THANK YOU for watching, I'm so grateful for your support! Get a 7-day free trial and 40% off Blinkist Annual Premium by clicking bit.ly/TheMinimalMomJul24 or by scanning the QR code! Find these simple living books on Blinkist: - Digital Minimalism - Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up - The Joy of Less - The Minimalist Home - Love People, Use Things - The Paper Solution - The Art of Simple Living - Essentialism Have a great day!!! - Dawn
wow, your offer with this link and the 40% off Blinkist is so great. I don't know it yet and would like to try it out. Thank you very much for your videos and the opportunity to try Blinkist at such a low price.❤❤❤ liebe Grüsse Bettina from Switzerland 😘🇨🇭
Joshua- what do you think about this? One thing I will always disagree with is getting rid of other people's possessions behind their back-- even if they are 3 or 12 years old. This creates distrust that can have long-lasting and often rebound hoarding effects, as they struggle to hold on to items even more. Also the person is not learning how to manage their own inventory and develop skills in decluttering and decision-making on their own.
@@ninnymuggins5159 I agree. My mom always decluttered my things, even when I was a teenager and fully capable of doing it myself. I wish that she would've just let me have a say in what I wanted to keep of MY things.
My mom got rid of my stuff when I would go to elementary/middle school. When I asked about where something was, she always said I must of have lost it somewhere. The worst was shortly after I went up to Girl Scouts, a neighbor girl was in front of her house. When I rode my bike past, she was dancing around and shouted to me that my mom had given her my Brownie uniform. She was outside playing in it! 😭My mom said she gave it her because they were poor. I don't think the girl was even in Brownies or ever planned to join. Also "somehow" my Barbies went missing 😭. A girlfriend gave me some clothes and somehow my favorite dress disappeared. I agree with what @ninnymuggins5159 says.
Regarding Gifts…my friends and I give each other “disposable’ gifts such as wine, baked goods, books and even a movie night or pizza night. No more “stuff” taking up precious space in our homes.
We do the same within our large family. Also we discuss with each other what they actually want/need so nothing is given unnecessarily. If a surprise gift is given its often flowers, wine etc or something that someone has noticed hey need or listening to dropped hints.
😋 Your idea sounds delicious! My friends and I often get each other a special food for a gift already not for decluttering purposes but we just really like good food!😂
Although I agree with many of these approaches, i balk at "all of one item in one spot." For example, scissors: I love the ease of finding a pair of scissors when one is kept in almost every room. Opening a package while sitting in my chair? Opening a food package in the kitchen? Trimming a plant on the porch? It's great to reach out and find a pair of scissors in its spot, right where it's needed. Each pair is labeled, so when one is found wandering, everyone knows where it belongs. i can't imagine going up or down a flight of stairs every time I needed scissors!
I think it’s best to declutter by category but then put things back based on where we use them. So I would gather all the scissors in one place to sort and see if any need to be removed but then put the keepers where they are used. That way if you need 5 pairs of scissors you don’t end up with 9 because you don’t realize you have more than you need because you forgot you have others in another room or worse, buy more.
I agree. Scissors and a few pens/sharpie in several places in my home and Sharpie and a couple pens always in my purse. I use my Sharpie in the grocery store to write expiration date on packages so that my husband and I can see what to eat next and not waste food.
Regarding children's toys... my 5 year old grandson is sure to want to play "grocery store" every time he visits. We have a kid's shopping cart that I bought at a garage sale, some old monopoly money, a used gift card and empty food boxes ( KD, cereal, cookies). We place 4 coasters to form a square as our scanner. If Grandpa's not around to be the cashier... it's self check-out. haha Kid's need very few toys to have fun. Just imagination.
I think it's the way it's phrased and her very cheerful nature that gets in the way of the general idea. When she describes it, I think of it more as "sparking contentment". At least that's what it feels like for me.
When I read her book, this didn't seem to apply to like just practical things, like say a screwdriver. I think it was in regards to what we are choosing to augment our lives with.
There is a companion book by Marie Kondo, "Spark Joy," in which she further explains and clarifies her methods. I recommend reading it, along with the first. It definitely helped me to understand the what-and-why of her techniques.
I think "spark joy" is possibly lost somewhat in translation. Obviously, there are lots of things in our lives that we need that don't "spark joy". But the absence of them would certainly cause irritation. It adds value to your life, even if it doesn't put stars in your eyes. Additionally, the things that don't "spark joy" but we still need are unlikely to be the things we are really struggling to decide to declutter. I don't think anyone is in agony over whether or not to declutter their broom and dust pan bc it doesn't "spark joy". But if we have more brooms than rooms or floors in our home, then maybe it's worth considering which ones "spark joy". Maybe it's more helpful to think of it like William Morris did: "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful". 🙏
@@mrsstrople I know she particularly mentions getting rid of any clothes that don't 'spark joy' and I remember thinking that if I did that, I'd get arrested for flouting public decency laws!
The first decluttering book I read, ages ago, was "Clutter's Last Stand" by Don Aslett. It's motivating and very humorous. I find myself occasionally repeating this little poem from the book, regarding things to get rid of: "Something red, something dead, something underneath the bed/ Something gray, in the way, should have chucked it in the bay." 😄
I would be SO careful about decluttering kids' things without them. My in-laws literally created my husband's hoarding disorder by sneaking things out when he wasn't looking. It took so long to get his trust for me to be able to declutter anything at all. He was so afraid.
@@aliesefitch1099 He is going to be 70 this year, so he was growing up in the 50's, a different time. Now, in 2024, he would probably be on the spectrum. So, he remembers more than the average person, and therefore missed things most kids would forget. His parents just dismissed anything that wasn't important to them.
I’ll be 68, and have had collecting and hoarding tendencies and even full blown at times, I get him. Bless your heart, for understanding and loving that part of him❤
Yes, I had a friend whose mother used to do that - she would come into school in tears on the day she knew her mother would be decluttering because she was so afraid of losing something precious.
Number one is in Proverbs chapter 31! Conviction when reading “she looks well to the ways of her household”! It’s what began the UA-cam search where I found you 🤗
My life has changed so much since I’ve been watching you for the last three years Dawn. I think there’s a huge link between consumerism and anxiety/ depression. I took your at home course with Dana and Cass. It was super effective. My home, papers, clothes and even garage are organized and decluttered now. Most importantly I’m free of guilt from undone tasks, unworn clothes, unused gifts, and the silent to do list. I feel mastery over my domain, and myself. The relief of anxiety is such a gift !! Being in control of my calendar, schedule, mail, finances, has all come from reducing the amount of possessions and our home is so peaceful. The energy I have now is so much more because I’m living with the right amount of stuff. Thank-you Dawn !!
Those are my three “gurus.” Listening to these three women share their experiences, foibles, struggles, and wisdom has changed my thinking & my home. ❤
One thing I will always disagree with is getting rid of other people's possessions behind their back-- even if they are 3 or 12 years old. This creates distrust that can have long-lasting and often rebound hoarding effects, as they struggle to hold on to items even more. Also the person is not learning how to manage their own inventory and develop skills in decluttering and decision-making on their own.
I appreciate the principles and suggestions you've shared on your channel. It's a great service to help people you've never met. On one author's point of view today, I strongly disagree. Along with some other commenters, I think it's harmful to remove your child's belongings without their knowledge or input. I like to think of it this way: how would you feel (as an adult) if you came home to find that some well-meaning friend or relative had removed all of your belongings that they deemed unnecessary? I'd be shocked, hurt, and angry, and I think most people would. Children are people, too, and have preferences, feelings, and needs just as we do. I think it's much wiser to teach them principles of decluttering, show by your own example of how you decide what to keep or get rid of, and patiently guide them through the process. To me, it's not the end of the world if they have a lot of possessions, but it could really disrupt their world if you break their trust by taking away their automony and sense of self in that way. The message they could get is that their needs and wants don't matter at all, and I don't think that's worth a less cluttered home.
I agree 💯%! I think back to my childhood and how my things would disappear,or get broken by someone else, or borrowed (even with my permission) and never returned. And no one ever apologized ! I felt so disrespected. I felt like I didn't matter because my possessions didn't matter to the people in my family. I think the suggestion to cull some excess toys and put them in a box is a good one. If there is something special they miss, it's still there. After 6 months to a year, have them go through the box and choose what to get rid of. You lose nothing as a parent and they are treated as people deserving dignity. That's HUGE!
