From Clutter to Clarity | Kerry Thomas | TEDxAshburn
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2024
- Clutter is not just “stuff.” Clutter can be physical, digital, mental, emotional or spiritual, and each type can be overwhelming. Learn the number one cause of clutter in any area of your life, and how to bust through for lasting results.
Kerry Thomas attended the University of Florida where she received her Bachelor's and Master’s degrees in Special Education. After teaching for eight years, a career change brought her to Professional Organizing, and Conquer the Chaos, LLC was launched in 2007.
After years of organizing "a little of everything" from closets to kitchens to offices to garages to classrooms, Kerry decided to further combine her two passions (teaching and organizing) and specialize in helping small business owners with ADD create and maintain order in the midst of their disorder.
Kerry completed a rigorous training program, and is now a Certified Productive Environment Specialist™. This certification adds another dimension to her organizing and productivity consulting services.
Kerry enjoys helping others find the peace of mind and increased productivity that come from and organized workspace.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
I found myself thinking about “clutter is a postponed decision” again & again. I find that since watching, I’m making more of my dreaded/ postponed choices which is leading to action. Glad I watched, and am watching again.
I don't not quite understand. Does what she mean decisions concerning with stuff (tidying up/decluttering)?
That's is so true... clutter is postponed desision. You didn't take care of it when it was brought in now it's clutter.
I understand that it doesn't work for everything....
But things like piling up junk mail on the kitchen table... for sure...
@@chandramembaca1168 not only that, mental clutter also
My clutter happened in one day when I took all my things out of storage and moved into a small home that has no storage space. I've lived like this for 10 years! When I look at all the mess in my house it is so overwhelming that I never know where to begin. I've asked friends for help also. A friend who wouldn't help me, is no longer a friend.
@chandramembaca1168 Yes. You get bills in the mail & whether you open the mail or not, you don't want to deal with them so you just stuff them somewhere. Something breaks, e.g. a lamp, and you don't decide to toss it, donate it, try to DIY repair it or take it to a lighting place for them to repair. You don't make a decision or get around to whatever you think you want to do, so you stuff the lamp somewhere while you make do with another in its place. You pass the lamp that is taking up space wherever you put it, and as time goes by, every time you see it, you feel guilt. You take a trip and when you return, you want to put the suitcase away but you don't feel like dealing with the contents, so that becomes a pile on your bed or wherever you put it, thinking you'll get back to it soon.
"Clutter is postponed decisions"- Story of my life!
Esther, I postpone and procrastinate to a pathological degree, it seems. I feel more attachment to some objects than I do to some people. Living with a stepmother who brutally punished me for wrong decisions, no matter how small, for over six years resulted in my being afraid to make decisions. I just allowed life to happen to me and trusted others to direct my life until I was in my thirties and found myself living in a place I loathed trying to build a relationship with my young daughter despite her paternal family's determination to make it impossible. Becoming a little more spiritually grounded in my early thirties helped a LOT, but I let go of my faith to embrace a troubled man who, thanks to multiple strokes and zero motivation to recover, became the focus of my life in ways that were mostly unhealthy, not only spiritually but mentally, emotionally, and physically. Clutter helped me to feel both anxious and needed, even though I didn't take care of the need by managing the clutter. I didn't tell my husband-to-be about my long history of mental illness, so when I had a psychotic breakdown eight years into our marriage he wasn't prepared at ALL. Our relationship lasted for over 20 years and although he told me about many of the traumatic experiences he'd had so I'd relate to him better, I kept mine from him because I was sure he couldn't handle it. His death on Veteran's Day 2015 of inoperable aortic valve stenosis was actually a RELIEF because I could FINALLY stop worrying about him...something that I realized, too late, would have improved our marriage considerably had I done it early on. Relief became guilt that was so overwhelming that I couldn't even grieve.
I'm a little better now. I'm grateful for this presentation. My spiritual life is improving. I have friends who love me and tell me that I'm making AMAZING progress. I'm processing emotional clutter by writing. My physical clutter is less severe than it's been for over 30 years; I don't bring ANYTHING into my apartment unless I'm SURE it brings me joy. And I'm accepting that I deserve a better life and making decisions accordingly. I hope you do the same.
