My mom died 4 months ago. I had decluttered with your help as well as Joshua Becker. Now I’m holding onto my mom’s journals, letters between her and my dad during WW 2, and other things. One thing I especially cherish is a crucifix she had since she was a teenager that she always had hung in her bedroom her whole life. Now it is hanging in my room. GRIEF clutter-intentional for now; I’m wondering if I can ever part with.
Yes I would be interested in your book declutter and considering you’ve so much gone already I think it’ll be interesting what you have left. I’ve loved all your decluttering videos. I’m so glad you use the library as much as you do, it’s a wonderful resource. The gift of reading is great for the kids too. Hope your minding yourself. Stay safe and healthy. Mary, Joes wife 🙏👍👏💐
Books, yes! Mine is the fabric in the back closet. I rarely sew so I need to weed out the ones that would never be used. I'm okay with my yarn as I knit and crochet daily.
First I would definitely be interested in the book decluttering video! Second, this video today was definitely something that I needed! I've been contemplating what I needed to do with a scrapbooking/card making supplies. You helped me understand what my next step is going to be! Thank you so much!
I, too, have a very large collection of albums and product that I gladly moved overseas but, due to lack of space snd rental accommodation, I wasn’t able to access. I soon will be able to return to that hobby but will decrease the amount of albums I’ve kept and be minimalish in future.
Would love to see the book organization! I have a lot of hobbies and have supplies from almost 20 years of my life. And it's not that I do all of these hobbies all the time but I can definitely say that looking at some of these supplies I am grateful to have them and not needing to repurchase. That being said I have definitely reevaluated all the things that go with them. Each month I made it a point to take one subject of hobby and Cull. If a certain type of bead wasn't speaking to me anymore, like I just don't see the use of pony beads now that I'm an adult I know that there are children that would love to get practice beading using them. Or maybe that at elastic cord I bought isn't good anymore. Or maybe I only used two yellow seed beads for a project. I without hesitation say thank you for being in my life for giving me the inspiration I needed and then I donate them. It's hard sometimes to look at the bulk of yarn, or unused watercolor palettes. And realize that it's okay to store some things. But do I need 20 skiens of kitchen cotton? I will probably never make that many dish clothes in my life. Is it okay to have 7 pallets of watercolor because they bring me joy? Yeah. I even like just looking at them. The frugal crafter had a whole video on this idea of reevaluating the crafts that you're doing in each season of your life. I really find her advice to be very significant to me, because I too have been crafting a very long time. Great video thank you so much
Yes please Erica, I would love to see you decluttering your books. This was a great video for me as it confirmed that what I have been doing for the last couple of years - yes, I had THAT much crafty stash - has been the right thing to do. I feel so much lighter and now enjoy going into my craft room. I was really brutal, thought about my real self that only did a small amount of crafting (time constraints) versus my fantasy self that did all the different crafty things all day long! THAT was a revelation! I hadn't realised until that point that I didn't craft as much as I thought I did/would do. I kept buying stash because I thought I needed it/fell in love with it and absolutely thought I would use it within just a few weeks, but several years later it was still in the cupboard, well overflowing onto the floor, my whole room was stuffed to the gunnels!
I have a craft room that was filled...My husband made me wall long shelves and now my " craft clutter" is beautiful!! and organized!!! Would love to see how you organize your books!!
My hobbies are lifting weights, decluttering and cleaning. Thankfully they do not add any clutter at all to my house. This is perfect for my minimalist lifestyle.
As to MY hobby: Sewing. I sew grow with me pants for my kids and friends’ kids, car seat ponchos, custom fitted sheets, and most recently, a copycat version of a $200 maternity/nursing pillow!
Thank you for this video! I needed this clarification. YES on the book organization, please. Right after Easter company leaves I am doing a big book purge. I’ve done it before, I know I can do it again. I am over books stacked on the floor!! My hobbies are quilting, cross stitch and reading. Books are out of control at this point. Quilting and cross stitch not so much. I need organization in those areas. We recently built two sections of 5 ft long floor to ceiling shelves to house my fabric. I still need one more. Then my cross stitch supplies need organizing also. My embroidery thread is switching how I store them. I have a plan, just waiting until I can purchase supplies. Getting rid of anything for these two hobbies is out of the question. Lol. Thx again for your wonderful content. Take care and have a great day.
This is such an excellent video! My main hobbies are reading, boardgames, and makeup and they certainly take up the most 'bulk' in my life but I also make sure I regularly reevaluate and declutter what I have using a bit of the container method to keep everything in check.
Looking forward to the books. I have tons of books which includes kids' books for homeschooled grandkids. I've watched your journal videos over and over. I even took notes. I don't feel badly about taking time with it now.
My hobbies are reading, Booktube, reading journal, piano, and adult coloring. I do curate what I collect for those things, but if I’m using it, I enjoy having the supplies. 🥰
Yes, our book collection is large between homeschooling resources, pastoral resources and personal books 📚 ! I’d would enjoy a video about how to critically think about what books we actually need. I enjoy embroidery 🧵 and crafting for a purpose (for our home or for a gift) not just to make more stuff. This mindset change has been so wonderful in controlling the clutter. Thank you for the definitions of chosen vs effective clutter. That makes a lot of sense!
I am a crafter and have a ton of things because I like so many different crafts: paper crafting, sewing, jewelry making, painting, cross stitch, etc. It is so hard to declutter my craft space, but need to start being more realistic as I really don’t have time to craft.
Yes books please 🤩. Card making is my hobby 😊. It was a bonding time with my mother-in-law who passed in January 😞. Now it just sits looking at me. Thinking of boxing it up until I’m ready to go back to it. It makes me sad to look at it right now 🥺
Oh grief is so sneaky. It’s as if making cards again forces you to accept that she’s gone all over again. I am sorry for your loss. I hope you find joy in your hobby again.
Thank you for addressing the hobby clutter, I have been dealing with this for over a year now and had to finally be honest with myself and cut down how many hobbies I had. I gave away ones that I was not spending time on so I could refine and contain my craft supplies. I do my best to use the container method, which helps. I have now almost fully taken out all of the crafts from the basement and put them into my office. It is so much easier to maintain a hobby when you can see your supplies and have space to work. I think we all have an achilleas heel so to speak and mine is hobby items. I also put myself on a craft diet, I only bought one thing last year and none so far this year. Helps a lot, to stop bringing items in until you have used what you have.
