← podcasts Archives - Dana K. White: A Slob Comes Clean
podcasts Archives - Dana K. White: A Slob Comes Clean
469: Container Concept Issues, Attics and Basements, Skipping Items or Stuff Shifting?
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As always, I’m taking time off during the summer. This year, though, we’re trying something new! We’re sharing the audio of previous live Q&As that I did on YouTube. If you only listen to the podcast, this will be all new to you!
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Dana K. White
Hey y', all, did you know that we now offer an ad free version of the podcast over on Patreon? Well, we do go to patreon.com ASLOB comes clean to learn more. That's patreon.com ASLOB Comes Clean to find out more about listening to the podcast ad free. Welcome to A Slob Comes Clean the Podcast. I am Dana K. White. I share my personal deslobification process as I figure out ways to keep my own home under control. I share the truth and about cleaning and organizing strategies that actually work in real life for real people. People who don't love cleaning and organizing. Thanks for joining me today. This is podcast number 469 and I think I'm going to call it Attics, Basements and Container Concept. So this is a Q and A that was recorded live on YouTube in the past. It has never come out here on the podcast before, but it is my answer to taking the summer off. So as you know, if you've been around a while, I usually take the summers off. But this summer I am putting out these as summer episodes because I have to take the summers off for my own mental health and also because my kids are home in the summer. So you know, or at least some of them or at least some of the time are home. So I've been taking the summers off for 10 years and have never put out anything. They've just kind of we've gone dark for the summers in the past. But this is a way to continue content going out. So in case you didn't know, my Patreon does offer an ad free level now for the podcast. So if you're interested in that, you can go to patreon.com slob comes clean all right, here you go. I finally committed to getting back in shape. Hit the gym, ate clean, did everything right. But after two days I felt drained. My body just couldn't keep up. That's when I found Stem Regen. It supports the release of my own stem cells to repair, recover and actually rebuild from the inside out. Now I'm not just working out, I'm bouncing back. I feel stronger, more energized and more like myself every single day. Stem Regen didn't just change my routine, it changed my recovery. Empower your body to recover from within. Whether you are focused on recover, longevity or just overall wellness, Stem Regen helps your body feel the best. It can release the best version of you. Try Stem Regen today at Stemregen co use code pod25 for 25% off your first order. Again, that's STEM regen code pod25. I understand the concept of the container and it being a limit, but what if there is not a predetermined limit container for things such as smaller bins and baskets in my daughter's bedroom? And then I also think about the bedroom as a big container. We are over somebody's clutter threshold. Mine, it drives me crazy. Or hers. She can't keep it straight, but it doesn't bother her. So I struggle with using the container as a limit when there's more room in her room, technically and not designated containers for things in her room. She also likes things all over the place. And I just want to put, like, things together. I'm not sure if I'm making sense. Also, a lot of times where I would look for something first is. Okay, that's a whole different question. All right, so let's talk about this. The container as a limit. So a couple of things here. You mentioned this. You also mentioned clutter threshold, but when you mentioned clutter threshold, you said, I'm not sure, you know, we're over somebody's clutter threshold. Mine, it drives me crazy. Or hers. She can't keep it straight, but it doesn't bother her. To be clear, the clutter threshold is what you can handle, not what you prefer. And so the clutter threshold is if you can't keep it under control, it's over your clutter threshold. Okay? So keep that in mind as we're going to talk about this. So as what I'm getting here is that determining the containers for your daughter's things when there aren't pre existing. Now, what this means for those of you who may be new to me, welcome. I call it the container concept. And what I mean by that is that space is finite. And spaces, whatever they are, whether they are a basket, a bin, a tub, a shelf, a closet, a closet, hanging rod, a drawer, whatever, they are all containers. They are all a limited space. And therefore the purpose of that space, that limited space is to serve as the limit, okay? To serve as the boundary for this stuff. So only the stuff that can fit in there usably, get toably, functionally, okay? Deserves space in there. So we take out our least favorite things until we get to the point where we're only left with the stuff that is functional and usable in this space. Okay? So that's what she's talking about when she's talking about the concept of a container. All right? But what she's saying is you know, it's kind of. It's strange, but it's also easier when it is a drawer or a shelf in the cabinet. It's like, okay, this is already existing, and I just have to accept the realities of my space. But what about in her daughter's room where there isn't necessarily, necessarily, you know, specific containers? One thing I do want to say is this is a balance, right? Because, yes, it's her room, and she needs it to be able to be functional. But functional means it can stay under control. Okay? So we do have to establish containers for things. Sometimes it's identifying. It's saying, okay, we. Where would you look first for your stuffed animals? On that shelf. Then that shelf is the container. All right. Where would you look first for your stuffed animals? On your bed. Okay. The bed is the container, but it has to function as a bed because that is what its identity is. Right. Like, it is a. We've defined this space as the space where you sleep. I didn't define that. Whoever invented beds, thank you, to them is. It defines that. Right? So. So, like, that is this space's purpose. And so, yes, you would look for your stuffed