Tamara Jessup wow, many people including myself can relate to your story. Death/divorce is a relief in many ways, however the person makes the decision to move on going forward. I state it that way because some move on going backwards, a strange at the phrase may seem. Thank you for sharing. You aren’t alone. Glad you are doing much better!
Need to keep focused !
Esther well change that! You made the story of your life. You aren’t a victim.
Interesting about decisions, because hoarders (as many but not all clutters are) have an area of the brain where there is never stimulus - the anterior cingulate gyrus. This is the seat of decision making.
"The Quality of your life, is determined by the decisions you make."
My Kinrgy instructor shared this video with our full moon class today. I am really grateful she did because I have been in the process of purging, changing and moving things around my apartment and house. I have also been doing a lot of emotional and spiritual purging too. Forgiving in silence and with love. Moving my needle forward to getting healthier mentally, spiritually and physically. I agree that most of what I have kept everywhere have been postponed decisions and the more I let go, the more I feel clearer and less tied down. Thank you for this talk. I really needed to hear it today.
Please thank her from me for sharing.
I’m doing the “FlyLady” method. Scheduled small amounts daily. Then 15 minute “hotspots”. And don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get to it. Just get to it next round.
Exactly wright 👌 don't beat yourself up you get through it bit by bit
I like what she says too
My method is not doing anything until it’s bothering me
I stumbled on this today. Our lives mirror each other so much it brought a tear to my eye. My father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died shortly after. One of my children struggles with mental illness and suicidal thoughts among other things. I also had a major surgery within that time frame. Place some other stressors and Covid on top and it’s been very hard. I am always trying to declutter my mind, my life, and my stuff. Thank you for your encouraging words. It’s also just nice to know I am not alone in my experiences.
Kari you are definitely not alone! I’m glad it was encouraging. 😊
Thank you. And I just realized we share the same name too! Blessings.
I just put away all of my summer clothes, and they all fit in a medium spacebag(well, all but 4 pair of jeans.) We live in an RV so space is minimal. Getting anything new means getting rid of something else if there is no space. Before we moved in 6 years ago, we got rid of probably 90 percent of our belongings. It was VERY liberating! Now I'm working on my emotional clutter. That's been liberating too. I'm finding that a simple life really doesn't have space nor desire for clutter.., literally or emotionally🙂
To me, the mental and emotional clutter is not just a result of a ‘postponed decision’ but an ‘inaction’ also from not taking the time to Reflect on the fear (that’s causing the clutter) to then Make that Decision to Take Action. Once the action is made, Clarity will then follow.
Putting down this self note for my future reference.
I hear you. Reflecting on the fear that's causing the clutter. Yep you right
one of the best I've watched
I decluttered this weekend. Took a lot of things to Goodwill. I have a walk in hall closet that I can actually walk in now.
Soooo envious I'm trying dont understand why IT IS SO HARD
Sandra L. Moralez, don’t try! Before you go to sleep, or when you’re relaxed, close your eyes and imagine yourself carrying out the tasks you have been putting off. It helps, when you start doing it, it becomes as second nature. I hope it helps.
@@Soo_Blessed What is your date of birth
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So I was decluttering my watch later vdos and this was there. Glad I saved and finally watched it. Thank You!🙏 Namaste.
Emotional and spiritual clutter arise from unresolved issues, postponed decisions.....clutter not only creates overwhelm, but procrastination, guilt, shame, fear even depression...
Smita B so actually Postponed Decisions is what cause overwhelm, depression and all that.
Wow, so thought provoking saying.
Very thought provoking exactly what i came to this video for
Clutter is Postponed Decisions...........absolutely brilliant! That is fear/guilt manifested. I am on my minimalist path. And, the changes are absolutely worth whatever one goes thru.
Good job! How is it going?
It’s a marvelous explanation on many levels!
@Karen Sinclair : thanks for the encouragement !
Absolutely I have been downsizing for the past 10 years. I’m now in a static and I’m determined to love clutter free. The less I have the better I feel ❤
Absolute "TRUTH" to what you have said as I am a single male in my late 40's and I am single, no children and never married. Life is about "choices"!!!! Make the right ones...
