Hi. I am one of those extremely organized people. Have been since I was a kid. Here are some things I would add: 1) label things when you can. I label storage containers and shelves. That way then something is empty and I get a replacement I don’t spend time trying to remember which canister it goes in or which shelf it goes on. Seems silly, but when I had kids, it saved a lot of decision fatigue. And decision fatigue also leads to counter clutter. 2) I don’t buy fad clothes. I always buy basics that are pretty timeless. And with minor alterations and good care can go through many, many years. 3) Every night before bed I take a few minutes and go through the house. Put the last of the dishes in dishwasher, or wash them, put away stray items, tidy the bathrooms. Seriously, 10 minutes can make a huge difference the next morning. 4) and finally, every year, the month before my birthday, I do a whole house purge. If I haven’t used an item the previous year, and it is under $50 to replace (if I do need it) out it goes. I am brutal. But I don’t have clutter, my house is easy to clean and I am not overwhelmed with junk everywhere.
Thank you. I’m sure this is almost natural for you, however I need all the tips I can get. This was a great addition to a already great information piece.
I saw a funny cartoon once where a guy wearing an advertising "sandwich board" bent over to pick something up (leaving the sandwich board on his back horizontal) and another guy was stacking things on the board! The caption read "Any horizontal surface is immediately piled up! (My written description is lacking but hopefully you can picture it.) My problem is step 1. I can go through a pile and decide what to keep and what to toss/recycle/sell/give away, but then I don't know what to do with the items to keep--so I put them back in a pile. (If I'm feeling really "organized" I might put them in a box.)
My friend said that her Mom always said, “Don’t just put it down, put it away”. It only takes a minute or so longer to take the extra steps to put it away. Hello from Toronto 🤗🇨🇦
This has always been my rule. If you put it down you have a mess instantly use the pepper salt extra dish knives spoons and put them on the cupboard mess use the pepper put it back use the salt put it back an extra dish put it in the dishwasher not the cupboard never put it down unless you are still using when done put it away
20 years in the military taught me about "staging". Staging in logistics is all about efficiency of movement. It is where all like items land in the same spot to be dealt with at a later time for mass movement. That later time could be 5 minutes from now, or the next time I head into the far end of the house. The basket at the bottom of the stairs is an example. Staging is NOT a long term storage solution and beginners should beware of the pitfalls of leaving items in a staged area for 'later'. For instance, I use staging when I empty the dishwasher. Instead of making 4 trips to the same cabinet to put away the plates and bowls, I stage all items that go on that side of the kitchen in a single spot on a counter in the direction of where they will be going or in the vicinity of the cabinet where they belong. When the dishwasher is empty, the staging locations are then cleared. Yes, you touch the dish more than once, (once to set it in the staging location and once again to put it away) but the gain is overall efficiency of the entire dishwasher emptying process vs. how many times a dish is touched. Staging is not about decluttering, but more about efficiency and this efficiency gives you more of that invaluable commodity...time. Think of it like Advanced Tidiness - when you naturally begin to not only be tidy, but efficient as well.
Thank you for saying this because I thought I was being lazy when I do this, just because I don’t put it up right away. Sometimes I do put up right away but, sometimes it’s all overwhelming. This helps break it up to where I can manage it better.
I use this staging concept a lot because of limited mobility. Since I can't just walk back and forth to an area easily, I make sure I gather up everything I need to take there in one trip. It saves me so much time and energy!
All dirty laundry goes in a laundry basket. When a load is dry, the laundry and a pile of hangers get dumped on the bed, the basket is stashed in its spot and the laundry is put away - closet: hanging clothes, extra hangers dressers: folded day clothes, underclothes towel racks: fresh towels and cloths cabinets: extra linens. The whole process doesn’t even take five minutes.
My Mom passed a year ago. It took that to get me to declutter my home. Dealing with all her stuff was hard. I don’t want to put my sons through that. I am so proud of myself. My kitchen table was always full. It has been completely clean for months. If I put something on it, I clean it off as soon as possible. I love your videos. You really make me stop and think, do I really need to keep that or do I really need to bring that into my home!! 💜
Well done!!! It is so difficult, my mum passed in 2020 and I'm still sorting things out 😳 to be fair I've been decluttering my own possessions at the same time. We got this! ❤️Xx
I’m thankful my mom was so organized and had purged much over the last 10 years before she passed. My father passed away this past April. We cared for him for almost 2 years. He had saved 30 years worth of taxes! I put off shredding them until he passed away. I’ve already been working on my office and filing as well. Doing the “Swedish Death Cleaning!” (Look it up). With our kids all out of state, I don’t want it to be hard for them once we both pass. Everyone over 60 should do this imho.
I'm sorry for your loss. My mom passed in October. She lived with me. I so need to clean this house out. Most of the stuff is mine not mom's. I haven't even cleaned her bedroom out.
@@kschristi50 My Dad died in January. My Mom 10 years prior at 68. I'm sure she thought she still had time. Boxes of photos, taxes prior to my birth. I'm 60. A lot has been done but I get weary. We cared for my Dad for 5 years and he was afraid to let anything go. So we waited.
I’ve found the #1 thing I can do for myself is to make sure I “undo the day” before bed each night. It’s also a satisfying way to process what I did all day. In putting away each night anything I did or bought throughout the day, over time I noticed I’d start decluttering new messes sooner, so I wouldn’t have to attend to them later. Even if I can’t do anything else to clean/organize, “undo the day” helps stop the madness from getting worse!
I grew up in a very messy house. I organized things at an early age as a way to deal with the clutter around me. Today, I am still a very organized person. My siblings all live in very cluttered and unorganized houses. It’s odd how childhood experiences can affect people differently.
Absolutely! My mum used to throw things away, including toys that she thought I should have grown out of, ruthlessly. Plus, we moved a number of times, for work, and I would find that not all of my toys came to the new house with us. It's only recently that I realised how much I cling to possessions, and linked it to my childhood experiences. I'm learning to let go. But my brother has grown up more like our mum; he'd say, "What are you keeping that for?", even if it was something he'd given me! :D
Agree with all points! Re: decluttering, I also have a paper shopping bag in my closet for “things to donate,” so we can get those items my kids have outgrown or we don’t like anymore a “home” as well. When the bag is full, I can drop it off. It’s much less intimidating that clearing out the whole closet periodically!
Love it- Dana K. White of A Slob Comes Clean on YT also tells you to be sure the bag or box itself is also donate-able. When I had a permanent donate bag, I’d have to empty it and found that I would suddenly think something was useful again so I’d rationalize back into try car and home. Not anymore- now the whole bag goes without even looking into it again!
One of the best things about making sure every item has a home that I teach my young kids is that if you can't figure out where it can live then maybe you don't really need it or maybe you have too much stuff and need to declutter. It works in conjunction with the container-limit concept too. If their bins and shelves are out of room, they have to declutter in order to get more things. Very effective with kids close to Christmas and birthdays trying to declutter for donations (and garbage)! And this then leads to what you were talking about in terms of being mindful as well. My kids are learning there are limits so they can make good choices.
I'm naturally organized, but when my kids were little I learned to teach THEM to be more organized by making sure all their things had a "home" and that they knew where it was. With this technique THEY could do cleanup instead of mom always doing it. At cleanup time I'd tell them to put their toys in their homes, and it worked much better than telling them to "cleanup this mess!" or, worse, just do it myself
I did same with mine and we put a cute little song together about it too. “Pick up toys, pick up toys, pick up pick up pick up toys!” Lol. Worked thought. They’re just as organized as their momma! Proud of them as adults!
I'm an organized person, however this hasn't always been the case. I'm SO glad I don't have to spring clean. It was incredibly overwhelming. I constantly declutter & clean so I also don't have to spend an entire day cleaning & doing laundry. It's so freeing.
That’s so great! For me, spring cleaning means vacuuming under furniture, behind fridge, etc. If you’ve mastered staying organized before then, cleaning goes sooooo much faster!!!
I’m trying to to find something to declutter when I go into a drawer, cabinet, closet. I’m finding it a painless way to keep my stuff purged. I toss it in my donate box. Amazing how it fills up.
I've heard that we become accustomed to the clutter around us so it's a good idea to take a picture of your interiors so you can see with different eyes. Great video and ideas.
Agreed. I tend to leave things on the table, and corners are terrible, and when I need to print picture for the grandparents journal, I notice that I tend to crop my pictures a lot to avoid having our daily mess printed out, or for them to see!
I took pictures of every room in our house before we evacuated for a hurricane a couple years ago. Yikes! Looking back on the rooms that have been decluttered and organized and the rooms I thought I have begun the declutter process - big difference! Yes, I have become accustomed to the clutter.
@@debbielenoir5472 I know what you mean. I took pictures of the interior and my belongings in case of an emergency and it was shocking. I still get clutter but I'm getting better at managing it. It's a process.
