Your Worth Isn’t Productivity: Burnout, Boundaries, and the Good-Enough (Amazing) Life | Clutterbug Podcast #308

Summary

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Clutterbug Podcast #308

Your Worth Isn’t Productivity: Burnout, Boundaries, and the Good-Enough (Amazing) Life

Release Date: January 12, 2026
Host: Cassandra Aarssen (Cas)
Guest: Anna Priz (a.k.a. “Manifesting Lady”)

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Episode Overview

In this uplifting and authentic episode, Cassandra Aarssen (Cas) interviews internet personality and manifesting advocate Anna Priz. Together, they dive deep into why your intrinsic value is not defined by your productivity, sharing real-life experiences with burnout, setting boundaries, and letting “good enough” be amazing. Their relatable conversation is packed with practical tips, tough love, and genuine laughter—aimed especially at perfectionists, those struggling with ADHD, or anyone caught up in the pressure to “do more”.

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Key Topics & Insights

1. Permission to Show Up Imperfectly (00:00–04:00)

• Cas gives listeners a “permission slip” not just to listen, but to take physical action (like cleaning behind the toilet)—no pressure, just small steps toward a better life.
• Anna Priz is introduced as an influencer known for her “manifesting” videos, often filmed barefoot, outdoors, with a broken vacuum or toilet as props.

“You’re not lazy, you’re tired. You’re not behind on everything. You’re here and it’s now. And that’s all we’ve got.”
—Anna Priz, 00:39

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2. Anna’s Journey: Burnout to Boundaries to Becoming “the Manifesting Lady” (06:01–13:14)

• Anna shares how the pandemic forced a halt to her 14-year event planning career, prompting deep personal “unlearning” and time for self-discovery.
• She experimented with social media, eventually finding her voice and a community online.

“I’ve created an entire life online for myself to give myself this advice…I need this encouragement to continue to choose me every day.”
—Anna Priz, 08:37

• Cas identifies with the “battle” of wanting to do everything and also do nothing—accepting that neither extreme is sustainable.

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3. Redefining Worth: Productivity ≠ Value (13:14–17:23)

• Anna reflects on her biggest “unlearning”: that her value isn’t tied to what she produces or achieves.
• Both hosts discuss societal and family pressures to hustle and be productive.

“My value isn’t my productivity. They are not connected.”
—Anna Priz, 13:16

• Anna recognizes the “all or nothing” mentality and gives herself—and listeners—permission to opt out of obligations, even family ones, when they aren’t serving well-being.

“We don’t have to do stuff we don’t want to do…My whole life fell apart, and I survived. It’s possible.”
—Anna Priz, 14:58 & 16:31

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4. Baby Steps & “Doing It Shitty” (19:25–29:11)

• Cas and Anna bond over their shared acceptance of imperfection, especially in cleaning and organizing.
• Cas describes building a business on “doing things shitty”—advocating for progress over perfection.
• Anna affirms that “okay is good enough” and shares her husband’s influence on letting go of perfectionism.

“I have this thing I say that it doesn’t have to be back-breaking to be valid.”
—Anna Priz, 20:40

• Both share practical tips:
  • Clean one thing (even just the toilet) instead of the whole house.
  • Celebrate any progress—baby steps are still steps.

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5. Oversharing, Boundaries & Life Online (29:15–34:15)

• Both women discuss oversharing online, their comfort zones, and the challenges of setting boundaries—especially when others interpret boundaries as rejection.
• Anna purposefully only shares her inner world, not personal details about her family or background.

“I’m only sharing the deepest, darkest parts of myself, but I’m not sharing the details of my life.”
—Anna Priz, 30:00

• Cas describes family fallout from her online honesty, learning to accept not everyone will like her.

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6. Choosing Joyful Busyness & Community (34:15–38:26)

• Cas playfully calls out Anna for having many projects despite advocating for “less”—but Anna clarifies she’s chosen the “right” things.
• Anna shares how her live shows, trips, and content creation are energizing, not draining, because they align with her values and boundaries.
• On hosted vacations and live events, Anna has fostered a supportive, like-minded community—creating collective permission for rest and choosing what feels right.

“I’ve stopped doing the things I don’t want to do…They’re all things I want to be doing.”
—Anna Priz, 34:29

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7. Manifesting: The Real, “Shitty” Way (38:26–41:10)

• Anna and Cas discuss “manifesting,” debunking the pressure to do it “correctly.”
• Anna describes her style as simply “saying it out loud and then it happens”—whether it’s proper or not.

“Have you tried manifesting shittier?…Have you tried going outside barefoot and just shouting about it? Because it can’t hurt.”
—Anna Priz, 39:40

• Both agree: the magic is in embracing imperfection, not hyper-control.

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8. Organizing for Your Brain, Not Pinterest (41:27–44:55)

• Cas diagnoses Anna as a “Butterfly” organizer: visual, out-of-sight-out-of-mind, not a detail stickler.
• Emphasizes working with your natural tendencies, not fighting them.
• Tips for “Butterflies”:
  • Use open shelving and big labels
  • Stop using fridge drawers if food goes bad there
  • Throw out nonessential items instead of agonizing over where they “should” go

“When you embrace how your brain naturally [works] and you adapt your home… it can actually stay tidy.”
—Cassandra Aarssen, 43:06

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9. Listener Questions & Wrap-Up (51:12–59:22)

Notable Listener Calls:

• Star from Louisiana: Talks about the continuing journey of decluttering and honoring who she is now, not her “intentional self”. (53:26)
• Becky from the UK: Asks about mixing “Butterfly” and “Ladybug” organizing styles in a new, chaotic home. Cas recommends zones and big-labeled containers to bridge visual/hiding tensions. (53:51)
• Jess from Kentucky: Shares how “doing it shitty” broke her perfectionism paralysis and helped her get things done. (58:15)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You’re here and it’s now. And that’s all we’ve got.” —Anna Priz (00:38)
• “I want to do nothing…while also doing all the things.” —Cassandra Aarssen (09:43)
• “If you did one thing, that’s better than no things.” —Anna Priz (18:03)
• “Mistakes are our friends.” —Anna Priz (26:14)
• “Doing it bad. Doing it bad.” —Anna Priz (29:13)
• “I have a daily show—‘Permission Slip with Anna Priz’…every day there’s a theme, it’s about five to ten minutes, permission to just be yourself.” —Anna Priz (46:49)

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Actionable Tips

• Take one small, non-emotional decluttering action—start with the bathroom.
• Set boundaries: It’s okay (even beneficial) to opt out of obligations that drain you.
• Redefine progress: “Doing it shitty” is better than endlessly waiting for perfect.
• Organize for who you really are—not who you wish you were.
• Recognize that your worth is not tied to your to-do list or output.
• Celebrate all wins, especially the little ones!

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Overall Tone

Warm, candid, encouraging, and irreverently funny. The conversation blends vulnerability with practical wisdom, giving tough love “permission slips” for living imperfectly—and joyfully.