I've watched countless tedtalks, this is the first & only that's made me cry. It hit me on every level, it's like she knows me.
mewendy1 hope things are better. That’s exactly how I’m feeling at this moment. I see myself in so many examples here.
Hi, mewendy and Almon, my heart goes to you guys. I really want to embrace you and give you emotional support from afar. (I live in South East Asia). You can do it, you can overcome your fear and cluttered life. YOU CAN.
Lots of love from Thailand.
mewendy1 Me too!
Didn't make me cry, but was good.
I loved this so much!! So much so that half way through the speech, I went and lit a candle I have had for years!!!
Congratulations 🎉 that's awesome!
“Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” -- Ben Franklin.
If it doesn’t need to be done now, it doesn’t need to be done.
@@TSunshineful that about tomorrows dinner?
George Wills Absolutely, this is my biggest problem, but so hard to change!!
"Don't put off to tomorrow what can be avoided altogether."
Excellent. I would also highly recommend Mel Robbins Ted talk on how to stop screwing yourself up. It is really really excellent. Nothing to do with clutter except how we view what holds us back. I watched it several times, and something finally clicked in my brain about what I was saying outwardly and inwardly. And I have been working very diligently for the last two or three months in the house. And it is showing. If you add all these other Ted talks with it, you can do quite well. Anybody in here that has a one-word answer, DHD. ABC D. Whatever. Is obviously a perfect person. But for the rest of us humans that aren't, it's more than a one-word answer. It is digging deep to find out what is hurting you the most, taking stock of what you can do, and being able to put 1 foot in front of the other to change it. Blessings to all of you. Have a great memorial day weekend. This makes four years since my mom died on memorial day weekend. And instead of feeling sad, I am feeling very positive now. So take care.
Gail Remp, I realize it has been close to a year since you posted this comment, but I just wanted to thank you for sharing your lovely perspective as well as the helpful tips. I'm seriously off to go watch the Mel Robbins video right now! Your approach is not only motivating, but it's super refreshing! And it's obviously creating results. Please take good care and I'm sure you're continuing to flourish and just knock this one life out of the park!!! :-)
Great talk! Also . Watch Mel Robbins you will love her. Life changing
'change is the result of action and action is the result of decision' loved that
Just like an oil change, you must declutter on a regular basis. It has to be a priority. Otherwise your life will always be a mess.
John Dyer Wow, that is an amazing statement!!
Correct!!!
YES! My husband is a mechanic/automotive technician (new definition, same job). I can't wait to share your analogy with him! Both of us are becoming very complacent about our procrastinating, and the paper work just keeps growing.
@@teresalanahan1089, yep less mess = less stress
That’s a great analogy!
this is so helpful for someone with borderline personality disorder. I’d never heard it so clearly put, “clutter is postponed decisions”
Oh my word! After watching this, I decided to declutter one shelf in my closet! Just one, and my word!!!
It just created space in my mind so much that I now had the energy to tackle thr inertia and the fear why I delayed starring up my business.
I absolutely love hearing this! Great job.
"Clutter is postponed decisions" Love it!
10:08
"Change is the result of action and action is the result of a decision."
Oh Kerry. I get this. I, too, developed a heart issue when my beloved grandmother, more like a mother to me in many ways, passed away, then I lost a planned and very wanted pregnancy in a traumatic way involving emergency surgery, and our dog of 13 years passed away, all within 6 months of each other. My heart broke, like yours, figuratively and literally. I dug my way out but it's been uphill. Thank you for this.
What a nice human you are gary. God Bless you too.
Woman of a Certain Age ..
Hoping that you are making progress moving on from a difficult period in your life. You will get through this because we are all stronger than we realize. Sorry for your loss
I avoided reading my comments for a long time, lol, but yours made me want to reach out. I hope you are doing well!!
Loved 'Give God something to bless'! It motivates me when I am stuck.
Loved " Give God something to bless" "peace thank you " this woman is amazing she speaks life changing and words
Thank you Kerry, I’m exactly like all the types of clutter you talk about and I’m still paralysed with my situation, I look at my home and all this clutter and walk out of my home and don’t want to come back, but hopefully after watching your video I can get my mindset into starting to clean up my clutter
Maybe the Videos of clutterbug help you.or the minimal mom
Thank you TEDx Talks, for posting this video. Thank you Ms. Kerry Thomas, for sharing your knowledge and experience regarding clutter. God bless us all.
