How To Declutter Your Home: 5 Tips That Actually Work

Sat Nov 23 2024

If you find that the clutter keeps piling up, this episode will blow your mind. You’re going to learn a foolproof decluttering method that has transformed Mel’s home. The incredible Dana K. White, founder of the hit blog, A Slob Comes Clean, and author of How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind, is here to help you tackle your clutter and the overwhelm that comes with it. Today she shares a five-step process that’s revolutionized the way countless people manage their lives—and it’s not about buying more containers or wasting time making everything look perfect. This is decluttering like you’ve never heard it before, designed to make your life easier, your mind clearer, and your home more peaceful. This episode will give you the first step to finally feeling less underwater (no matter what your shelves, desk, or bathroom counter looks like right now!). This is an encore episode with new and exciting insights from Mel at the top. For more resources, including li...

Summary

The Mel Robbins Podcast: "How To Declutter Your Home: 5 Tips That Actually Work"

Release Date: November 23, 2024

Introduction

In this compelling episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast, host Mel Robbins delves into the pervasive issue of household clutter and its profound impact on mental and physical well-being. Opening with a candid admission, Mel shares her personal struggle with maintaining a tidy home, setting the stage for an honest and transformative conversation. She introduces guest Dana K. White, a four-time bestselling author and creator of the "No Mess Decluttering Process," who brings actionable strategies to help listeners reclaim their spaces and, by extension, their lives.

Understanding Clutter and Its Impact

Mel Robbins begins by highlighting the psychological burden of clutter. She states, “[Clutter] weighs you down mentally and physically” (00:00), emphasizing how disorganized spaces can lead to increased stress and decreased productivity. Robbins underscores that clutter isn’t merely a physical mess but also a mental one, hindering focus and fostering feelings of being overwhelmed.

Dana K. White complements this by distinguishing between organizing and decluttering. She explains, “Organizing and decluttering are separate things. They are not the same thing” (15:29). While organizing often involves creating aesthetically pleasing systems, decluttering focuses on reducing the volume of possessions to alleviate mental strain.

Dana K. White's Five-Step Decluttering Process

Dana introduces her systematic approach to decluttering, designed to simplify the process and make it accessible for everyone. Her method breaks down the overwhelming task of decluttering into manageable steps:

Trash
- Step Description: Begin by removing all obvious trash from the space.
- Action: Dana recommends grabbing a black trash bag to discreetly dispose of items without emotional attachment.
- Quote: “Just say, that's trash. Put it in the bag” (32:23).
Easy Stuff
- Step Description: Tackle items that have an established home but are out of place.
- Action: Immediately return these items to their designated locations without deliberation.
- Quote: “I'm just going to take it there now” (36:36).
Donations
- Step Description: Identify items that are no longer needed but can benefit others.
- Action: Place these items in a clearly marked donate box to prevent them from being reused as clutter.
- Quote: “Stick stuff in the donate box” (37:30).
Establishing Homes for Items
- Step Description: For items without a clear home, decide where they should belong.
- Action: Utilize the “container concept” where each item has a specific place, ensuring easy access and reducing clutter accumulation.
- Quote: “A container is meant to serve as a limit, to serve as a boundary” (24:37).
Final Review and Maintaining Decluttered Spaces
- Step Description: Regularly assess and maintain the decluttered areas to prevent future buildup.
- Action: Continuously remove unnecessary items and ensure each possession has a designated place.
- Quote: “The more stuff you have, the less you can keep under control” (21:25).

Key Insights and Concepts

Clutter Threshold: Dana introduces the concept of a "clutter threshold," which refers to the amount of possessions an individual can manage without feeling overwhelmed. She explains, “Everyone has a clutter threshold. It's the amount of stuff that you personally can keep under control” (18:04). Understanding one's threshold is crucial for effective decluttering.
Visibility Rule: Dana advises starting decluttering efforts in highly visible areas to quickly see progress and stay motivated. She states, “Start with the place that visitors to your home will see” (30:20). This not only improves the appearance of the home but also reinforces the benefits of decluttering.
Container Concept: Shifting the perspective of containers from mere storage to boundaries helps in making more mindful decisions about possessions. Dana elaborates, “A container is meant to serve as a limit, to serve as a boundary” (24:37). This approach prevents the accumulation of unnecessary items by setting clear limits on what each container can hold.