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Useful Timestamps

• 00:38: “You’re not lazy, you’re tired…” (Anna’s philosophy)
• 13:14: Anna’s biggest unlearning—worth ≠ productivity
• 19:25–21:17: The “do it shitty” and “baby steps” discussion
• 29:11–34:15: Oversharing, boundaries, and vulnerability online
• 38:26–41:10: Manifesting: “Have you tried doing it shittier?”
• 41:27–44:55: Diagnosing and working with organizing “bug” styles
• 51:12–59:22: Listener questions & real-life solutions

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For Further Inspiration

Anna Priz’s shows & podcast:

• Permission Slip with Anna Priz (daily podcast/video show)

Clutterbug Organizing Styles:

• Learn more at clutterbug.com

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This episode is a must-listen for anyone feeling the weight of “shoulds” and “to-do’s”. By the end, you’ll feel empowered—maybe even excited—to show up as you are, celebrate imperfect progress, and lovingly redefine your relationship to productivity, boundaries, and home.

Transcript

[Cassandra Aarssen]

If you are still struggling with this feeling like you gotta do more, and there's all these things on your to do list, or the things you should do or you could do, or this is the podcast for you. This is like your permission slip to just show up as you are and celebrate any small progress you've made or celebrate that you've made no progress at all. And I am interviewing the incredible Anna Priz. I didn't know how to say her last name. I know her as the manifesting lady on the Internet or the lady who vacuums outside. It's a broken vacuum. Sometimes there's a toilet. There's usually tongs. Here's a quick clip so you know what I'm talking about.

[Anna Priz]

You're not lazy, you're tired, you're not behind on everything. You're here and it's now. And that's all we've got. All this telling yourself you're not doing enough and being all weird and negative about you. I don't think so. It's not acceptable, and I won't accept it. Where have I been? That's an incredible question. That's my couch. It's in my kitchen. So what had happened was I have adhd.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I first discovered Anna years ago, and I think I. I needed her when I found her because I had so much on my plate. I was filming and I had a new course and I was writing a book. I was just doing all the things all at once, and I felt very burnt out. And here is this hilarious lady laying in the grass barefoot, with tongs and a broken vacuum cleaner, telling me to calm down. And I am perfect just the way I am. And she's shouting at the universe to make life easier. And she called that manifesting. And I was hooked. I felt better, I felt seen, and I had permission to just let go of the pressure. She's incredible. Before we jump into the incredible interview with Anna, I want you to not just listen. You are not allowed, in fact, to just listen or watch this podcast. I want you to take action. And in celebration of Anna, because yesterday she cleaned a toilet, I want you to get in your bathroom. You can either do a quick clean. When is the last time you cleaned behind your toilet? Or what if you declutter? This is an awesome spot to declutter because your bathroom isn't sentimental. You are not emotionally attached to those old shampoo bottles. The. This is a way for you to really get started. Make a difference. Make your life better without the stress and the anxiety. Just go in There, open the drawers. You have old toothbrushes, you have empty bottles, you have packages. What if you just threw things out so your life tomorrow was a little bit easier and saved you some time? So get in there and clean a toilet, maybe, and let's jump in and meet Anna.

[Jess]

Hi.

[Anna Priz]

I'm actually like, I'm so geeked to.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Talk to you because I'm. I don't say this often because I kind of am a little anti social media, but I'm a huge fan.

[Anna Priz]

Listen, I'm also anti social media. Oh, man. Thank you, though. That I like. It's one of my favorite things. People are like, is it weird when someone tells you they like you? And I'm like, no, please tell me more. Please tell me more. No, it's.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

It's honestly so refreshing because, like, I, I, I'm on social media mostly to procrastinate, doing the things that I should do, but also I'm like, tell me how I can be better. And then I feel like crap about myself for not being better. But when I watch you, you're just reminding me I'm amazing just the way I am.

[Anna Priz]

Yeah, it's so. There's just like, not a lot of that. I mean, maybe there's more now than there was once, but, like, gosh, it's hard to get online and not get offline feeling like crap, like, just being.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Like, oh, God, just another to do. Another thing I got to add on my plate.

[Anna Priz]

Right. Another part of your body you've got to ha. Right. Another.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Thing you have to buy some cream. Some do. I gotta start running because look at that girl. She looks amazing.

[Anna Priz]

It's literally. And I'm just like, hey, by the way, just take a nap.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I love it. Okay, listen, Anna, I've been following you for a really long time. I'm not gonna lie. I don't call you by your name. I call you the manifesting lady. Yeah, or the vacuum lady. Or the broken toilet in her backyard lady.

[Anna Priz]

Hey, cuties. It's Anna, the keep it up, cutie. Vacuum lady. It's called manifesting lady.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

And now it's tongs. So, yeah, I love the tongs.

[Anna Priz]

But here's the thing.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

It's. Because I didn't know how to pronounce your last name. I thought it was Percy, and then I put it into Google and it made it sound like a sneeze. I don't think that's right.

[Anna Priz]

Right. It's Priz.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Priz.

[Anna Priz]

I know. It's. I, I didn't know that. I was going to become an Internet personality, obviously. I. My maiden name is Step. Like, which would have been a great Internet name.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

But it's beautiful.

[Anna Priz]

Yeah, but it is. It's so funny. I remember somebody did, like, an audit of my account when I was trying to become, like, a content creator, and they were like, for one, like, your handle is not good. And I was like, I think it's too late for me. I think. I think we're stuck.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

It is my name. They're like, yeah, names. Your name sucks.

[Anna Priz]

They're like, change it. And I was like, nah, I'm just going to leave it and try my best from there.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I love it so much. Oh, this is like, before we get in, can I show a few clips of your awesomeness in this? Because people will immediately know who you are.

[Anna Priz]

Yeah, even I have to do that. People like, you look familiar. And I'm like, do you know the lady online? And she yells and she's like, outside. And they're like, yeah, I know that. And I'm like, that's why you recognize me. It's. It's hard to place me out of context.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

But you're, like, so insanely amazing. So I'm going to. I'm show some clips of there, but I. I'm really curious, like, how did you get started? Because it felt to me like all of a sudden you were just everywhere and all I was seeing. Maybe it's because this is the message I really needed to hear, and it's called manifesting. Look it up. And the universe was just putting you in my feed.