I have always been extremely organized, yet very sentimental, therefore I kept way more things than I should have. When my dad died in 1989, I helped my mom to go through his things and decide what to keep, what to donate, what to toss. Each child and grandchild chose something of his they wanted to keep for themselves. Then when my mother moved to a nursing home in 1997, I was the only one available to pack up her apartment, furniture and all, and clear it out. My sweet husband and one of my daughters helped. After she died, my sisters and I started the process of what to keep, what to donate, what to toss. My sister-in-law passed in 2012. My husband and I helped her son and his wife to clean out her home, which she had bought from my mother-in-law. I had always considered both of these women, whom I loved deeply, to be excellent and immaculate housekeepers! What a shock! Apparently both were just excellent at hiding things! After that, I began my decluttering journey. I do not want my three daughters to have to go through what I did with my mother, my mother-in-law, and my sister-in-law! It is an ongoing journey, but one that gets easier each time I do it. Thank you for keeping us reminded of the need to declutter ♥️
Since I heard you saying that I need to declutter something everyday, I have felt so relieved about cleaning my home. It makes it so much easier for me to keep the house organized.
A lovely clear and uncomplicated guide… I am going to give it a try. You’re right, decluttering does not have to be an event. It can be the background song of tidiness.
Hi Kallie, as someone who is incredibly organized and tidy these were spot on!!!! It’s both a blessing and a curse having an organized home, especially when you have a spouse who doesn’t always share the same views of keeping a tidy home. I would be interested in your thoughts of how to live with someone who isn’t always as tidy and organized as the other spouse. Love your channel and content!
Omg yes! Definitely interested in a video about this as well. What me and my aunt both do so far is give the husband areas of the house (hers has a closet, mine has his office and a shed) where we never bring up their messes and they can leave their stuff all around. The rest of the house I do ask him to keep tidy for when people come over. If he doesn’t I just bring his stuff in his office and say “here you go honey, I didn’t know where to put this.” Then it lingers in his office for weeks instead of on the kitchen counter 😂 Dishes I often ask him to do before bed please, and though he never seems to remember on his own, he always does when asked at least! ❤️
Literally... my husband decluttered his wardrobe just couple of hours back while I am writing in here. And to be precise he did this after 4 lonnngg years. I had stopped cleaning, decluterring and organizing his wardrobe after he fought very harsh saying he wouldn't find his things when they are organized by me!! I am never this much happy as I am now as there is a little hope for me that my husband might learn to help keep things in place in our home 💃💃
EXCELLENT! My Mom always said "A place for everything AND everything in it's place." However, I don't remember what she did with the things that came in without a set home! She was also good about going through our clothing every summer and passing down or donating our items. I honestly wish I'd started that habit when my kids were little! Live and learn! It's good that you mentioned that decluttering is an ongoing process. 😀
Love, love love you! You always have such a positive, upbeat attitude and good ideas to share🥰. Thank you for making my life better, one step at a time! I completely lost control of my house, etc. after my Mom passed in 2015 and we brought home a truck full of things from my childhood home. Surgery a few weeks later went wrong and I have barely been able to walk and work since then, 2016. I have not been able to pick up anything heavier than a paperback book, I had to let my career as a professional musician go, and I now work in a hospital as a patient transporter (I can’t sit or stand for long, but I am blessed in that I learned to walk again). I just had a surgery that will hopefully allow me to gain some ground and pain relief, and maybe make some progress on my home! In the meantime, you have kept me inspired and going, doing every little bit that I can! I used to have an organized beautiful home that I taught lessons in…maybe someday again!
Last summer i renovated my place, i took this opportunity to go thru every. Single. thing. that i own. I’ve always been organized but my place was cluttered with things i held onto that had no purpose to me anymore. My rules: •Don’t keep anything you don’t use •Give everything you own a designated home
Recently I have found the one thing that lets me 'let go' of stuff that 'I might need/have a use for someday', or just don't want to add to a landfill, by joining my local 'Buy Nothing' group on Facebook. This allows me to pass on items to others that they need or can use immediately. This absolves me of feeling the need to hold on to something that still has life in it because it's not going in the garbage, and creates joy knowing that it became useful.
This was great! If I may add, I came up with something that I call my "One touch Rule". That is, one day I realized that I spend extra energy moving objects around instead of just putting them away. Like I will pick something up off the floor and set it on a table. Then I might move it over on the table, and then later I put it away. So my hands have been on the object 3 times. I try now to have my hands on things only once. If I am handling it, I should put it away and not deal with it again later. It's a small thing, but this happens much more often than you realize and it makes a big difference.
The best benefit from having a 'home' for everything, and putting stuff away as soon as you're finished with it is you never have to go running around frustrated looking for something you really need right that minute.
Yes! I am very tidy and clean. (Not the same thing either). No garage sales. Limited online shopping. Focused local shopping not add ons. Then donate throw away and regift often. If its special we take a photo and donate i can not feel buriedin stuff. The stuff makes noise….. look at me im dusty, ugly, out of place, not my style anymore, broken, or just a bother….. less stuff. Less stuff noise in my head. More like. Wow this room looks great! Time to read or puzzle🙂
Yes! Time to read or puzzle! I don't know why that resonated with me...maybe because it was so specific? Not just the 'clean up so you can do what you want'.
I was an apt dweller for all my adult life, small space, 3 flights of stairs-didn't really have a problem. In a big life twist, at 46 got married and became a home owner. No landlord, no deposit to worry about-I have been binge buying for 3 years, and it is out of control. I feel so bad. When I start going thru it, I don't even know what I was thinking. Thank you. I need this.
I've been doing these things for years and didn't realize that it made me an organized person! How lovely to watch this and be given a virtual pat on the back! I will add that one other thing I do in the "everything has a home" and "keep flat spaces clear" categories, is never leave a room with empty hands. Even if it's just one item, if I'm leaving the room and see something that is homesick (lol), I will grab it and put it away on my way to where I'm going.
Hello, I’m a new subscriber, your title is what made me click on your video, I use to think I was ocd… I’m not, I’m extremely detail oriented. I’m 57, I’ve been this way for 50 yrs. Not sure how I got this way, but it’s the one thing in my life I can control, I constantly donate or sell and organize EVERY thing in my life and home is organized, every drawer, every corner, you were spot on about ppl like me. I do work outside the home, honestly somedays I would love to be a little disorganized. Lol, it is so exhausting to be this way at times. Have a lovely week.
I need to do better at 3 of these - I’m pretty good about putting things away and careful shopping. In my house, flat surfaces are the holders of all the things that don’t have homes or are waiting for the big future decluttering project lol. Great summary list!
My flat surface rule is only three items per surface because that's all I'm willing to move when I dust, and I live in Arizona where you dust and ten minutes later it's dusty again.
Wow I am an organized person. I don't let stuff sit around and when cleaning up, I know their designated home or space for it all. Yey. Also I organized my closet and I got rid of half my closet clothing because I did the turning hanger method and it's June 2022 and since I moved in 2020 there was still half of the hangers turned the wrong way so I packed and got rid of them. Now I still get rid of much on a daily basis in my kitchen. Thanks for the comforting videos... they relax me. 😌
Our brain is very much the same, I'm naturally unorganized. But you address home organization in a way that is very easy for me to understand and apply. I watch your videos anytime I need inspiration to clean my house (so everyday) thanks for making awesome content for a mom just trying to get a handle on her home.🤗
The first two steps have taken me 3 years to fully incorporate into my regular behaviors. It feels like it should be intuitive but it takes work. I am still working on step 3 and 4
These are so simple and so powerful! I do things right away if they'll take three minutes or less. Put it away now. Take it there now. I'd love to see your new artwork. Looks intriguing. I have a big garden this year. Painted tool handles orange and gather them all after each garden session. Lost my favorite hori hori knife once when I was too tired to round tools up. Gardening or using tools when exhausted is also dangerous. Go in, cool off, hydrate.
I thoroughly decluttered in 2013 when it became a "thing." Now, while I'm still evolving, following through, and keeping up with new ideas; having a clean space, people over, and the tools to keep it clean is nice.
I've always been organized and sitting here just nodding and checking marking. You hit the nail on the head. One thing about the flat surfaces that I was taught since I was a kid was "Clean while you cook." While the food is simmering, wash utensils/dishes that are not needed, and put them away right away and wipe the counter. That way then after dinner, there is not so much clean up but you are on top of preventing things from piling up on counters. This can be applied to other actives as well. One thing I do too is if it's something you can't do daily, then set time once or twice a week to do it (like an appointment/chore). Like Sunday mornings is a chance for me to assess things I didn't get to, organize if needed, therefore I'm set for the work week when I'm the most busy and then I relax and its not over my head.
Excellent video! Thank you! I just feel inspired to add my "tip" to the recommendations concerning immediate re-storage of tools, such as hammers, screwdrivers, boxes of drill bits, etc. I would recommend the use of "totes" for transport of the specific tools to be used, from the "work bench" or main storage area for these types of household tools. If you keep some sort of "tote" or "carrier" cleared and in-place with your tools, you can avoid the problem of having to carry a "bunch of tools" in your two hands, to the place in your house or apartment, where you will be working. A tray with a handle, from a large tool box, works really well for this, if you keep one of these trays with your stored tools, ready for use. Repair work can go more smoothly if tools and supplies (like nails and drill bits, measuring tape) are all kept in this one compact carrier. The "dumping" of a load of tools and supplies near the work area just creates confusion, loss, and one more mess to be managed at the conclusion of the job. And if you keep your fasteners, nails, and other small bits in one compartment of the tote, you avoid the waste of time which is crawling around on the floor, searching for "little things" that roll in all directions as you dump everything on the floor. You also avoid the potentially serious problem of a sharp thing like a tack remaining on the floor, or in the carpet, where someone in the household can step on it, and be punctured by it. Use of a plastic carrier just makes clean-up, and re-storage in the main "household tools" area much more efficient. The other advantage to this system is that all can be carried in one hand. This is safer, for walking up and down steps. I enjoyed this video.