A friend had sent me a book titled "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Big". Hysterical! But, I began to realize clutter and body clutter are related. Holding onto "stuff". Began to lose weight while decluttering but it is a slow process for me.
The #1 book that CHANGED MY LIFE and made decluttering achievable is an older book called "Messie No More," by Sandra Felton. (You can buy it used for 5$.) It addresses the most important thing, UNDERSTANDING the CORE REASONS for clutter. It's an excellent STARTING POINT for when clutter is OVERWHELMING you, and how-to books just don't help. I read it multiple times over the span of years until it became a permanent part of my soul. ❤ I owe a great debt to that awesome little book.
@rebeccaellis5892 Sandra Felton was ahead of her time because she understood the psychological part of clutter was so important if you wanted permanent solutions.
@rebeccaellis5892 I know her book is older, but it still has so much to offer. It's short and really easy to read and understand. I wish more folks knew about it. I know it changed my life profoundly. I'm so glad it was helpful to you, too🌼!
Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up was the first book and probably the best one I've read. But I don't use all the techniques she mentions and I use much smaller categories than Marie Condo does. If I put all my clothes out it would be overwhelming and take me three days to do it, but if, for example, I just simplify it by using a smaller section like looking at all my shoes together then I can curate them easily in a quick time frame. Yourself and a number of other content creators on youtube have really kept me going with decluttering. I also struggle to do all the housework, I have a disability, and having a cleaner come in once a fortnight also keeps me more accountable. I had my daughter help me with my clothes last year and that was wonderful, I was able to make quick decisions, categories items quickly and she took the donations to the charity on the way home. She also kept a few things for herself and was complemented while wearing one of my tops, at work, the following week. It certainly increased my feeling of wellbeing.
Quarantining my Kids toys was the best idea when decluttering their toys. Out of a whole month keeping their quarantined toys in my closet; only one kid of the 3 asked for his missing truck. I gave it back to him and kept the bag for another month to just see if anyone else missed anything. Nothing was missed so i donated the toys. If I feel overwhelmed with the decluttering task then how much more do my kids feel the same when they have an abundance of toys they barely play with but don’t know how to articulate it. Also I’m an observant person so I notice what they play with and I was intentional with items i put in the quarantine bin in the first place.
I've been decluttering my house again for the 1st time in a couple of years (with a 3 year old trying to "help" 😂) and it's been so much easier this time around. Not because I've got less stuff, because I haven't maintained at all since the last time and there's all the baby/kid stuff this time around. But because last time I started with the worst/biggest mess in the spare room and I lost my mind and lost determination. This time around I've started in the smallest spaces first, a cupboard at a time in the kitchen, the unit in the living room, then a wardrobe at a time. Now my entire house is done except the spare bedroom. And it's made me feel so much better going in to the bedroom the last couple of days because all those things I need to keep I now have the appropriate home elsewhere in the house FREE for them to go into. Things are either in the donate box, the black bag, or straight back into their correct home which has plenty of space available now. It really helps to leave the biggest disaster to last because the rest of the house is prepped and ready for the things that got thrown into the spare room because I couldn't put them away.
The first book that really got me thinking about having less was called Stuffocation by James Wallman. It really struck a chord with me and after that I read Marie Kondo. It just took off from there. I was never a hoarder and often found myself decluttering, but after this I was unstoppable.
The gifts one is so stressful and frustrating, because I have multiple people in my life that have literally asked me, “Where’s that thing I gave you?” I’m a minimalist and I love getting rid of things that no longer serve my current self, but I have to keep certain items not because I need or want them, but because people will go looking for them. One time, a family member gave me a bunch of photos of their youth that were taken in the 1970’s, and I thought they were now mine, so I went through them and chucked all the pictures of people I did not know. (I kept all the ones that had anyone I knew.) This family member later asked to look through the pictures, and was livid that I had dared to get rid of THEIR memories. Why’d you give them to me, then? Who keeps pictures of strangers?
Sounds like a boundary issue to me. There are times to keep things others have given you to keep them placated, but it's also okay to offer the items back and then donate of they say no, and also when they give you something ask "would you like to have back the ones I decide not to keep?" I'm in the process of enforcing new boundaries around this. People will try to give you less if they know you won't just hold onto it indefinitely. I'm sorry for what happened with your pictures, it sounds like that person really just wanted to store their things at your home.
I had a nephew send me a big box of old family photos out of the blue. A couple of months later, I received an angry phone call about why I hadn't sent them back. Like, what? If anyone sends me something I didn't ask for, I'm certainly not going to spend $40 in postage to mail it back, especially when my budget is tight. He's a trust fund baby; I'm not.
I read Simplicity Parenting many years ago and it is a jewel! But I worked with my kids to remove their toys. I know 2, unrelated, people who are hoarders and it's linked with their moms getting rid of their stuff when they were kids.
My favorite book was "Is there life after House work by Don Aslett. He recommends decluttering first but he was wonderful for me. He has written many books. T/u Dawn. You too are wonderful...
3:08 It makes no sense to keep “all items of a certain category in one place.” We need to keep things at their POINT OF USE. So yes, we may need a pair of scissors in each room - or a roll of Scotch tape, or whatever. Are you really going to walk upstairs or downstairs or even into another room every time you need to use one of those items? That’s categorically ridiculous. Pun intended.
I enjoy reading. Holding a book, moving from spots inside or out, writing in it if I own it. The whole shebang. Blinkist is like the book reviews we had to hand in for school. Sure it saves time but a lot of the pleasure is missing.
The books who have help me most are your workbook Decluttering your Home in 15 minutes a Day. And Decluttering at the Speed of Life, and Swedish Death cleaning.
I don't relate to the 10th time thing at all. I like my clothes more the more I wear them! I only get sad again if it starts to wear out and I have to replace it. Especially shoes. Maybe it's because I am so particular about what I buy.
Marie Kondo got me started on my minimalism journey so many years ago. And Simplicity Parenting was great...i read it many years ago when I first became a parent. Since then you've inspired me Dawn!
The books that have inspired me the most is Decluttering your home in 15 minutes a day, Decluttering at the speed of sound, The life changing magic of tidying and Spark joy.
_The More of Less_ is what finally taught me exactly how to go about deciding what to keep and what to declutter - I read the entire thing in one day, and 2 1/2 months later I got rid of 11 large boxes of stuff in one sitting: half got dropped off at one of the reservations in South Dakota, the rest went to the thrift store near my parents. We got a tax write-off of well over a thousand dollars that year for that load alone - donation receipts are 100% worth getting!!
@@Carolyn-qd8mj The ones my mom gets have the donation center/organization name on it (or some other equivalent label), and then she fills them out with the items and values (which she has already written down on a list at home, so she can fill the receipt out after she drops the items off - she writes them down on the home list as she puts them in the donation boxes/bags). Not sure if that's how it works at all donation centers/organizations, but that's at least one way it can work.
I really liked her book - and blog, I think? However I got stuck on her concept of only having one bag, one pair of shoes. At least I think that was her, it’s been a while. I like the idea of making a “pass” and potentially getting rid of more on another pass in the future.
Where do you store all those books? I’ve started weeding out my print books (I worked 23 years in a public library, love to read) and going mostly digital. I prefer print, but they take up a lot of room!
Believe it or not, my journey into minimalism didn’t come from any books. I stumbled across Joshua Becker’s blog. From there I fell into Francine Jay and Courtney Carver’s blogs. Then I just kept rolling into Leo Babauta, The Minimalists, etc. I jumped over to UA-cam and found you and a few others. I don’t own a single book on minimalism. I did borrow a few from the library though. We just recently moved into a 950 sq ft duplex and had a 26 ft moving truck crammed full. This is a 3rd move in 4 years and I purge with each one. Everything got offloaded into the garage and now even my husband is onboard with purging out more stuff. We spent the last 8 months traveling and it’s really eye opening how little we really need.
I own several of these books. Purchased House Rules because I saw it on your video a few weeks ago.. My favorite so far is Sink Reflections by Fly Lady. Really enjoy reading decluttering books.
Dawn, I love this video but you speak so fast my brain can’t catch up. Your non- stop , no pauses. It’s like you’re speed reading out loud. I love your content and will keep watching but please slow down a bit. ❤
I found you Dawn after reading Jennifer L Scott’s books and learning about her 10 item wardrobe. I started watching her UA-cam channel and she mentioned you and others who were espousing paring back their stuff. I went down the rabbit hole and haven’t looked back. I like the way you all give credit to each other.
