Life in the state of emergency - Let’s clean

The best thing we can do both for ourselves and for the people around us is to follow the official institutions’ recommendations and to be inside this spring. And while we are there, we should all try to use the spare time to do something useful: tidying up our living space can be a good idea. By doing that, maybe we can put the other things in our lives in order.

Tip #1 KonMari method

Marie Kondo is a Japanese organizing consultant and author of four books on tidying up and decluttering. She has an army of fans in life and social networks. Her philosophy is simple and involves minimalism, simplicity, and ‘does that object sparks joy’ view on a wardrobe closet or any room in the house. If the object doesn’t spark joy or you don’t use it, you shouldn’t keep it. Also, you should really make a commitment and put your energy into cleaning your apartment, so that change ‘for better’ could manifest in your life. If you are willing to try, she suggests tidying up your residence in this order:

a) Clothes

b) Books

c) Papers

d) Miscellaneous

e) Objects of sentimental value

Let’s start with the clothes. Most of us have closets full of clothes we save for the better times, special occasions, and that ideal weight. Maybe it’s time to say goodbye to that way of thinking. If you haven’t cleaned your closet with the idea “if I haven’t worn it for three years, it goes out,” try the KonMari way. Take all your clothes out and make a pile. Then, go through each item and ask yourself, “why am I keeping this?” (does it bring me joy?). Make a pile of clothes you decided to keep, the second one from the clothes you don’t want to keep, and from there make another pile, with clothes you want to give away (so it brings joy to someone else ☺) Do the same with books and papers. When you select your clothes this way, it’ll be much easier to organize your closet. Trust your instinct and arrange the clothes in the way you like. 

The hardest part is d)miscellaneous because it’s so much of it, and it refers to things we are not used to organizing: kitchen cabinets, shelves, drawers, pantry, bathroom items, make-up, anything that doesn’t fit the first three categories. Here you also have to get rid of the surplus, give it or throw it away.

And for the end, the objects of sentimental value. Old children drawings, photographs, gifts… all have to go through selection, KonMari question, and to get a new status, so they don’t clutter your life.

Tip #2 CityExp method

This method is working in two cities, it’s professional and fast. If you’ve ever moved in your life, you know one of simple life’s truths: only when you start packing to move, you find out how much stuff you own.

Some people never throw away nothing (life philosophy: who knows, maybe I’ll need it someday). There are the others who do a spontaneous ‘KonMari method’ when faced with the whole families’ wardrobes, old bed linen, and towels, kitchen utensils, and equipment they never use, mason jars, sports equipment, baby strollers, bikes that kids grew up… that all need to be packed and shipped to a new flat.

In those exceptional circumstances, we recommend extreme determination in the selection, which will mean a lot during the move and after, when unpacking for a hopefully better life. Don’t forget, even during the state of emergency, you can rent and buy an apartment in Belgrade and Novi Sad. City Expert is here for you.