The tote thing works with an alternative I heard, which is to have a "does not belong in this room" bin and each evening to have each family member take a bin and put things away. You could conceivably have a few specialized bins (e.g. "art supplies bin") and each evening put all the things in that area away. As someone with what I highly suspect is ADHD, I have multiple issues with the "put things away immediately" vibe, one of which is that each new interaction with a given space is another chance to get distracted by it, so moving away from the place I'm doing things and into a place where I could start doing other things is... counter-productive, I would say. But collecting things into a specific bin/tote for a given space feels like a useful compromise that still makes sure it gets handled by the end of the day.
@@Arkylie Yes. I agree with your basic approach. If you scroll down (about 5 comments) you will see a similar recommendation from a retired military person. He or she refers to this organizational technique as "staging". The practice of staging allows for continuation of the basic task, with collection of like items in bins, organized for return to a specific storage place. I am very much a "stager" . This practice allows for the most efficient use of my time. Thank you for your comment.
Kallie ~ I was not expecting the e-book after completing your survey -- what a treat....thank you so very much! 🥰 Keep up the great work and God bless!
You are SO right about flat surfaces! I have noticed that about my home. It's like the flat surface simply can't stand being empty and has to fill up as soon as possible with more stuff.
I always keep thing together in categories. When everything has a place it is so simple to find things! It might seem like work to organize but it really saves you so much time.
One of the best tips I also learned from the Tv show "Clean Sweep." In this episode, the lady was into crafts and had piles of fabrics, threads, papers etc. So this wasn't ever going to be a minimalist challenge. So he asked her, how many bins of supplies will you be comfortable with? And after considering it, I think she said 5. So all she had to do was limit her stuff to five bins. This idea helps with clothes - "How many pieces of clothes do you need to be comfortable." And so when I buy clothes, I know that I am going to have to remove something from the closet in order to maintain my limit so to speak. Power Tools with Thread in the comments below, spoke abut staging. I do not know if this is the same thing but when bank statements etc come in, it would be too time consuming to sort through everything and file them away (or enter them in my Microsoft Money. So I have a big folder that I shove everything in and when it gets too full or every couple of months, I empty it all out and sort through it. The thing about everything must have a home - YES. But there are also different classes of home from easily accessible to more difficult. Assign the correct items to the correct homes based on frequency of use. For example if you have copied off all your dvd's onto a hard drive and you do not need to use the DVDs regularly or you only want to keep them as a backup then why utilize prime real estate on a low shelf when you can box them up and pack them away into a top cupboard that you need the step ladder to reach. In this way, you can keep easily accessible spaces for the things you use regularly, and more difficult to reach cupboards for the things you use irregularly.
I'm so proud of myself that I do all of these things. It is because I watch your amazing channel, as well as others, and have learned to clean up my act. :) Literally.
Recently found this channel and it is helping so much… striving to be better wife and mother and learning the importance of being a good home keeper! Thank you kindly
Just going through a major declutter right now. I have been in a black hole for the last two years, with severe depression and have really let my house go. It now looks like a squat. I've filled a skip in the last week and have conditioned myself to be really ruthless. I still have a way to go, but I'm much more motivated and can actually see improvement. Its not just centred on my interior either, I've bitten the bullet and hired a gardener to clear the jungle outside on my plot, and am slowly hiring workmen to come fix bits of the house that need seeing to. I am definitely guilty of the flat surface crime and having wayyyyyyy too much stuff. My clutter babies have now started school and are bringing their friends over for playdates and sleepovers! For now, I've decided the way forward is storage bins. I'm putting everything orderly in storage bins; as I work through I'm armed with the garbage sacks for stuff that I dont want or need or is past its best. It goes straight in the sack as I come across it, then its done and gone. No second thoughts, no going back! (I've found it helps me reconcile myself to the loss by pouring something icky in the bag, so I have no desire to go back and pull it out.) I also set myself a timer or a place to tidy/declutter. Just half an hour or so, each time so I dont get overwhelmed and give up. I'm just fed up with living like this, its not "me" at all. Wish me luck guys, its a work in progress.....
I never really thought I was an organized person but rather have developed organized habits. But I am realizing either way, that I do all the things you mentioned. And it drives me a bit nuts when my family does the opposite of all these tips. I have 4 kids and a small house and it need things to be reasonably organized and tidy, not perfect but reasonably. Great tips! They work!
I have clutter families everywhere but the items in my home that have a home are immaculate. I need to work on the putting away right away. Good video! Simple but helps to hear someone say it out loud.
I agree....declutering never ends. I am almost finished decluttering every room in our house and I already see things in previous places that needs to be decluttered soon!!! But that's okay!!!! It looks so much better already!!
Whoa, have I naturally evolved into an organized person? I’ve already started doing a few of these things! Yay!!! I struggle with accepting that I am the only one in my house willing to do all of this. Love your videos. :)
I love the way you handle making mistakes when you're communicating. You always laugh at yourself a bit, but not in a self-deprecating way, you exude confidence and charisma.
The everything has a home thing is so important. I could let my space turn into a tornado site and Id still be able to clean it really fast because everything has a place and I dont have to try and organize as I clean
Me too! I had a couple of ladies over, unplanned with no notice and they were amazed at how "clean" my house was (it wasn't) but it seemed clean because there I no clutter because everything is always in its "home".
This is an underappreciated perk of being a generally tidy, organized person. Sometimes life gets in the way, bad habits sneak in, and the house gets out of control. But even when things are untidy and disorganized it takes no time at all to completely fix everything and get back to that organized state for the entire house.
Any time I leave a room I scan and clear all flat surfaces and take that stuff with me to where it belongs. There's never more than a handful, so easy-peezy. When I'm shopping I hold an item in my hand and ask myself, not "Does this spark joy?" but "How long before I declutter this?" If less than one year it stays on the shelf. That question alone has just about stopped all incoming clutter. YAY!!!
I have been this way my whole life and my husband is just the opposite. My daughter takes after him of course. I struggled for years with the both of them and now at 60 years old, I have accepted the fact that some people are just wired differently and are unable to adhere to any kind of schedule or organization no matter how bad they want to or try to
Yes. I am lazy and I am creative, but I managed to become organized somehow and realized that your rules are the ones I do. I just would add a 3.1: Whenever something new comes into your house, something old must leave. Helps incredibly when shopping as you have to think about what you will let go in order to buy a new thing you want - and sometimes you realize you don't need it because you still appreciate the old thing. :-)
This is my first visit to your channel and I loved your video! You're real! What I mean is that you're not one of those who "has it all together". The struggle is real for you so that makes you all the more relatable. Through the advancing of the years I've spent on this earth, I've become one of "those people"....I'm organized, for the most part. It's an on going process. I have evolved into this person simply because all the clutter, all the stuff stole too much of my joy. My home is my haven, my refuge, the place I go to break free from the "maddening crowd" All the tips you've shared with us, I actually do! It doesn't take much time and I find it to be so liberating to be free from all clutter. I'm far from being a minimalist, but I don't like having stuff sitting around all over the place. Everything has its place. The problem with being an organized person is that you have to find a balance to the point that you don't tip the scale over too much and become O.C.D. in your desire to put everything away & keep things tidy. That, too, can become a type of "bondage". Balance is key! As good as being organized is, keep everything in balance so that the need for being organized doesn't take over like the clutter in your life can do. I hope all this makes sense.
My mom used to say a place for everything and everything in its place🙂 And I would roll my eyes and think, “whatever Mom🙄 that’s kind of redundant.” Now i totally get it. Love & miss U Mom💙
Yes! As someone who is mad mega organized, the disorganization is an executive function aspect! People are busy, if you handle each item just once life will be less busy!
Well said. I did all of the things you mentioned and it makes my life so much easier. I have the one touch rule….touch it, deal with it then and your are done.
I too was not organized when I was young but found that as I got older the disorganization stressed me out so that I became organized to ease the stress. I do your 5 tips always. My grandma had a saying that sums up your tips well. I never understood it as a child but have internalized it now. She often said, "A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE."
Thanks so much for this video we just got new cabinets in our kitchen and Bathrooms so now we need to reorganize things Because of space much love and Blessings to you and your family 🙏❤️
I think a lot of it is time management. Like, "I need not only the time to shop, but also to put away stuff." Making sure that I put that into my plan for the day has been game changing.