One BIG aspect . Is the sheer size of our homes . Dana’s concept of take it there now is completely different in my moms house of over 2000sq feet vs my cabin of 400 sq feet.
Great video! I read "goodbye things" when you first recommended it. Swedish Death Cleaning is a really good idea. Joshua Becker is my guru! And I recommend Dana to so many people because of her methods.
I agree strongly with everything, except throwing out children's toys without their knowledge, or even hiding them. It's a breach of trust and simply disrespectful to this little person to decide on your own what to do with THEIR belongings. It may trigger traumatic response, insecurity, lack of trust in relationship with parents, and emotional instability up to hoarding disorder in later stages of life. You can do anything with toys, as long as a child is involved in a decision making process. Maybe you can play "toys of the week"? Let them pick a couple of them to play with and store the rest out of sight. Or explain to them the concept of decluttering and donations and propose the ways they can be involved. They are smart enough to get it. Children are usually willing to part with their "not so precious" toys, if it's for a good cause. But never ever throw their stuff away. Besides, they need to learn how to declutter at some point in life, anyway, so why not teaching them this valuable lesson right now? :)
Why not teach them this valuable lesson right now? Because people have very different situations. Ideally , no parent would ever use the TV as a baby sitter for a few hours but sometimes there is no other realistic option available to them.
Such a great summary! Simplicity Parenting really helped me clarify the "why" of decluttering and simplifying in regards to the type of relationship I want with my kids. Too much stuff (clutter, overscheduled) gets in the way. I loved that book!
I worked in a library when I started declutterring before I moved on minimalism. That’s the time Joshua Becker’s book the minimalist home came out and it really was the push I need to rethink everything in my home. I found your channel a couple of years ago which helped me go even further!! Thanks so much for your guidance and how to really think about what’s NEEDED in a home.
I used to save EVERYTHING. The past few years, I've started getting rid of things. I still have a lot of stuff... but it all makes me happy. I've rarely met scrapbook paper or yarn that I haven't liked. Although I did walk out of Michael's today with nothing... I have realized that my grandkids won't want my junk, and also I don't think we'll be on this earth much longer anyways, so why save stuff?
I'm not type A and I'm disabled, I'm AuDHD. I thought it would be impossible for me to have precise homes for my stuff. But it's way less work. I only have to think about where to put each thing once, or maybe a couple times if the first place doesn't work well. It's so much easier and so much less work. My brain is so tired and scattered but my hands can often just reach out and grab things because they're always in the same spot
I love this for you! I’m not neurodiverse but I get neurological fatigue with medical issues. The ability to just “go get it” on a bad day has changed my life giving me so much peace and grace on the worst days. I’m having a good day today and it was amazing to find the “birthday bin” and put away the party hats cluttering the room. I felt silly making that bin 2 months ago. I felt loved and proud as I zipped them to it today 🙌 my daughter asked for a specific doll, I went to the “time will tell” soft toy bin in the basement and found it in 1 min flat. She felt so loved and I felt so efficient.
When it comes to Marie Kondo's take on books we need to remember that she is coming from Japan where space is at a premium! her take on keep few books is really reflection of spacial limitations of her region! we might apply her rules successfully in some apartments in NY !, maybe ! years ago i reorganized my home using her principles of "spark joy "… fir me it worked very well although my style is not minimalist ! there is something joyful about Kondo method !!!
I think it is best to have a space for everything and declutterring when the space is full. We had an IKEA shelf unit with 6 boxes. Before Christmas my daughter knew she had to empty one box, to make space for presents. She was fine with that, and we took the toys to the charity shop. If she was uncertain about giving away anything it went into the wait-and-see box in the garage. The box was closed and the date written on it. Anything in the box could be retrieved (as long as it fit into one of the 6 toy boxes) but if the box was not opened, in 6 months it went to the charity shop. She would have been very upset if I had decluttered her toys without her involvement.
Buying classic clothing items that you love, getting them tailored, and taking care of them is the best way to wear clothes you love for years! You can stay "updated" by adding a few new items and accessories each year. You'll feel great every time you go out/
I think sorting out kids toys without involving them kann weaken trust. It's their Stuff and they should learn to decide. Small steps and a lot of patience will help 😉🙏🏼
When I declutter my kids' toys, I don't completely get rid of them. They just get boxed up and go out of rotation. When my kids ask for certain toys, I assure them that they are in the toy closet and that they can still play with them if they're willing to trade for a different toy. The only times I truly throw things away is if they're trashed, broken, or OBVIOUSLY never ever played with.
I had a 3 shelf unit. 3 toys on each shelf. I rotated them every week...left the favorites of ge week of course. Also a basket of 4-5 books in the bedroom. plus a bin of many " cars, trucks anything with wheels" behind a door, IN A CABINET. Everything could be put away in 3 minutes. Outdoors, 3 big toys n basket of small outdoor plastic stuff. Again, could be lined up in a minute. I kept rotating toys from a spot id cleared in laundry room upper cabinets that was out of sight to kids.
I didn't see SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life by Julie Morgenstern in your collection. Her process has been huge for me, especially the step of naming a theme to help get unstuck and provide direction. And examining what the stuff means to you --- the psychological need it has been serving -- so that you don't recreate it unconsciously.
Years ago I read Julie's book "Organizing from the Inside Out". I set up my kitchen using her principle of storing things where you actually use them, and 25 years later, it's still functioning quite well. Thanks for reminding me of her books! I'll look them up again to help with my current decluttering/organizing projects.
@@jeanettehansen4852 Another gem of hers! I love her inside out sensibility. When SHED came out, it was originally titled When Organizing isn't Enough, SHED Your Stuff and Change Your Life, or something pretty close to that. Cheers!
Where do you keep these 100 Simple Living Books in your very minimalist home?!?!? I just ordered a few of these, and struggle with getting rid of reference books I like!
I love this! I’ve just recently been made aware of Greg McKeown’s books Essentialism and Effortless. These are wonderful too. I have the physical copies, but if you can listen to them on audio, I really recommend. I have them on audio from my library.
I hate camping-so imagining camping as simple living isn’t enjoyable for me. My house has much more inventory, but I enjoy my things. It makes life so much more comfortable. It’s excess and trash that I find as clutter.
Ugh. I hate camping too. It’s inconvenient, uncomfortable, dirty, and a lot of work to do just to be miserable. And no, the “you must be doing it wrong if you don’t love what I love” is not a valid argument. I understand that for some it’s a cheap holiday, so go for it. But, ugh. Glamping I can get behind. But basically that’s a hotel style without the need for an elevator. Best if there’s a restaurant and/or room service too.
Anyone else feels like the minimalist fad has peaked and now people are just reaching hard for content? Same old stuff being said over and over….i used to be a huge fan of Dawn, minimalism and all the books and media on the subject of minimalism and declutterring. However, the message seems to be falling flat nowadays…
Thank you for the book suggestions. Here is how I dealt with "What about gifts?". I told the few people that we exchanged gifts with, that going forward, we would not like to receive any more gifts. In the future, we would celebrate special days with meals and togetherness. Some people were happy with this approach, and a couple were not as happy, but everyone has respected my wishes. i have not missed receiving gifts even a little bit, but I have greatly enjoyed the meals and togetherness. I really have everything that I could possibly want in the way of possessions. I could never have too much fun with loved ones.
I love Gary Chapman's book The Five Love Languages. Like you, I replaced material gift exchanges with shared experiences (e.g., meals/movies/put-put golf). This worked well for me because my #1 love language is quality time. Unfortunately, one of my friends has a #1 love language of gifts, so she didn't like this change at all.
But what do you do when the giver (my adult daughter's family) doesn't agree to no physical gifts? We celebrate together with a wonderful meal and dessert, and then, you guessed it, the gifts come out. It's hard to be excited about their gifts when you specifically ask for no gifts.
@@kathymedlin1569 I get rid of almost everything I'm gifted when I get home. And if they have a problem with that you can say again we asked specifically for no gifts. I do not have space to store anything.