animals on your bed, but the bed is a limit, with the idea being that the function of this bed is for you to sleep in it. So if there's more room, I mean, if there's more stuffed animals that will fit around the edges and still give you all the space that you need to sleep, then we have too many stuffed animals, and we have to let go of our least favorites. We still love them. They're still favorites, but they're our least favorites until we only have what's left to be able to fit within the boundaries of the space and maintain the function of this space. Okay. Now this is. I'm, you know, I'm kind of off the top of my head just going with the bed as the example, because a lot of kids, that's their thing is they want stuffed animals on the bed. Great. But it has to maintain the function, okay, that of. Of it being a place to sleep. Great example of clutter threshold. There are children. I never had any of these children, but I'm told they exist. But there are children who will, every night, rearrange, sleep there. And maybe some of them get put on the floor while they're sleeping, but when they get up in the morning, those go back there, and it doesn't turn into the big overall chaos. Okay. Because I. It doesn't bother me to have one stuffed animal on the floor, but the problem is when there's a stuffed animal on the floor, then other things just kind of get attracted to that, and then it turns into this big pile of mess, which is what we would always deal with when my kids were little. So it's. That is partly the clutter threshold, right? Is it's like the function of the floor is to walk on or to play in. And if we just have things being stored on the floor, then that inhibits the function, prevents the function of that space. So I'm saying, so it's like the clutter threshold is this particular kid's personality, everything, state, age, blah, blah, blah, whatever they're in. That means, do they. Are they able to handle this? Okay, so it's like we declutter to the container first, and then we go with, all right, is it still getting out of control? If it's still getting out of control, we just flat out have too much in it, and we need to get rid of things until we get to the point where you're able to keep it under control. Okay, so establishing containers, taking advantage of all the ones that already do exist in the room, and then identifying where a container would be helpful. Okay, so with the idea, because you said, you know, that the room is a container, but the number one thing that needs to happen, that needs to get priority space in that container is its function. So is this the place where she plays? If this is the place where she plays, there needs to be open space when things are put away, as opposed to, okay, I'm going to pile these things here. Pile these things here. And there's no hope of me actually having open space to do the playing, right? So open space gets priority. And then we determine according to, you know, like, maybe we do have. We used a. One of those pickle bucket, pickle barrel kind of things. That's what my daughter's Barbies were kept in, you know, for years. And that was the container that was the limit to it. And it was one that had her name on it. Real cute. That she'd gotten at a party or something. But we just use that. So, like, what do you already have that you can use as that? Now being put away and functioning for her is like having a place to go when. When things get put away and functioning for her, like, she's happy to play in there. She's actually, you know, doing in this space what she, you know, is supposed to be doing in there. Playing, living. That is more important than you wishing things were sorted specifically according to, you know, very small Little categories, right? So it's more important that it be functional for her as opposed to what she doesn't care about. Okay. I think that's a distinction there. That's really important, especially with kids, because kids will say, I don't care if it's messy. And you're like, well, messy's not an option. Okay. I mean, my kids grew up when they were a little bitty, like before I started on all this, you know, And I didn't know how to keep it under control either. But it sounds like you do, but it's that putting it back, you know, letting a five minute pickup be your identifier of whether or not you're under your clutter threshold. Okay. And using that as the goal, we're gonna do a five minute pickup. Because our goal is that this room be able to be picked up and put away so that then you can start fresh and play more. Okay. That's the function of this room. When, you know, the next time that you, you know, tomorrow morning when you wake up or whatever, does five minutes get under control and use that as a. Well, you. This five minutes is. We barely made a dent in it. Probably gonna need to get rid of some more stuff. Let's. Let's keep trying for a couple more nights and see which is also motivating to them to do the five minute pickup. Right? Let's. Let's do a couple more nights and see what we can do so we can really get an idea of how much more stuff we need to get rid of. Because it's just consistently getting out of control to the point where we can't get it under control with a five minute pickup. So anyway, next one. How do you use the container concept, which we just talked about a moment ago? How do you think container concept for shared containers where there is a disagreement on priorities, favorites between the people that use the container, for example, spouses with wildly different opinions on what the most desirable pin attributes are, but who share a pen drawer. Okay, so I'm picturing a pen drawer as a pretty normal sized drawer, which means that's a lot of pins that can go in there, right? So the easiest thing to do might be, depending on your clutter threshold, the easiest thing to do might be to put drawer inserts in there. Okay. And maybe they're two different colors and you have red and he has green, and you put those both in there. And the one is the container for your pens and the other is the container for his pens. And that would be fine, right? The Problem in my house is that nobody would care enough to keep those separated. But also, we don't have pen obsessions to the point where, you know, it seems like maybe you do. Right. So. So I would say that. Or to say, okay, we're