De-clutter your wardrobe and de-clutter your life.
Comedian Corinne Grant finds you don't need to hang on to everything to keep memories alive, writes Natasha Silva-Jelly.
Ask any wardrobe consultant and they'll agree that if you haven't worn something for a while, you never will. "Put everything you aren't wearing in a suitcase or box and then put it out of mind, out of sight," personal shopper and wardrobe consultant Eva Byrnes says. "If you don't go to it after one season, take it straight to charity."
This process is not one that came naturally to comedian Corinne Grant, who has documented her experience clearing out her cupboards and her life over a year in which she lost a close friend and ran away to Bali and Jordan.
In the new memoir/self-help book Lessons in Letting Go: Confessions of a Hoarder (Allen and Unwin, $29.99), Grant talks about how she hung on to everything, from the first bunch of flowers she was given by a boyfriend to '80s legwarmers from the first time round and Ninja Turtle socks from her childhood.
"Clothing is something people hoard as it reminds you of a period in time but you don't have to keep everything; you can keep one little piece that acts as your time machine," Grant says.
Clear it out: Grant's tips
1. Sit down and work out why you are holding on to things. Ask yourself questions and write about it; once you've made sense of why you hoard, the letting go is easy.
2. Don't tackle the really painful stuff first. Work up to it. You'll find you get tougher the longer you stick at it, until you develop the emotional equivalent of abs of steel.
3. Once you've made the decision to throw something out, throwing out similar things will be easy. Keep one item that reminds you of a time and place (your time machine) and get rid of the rest.
4. Pack away like with like in any theme as long as it makes sense to you. This will be easier if you add to it in future as you can see where you are doubling up.
5. Reward yourself. Throwing out all your old clothes will make you realise what a truly shabby wardrobe you actually have. Buy yourself something decent — just one thing.
There are more tips and support for home organising and de-cuttering here in the Home, Garden & Renovating Forum
