Finally a mom who has her chores equally shared with other members of the family!!! I see only women who take on everything or most of it on themselves and then when they get older or are sick and children don't help, they complain.
We have a friend with a son who's about 5 years older than our son. He has always been a kind, helpful, person. Years ago, I asked the mom what the secret was to raising such a great kid. She said her and her partner's philosophy was to raise their son to be a good "roomie" and future partner. So he was expected to do his share in every area of the house as soon as he was able. When he was at our house for sleepovers, he was always offering to help, always picking up his dishes, even pitching in to do yardwork. He internalized the work ethic because it was something he had been doing all his life.
I am one of those parent, so far at least... And I agree. Lately, I have been starting to re-evaluate the activities we parents try to do with the kids. Maybe cleaning can be a fun thing we do together! Not everything needs to be fun either.
My kids were involved in chores, and had their daily chore list,and I was always complimented on their behavior when they visiting others. But now they are all adults 0:10 and I find their personalities dictate their neatness. My kids who were naturally neat at home have very neat and tidy homes. My children that struggled with neatness still struggle as adults to keep neat and tidy homes, but are still very great parents. They just have to work harder at being neat. 🤷♀️fyi I had 8 kids
I live with chronic pain. I am able to walk but have energy limitations. It took me 4 years to declutter and I have a tidy home now. Routines are a must and you have to be flexible but it is possible. I just wanted to encourage others that may be suffering as well.
As someone who has been dealing with chronic fatigue & depression for the past 10 years, I can add to the second question. Please do not spend your time feeling bad about what you cannot do! Have the things you need to get through your day/week/month and give yourself some grace. Trying to be minimal is not about deprivation or making things difficult (Dawn would never wish that on anyone:). It is about reducing what you do not need to feel better about not having all the “stuff” to manage. You can take the time you need to pare down what does not serve you at this time and that in itself is a gift to your future self🥰
100%! Since extreme simplifying my home, my chronic illness has been easier to bear. The process was laborious, but I have so much mental and emotional freedom, and the tasks that need to be done are manageable now. Less clothing= less laundry, less stuff= less dust, less time cleaning around or moving stuff. I do have enough dishes to reasonably fill the dishwasher every couple of days. I have 1 diy cleaning spray I use, only replace items as they run out, and I use delivery service for groceries, etc. I have a small apt, but my shelves, cabinets, and closet are all half empty and I don’t need any more storage. It’s helped so much for my overall well-being. Thanks to DAWN! ❤❤❤
I also suffer chronic illness. This was the main reason to look after options for simplification. I am decluttering and simplyfying since 3 months. I am not finished with the process, but i already need much less energy for cleaning etc. That motivates me now to go on . Thank you, Dawn❤❤❤
Re: the 45 minute cooking, cleaning, etc goal - Dawn mentioned several videos ago that she actually hires a cleaner once/wk or once every other. It's WONDERFUL to have this like-minded community but "comparison is the thief of joy." I absolutely spend more than 45 minutes a day cooking, cleaning etcetera and it's just me and my husband. I from-scratch cook every meal, that adds value for us and great for others who prefer to invest less time on household tasks/duties/responsibilities.
It's just me and hubby. I even clean for a living so you would think I would work faster but I don't. I def do more than 20 min a day or 40 or whatever she said lol😂
Thank you for this podcast. I have a physical disability with MS. But I still show up no matter what. Due to your inspiration/ motivation. Thank you so much. I still a work in progress
I’ve learned so much watching your channel. I’m single and I have found that I like to have enough dishes for the week and run the dishwasher on Sunday evening. Hand washing daily is not my thing. It’s okay to adapt to what works for you!
My neighbour is looking at replacing her dishwasher, and is considering one of the compact versions because she doesn't want to leave her dishes all week. That's another option.
@@MyFocusVaries except that the compact dishwasher will be smaller and she will be left with an awkward space in her kitchen. Personally it would bother me.