I am one of these people that are “born” organized. I enjoyed more organizing my pencils and school material than studying 😅 and you did described and pin pointed right on everything I do on a daily basis, although I had never given much thought about it. 👍🏽🙌🏼
Omg these are all sooooo true for me. I’ve been insanely organized my entire life. Even my vehicle and purse are organized. 😆 I love being organized. I move so fast because I’ve been doing it for so long. It just becomes second nature. Thank you for this vid. 😊
This video encourages me! I struggle with clutter and currently it is so hard for me to do anything as I broke my shoulder and am in pain and a sling. But I look around and think what I should be doing to clean up this house! But your videos encourage me, so keep it up!😊
Hi Margaret, l fractured my right wrist on Christmas Eve. I can feel for you. And you can’t do anything because of the pain n inactivity. So I sat down and watched video on decluttering and others . And take stock of the areas and photograph them for before and after. This way you still can do something instead of frustration for not being able to do anything. Take care of yourself and you will recover well to take care of things. Yes , the house can wait but your health can’t wait. Pray God will grant you a speedy recovery.
I was not only that person as a child, I am now 58 and I'm still that person. As a child my mother would ask me to empty the pantry and put it back in the way I thought best. She never asked me to clean the bathrooms. She asked me to clean the closets. When we moved I would unpack the kitchen and organize it. And I'm talking about as young as 9 or 10 years old. It is something that people are just born with. I do it without even thinking about it. I can just always see the most organized way to do something. But now my husband uses me as a party trick. People will be at the house in. He will say let me show you a trick, honey you know that thing that came with the flagpole we bought 6 years ago? I need that. Where is it? Hall closet, second shelf from the top, left hand side, box in the back. And with 99.5% accuracy it will be exactly where I said it was. I don't think that's something you can learn. That's something that's just in you as a child or it's not. Because my husband is not that person. In fact, we call it the path of Tom. I can tell you exactly what rooms he's been in and what he was doing all day long. Because he's left something behind everywhere he goes. Lol what can I say? Opposites attract.
‘Clutter Babies’. 💕. Love it! When clothes shopping or anything else on sale I always ask myself, ‘if this wasn’t on sale, would I buy it?’ If the answer is no, it doesn’t come home.
I had a chuckle about the pencil case. I got a wooden pencil box from a girl who was leaving school - it was tradition to pass these precious school boxes on. I was a rule breaker and such was my attachment to the box that now, some 65 years later, I still use that box every day - I’m in my 80s. The inside of the lid, in tiny writing, are the names of all the girls with whom I shared a dormitory for five years! It has a place of honour on my desk now and my favourite pens and pencils are stored in it. It’s not beautiful, it’s sentimental, it’s old, it’s strong and it’s useful! I love my pencil box and it’s contents - including my oft used fountain pen!
Step 3 shop mindfully started to happen after I started the number limits in the seasonal project 333. I declutter often- it’s the onion method for me, small layers of clutter leaving often. I have a basket in my closet for daily declutters and when it’s full I go to the charity drop off.
Clutter babies!!!! You had me at clutter babies!! This is soooooo practical. I’m going to watch every day for a week, I need this in my heart and head!! Thank you sooo much!! It makes so much sense!!!!
As a naturally organized person, yes to all of this! Putting things away immediately is a big one. I find I can't relax in the evening if I have stuff that needs put away. Another thing I've started doing is reminding myself not to procrastinate if I can help it. See a sock on the floor? Pick it up now, not the next time you walk by. Little things like that can really add up to make a big difference and save you time in the long run. Great tips!
Thank you for this video. I follow these habits. But, my family said I am "OCD". I wasn't satisfied with their diagnosis. Also, I unpack immediately when I return home from a trip.
Yes! My mom always said, a place for every thing and everything in it's place. She was/is an organized person. My dad however was not. So, my mom was constantly picking up all his clutter.
Great video, helpful tips! Too many possessions everywhere cluttering up the place makes a house difficult to clean and causes me anxiety. It's visual chaos plus you can't find what you want quickly when you need it. I love a home where everything is tidy and clean, where everything has a 'home'. But it's very difficult if your spouse is an untidy hoarder who isn't in the habit of cleaning, and doesn't mind the mess. This is very challenging indeed.
You are spot on! I have always been an organizer, and somehow learned to do all that you talk about here. Have helped others organize, too. Thanks for breaking it down so very well!
I like to consider myself a pretty organized person, and your suggestions are great - most of them are already unwritten rules in my life! One other thing I do, especially when I feel I don't have time/energy to put things away properly is put them in a space that is really inconvenient for me (like my kitchen island). My rule is I'm not allowed to move the item unless it's going directly to its proper home. So in the meantime I have to work around the items and clutter (which drives me nuts) until I'm motivated to deal with them. This works especially well for new items I bring into my home, that I feel I need time to decide on a home for - they sit in the middle of my island until I can make a decision, and their presence there is a constant reminder.
Love love love this video. I’ve been called OCD, but I don’t like clutter and too believe that everything has a place. When I need something, I know exactly where it is….
One benefit of these 'uncertain times' is that my decision to stockpile food/etc has forced me to pare down stuff that I don't really need, i.e. decor items, holiday stuff, etc. We live in a 1400sf, 1/car gar, no basement house. Not even a walk-in closet. So I've been purging areas to make room for food/toiletries, adding shelves in nooks in laundry room, etc. It's amazing how I'm looking at our house so differently now that my priorities have changed. Even though I can't say I'm 'saving money' per se due to buying extra supplies, I'm def not wasting as much money, because all these food items can be eaten, vs. the decor / clothing stuff I didn't need at Marshalls.
Hi Kallie, this is a great video. Great five habits!!!!! I really am trying to be organized. I realized the other day that I leave things out saying that I will use them when I have time. Sometimes days pass without using items left out. Bad bad habit. I am trying to break that habit. Getting better though. Saving this video!♥️
My Mother always said, "A place for everything and everything in it's place.". However what she had was, "A place for nothing and everything all over the place" ! There was not an uncluttered surface in our house. Here is what I learned from that: I am now 90 years old and I just walked I nto another room to put a pencil in my desk drawer. As a matter of fact, I had to pick up the pencil from the floor.
Great tips. One thing I need to work on is putting my shopping away as soon as I get home from the shops. Sometimes after I’ve unpacked my trolley I put everything on the worktop & don’t put it away until a few hours later. In future I’m gonna put it away straight away.
I am that naturally organized person, watched this to see if I can help my boyfriends daughter, and everything you said is true, I do all those things without even thinking about it.
Hi. I am one of those extremely organized people. Have been since I was a kid. Here are some things I would add: 1) label things when you can. I label storage containers and shelves. That way then something is empty and I get a replacement I don’t spend time trying to remember which canister it goes in or which shelf it goes on. Seems silly, but when I had kids, it saved a lot of decision fatigue. And decision fatigue also leads to counter clutter. 2) I don’t buy fad clothes. I always buy basics that are pretty timeless. And with minor alterations and good care can go through many, many years. 3) Every night before bed I take a few minutes and go through the house. Put the last of the dishes in dishwasher, or wash them, put away stray items, tidy the bathrooms. Seriously, 10 minutes can make a huge difference the next morning. 4) and finally, every year, the month before my birthday, I do a whole house purge. If I haven’t used an item the previous year, and it is under $50 to replace (if I do need it) out it goes. I am brutal. But I don’t have clutter, my house is easy to clean and I am not overwhelmed with junk everywhere.
I like the $50 replacement cost idea, good tip.
This is helpful. Thanks for sharing 😊
Thank you. I would love to see your home tour if possible... always inspiring to see how an organized person lives!
Super helpful and the $50 to replace love it.
Thank you. I’m sure this is almost natural for you, however I need all the tips I can get. This was a great addition to a already great information piece.
1. Give Everything A Place
2. Put Things Away, ASAP
3. Shop Mindfully
4. Declutter Often
5. Clear Flat Surfaces
Thank you much! God Bless!
Came here to do just that for myself later, but it’s already done :D
Thank YOU.
Thank you!
Thank you ❤️
I saw a funny cartoon once where a guy wearing an advertising "sandwich board" bent over to pick something up (leaving the sandwich board on his back horizontal) and another guy was stacking things on the board! The caption read "Any horizontal surface is immediately piled up! (My written description is lacking but hopefully you can picture it.) My problem is step 1. I can go through a pile and decide what to keep and what to toss/recycle/sell/give away, but then I don't know what to do with the items to keep--so I put them back in a pile. (If I'm feeling really "organized" I might put them in a box.)
I can't remember who said this but it works: "Improve the room!" Each time you enter a room do at least one thing that improves the room 🤗👍🥳
Dana White of a Slob Comes Clean said it both online and in her book.
Great tip
Sounds like the FLY Lady.
Love that
I like that-thank you!
My friend said that her Mom always said, “Don’t just put it down, put it away”. It only takes a minute or so longer to take the extra steps to put it away. Hello from Toronto 🤗🇨🇦
my Mum said the same, don't put down, put away.
I say that out loud to myself every day.😁
This has always been my rule. If you put it down you have a mess instantly use the pepper salt extra dish knives spoons and put them on the cupboard mess use the pepper put it back use the salt put it back an extra dish put it in the dishwasher not the cupboard never put it down unless you are still using when done put it away
@@bethheerten1132 healthy boundaries
Toronto's a Fab City
What's really cute is how the clutter babies and dust bunnies cuddle up together.