I am so grateful to you, Erika. You validated that it’s OK for me to continue to actively participate the hobby that brings me joy… making art journaling and scrapbooking our family’s memories and my photography. I recently moved all my supplies to another area of our home, which gave me an opportunity to reorganize and take inventory of my supplies. It allowed me to validate not purchasing new supplies for almost a year, and now I feel proud of my work area that may have a large collection of supplies, but is organized and beautiful to me. I often felt sad and ashamed when people criticize scrapbooking on many of the cleaning/decluttering, minimum blogs and videos as a waste of time, like I was doing something wrong, but it is important to me as it provides me with a calming, no stress atmosphere dedicated to my mental health. I actually don’t tell people about my hobby or show them my artwork for fear of criticism. The subtle difference you discuss about CONTROLLED and EFFECTIVE clutter to serve your hobby really hit home for me.
My hobbies are collecting (and burning!) candles, extreme couponing, going to theme parks, and making UA-cam videos 😀 I gave myself permission to get rid of items from hobbies I used to enjoy, to make space for my current interests.
This video really resonated with me. I would love a video on how you actually sit down, brain storm, and make decisions on what is important and how to use the very limited time we have each day. I work part time, manage my home and kids full time, and enjoy several creative hobbies. But I can’t seem to keep the balance between said items. And often find myself paralyzed with indecision and make no movement at all. And then lament on the waisted time I could have done “something”, but my mind won’t let me move forward. I need help prioritizing and making a plan to stick to. To enjoy a little bit of everything.
I have to "let win" what is most important and let go of the rest of the things that clutter our schedule. Saying "no" is hard when you want to do all the things!
My hobbies are vast, but I have categorized them fairly recently to keep like items together. Sewing- clothing, quilts, plushies, children’s clothing, costume making. Gardening- I garden so many types of plants and homestead so this is all the plant and outside things. Keeping animals-goats, chickens, bees (all of the things for their keeping and food.) Reading- books. I get most of my books from the library for free now and the libby app(ebooks and audiobooks from library.)I used to keep more books in my house but I am down to 2 bookshelves now. I struggle with the sewing clutter the most because its useable but takes ip massive space. I have 1 room dedicated to it and it’s overflowing. I haven’t bought fabric in a long time. But, because its not my only hobby I don’t get to it as much or as often.
I wouldn’t choose to call your hobby tools clutter at all…. Until they cross the line you defined. THEN, and ONLY THEN, would I define it as clutter. I think that’s not being very nice to yourself. As FlyLady says “Be good to yourself, kind to others, and let the joy and sweetness of the Lord show others that you are a child of God!” Hugs as you go through this grieving process. My grandma passed around the same time as your brother in law, and I had a moment yesterday where I forgot, and thought I should visit her… then I remembered that I can’t. 🥺 So, I’m right there with you!
I am so sorry for you loss. I have those moments still too. I thought to send pics of baseball practice two days ago to him and realized I can’t. Right there with ya.
I have so many hobbies but i guess they mostly boil down to crafting things, and my pet rats. I love making them things and seeing them enjoy it. I love making things for my kids and husband, mending clothing, and just being creative. I have been planning to go through my fabric again as i simply do not use most of it and i finally feel ready to part with it.
Oh wow, just from reading the TITLE of this video, I know I'm going to find freedom, release, grace, and relief in it. I really needed this about hobby clutter, allowing "optional" clutter perhaps. Erica, I can't wait to watch your video on my lunch break! Thank you! ❤️
I enjoy reading as well, and we have quite a few books, although in the past year we have weeded out many. Most of the time now-a-days, I read in order to fall asleep more quickly, so I may have a book for quite some time depending on how many pages it takes for me to nod off. So I have been picking up books at thrift stores, and once done with them, I return them to a thrift store, so less clutter. I also enjoy sewing. That is a hobby which can take up lots of room with supplies needed from start to finish. Just the cutting of fabric takes up a lot of space. I do more mending and alterations than anything else. Over a year ago, I downsized my project pile by half, so that I could fit another hobby into that area of the closet I just cleared.... I enjoy playing music on a keyboard. Music books were another area I downsized quite a bit, plus organized into binders some loose music pages I had of favorite songs. But, as always, all of my hobbies more often need to be seen with a stern eye toward editing more items out. If I can offer you a better solution to your seedling growing shelves? I have only started doing this lately, too, but I use a metal shelf, and have used small chains and "s" hooks to hang my grow lights low enough to the plants for good coverage. The "s" hooks and links in the chains make the hanging height adjustable to your needs. That way you don't need to boost your plants up to your lights with books, and risk watering your books instead of plants. :)
I crochet afghans, so sometimes I have yarn or semi-completed afghans around. I end up putting them away in a bin, in a closet, and sometimes forget there’s one or more I need to finish!
Another wonderful video, Erica! I would love for you to go into more detail on decluttering your schedule in future videos. I personally have long curated my material belongings to a point I'm very happy with (I still find watching your videos so insightful and interesting because you have a wonderful way of sharing your thought processes - I've been hooked ever since you started the basement declutter in your old home), but I struggle to not get lost in the business of life when it comes to my schedule. Would greatly appreciate your insight on that topic :)
Good tips. Books-I have at least 12 large bookcases filled with books b/c I’ve always loved reading & b/c I taught college English-many different courses-for 40 years. Though I’ve passed on books to former students & made donations to the library, I still need to weed through my library. I also enjoy gardening, sewing, yoga, cooking, & more, so … lots of stuff!
My hobby clutter: gardening, journaling, reading, but also music gear and an idea of myself that I will turn into some sort of craftier homesteading type (canner, sewing machine, kombucha supplies, etc).
I had several hobbies that I flitted from and to and it was kept in bags everywhere in every room ( even the bathroom) I've recently realised that I need to just focus on one or two crafts and have given bags of stuff away to grateful crafty friends and I'm already feeling that sense of relief and freedom. I'd love to see your book cull...I've just been on that journey and left kids books with notes in on benches in our town centre for other children to pick up and read. ( My kids loved the idea and the thought that another little boy or girl would be excited at finding a book spurred them on to donate their stash) plus I found that it was me holding onto their books rather than them!
Shoe boxes have been so very helpful, and you can always go up to the boot box size for bigger stuff. Love this video. You are so real and your joy of life, and gratitude, are very calming in a difficult world. Philia.
Reading the Bible every day, and loving my Lord. Crochet when I can. My mom has dementia and most of my time is for her. My husband is the greatest! I lost my brother in ‘04 at age 47. Still praying for you, Erica, love y’all!
Gardening is my main hobby. And things that go along with it. Like canning and preserving. I am blessed with a 2nd kitchen in my basement. Nothing fancy, but, I'm able to keep and store things away from the main kitchen. I also have a green house in my basement. Because of your videos, I have gone thru all of those items, organized things in a way that makes sense to me, and decluttered things that I no longer needed or had duplicates of! It's so much better! ❤
My hobby is clutterfree..I love to play theater. But I didn't prioritize it the last years and went hobbyfree.. your video reminds me that I have a passion I ignored for so long.. so maybe I should start again :) best wishes and a huge thank you! I love your videos so much! All the best from germany, Yours Yasmina
So, yes on the book organizing video. And chosen vs effective clutter is interesting. Personally I love the clutterbug idea. Visual vs hidden and macro vs micro. And there are 4 types. She helps people organize based on their style.
