Why doom piles happen

Everyone has them. A doom pile of clothes, a pile of washing up where you have just washed one fork so you can eat, or a drawer of cables that really winds you up.

A lot of people say to me, "I cannot deal with that pile because I want to put it away properly." To do that involves something else. If your clean clothes cannot go away in the wardrobe, we need to go through the wardrobe first and get rid of the clothes in there to create the space.

Other doom piles are just random things that do not have a home yet, like an extension lead, a pile of pens, unopened letters, or a pair of kids shoes that need to go on Vinted. When you put it off, that pile gets a bit bigger and a bit bigger until it becomes overwhelming doom.

Start small and finish the job

When people tackle a room by themselves, they often walk in and do not know where to start. Or they empty the entire wardrobe all over the floor and the bed. Now instead of a messy wardrobe, you have got a whole messy room. You get exhausted, crash, and scoop it all back into a pile.

Start small. One bag, one box, one chair, just one, and finish it. Do your jumpers, then do your trousers, and get to the end of the job. If you have not worn a jumper for a while, put it on. You will instantly remember why you stopped wearing it. If you take it off straight away, you know you are never going to put it back on, so whack it in a charity bag.

Where your donations go in Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury

If you have got multiple bags to donate, try to separate them into categories before you go, because charity shops are much more likely to take one bag of exactly what they need.

In Bridgnorth:

Mind is brilliant for books and electrical items.

Hope House is great for kids clothes and adults clothes.

Severn Hospice is lovely for little furniture, vases, and trinkets, and

Blue Cross takes the animal stuff.

If you have got a massive load or bigger furniture, the Salvation Army drop off hub in Shrewsbury will take the lot.