Moving all my office equipment into one space (instead of some in the office and some in the kitchen) was so helpful. It avoids repetition and saves space
❤ Swedish Death Cleaning is the best! I leaned into this after my father‘s passing and my mom and I had to go through the entire house for an auction and selling the house. My dad always placed value in having things just in case my mom is quite the opposite and now she is able to have just what she needs. Swedish death cleaning is the best thing you can do for your love ones and also for yourself.❤️✨
As we were purging, preparing to move, I discovered my mom had 17 boxes of Christmas bows - besides several more boxes of wrapping paper, ribbons, and package decorations. I had at least 8 pairs of sheets for my one twin bed, plus a few full size sheets for the same bed! Good grief! 😊😊😊
Wow. 90+. You can use some for covering the out of season clothes and blankets. I use a couple that coordinates with my sofa to cover the throw pillows. The excess will need to be tossed.
Sometimes getting a compliment on something you’ve been wearing for a decade is the best thing to remind us of principles. I stopped saying ‘oh, this old thing?’ And just say thank you!
This is probably a comment for one person out there at the most, but I was really surprised to see "döstädning" written down like that. As a swede who's heard the word my entire life but not seen it written down, I would have written "dödstädning" or "dödsstädning". Which would also be more exact to the English translation. "Döstädning" makes no grammatical sense. She wrote, commenting on an English language video.... 😂
Just wanted to encourage others who maybe don't particularly like to read non fiction. I haven't read any decluttering books but I've decluttered my entire home. I did listen to Dawn discuss the various books in other videos. ❤❤
Banish Clutter Forever: How the Toothbrush Principle Will Change Your Life by Sheila Chandra got me started on my decluttering journey and I’ve never looked back.
Marie Kondo's concept of only one space for anything is BS. The kitchen needs scissors, and each of the three of us in the house needs scissors at their desk (each in a different room,) and we each need them in our crafting/work areas....
I think it’s quite possible to understand the principle without being literal about the example. It’s a way of being deliberately obtuse to avoid looking clearly at where this idea could be useful. Clearly not scissors. But perhaps, IF using scissors as an example, that they are kept in the exact spot in whichever rooms you need multiples in. I am quite minimalist and I have multiple scissors. I keep two (different functions) in the kitchen and they are always in the exact spot in the kitchen. Not randomly shoved wherever or lying out under a pile of other clutter. Same with the scissors at my desk. Exactly the same pen cup for both (also 2 different functions) So best to take the principle rather than worry about agreeing with examples
As a kid I was always really good at getting rid of things. I would have been really upset if my mom came in and took my things and hid them or got rid of them. I think once your kid is in elementary school they should really have a say in what stays and what goes. If the kid isn’t good at getting rid of things than next year try this method but I would talk to them first and see if they would actually be willing to get rid of stuff because you might find the kid has a very clear idea of what they want and don’t want. I’ve always been better at getting rid of things and staying organized than anyone else in my entire family and growing up I would clean my room and rearrange the furniture for fun.
Exactly the same with me. Yes, rearranging my bedroom quite regularly by myself, with my bed made every single day. I would do this and organize, and tidy for fun.
I keep meaning to ask this, and it came up again in this video. How is camping so easy for you? I feel like we must be doing it wrong. It's always so much work to pack for and clean up after. Even during, because we don't have the conveniences of home. How do you do it?
That's a great question! We bring the bare minimum...I'm ok with inconveniences while we're away and have a set menu for when we camp. I also take empty bins from the camper into the house, load them up with food and clothes and then have everyone help bring them back out to the camper. I have groceries delivered the same day we're leaving so I don't have to put them away in the house and bring them straight into the camper...not sure if that helps at all!
My house looks like your now, Dawn! I'm constantly decluttering and I LOVE the PEACE & HAPPINESS it brings! I love the book, "Let It Go" by Peter Walsh
100 years ago I read How to Conquer Clutter by Stephanie Culp. I loved her sarcastic wit about how silly it was to keep all the stuff. It's a good book for people who are ready to be ruthless and want a good chuckle about the absurdity of keeping everything. The more sensitive souls probably won't see the humour, but I wish I still had it because it's a quick read. I loaned it out and it never came back. I hope it's made some good rounds to people who need it.
I have a copy of that book! I think I bought it at a flea market when I was a teenager or in my early 20s. It's been all marked up, written in, and highlighted! I also have Let Go of Clutter by Harriet Schecter and Cas's book Cluttered Mess to Organized Success. Also just checked out The Paper Solution by Lisa Woodruff from my library, which I noticed was one of the books in the stacks in the thumbnail! I bought How to Keep House While Drowning on Audible but haven't listened to it yet. I got a lot of reading to do! lol
I tried decanting spices into matching jars. It didn’t work out for me. Found it senseless and monotonous. Everything looked alike and I have to read the labels in order to find the correct one🙄. No. I put similar spices together, ex: oregano next to the basil, onions next to the garlic, salt next to the black pepper, the vanilla next to the baking powder, and cinnamon, etc. Makes more sense to me,
I understand seeing sll items at once , but often I want to have an item in various places.... Ex for convenience i want sissors in the different places i use them so i don't have to go get them every time I need them😊
THANK YOU for watching, I'm so grateful for your support! Get a 7-day free trial and 40% off Blinkist Annual Premium by clicking bit.ly/TheMinimalMomJul24 or by scanning the QR code! Find these simple living books on Blinkist:
- Digital Minimalism
- Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up
- The Joy of Less
- The Minimalist Home
- Love People, Use Things
- The Paper Solution
- The Art of Simple Living
- Essentialism
Have a great day!!! - Dawn
Unrelated to the video topic, but would be cool to get an update on the dogs, the rental properties, the house-moving project, etc., at some point.
Thanks. Wish u could come here lol
wow, your offer with this link and the 40% off Blinkist is so great. I don't know it yet and would like to try it out. Thank you very much for your videos and the opportunity to try Blinkist at such a low price.❤❤❤ liebe Grüsse Bettina from Switzerland 😘🇨🇭
I’m definitely joining Blinkist as I am obsessed with personal development! Love your videos! 🤗
Hey Dawn! Thanks so much for the kind words about The Minimalist Home. Your videos are always inspiring.
Joshua- what do you think about this? One thing I will always disagree with is getting rid of other people's possessions behind their back-- even if they are 3 or 12 years old. This creates distrust that can have long-lasting and often rebound hoarding effects, as they struggle to hold on to items even more. Also the person is not learning how to manage their own inventory and develop skills in decluttering and decision-making on their own.
@@ninnymuggins5159 I agree. My mom always decluttered my things, even when I was a teenager and fully capable of doing it myself. I wish that she would've just let me have a say in what I wanted to keep of MY things.
My mom got rid of my stuff when I would go to elementary/middle school. When I asked about where something was, she always said I must of have lost it somewhere. The worst was shortly after I went up to Girl Scouts, a neighbor girl was in front of her house. When I rode my bike past, she was dancing around and shouted to me that my mom had given her my Brownie uniform. She was outside playing in it! 😭My mom said she gave it her because they were poor. I don't think the girl was even in Brownies or ever planned to join. Also "somehow" my Barbies went missing 😭. A girlfriend gave me some clothes and somehow my favorite dress disappeared. I agree with what @ninnymuggins5159 says.
Regarding Gifts…my friends and I give each other “disposable’ gifts such as wine, baked goods, books and even a movie night or pizza night. No more “stuff” taking up precious space in our homes.
We do the same within our large family. Also we discuss with each other what they actually want/need so nothing is given unnecessarily. If a surprise gift is given its often flowers, wine etc or something that someone has noticed hey need or listening to dropped hints.
Love all these ideas and like all I really want ever is a movie night...not more stuff
😋 Your idea sounds delicious! My friends and I often get each other a special food for a gift already not for decluttering purposes but we just really like good food!😂
Not disposable but comestibles and experiences. Yes- those are the best gifts!
Can I ask how you get this conversation started with friends and family?
Although I agree with many of these approaches, i balk at "all of one item in one spot." For example, scissors: I love the ease of finding a pair of scissors when one is kept in almost every room. Opening a package while sitting in my chair? Opening a food package in the kitchen? Trimming a plant on the porch? It's great to reach out and find a pair of scissors in its spot, right where it's needed. Each pair is labeled, so when one is found wandering, everyone knows where it belongs. i can't imagine going up or down a flight of stairs every time I needed scissors!
I agree for stuff like that. But for most stuff it’s better to have designated area
I think it’s best to declutter by category but then put things back based on where we use them.