Emotional Aspects of Decluttering

Mel and Dana address the emotional challenges associated with decluttering. Mel confesses her difficulty in letting go of sentimental items, saying, “I create these stories about why I need to keep the thing” (50:32). Dana responds by emphasizing a fact-based approach, removing emotional decision-making from the process:

Fact-Based Decision Making: Dana advises focusing on practicality rather than emotions when deciding what to keep or discard. By asking, “If I needed this item, where would I look for it first?” (43:44), individuals can objectively determine the necessity of each item.
Reducing Cognitive Load: Removing clutter reduces the mental burden of constant decision-making, leading to a clearer and more peaceful mind. Mel notes, “There is this subconscious cognitive load that you're carrying” (56:55), highlighting how decluttering can alleviate ongoing mental stress.

Practical Tips and Real-Life Applications

Throughout the episode, Mel shares personal anecdotes to illustrate the effectiveness of Dana’s methods. For instance, she recounts struggling with organizing her son’s belongings and how Dana’s approach helped her make definitive decisions without succumbing to the paralysis of choice.

Handling Clutter in Relationships

A listener question brought up the challenge of differing clutter thresholds between partners. Dana advises focusing on personal decluttering first before addressing shared spaces to avoid conflict. She suggests, “Start with your own stuff first and neutral stuff, invisible spaces” (65:19), fostering a collaborative environment where both partners can adapt to new decluttering practices.

Conclusion

The episode concludes with Mel Robbins expressing profound gratitude for Dana K. White’s insights, acknowledging the transformative potential of her decluttering process. She encourages listeners to apply these strategies not just for a cleaner home, but for enhanced mental clarity and emotional well-being.

Notable Quotes

Mel Robbins: “Clutter weighs you down mentally and physically.” (00:00)
Dana K. White: “Organizing and decluttering are separate things. They are not the same thing.” (15:29)
Dana K. White: “A container is meant to serve as a limit, to serve as a boundary.” (24:37)
Mel Robbins: “You are a genius.” (20:31)
Dana K. White: “The less stuff you have, the less stuff that can pile.” (21:48)
Mel Robbins: “I have set up this counter where you walk into the kitchen and you see these beautiful three antique pots... and now here I am organizing them in a jar.” (59:50)

Final Thoughts

Mel Robbins wraps up the episode with an empowering message, urging listeners to embrace decluttering as a pathway to a better, more controlled life. She reassures her audience that they are not alone in their struggles and that with Dana’s actionable tips, achieving a clutter-free home is entirely within reach.

For those seeking to transform their living spaces and, consequently, their lives, this episode offers both inspiration and practical guidance, making it a must-listen for anyone feeling overwhelmed by clutter.

Note: Timestamps correspond to key moments in the transcript provided.

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Transcript

Mel Robbins (0:00)

Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins Podcast. I have to tell you something you may not know about me. I am a slob. I mean, it's almost embarrassing and something I would rather not talk about. But the time has come for me and you to face this issue head on. If you have people coming over anytime soon and you would rather they not get past the welcome mat, or if you just have parts of your house, for me, it's like the bathroom doors or the laundry room that are hidden disasters. Shut the door, Chris. You know when the company's going, sit right next to me right now, because you're not alone and you are in the right place. You and I have got to talk about clutter, because clutter weighs you down mentally and physically. I mean, just think about it. When you walk into a room that's packed with stuff or you open up a drawer and you can't find what you're looking for, your brain feels it. You may be in your car looking at old soda cups or tissues that are left from the day before. This was me this morning. I had to find some. My car. I'm like, how long have those coffee cups been in the backseat? Or you may be in the house or office looking at a cluttered counter or kitchen. Just take a second to notice. Isn't that clutter weighing you down? I'm here to tell you it's not only weighing you down, it's holding you back. No, you do not need to buy more storage bins to hide the mess. You don't need to take a trip to the big store to get organized or color code anything. Start cleaning up your act. You can take back your home and your life with a few simple decluttering steps that actually work in real life. For real people like you and me.

Dana K. White (1:37)

Running a small business takes endurance, determination, and the right support to reach your goals. And MasterCard is here to help fuel that journey in a fast paced digital world with innovative tools and resources. We're here to guide businesses every step.

Mel Robbins (1:51)

Of the way digitally.

Dana K. White (1:53)

Because when small business wins, everyone wins. Let's power up our communities one small business and one step at a time.

Mel Robbins (2:01)

Keeping the community running strong.

Dana K. White (2:03)

Priceless.