gonna. If. If we love pins this much and we are super passionate about it, and I don't want my pins touching his pins, and he doesn't want my pin. His pins touching my pens, whatever. Maybe we find a drawer that has stuff in it that we don't use and we clean that out. And he has his own drawer and I have my drawer. I mean, like, I feel like this is one of those really, like, there has to be this very definite answer. And. And that's kind of not how the container concept works. It's like, here's the space. This is the reality. We're going to live with that reality. Okay. I live in an apartment that has very little cupboard space and only one closet. The closet and my spare room are brimming with stuff that I'm finally decluttering with your help. I'm doing well with garbage and donations. I'm on a first name basis with my local GW garbage worker. Garbage woman, either one. My problem is the things I want to keep have no homes because I currently have no place to put them. How do I maintain my momentum? Okay, so it sounds like has very little cupboard space, but you do have a spare room. So that means we're not necessarily not having space. Right. Furniture itself, either a desk or whatever kind of furniture you have. I'm not going to tell you to run out and get more. I'm just saying, like, whatever spaces that you have are the. The items that you have. You're doing great with garbage and donations. Keep going with that. Knowing that any space that is brimming with stuff is never going to be functional until a ton of that stuff leaves. Leaves, like, gets out of the house completely. So really be, you know, continuing to focus on the garbage and donations. But the way we establish a home, which is really identifying a home rather than deciding a home. Okay. Is to ask the question, where would I look for this first? And as weird as it feels now, I will just tell y', all, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to use it because it was weird angles and stuff and the lighting was terrible. But my husband and I just did a little decluttering project. And usually when I work with y', all, y' all are like, you wrote the book. And I'm I'm gonna listen to you. Guess who doesn't necessarily have that same level of trust in my process? My husband. Right. And so I was trying to explain to him, like, he really. I was like, where would you look for it first? He's like, but that's a good place. And I'm like, and it. That very well might be the answer. Okay, but take that good place thing out of the equation and just really go with your instinct. Where would you look for it first? Because that's what we're going to identify as its home. Okay? So for you, the key is, where would I look for this first? And take it there. Now, even if it's in the spare room, which probably the number one thing we should do is identify what is the purpose of that room or what is the dream purpose of that room, and is that room going to be a craft room? Okay, well, then it. That is its definition. It's a craft room. Nothing can go in there that hurts its ability to be a craft room. Right. So I would look for this first in that one cupboard. Okay? So I'm going to take it to that one cupboard, and I'm going to do that now so that I am acknowledging the realities of that space. Is there room for it here? No, there's not. Is there anything in this space that can leave to make the space for this item in this one cupboard? Okay. I could get rid of that thing dead donation or trash. Go back to my, you know, trash bag and donate box to make the space for it if there's not room. And I realize, well, but this is a have to. This is a have to have. You know, I don't have a lot of space. Okay. If the cupboard is not an option because the cupboard is full of absolutely necessary things, then where would I look for this first? Under the bathroom counter? I don't know. I know some of y' all are going, but no, really is only one cupboard. I did. I have an apartment in college that had, like, one teeny, tiny little cupboard like this. But you go to the place where you would look for it first in your actual home, and then you want in one out. And you keep going through that process of taking things to the home, getting rid of something so that there's space for it there. Here's the thing. I don't encourage people, as a rule, to buy storage solutions because people like me have a lot of hope when we buy a storage solution that we're going to get to keep all our stuff. Right? And it tends to Be the issue for a lot of us that we have bought lots of storage solutions over the years and they never made a positive impact on our home. Like having those storage solutions, never saw stored, never saluted, solved any storage issues, right? So instead of thinking of it that way, it's like declutter, declutter, declutter, Take things, put it in the best possible version of that. Like, maybe it's, oh, maybe I'm gonna need a thing here to, you know, go under my bed or whatever. Okay, if I would look for this under the bed, because I have no storage solutions in here. Before you buy a bunch of stuff to do that, just stick it under the bed, right? Just like stick it there and make sure it's accessible so it can't be all the way back in the back. I don't know, I'm probably going off on a deep end here, but I'm just saying, like the decluttering, the getting rid of, you know, if a storage room is. If a spare room is chock full, brimming, you know, full to the brim, things are going to have to leave. So really, really focus on that. But when you come across something that, you know, you can skip it for now and keep going with more garbage and more donations. But if you can't, you know, if you are at the point where you have to establish homes, it is, where would I look for it first in this house that I have right now? And then I'm going to acknowledge the realities of that space. If the answer to where would you look for it first? Is not a spot you want to store things and nothing else comes to mind, what's your thought process for finding a new place in this case? My husband stores a lot of random stuff on top of his dresser. Particular, there are a few pairs of glasses of paper glasses for eclipses and Christmas lights. So when I think about where I would look for them, I think about the top of the dresser. I would really like these to live somewhere