Gill South: Conquering the clutter

Angella Gilbert. Photo / Babiche Martens

Organisational expert Angella Gilbert helps Gill South clear out her home office.

Ah, I'm breathing in the fresh, clean air of a dust-free, clutter-free home office.

When I got back from holiday, I enlisted the help of Angella Gilbert, of Gioia, to give me a healthier home office environment.

My home office is full of notebooks, books, printer paper, press releases - over a year a lot of dust can accumulate. It's worse in winter, there is definitely a musty smell in there, which is something you wouldn't get if you were in an air-conditioned office. But on the other hand, I'm not subjected to everyone else's colds and flus working at home so I'm not complaining. Angella suggests keeping the window open more regularly and also using a dehumidifier or fan.

The room I use as my home office became one pretty quickly when I decided to become a freelance journalist and the "filing" system is not what it should be. It also doubles as the guest room, the piano room, and the "send the children to play (or have time out) room", so there are all kinds of things which Angella plucks questioningly from unlikely places. A duvet? Endless cushions, pillows, toys ...

One of the first things to be ejected from the home office are my winter clothes, which are in its built-in wardrobe. Angella suggests I put the clothes in slim, plastic boxes under my bed but in fact I rearrange a few things and find another place for them. Angella warns me not to stuff the clothes in a plastic bag and suction the air out because this wrinkles clothes badly.

Suddenly I have lovely, big shelves to put files in and I feel like a real, organised person with a system. I'm getting what Angella is saying about the "joy" you can feel when you de-clutter - it is quite euphoric. Now that the wardrobe shelves are being used for my files, and my bookshelves house my workbooks and my notepads, I've even got spare space.

"Everything has its designated place," says Angella. If it doesn't, then "miscellaneous dumping grounds" can spring up very quickly, she says. These "traps" should be nipped in the bud - oh, if only she could do the rest of the house.

Lastly, Angella solves the problem of my office chairs. I have one comfy office chair and one uncomfortable one. The uncomfortable one lives at the dining table where I often work if I'm cooking or want to be close to the kids. But usually I'll drag the one from the office there so I can work in comfort.

"Just buy another comfortable chair and get rid of the uncomfortable one," says Angella. Oh, she's so decisive. I am now healthy and comfortable.

Next week:
After some fantastic swims over the holidays, I am determined to keep it up and drag a friend along to look at the various aqua classes going on at the city's pools.