So I would gather all the scissors in one place to sort and see if any need to be removed but then put the keepers where they are used.
That way if you need 5 pairs of scissors you don’t end up with 9 because you don’t realize you have more than you need because you forgot you have others in another room or worse, buy more.
I agree. Scissors and a few pens/sharpie in several places in my home and Sharpie and a couple pens always in my purse. I use my Sharpie in the grocery store to write expiration date on packages so that my husband and I can see what to eat next and not waste food.
I need pens upstairs, one next to my bed, and some upstairs.
Reading glasses! A pair in every room 😂
Regarding children's toys... my 5 year old grandson is sure to want to play "grocery store" every time he visits. We have a kid's shopping cart that I bought at a garage sale, some old monopoly money, a used gift card and empty food boxes ( KD, cereal, cookies). We place 4 coasters to form a square as our scanner. If Grandpa's not around to be the cashier... it's self check-out. haha Kid's need very few toys to have fun. Just imagination.
My issue with Marie Kondo is that if I threw away everything that didn't 'spark joy', I would have nothing in my home but books and plants 😄
I think it's the way it's phrased and her very cheerful nature that gets in the way of the general idea. When she describes it, I think of it more as "sparking contentment". At least that's what it feels like for me.
When I read her book, this didn't seem to apply to like just practical things, like say a screwdriver. I think it was in regards to what we are choosing to augment our lives with.
There is a companion book by Marie Kondo, "Spark Joy," in which she further explains and clarifies her methods. I recommend reading it, along with the first. It definitely helped me to understand the what-and-why of her techniques.
I think "spark joy" is possibly lost somewhat in translation. Obviously, there are lots of things in our lives that we need that don't "spark joy". But the absence of them would certainly cause irritation. It adds value to your life, even if it doesn't put stars in your eyes.
Additionally, the things that don't "spark joy" but we still need are unlikely to be the things we are really struggling to decide to declutter. I don't think anyone is in agony over whether or not to declutter their broom and dust pan bc it doesn't "spark joy". But if we have more brooms than rooms or floors in our home, then maybe it's worth considering which ones "spark joy".
Maybe it's more helpful to think of it like William Morris did: "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful". 🙏
@@mrsstrople I know she particularly mentions getting rid of any clothes that don't 'spark joy' and I remember thinking that if I did that, I'd get arrested for flouting public decency laws!
The first decluttering book I read, ages ago, was "Clutter's Last Stand" by Don Aslett. It's motivating and very humorous. I find myself occasionally repeating this little poem from the book, regarding things to get rid of: "Something red, something dead, something underneath the bed/ Something gray, in the way, should have chucked it in the bay." 😄
❤❤❤
Yes, yes! I loved that book!!
Me too. I read it about once a year, the OLD one. It's about time I dragged it out, again. It's my favorite motivational book. Uncle Don is the bomb.
Clutters Last Stand! That was my first declutterring book also. Great book 📖
Don Aslett! His books helped me a lot!
Dana K White's books have been most impactful. I own all of them as audio; I like that she narrates her own books.
I would be SO careful about decluttering kids' things without them. My in-laws literally created my husband's hoarding disorder by sneaking things out when he wasn't looking. It took so long to get his trust for me to be able to declutter anything at all. He was so afraid.
How heartbreaking! Did he ever confront them or ask about his things growing up? Just wondering if there would be warnings with my own children
@@aliesefitch1099 He is going to be 70 this year, so he was growing up in the 50's, a different time. Now, in 2024, he would probably be on the spectrum. So, he remembers more than the average person, and therefore missed things most kids would forget. His parents just dismissed anything that wasn't important to them.
@@barbarahaberman349😢❤
I’ll be 68, and have had collecting and hoarding tendencies and even full blown at times, I get him. Bless your heart, for understanding and loving that part of him❤
Yes, I had a friend whose mother used to do that - she would come into school in tears on the day she knew her mother would be decluttering because she was so afraid of losing something precious.
Decluttering at the Speed of Life is a gem. It helped from getting me started with decluttering to turning habits into behavior modification.
I think I’ve listened through that book 3 times in total. Funny, insightful, creative and observational.
Number one is in Proverbs chapter 31! Conviction when reading “she looks well to the ways of her household”! It’s what began the UA-cam search where I found you 🤗
Wonderful, finding the answer in God’s holy word.
My life has changed so much since I’ve been watching you for the last three years Dawn. I think there’s a huge link between consumerism and anxiety/ depression. I took your at home course with Dana and Cass. It was super effective. My home, papers, clothes and even garage are organized and decluttered now. Most importantly I’m free of guilt from undone tasks, unworn clothes, unused gifts, and the silent to do list. I feel mastery over my domain, and myself. The relief of anxiety is such a gift !! Being in control of my calendar, schedule, mail, finances, has all come from reducing the amount of possessions and our home is so peaceful. The energy I have now is so much more because I’m living with the right amount of stuff. Thank-you Dawn !!
Dana K. White has helped me along with you and Cas.
Those are my three “gurus.” Listening to these three women share their experiences, foibles, struggles, and wisdom has changed my thinking & my home. ❤
One thing I will always disagree with is getting rid of other people's possessions behind their back-- even if they are 3 or 12 years old. This creates distrust that can have long-lasting and often rebound hoarding effects, as they struggle to hold on to items even more. Also the person is not learning how to manage their own inventory and develop skills in decluttering and decision-making on their own.
Flylady’s Sink Reflections changed my life ❤️
Me too!!
Yes, me too! Still in my top 10 books!
I appreciate the principles and suggestions you've shared on your channel. It's a great service to help people you've never met. On one author's point of view today, I strongly disagree. Along with some other commenters, I think it's harmful to remove your child's belongings without their knowledge or input. I like to think of it this way: how would you feel (as an adult) if you came home to find that some well-meaning friend or relative had removed all of your belongings that they deemed unnecessary? I'd be shocked, hurt, and angry, and I think most people would. Children are people, too, and have preferences, feelings, and needs just as we do. I think it's much wiser to teach them principles of decluttering, show by your own example of how you decide what to keep or get rid of, and patiently guide them through the process. To me, it's not the end of the world if they have a lot of possessions, but it could really disrupt their world if you break their trust by taking away their automony and sense of self in that way. The message they could get is that their needs and wants don't matter at all, and I don't think that's worth a less cluttered home.
I agree 💯%! I think back to my childhood and how my things would disappear,or get broken by someone else, or borrowed (even with my permission) and never returned. And no one ever apologized ! I felt so disrespected. I felt like I didn't matter because my possessions didn't matter to the people in my family. I think the suggestion to cull some excess toys and put them in a box is a good one. If there is something special they miss, it's still there. After 6 months to a year, have them go through the box and choose what to get rid of. You lose nothing as a parent and they are treated as people deserving dignity. That's HUGE!
A friend had sent me a book titled "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Big". Hysterical! But, I began to realize clutter and body clutter are related. Holding onto "stuff". Began to lose weight while decluttering but it is a slow process for me.
What a delight to see my book Minimalista featured here! Thanks so much Dawn! xoxo
I had not heard of your book so I’ll be checking it out for myself! Thank you in advance for your efforts to help everyone!
@@wilhelmina8843 Hope you enjoy!
The #1 book that CHANGED MY LIFE and made decluttering achievable is an older book called "Messie No More," by Sandra Felton.
(You can buy it used for 5$.)
It addresses the most important thing, UNDERSTANDING the CORE REASONS for clutter.
It's an excellent STARTING POINT for when clutter is OVERWHELMING you, and how-to books just don't help.
I read it multiple times over the span of years until it became a permanent part of my soul.
❤ I owe a great debt to that awesome little book.
The Messes Manual was the first book I read years ago that helped me start decluttering.
@rebeccaellis5892
Sandra Felton was ahead of her time because she understood the psychological part of clutter was so important if you wanted permanent solutions.
@kellycasperhanson4426 I agree and she gave me a plan and took away the guilt. I went back to her book to reflect on my progress.
@rebeccaellis5892
I know her book is older, but it still has so much to offer.
It's short and really easy to read and understand. I wish more folks knew about it.
I know it changed my life profoundly.
I'm so glad it was helpful to you, too🌼!
@@kellycasperhanson4426 I have that book in a bag ready to donate, but maybe I should take another look at it. Thanks!
Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up was the first book and probably the best one I've read. But I don't use all the techniques she mentions and I use much smaller categories than Marie Condo does. If I put all my clothes out it would be overwhelming and take me three days to do it, but if, for example, I just simplify it by using a smaller section like looking at all my shoes together then I can curate them easily in a quick time frame.
Yourself and a number of other content creators on youtube have really kept me going with decluttering. I also struggle to do all the housework, I have a disability, and having a cleaner come in once a fortnight also keeps me more accountable. I had my daughter help me with my clothes last year and that was wonderful, I was able to make quick decisions, categories items quickly and she took the donations to the charity on the way home. She also kept a few things for herself and was complemented while wearing one of my tops, at work, the following week. It certainly increased my feeling of wellbeing.
Quarantining my
Kids toys was the best idea when decluttering their toys. Out of a whole month keeping their quarantined toys in my closet; only one kid of the 3 asked for his missing truck. I gave it back to him and kept the bag for another month to just see if anyone else missed anything. Nothing was missed so i donated the toys.
If I feel overwhelmed with the decluttering task then how much more do my kids feel the same when they have an abundance of toys they barely play with but don’t know how to articulate it.
Also I’m an observant person so I notice what they play with and I was intentional with items i put in the quarantine bin in the first place.
Dawn, I love that you are not wearing a black blouse all the time anymore. You look great!
I've been decluttering my house again for the 1st time in a couple of years (with a 3 year old trying to "help" 😂) and it's been so much easier this time around. Not because I've got less stuff, because I haven't maintained at all since the last time and there's all the baby/kid stuff this time around. But because last time I started with the worst/biggest mess in the spare room and I lost my mind and lost determination.
This time around I've started in the smallest spaces first, a cupboard at a time in the kitchen, the unit in the living room, then a wardrobe at a time. Now my entire house is done except the spare bedroom. And it's made me feel so much better going in to the bedroom the last couple of days because all those things I need to keep I now have the appropriate home elsewhere in the house FREE for them to go into. Things are either in the donate box, the black bag, or straight back into their correct home which has plenty of space available now. It really helps to leave the biggest disaster to last because the rest of the house is prepped and ready for the things that got thrown into the spare room because I couldn't put them away.
One of your best videos to summarize your key points. Thanks for pulling it all together for us.
The first book that really got me thinking about having less was called Stuffocation by James Wallman. It really struck a chord with me and after that I read Marie Kondo. It just took off from there. I was never a hoarder and often found myself decluttering, but after this I was unstoppable.
Loved that book. Still re-read it occasionally for inspiration!
The gifts one is so stressful and frustrating, because I have multiple people in my life that have literally asked me, “Where’s that thing I gave you?” I’m a minimalist and I love getting rid of things that no longer serve my current self, but I have to keep certain items not because I need or want them, but because people will go looking for them. One time, a family member gave me a bunch of photos of their youth that were taken in the 1970’s, and I thought they were now mine, so I went through them and chucked all the pictures of people I did not know. (I kept all the ones that had anyone I knew.) This family member later asked to look through the pictures, and was livid that I had dared to get rid of THEIR memories. Why’d you give them to me, then? Who keeps pictures of strangers?
Sounds like a boundary issue to me. There are times to keep things others have given you to keep them placated, but it's also okay to offer the items back and then donate of they say no, and also when they give you something ask "would you like to have back the ones I decide not to keep?" I'm in the process of enforcing new boundaries around this. People will try to give you less if they know you won't just hold onto it indefinitely. I'm sorry for what happened with your pictures, it sounds like that person really just wanted to store their things at your home.
I had a nephew send me a big box of old family photos out of the blue. A couple of months later, I received an angry phone call about why I hadn't sent them back. Like, what? If anyone sends me something I didn't ask for, I'm certainly not going to spend $40 in postage to mail it back, especially when my budget is tight. He's a trust fund baby; I'm not.
I read Simplicity Parenting many years ago and it is a jewel!
But I worked with my kids to remove their toys. I know 2, unrelated, people who are hoarders and it's linked with their moms getting rid of their stuff when they were kids.
He has a podcast too.😊
Yes, Dawn 85% less stuff = 85% more energy, joy, time, peace and money.
My favorite book was "Is there life after House work by Don Aslett. He recommends decluttering first but he was wonderful for me. He has written many books. T/u Dawn. You too are wonderful...
3:08 It makes no sense to keep “all items of a certain category in one place.” We need to keep things at their POINT OF USE. So yes, we may need a pair of scissors in each room - or a roll of Scotch tape, or whatever. Are you really going to walk upstairs or downstairs or even into another room every time you need to use one of those items? That’s categorically ridiculous. Pun intended.
"It's All Too Much" by Peter Walsh is very good.
Peter Walsh’s Let it Go is sensational for dealing with sentimental clutterz
Joshua Beckers approach resonates with me the most. The life I want to live is my key motivation. Loved this video idea.
Did you read: CLUTTER’s LAND STAND
That book was really good.👍🏼
I enjoy reading. Holding a book, moving from spots inside or out, writing in it if I own it. The whole shebang. Blinkist is like the book reviews we had to hand in for school. Sure it saves time but a lot of the pleasure is missing.
Do authors get paid for someone getting their best ideas? Or does all the $$$ go to the condenser?
@@HistorianMom Good question!
The books who have help me most are your workbook Decluttering your Home in 15 minutes a Day. And Decluttering at the Speed of Life, and Swedish Death cleaning.
Is that 15 Minutes a Day, by Dawn?
@@Carolyn-qd8mjyes
I don't relate to the 10th time thing at all. I like my clothes more the more I wear them! I only get sad again if it starts to wear out and I have to replace it. Especially shoes. Maybe it's because I am so particular about what I buy.
Marie Kondo got me started on my minimalism journey so many years ago. And Simplicity Parenting was great...i read it many years ago when I first became a parent. Since then you've inspired me Dawn!
I think you maybe a hoarder of decluttering books ha ha!
The books that have inspired me the most is Decluttering your home in 15 minutes a day, Decluttering at the speed of sound, The life changing magic of tidying and Spark joy.
_The More of Less_ is what finally taught me exactly how to go about deciding what to keep and what to declutter - I read the entire thing in one day, and 2 1/2 months later I got rid of 11 large boxes of stuff in one sitting: half got dropped off at one of the reservations in South Dakota, the rest went to the thrift store near my parents. We got a tax write-off of well over a thousand dollars that year for that load alone - donation receipts are 100% worth getting!!
That’s interesting. I never ask for that receipt.
@@Carolyn-qd8mj The ones my mom gets have the donation center/organization name on it (or some other equivalent label), and then she fills them out with the items and values (which she has already written down on a list at home, so she can fill the receipt out after she drops the items off - she writes them down on the home list as she puts them in the donation boxes/bags). Not sure if that's how it works at all donation centers/organizations, but that's at least one way it can work.
@@SnowySpiritRuby. Thanks, I might try that.
I really liked her book - and blog, I think? However I got stuck on her concept of only having one bag, one pair of shoes. At least I think that was her, it’s been a while. I like the idea of making a “pass” and potentially getting rid of more on another pass in the future.
@@Carolyn-qd8mj _The More of Less_ is by Joshua Becker.
What do the writers of the actual books earn when using blinkest????
What helped me the most is YOU! My neighbor and I quote you to each other!
“Decluttering from the inside out” was Essential for me to get over my stuff hang ups.
Where do you store all those books? I’ve started weeding out my print books (I worked 23 years in a public library, love to read) and going mostly digital. I prefer print, but they take up a lot of room!
Believe it or not, my journey into minimalism didn’t come from any books. I stumbled across Joshua Becker’s blog. From there I fell into Francine Jay and Courtney Carver’s blogs. Then I just kept rolling into Leo Babauta, The Minimalists, etc. I jumped over to UA-cam and found you and a few others. I don’t own a single book on minimalism. I did borrow a few from the library though. We just recently moved into a 950 sq ft duplex and had a 26 ft moving truck crammed full. This is a 3rd move in 4 years and I purge with each one. Everything got offloaded into the garage and now even my husband is onboard with purging out more stuff. We spent the last 8 months traveling and it’s really eye opening how little we really need.
This was a very good episode!! I actually learned something new/saw some new ideas. Thank you!!!