Good one!!
🤣🤣
Definitely! I swiffer often, and yet, those sneaky dust bunnies always manage to snuggle up with that one cord.....
so truuueee 🤣
20 years in the military taught me about "staging". Staging in logistics is all about efficiency of movement. It is where all like items land in the same spot to be dealt with at a later time for mass movement. That later time could be 5 minutes from now, or the next time I head into the far end of the house. The basket at the bottom of the stairs is an example. Staging is NOT a long term storage solution and beginners should beware of the pitfalls of leaving items in a staged area for 'later'. For instance, I use staging when I empty the dishwasher. Instead of making 4 trips to the same cabinet to put away the plates and bowls, I stage all items that go on that side of the kitchen in a single spot on a counter in the direction of where they will be going or in the vicinity of the cabinet where they belong. When the dishwasher is empty, the staging locations are then cleared. Yes, you touch the dish more than once, (once to set it in the staging location and once again to put it away) but the gain is overall efficiency of the entire dishwasher emptying process vs. how many times a dish is touched. Staging is not about decluttering, but more about efficiency and this efficiency gives you more of that invaluable commodity...time. Think of it like Advanced Tidiness - when you naturally begin to not only be tidy, but efficient as well.
I do this, too! My husband questions why I do this. But it works for me!
Thank you for saying this because I thought I was being lazy when I do this, just because I don’t put it up right away. Sometimes I do put up right away but, sometimes it’s all overwhelming. This helps break it up to where I can manage it better.
I use this staging concept a lot because of limited mobility. Since I can't just walk back and forth to an area easily, I make sure I gather up everything I need to take there in one trip. It saves me so much time and energy!
Thank you!!!!!
All dirty laundry goes in a laundry basket. When a load is dry, the laundry and a pile of hangers get dumped on the bed, the basket is stashed in its spot and the laundry is put away - closet: hanging clothes, extra hangers
dressers: folded day clothes, underclothes
towel racks: fresh towels and cloths
cabinets: extra linens.
The whole process doesn’t even take five minutes.
My Mom passed a year ago. It took that to get me to declutter my home. Dealing with all her stuff was hard. I don’t want to put my sons through that. I am so proud of myself. My kitchen table was always full. It has been completely clean for months. If I put something on it, I clean it off as soon as possible. I love your videos. You really make me stop and think, do I really need to keep that or do I really need to bring that into my home!! 💜
Well done!!! It is so difficult, my mum passed in 2020 and I'm still sorting things out 😳 to be fair I've been decluttering my own possessions at the same time. We got this! ❤️Xx
I’m thankful my mom was so organized and had purged much over the last 10 years before she passed. My father passed away this past April. We cared for him for almost 2 years. He had saved 30 years worth of taxes! I put off shredding them until he passed away. I’ve already been working on my office and filing as well. Doing the “Swedish Death Cleaning!” (Look it up). With our kids all out of state, I don’t want it to be hard for them once we both pass. Everyone over 60 should do this imho.
I actually just set a schedule with my dad to go over ALL of his stuff! I told him when you pass I’m not going to know what’s what! 😆
I'm sorry for your loss. My mom passed in October. She lived with me. I so need to clean this house out. Most of the stuff is mine not mom's. I haven't even cleaned her bedroom out.
@@kschristi50 My Dad died in January. My Mom 10 years prior at 68. I'm sure she thought she still had time. Boxes of photos, taxes prior to my birth. I'm 60. A lot has been done but I get weary.
We cared for my Dad for 5 years and he was afraid to let anything go. So we waited.
I’ve found the #1 thing I can do for myself is to make sure I “undo the day” before bed each night. It’s also a satisfying way to process what I did all day. In putting away each night anything I did or bought throughout the day, over time I noticed I’d start decluttering new messes sooner, so I wouldn’t have to attend to them later. Even if I can’t do anything else to clean/organize, “undo the day” helps stop the madness from getting worse!
Nice way of thinking of it. Going to try using it.
I do the same thing and "undo the day" is SUCH a good way of saying it! Totally stealing this from you 😊
@@rebeccadanger9214 haha, happy to share the phrase!!
I love this! "Undo the day" !
# 4 Declutter often! -- I remind myself "Progress not perfection" as an encouragement to keep at it!
I grew up in a very messy house. I organized things at an early age as a way to deal with the clutter around me. Today, I am still a very organized person. My siblings all live in very cluttered and unorganized houses. It’s odd how childhood experiences can affect people differently.
Absolutely!
My mum used to throw things away, including toys that she thought I should have grown out of, ruthlessly. Plus, we moved a number of times, for work, and I would find that not all of my toys came to the new house with us.
It's only recently that I realised how much I cling to possessions, and linked it to my childhood experiences. I'm learning to let go.
But my brother has grown up more like our mum; he'd say, "What are you keeping that for?", even if it was something he'd given me! :D
My mother was very organized, but she was also a hoarder. I’m also organized and I heard more than I need to.
Agree with all points! Re: decluttering, I also have a paper shopping bag in my closet for “things to donate,” so we can get those items my kids have outgrown or we don’t like anymore a “home” as well. When the bag is full, I can drop it off. It’s much less intimidating that clearing out the whole closet periodically!
I do that too.
I have a go-away box that I do the same with.
Great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Love it- Dana K. White of A Slob Comes Clean on YT also tells you to be sure the bag or box itself is also donate-able. When I had a permanent donate bag, I’d have to empty it and found that I would suddenly think something was useful again so I’d rationalize back into try car and home. Not anymore- now the whole bag goes without even looking into it again!
Mine is hanging form the door knob and every sunday if there´s something inside I take it to church ( in my church they receive this kind of stuff)
One of the best things about making sure every item has a home that I teach my young kids is that if you can't figure out where it can live then maybe you don't really need it or maybe you have too much stuff and need to declutter. It works in conjunction with the container-limit concept too. If their bins and shelves are out of room, they have to declutter in order to get more things. Very effective with kids close to Christmas and birthdays trying to declutter for donations (and garbage)! And this then leads to what you were talking about in terms of being mindful as well. My kids are learning there are limits so they can make good choices.
Kids? I'd love to have my husband get this.
This knowledge is a wonderful gift you're giving them.
I'm naturally organized, but when my kids were little I learned to teach THEM to be more organized by making sure all their things had a "home" and that they knew where it was. With this technique THEY could do cleanup instead of mom always doing it. At cleanup time I'd tell them to put their toys in their homes, and it worked much better than telling them to "cleanup this mess!" or, worse, just do it myself
Good for you. I bet they grumbled back then, but they're thanking you now!
@@RadCenter Haha, yup, and on LOTS of other things too. Hang in there moms of young ones, all the effort, pain, and suffering pays off!
That's a great tip!! Thank you ❤️
I did same with mine and we put a cute little song together about it too. “Pick up toys, pick up toys, pick up pick up pick up toys!” Lol. Worked thought. They’re just as organized as their momma! Proud of them as adults!
I'm an organized person, however this hasn't always been the case. I'm SO glad I don't have to spring clean. It was incredibly overwhelming. I constantly declutter & clean so I also don't have to spend an entire day cleaning & doing laundry. It's so freeing.
I do the same. It’s amazing how much better my life is !!!
6:00 daily
That’s so great! For me, spring cleaning means vacuuming under furniture, behind fridge, etc. If you’ve mastered staying organized before then, cleaning goes sooooo much faster!!!
I’m trying to to find something to declutter when I go into a drawer, cabinet, closet. I’m finding it a painless way to keep my stuff purged. I toss it in my donate box. Amazing how it fills up.
I've heard that we become accustomed to the clutter around us so it's a good idea to take a picture of your interiors so you can see with different eyes. Great video and ideas.
Agreed. I tend to leave things on the table, and corners are terrible, and when I need to print picture for the grandparents journal, I notice that I tend to crop my pictures a lot to avoid having our daily mess printed out, or for them to see!
What a great idea
I took pictures of every room in our house before we evacuated for a hurricane a couple years ago. Yikes! Looking back on the rooms that have been decluttered and organized and the rooms I thought I have begun the declutter process - big difference! Yes, I have become accustomed to the clutter.
@@debbielenoir5472 I know what you mean. I took pictures of the interior and my belongings in case of an emergency and it was shocking. I still get clutter but I'm getting better at managing it. It's a process.
I've done this and that perspective is rather astonishing! 😵💫😣 It's a tool I sometimes use when I become too accustomed to the clutter.
I have always been extremely organized, yet very sentimental, therefore I kept way more things than I should have. When my dad died in 1989, I helped my mom to go through his things and decide what to keep, what to donate, what to toss. Each child and grandchild chose something of his they wanted to keep for themselves. Then when my mother moved to a nursing home in 1997, I was the only one available to pack up her apartment, furniture and all, and clear it out. My sweet husband and one of my daughters helped. After she died, my sisters and I started the process of what to keep, what to donate, what to toss.