[Anna Priz]

But I think it's a little bit that, like, I really do, because I think if you're not ready for me, then you're not ready for me and that, like, because I wouldn't have been ready for me six years ago. It would have been like, no, I prefer to run myself into the ground and have no work life balance, please. But no, the reason also that I probably appeared that way is because I was playing around. I was trying to find myself on TikTok for a really long time. And it took me like a year of just sort of saying how I felt out loud online before I found, like, the thing that felt like me. And so then I got on Instagram and then I got on Facebook. So it was like I came in to the majority of the Internet with a pretty solid sense of what I wanted to do there for versus, like, if you had encountered me in 2020 on TikTok. It was like, were you dancing? Yeah, I was. I Definitely was dancing. I was doing, like, some trends and just sort of seeing, like, feeling it out and doing skits. Like, it's so funny to watch them back now. They're so, like, well lit and staged. And, like, I have a microphone and. Because I was just trying. I was trying something new, and I. I wanted to go all in on it until it was like, you know what? None of this feels very authentic to me. Like, and I kind of found my space and my voice. But no, it was just the pandemic. I am an event, was an event planner for 14, 15 years. And our restrictions in Michigan weren't lifted until June of 2021, so we couldn't have an event with over 25 people for over a year. So essentially, I had. For the first time in my life, I was at home, I had time, and I did not know what to do with it. And then kind of when my content came around was when I tried to go back to work and I said, whoa, I don't think I can do this anymore. Like, I. I don't want to run myself into the ground anymore. Like, I had a taste of sitting, doing things I wanted to do, binge watching Netflix. And I was like, oh, I. I don't want. I don't think I want all of the things that I thought I wanted before. And so it was just this, like, that was kind of how my content spiraled, was like, oh, no. What comes next if this plan I had Since I was 15, you know, is not the right one for me? And. And then that's kind of what I did online. It was just like, unlearning, trying new things, seeing where I wanted to go, and, like, actually taking care of myself for the first time in my life, like, in front of people. And not even on purpose, like, being an inspiration, which. I don't know if that's the right word or just, like, being somebody who was there to, like, help people are like, do you listen to your advice? And I'm like, oh, it's for me. Like, this is for me. I'm. I've created an entire life online for myself to, you know, to give myself this advice that I need and these. This encouragement that I need to continue to choose me every day and pick a career that doesn't exist and kind of mold it out of thin air and go from there, which is crazy.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

It is crazy. I'm. I'm curious. Like, I'm in this epic battle, and maybe you can bestow your wisdom on me. This battle is like, I Want to do nothing. Anna, listen. I want to just do nothing while also doing all the things.

[Anna Priz]

Oh, yeah.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Like, I don't want to work, but I want all the benefits. Can everything. Like, I. You know what I'm saying? I did go through a period of my life where I was just like, I'm gonna do the nothing. But I felt really, like, crap about myself because I lived in a hovel and I had no money, and it was. I was. I stunk a lot. It was just horrible, you know, I was.

[Anna Priz]

A lot. Yeah. And then.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

But then I was like, I'm gonna do all the things. And that is me.

[Anna Priz]

I think there's this misconception about, like, what I do where people are like, so I just need to quit my job and, like, do nothing. And I'm like, no, no. This is mindset, right? Because I didn't quit my job for three years. Like, I was doing both. But I changed the way I approached my job. I was like, this is my job where I work. I need to go to this job. I need to give it what it requires. Not like, I was such an above and beyond, such a overachiever, such a stay till 8pm kind of person, you know, picking up those extra shifts and saying yes constantly. And it was kind of being like.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Hey.

[Anna Priz]

You don't value me in a way that I need to be doing this for a. Like, I'm going to get the paycheck either way. And I just. I really need to approach this in a way that's healthy for me. And. And that was kind of saying, like, this is my job now, and that's it. This isn't my life. This isn't my. It was putting these boundaries in place. Like, I can no longer approach that the way I was approaching it, because I will die. Like, I. I can't. And especially, like, having that break was kind of like hitting that wall at 300 miles an hour, because I'd never stopped, right? You go to school, you go to college, you get a job, you. And you start working, and that's it. And once I stopped, it was like, oh, I can never. Like, I shattered into a million pieces. And there's no, like, putting it back together the way it was. It's like, putting it together in the way I want to put it together now. And. And, yeah, leaving my job was so scary because I didn't have, like, a backup financial plan. And I still want to do everything right, but the things that I'm choosing are the things that make me happy. Like, I Always say, the exhaustion from this job in this life that I'm creating for myself is so different than the exhaustion from things that drain me. This is like, you go to bed fulfilled. Like, I did everything I wanted to do today. Like, and I did it on my terms, and I did it in the way that feels right for me. So it's just. It's just changing the way you think about stuff.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Oh, my gosh. I'm so sorry.

[Anna Priz]

Hold on one second.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

My printer. My printer has been broken for two days, and it just spontaneously. I love that your words. And it spontaneously fixed itself. It won't stop screaming now, though.

[Anna Priz]

So one second, your printer was like, no, I listened to that advice to work on my own terms. Now.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Like, literally, I've been like, it has a backlog. And just decided two days later, it heard you. You inspired it. Like, you inspire me. Okay, listen, I'm curious. What was your biggest, like, unlearning through all of this? Because this. You use this term a lot. You're like, I had to unlearn things.

[Anna Priz]

The biggest one and the one that I struggle with every second of every day. And it kinds. It's is like, what you were just saying is that my value isn't my productivity. Like, they are not connected. They're just two separate things. My productivity is, okay, you did that. And it's like, that doesn't make me a better person. That doesn't make me a work worse person if I didn't get it all done. It's like, these are two very separate things. But in my mind, my entire life, it was like, however much you can offer the world is how much you're worth. And it's like, oh, my God, that's exhausting to think that, like, yeah, I have to do something to get something in return. Or, like, it's just all of that. Like, my. I remember even, like, my mom used to say this was like, an unlearning thing. I. You know, I'd complain about my job, and she'd be like, anna, everybody hates their job. And then I'd be like, oh, you're right. Like, I just need to suck it up and, like, do my job. But now it's the, like, why? It's why? Why? When she says, everybody has their job, and I say, well, why is that? Why are. Why are we doing that? And so my whole life now is kind of saying why. I love that.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Why are we doing things? Because this is the way we were told we were always supposed to do things.

[Anna Priz]

And in my personal Life too. Like, I remember when I first met my husband and I was like, I have to go to this thing. It's like obligation I have to go to. Like, I really don't want to. And he goes, why would you go to something you don't want to go to? And I was just like, what?

[Cassandra Aarssen]

We can opt out.

[Anna Priz]

I said, wait, you're like, we can.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Opt out of a lot of things.

[Anna Priz]

We don't have to do stuff we don't want to do. And then there's people, you know, in my life, right? A big one. Is that, like, I don't go to Thanksgiving. This is like this family, like, well known thing, whatever. But here's. Here's how that happened. We didn't go to Thanksgiving during COVID And I was like, this is what this day could be like. Calm at home in my pajamas. Nobody's running around, nobody's crying in the bathroom. There is not like some tension fight over here because, you know, your uncle drank too much. And there's like, you know, this is like. And I said, I love my family, and that's why I'm going to put these boundaries in place. That's not a situation for me. That's going to improve our relationship. Like me coming to an emotionally charged day where everybody's drinking, where there's just like all this stuff going on. It's like, you know what? I love you guys so much, but I'm not going to be there. I hope you have fun and I'll see you at another time when, you know, it's like a calmer event where we can properly chat with each other. And. And I always say, like, that's the thing about boundaries that not everybody understands. It's like, they are not. Because I don't want to see my family there because I love my family and I want to make sure that relationship thrives. And then that same concept, applying it to everything, oh, I love this.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

And it's terrifying at the same time.

[Anna Priz]

Yeah, yeah.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

All the things, like, I do out of obligation, but, like, if I don't do them, I. What happens when I. I have a.