The amount of stuff doesn't bother me but clutter lying around does so I rarely have any. I have a ton of books, our guest room is set up as a library but I only get one out at a time and put it back when done. When I get a few new books I tend to look for a few I could donate. Keeping my stuff fitting and in it's proper storage is important to me. All the organization in the world means nothing if you don't use the systems set up.
I love to crochet, sew, paint and garden. I have found that if I have too many supplies for any of these things, that it's just too chaotic and I do t want to do any of it. I've been decluttering craft supplies on hand and getting specific supplies for a certain project then I enjoy it so much more. Love to you Erica.
Yes, a book about it seems very nice. My hobby are my 3 parrots. I also make a lot of toys for them myself, so I can use a lot 😉 but sometimes that gets too much stuff.
My hobby is stamping and card making. I have been doing it for about 20 years so I had accumulated a LOT of supplies. When we moved a few years back I purged a lot, and I recently did another major declutter to make room for water coloring supplies, as I am taking a class on how to watercolor on cards. My new rule is one in one out. I buy a stamp set, I donate or give one away. I have a ink pad storage that holds 60 ink pads. When new colors come out, I donate the old ink pad to make way for the new color. It keeps my hobby fresh, interesting and fun. The more I declutter the more creative I become with the supplies I have left!
Hi! I also stamp and make cards. I started about 22 years ago and would like to downsize my stash. Can you tell me what you did with the stamps you got rid of?
First, I need the book video. My hobbies are many: I spin yarn and weave (on big floor looms-- but I have a small frame loom just like the one in this video) , sew, and embroider, read, do watercolor, garden, bullet journal (more for survival than hobby) I have one unfinished hooked rug (and that will be it) garden in season (zone 5). I need to watch this again when I am not so tired. The two kinds of clutter have me a bit confused. Effective to me means "creating the desired result" but that seems to be the term you are using for excess preventing the desired result. I do need to choose the most important-- content here is excellent-- I shouldn't get hung up on terms. Also love the new subtitle!
Books, fabric, yarn, scrapbook and card making. Books are a given, but the rest need to be addressed as actual or wannabe. I have made a pact with myself nothing new added until I use up most of my stash. Review in one year if not used or decreased give away. I am allowing myself time to do those things I want or then decide to reevaluate. I also have stopped shopping for new items. Books I get from library or kindle. You inspire me and also let me give myself grace.
Thank you for this!! It’s so hard to embark on minimalism-ish and not feel like you’re doing it right when there isn’t much info on hobbies. Thank you for this!!
Or ineffective clutter is a better phrase snd true to the meaning of the word effective
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Woodworking and DIY in general + sewing. Reading but I don't have physical books anymore. I used to borrow from my local library but now read e-books. More than 400 books waiting to be read. Which is perfect as I read about 300 books a year. Lots of fabrics, usually left-over from clothes not good enough to be worn anymore. Perfect to be used as scarves, handkerchiefs, mask, cushion covers, dog beds fillings or covers, dog toys,... DIY and woodworking is full of tools, wood, supplies... I rarely need to buy anything for any projects. I just look through my collections.
Would love to see you create a library Erica. I used to play libraries when I was little and because we didn't have a lot of money, I made a computer out of a shoe box and drew keyboard on it and I made borrowing cards. I used to make myself put it back in order too. 🤣 Sounds silly now, but as a 7 year old I was so happy doing that. I am a Teacher's Aide and I am now a huge declutterer and gotten rid of a lot of books and I'm even reading a kindle now, however I prefer paper. I just love to read and teach children to read. Hope you are coping okay with your grieving, my love to you from Australia. Jo xx
You know we want to see the book video(s). 💓 In the foreseeable but distant future, I will have a wall of bookshelves to display and sort my own library. Books are definitely the Achilles heel of my minimalism also! Every time I think "I'm going to just get at and film and put up videos", you come out with another that says what I want to say so much clearer than I feel like I'm doing. 🙌💓
Yes, definitely would like to see the book video. I have a feeling it is going to compete with the homeschool declutter/organization video as a favorite!
Board games/video games, writing letters/postcards (postcrossing), & journaling are mine ❤️ Sorting thru all these & purging the ones that no longer suit me 👍 wish me luck
I have at least 1000 books in my house. There are more in boxes in our storage unit. I have over 2000 books on my Kindle. One of the reasons I asked for a Kindle was because of storage. I have a large collection of old books. The oldest is from the 1870s, IIRC. For a while, I was a Stampin' Up demonstrator, which meant I purchased a lot of supplies for myself. I have $1000 "invested" in those supplies. I enjoy scrapbooking and making cards, but I don't need all of the supplies that I have.
I would love to see your book consolidation/organization/declutter process - we recently did the same and I absolutely love looking at the bookshelves every morning and being able to see organized books that I'm looking forward to reading next, right there waiting for me. :) As to personal hobby clutter - definitely changes in different seasons of life, right now my hubby has brought home a huge amount of scrap wood from work which we have plans to build things with when the weather clears up. The piles in the yard have seemed overwhelming, but this weekend we got 2 projects done and used up some, and then made plans for a bunch more. That helped my decluttering heart a LOT - I think, after a few sunny weekends, we'll have most of our backyard back ;) Plus we truly love building things together - the balance of opportunistic lumber finds vs time to use it sometimes seems a real challenge!
sewing, gardening + farming, traditional cooking/eating (canning/freezing, raising livestock, ferments, keeping a pantry, etc.), grandchildren (is that a hobby? I keep things around and research things because of nurturing grands under the guidance of their parents), fixing things (so tools, workshop items, etc. to fix small items like wood blocks and larger items like furniture and even larger items like houses, barns, vehicles) Right now I am working on my sewing room which is pretty awful but has lovely potential, and am transitioning to gardening (worked in my potting greenhouse today decluttering), while also working on 2 antique kitchen cupboards that have cluttered my front porch since the weather turned bad last fall :( Am also planning on building a backyard workshop this year (no garage though). Yes, my recently retired husband is thinking that working was probably more relaxing, hahaha.
Sewing! It's SO hard to declutter, because you never know what the next project will need, not to mention using extra fabric for mock-ups. But my area could definitely use some love, so maybe after I finish my current projects (2) I will take a bit to decide what to do with my excess clutter. - ETA and Magic the Gathering! I have that clutter pretty well contained, but it could also use a tidy.
yes please a video to declutter books would be good. I have so many books but I love them. I also decorate with books. I have a craft room that is full but I enjoy having that space and it is organized at least. Since I retired I have been learning new crafts. I crochet, embroidary, junk journal, sew and some quilting. so many crafts but I like variety. I have wooden shelving units with see through containers with all my crafting stuff, some plastic see through drawers and 2 long folding tables. The craft room is organized but I think I should declutter some of the items at some point.