My postponed decisions: staying at a job I'm burned out from and unhappy with, not moving forward in life. I will work on my real estate course, get a RE license, leave my current job/obtain different part time job while working in RE the other part time.
My home is pretty clutter free except for my clothes in my bedroom closet. I will work on it.
I listened to this 3 times, and took notes. Thank you!
Lol. Notes are my clutter!
me too
This video got me to get up and start cleaning up while listening to it 😅
Anna Wood same here
I know right. 👍
Thank you so much for this moving speech! Short, sweet and full of so many golden nuggets of truth.
I’m so glad you made the DECISION to make this video. It was the push I needed. You make a difference.
Thank you so much Sherri.
She definitely conveys emotion in her talk, and it reminds us of our power to change as it simultaneously allows the feeling of "sinning" and missing the mark and the guilt that can disable action.
I actually came into the video with a bit of judgement and now I have to say this is one of the best TedX videos I've ever seen.
I'm working on a technology interface(app ecosystem) to allow humans to reconnect to natural law and natural interaction and reset/reconnect that attention/ dopamine /hormonal circuitry that has been hijacked by commoditized social networks.
We are cluttered with concerns, and made impotent by our borrowed fears.
I am dedicated to deep wealth solutions, and Kerry Thomas hit on so many of my motivations in this talk. She also poignantly hit how my arrow of intention has sinned, and I'm sitting right now in Bali in a room with far too much clutter, typing on a computer with far too much clutter and appreciating how she tied it all together in this moment..
Lol can I sign up?
One of the most helpful TED talks I have heard.
Thank you!
Conquer the Chaos, LLC, Welcome. Wish you much love and health.
an ORGANIZED life is the Best life.
I loved her talk, especially that we think more stuff means more fun. And especially that everything comes down to a postponed decision. And "give God something to bless". Great talk.
This is great advice for anyone! I have so many levels of clutter. I need to organize it all into baby steps so I know how to fix it, otherwise I just get overwhelmed and stay stagnant.
Me too❤️
Clutterbug and the minimal mom have some really helpful Videos on how to start
Wow, took several notes throughout this talk. Thank you!
Kerry Thomas was so good I am going to replay this every morning. I need to unclutter more than stuff in closets and around the house.Thank you Kerry Thomas. You're my new best friend.
I used to be sympathetic, emphatic, compassionate, whatever you like to call it - supposedly a human virtue. I decided some years ago to declutter this feeling and not to mix with people who expect sympathy and mercy. I'm much more refreshed now. Instead, I show these people how to fulfill their life by demonstrating it with mine. I don't talk/preach to them. I only show it.
Love this
Your talk inspired me ~ Thank you!🙏
I listened to every word Kerry said. Thank you. Among the clutter in you tube, this talk of Kerry was a game changer.
Thank you!
Decluttering and with Kon marie💗💗 method definetly clarifies and open up the mind
Thank you for your honesty and words of wisdom Kerry. I'm a minimalist, but I've always struggled with physical clutter. I seem to do better with emotional and spiritual clutter, but I know they are all connected. "Let go and let go" seems to be a mantra that helps and also funny enough flipping coins to help me make decisions, even big ones. In Deep Gratitude.
I keep planning to spend half an hour per day clearing or sorting a pile of paperwork, and unused items in my apartment - - - must get around to starting that tonight and make it a daily thing - one area at a time
Do that! Do that! Do that! Anyone reading, you too. I have a family holding me captive and keeping me intoxicated with various drugs. Make me unconscious and harass using different means. In short, they literally snatch my time & breath. My day is one-third of what yours is. Your half an hour is just 10mins of my waking time. Your week is seven days, mine is just 2-3 days. I can't emphasise enough that we take time for granted, especially when it's available to us by default. If you must de-clutter for 30 mins to move forward, do it. And now that you've read this, you're cursed and you've a responsibility towards me. To live it up for me too. No pressure, but you've been given a life, don't let it pass you by.
Clutter is postponed decisions…. I’m going to remember this.