My sister-in-law passed in 2012. My husband and I helped her son and his wife to clean out her home, which she had bought from my mother-in-law. I had always considered both of these women, whom I loved deeply, to be excellent and immaculate housekeepers! What a shock! Apparently both were just excellent at hiding things! After that, I began my decluttering journey. I do not want my three daughters to have to go through what I did with my mother, my mother-in-law, and my sister-in-law! It is an ongoing journey, but one that gets easier each time I do it.
Thank you for keeping us reminded of the need to declutter ♥️
Since I heard you saying that I need to declutter something everyday, I have felt so relieved about cleaning my home. It makes it so much easier for me to keep the house organized.
A lovely clear and uncomplicated guide… I am going to give it a try. You’re right, decluttering does not have to be an event. It can be the background song of tidiness.
Well said!
Omg "clutter babies", your facial expression was awesome!!
Hi Kallie, as someone who is incredibly organized and tidy these were spot on!!!! It’s both a blessing and a curse having an organized home, especially when you have a spouse who doesn’t always share the same views of keeping a tidy home. I would be interested in your thoughts of how to live with someone who isn’t always as tidy and organized as the other spouse. Love your channel and content!
Promote them from.child to adult status 😉
Omg yes! Definitely interested in a video about this as well. What me and my aunt both do so far is give the husband areas of the house (hers has a closet, mine has his office and a shed) where we never bring up their messes and they can leave their stuff all around. The rest of the house I do ask him to keep tidy for when people come over. If he doesn’t I just bring his stuff in his office and say “here you go honey, I didn’t know where to put this.” Then it lingers in his office for weeks instead of on the kitchen counter 😂 Dishes I often ask him to do before bed please, and though he never seems to remember on his own, he always does when asked at least! ❤️
Literally... my husband decluttered his wardrobe just couple of hours back while I am writing in here. And to be precise he did this after 4 lonnngg years. I had stopped cleaning, decluterring and organizing his wardrobe after he fought very harsh saying he wouldn't find his things when they are organized by me!!
I am never this much happy as I am now as there is a little hope for me that my husband might learn to help keep things in place in our home 💃💃
YES! Please help ALL OF US WOMEN OUT HERE who have a Messy Man to deal with! THANK YOU Miss Kallie. So GLAD I came across your channel today!‼️👍🤞🤗
Brilliant idea! I was just thinking about this with two kids who are older and weren’t raised to be tidy. How can you retrain them but make it fun?
EXCELLENT! My Mom always said "A place for everything AND everything in it's place." However, I don't remember what she did with the things that came in without a set home! She was also good about going through our clothing every summer and passing down or donating our items. I honestly wish I'd started that habit when my kids were little! Live and learn! It's good that you mentioned that decluttering is an ongoing process. 😀
Love, love love you! You always have such a positive, upbeat attitude and good ideas to share🥰. Thank you for making my life better, one step at a time! I completely lost control of my house, etc. after my Mom passed in 2015 and we brought home a truck full of things from my childhood home. Surgery a few weeks later went wrong and I have barely been able to walk and work since then, 2016. I have not been able to pick up anything heavier than a paperback book, I had to let my career as a professional musician go, and I now work in a hospital as a patient transporter (I can’t sit or stand for long, but I am blessed in that I learned to walk again). I just had a surgery that will hopefully allow me to gain some ground and pain relief, and maybe make some progress on my home! In the meantime, you have kept me inspired and going, doing every little bit that I can! I used to have an organized beautiful home that I taught lessons in…maybe someday again!
Last summer i renovated my place, i took this opportunity to go thru every. Single. thing. that i own. I’ve always been organized but my place was cluttered with things i held onto that had no purpose to me anymore.
My rules:
•Don’t keep anything you don’t use
•Give everything you own a designated home
Thank you!! Just took a screenshot of this and will be making a sign for my two daughters. ☺️🙌🏼
I like your advice! Easy for me to remember
Recently I have found the one thing that lets me 'let go' of stuff that 'I might need/have a use for someday', or just don't want to add to a landfill, by joining my local 'Buy Nothing' group on Facebook.
This allows me to pass on items to others that they need or can use immediately. This absolves me of feeling the need to hold on to something that still has life in it because it's not going in the garbage, and creates joy knowing that it became useful.
This was great! If I may add, I came up with something that I call my "One touch Rule". That is, one day I realized that I spend extra energy moving objects around instead of just putting them away. Like I will pick something up off the floor and set it on a table. Then I might move it over on the table, and then later I put it away. So my hands have been on the object 3 times. I try now to have my hands on things only once. If I am handling it, I should put it away and not deal with it again later. It's a small thing, but this happens much more often than you realize and it makes a big difference.
The best benefit from having a 'home' for everything, and putting stuff away as soon as you're finished with it is you never have to go running around frustrated looking for something you really need right that minute.
Yes! I am very tidy and clean. (Not the same thing either). No garage sales. Limited online shopping. Focused local shopping not add ons. Then donate throw away and regift often. If its special we take a photo and donate i can not feel buriedin stuff. The stuff makes noise….. look at me im dusty, ugly, out of place, not my style anymore, broken, or just a bother….. less stuff. Less stuff noise in my head. More like. Wow this room looks great! Time to read or puzzle🙂
Yes! Time to read or puzzle! I don't know why that resonated with me...maybe because it was so specific? Not just the 'clean up so you can do what you want'.
@@juanitaglenn9042 😊
I was an apt dweller for all my adult life, small space, 3 flights of stairs-didn't really have a problem. In a big life twist, at 46 got married and became a home owner. No landlord, no deposit to worry about-I have been binge buying for 3 years, and it is out of control. I feel so bad. When I start going thru it, I don't even know what I was thinking. Thank you. I need this.
I've been doing these things for years and didn't realize that it made me an organized person! How lovely to watch this and be given a virtual pat on the back! I will add that one other thing I do in the "everything has a home" and "keep flat spaces clear" categories, is never leave a room with empty hands. Even if it's just one item, if I'm leaving the room and see something that is homesick (lol), I will grab it and put it away on my way to where I'm going.
Hello, I’m a new subscriber, your title is what made me click on your video, I use to think I was ocd… I’m not, I’m extremely detail oriented. I’m 57, I’ve been this way for 50 yrs. Not sure how I got this way, but it’s the one thing in my life I can control, I constantly donate or sell and organize EVERY thing in my life and home is organized, every drawer, every corner, you were spot on about ppl like me. I do work outside the home, honestly somedays I would love to be a little disorganized. Lol, it is so exhausting to be this way at times. Have a lovely week.
I love it when you distill things down to a few basics. That is so helpful!
I always enjoy your videos: Fast moving, informative, pleasant, to-the-point with a touch of humor! Thank you! 🥰
I love the fact that you speak quickly (and clearly).
I need to do better at 3 of these - I’m pretty good about putting things away and careful shopping. In my house, flat surfaces are the holders of all the things that don’t have homes or are waiting for the big future decluttering project lol. Great summary list!
My flat surface rule is only three items per surface because that's all I'm willing to move when I dust, and I live in Arizona where you dust and ten minutes later it's dusty again.
I grew up with a mom who discounted and put us down. At 76 I tell myself - Out loud “Good job and say my name”. It really helps.
Wow I am an organized person. I don't let stuff sit around and when cleaning up, I know their designated home or space for it all. Yey. Also I organized my closet and I got rid of half my closet clothing because I did the turning hanger method and it's June 2022 and since I moved in 2020 there was still half of the hangers turned the wrong way so I packed and got rid of them. Now I still get rid of much on a daily basis in my kitchen. Thanks for the comforting videos... they relax me. 😌
Our brain is very much the same, I'm naturally unorganized. But you address home organization in a way that is very easy for me to understand and apply. I watch your videos anytime I need inspiration to clean my house (so everyday) thanks for making awesome content for a mom just trying to get a handle on her home.🤗
The first two steps have taken me 3 years to fully incorporate into my regular behaviors. It feels like it should be intuitive but it takes work. I am still working on step 3 and 4
Thanks now we have a time frame for when I'll be organized 🤭😆😆
These are so simple and so powerful! I do things right away if they'll take three minutes or less. Put it away now. Take it there now. I'd love to see your new artwork. Looks intriguing. I have a big garden this year. Painted tool handles orange and gather them all after each garden session. Lost my favorite hori hori knife once when I was too tired to round tools up. Gardening or using tools when exhausted is also dangerous. Go in, cool off, hydrate.
I thoroughly decluttered in 2013 when it became a "thing." Now, while I'm still evolving, following through, and keeping up with new ideas; having a clean space, people over, and the tools to keep it clean is nice.
I've always been organized and sitting here just nodding and checking marking. You hit the nail on the head. One thing about the flat surfaces that I was taught since I was a kid was "Clean while you cook." While the food is simmering, wash utensils/dishes that are not needed, and put them away right away and wipe the counter. That way then after dinner, there is not so much clean up but you are on top of preventing things from piling up on counters. This can be applied to other actives as well. One thing I do too is if it's something you can't do daily, then set time once or twice a week to do it (like an appointment/chore). Like Sunday mornings is a chance for me to assess things I didn't get to, organize if needed, therefore I'm set for the work week when I'm the most busy and then I relax and its not over my head.