I love sewing. Living in a 1 bedroom flat, there's no space to keep the sewing machine, materials etc standing. Every time I use the machine there's a total mess. But when I finish it only takes a few minutes to put it away. I've conmarie'd my home to improve my space. For maintenance and upkeep I started by looking into the FlyLady method. And after that into a number of different UA-camrs.
I love to journal/bullet journal and sometimes draw, as well as play piano, play animal crossing and read. At the moment the amount of markers I have has been bothering me. I have 3 sets of markers but only use two smaller sets. While I do love the 3rd set because it is bigger and contains more colors, it is tempting to let it go because I know I cannot use multiple sets. Bullet journaling is very simplified for me so the smaller sets make more sense, minimal choices and colors that don't cover up the writing. I am pulled to keep the bigger set for when I am inspired to draw and like the color choices available. I enjoy watching decluttering and would love to see the book declutter. I have to get back to using the library. I rarely re read as an adult and buying books hasn't been worth it even with the pandemic!
This is great! I sew and scrapbook as hobbies and have finally gotten to the point where I have found patterns to work for my body and can sew up a large amount of fabric some I bought 4-5 years ago. The other small amounts I have sorted and given a purpose (charity quilts) or simply put in a bin to give away. Much nicer to deal with once you go through and see what you have. Love the book declutter idea especially kids books we also have a lot of kids books even though we go to the library weekly.
Well said! My chosen clutter items are oils, scents, waxes, containers, etc. for making natural skin care and candles. We love the library 'cuz I don't like the clutter! 😀
I recently downsized from 2500sqft to just over 200sqft. It has been a very big change. I love geocaching and have done it for over 14yrs. I discovered I have 4 file boxes of "stuff" that goes with it. I have to go through it all soon to make it fit better into my tiny space.
First... am I seeing a Stanley Tucci crush? ;) Second, I've been thinking about your grow shelf. You said you were planning on adding a shelf down the road but you were just using stuff to lift the plants to the light. Just an observation, you can adjust those shelves pretty easily. I would adjust them NOW so that the plants are closer to the light, by moving the shelves down and removing all the books and boxes used as a lift. That will make it look tons less cluttered. Then you can put that big bin on the top shelf to get it off the floor. Later, when you get your next shelf, you can just add it from the top. Also, I have a bunch of those stupid black spacer things that go on the shelf corners so don't buy any, I couldn't find mine, bought more, then found them after a move. lol. I think that will make your gardening center look less cluttered, and clutter attracts clutter!
Retired homeschool mom and recovering book hoarder here. 12 years ago (at the end of homeschooling) I had 12 full bookcases, plus other boxes of books. I pared it down to 3 1/2 bookcases over time. Last year I got it down to 2 bookcases. I'm comfortable here for now, but if I have to move again, a lot more will go. Your books are a library. Organize them like one with sections and subsections that work for you. Examples-- Fiction: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Mysteries, Historical, other. Non-Fiction: Poetry, Biography/Autobiography, Art, Science, History, Music, etc. Science can have sub-groups like: weather, space, animals, etc. Series were shelved together, even if there were different authors. Biographies alphabetically by subject, historical fiction by year or period. Unfortunately, I could go on and on because I feel that this was the only part of my life I ever successfully kept organized. It worked and a daughter even went on to work in a library for 6 years.
Oh Erica this is me. I’m a reader and a journaler. I don’t have too many hard copies of books but I have the Kindle, Audible and the library. I have a massive “to be read” list. Oh yeah I’m on Goodreads and have a book/calendar journal. I’ve got “effective” clutter in the way of markers, stickers , blank journals, etc. if I see it and it’s pretty I buy it. 😫
I love to papercraft, and used to sell my cards at craft shows. However, I don't have access to any transport now, so my card making is limited to gifts. (A box of hand made greetings cards makes a great Christmas present.) I have almost an entire room of paper craft supplies but, I now no longer need so much stuff, simply because I don't need to have a couple of hundred cards available! I did a huge declutter at the end of last year, but I need to do more, because now I find that dressmaking has overtaken as my main hobby. I generally hand sew everything, so my output is slow, and that prevents me filling my wardrobe with more 'clutter'. So I feel good about dressmaking as a hobby. I have been ignoring the paper elephant in the room, but it's time to go through my cardmaking supplies and be brutally honest with myself about what I really need. Thanks for the nudge.
I love books too and at times feel like I have too many but I would feel so overwhelmed with as many as you have and papers. ( but I have never homeschooled and imagine that is a lot of what you have going on there.) I started going to the library more and only allow myself to keep about 50 books and my husband keeps about 50. It’s hard though isn’t it? I love holding a book in my hands and even love the smell of a new printed book! So many helpful hints in this video. Hope you are doing well and I am sorry about the loss of your brother!
i love to see that video. i gardening, journal, read, paint by number and diamond painting and decorating mine happy planner. i find it hard to declutter mine books that i now have. it is not so much. i declutter over a few week mine gardening supplies i think i have to much we will see if i use it this time. i must repot mine seedlings and sow seeds again.
My mom died 4 months ago. I had decluttered with your help as well as Joshua Becker. Now I’m holding onto my mom’s journals, letters between her and my dad during WW 2, and other things. One thing I especially cherish is a crucifix she had since she was a teenager that she always had hung in her bedroom her whole life. Now it is hanging in my room. GRIEF clutter-intentional for now; I’m wondering if I can ever part with.
Yes I would be interested in your book declutter and considering you’ve so much gone already I think it’ll be interesting what you have left. I’ve loved all your decluttering videos. I’m so glad you use the library as much as you do, it’s a wonderful resource. The gift of reading is great for the kids too. Hope your minding yourself. Stay safe and healthy. Mary, Joes wife 🙏👍👏💐
Books, yes! Mine is the fabric in the back closet. I rarely sew so I need to weed out the ones that would never be used. I'm okay with my yarn as I knit and crochet daily.
That is great! Love that you knew your clutter line.
First I would definitely be interested in the book decluttering video!
Second, this video today was definitely something that I needed! I've been contemplating what I needed to do with a scrapbooking/card making supplies. You helped me understand what my next step is going to be! Thank you so much!
Awesome!
I, too, have a very large collection of albums and product that I gladly moved overseas but, due to lack of space snd rental accommodation, I wasn’t able to access. I soon will be able to return to that hobby but will decrease the amount of albums I’ve kept and be minimalish in future.
I would love to see a book organisation, books are something I also have trouble keeping minimal.
Would love to see the book organization!