else, though. Okay, so this is a simple answer that I'm not saying is easy, but it's a simple answer, and that is if you know, where would I look for these first? And the first thing that comes to your mind is the top of that dresser, Right? But you want the top of the dresser clear. So then it becomes, if the top of the dresser was clear, where would I look for this first? If it was clear the way that I want it to be clear, where would I look for it first? Not that I might not walk to the dresser and then go, oh, that's right, this is clear. Okay, but if this was clear, which is my goal, where would I look for it first? My family is very into smoothies this summer and we pretty much always add protein powder. We've been using Clean Simple Eats. This protein powder has no artificial ingredients. It's third party tested, non GMO and gluten free, and each serving has 20 grams of protein. Y', all. My husband rarely leaves the house in the morning without a smoothie. He has been adding Clean Simple Eats brownie batter flavor protein powder every single time lately. Clean Simple Eats has so many different flavors to choose from. My personal favorite is the strawberry cheesecake and my son who was traveling this summer was so happy to take their protein powder variety pack. I highly recommend getting that so you can try individual servings of multiple flavors and discover your own favorite. Clean Simple Eats also has clear protein powder. The pink burst flavor is supposed to taste like a melted pink starburst. Just mix the clear protein powder with water and get a light refreshing drink with 20 grams of protein. Visit CleanSimpleats.com and use code CLEAN20 at checkout for 20% off your first order. That's CLEAN CleanSimpleats.com code CLEAN20 for 20 off your first order. The link is also in the show notes. I was just watching your live about the Belveda wrapper that was. I don't know when that was, but it was a while ago and you talked about take it there now and then if you get there and the space is full, needing to remove something. But I am super good at justifying and funny. So are my kids. So what happens if I think, oh, I can just take all those wrappers and shove them in a bag and now they're organized and there is more space? How does that work? How do I stop myself from justifying and trying to make it fit? I feel like many people in my family do this too. Like when my husband plays Tetris with the camping stuff. Okay, so this is really an issue of your clutter threshold. Okay, Meaning can you handle it? Can you handle folding them all up and putting them in there? And when I say handle, I don't mean are you willing to do it because it sounded fun to you, right? So that. But in the midst of actual real living life, can you handle it? If you need a Belvedere wrapper, which I know you're. I know you're being funny here, right? As using my ridiculous example and using that too. But if you're using. If you need that in the midst of. Oh, I have a craft project and I need a silvery wrapper. Okay. Oh, I know where they are because I put them in the place where I would look for them first. And there's a big old package of them. Are you the type who's going to pull out that paper bag, get one out? Because me, I would get one out and six other ones would fly on the floor. And I would be like, oh, but I need to do this right now. I'll deal with that later. And then it turns into this big mess that then grows and causes itself to continually be a problem. Right? So what personality do you have? Here's the thing. You can. If you can keep it under, first of all, it's your house. You can do whatever you want to anyway, right? But if you can keep it under control and you have the personality type to get what you need and be able to put back what you need, my mother can move 10 things, get something out, and move the 10 things back. So that's her clutter threshold, right? Without it getting out of control, I can't do that. So when I have a space that is Tetris in there, it generally is a space where things are spread out and dumped all over the floor in front of it. Because that's over my clutter threshold to deal with all those, you know, things that are fit in like that. But the other thing, too is that you're watching me. And so that means you do have a desire to have less stuff. You're wanting to declutter. So really focus in on function and the visibility rule. The visibility rule means that you start and you prioritize according to visible spaces, where sometimes, if you are the type of person who has fit all these things into all these little places, you might be thinking, well, that's where I need to declutter first. Really focus in on the visibility rule. Really focusing in on function, meaning I'm not going to have anything in my living room that doesn't contribute to us being able to chill out and relax in here as a family and do what you need to do, right? Not gonna have any kind of storage in here unless it's like, actual, you know, storage spots, whatever. But I am going to focus on that. Focus on how much your life is made easier every time you declutter. When you declutter in a space that you use all the time, it's a little frustrating because it tends to get, you know, a little messy here and there, and you're like, oh, it's no point in what I did, but there is. See how much easier it is to live in those spaces with less stuff, Experience the function of a space that I don't have to move 10 things and go, oh, well, I didn't. I was willing to move the 10 things, but now that I'm not moving the 10 things, my life is a lot easier. And that will change how you view other spaces. I. My momentum came as I expanded, experienced how much easier it was to live in a space with less stuff in it. And then I realized I like that. I didn't know how much I didn't like it before because I was. It was just how I lived. But once I had less stuff, I was kind of in love with having less stuff. Right. How to make five kids fit in two small bedrooms. I want to trade bedrooms with the boys. So they have the biggest room and they have a triple bunk bed. Daughter is in the smallest room. Baby is with us for now. Okay? First thing I want to say is, this is a challenging situation, okay? So I think. Sometimes I think it's like, what can I do to make this not be challenging? It is a challenging situation. Five