Excellent video! Thank you! I just feel inspired to add my "tip" to the recommendations concerning immediate re-storage of tools, such as hammers, screwdrivers, boxes of drill bits, etc. I would recommend the use of "totes" for transport of the specific tools to be used, from the "work bench" or main storage area for these types of household tools. If you keep some sort of "tote" or "carrier" cleared and in-place with your tools, you can avoid the problem of having to carry a "bunch of tools" in your two hands, to the place in your house or apartment, where you will be working. A tray with a handle, from a large tool box, works really well for this, if you keep one of these trays with your stored tools, ready for use. Repair work can go more smoothly if tools and supplies (like nails and drill bits, measuring tape) are all kept in this one compact carrier. The "dumping" of a load of tools and supplies near the work area just creates confusion, loss, and one more mess to be managed at the conclusion of the job. And if you keep your fasteners, nails, and other small bits in one compartment of the tote, you avoid the waste of time which is crawling around on the floor, searching for "little things" that roll in all directions as you dump everything on the floor. You also avoid the potentially serious problem of a sharp thing like a tack remaining on the floor, or in the carpet, where someone in the household can step on it, and be punctured by it. Use of a plastic carrier just makes clean-up, and re-storage in the main "household tools" area much more efficient.
The other advantage to this system is that all can be carried in one hand. This is safer, for walking up and down steps. I enjoyed this video.
The tote thing works with an alternative I heard, which is to have a "does not belong in this room" bin and each evening to have each family member take a bin and put things away. You could conceivably have a few specialized bins (e.g. "art supplies bin") and each evening put all the things in that area away. As someone with what I highly suspect is ADHD, I have multiple issues with the "put things away immediately" vibe, one of which is that each new interaction with a given space is another chance to get distracted by it, so moving away from the place I'm doing things and into a place where I could start doing other things is... counter-productive, I would say. But collecting things into a specific bin/tote for a given space feels like a useful compromise that still makes sure it gets handled by the end of the day.
@@Arkylie Yes. I agree with your basic approach. If you scroll down (about 5 comments) you will see a similar recommendation from a retired military person. He or she refers to this organizational technique as "staging". The practice of staging allows for continuation of the basic task, with collection of like items in bins, organized for return to a specific storage place. I am very much a "stager" . This practice allows for the most efficient use of my time. Thank you for your comment.
Kallie ~ I was not expecting the e-book after completing your survey -- what a treat....thank you so very much! 🥰 Keep up the great work and God bless!
You are SO right about flat surfaces! I have noticed that about my home. It's like the flat surface simply can't stand being empty and has to fill up as soon as possible with more stuff.
I always keep thing together in categories. When everything has a place it is so simple to find things! It might seem like work to organize but it really saves you so much time.
One of the best tips I also learned from the Tv show "Clean Sweep." In this episode, the lady was into crafts and had piles of fabrics, threads, papers etc. So this wasn't ever going to be a minimalist challenge. So he asked her, how many bins of supplies will you be comfortable with? And after considering it, I think she said 5. So all she had to do was limit her stuff to five bins. This idea helps with clothes - "How many pieces of clothes do you need to be comfortable." And so when I buy clothes, I know that I am going to have to remove something from the closet in order to maintain my limit so to speak.
Power Tools with Thread in the comments below, spoke abut staging. I do not know if this is the same thing but when bank statements etc come in, it would be too time consuming to sort through everything and file them away (or enter them in my Microsoft Money. So I have a big folder that I shove everything in and when it gets too full or every couple of months, I empty it all out and sort through it.
The thing about everything must have a home - YES. But there are also different classes of home from easily accessible to more difficult. Assign the correct items to the correct homes based on frequency of use. For example if you have copied off all your dvd's onto a hard drive and you do not need to use the DVDs regularly or you only want to keep them as a backup then why utilize prime real estate on a low shelf when you can box them up and pack them away into a top cupboard that you need the step ladder to reach.
In this way, you can keep easily accessible spaces for the things you use regularly, and more difficult to reach cupboards for the things you use irregularly.
I’m pretty sure my house is covered in clutter babies! 😂
Mine too. But opening up nurseries for them babies now :D
Hahaha. Saaaaaaaaame!
I'm right there with you!
My clutter babies have reproduced and I now have clutter grandkids 🤔
Mine too!
I'm so proud of myself that I do all of these things. It is because I watch your amazing channel, as well as others, and have learned to clean up my act. :) Literally.
Recently found this channel and it is helping so much… striving to be better wife and mother and learning the importance of being a good home keeper! Thank you kindly
Just going through a major declutter right now. I have been in a black hole for the last two years, with severe depression and have really let my house go. It now looks like a squat.
I've filled a skip in the last week and have conditioned myself to be really ruthless. I still have a way to go, but I'm much more motivated and can actually see improvement.
Its not just centred on my interior either, I've bitten the bullet and hired a gardener to clear the jungle outside on my plot, and am slowly hiring workmen to come fix bits of the house that need seeing to.
I am definitely guilty of the flat surface crime and having wayyyyyyy too much stuff.
My clutter babies have now started school and are bringing their friends over for playdates and sleepovers!
For now, I've decided the way forward is storage bins.
I'm putting everything orderly in storage bins; as I work through I'm armed with the garbage sacks for stuff that I dont want or need or is past its best. It goes straight in the sack as I come across it, then its done and gone. No second thoughts, no going back!
(I've found it helps me reconcile myself to the loss by pouring something icky in the bag, so I have no desire to go back and pull it out.) I also set myself a timer or a place to tidy/declutter. Just half an hour or so, each time so I dont get overwhelmed and give up.
I'm just fed up with living like this, its not "me" at all.
Wish me luck guys, its a work in progress.....
I never really thought I was an organized person but rather have developed organized habits. But I am realizing either way, that I do all the things you mentioned. And it drives me a bit nuts when my family does the opposite of all these tips. I have 4 kids and a small house and it need things to be reasonably organized and tidy, not perfect but reasonably. Great tips! They work!
I have clutter families everywhere but the items in my home that have a home are immaculate. I need to work on the putting away right away. Good video! Simple but helps to hear someone say it out loud.
I agree....declutering never ends. I am almost finished decluttering every room in our house and I already see things in previous places that needs to be decluttered soon!!! But that's okay!!!! It looks so much better already!!
Whoa, have I naturally evolved into an organized person? I’ve already started doing a few of these things! Yay!!!
I struggle with accepting that I am the only one in my house willing to do all of this.
Love your videos. :)
I love the way you handle making mistakes when you're communicating. You always laugh at yourself a bit, but not in a self-deprecating way, you exude confidence and charisma.
The everything has a home thing is so important. I could let my space turn into a tornado site and Id still be able to clean it really fast because everything has a place and I dont have to try and organize as I clean
Me too! I had a couple of ladies over, unplanned with no notice and they were amazed at how "clean" my house was (it wasn't) but it seemed clean because there I no clutter because everything is always in its "home".
This is an underappreciated perk of being a generally tidy, organized person. Sometimes life gets in the way, bad habits sneak in, and the house gets out of control. But even when things are untidy and disorganized it takes no time at all to completely fix everything and get back to that organized state for the entire house.
Any time I leave a room I scan and clear all flat surfaces and take that stuff with me to where it belongs. There's never more than a handful, so easy-peezy. When I'm shopping I hold an item in my hand and ask myself, not "Does this spark joy?" but "How long before I declutter this?" If less than one year it stays on the shelf. That question alone has just about stopped all incoming clutter. YAY!!!
I have been this way my whole life and my husband is just the opposite. My daughter takes after him of course. I struggled for years with the both of them and now at 60 years old, I have accepted the fact that some people are just wired differently and are unable to adhere to any kind of schedule or organization no matter how bad they want to or try to
Yes. I am lazy and I am creative, but I managed to become organized somehow and realized that your rules are the ones I do. I just would add a 3.1: Whenever something new comes into your house, something old must leave. Helps incredibly when shopping as you have to think about what you will let go in order to buy a new thing you want - and sometimes you realize you don't need it because you still appreciate the old thing. :-)
This is my first visit to your channel and I loved your video! You're real! What I mean is that you're not one of those who "has it all together". The struggle is real for you so that makes you all the more relatable. Through the advancing of the years I've spent on this earth, I've become one of "those people"....I'm organized, for the most part. It's an on going process. I have evolved into this person simply because all the clutter, all the stuff stole too much of my joy. My home is my haven, my refuge, the place I go to break free from the "maddening crowd" All the tips you've shared with us, I actually do! It doesn't take much time and I find it to be so liberating to be free from all clutter. I'm far from being a minimalist, but I don't like having stuff sitting around all over the place. Everything has its place. The problem with being an organized person is that you have to find a balance to the point that you don't tip the scale over too much and become O.C.D. in your desire to put everything away & keep things tidy. That, too, can become a type of "bondage". Balance is key! As good as being organized is, keep everything in balance so that the need for being organized doesn't take over like the clutter in your life can do. I hope all this makes sense.
My mom used to say a place for everything and everything in its place🙂 And I would roll my eyes and think, “whatever Mom🙄 that’s kind of redundant.” Now i totally get it. Love & miss U Mom💙
Yes! As someone who is mad mega organized, the disorganization is an executive function aspect! People are busy, if you handle each item just once life will be less busy!