I have a lot of hobbies and have supplies from almost 20 years of my life. And it's not that I do all of these hobbies all the time but I can definitely say that looking at some of these supplies I am grateful to have them and not needing to repurchase. That being said I have definitely reevaluated all the things that go with them.
Each month I made it a point to take one subject of hobby and Cull. If a certain type of bead wasn't speaking to me anymore, like I just don't see the use of pony beads now that I'm an adult I know that there are children that would love to get practice beading using them. Or maybe that at elastic cord I bought isn't good anymore. Or maybe I only used two yellow seed beads for a project. I without hesitation say thank you for being in my life for giving me the inspiration I needed and then I donate them.
It's hard sometimes to look at the bulk of yarn, or unused watercolor palettes. And realize that it's okay to store some things. But do I need 20 skiens of kitchen cotton? I will probably never make that many dish clothes in my life. Is it okay to have 7 pallets of watercolor because they bring me joy? Yeah. I even like just looking at them. The frugal crafter had a whole video on this idea of reevaluating the crafts that you're doing in each season of your life. I really find her advice to be very significant to me, because I too have been crafting a very long time.
Great video thank you so much
Yes! Would love a video on book organization and decluttering!😀
Yes please Erica, I would love to see you decluttering your books. This was a great video for me as it confirmed that what I have been doing for the last couple of years - yes, I had THAT much crafty stash - has been the right thing to do. I feel so much lighter and now enjoy going into my craft room. I was really brutal, thought about my real self that only did a small amount of crafting (time constraints) versus my fantasy self that did all the different crafty things all day long! THAT was a revelation! I hadn't realised until that point that I didn't craft as much as I thought I did/would do. I kept buying stash because I thought I needed it/fell in love with it and absolutely thought I would use it within just a few weeks, but several years later it was still in the cupboard, well overflowing onto the floor, my whole room was stuffed to the gunnels!
Absolutely would love to see the book organizing and decluttering!
I have several hobbies: sewing, scrapbooking and card making. Definitely need to work on trimming supplied.
I have a craft room that was filled...My husband made me wall long shelves and now my " craft clutter" is beautiful!! and organized!!! Would love to see how you organize your books!!
How nice!! I can picture that!
My hobbies are lifting weights, decluttering and cleaning. Thankfully they do not add any clutter at all to my house. This is perfect for my minimalist lifestyle.
As to MY hobby:
Sewing. I sew grow with me pants for my kids and friends’ kids, car seat ponchos, custom fitted sheets, and most recently, a copycat version of a $200 maternity/nursing pillow!
I adore this!!
Thank you for this video! I needed this clarification. YES on the book organization, please. Right after Easter company leaves I am doing a big book purge. I’ve done it before, I know I can do it again. I am over books stacked on the floor!!
My hobbies are quilting, cross stitch and reading. Books are out of control at this point. Quilting and cross stitch not so much. I need organization in those areas. We recently built two sections of 5 ft long floor to ceiling shelves to house my fabric. I still need one more. Then my cross stitch supplies need organizing also. My embroidery thread is switching how I store them. I have a plan, just waiting until I can purchase supplies. Getting rid of anything for these two hobbies is out of the question. Lol.
Thx again for your wonderful content. Take care and have a great day.
Gardening, Scrapbooking, Quilting, Reading, Journaling
This is such an excellent video! My main hobbies are reading, boardgames, and makeup and they certainly take up the most 'bulk' in my life but I also make sure I regularly reevaluate and declutter what I have using a bit of the container method to keep everything in check.
Looking forward to the books. I have tons of books which includes kids' books for homeschooled grandkids. I've watched your journal videos over and over. I even took notes. I don't feel badly about taking time with it now.
A follow up video about the books would be nice! :)
Setting boundaries with collections/hobbies really helped. Been making better time with the important things!
My hobby is sewing. My kids are grown and gone so I changed my sons old room to my sewing room!
How lovely! Do you have a specialty?
I used to make all my kids clothes, so making clothes is my thing. Now I want to make clothes for my grandchildren. I even made a wedding dress! Lol
@@lorraineheck8670 that’s awesome!! I am picturing a room full of fabric. :)
@@EricaLucasLoves I'm too ocd for that. Haha Btw I am right down 95 from you in Stafford, Va.
I just love it when Erica uses her term minimal-ish
My hobbies are reading, Booktube, reading journal, piano, and adult coloring. I do curate what I collect for those things, but if I’m using it, I enjoy having the supplies. 🥰
That is wonderful! You know what you like and you enjoy it!!!
Yes, our book collection is large between homeschooling resources, pastoral resources and personal books 📚 ! I’d would enjoy a video about how to critically think about what books we actually need. I enjoy embroidery 🧵 and crafting for a purpose (for our home or for a gift) not just to make more stuff. This mindset change has been so wonderful in controlling the clutter. Thank you for the definitions of chosen vs effective clutter. That makes a lot of sense!
Loved that phrase: critically think about what books we actually need.
Lovely to see you Erica. Hope you are all OK x x
Doing better!
I am a crafter and have a ton of things because I like so many different crafts: paper crafting, sewing, jewelry making, painting, cross stitch, etc. It is so hard to declutter my craft space, but need to start being more realistic as I really don’t have time to craft.
Yes books please 🤩. Card making is my hobby 😊. It was a bonding time with my mother-in-law who passed in January 😞. Now it just sits looking at me. Thinking of boxing it up until I’m ready to go back to it. It makes me sad to look at it right now 🥺
Oh grief is so sneaky. It’s as if making cards again forces you to accept that she’s gone all over again. I am sorry for your loss. I hope you find joy in your hobby again.
yes please! show us how you organize your books !!
Thank you for addressing the hobby clutter, I have been dealing with this for over a year now and had to finally be honest with myself and cut down how many hobbies I had. I gave away ones that I was not spending time on so I could refine and contain my craft supplies. I do my best to use the container method, which helps. I have now almost fully taken out all of the crafts from the basement and put them into my office. It is so much easier to maintain a hobby when you can see your supplies and have space to work. I think we all have an achilleas heel so to speak and mine is hobby items. I also put myself on a craft diet, I only bought one thing last year and none so far this year. Helps a lot, to stop bringing items in until you have used what you have.
I am so grateful to you, Erika. You validated that it’s OK for me to continue to actively participate the hobby that brings me joy… making art journaling and scrapbooking our family’s memories and my photography. I recently moved all my supplies to another area of our home, which gave me an opportunity to reorganize and take inventory of my supplies. It allowed me to validate not purchasing new supplies for almost a year, and now I feel proud of my work area that may have a large collection of supplies, but is organized and beautiful to me. I often felt sad and ashamed when people criticize scrapbooking on many of the cleaning/decluttering, minimum blogs and videos as a waste of time, like I was doing something wrong, but it is important to me as it provides me with a calming, no stress atmosphere dedicated to my mental health. I actually don’t tell people about my hobby or show them my artwork for fear of criticism. The subtle difference you discuss about CONTROLLED and EFFECTIVE clutter to serve your hobby really hit home for me.