kids in two small bedrooms, okay? But it's one of those where you look at it and you go, okay, is this a challenge? Like, oh, no, it's hopeless. Or is this a challenge where I can go, okay, I've got boundaries here. I mean, this is my reality. Two small bedrooms, five kids. Okay? So I'm gonna make the best of it and, you know, whatever. But for me, what I used to think was, okay, how. If this is my situation, how can I come up with a super complicated system to be able to keep all the things where now I'm like, okay, my challenge that I see in a situation like this, because of the. What I've experienced as far as decluttering and how it's made life easier is like, okay, so how little stuff can we live with in this situation? Because this is the reality that we're facing. What a great problem to have, right? Five kids. What a fun family. So that is like, this is. This is the way it is, and this is the space that we have. And the people deserve space first. That's always the thing to remember is, like, the people deserve the space like we were talking about before, like, sleeping space. If it's a bedroom, comfortable sleeping space is the goal. And so you've got a triple bunk, okay? So the triple bunk is the number one thing that deserves space in this room. And what space is left around it? Well, they need to be able to crawl out of bed and whatever kind of gymnastics they have to do to be able. Able to get down off the third bunk. Right. So they need to be able to do that comfortably, easily, without stuff being in the way. Without stuff. You know, I guess I'm picturing myself like getting down from a bunk and I'm like, my foot. I'm trying to figure out where to put my foot, you know, and so I don't, I don't want there to be a bunch of stuff. So it's like that function is the number one thing. And it's like, do we have space to also keep toys in this area? Maybe we do, maybe we don't. Maybe we have to really, you know, minimize the number of toys or whatever because it becomes the, the function of that. I know that. I'm not sure if that was a good answer or not, but I am decluttering. Yay. Some things upstairs need to be homed in the basement, but the basement needs to be decluttered to make space. Do I work in the basement before continuing upstairs? So do what you want to do. This is what I would do. Okay. So I focus on the spaces that we actually use and live in first. Okay. So it sounds like in your situation, maybe upstairs is where you know, the living is going on, because you're gonna experience the power and the benefit of decluttering so much more when you're doing it in the spaces that you're using every single day. And that is going to be the thing that's going to inspire you to keep going. So what I would do is really as. As hard as it is, because I know we don't like to go up and down stairs. I mean, when I was helping my house about my husband, I working on this thing, so I was doing all the take it there now. And while he was, you know, making decisions about things. And I had to go up the stairs three times and I was not excited about it, but I did it and I was glad I did it. Right. Like, so it's not fun, but it's worth it. So as you, you know, have something you've already gotten rid of. Trash, easy stuff, duh, donations. You're getting down to the stuff in this space that you're asking yourself, where would I look for it first? If the answer is the basement, okay, then the taking it there now is so important because that is where you're going to. One in, one out, and you're going to Move your whole house forward. Because the problem with basements and attics and storage spaces and things like that, you know, like spare room, stuff like that, is that it feels like, oh, I can just stick this thing in there. Stick this thing in there. And yet it becomes cluttered and there's no room, room for stuff, and it's a big mess and blah, blah, blah. So where would I look first for this? In the basement. Okay. I'm gonna take it there now. Is there anything else that I can carry with me so safely that you know? So I'm making as few trips as I have to as I possibly can, but I am going to take it there now. Okay. I'm going to take these three things, what I can carry in my hands, not in a box or anything. I'm gonna take these three things to the basement. So many times, having to take it there now to the basement is the thing that will make you realize, oh, yeah, this is just me wanting to stick. Stick it in the basement because I don't know where else to put it. Okay. And that desire to not take it there now will often be the thing that will help trigger, oh, yeah, actually, this is just a dead donation. This is just something that can go. But if you take it to the basement, we're not going to make the basement any worse. You said it needs to be decluttered. Basement needs to be decluttered. We are going to make space in the basement one item at a time. If something deserves me actually walking all the way down to the basement and deserve space there, I am going to face the reality of the basement. I'm not going to add to the issues there. I'm going to move my whole house forward one chunk. Okay. One little bit. So what in this basement can I get rid of in order to create the space for this item that I would look for there first? Okay, you just said it needs to be decluttered. So most. So there is trash and dead donations. So take a trash or dead donation, put that there in the space as close to in the part of the basement where you would look for it first. Do that as best you can and take that item back to the space you're originally decluttering to put it in the trash or the donatable donate box. Okay. But that. Take it there now. And acknowledging the reality of that space and taking something out is how you keep making progress upstairs and you're ultimately making progress in your whole house. Okay. And you're not just adding to the clutter in the basement. How to skip items. For example, when decluttering a catch all spot, I found a sentimental item I don't want to deal with now. Leaving it. It will attract clutter. Moving, it seems like stuff shifting. I leave it. Yeah, it's more. We're not going to stuff shift. And I know you're saying it will attract clutter, but remember that I don't teach to declutter to perfection. Do you know what I mean? Like, to an absolutely perfect space. I