"Give God something to bless." Great input about taking action for mental and emotional clutter and awesome quote.
Wise advice.... this one is worth watching perhaps even a few times to drill it in...
Such wisdom in an easily understood format! Lots to ponder on in the coming days. Thank you!!
literally the most life-changin ted talk for me
great insights on the underlying causes of clutter.
She has a very relatable way of telling her story and giving sound advice.
Just what I needed to hear to get that room and studio and many other things DECLUTTERED!
Make the decision, declutter and get unstuck...
My mental clutter is too many bookmarks and watch later videos.
Kontinent I agree with the watch later, good one!
Same here but I create playlists instead of putting them all in Watch Later. As for bookmarks, I just screenshot the articles I like, using the multi page screenshot function and created folders for those screenshots as well.
Kontinent - Same here, lol.
Kontinent. I’m guilty- I don’t have enough hours left to live to watch all of those videos I saved.
Nerisa C I need to figure out how to do that with my iPhone
I love what you said about Spiritual Clutter. Spot on!
I appreciate her humility in the speech. She did not come across as talking down to her audience. Kudos!
Absolutely awesome, I need to watch this often, as I try to muddle through my clutter. Thank You, much appreciated!
I'm a new fan of this woman after hearing this. Great talk Thanks! 😊
This resonated for me. Peace as a deliverable is amazing outcome.
The part about cluttered iphones makes a lot of sense. When I truly listened to some of the songs I had, I discovered that I didn't like them anymore, never did, or they made me feel emotionally like I didn't want. So, I deleted over half my large song library. The criteria for keeping the ones I kept was "does it make me feel good". Now, there are a few that make me feel sad, but those are ones that are written to do that.
Definite decisions need to be made to remove clutter or postponed decisions.
Actions give God something to bless. It will give you momentum.
Quality of life is based on the decisions you make. Have peace!
This is eye-opening! One of my favorite Ted Talk!
without forgiving yourself you are not free to go ahead and fulfill your dream. THANKS for sharing this! and thanks for boiling the huge problems down to the single decisions... decisions are powerful and if we make them, we rule them. if we do not, they rule us. THANKS! This is a great speech. And yes. I am happy for you that your apartment is immaculate!
Mine is Fear of Failure. :/ so much stuff ive missed out on and could be doing right now.
Just what I needed right now! Thank you! God bless you and people like you sharing such ideas!
.
I want to thank you for your talk. I'm grateful. This may have just touched on why I always feel overwhelmed and helpless in changing it. It was starting to bring on depression. I couldn't figure out what the down feeling were. Now I do. Thank you again.
You are so welcome Karen!
I'm enthralled by this piece. A book I read not long ago with related themes offered profound life lessons. "A Life Unplugged: Reclaiming Reality in a Digital Age" by Theodore Blaze
I will have to check that out!
So true. It inspires me to think deep about me myself
Needed this ! I change homes every 7 years and reboot myself, and it's coming up soon and although I feel overwhelmed to the task, I can't wait
Noshville your homes?
Noshville n
Postponement...decisions decisions decisions...anxiety can creep in quickly bringing along worry and fear!!
Reading the Bible gives me rest and joy!
This was great! Precise. Informative. All the dislikes must be from people who were triggered about their unwillingness to let go of their clutter. It is so very liberating to declutter! I am down to my beloved cat, laptop, and what fits into 3 big suitcases but I am still gonna give more stuff away. If I can do it so can you! xoxo - j
What a short list of your keepers, with the cat at the top! 👑🐈
Thank you for sharing your experience and wisdom. Well said and explained. Simple enough to apply. Make the decisions and move forward.
Thank you for explaining exactly how I felt, I was so overwhelmed sbd felt no one would understand and you explained it all perfectly ❤
I get by now my breaking things down each day, so long as I sort abd do tasks each day it makes it easier and reward myself with a cup of tea 🍵 , coffee or nice to eat instead of compulsive shopping to overwhelm me again with more stuff
Agree
What a lovely lecture, thank you.
this my most informative message from TEDx. Glad someone talked about this
Recuperating from total knee replacement and found this in an email. Plan to watch again when I can get to the den and put some of it into practice.
