Tidiness is not about constant scrubbing, it is instead about systems and efficiency. Clutter can drain mental energy, and simple, strategic hacks can help to transform your relationship with your belongings. These hacks can be permanent fixtures like furniture, personal essentials like handbags or specialised gear, such as sports equipment.

Hack 1: Purposeful Storage

In your home, focus on storage that perfectly fits the purpose and space to eliminate any ‘dead’ zones in a room. This can easily be achieved through the inclusion of fitted furniture. For example, fitted furniture can help to maximise vertical space in bedrooms and kitchens through floor to ceiling wardrobes and cabinets. You can optimise the space in a kitchen by using the back of kitchen doors (internal cabinets and a pantry) to mount storage, as this will turn unused space into something functional. Similarly, the interior of wardrobe doors can be a good space for additional storage, such as hooks for jewellery, belts and scarves to help keep smaller items contained and off the main shelves, or they can be turned into a visual anchor point to keep the room looking clean. For storage solutions that have deep drawers, you can make the most of these by incorporating drawer dividers, spice racks and tiered pull-outs. The bespoke storage offered by fitted furniture is the ultimate hack, as it is designed around the specific needs of you and your home, instead of being mass produced to fit the generic needs of the majority of consumers.

Another furniture hack that can help to keep your home tidy is implementing the ‘zone of activity’ rule. This rule involves storing items exactly where they are used, such as coffee supplies being kept next to the kettle. This can actually extend the longevity of items, as when something has a designated, easy to access home, it is less likely to become damaged and will be used more often than if it is kept out of sight. Overall, it is better to avoid trying to fit square pegs into round holes, and make the storage fit the item instead of the other way around.

Hack 2: The ‘Ready Kit’ System

The core idea of having a ‘ready kit’ system is pre-packing and maintaining specialised gear to reduce any friction and cut down on preparation time. For example, if you regularly play rugby, it can be beneficial to have a place where your rugby shirt and other gear can be immediately aired, washed and placed back into the kit bag for the next training session, which eliminates the need to ‘panic search’ before a game. The ‘ready kit’ mentality can be applied to most sports and hobbies, as when pre-packing a training bag you can ensure that essential equipment is always included (socks, gum shield, water bottle). It can also be helpful to use separate, labelled pouches within the bag to make items easier to find, such as ‘clean clothes’ or ‘worn kit’. Having a ‘ready kit’ system can increase the longevity of your gear, as failing to quickly air or dry a messy, worn kit can mean that it becomes smelly and degrades faster. Simple gear maintenance like this can keep your equipment performing for longer, and the same system can be applied to any hobby or repeated task, such as gardening, photography or even a work bag. By making your preparation automatic and in advance, you can minimise any decision fatigue.

Hack 3: The Mobile Ecosystem

By applying organisation principles to what you carry every single day, you can stop the ‘handbag black hole’ where you cannot seem to find anything. Maintaining a quality item, like a vegan leather handbag, is much easier if the item is kept routinely tidy. Organising the interior of your bag can prevent pens or other loose objects from damaging the lining or exterior material over time. For example, use small internal pouches or slim wallets to organise money, receipts and makeup to avoid them becoming mixed up or leaking. This is essentially important for equipment bags for certain professions, such as a doctor’s bag. Another hack to employ is to only keep three non-essential items in your bag at any time, as this will make it significantly lighter to carry. Try to incorporate a ‘daily dump’ ritual, where you empty the bag of unnecessary receipts or clutter every evening when you arrive home, ensuring that you are not carrying extra weight the next day. A quality accessory should be enjoyed, not rifled through desperately, and being properly organised can help to enhance the stylish experience offered by the bag. Similarly to having a ‘ready kit’, a tidy bag can help you to confidently transition between activities.

Hack 4: The Reset Routine

Organisation is maintained through micro-routines, not massive clean ups. This micro-routine can be something like a five minute daily reset. This daily reset includes wiping down the surface of your kitchen immediately after cooking, putting a rugby kit into its designated drying spot immediately after training or cleaning and conditioning a handbag once a week. These few minutes of extra tidiness can prevent hours of catch up cleaning, meaning that you can spend your time doing better things.

All in all, the four hacks to utilise to keep your home and life tidy are purposeful storage, ready kits, mobile ecosystems and routine resets. Organisation can be considered to be the ultimate form of self care, and it shows that you have respect for your belongings. Having simple systems in place can ensure that high quality items you own, from fitted furniture to sports gear, can be used for decades to come.