Mind Over Clutter. Nicola Lewis

will feel more spacious and welcoming if it’s clutter-free and everything has its own place. It will be easier to keep clean and tidy too, so you’ll spend less time on household chores. It’s a special and very personal room in your home that often gets overlooked because you (and your partner) are the only people who go in there. Because it’s not on show and may only be used for sleeping, there’s a tendency to think it doesn’t matter as much as other rooms in the house. I think that’s wrong. If you can create a stylish aesthetic while keeping the mood calming and gentle, it will make you smile every time you open the door. You’ll feel more relaxed, less stressed and sleep will come much easier.

      Following the four steps of my Decluttering Plan (see here), start off by clearing out anything that doesn’t belong and bin or donate any items you no longer need. Focus on what you want to keep and how best to store it all in your wardrobe, chest of drawers or bedside cabinets.

      Every day

Some tasks can’t be put off for later or tomorrow. I make my bed first thing every morning. I see it as the first achievable task of the day. I enjoy plumping up the pillows, smoothing out the creases in the sheets, shaking the duvet and misting it all with some soothing aromatherapy linen spray. This may sound like a lot of work, but it takes me all of five minutes, it makes me feel good and I always smile seeing it looking so calm and inviting when I come home in the evening at the end of a long day’s work.