Fresher 101: De-clutter your life
So you’ve made it to uni, and you’ve settled in – congratulations! I’m sure by now that you’ve realised all of those trips to IKEA and buying their entire kitchen collection wasn’t entirely necessary, as between the 8 of you in the flat you now have 4 toasters… (oops).
But here at HCX we’ve been there and done that, and even though as a fresher you don’t realise it, right now is actually a great time to de-clutter your life. You’re probably still sitting in your room with everything unpacked in piles around you, trying desperately to find places to cram it all away.
Here’s a reminder: University is a chance to make a fresh start; it’s a blank slate and if you’re practical it’s a chance to stop that hoarding tendency of yours! You probably told yourself this before you came to uni, but the change is so drastic that you may have not had the courage to only take the necesseties, out of fear of actually needing that feather boa you wore on Halloween when your were six. So here’s the Her Campus Exeter’s guide to de-clutter your university life, now that you’re ready to do it.
1) The majority of your clothes
Let’s get one thing straight. On a regular basis you probably wear around 40% of the clothes you own. We know you brought your entire wardrobe with you; we all did. But as you’ve realised by now when it comes to wardrobe space, halls of accommodation are not all that accommodating. You don’t need your ski jacket down South and no, there probably won’t be the opportunity to wear all 5 of the bikinis you bought over the summer, so it’s time to stick all your unnecessary stuff in a bin bag and shove it under your bed. We guarantee you won’t even miss it, and you’ll actually be able to find the clothes you want to wear!
2) Your DVD collection
Being a student means that unfortunately that bookshelf will actually be used for books, and not your copious DVD Collection. Maybe it’s a good idea to keep to hand a few select favourites – perhaps a feel-good movie for when you get a little homesick, or the classic Harry Potter collection (a personal favourite of mine), but be selective! Put the rest out of the way and under your bed. Netflix will become your best friend, and you’ll actually have room for all of your textbooks!
3) Your ex
You’ve started afresh, and now is the time to cut any residual ties with The Ex, The ex Ex, and The REALLY Ex. If you’ve decided to jump into university life single, then take that opportunity by the horns and allow yourself to meet loads of new friends (and more than friends) without letting anything hold you back. Remember that they are all exes for a reason, and try not to let any homesick induced nostalgia tell you otherwise, because those rose tinted glasses can be a nightmare.
4) “Whats-his-name’s” phone number
Be ruthless: we all have contacts in our phonebooks who we never actually text, call, or to be honest even remember who they are! As a fresher your collection probably ranges from that girl who was in your maths class in Year 9, to the cute-at-the-time hookup who offered to buy you a McDonald’s after a night out. Now might be a good time to clear out the phonebook clutter and make room for all the new people you’re meeting. You don’t want to intend to text Alex from the flat downstairs about what she’s wearing tonight, and actually text “Alez frm towb” (Sadly, a real contact in my phone until recently…)
As you’re getting into the swing of university life, we promise these tips will make your life so much easier. Keep watching this space for more little fresher life hacks!
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