[Anna Priz]

Secret to tell you. Nothing. Nothing happens. You're like. And that's the craziest part, too. My biggest fear, my whole life was my life falling apart, which in my mind was losing my job, losing my income, because those are the only things that I, like, put on a pedestal. And then I lost my job and my income. And I kept being like, you. You're sad, right? You're sad, right? And I Was like, I'm not sad. I'm fine. Yeah, this is hard. But I don't want to go back and I don't want to do it that way. And it's kind of that like, it's like a non cautionary tale. It's being like, hey, just so you know, my whole life fell apart and I survived. It's possible. It's possible. We're so afraid of the unknown.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I am unfraid of the unknown. I also like, have some. Something inside of me so ingrained and probably because for a living, I'm like, I'm gonna help you guys get your home under control. That I write like, listen. Do lists for myself every day. Listen, listen.

[Anna Priz]

Those things go together. By the way, though, it's very helpful in all of this. Like a cluttered space, which mine all are. Is the most stressful part of my life. Yeah. And it's, it adds nothing. Like, I also, I'm coming at it from both ways, right where I'm like, I 100 agree and that there has to be a way for me to get there because my life is gonna. It's going to improve if I can get my things in order. But it's also not a moral failing that like I'm struggling to get there. It is, it is the way that my brain is wired. I. Everything is out of sight, out of mind until it's in front of me and. And you know, it's finding a way that's gentle and works with me and helps me to like or accepting that I can do one thing at a time. Like, I used to get so frustrated and say, well, I can't clean the whole house, so I won't clean it all. And, and it's that like, no, it's okay for you. Why don't you try and wash one dish and see? So this is, that's like another part of my unlearning is the like, nothing is all or nothing. And still being like, if you did one thing, that's better than no things. Because I, I never could accept that before. Like, if I couldn't clean the whole house, it wasn't worth doing. And it's like, you can just clean the toilet. I did it yesterday and I was like, that's it. I literally just cleaned the toilet. Not the shower, not the sink, not the mirrors. But I was like, but now the toilet's clean. Like it's. It's this gentle mindset of everything. Just kind of like floats into every space of my life where it's like, oh, yeah, do I wish I could have everything organized all of the time? Yeah, I do. But I'm not gonna beat myself up about it because I don't have it.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Yeah, I felt like that. Like I. I really lived in chaos for a really long time. And I got to the point where I, somewhere in my brain was like, it doesn't matter. Only a. Only like, nerds keep their house. You know what I mean? Like, I was this person who was. I was all or nothing. And because I couldn't do it all, I chose nothing. Except I was really miserable and I pretended I wasn't, but I was like, always late, always feeling stressed. And finally I was just like, enough is enough. And I just filled some trash bags. I'm like, I'm gonna start by like, I hate you, pile of crap. I don't even care what's in there. There could be uncashed checks work in a trash bag. Because I'm lazy, Anna. And because I just needed to skip to the end and, and, and somehow, like, I've now built my life on this and I feel like, this pressure to be better now. I'm like, I'm teaching other people. Maybe I should be this person who puts things into alphabetical order. Do you know what I mean? So I feel this, like, it's an existential crisis a little bit, because it's hard to give advice on. To someone and on how to clean their house when my advice is be real bad at it. That's my. That's true. Well, just like, have you tried sucking.

[Anna Priz]

At cleaning and organized bad advice? I think that's amazing advice. I have this thing that I say that it doesn't have to be back breaking to be valid. Like, because I, I had this thought all the time, like, well, if I'm not working really hard and I'm not really tired after it, it doesn't count. And. And it's like the same thing applies to organizing and cleaning and making your home like a place that you can walk into without it making things worse. It's like, hey, it doesn't have to be everything all at once. It. But you do have to try something. Like.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Yes, I love that. And I've seen you vacuuming your broken toilet outside with your broken bathroom, which makes me so happy. Like, where did that come from?

[Anna Priz]

From?

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Were you just one day you were like, this old toilet and this broken vacuum are gonna be my co hosts?

[Anna Priz]

No. It's like, so funny. It's all just like, not natural, obviously, because they're home Objects. But, like, we had a trailer, and it was gonna go to the dump, and it had all this stuff because we bought our home from a couple who built the house and had lived in it for 45 years. And they left a lot of stuff. And we were okay with that. We were like, sure. But of course, it was, like, a lot of getting rid of their things after. And so we had this trailer of broken things to go to the dump, and the vacuum was on there because it doesn't have a plug, and it's like, it doesn't. It doesn't work. And so my dad needed to borrow the trailer, and he pushed all the trash off it into this tree line, which is where it. It. You don't really see it. Right. So I started recording with it, and then it was like, there was no going back. Like, now we can't get rid of it. Like, now we just have a trash pile of stuff that I use. And it is kind of funny. Like, people be like, I'm worried about how much crap is in your yard. I'm like, I think you'd have to see. You've seen the whole yard, right? It's very expansive. Like, there are little pockets that are a disaster on purpose for me. And the rest is pretty. Pretty normal yard. But the toilet was, like. We were just replacing our. All of our toilets, and we have a walkout basement. And, like, when he was putting in the new toilet, he set it outside the walkout door. And then I recorded with it before we put it away. And then I couldn't put it away, so now it just sits there. I love that, though, because it does.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

It's like this shocking thing that's like, oh, she's, like, still happy. In fact, she's, like, embracing the pile.

[Anna Priz]

Which is totally what it is. Yeah.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

And maybe it's okay that I have piles too. Right. Like, I. I think, oh, it's so vulnerable and wonderful and the exact message that I needed to see and I still need to see all the time. So thank you for that.

[Anna Priz]

Yeah. And that's the other thing is, like, do I think I'm doing everything correctly? No. But I'm going to show you how I'm living my life. Because I just want you to know that, like, we're all living it from some place. Like, my house is a disaster, and. And something's broken and this or whatever. And. Or there's. There's no sheets on the bed. I literally laid down a sheet over the bed yesterday. Like, just, like, a flat sheet. Because I Didn't have time. I was like, I just don't have, like, the time or the energy to make the bed, but I really need to go to bed. And so I was like, there. It's something like, I'm not sleeping on the mattress and.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Towels. Before I had, like, you know, kids, and they were sick, and I was like, I could change or I could just put a towel over it.

[Anna Priz]

Yeah. But these are all things I've been so embarrassed about my whole life. Like, I never would have wanted anybody to see that or know that existed. And now I. I get to approach my life from a place of being. Like, I can show people that, like, yeah, this is maybe not ideal and it makes you feel a certain way, but, like, other people are living just like you're living. I promise.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

So I'm writing a book, and the book is called Do It Shitty. Yes.

[Anna Priz]

I'm a little. Wait. I'm so excited.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I. I'm glad you're excited, because I feel, like, this weird wrongness about it. Even though any success I've ever had in my life has come from doing things real, real shitty, there's been pushback.

[Anna Priz]

About. Yeah, well, I do understand that. Yes.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Because.

[Anna Priz]

Yeah.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

The narrative that people are saying is, why would I want to do anything shitty? I want to do better. I'm already shitty. And I'm like, babe, you're. You forgot the do it part. Because it is this all or nothing mentality that we're like, my life is. I'm a disaster. But it's like, because you're not taking those baby steps and you're not giving yourself permission to just celebrate any progress, no matter how bad.

