost is always a concern and together we can work through options together. We are here as your advisor with coaching tips through the design and build stages. Overall extending your home can be an overwhelming prospect - we are here to help and with our process break things down into easy and more manageable steps. We have a unique ‘dolls house’ process that allows you to experiment with design options. We visualise interior and exterior views which allow you to select the best way forward. We begin with a wishlist of priorities and help you focus and prioritise relative to a defined budget. We design - inside out - from activities and how you want to live in your home. Our extensive experience with planning and building control matters gives you increased surety as we move to the build phase. We can be with you through all stages of design and build and advise you on contract and cost matters, coaching you through tender and build stages.
If you would like a free consultation zoom call - please get in touch.
07771577771 [email protected]
If you would like to know more about how we work with you to make your home perfect check out our new website... www.renovationwishlist.co.uk for project examples and helpful advice.

06/09/2023

Welp. If you have £100 you’d be amazed at what we can do.

25/08/2023

Even as a space wizard, I fall into the usual traps. I want to declutter my kitchen cupboards and my beauty supplies, but there’s a lot of good stuff in there! I don’t really want to put some of it a charity shop, I want someone to treasure it. I can’t really be bothered to list it on Freebay or eBay, and in any case not all of it would sell. So what to do?
Welp, this is the trap. It just…stays.

05/08/2023

I heartily agree with this, although my ‘donate’ pile traditionally lives in the car for a 3+ weeks before I ‘rediscover’ it and take it to the charity shop.

We’re all just human.

31/07/2023

Do I have a) too many clothes or is b) my wardrobe is too small?

B. It’s definitely B.

Why does my husband have a nicely organised wardrobe with all his T-shirts arranged just so? Why are my clothes not as accessible? We have the exact same amount of space available.

Well, for one thing, he doesn’t wear dresses. Or skirts. No tights, no bras. He’s also not big on cardigans, so he has fewer categories of clothes to try and fit.

Then there’s more seasonal things, like strappy tops and eek it’s cold jumpers. His style stays pretty consistent throughout the year while mine changes more with the weather.

A more useful split for us might be 40/60, not 50/50. Do we both need the same amount of hanging space or would drawers work better? Is it reasonable to want my leggings to be separate from my jeans from my joggers?

While I could reduce my clothes, I don’t want to completely stop wearing dresses, for example, so I must accept that I need more space. Lucky I’m a space wizard then.

Call me if you need more space or less stuff.

And yes, his t-shirts are not colour coordinated and that’s OK.

13/02/2023

When is the best time to declutter and organise? Did you ever wonder this, perhaps as you stare, despairingly at the pile of shoes that have taken over your entry way?
There absolutely is a best time, and it’s today. Don’t necessarily try and do all of it today, but perhaps grab a bin liner and chuck shoes your kids have grown out of in there and take it to a charity shop next time you’re passing one.

Alternatively, if today is impossible, make a future plan for it. Look at the calendar, figure out when the kids have a handy birthday party to go to (drop and run!) or when their favourite auntie would like to have them over for a day, allowing you to get some sorting done. Choose your opponent wisely, based on the time you have. One kids party should allow you to sort out the entryway or the family bathroom. A play day with auntie might be enough time to sort out some wardrobes and on your way to pick them up, you can swing by the charity shop.

Or if you’re moving house, the best time to organise and declutter is BEFORE you move. Ideally, it’s even before you put your house on the market. If you declutter and organise and redecorate where needed you will save money as you bring less stuff with you to the new place and you might make money by attracting better offers. Clutter and mess and grime really reduce interest from buyers and it’s such an easy fix.

Do contact me if you’re considering selling and wonder what you could do to improve your presentation.

04/07/2022

Sometimes I re-read what I wrote and I’m like yep, I really mean that. Still.

10/04/2022

Some great points in there - I love organisers and stylists who keep it real.

15/12/2021

This is my approach also! Go go go Australia!

02/12/2021

I was thinking about and her amazing method for decluttering and organising your house, and what it says about us.
If you’ve read the books | seen the TV show | spotted a meme, you’ll know that the first task on the list is the clothes sort out.
There are several reasons for this, really. It’s usually a big job, requiring lots of space and time, with the inevitable donation trips and so on.
But crucially, I think it says a lot about us, too. We all know we live in a consumerist society. We buy too much stuff. We keep too much of it, for too long. Which is also why, when it comes to getting into the mindset of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’, clothes are a great place to start - because we have very little attachment to most of our clothes. We are happy to get rid of clothes we’ve had for 6 months or 6 years. Clothes from 6kgs +/- ago or 6 jobs ago. Clothes can be somewhat meaningless, really, for many of us. And too much takes up too much wardrobe space and brain space and even guilt space. ‘I really should buy less. I must sort this out. When did I even wear this last?’ runs through our brain every time we open the wardrobe door. Then we close it again, go about our day and forget it, until the next time.
Imagine doing all those things: buying less, sorting out, wearing it all—and crucially, not having that moment of guilt every time you open that door. Because bad feelz™️ is no way to start your day, every day.

Anyway. You can do it. I can help.