Mel Robbins (2:07)

All right, I got a little confession. I'm what you would call a competitive gift giver. You know, the gifts I give, I want them to be the best, the future favorite, and something that is designed to last. That's why I love giving gifts from L.L. bean. Take their wicked good slippers, for example. Yeah, that's Actually what they're called, they have over 50,000 five star reviews. They are wickedly good slippers with a heavenly good feel. Give the gift of cozy goodness that'll last for seasons to come and win the gift game. Baby. Shop the wicked good slippers and more holiday favorites@llbean.com gifts hey, it's your friend Mel. And welcome to the Mel Robbins Podcast. I. I am so excited that you're here. I just love this topic. I especially love this topic for right now, based on the fact that the holidays are coming up. Like a driver that is riding your rear end right now on the back of the car. Whatever the heck that's called. Well, first of all, I should probably start and say it's an honor to spend some time with you and to be together. And if you're brand new, welcome to the Mel Robbins Podcast family. The fact that you hit play on this episode, it tells me something. It tells me you value your time and you hate the clutter, right? It tells me that you want simple ways to clean up your act. You'd like to be proud of your house. You'd like to be proud of your counters. I mean, wouldn't you like counters that are squeaky clean? I know I would. And I also know that you're interested in learning about ways that you can improve your life. And one of the simplest ways to improve your life, and this is actually really important, is to improve the space around you. Your environment matters. It like sends these cues to your eyes, to your nervous system. And the space around me, in my home, in my studio and in my car, I mean, it could be described as I'm looking around, there are balloons in the corner in the office. There are stacks of let them books and manuscripts that are almost a year old lying around. There is a box sitting next to the printer that has some beige sweatshirt on top of it. I don't even know who the heck the sweatshirt. There is a hairspray. I'm embarrassed. Thank God I'm not on video right now. But here's the thing. You didn't tune in to hear about my clutter. You tuned in to hear how you can change your life by getting control of your clutter. Because mess isn't just physical. The mess around you creates a mess in your mind. Clutter in your physical space. Whether it's clothes laying on the floor of your closet or piled on top of the laundry room, or it's do you have one of those drawers? They're always in your bathroom where you go to Pull it open, and there's some tube of something in the back that you probably haven't seen in seven years that is poking up and jamming the door open. Like, this stuff clutters your mind, and it makes it harder to focus and harder to feel more in control. Well, what if I told you there is a simple way to not only clean up your house before all your relatives come for the holidays, but to break free from this unnecessary overwhelm? Well, in today's conversation, you and I are going to flip the script on what decluttering really means. Because decluttering isn't really about tidying up your space. It's about unlocking a new way to feel clearer and peaceful and more in control of your life. And it doesn't require you to reorganize your closet or to get more storage bins or to color code your bookcases or to make your pantry look like it's an Instagram post. Our expert today is a woman named Dana K. White, and she is a hero to millions of people because she is going to show you how the act of getting rid of stuff is the key to decluttering your thoughts, reducing your stress, and making space for what truly matters. And what she said made me realize. She said, mel, you have decluttering and organizing all wrong. See, for me, personally, every time I would try to get organized, you know what I would do? Like, just think about times in your life. You're like, I gotta organize my closet. I gotta organize my desk space at home. Oh, I gotta organize my bedroom. I gotta organize the pantry. What do you do when you feel like I gotta organize things? You literally get in the car or you get on the subway and you go to a store, you buy more things. Does that make sense that in order to organize your things, you buy more things? And the reason why you're trying to organize your things is because you have too many things. In fact, I was on the road, because I've been on a road a lot, promoting the Let Them theory book. And do you ever have this feeling, like, where you go on a trip and you spend all this time packing only to open up your suitcase and you go, I hate everything that I packed. I literally packed for a week. And I packed exercise clothes, two pairs of jeans, three pairs of underwear. I'm gone for seven days. I don't know how the math works on that, Mal. Even if I turn them inside out, I'm not going to last seven days with three pairs of underwear. I didn't pack a Bra. I packed two T shirts. Like that's what I took on a trip, you guys. And so I not only have too much stuff, I got the wrong stuff. Let me tell you what I used to do when I would come home after a trip having packed all the wrong things. I still do that. That's the adhd. But I'm going to tell you what I don't do anymore. So the old me, I would roll in from a trip. Does this ever happen to you? I don't know if I'm the only one that used to this, but holy cow, this was like clockwork. What would happen? I would roll on in and I would roll my suitcase into my bedroom and would I put my clothes away?