Girl you don’t keep or wear stuff Diana gives you! Remember the metallic winter hat?? We do! 😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂
I own several of these books. Purchased House Rules because I saw it on your video a few weeks ago.. My favorite so far is Sink Reflections by Fly Lady. Really enjoy reading decluttering books.
Dawn, I love this video but you speak so fast my brain can’t catch up. Your non- stop , no pauses. It’s like you’re speed reading out loud. I love your content and will keep watching but please slow down a bit. ❤
You can actually slow the video down on your end. Google it for more info. ❤
@claudiayamada Clicking the round gear-shaped icon at the bottom of the video next to the CC icon lets you slow down or speed up videos. : - ) ❤
I found you Dawn after reading Jennifer L Scott’s books and learning about her 10 item wardrobe. I started watching her UA-cam channel and she mentioned you and others who were espousing paring back their stuff. I went down the rabbit hole and haven’t looked back. I like the way you all give credit to each other.
One BIG aspect . Is the sheer size of our homes .
Dana’s concept of take it there now is completely different in my moms house of over 2000sq feet vs my cabin of 400 sq feet.
Great video!
I read "goodbye things" when you first recommended it.
Swedish Death Cleaning is a really good idea.
Joshua Becker is my guru! And I recommend Dana to so many people because of her methods.
I agree strongly with everything, except throwing out children's toys without their knowledge, or even hiding them. It's a breach of trust and simply disrespectful to this little person to decide on your own what to do with THEIR belongings.
It may trigger traumatic response, insecurity, lack of trust in relationship with parents, and emotional instability up to hoarding disorder in later stages of life.
You can do anything with toys, as long as a child is involved in a decision making process.
Maybe you can play "toys of the week"? Let them pick a couple of them to play with and store the rest out of sight.
Or explain to them the concept of decluttering and donations and propose the ways they can be involved. They are smart enough to get it. Children are usually willing to part with their "not so precious" toys, if it's for a good cause.
But never ever throw their stuff away.
Besides, they need to learn how to declutter at some point in life, anyway, so why not teaching them this valuable lesson right now? :)
Why not teach them this valuable lesson right now? Because people have very different situations. Ideally , no parent would ever use the TV as a baby sitter for a few hours but sometimes there is no other realistic option available to them.
Such a great summary! Simplicity Parenting really helped me clarify the "why" of decluttering and simplifying in regards to the type of relationship I want with my kids. Too much stuff (clutter, overscheduled) gets in the way. I loved that book!
I worked in a library when I started declutterring before I moved on minimalism. That’s the time Joshua Becker’s book the minimalist home came out and it really was the push I need to rethink everything in my home. I found your channel a couple of years ago which helped me go even further!! Thanks so much for your guidance and how to really think about what’s NEEDED in a home.
I used to save EVERYTHING. The past few years, I've started getting rid of things. I still have a lot of stuff... but it all makes me happy. I've rarely met scrapbook paper or yarn that I haven't liked. Although I did walk out of Michael's today with nothing... I have realized that my grandkids won't want my junk, and also I don't think we'll be on this earth much longer anyways, so why save stuff?
I'm not type A and I'm disabled, I'm AuDHD. I thought it would be impossible for me to have precise homes for my stuff. But it's way less work. I only have to think about where to put each thing once, or maybe a couple times if the first place doesn't work well. It's so much easier and so much less work. My brain is so tired and scattered but my hands can often just reach out and grab things because they're always in the same spot
I moved my bin of rags away from the fridge so I kept punching the fridge for like 2 weeks when I needed a rag lol. It requires no brain power
@@no_peaceit's wonderful you have found a solution that's working! ❤❤❤❤
I love this for you! I’m not neurodiverse but I get neurological fatigue with medical issues. The ability to just “go get it” on a bad day has changed my life giving me so much peace and grace on the worst days. I’m having a good day today and it was amazing to find the “birthday bin” and put away the party hats cluttering the room. I felt silly making that bin 2 months ago. I felt loved and proud as I zipped them to it today 🙌 my daughter asked for a specific doll, I went to the “time will tell” soft toy bin in the basement and found it in 1 min flat. She felt so loved and I felt so efficient.
When it comes to Marie Kondo's take on books we need to remember that she is coming from Japan where space is at a premium! her take on keep few books is really reflection of spacial limitations of her region! we might apply her rules successfully in some apartments in NY !, maybe !
years ago i reorganized my home using her principles of "spark joy "… fir me it worked very well although my style is not minimalist !
there is something joyful about Kondo method !!!
I think it is best to have a space for everything and declutterring when the space is full. We had an IKEA shelf unit with 6 boxes. Before Christmas my daughter knew she had to empty one box, to make space for presents. She was fine with that, and we took the toys to the charity shop. If she was uncertain about giving away anything it went into the wait-and-see box in the garage. The box was closed and the date written on it. Anything in the box could be retrieved (as long as it fit into one of the 6 toy boxes) but if the box was not opened, in 6 months it went to the charity shop. She would have been very upset if I had decluttered her toys without her involvement.
Buying classic clothing items that you love, getting them tailored, and taking care of them is the best way to wear clothes you love for years! You can stay "updated" by adding a few new items and accessories each year. You'll feel great every time you go out/
Yay Dawn, this is one of the best videos you’ve made! Love all the summaries of these wonderful books! Thank you! 🥰🙏💖
I think sorting out kids toys without involving them kann weaken trust. It's their Stuff and they should learn to decide. Small steps and a lot of patience will help 😉🙏🏼
When I declutter my kids' toys, I don't completely get rid of them. They just get boxed up and go out of rotation. When my kids ask for certain toys, I assure them that they are in the toy closet and that they can still play with them if they're willing to trade for a different toy. The only times I truly throw things away is if they're trashed, broken, or OBVIOUSLY never ever played with.
I had a 3 shelf unit. 3 toys on each shelf. I rotated them every week...left the favorites of ge week of course. Also a basket of 4-5 books in the bedroom. plus a bin of many " cars, trucks anything with wheels" behind a door, IN A CABINET.
Everything could be put away in 3 minutes.
Outdoors, 3 big toys n basket of small outdoor plastic stuff. Again, could be lined up in a minute. I kept rotating toys from a spot id cleared in laundry room upper cabinets that was out of sight to kids.
I didn't see SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life by Julie Morgenstern in your collection. Her process has been huge for me, especially the step of naming a theme to help get unstuck and provide direction. And examining what the stuff means to you --- the psychological need it has been serving -- so that you don't recreate it unconsciously.
Years ago I read Julie's book "Organizing from the Inside Out". I set up my kitchen using her principle of storing things where you actually use them, and 25 years later, it's still functioning quite well. Thanks for reminding me of her books! I'll look them up again to help with my current decluttering/organizing projects.
@@jeanettehansen4852 Another gem of hers! I love her inside out sensibility. When SHED came out, it was originally titled When Organizing isn't Enough, SHED Your Stuff and Change Your Life, or something pretty close to that. Cheers!
Did you actually read all those books or use blinkist? But happy to hear the tips
I'm guessing she read them, per the title, the stack of books, and the Amazon link to the actual books ;-)
Where do you keep these 100 Simple Living Books in your very minimalist home?!?!? I just ordered a few of these, and struggle with getting rid of reference books I like!
The Life changing magic of tidying up, Let it go, and The gentle art of Swedish death cleaning have truly impacted my life. Great video, Dawn! ❤
I love this! I’ve just recently been made aware of Greg McKeown’s books Essentialism and Effortless. These are wonderful too. I have the physical copies, but if you can listen to them on audio, I really recommend. I have them on audio from my library.
I hate camping-so imagining camping as simple living isn’t enjoyable for me. My house has much more inventory, but I enjoy my things. It makes life so much more comfortable. It’s excess and trash that I find as clutter.
Camping is so fun! You just need the right gear.
@@thebackpackfamily2836I'm an outdoors person and I don't even want to camp. I like sleeping indoors. So I understand where she is coming from! ❤
@@thebackpackfamily2836 maybe -I’m also 65, it was fun when I was 12😂😂😂😂
Ugh. I hate camping too. It’s inconvenient, uncomfortable, dirty, and a lot of work to do just to be miserable.
And no, the “you must be doing it wrong if you don’t love what I love” is not a valid argument.
I understand that for some it’s a cheap holiday, so go for it. But, ugh.
Glamping I can get behind. But basically that’s a hotel style without the need for an elevator. Best if there’s a restaurant and/or room service too.