My hobbies are collecting (and burning!) candles, extreme couponing, going to theme parks, and making UA-cam videos 😀 I gave myself permission to get rid of items from hobbies I used to enjoy, to make space for my current interests.
Would love to see a book declutter/organization video. Reading is my hobby too!!
Gardening is also good for the soul ...One of my favorite places is in my garden
Yes, please, a book Declutter would be a great video to watch.📚📚📚
Quilting - and there is a LOT of effective clutter! Time to look again at my stocks of fabric!
I'd love to see the home library come together!
This video really resonated with me. I would love a video on how you actually sit down, brain storm, and make decisions on what is important and how to use the very limited time we have each day. I work part time, manage my home and kids full time, and enjoy several creative hobbies. But I can’t seem to keep the balance between said items. And often find myself paralyzed with indecision and make no movement at all. And then lament on the waisted time I could have done “something”, but my mind won’t let me move forward. I need help prioritizing and making a plan to stick to. To enjoy a little bit of everything.
I have to "let win" what is most important and let go of the rest of the things that clutter our schedule. Saying "no" is hard when you want to do all the things!
My hobbies are vast, but I have categorized them fairly recently to keep like items together. Sewing- clothing, quilts, plushies, children’s clothing, costume making.
Gardening- I garden so many types of plants and homestead so this is all the plant and outside things.
Keeping animals-goats, chickens, bees (all of the things for their keeping and food.)
Reading- books. I get most of my books from the library for free now and the libby app(ebooks and audiobooks from library.)I used to keep more books in my house but I am down to 2 bookshelves now.
I struggle with the sewing clutter the most because its useable but takes ip massive space. I have 1 room dedicated to it and it’s overflowing. I haven’t bought fabric in a long time. But, because its not my only hobby I don’t get to it as much or as often.
I wouldn’t choose to call your hobby tools clutter at all…. Until they cross the line you defined. THEN, and ONLY THEN, would I define it as clutter. I think that’s not being very nice to yourself. As FlyLady says “Be good to yourself, kind to others, and let the joy and sweetness of the Lord show others that you are a child of God!” Hugs as you go through this grieving process. My grandma passed around the same time as your brother in law, and I had a moment yesterday where I forgot, and thought I should visit her… then I remembered that I can’t. 🥺 So, I’m right there with you!
I am so sorry for you loss. I have those moments still too. I thought to send pics of baseball practice two days ago to him and realized I can’t. Right there with ya.
I have so many hobbies but i guess they mostly boil down to crafting things, and my pet rats. I love making them things and seeing them enjoy it.
I love making things for my kids and husband, mending clothing, and just being creative.
I have been planning to go through my fabric again as i simply do not use most of it and i finally feel ready to part with it.
Oh wow, just from reading the TITLE of this video, I know I'm going to find freedom, release, grace, and relief in it. I really needed this about hobby clutter, allowing "optional" clutter perhaps. Erica, I can't wait to watch your video on my lunch break! Thank you! ❤️
I enjoy reading as well, and we have quite a few books, although in the past year we have weeded out many. Most of the time now-a-days, I read in order to fall asleep more quickly, so I may have a book for quite some time depending on how many pages it takes for me to nod off. So I have been picking up books at thrift stores, and once done with them, I return them to a thrift store, so less clutter.
I also enjoy sewing. That is a hobby which can take up lots of room with supplies needed from start to finish. Just the cutting of fabric takes up a lot of space. I do more mending and alterations than anything else. Over a year ago, I downsized my project pile by half, so that I could fit another hobby into that area of the closet I just cleared....
I enjoy playing music on a keyboard. Music books were another area I downsized quite a bit, plus organized into binders some loose music pages I had of favorite songs. But, as always, all of my hobbies more often need to be seen with a stern eye toward editing more items out.
If I can offer you a better solution to your seedling growing shelves? I have only started doing this lately, too, but I use a metal shelf, and have used small chains and "s" hooks to hang my grow lights low enough to the plants for good coverage. The "s" hooks and links in the chains make the hanging height adjustable to your needs. That way you don't need to boost your plants up to your lights with books, and risk watering your books instead of plants. :)
Yes! to a book decluttering video!
I crochet afghans, so sometimes I have yarn or semi-completed afghans around. I end up putting them away in a bin, in a closet, and sometimes forget there’s one or more I need to finish!
Another wonderful video, Erica! I would love for you to go into more detail on decluttering your schedule in future videos. I personally have long curated my material belongings to a point I'm very happy with (I still find watching your videos so insightful and interesting because you have a wonderful way of sharing your thought processes - I've been hooked ever since you started the basement declutter in your old home), but I struggle to not get lost in the business of life when it comes to my schedule. Would greatly appreciate your insight on that topic :)
so true! decluttering schedules sounds like a great video (series? or collab? :) ) thanks for another great video!
Good tips. Books-I have at least 12 large bookcases filled with books b/c I’ve always loved reading & b/c I taught college English-many different courses-for 40 years. Though I’ve passed on books to former students & made donations to the library, I still need to weed through my library. I also enjoy gardening, sewing, yoga, cooking, & more, so … lots of stuff!
My hobby clutter: gardening, journaling, reading, but also music gear and an idea of myself that I will turn into some sort of craftier homesteading type (canner, sewing machine, kombucha supplies, etc).
I had several hobbies that I flitted from and to and it was kept in bags everywhere in every room ( even the bathroom) I've recently realised that I need to just focus on one or two crafts and have given bags of stuff away to grateful crafty friends and I'm already feeling that sense of relief and freedom. I'd love to see your book cull...I've just been on that journey and left kids books with notes in on benches in our town centre for other children to pick up and read. ( My kids loved the idea and the thought that another little boy or girl would be excited at finding a book spurred them on to donate their stash) plus I found that it was me holding onto their books rather than them!
I would love a follow-up book video!
Shoe boxes have been so very helpful, and you can always go up to the boot box size for bigger stuff. Love this video. You are so real and your joy of life, and gratitude, are very calming in a difficult world. Philia.
Reading the Bible every day, and loving my Lord. Crochet when I can. My mom has dementia and most of my time is for her. My husband is the greatest! I lost my brother in ‘04 at age 47. Still praying for you, Erica, love y’all!
We have so many school books, kid books, curriculum books. I would love a book Declutter and organization video!
I started organizing books! I cannot wait to share!!!
I vote yes on a video on a books!