Well said. I did all of the things you mentioned and it makes my life so much easier. I have the one touch rule….touch it, deal with it then and your are done.
Hi from Canada🌷 I've been watching your videos for awhile and I love how real you are! Take care and cheers from Ontario🍀
I too was not organized when I was young but found that as I got older the disorganization stressed me out so that I became organized to ease the stress. I do your 5 tips always. My grandma had a saying that sums up your tips well. I never understood it as a child but have internalized it now. She often said, "A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE."
Thanks so much for this video we just got new cabinets in our kitchen and Bathrooms so now we need to reorganize things Because of space much love and Blessings to you and your family 🙏❤️
I think a lot of it is time management. Like, "I need not only the time to shop, but also to put away stuff." Making sure that I put that into my plan for the day has been game changing.
I am one of these people that are “born” organized. I enjoyed more organizing my pencils and school material than studying 😅 and you did described and pin pointed right on everything I do on a daily basis, although I had never given much thought about it. 👍🏽🙌🏼
I'm glad guys like your show. Women already know a lot of your tips, but guys can certainly use them!
Omg these are all sooooo true for me. I’ve been insanely organized my entire life. Even my vehicle and purse are organized. 😆 I love being organized. I move so fast because I’ve been doing it for so long. It just becomes second nature.
Thank you for this vid. 😊
This video encourages me! I struggle with clutter and currently it is so hard for me to do anything as I broke my shoulder and am in pain and a sling. But I look around and think what I should be doing to clean up this house! But your videos encourage me, so keep it up!😊
Margaret, prayers for quick pain relief and healing for you. The house will wait on you.
Hi Margaret, l fractured my right wrist on Christmas Eve. I can feel for you. And you can’t do anything because of the pain n inactivity. So I sat down and watched video on decluttering and others . And take stock of the areas and photograph them for before and after. This way you still can do something instead of frustration for not being able to do anything.
Take care of yourself and you will recover well to take care of things. Yes , the house can wait but your health can’t wait.
Pray God will grant you a speedy recovery.
It will take 3-4 mo to heal and a yr to totally get there. Thank you for your encouragement and prayers.
Margaret, I bought magnetic bracelets at Walmart for under $10 each. They really helped relieve pain and quickened healing. In the jewelry department
@@rosemariemartinez4030 Thank you for letting me know
As an organized person, I can agree that I do all these things and have taught my teen to be this way and we all live so much better :)
I was not only that person as a child, I am now 58 and I'm still that person.
As a child my mother would ask me to empty the pantry and put it back in the way I thought best. She never asked me to clean the bathrooms. She asked me to clean the closets. When we moved I would unpack the kitchen and organize it. And I'm talking about as young as 9 or 10 years old.
It is something that people are just born with. I do it without even thinking about it. I can just always see the most organized way to do something.
But now my husband uses me as a party trick. People will be at the house in. He will say let me show you a trick, honey you know that thing that came with the flagpole we bought 6 years ago? I need that. Where is it?
Hall closet, second shelf from the top, left hand side, box in the back. And with 99.5% accuracy it will be exactly where I said it was. I don't think that's something you can learn. That's something that's just in you as a child or it's not. Because my husband is not that person. In fact, we call it the path of Tom. I can tell you exactly what rooms he's been in and what he was doing all day long. Because he's left something behind everywhere he goes. Lol what can I say? Opposites attract.
“Shopping Mindfully” is something I’ve been doing the last few years and it really has made a difference!
‘Clutter Babies’. 💕. Love it! When clothes shopping or anything else on sale I always ask myself, ‘if this wasn’t on sale, would I buy it?’ If the answer is no, it doesn’t come home.
I had a chuckle about the pencil case. I got a wooden pencil box from a girl who was leaving school - it was tradition to pass these precious school boxes on. I was a rule breaker and such was my attachment to the box that now, some 65 years later, I still use that box every day - I’m in my 80s. The inside of the lid, in tiny writing, are the names of all the girls with whom I shared a dormitory for five years! It has a place of honour on my desk now and my favourite pens and pencils are stored in it. It’s not beautiful, it’s sentimental, it’s old, it’s strong and it’s useful! I love my pencil box and it’s contents - including my oft used fountain pen!
Brilliant! I only very recently realised rule 1, about having a place for everything! Such a helpful set of suggestions. THANK YOU!!!
I agree 100% with all of these. I do each of these tips and my home is where I want it to be.
Best tip ever! Do the flat surfaces several times a day. I usually just get a disgusted feeling when I see them, then walk on by.
Commenting from a very organized person, this is spot on! Clean As You Go!
Step 3 shop mindfully started to happen after I started the number limits in the seasonal project 333. I declutter often- it’s the onion method for me, small layers of clutter leaving often. I have a basket in my closet for daily declutters and when it’s full I go to the charity drop off.
Haha I love that onion metaphor!
What are some things that you think/notice that tell you yes donate this item of clothing?
I always hate it when things don't have a home, or even worse, they have a home, but they never get back to it.
I really enjoyed the video, thank you!
Clutter babies!!!! You had me at clutter babies!! This is soooooo practical. I’m going to watch every day for a week, I need this in my heart and head!! Thank you sooo much!! It makes so much sense!!!!
As a naturally organized person, yes to all of this! Putting things away immediately is a big one. I find I can't relax in the evening if I have stuff that needs put away. Another thing I've started doing is reminding myself not to procrastinate if I can help it. See a sock on the floor? Pick it up now, not the next time you walk by. Little things like that can really add up to make a big difference and save you time in the long run. Great tips!
Thank you for this video. I follow these habits. But, my family said I am "OCD". I wasn't satisfied with their diagnosis. Also, I unpack immediately when I return home from a trip.
I always unpack immediately after coming home from a trip too. Then I can relax.
I incorporate all of these into my “organized life”. I picked up these tips from u! So much happier and clutter free. ❤️
Yes! My mom always said, a place for every thing and everything in it's place. She was/is an organized person. My dad however was not. So, my mom was constantly picking up all his clutter.
Wow! This is me to a tee! I do every single thing you mentioned and more and for years and years. I didn’t realize how organized I am!
Great video, helpful tips! Too many possessions everywhere cluttering up the place makes a house difficult to clean and causes me anxiety. It's visual chaos plus you can't find what you want quickly when you need it. I love a home where everything is tidy and clean, where everything has a 'home'. But it's very difficult if your spouse is an untidy hoarder who isn't in the habit of cleaning, and doesn't mind the mess. This is very challenging indeed.
Wow, did I need this today! Thanks
Ditto!! Thank you!!
Decorating in our own way is happy. Organizing is fulfilling and Happy too.
You are spot on! I have always been an organizer, and somehow learned to do all that you talk about here. Have helped others organize, too. Thanks for breaking it down so very well!
I like to consider myself a pretty organized person, and your suggestions are great - most of them are already unwritten rules in my life! One other thing I do, especially when I feel I don't have time/energy to put things away properly is put them in a space that is really inconvenient for me (like my kitchen island). My rule is I'm not allowed to move the item unless it's going directly to its proper home. So in the meantime I have to work around the items and clutter (which drives me nuts) until I'm motivated to deal with them. This works especially well for new items I bring into my home, that I feel I need time to decide on a home for - they sit in the middle of my island until I can make a decision, and their presence there is a constant reminder.
Love love love this video. I’ve been called OCD, but I don’t like clutter and too believe that everything has a place. When I need something, I know exactly where it is….
One benefit of these 'uncertain times' is that my decision to stockpile food/etc has forced me to pare down stuff that I don't really need, i.e. decor items, holiday stuff, etc. We live in a 1400sf, 1/car gar, no basement house. Not even a walk-in closet. So I've been purging areas to make room for food/toiletries, adding shelves in nooks in laundry room, etc. It's amazing how I'm looking at our house so differently now that my priorities have changed. Even though I can't say I'm 'saving money' per se due to buying extra supplies, I'm def not wasting as much money, because all these food items can be eaten, vs. the decor / clothing stuff I didn't need at Marshalls.
Not only is your video excellent, many of the posters have given quality tips. Thank you.
Hi Kallie, this is a great video. Great five habits!!!!! I really am trying to be organized. I realized the other day that I leave things out saying that I will use them when I have time. Sometimes days pass without using items left out. Bad bad habit. I am trying to break that habit. Getting better though. Saving this video!♥️
My Mother always said, "A place for everything and everything in it's place.". However what she had was, "A place for nothing and everything all over the place" !
There was not an uncluttered surface in our house.
Here is what I learned from that:
I am now 90 years old and I just walked I nto another room to put a pencil in my desk drawer.
As a matter of fact, I had to pick up the pencil from the floor.
Great tips.
One thing I need to work on is putting my shopping away as soon as I get home from the shops. Sometimes after I’ve unpacked my trolley I put everything on the worktop & don’t put it away until a few hours later. In future I’m gonna put it away straight away.
Your videos help me so much! Thank you!!!!!! Totally gonna fill out the survey. A new product 👀 I AM IN
I am that naturally organized person, watched this to see if I can help my boyfriends daughter, and everything you said is true, I do all those things without even thinking about it.