just teach that every bit of stuff that leaves the house is making the house better. Right? Like, is making that space better. So I rarely like, worry about, oh, but it has to be finished. I'm like, oh, well, it just has to be better. Right? And that is actually the thing that moves me forward toward ultimately being finished in certain areas because I'm able to keep moving. But. But yeah, so I, I would. If those are the. Those are the options, which I guess that is the option I would leave it. And sometimes the acknowledgment that, oh, it is just full on clutter there. Okay, well, it needs to go, you know, and the other thing too is to remember that sentimental items, sometimes people think, oh, well, that's sentimental. So the process doesn't apply to it. The process absolutely applies. If the item is sentimental, where would I look for it first? If this is the place where I would look for it first? Okay. But if this is, I want this to be clear, you know, this space, this is a countertop and I don't want there to be anything on it. Where would I look for this item first if this space was clear? Okay. And then with sentimental items, there, there needs to be an answer to where would I look for it first? Even if it doesn't have a purpose, even if I don't even really love it, but for some reason I feel this weirdness about it, you know, And I feel like I have to keep it. Where would I look for it first and then go and embrace that. And sometimes going through that process will help you break through the sentimentality of it and let it go. My nightstand is plagued with cords. Have you seen a tabletop cord organizer? I'm sure I have. I. Y' all know, I only speak from my own experience. I don't, like, here's my problem. They don't bother me. Like, some people get really bothered by cords. And so there are lots of solutions out there. I don't notice them. Like, it doesn't drive me bananas to see chords. And so I don't really have Any kind of a solution for that? I'm sorry? Other than to go through the decluttering process, Is there any of these that are trash because they don't actually work, blah, blah, blah. You know, like that kind of thing. Weird question. I've been following your step for years. Thank you. And have a new problem. According to hubby, what do you do with all the empty. Oh, a new problem. According to hubby, what do you do with all the empty cabinets and drawers? I leave them empty because if I wouldn't look for anything in there, then what's the point of putting anything in there? So I know it's a strange thing, right? But also, you know, sometimes it's that, okay, so I've. I've got an empty drawer over here. And remember that where would I look for it first does not mean I know it's going to be there. It just means where would I go looking for it? So you may be clearing off a flat surface and come across something and, you know, where would I look for this first? If this space was clear and you're like, that cabinet over there is where I would look for it. Okay, well, then that's where it's home. Like, I have. We have a TV stand that has very little in it because it came into our house and I just, like, didn't need to put anything in it, Right. So it was just empty for a long time. But then we got like a projector thing, and I was like, okay, where would I look for this first? In there? Okay, well, now it has something in it. So it's not like it's going to be empty forever, but it's like they're available to be the place where you would look for something first if they actually truly meet that. How do you deal with baby items, some of which are sentimental the same way as everything else, which is, I know, not the way that people want to hear it, but like we were talking about a second ago, like, just because something's sentimental does not mean that the. That the decluttering process doesn't apply. So where would I look for this first? I have, like, I have a little outfit from each of my kids when they were newborns on the shelf in my closet, because that's where I would look for it first. Is there rhyme or reason? No, but I don't worry about rhyme or reason. I worry about where I would look for it first and is there space for it there? Okay. And going through that process will often, well, will help you be realistic about those items. Because a lot of times it's like, where would I look for this used nasty pacifier? And the first reaction is, oh, well, I would look for that in. On the top shelf in my master bedroom closet, because that's where I keep my sentimental baby stuff. And well, then you take it there now. And then sometimes you go, we never go looking for this one. It's trash. Right? Because of the take it there now. Where if it's before, just like, is this sentimental? Of course it is. It belonged to my baby. So it's sentimental. So instead I'm. No, I go through the process. Take it there now. Okay, so I'm going to take it there now because it didn't trigger that actually, it's trash. But I take it there now and I go, oh, I've already got a lot of baby stuff. And then that is the thing that reveals this item is not as sentimental. Okay. So it's. It's the giving it a space. But where would I look for it first? Is there space there? And what's the limits of that space? Okay. Because it can be very easy, especially if you've had stuff just in all these random places. You keep running across all this baby stuff, and you're like, oh, baby stuff. Oh, yeah, that's good. I have a spot. Well, at some point you start to realize, oh, there's no more space in this spot. And then that is when it identifies. Help your brain starts to understand, oh, yeah, I can't keep all of it. I can keep anything, but I can't keep everything. And so if it's important to me to keep some of this baby stuff as for sentimental reasons, great. But knowing that there's a limit to the space that I can keep it in then takes the pressure off of me. Because I'm not saying I don't care about my stuff from baby stuff. I'm saying this is the space that I have. So I'm going to identify my most favorite things, and that's what gets to stay in this space. Do you have tricks or methods to be less sentimental after you have already decluttered? Is it, how much space do you have? And then what if it's valuable too? Everything is according to the space. This is the space that I have. Would I go looking