[Anna Priz]

Are we the same person? That's, like, all some of my favorite things. Like, baby steps are steps. All wins are wins. Like, and I'll say, like, brushing your teeth, putting your pants, getting out of, like, it's all something like, we're gonna get there. It might be baby steps on the way. But. Yes. There's just this, like, yes, yes.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

And I think for perfectionists, the way to, like, do that is to, like. I found when I'm working with clients, I'm, like, pushing them to purposely be bad. You know what I mean? Because to them, if I say do things badly, their concept of bad isn't even. It's still so good.

[Anna Priz]

I'm just. I'm laughing because I'm sitting under a poster that says, mistakes are our friends.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Mistakes are our friends. And, like, what if you purposely suck? Like, what if you try to do something, like, the Worst, like, epically bad. Like, put away your laundry. Like, as if you're trying to suck super hard at it and it still put away something and you're chucking it and then it's away and it's done. And I think sometimes we need to approach life from this, like, dumbed down version on purpose in order to feel like, oh, nothing bad happened. Actually, I feel better and something's checked off my to do list. And this is awesome.

[Anna Priz]

Oh my gosh, I'm obsessed with doing it shitty. That's how I'm living my life. We say okay is good enough. That's. Which I think is the same. That's the same.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

It doesn't have a swear word.

[Anna Priz]

No, I like, I prefer doing shitty, but. But that is so funny. Like, my husband has kind of changed my brain in that way where like, he. He's got. He's the okay is good enough guy. And it has taken me years to like, finally agree with him. Be like, I think you might be right.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

It's life changing. And what's really bonkers is I meet like all these super talented, way smarter than me, incredible people and they're like, struggling to get through the day. Like every day they feel burnt out and they feel exhausted and I'm like, babes, you're trying too hard.

[Anna Priz]

Yeah, literally, you're trying too hard.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

You're just like, you're trying, just trying to be crappier. And like, magically imagine if those amazing people were. Tried to be crappier, how far they'd go. I'm an idiot. They are geniuses.

[Anna Priz]

My life has, like, gone over the rainbow and the moon with like, how cool it is. And I'm putting forth the least effort I've ever put forth in my life because I'm just. Yes. Because I'm just doing it crappy or not. Like, I'm just not. It's not even crappy. It's like I'm doing it where I. It does not have to be perfect. Like, I'm gonna. Like, I have a podcast and it's like, I'm gonna put this podcast out. I'm not ready to put it out. I have nothing pre prepared. I just told myself It'd come out January 1st. So it did. And it was like, it's gonna get better. But that was me knowing I was putting out the first episode and it was bad and. And just being like. But I just need to get it off the ground. I just need to do something. I try and. And just. I just gotta. You gotta Start. Even if you start real bad.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

And I think you should start real bad on purpose, because then the only way is up, you know? And that's how you learn. You get the, like, anxiety of messing up out of the way because it's like, well, I've already done it. It's done, and it's bad. So it's freeing. That's the thing. I think we found the secret.

[Anna Priz]

Yes, we did.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Secret to life.

[Anna Priz]

Doing it bad. Doing it bad.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I also have a question, because you tend to do this thing that I also do on social media, maybe overshare, because I. My friends are online and I talk to them, but really I'm talking to myself. And sometimes I get carried away and I share things about myself that maybe I shouldn't be saying on the Internet do. Are you an oversharer?

[Anna Priz]

Yes and no. I always say this is. So this is like this thing that I really like about how I've somehow created this thing where everybody does know me, right? Like, if you've seen my content and you know my vibe, you know me. You don't know anything about me. You don't know my background, like, from my content online, from anything I'm doing. And I don't know, like, how I found that balance of being. Like, I'm only sharing the deepest, darkest parts of myself, but I'm not sharing the details of my life. Yeah, okay. I like.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I like.

[Anna Priz]

Yeah.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I recently did a podcast where I was talking about my new boundaries. Like, if people don't like me, I used to be so obsessed with that, like, trying to get them to like me and fix whatever reason that it was about myself and. But recently I'm like, well, I don't really like you either. And I was doing a podcast and my family, my extended family, they're obviously not the biggest fans of me, I guess. And so I was, like, uninvited from Christmas because I'm too intense and hyper and I get excited when I play board games. I am very annoying in. In their defense. But then in the podcast, I was like, I don't like them anyways. Well, then they watched it and then shared it. And sometimes I just say, I just blab. If it's an in thought, it's an out thought. And unfortunately, it's an out thought to the world.

[Anna Priz]

Okay. You know what? I do over share in my live shows, and generally nobody sees that except for the people who see it live. I did recently get in trouble for sharing a clip from my live show, and I said, this is why I don't share clips from my live show. Live show stays live show.

[Becky]

You.

[Anna Priz]

I can over share on it. It's private, but apparently I can't share it online. You're right.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

But see, this is a weird thing. I. I like feel like, like the. My friends are watching or this is private. It's just me and them and the people that I know you're not allowed to hear. I know, it's boss. This is something I gotta deal with. It's like, it's just between me and my friend.

[Anna Priz]

No, you're so right. Because I literally have a joke in my comedy set where I say people think that my live show isn't like what I do online. And I said that's because what I do online is private. That's private. You can't just. That's between me and the millions of people looking at it. That's private. There is like some sort of safety in the Internet. Oh my gosh. How are you dealing with like, all of that? Are you feeling any type of way or are you like about having over shared?

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Yeah, I'm feeling like if I hurt someone's feelings, I do feel bad. I'm like, oh, I. Because I like, I love them.

[Anna Priz]

I try very, very hard. Yeah. Not to bring other people into my online. That's like, I think that's like, I don't mind telling you if it's me and it's something I did and it's personal up to me. But yeah, I do try really hard. Like, I protect my mom like crazy online because I have so much mean things I want to say sometimes. And my dad, you know, and you.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Should see, I have three kids and they do the dumbest stuff. Yeah, it's hilarious too. I'm like, this is great content, but nope.

[Anna Priz]

And even like my mama's given me permission and I'm like, mom, I'm not gonna do that. Like, I. I'm like, I. I'm. I'm gonna share everything about myself and be really vague about how I got there, knowing full well it's because of something you said when I was 14.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Having boundaries is tough when other people take the boundaries as a slight. This is something I've also noticed. So I'm trying to like, have a boundary for myself. Like, I don't think. But then other people are like, how dare you have a boundary? And that's rude. And I'm like, wait, is it rude?

[Anna Priz]

I think it's understanding. Like, it's hard to explain to people. Like, I'm placing This boundary to improve our lives. It's gonna make both of our lives better. I promise.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Okay, I'm gonna call you out for a second because I wrote down all the insane things that you do because you're like, I'm just, you know, sometimes I watch you lay in the grass and scream at the sky that you just want to like, do the nothing. And you're like, it's called manifesting. Give me less. And I love it so much. And then I look. You wrote a book called. Yeah, Keep it up, cutie. You are traveling the world with all of your followers. You are making content. You have a comedy tour.

