Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
Perhaps you were finally able to clean your room over the summer, but as soon as the new school term starts, you know piles of papers will build on your desk all over again. Soon, your bedroom floor will look like a disastrous art project exploded on it.
Sound familiar? To help you put an end to this vicious cycle, Orange Tam, a tidying expert based in Hong Kong, gave us some tips on staying organised and boosting your productivity.
“What better way to begin the new school year than with a clutter-free bedroom?” Tam said.
Think before you buy
As an active professional member of organising associations in the United States, Britain and Japan, Tam helps Hongkongers take control of the messy chaos in their life.
But her work is not only about tidying up spaces.
Tam is also the founder of Jupp Uk, a local decluttering service, and encourages her clients to rethink what they buy in the first place.
“Much of the work is not about dealing with someone’s belongings, but with the person and their relationship with material things – which many people equate with happiness,” Tam said. “Material things can enhance our lives and improve our overall well-being. But, if they’re bought without thinking, they can create distraction.”
Tam said in Hong Kong, it could be very easy to buy things you do not need.
“With malls everywhere, it’s … not surprising that many of us succumb to compulsive buying,” she said. Tam said fast fashion completely changed the way we shop for clothes, leading to excessive buying.
Another item on the guilty list is books: “Some students see books as a status symbol. They simply collect books and don’t read them,” she said.
Declutter your space
For students, Tam suggests decluttering at least once every school term. She explained, “A messy living space can be mentally draining as we are subconsciously reminded of the tasks that are left unfinished. This adds to the anxiety of starting school.”
Spend some time sorting through old papers and notes. One tip is to store them in different-coloured plastic files or magazine holders by subject, and to keep them somewhere you can see them so they do not get neglected.
But Tam advised against buying more storage than you need, as the empty containers might encourage you to fill them up with more stuff.
She added that decluttering could benefit more than just your physical space, but also your mental well-being.
“Being organised allows you to focus better at school, save time looking for misplaced items, and reduces stress, so you’ll end up feeling good about yourself,” she added.