Really interesting talk, made me look at clutter from a different prospective, I never viewed my email clutter (3000 odd of them) as clutter before. I recommend giving this talk ago.
Excellent presentation, thank you Kerry
Great honesty and talk. Thank you.
thank you 🤗
Thank you 🙏🏻 I could really use your help, everything in my life is a big mess, there is clutter everywhere but no one knows it but me.
My heart goes out to you. I hope you are in a better place 🙏
A fantastic talk. I loved the simple, honest information she provided.
Oh thank you. I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one with computer clutter.
Lovely little talk.
I watched three times so I could take it all in. Revelatory for me. I feel a paradigm shift in my thinking. Can’t wait to see what postponed decisions I tackle first.
I love that Blouse, very pretty and you too💝 Thanks for your Time and Knowledge, it Has given what I need to get started😘
It feels amazing to let go....set a timer. Start time and end time...what ever is bothering u write it down.set time.conquer.repeat
I have recently been thinking something disturbing. I'm almost a hoarder, and I live in total chaos that leaves me with my head spinning and frozen in shame. My finances, career, friendships, and family relationships are all not great as well. I always believed that you can't succeed in those larger, tougher issues from a place of chaos. I think I might purposely stay stuck in clutter and chaos as an excuse that gets me out of dealing with the scary stuff with less guilt.
Why does this only have 590K views?!
Decision making is a habit. The more you do it the easier it becomes as you build and strengthen the neural pathways that allow you to do it. Similarly “putting off” making decisions is also a habit that many of us have fallen into and become so good at and ingrained it.
Wonderful presentation..... I was very impressed with the helpful tips and common sense approach to declutter our lives.. Thank you for your kindness and inspiration. I believe that depression can be a result of indecision also. I have a hard time decluttering clothes that I know represented a nicer time in my life. I will try to move forward and leave (downsize) the past!
There is a misconception about the storage industry. This is very understandable because it's easy not to notice or recognize it.
Far more often than people realize, storage units are not filled with the things that don't fit in our homes; although that is obviously common. Instead, many, many storage units are filled with most of the things that were in someone's until they no longer had somewhere to live.
This becomes obvious to someone who is often at their storage unit at the times when the facility closes and opens each day. This is not just because of the other people that one would encounter there regularly, but because of the things they are doing or the kinds of things that they are transferring into or our of their unit.
Some of them are actually secretly living in their units, but most are probably sheltered in their vehicle parked nearby, or perhaps in a shelter or nearby motel, or even a tent pitched in an inconspicuous or hidden location not far away, or maybe they are couchsurfing with friends, or they've discovered a place protected from the elements where they feel safe and can stay out of sight-it might be an abandoned building, or a spot in a building that nobody frequents while they sleep; or they might even have to rough it outdoors, on the street.
I know because I've been in that situation; and I'm about to be forced back into it. I'm blessed enough first of all to be able to afford a storage unit to keep my things, and to be able to choose between many of those possible forms of shelter & security. I have a van I can sleep in relative peace of mind, friends I can crash with, a tent I can pitch, occasionally I get some extra cash and splurge on a motel room, and I know of a handful of places I can be safe from the elements as well as being discovered and ejected.
And like others in similar circumstances, I will visit my storage unit frequently looking for something that I need or want for some reason. And I frequently end up going there shortly before they close/restrict access for the night, or near the time they open in the morning.
Of course, when you rent a unit they require you to put an address, like so many other services-which is a really great way for a society to pretend that it doesn't have a massive problem of un-housed people. But obviously one can use an address they don't actually live at, or where they may not be able to collect mail from. (Ever wonder why you KEEP getting mail for someone who doesn't live at your address and either has never lived there or it has been a very long time? Ever consider the possibility they are actually un-housed? It is certainly a viable, if not likely possibility!)
I loved this talk! I took away several quotes, I love the focus on decision making
Thank you!
Thank you for showing me how to see the clutter in my life. GOD BLESS YOU. I now know what to do.
"Give God something to bless" Thank you!
This was right on time and on repeat!
was this the best TED Talk I have seen in 2021?
Word SILENT also scrambled spells LISTEN ❤
INNER PEACE 🙏 iS WHAT let's GO of mental clutter
GREAT video 👍
Thanks for sharing!