[Anna Priz]

You have a podcast.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Babes, Babes. Wait a minute.

[Anna Priz]

Remember?

[Cassandra Aarssen]

You were like, I'm gonna take that workaholic self and I'm gonna put her on the shelf because she's crazy. From an outside outsider, I want to say maybe calm. Maybe calm down.

[Anna Priz]

Do you know what it is, though? It's, it's that I've chosen the things I want to do and I've stopped doing the things I don't want to do. And so I'm still the least busy I've ever been. Like, that's crazy to me. It's because it's, it's, it's all these things, but they're all things I like doing. They're all things I'm having fun with. They're like, I have a calendar as well. And that has been fun. It's been so fun to like see people pulling the pages off every day. And yeah, in my inbox there's maybe like a preview. I have to write 365 new quips for some other project I'm working on. And you know, but no, it's all, it's all these things I want to be doing. It's like having too many fun hobbies. It's like they're all incredible. Like, the live show is like what keeps me going because meeting people is incredible. And then like the rest of it. And same with the trips. Like I was gonna ask about that.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

You must be an extrovert because the idea of spending my time with strangers. You're with strangers that are also your best friends, but also strangers.

[Anna Priz]

Does it feel like not strangers? It would feel like work if they weren't like minded people. But that's what you have to keep in mind. It's like I've created a community of people who, who agree with me. I don't know if that's good or bad, but going on, going on these trips with my followers is the most incredible experience in the world. I said after the very first one I did, I was, like, crying my eyes out on the last night, and I was like, this is the first time I've ever spent a week with a group of people who. I just watched you all honor your own boundaries and take care of yourselves in the way that you needed to. Nobody felt guilty about being like, I'm not coming to dinner, but I'm not coming to breakfast. I'm sleeping. It. Like, it was like. Because that doesn't happen. Like, if I spend a week with my family. That's not what's happening. It's. There's pressure to go and do in this. But, like, in this group of people that I'm pulling together, where you're already coming on the premise that this is your trip, like, this is vacation. If it's stressful, don't do it. And going from there, and just the conversations we get to have. And like I said, the hardest part about putting on trips is that they end up. And then you're like, what? What? Now I just go home without you?

[Cassandra Aarssen]

You want to go on vacation with you? Oh, my. It is. Really.

[Anna Priz]

It is. I have never. I didn't know that I'd never enjoyed a vacation before until I started hosting them, and I was like, wait, this is what it's supposed to be like.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Vacations with my family. I'm just gonna say they're terrible, right? I'm like a taskmaster, and I'm like, we're gon most fun. Hurry up. We got breakfast, and we're running here, and we're seeing that, and we're. And then I'm just like, I need a vacation for my vacation, and it's awful. It's never relaxing. It's so freaking stressful. You're making it sound like a vacation.

[Anna Priz]

Real vacation. I know. Can you believe it? And. And the same with the live show. So, like, those people are there to see me. They are not strangers. Like, I have never done an open mic. I have never gone into a comedy show where they did not. They did not expect me on the stage. So I am coming from, like, a very different place where I'm a super introvert unless I know that I'm comfortable in that room. And I know I'm comfortable in that room because even if 20% of them didn't know who I was, 80% of them did and came there to support me. So it's different.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I love it. I love it. I want your zen energy. But you're also, like, fun. And you're not like, you know, like a Zen energy, but you still have Zen energy.

[Anna Priz]

I know I'm not woo woo. I, like, wish I was, but it's just like, not my. It's not my thing.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

It's not my thing either. But also. Can we talk before I let you go? Listen, Manifesting. Can we talk about that for a second? Because I'm al. I'm not woo woo at all. But I also.

[Anna Priz]

I believe you know that I'm not manifesting correctly, right?

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I. I think I can make anything happen just by Ken. Believing in myself.

[Anna Priz]

I think if you put it out, I think if you say so. To me, manifesting is. I say it out loud and then it happens. Like, that's it. I don't. I. The universe, I hope it's out there. I hope it's helping me. But I don't know. I don't know the rules, but I don't. That's like the first. That's the only reason those manifesting videos even started going viral was because half the comments were like, this isn't manifesting. And I was like, yeah, no shit, dude. I'm just having fun. Like, I'm just screaming out into the void like, please, you're taking it too seriously.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Kind of works.

[Anna Priz]

Yeah, of course it does. Are you kidding me? Look at my life, right?

[Cassandra Aarssen]

So, like, I think maybe they're not doing it right because, friend, they're trying too hard. You see, we found the secret.

[Anna Priz]

It all comes back to doing it shitty, right? Doing it incorrectly, even. Just.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Have you tried manifesting? Shittier. Have you tried.

[Anna Priz]

Have you tried going outside barefoot and just shouting about it? Because it can't hurt.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

In fact, I'm pretty sure that's how it's really done.

[Anna Priz]

I'm like, well, look at my life. Yeah, like, your life is amazing. Does it work or not?

[Cassandra Aarssen]

And I think my life is amazing. And I pretty much manifest the same way. I print out pictures on the Internet and I stick them on a wall and I say, well, that's happening now. Look, I put it on a piece of paper and moving on. And guess what? It all comes true. Because I've shouted it out. Not in my bare feet into the clouds. I might do that. That sounds even.

[Anna Priz]

There's no right way. That's. That's. There's no right or wrong way. You just do what works for you. Except for people. Be like, the universe doesn't understand double negatives. And I'm like, okay, okay, universe. Sorry. I Didn't knew. You know, you didn't know how to.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Obviously it does, though, because look at your life, so.

[Anna Priz]

I know, I know. Yeah. That's what I mean. That's my whole life, though. It's like I'm just doing it the way I want to do it. Okay.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

So good. Okay, please, all my listeners at home, I want you to just. Let's just. Let's be a little bit like Anna this week. Let's just think about all the things you're like, I should do and I have to do and I would do and maybe just like, don't if you don't want to or if you're like, it has to get done, how can we just do it your way and.

[Anna Priz]

Like, a little easier? Yes. Yeah, of course things have to get done. Like, people are like, oh, do I just stop paying my bills? And I'm like, I think you need to just. Let's all take everything with a grain of salt here. Okay? Of course we have to pay our stupid bills. The worst.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Listen, my job is to give unsolicited advice, and I realize this kind of makes me a dick sometimes. I know what your house looks like because I follow you. And so I did this thing years ago where I discovered that organizing isn't one size fits all. Because I sucked so hard at it. I just assumed, like, I can't do it and therefore I bad at organizing. But I realized I just organized differently. And then I found out that there are kind of four styles. Anna, you can't put everybody into four categories unless it's Hogwarts. But basically you can put everybody into four categories. Anyways, I was watching your videos and you, my beautiful friend, are a butterfly. And so I know this, okay? A butterfly is an organizer that's really visual. So out of sight, out of mind. Which is why you, like, leave things out. Because subconsciously you're like, that's important. And I use that. And if I put it literally, I will never remember I own it. So, like, your brain is doing it right. It's. It's leaving it out. But you're also, like, not a detailed person. So putting things in alphabetical order and filing, like, maybe in some aspects you're like this, but I can tell by your home, like, if you're done with your pen, you're not, like, gonna put it with the other colored markers. You're just gonna be like writing utensils.