Gardening is my main hobby. And things that go along with it. Like canning and preserving. I am blessed with a 2nd kitchen in my basement. Nothing fancy, but, I'm able to keep and store things away from the main kitchen. I also have a green house in my basement. Because of your videos, I have gone thru all of those items, organized things in a way that makes sense to me, and decluttered things that I no longer needed or had duplicates of! It's so much better! ❤
I love to craft, soapmaking,cardmaking and gardening. Id love to see the books decluttering. Thanks
My hobby is clutterfree..I love to play theater. But I didn't prioritize it the last years and went hobbyfree.. your video reminds me that I have a passion I ignored for so long.. so maybe I should start again :) best wishes and a huge thank you! I love your videos so much! All the best from germany, Yours Yasmina
Thank you Erica for this video. I am also interested in gardening and trying herbs this year.
So, yes on the book organizing video. And chosen vs effective clutter is interesting. Personally I love the clutterbug idea. Visual vs hidden and macro vs micro. And there are 4 types. She helps people organize based on their style.
The amount of stuff doesn't bother me but clutter lying around does so I rarely have any. I have a ton of books, our guest room is set up as a library but I only get one out at a time and put it back when done. When I get a few new books I tend to look for a few I could donate. Keeping my stuff fitting and in it's proper storage is important to me. All the organization in the world means nothing if you don't use the systems set up.
I love to crochet, sew, paint and garden. I have found that if I have too many supplies for any of these things, that it's just too chaotic and I do t want to do any of it. I've been decluttering craft supplies on hand and getting specific supplies for a certain project then I enjoy it so much more. Love to you Erica.
I would love to see your process of culling your personal library and organizing it
Yes, a book about it seems very nice. My hobby are my 3 parrots. I also make a lot of toys for them myself, so I can use a lot 😉 but sometimes that gets too much stuff.
My hobby is stamping and card making. I have been doing it for about 20 years so I had accumulated a LOT of supplies. When we moved a few years back I purged a lot, and I recently did another major declutter to make room for water coloring supplies, as I am taking a class on how to watercolor on cards. My new rule is one in one out. I buy a stamp set, I donate or give one away. I have a ink pad storage that holds 60 ink pads. When new colors come out, I donate the old ink pad to make way for the new color. It keeps my hobby fresh, interesting and fun. The more I declutter the more creative I become with the supplies I have left!
Hi! I also stamp and make cards. I started about 22 years ago and would like to downsize my stash. Can you tell me what you did with the stamps you got rid of?
First, I need the book video. My hobbies are many: I spin yarn and weave (on big floor looms-- but I have a small frame loom just like the one in this video) , sew, and embroider, read, do watercolor, garden, bullet journal (more for survival than hobby) I have one unfinished hooked rug (and that will be it) garden in season (zone 5). I need to watch this again when I am not so tired. The two kinds of clutter have me a bit confused. Effective to me means "creating the desired result" but that seems to be the term you are using for excess preventing the desired result. I do need to choose the most important-- content here is excellent-- I shouldn't get hung up on terms. Also love the new subtitle!
Books, fabric, yarn, scrapbook and card making. Books are a given, but the rest need to be addressed as actual or wannabe. I have made a pact with myself nothing new added until I use up most of my stash. Review in one year if not used or decreased give away. I am allowing myself time to do those things I want or then decide to reevaluate. I also have stopped shopping for new items. Books I get from library or kindle. You inspire me and also let me give myself grace.
Thank you for this!! It’s so hard to embark on minimalism-ish and not feel like you’re doing it right when there isn’t much info on hobbies. Thank you for this!!
From someone for whom the only thing better than books is MORE books, yes! Please! Show us how we can possibly declutter books!!
Or ineffective clutter is a better phrase snd true to the meaning of the word effective
Woodworking and DIY in general + sewing.
Reading but I don't have physical books anymore. I used to borrow from my local library but now read e-books. More than 400 books waiting to be read. Which is perfect as I read about 300 books a year.
Lots of fabrics, usually left-over from clothes not good enough to be worn anymore. Perfect to be used as scarves, handkerchiefs, mask, cushion covers, dog beds fillings or covers, dog toys,...
DIY and woodworking is full of tools, wood, supplies... I rarely need to buy anything for any projects. I just look through my collections.
I am a journal hoard! This is a much needed video with amazing advise. And books! Thank you!
Would love to see you create a library Erica. I used to play libraries when I was little and because we didn't have a lot of money, I made a computer out of a shoe box and drew keyboard on it and I made borrowing cards. I used to make myself put it back in order too. 🤣 Sounds silly now, but as a 7 year old I was so happy doing that. I am a Teacher's Aide and I am now a huge declutterer and gotten rid of a lot of books and I'm even reading a kindle now, however I prefer paper. I just love to read and teach children to read. Hope you are coping okay with your grieving, my love to you from Australia. Jo xx
You know we want to see the book video(s). 💓
In the foreseeable but distant future, I will have a wall of bookshelves to display and sort my own library.
Books are definitely the Achilles heel of my minimalism also!
Every time I think "I'm going to just get at and film and put up videos", you come out with another that says what I want to say so much clearer than I feel like I'm doing. 🙌💓
Definitely looking forward to book video!
Yes, definitely would like to see the book video. I have a feeling it is going to compete with the homeschool declutter/organization video as a favorite!
Yes to a book video ❤
Board games/video games, writing letters/postcards (postcrossing), & journaling are mine ❤️ Sorting thru all these & purging the ones that no longer suit me 👍 wish me luck
Yes please, Erica do the book episode, I will definitely watch.😛
I have at least 1000 books in my house. There are more in boxes in our storage unit. I have over 2000 books on my Kindle. One of the reasons I asked for a Kindle was because of storage. I have a large collection of old books. The oldest is from the 1870s, IIRC. For a while, I was a Stampin' Up demonstrator, which meant I purchased a lot of supplies for myself. I have $1000 "invested" in those supplies. I enjoy scrapbooking and making cards, but I don't need all of the supplies that I have.
I would love to see your book consolidation/organization/declutter process - we recently did the same and I absolutely love looking at the bookshelves every morning and being able to see organized books that I'm looking forward to reading next, right there waiting for me. :)
As to personal hobby clutter - definitely changes in different seasons of life, right now my hubby has brought home a huge amount of scrap wood from work which we have plans to build things with when the weather clears up. The piles in the yard have seemed overwhelming, but this weekend we got 2 projects done and used up some, and then made plans for a bunch more. That helped my decluttering heart a LOT - I think, after a few sunny weekends, we'll have most of our backyard back ;) Plus we truly love building things together - the balance of opportunistic lumber finds vs time to use it sometimes seems a real challenge!
sewing, gardening + farming, traditional cooking/eating (canning/freezing, raising livestock, ferments, keeping a pantry, etc.), grandchildren (is that a hobby? I keep things around and research things because of nurturing grands under the guidance of their parents), fixing things (so tools, workshop items, etc. to fix small items like wood blocks and larger items like furniture and even larger items like houses, barns, vehicles)
Right now I am working on my sewing room which is pretty awful but has lovely potential, and am transitioning to gardening (worked in my potting greenhouse today decluttering), while also working on 2 antique kitchen cupboards that have cluttered my front porch since the weather turned bad last fall :( Am also planning on building a backyard workshop this year (no garage though). Yes, my recently retired husband is thinking that working was probably more relaxing, hahaha.