@@djkg17 😂 Good luck when crap hits the fan.
Anyone else feels like the minimalist fad has peaked and now people are just reaching hard for content? Same old stuff being said over and over….i used to be a huge fan of Dawn, minimalism and all the books and media on the subject of minimalism and declutterring. However, the message seems to be falling flat nowadays…
Thank you for the book suggestions. Here is how I dealt with "What about gifts?". I told the few people that we exchanged gifts with, that going forward, we would not like to receive any more gifts. In the future, we would celebrate special days with meals and togetherness. Some people were happy with this approach, and a couple were not as happy, but everyone has respected my wishes. i have not missed receiving gifts even a little bit, but I have greatly enjoyed the meals and togetherness. I really have everything that I could possibly want in the way of possessions. I could never have too much fun with loved ones.
I would not miss the gifts at all.
Another concept from "Clutter's Last Stand."
I love Gary Chapman's book The Five Love Languages. Like you, I replaced material gift exchanges with shared experiences (e.g., meals/movies/put-put golf). This worked well for me because my #1 love language is quality time. Unfortunately, one of my friends has a #1 love language of gifts, so she didn't like this change at all.
But what do you do when the giver (my adult daughter's family) doesn't agree to no physical gifts? We celebrate together with a wonderful meal and dessert, and then, you guessed it, the gifts come out. It's hard to be excited about their gifts when you specifically ask for no gifts.
@@kathymedlin1569 I get rid of almost everything I'm gifted when I get home. And if they have a problem with that you can say again we asked specifically for no gifts. I do not have space to store anything.
Moving all my office equipment into one space (instead of some in the office and some in the kitchen) was so helpful. It avoids repetition and saves space
I thought Dawn was going to talk about decluttering all those books......................
😂😂😂 I did too!
Not minimalism but on the same track I loved essentialism by Greg McKeown
Keep the memories and lose the stuff is a great book, I absolutely loved it!
❤ Swedish Death Cleaning is the best! I leaned into this after my father‘s passing and my mom and I had to go through the entire house for an auction and selling the house. My dad always placed value in having things just in case my mom is quite the opposite and now she is able to have just what she needs. Swedish death cleaning is the best thing you can do for your love ones and also for yourself.❤️✨
When I count the number of items I have….for example pillow cases….it makes it a lot easier to downsize. I had 90+ pillow cases.
As we were purging, preparing to move, I discovered my mom had 17 boxes of Christmas bows - besides several more boxes of wrapping paper, ribbons, and package decorations. I had at least 8 pairs of sheets for my one twin bed, plus a few full size sheets for the same bed! Good grief! 😊😊😊
Wow. 90+.
You can use some for covering the out of season clothes and blankets. I use a couple that coordinates with my sofa to cover the throw pillows. The excess will need to be tossed.
Sometimes getting a compliment on something you’ve been wearing for a decade is the best thing to remind us of principles. I stopped saying ‘oh, this old thing?’ And just say thank you!
One of the books I recently decluttered was the Marie Kondo classic lol! Such a relief to clear that space! 😊
Do you dream about decluttering 😂😂 Lol. Thanks for sharing though.
Lol, surprisingly I don't! I do see most things in life as a metaphor for decluttering now, though, lol!
Goodbye Things is my absolute favorite book! I am glad you recommended it because it is such a great read. I have listened to it countless times. ❤
This is probably a comment for one person out there at the most, but I was really surprised to see "döstädning" written down like that. As a swede who's heard the word my entire life but not seen it written down, I would have written "dödstädning" or "dödsstädning". Which would also be more exact to the English translation. "Döstädning" makes no grammatical sense. She wrote, commenting on an English language video.... 😂
I love you Dawn!! So thankful for your friendship 👯♀️♥️
Just wanted to encourage others who maybe don't particularly like to read non fiction. I haven't read any decluttering books but I've decluttered my entire home. I did listen to Dawn discuss the various books in other videos. ❤❤
Fumio Sasaki's book is my favorite. So much wisdom in his words. The book itself is minimalistic as well. Curated words.
Banish Clutter Forever: How the Toothbrush Principle Will Change Your Life by Sheila Chandra got me started on my decluttering journey and I’ve never looked back.
The Paper Solution saved me. Along with Organize 365 with Lisa Woodruff.
That’s a whole lot of decluttering books, thanks for summing them up for us.
Marie Kondo's concept of only one space for anything is BS. The kitchen needs scissors, and each of the three of us in the house needs scissors at their desk (each in a different room,) and we each need them in our crafting/work areas....
My experience too. Her method might work in a very small house but it sure doesn't in mine!🤷
I think it’s quite possible to understand the principle without being literal about the example. It’s a way of being deliberately obtuse to avoid looking clearly at where this idea could be useful. Clearly not scissors. But perhaps, IF using scissors as an example, that they are kept in the exact spot in whichever rooms you need multiples in. I am quite minimalist and I have multiple scissors. I keep two (different functions) in the kitchen and they are always in the exact spot in the kitchen. Not randomly shoved wherever or lying out under a pile of other clutter. Same with the scissors at my desk. Exactly the same pen cup for both (also 2 different functions)
So best to take the principle rather than worry about agreeing with examples
As a kid I was always really good at getting rid of things. I would have been really upset if my mom came in and took my things and hid them or got rid of them. I think once your kid is in elementary school they should really have a say in what stays and what goes. If the kid isn’t good at getting rid of things than next year try this method but I would talk to them first and see if they would actually be willing to get rid of stuff because you might find the kid has a very clear idea of what they want and don’t want. I’ve always been better at getting rid of things and staying organized than anyone else in my entire family and growing up I would clean my room and rearrange the furniture for fun.
Exactly the same with me. Yes, rearranging my bedroom quite regularly by myself, with my bed made every single day. I would do this and organize, and tidy for fun.
Your thumbnail has 2 copies of the comfort crisis hehe
I listened to Goodbye Things three times, and it greatly inspired me every time - for the whole time it took me to listen to it! Great book!
I keep meaning to ask this, and it came up again in this video. How is camping so easy for you? I feel like we must be doing it wrong. It's always so much work to pack for and clean up after. Even during, because we don't have the conveniences of home. How do you do it?
That's a great question! We bring the bare minimum...I'm ok with inconveniences while we're away and have a set menu for when we camp. I also take empty bins from the camper into the house, load them up with food and clothes and then have everyone help bring them back out to the camper. I have groceries delivered the same day we're leaving so I don't have to put them away in the house and bring them straight into the camper...not sure if that helps at all!
My house looks like your now, Dawn! I'm constantly decluttering and I LOVE the PEACE & HAPPINESS it brings! I love the book, "Let It Go" by Peter Walsh
100 years ago I read How to Conquer Clutter by Stephanie Culp. I loved her sarcastic wit about how silly it was to keep all the stuff. It's a good book for people who are ready to be ruthless and want a good chuckle about the absurdity of keeping everything. The more sensitive souls probably won't see the humour, but I wish I still had it because it's a quick read. I loaned it out and it never came back. I hope it's made some good rounds to people who need it.
Sounds like my kind of clutter book. ;)
I have a copy of that book! I think I bought it at a flea market when I was a teenager or in my early 20s. It's been all marked up, written in, and highlighted! I also have Let Go of Clutter by Harriet Schecter and Cas's book Cluttered Mess to Organized Success. Also just checked out The Paper Solution by Lisa Woodruff from my library, which I noticed was one of the books in the stacks in the thumbnail! I bought How to Keep House While Drowning on Audible but haven't listened to it yet. I got a lot of reading to do! lol
I tried decanting spices into matching jars. It didn’t work out for me. Found it senseless and monotonous. Everything looked alike and I have to read the labels in order to find the correct one🙄. No.
I put similar spices together, ex: oregano next to the basil, onions next to the garlic, salt next to the black pepper, the vanilla next to the baking powder, and cinnamon, etc. Makes more sense to me,
👍🏻 I keep spices used for baking in a totally different cupboard where I also keep the cocoa, vanilla, flour, oatmeal etc.
I also enjoy the Dana K. White books, they’re really good.
Dana White is the bomb! Love her and her energy. Has really worked for me.
I understand seeing sll items at once , but often I want to have an item in various places.... Ex for convenience i want sissors in the different places i use them so i don't have to go get them every time I need them😊