Exercise
Designate an area at home for workout clothes and equipment. If your goal is to exercise at home or nearby several times a week, consider devoting a section of your wardrobe or linen closet to your workout clothes and towels. Keeping everything together will save you time as you won’t need to dig around to find your outfits. This is especially helpful if you work out early in the morning and want to savour every last minute of sleep.Similarly, keep your exercise equipment (yoga mats, weights, exercise balls) in one area (perhaps close to the TV if you stream a workout). I keep all the accessories I need for walking –sunglasses, hat, earphones, sunscreen – in a drawer in my entrance console so I can get out the door without delay. Pre-pack your gym bag with toiletries, towels and other personal items if you exercise outside the home. After laundering them, you can place items right back into the bag or your dedicated gym clothes space.

Nutrition
Clean out the fridge and pantry and take stock of what you have and what you need. If you have to dig through a lot of items just to gather the ingredients to make a dish, it’s going to be inconvenient for you to create healthy meals and you may resort to easier, less nutritious options. Don’t let refrigerator clutter be an obstacle.After tossing old and spoiled foods, group the remaining items by category – vegetables, fruits, dairy, meats, condiments, breakfast foods – to make them easier to find. Salad should be a staple, so consider putting all your salad ingredients on a tray or in a small basket so you can pull them all out at once if your crisper is full. Similarly, group ingredients for sandwich assembling or smoothy making – or whatever category you prepare frequently – together for easy access.

Down time
Plan time to unwind in an uncluttered space. Time reserved just for ourselves is good for the soul, but it can be hard to find room for it in our schedules. When my children were little and I had the rare moment to myself, I would waste time trying to decide what to do – clean the house or exercise, read a book or grocery shop in peace – and end up not doing much at all.I recommend you schedule time in your calendar for yourself and respect the appointment as you would any other. I also recommend deciding ahead of time how you’ll spend your ‘me time’ so you don’t fritter it away trying to weigh up the possibilities.

If you can’t relax during your unwind time because of clutter, then I recommend you use that time to work on eliminating it. Decluttering can be overwhelming, emotional and time-consuming, so be gentle on yourself while you do it. You’re making progress even if you take just 15 minutes a day to make decisions on your belongings.

Often, physical decluttering can lead to emotional decluttering. Once you’ve decluttered a space, you may find it easier to relax and really unwind during your precious time to yourself.

If you can’t tackle decluttering alone, consider hiring a professional home organiser. A competent one will keep you on track with your goals, guide you through the decision process without judgment and help you plan your space and storage so it works best for how you live. And working together means you’ll reach your goal faster.