[Anna Priz]

It just goes on your desk.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

It just goes on your desk.

[Anna Priz]

Sure.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

But what's so great, what I found Is like, when you embrace how your brain naturally and then adapts your. You adapt your home to catch.

[Anna Priz]

Yes.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Your stuff. The way you naturally put it down, it can actually stay tidy.

[Anna Priz]

I love that so much. Yeah. Like, I stopped using my fridge drawers because if I put anything in them, it goes bad. Like, forget it. We're not using the drawers anymore. Like, yeah, I lost a lot of fridge space, but okay, I love that.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

That is so. That's actually like, something I've recommended for visual organizers. Like, stop using those because.

[Anna Priz]

Yeah, bonkers.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Also, quick tip not to give you unsolicited advice, but please really, really, really help. Like, big fat size matters. Anna, I.

[Anna Priz]

Big label labels. I put it on all my totes. There's spaces in my life where I'm very organized, right? So, like, that's so, so funny. And maybe that's why my personal life isn't. But, like, when I go on tour, all of my merch is, you know, like, perfectly packaged and labeled. And, like, I take it in these cute totes and it's got wheels, and it's like this whole organized unit, and I roll in and I roll out. But, like, my regular life. Yeah. I'm just butterflying.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

And there's nothing wrong with that. Like, embrace your beautiful butterfly self.

[Anna Priz]

I know. We just need more shelves. Shelves. If I could put everything on shelves and that's it. And my whole life could just be out in front of me. That would be very helpful.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

And also. And also, anything that you're like, oh, I'm not sure where that should go. Or in a. Just. It may be. What if you just threw it in the garbage? Like, that's what helped me. I was like, I could donate these old blankets to this and I could do this. And that felt so overwhelming. Or maybe my son, sister could use this thing when I was like, nobody's looking. What if I just wave a magic wand and all the things I don't want to deal with that really aren't that important are just poof, gone. And then I just made them poof, gone. And then my life was easier and it felt wrong.

[Anna Priz]

But also, like, to not be like, I need to. Yes.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Like, I spent money on that or I bought this, but. But I'm not using it. And it's just. And it's like, what if I could just.

[Anna Priz]

It put.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Just make it disappear.

[Anna Priz]

You just put it in a pile in the corner, obviously, or in a bag forever.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

It's life changing.

[Anna Priz]

It's life changing.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Okay.

[Anna Priz]

There.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

No, I'm not giving unsolicited advice.

[Anna Priz]

I'm gonna throw something away today in honor, please. I have so much junk everywhere.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Just. This is a good technique. I use just, like, a clear arm into the surface, into a bag. And then I forget what was in that pile because. And it's gone. And I never think about it again. There are casualties. You may be like, what about that thing that I. Oh, well, life goes on.

[Anna Priz]

My husband does that. What you just said. And when we moved, he just threw a bunch of boxes away because we hadn't opened them in six months. And he's like. Like, we're. We haven't opened these box. Like, we're not.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Whatever's in these, like, say, there's a passport in there. I'm gonna cry.

[Anna Priz]

No, it was a PlayStation. He didn't realize that later, like, a cousin came over and he's like, oh, I have a PlayStation. And it was like, no, I don't have a PlayStation.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

That is unfortunate. But on the plus side, you lived with, like, less clutter when you saved the PlayStation for less stuff, probably. For sure.

[Anna Priz]

Yes.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I love it. Oh, my gosh. Well, thank you so much. I'm gonna put links to all your amazing things. Your book, your podcast, your travel. Maybe we could all go on vacation with you. That sounds amazing. All your social media, which is incredible. What else would you like to share with my listeners of what they can do and how they can support you because you do so much.

[Anna Priz]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I have a daily show. It's. I. I don't know if it's a podcast because it's like a video show, but it also is on Apple Podcasts, so I guess it's a podcast. But it started on Patreon. I did it for a year. Last year I did 200 episodes. Then I took a big hiatus. We just came back in a new style. It's called Permission Slip with Anna Pris. And so every day the theme is just, like, giving you permission to, you know, let go of something or, like, get through. Or just like a permission to be yourself or be a forever work in progress. Or I think like today is. Was permission to always be growing or it's something. It's every day there's, like, a theme, and it's about five to 10 minutes. So it's because it's five days a week, but it's just like a little. You could start your day with it or end your day with it, but it's super fun. But it's just on Patreon and Apple podcasts and it's called permission slip with Anna Przy. Because that's hard to spell.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

This.

[Anna Priz]

Yes. And I. I like the everyday thing because it also gets me. It's like my journal that I'm putting out into the world kind of, because I get to sit down every day and be like, what do you. How are you?

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I love that.

[Anna Priz]

What do you need permission today? Permission to not need permission is tomorrow.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

That's so good. You are a genius and you're so inspiring, and I just. I'm honestly just so grateful that you made the time because you're crazy busy. So this. This is incredible. And yeah, you're just. You're doing. You're doing good work in the world.

[Anna Priz]

I always say when I'm busy, I'm really, really busy. But when I'm not busy, I'm not busy. So it's like it's one or the other.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Same girl? Same. Okay, this was amazing, and thank you to all my listeners. I hope you are feeling, I don't know, inspired and motivated. And also, maybe, maybe you finally want to give yourself a permission slip to. I absolutely love Anna even more now. Man, is she so real and authentic. And I'm feeling so inspired to be a little crappier. You know, I know I'm writing a book on doing things shitty, but I do feel, like, pressure to even do that better. But she is the embodiment of only doing what feels right and having boundaries and leaning into your strengths and giving yourself permission to suck at things you're just not good at. And I love that. Needed this reminder today. I don't need to make a to do list. I just need to do the things that I'm excited about today. The one thing I was really nervous to talk about with Anna was her organizing style, because I know people don't want constant, unsolicited advice. People used to give me weight loss advice all the time, and I was like, go away. And now I'm constantly like, hi, I think you might be a cricket. I can't help it. Every time I meet someone new or I go to someone's home or I see their home on social media, my brain immediately diagnoses their organizing style. And I can tell, first of all, if they're a visual person or not just based on the surroundings. So if you are new to Clutterbug and you're like, what is she talking about with all these bugs? Organizing isn't one size fits all. And your organizing style is this combination of how you naturally sort and store and so Anna, I could tell she was really visual because the front of her fridge was covered in notes. I could see that she had her everyday things like lined up on the counter and piled where she could see them. You're not going to see this in like a hidden organizer's home. They're going to tuck those things away for the most part. And the other thing I could see, and I see this everywhere, is that she was definitely like not an overthinker when she comes to her stuff. Things weren't perfectly lined up, they weren't neat piles. It was really spread. So I knew she was like a non detailed person. I think if you right now listening, took a look at your hotspots, so the places that you touch every day, like your kitchen counter, your bathroom counter, maybe it's your island or your table and kind of evaluated, is it really visual? Is it like neatly stacked or is it kind of messy? That's a pretty good indication of your natural organizing style.