Wonderful as usual!!
Yes, I want to see you go through your books!
Sewing! It's SO hard to declutter, because you never know what the next project will need, not to mention using extra fabric for mock-ups. But my area could definitely use some love, so maybe after I finish my current projects (2) I will take a bit to decide what to do with my excess clutter. - ETA and Magic the Gathering! I have that clutter pretty well contained, but it could also use a tidy.
Definitely a reader and scrapbooking was a hobby I haven’t given time or attention recently. I’m hoping to get back to it in a more minimalist way.
Yes, I would like to see you declutter books, too. :)
yes please a video to declutter books would be good. I have so many books but I love them. I also decorate with books. I have a craft room that is full but I enjoy having that space and it is organized at least. Since I retired I have been learning new crafts. I crochet, embroidary, junk journal, sew and some quilting. so many crafts but I like variety. I have wooden shelving units with see through containers with all my crafting stuff, some plastic see through drawers and 2 long folding tables. The craft room is organized but I think I should declutter some of the items at some point.
I love sewing. Living in a 1 bedroom flat, there's no space to keep the sewing machine, materials etc standing. Every time I use the machine there's a total mess. But when I finish it only takes a few minutes to put it away. I've conmarie'd my home to improve my space. For maintenance and upkeep I started by looking into the FlyLady method. And after that into a number of different UA-camrs.
I love to journal/bullet journal and sometimes draw, as well as play piano, play animal crossing and read. At the moment the amount of markers I have has been bothering me. I have 3 sets of markers but only use two smaller sets. While I do love the 3rd set because it is bigger and contains more colors, it is tempting to let it go because I know I cannot use multiple sets. Bullet journaling is very simplified for me so the smaller sets make more sense, minimal choices and colors that don't cover up the writing. I am pulled to keep the bigger set for when I am inspired to draw and like the color choices available.
I enjoy watching decluttering and would love to see the book declutter. I have to get back to using the library. I rarely re read as an adult and buying books hasn't been worth it even with the pandemic!
This is great!
I sew and scrapbook as hobbies and have finally gotten to the point where I have found patterns to work for my body and can sew up a large amount of fabric some I bought 4-5 years ago.
The other small amounts I have sorted and given a purpose (charity quilts) or simply put in a bin to give away. Much nicer to deal with once you go through and see what you have.
Love the book declutter idea especially kids books we also have a lot of kids books even though we go to the library weekly.
Well said! My chosen clutter items are oils, scents, waxes, containers, etc. for making natural skin care and candles. We love the library 'cuz I don't like the clutter! 😀
I recently downsized from 2500sqft to just over 200sqft. It has been a very big change. I love geocaching and have done it for over 14yrs. I discovered I have 4 file boxes of "stuff" that goes with it. I have to go through it all soon to make it fit better into my tiny space.
First... am I seeing a Stanley Tucci crush? ;)
Second, I've been thinking about your grow shelf. You said you were planning on adding a shelf down the road but you were just using stuff to lift the plants to the light. Just an observation, you can adjust those shelves pretty easily. I would adjust them NOW so that the plants are closer to the light, by moving the shelves down and removing all the books and boxes used as a lift. That will make it look tons less cluttered. Then you can put that big bin on the top shelf to get it off the floor. Later, when you get your next shelf, you can just add it from the top. Also, I have a bunch of those stupid black spacer things that go on the shelf corners so don't buy any, I couldn't find mine, bought more, then found them after a move. lol.
I think that will make your gardening center look less cluttered, and clutter attracts clutter!
We have quite a few hobbies in common, this video had great timing.
Retired homeschool mom and recovering book hoarder here. 12 years ago (at the end of homeschooling) I had 12 full bookcases, plus other boxes of books. I pared it down to 3 1/2 bookcases over time. Last year I got it down to 2 bookcases. I'm comfortable here for now, but if I have to move again, a lot more will go. Your books are a library. Organize them like one with sections and subsections that work for you. Examples-- Fiction: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Mysteries, Historical, other. Non-Fiction: Poetry, Biography/Autobiography, Art, Science, History, Music, etc. Science can have sub-groups like: weather, space, animals, etc. Series were shelved together, even if there were different authors. Biographies alphabetically by subject, historical fiction by year or period. Unfortunately, I could go on and on because I feel that this was the only part of my life I ever successfully kept organized. It worked and a daughter even went on to work in a library for 6 years.
Oh Erica this is me. I’m a reader and a journaler. I don’t have too many hard copies of books but I have the Kindle, Audible and the library. I have a massive “to be read” list. Oh yeah I’m on Goodreads and have a book/calendar journal. I’ve got “effective” clutter in the way of markers, stickers , blank journals, etc. if I see it and it’s pretty I buy it. 😫
Would love to see a video about sorting out the books. I love your sorting out/decluttering videos, super inspiring and relaxing!
yes!! book organization video please! :))
I love to papercraft, and used to sell my cards at craft shows. However, I don't have access to any transport now, so my card making is limited to gifts. (A box of hand made greetings cards makes a great Christmas present.) I have almost an entire room of paper craft supplies but, I now no longer need so much stuff, simply because I don't need to have a couple of hundred cards available!
I did a huge declutter at the end of last year, but I need to do more, because now I find that dressmaking has overtaken as my main hobby. I generally hand sew everything, so my output is slow, and that prevents me filling my wardrobe with more 'clutter'. So I feel good about dressmaking as a hobby.
I have been ignoring the paper elephant in the room, but it's time to go through my cardmaking supplies and be brutally honest with myself about what I really need.
Thanks for the nudge.
I love books too and at times feel like I have too many but I would feel so overwhelmed with as many as you have and papers. ( but I have never homeschooled and imagine that is a lot of what you have going on there.) I started going to the library more and only allow myself to keep about 50 books and my husband keeps about 50. It’s hard though isn’t it? I love holding a book in my hands and even love the smell of a new printed book! So many helpful hints in this video. Hope you are doing well and I am sorry about the loss of your brother!
i love to see that video. i gardening, journal, read, paint by number and diamond painting and decorating mine happy planner. i find it hard to declutter mine books that i now have. it is not so much. i declutter over a few week mine gardening supplies i think i have to much we will see if i use it this time. i must repot mine seedlings and sow seeds again.
Absolutely interested in a book reorganizing 👍🏻 Thanks for your insights