for it? Okay, Did I have an answer to the question where would I look for it first? And is there space for it there? What? Whether it's valuable or not doesn't matter. If it doesn't meet one of those things. Okay, Like, I can Diminish the value of my living space by keeping too many valuable things, right? Like, I can make my home that I'm paying rent or a mortgage or whatever for. I can diminish that value by keeping a bunch of valuable stuff that I don't actually like, right? If it makes my life harder to live in this space, then it's not actually valuable to me, right? So again, it's going through the process. Going through the process. So if I needed this super valuable item, if I needed a microphone stand, it's not valuable. I'm just using this as an example. If I needed a microphone stand, where would I look for it first? I would never go looking for a microphone stand. It's hypothetical. I use this all the time. I would never go looking for a mic Boho. But this is valuable. These are like thousand, hundred, thousand dollars. They're not. So I have to keep it because it's expensive. But if I would never go looking for a microphone stand, then it doesn't matter how much it costs, right? And so I go through the process on every single thing. And even when you're like, but, but, but go through the process. And again, like we talked about before, if there's one that just stumps you, skip that one. Move to the next thing. Keep making progress. Don't let yourself get, you know, stopped in the process. Oh, what is your paper declutter method? My paper declutter method is their paper declutter method narrow down to three. So I have a video about solving paper clutter. And it is their method. And I just have, like three categories. And I just do what they told me to do because I did not have one. Just reorganized the bedroom. No place for perfume bottles. Did you reorganize or did you declutter? Because remember that I don't really talk about organizing. I talk about decluttering. And if there's no place for perfume bottles, but perfume bottles are really important to you, then they deserve space and something else needs to leave in order to make the space for it. I will say on this, try something. Just get started on some. The best way to find what works is to go ahead and go for it. Just go through paper. As far as, like, you know, this is my advice that I've always had and still my advice, which is give yourself permission to look, look through the paper and with zero commitment, say, I'm going to just get rid of the most obvious trash. I mean, there's probably no trash. There's. Right. Paper always feels like it's all important. There's probably no trash in there, but I'm gonna just look through it and see if there's any trash, and if there is, I'll throw that away. But as you go through it, it starts to shift something in your brain. So. So as far as, like, figuring out which method to try, go ahead and try something. Just go ahead and try it. And that will take you so much farther than trying to identify the best method before you get started. I have $300 purpose purses that were gifted to me repeatedly. I have about six. I cannot sell them because I live with the person who bought them. What to do? Okay, well, if they are important to you, even for the purpose of, you know what? This relationship is important to me, and I don't want to, then something else needs to go. Like you just said, I can't sell them, can't give them away. Okay, well, then. Then what else can go to make space for that? When I realized that, because I always thought in our old house, we really did not have much storage. We had, like, one teeny tiny little coat closet and one little cabinet outside of the kitchen, and that was it. Like, there was no other, like, storage space. And when I realized, oh, oh, I feel like I don't have storage space, and yet I am storing some things right there that we don't use that much, I can get rid of that stuff, and then I have storage space for this thing that I had a reason to keep. How to prevent recluttering. I promise my mind says I need these things while shopping. Lol. Okay, two things. First of all, keep decluttering. Be ruthless. It will start to change what your mind says when you're shopping, because it will. You'll start to identify things as future clutter. It'll be like, oh, that's so cool. Oh, yeah. Literally just had all this angst and all these feelings about getting ready, getting rid of something very similar to that that was at the bottom of a pile or whatever. So decluttering is the best antidote to cluttering. Right? But also one in, one out. You know, just as you bring things home, it's like, I can bring stuff home, but it has to have an actual place. So where would I look for this first? You might ask yourself that in the store. Where would I look for this first? And then take it there now when you get home. Because I know for me, when shopping was a real issue with garb, with garbage sales, I was about to say garbage sales. With garage sales, not the same thing. I Loved my garage sales when I would, I would just get all the stuff I liked and get all the stuff that was a great deal and get all the stuff that was cool and that I could maybe use one day, but I wouldn't actually put it away when I got home. Right. Like it that it ended up, literally the bags and stuff were just dumped in my garage and it was a disaster. So asking yourself in the store, where would I look for this first? And then coming home, that may keep you from buying something, right? But coming home and putting it in that place and acknowledging, okay, what is it that I'm willing to get rid of to create the space for this item that I was like, no, I really needed it. And then I go put it in that space and that meant I had to get rid of this thing. And every time you do that, it's going to look different to you the next time. If you're really, truly struggling, what I would advise is for you to take pictures of your home, put them in a folder and as you're at the store, when you're like, where would I look for this first? Okay, go look at a picture. Say, I would look for it first in my closet. Okay, we'll go look at the picture of your closet and see. Can I identify something that I would get rid of in order to. To keep this item? Hi, from the uk I have an attic full of sentimental