[Anna Priz]

Style.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

And there's no wrong way. You can work with those tendencies to set up systems that will catch it and keep it organized and not have it be like a mess. Still be organized, but organized your way. Now it's time for my favorite part of the podcast, which is a quick talk to Cass and we're going to start with Star.

[Star]

Hey, Cass, this is Star from Louisiana. I've spoken to you a couple times before, but I just finished listening to your birthday podcast and oh my goodness, you and I, I believe, are in the same season of life. I am going to be 44 this year. My children are grown up. Everything is kind of coming together for me in my life of being the happiest I've ever been. And some of the things that you said today, I was literally laughing out loud. And I honestly feel the same way that if my personality is too big for you and you need to find less, then that's fine because I've always been that person who was just a little bit different. People either love me or hate me. Either I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you, or you just cannot stomach me. However, when you stated the way that you stated it, it really resonated with me. And today my project was getting rid of so many things. I probably got rid of more than I even imagined I would have. I was cleaning out my craft closet, of which I have cleaned out probably four or five times and keep having to come back to it because I am not organizing for who I truly am. I'm organizing for my intentional self and I have to stop and ask, if I was in a client's home, what advice would I give them? And I would tell them to let it go. So 2026 is my year of letting it go. And I'm very excited to continue listening to your podcast and watching your videos and learning more from you every day. I appreciate what you do. Thank you so much.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I love that star. That is a good reminder, I think sometimes we declutter and then we're like, oh, I've already decluttered. No, go back in, girl. Because there's more and you've built your muscle and every day, like, this is the other thing. Like, there'll be one day where I'm just feeling, like, not as brave as other days. And so go back, try again. Good for you. Now we have a question from Becky.

[Becky]

Hey, Caz, my name is Becky. I'm from Nottingham in the uk. I discovered your channel from the collab you did with Jessica McCabe, how to ADHD, which was amazing. What you did for her and Raph was just mind blowing. And I'd already started trying to get my life in order. I went through pretty bad autistic burnout in 2023, so I've been trying to put things right for a while now and I've made good progress. But my partner and I moved to Nottingham with the intention of buying a home seven years ago. And in the meantime we were renting a very small flat which literally had no cupboards. There wasn't a single cupboard in the entire place. I had to buy new dining plates because the cupboards were too small to fit regular sized people place in. So we have been living in chaos for seven years and we have finally completed on our own home and it's a renovation project because we're insane and it's got a lot of work to be done on it, which means we're bringing new stuff into the house, we're bringing in tools and DIY things. And I'm a butterfly and my partner is a ladybug. And I have had issues with his shoving since before I knew that it was something that people other than him did. And I'm just wondering if you have any advice on how to shortcut the shoving spiral? Because I am trying to unpack and I'm trying to get this organised and he's trying his best, but we can literally have a conversation about no shoving and he'll be great and then I'll come downstairs and I'll find him just eyes glazed over, shoving Something into a cabinet. So if you have any tips about how you stop the spiral into the shove before you are ramming a random item into a cupboard for it to be lost forever. Because as soon as I can't see an item, it's gone. It may as well never existed. I'll buy again. He'll shove it, and I'll buy a third one. That's happened. So, yeah, if you have any advice on how we both keep our sanity while we do this deranged thing together, that would be incredible.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

I do have advice, and I feel for you both, because when I talk about the golden rule of, like, combining organizing styles, I say the visual always wins. But listen to my words, Becky. He is shoving because he is so stressed and out by seeing. So I think, like, yes, we need to keep things visual, but it's also like understanding that there's real anxiety coming from, like, looking at all the things. So what I would suggest is, first of all, get shelving. Oh, you guys over. Then in the pond over yonder. Do not have enough storage in your homes. I don't know who built your homes, but there's not enough storage. So if you invested in some just inexpensive shelving, then put containers on there that are solid, but with. With big labels, it's still visual for you. So it isn't out of sight, out of mind. But he doesn't have to see each individual object. The other thing that's so important for, especially for butterflies, more than any other bug, is zoning. What I mean by this is, like, all your new tools, you need a tool zone, because, yeah, maybe you won't remember where the screwdriver is, but you'll have that zone. Maybe it's a cabinet or a closet. That's that visual cue of, like, oh, that's where tools are, and all the tools are in there. And then if he needs to shove the tool somewhere, he can shove it in the zone. But things aren't lost. The problem comes with these two organizing styles, like visual and a hidden organizer. When we don't have zones and it could be anywhere, you need the scissors. Now you're hunting through the entire house, Every drawer, every cabinet. That's. That's not efficient. Zoning and labeling is going to be lifesavers for both of you. And last but not least, let's hear from Jess.

[Jess]

Hey, Cass, this is Jess from Kentucky. I just wanted to reach out and say thank you for all of your help. I have really been able to get things done with your do it shitty method. I. I love that because I am such a perfectionist and I will not even attempt to do anything until I can do it right, which then it just ends up piling up and getting worse. And so now I'm just like, you know what? I'm just going to start somewhere and I'm just going to just do it the best that I can for right now. And it has made a huge difference.

[Anna Priz]

For sure.

[Jess]

It's just allowed me to get a lot more things done than otherwise I wouldn't have even attempted. So I really love this method and I look forward to your book coming out and I think it's going to help a lot of people. It's already, you know, helping the people that listen to you now. So thank you for all that you do. I really appreciate that and I look forward to just continuing to do it shitty until it gets done. Thank you for all you do. Again, have a good day.

[Cassandra Aarssen]

Thank you for sharing, Jess. I love that. Yeah. And I, I think it's scary for, for perfectionists to do things badly sometimes. So it's very brave of you to do it. And you've proven to yourself that like the world will not explode. In fact, it's a little bit better because I just did it shitty. I love that. Thank you so much. I'm gonna tell you something that I did shitty over the holidays that I'm. I'm glad I did. It might come back to bite me next year, but I was feeling so stressed out about taking down the Christmas decorations. I over decorated. Mistakes were made. I decorated the bathroom, I changed curtains. There was towels, Christmas towels. Every square inch of this home was just Santa's village vomit everywhere. And unfortunately I make videos for a living. I didn't even have one room that I could film in for like New Year content coming forward. That wasn't still Christmas. So I was like, ah. I waited till the day. I'm like, oh my gosh, everybody's coming back to work tomorrow. I got to take this down. And I just threw things randomly in bins. I wrapped nothing. I didn't even take the ornaments off the tree before I shoved it in the tree bag. Will things be broken? Hope not. Probably though. But it got done and it got done super fast. I just shoved. I. I took all the blankets and the pillows, I put them in clear trash bags and I shove them in the closet. And yeah, it's not great, but man, do I feel better. My house dechrismafied. I might be crying next year, but today that was a win. I hope your bathroom is cleaner, cleanish a little bit better. That's all that matters. We're going for not great here. And if there's a spot of the bathroom that you were like, oh, I really wanted to to clean that shower or that toilet and I didn't get to it, spray some cleaner on it and walk away, my friend. That counts as cleaning. I hope you're feeling really proud of yourself because I certainly am proud of you. And again, I'm going to put links to where you can follow Anna and.