items. Everything ends up there as that's the place I look. But I need to declutter as most things have been boxed up for years. Any advice, Please follow the process. Go. You can get a copy of the process at a slob comes clean.com five and it's linked, you know, in the the description of this video, really follow the process. Do not pull everything out, but just from what you can see. Look for trash in your mind. Everything in there is sentimental, but you just said it's packed full. Things are going to have to leave. Some things have been, you know what, just say, is there anything I can see without pulling everything out that's trash? Even if there's no trash, you're going to start looking at individual items and your brain is going to start adjusting to what's actually in there and what you're going to be dealing with as you keep going, go through to the next thing. Is there anything in here that has a home somewhere else in the house? Let me get that out of there. Everything that leaves, your brain becomes a little less overwhelmed, a little less overwhelmed and more able to make decisions. As you get to the point in the process where you're actually making decisions. Okay, so the third thing is dead donations. Most likely. This is going to have some. Oh, you said attic. I don't know why I was picturing a cabinet. I'm sorry. But anyway, same thing. What can you access without pulling everything out? What can I get out of here? Debt donations. You're ready because you just asked this question. You're ready to at least acknowledge that there might be some debt donations. You know, things need to go. So get those things out so you can make a little bit of progress before you've ever made decisions or felt emotions or anything like that. Debt donations means not the stuff that you're going. Should I donate that? That's not a dud donation. It's just that. Oh, Oh, I forgot that was up here. That can totally go. Oh, why do we put that? You know, so those things can go. And then start asking yourself the question, if I needed this item, where would I look for it first? Now, the problem is sometimes it feels like the attic is where all the stuff goes. That's where all the stuff goes that, you know as the place that I'd look. Okay, but you want to declutter this space. What is the function of this attic? Is it for the things that come down into the house for certain seasons or, you know, camping or whatever it is, you know, certain activities, and then they go back up there? It needs to function as that. And so if anything is making it harder for it to function as that, because now there's all this other stuff up there, and I can't even get to the things that I would, you know, specifically look for in the attic and use. It's like I keep that function in mind and. And then get that stuff out of there that does not contribute to the function. And if it doesn't have an actual place to go in the rest of the house, then it's like, I love this item. It is sentimental. I think it's amazing, but there's no place for it in my house. I wish I could keep it, but there's no place. I know it's easier said than done, but, yeah, okay. I don't necessarily have an answer for this, but I do just want to acknowledge that these are difficult situations, that there aren't perfect solutions. Okay. I hope that she's around for a very long time. Right. Like, we hope that. So you. You go, okay, I need to. Is this something I can deal with? And then it goes away, or is it Something that deserves space in my home, because this is your right now. Life is dealing with this, okay? So if it's something that, okay, everything that I deal with is something that is gone, and then I never have to think about it anymore, and that's great, and that's great motivation, then that's motivation to know that going through these things is decluttering. Right. With everything that I deal with. And then it gets to leave. Okay? I've decluttered and I've gotten more of my dining room space back. If it's stuff that needs to stay around while she's in these different transition periods between different housing situations or whatever, you know, then it. It might be a while. It might deserve space in your home. So you look at your home and you say, what am I storing. That was for a past version of my life that isn't that way anymore. You know, when you look at it that way, you go, oh, that's right. Why do I still have the stuff from this phase of life that is, you know, past? Or what was I storing for? Something I hoped I would get to do one day, and I still hope I would get to do that. But the reality is, this is my focus right now, and that deserves space. So I'm going to let that stuff go and know that I can replace it. It's not going to be fun. I don't want to, but I will be able to replace it someday. Where this stuff has to be here. So it's just acknowledging what deserves space in your home. I have framed diplomas that used to be at my office. I now work from home and don't really want to hang them in my home. What do I do with that? You could, you know, if you're at this point where you're like, I work from home. There's no place for them to hang. You could take them out of their frames. That's painful, right? Because that kind of framing is not cheap. Right? But you could take them out of the frames and I don't know, I'm trying to picture diplomas, but. Because I know some of y' all be like, you can't do that with. But roll them up and put them in a, you know, a tube, one of those tube storage things, whatever. But yeah, I mean, like, the diploma is the thing, right? I know it's framed. But if the framed does not fit your lifestyle anymore, then you may have to let go of the frame for the purpose of, you know, keeping just the diploma. Or if the diploma is small enough, it can be filed or whatever. And here's the other thing, too. If your brain says, I can't do that, they are too expensive, then maybe you do need to hang them. But maybe you hang them in your closet or something where they're hung so that they're not just clutter laying around waiting to get broken, but they're hung, you know, there. Okay. All right. I'm gonna stop there. I hope I made any sense today. We will. I think I will be able to be here next week, so that'll be good. Hopefully we'll get back into the swing of these, but it's been fun, and I will talk to y' all later.