Affects of medicines totally wiped me out (no one realized it was the medicines). What I found helped was looking for small wins; if I could wash my cereal bowl so I didn’t have to deal with it later it was a win since it meant fewer dishes later. I actively watched for better days, on a relative better day I took advantage of it, if that meant that all I did extra was wiping out the bathroom sink I did it. I made looking for those small wins and better days a habit. I also ignored advice that didn’t fit me. If making a pile and setting it on the stairs was something I could do, I did it. If it meant those things stayed there till I went up to bed so be it. But when I went to bed, they moved closer to where they belonged. Sometimes they landed on my dresser and didn’t get put away till the next day, but each increment brought me a step closer. I am extremely fortunate that adding an other med pushed me over the edge and a new specialist meant med changes that improved my life greatly. But I am glad for that time (2 years) when I was a “lump in a chair” because now it is easier when things are improving slowly to remember how much better they are and helps me be more patient. I’ve tried to be grateful for even those first very tiny steps because as slow as they were, they were an improvement. Another thing I learned was to not wait to declutter. If I noticed a broken or bent kitchen implement I threw it out as soon as I saw it. There was no waiting, “until I clean out this drawer this weekend”. That bout of total exhaustion taught me that come the weekend I might feel even worse, so toss that one item now. I hope these things help someone realize that slow and steady can win the race, it just might me a longer race than you planned for.
Thank you for sharing the story of this very difficult time in your life. I really appreciate the insight into how you dealt with your physical limitations with patience & grace to yourself. I hope you are continuing to improve. & helpful to me as I age.
Dawn, I love you, thank you. Today was the first time I’ve ever had a same-day-plans-guest and was not even slightly embarrassed by my home. I have a toddler and an infant (living the ‘5 minutes matters’ life!) and am finally in the home stretch of this process- almost at “maintenance mode.” I was able to get to guest-ready in like 20 minutes! Thank you for pouring into this channel. You are changing lives, you’ve changed mine ❤
I think 40 mins a day for housework is totally doable. I asked my husband and he thinks he spends about that much time as well. He makes breakfast, I make dinner and we each make our own lunch. I wash dishes and load the dishwasher and he dries and empties the dishwasher. I do laundry and dusting and he vacuums. It is not labor intensive for either of us since we have decluttered about 50% of our possessions since retiring 9 years ago. I feel that as we age we have less time and energy so having a decluttered house makes housework much, much easier. Dawn got me started on my decluttering journey and you couldn’t pay me to go back to the way it was before. Housework stress is gone. I also menu and do a fridge and pantry inventory before shopping so I don’t overdo buy. And decluttering so much really curbed my interest in shopping.
I loved when Dawn had us look at how many actual items she keeps as an example in a video. That is kind of a missing piece for some of us, we get busy decluttering and seeing what fits but forget the practical question, "how many do I actually need?" I have watched people get rid of much of say their kids clothes, but they still keep a sofa full of kids clothes that they can technically fit back in their closet and drawers-without realizing that they are keeping way too many to actually use, like 70 shirts etc. Thinking about a practical number, then filling that number with your favorites is a great step to take after you get your first major decluttering done. You can realize it is fine to declutter far more than you first thought, because you don't need 2 months of clothes.
My 24 year old daughter was telling me that some super cute blankets were on clearance at Target. My response was, I love clearance finds. I asked where she was going to use them? Her response, not sure - I should get rid of a few before I bring more in. YES!
Perhaps there is a circle of life here. I am a widow 76. There is not as much work of course but there is no one helping. I do all cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping etc. I like all that and have plenty of time to it.
The phrase that resonated with me is "current reality". I've been decluttering using Dana's method, but with that phrase at the topmost of my mind. Do i have a home for this that works NOW? or do i have a home for it for when i get to the way i want it in the FUTURE? If it doesn't have an easy, open space for the way i live now, it goes. I (and my family) need to be in s comfortable, useful environment now, otherwise we'll never have the bandwidth to get to the way we want to need in the future anyway.
At the end of the homeschool year I used to gave away all our school books; keeping only the books I needed for the next school year. It kind of disappointed me when I found some of them hanging on to the books to gather dust uselessly on a shelf rather than passing them on too.
Hey Dawn! Thank you so much for your videos and sharing parts of your life! Your intro is very professional. I was a production manager for a local radio station before changing my lifestyle to a simpler one. The gentleman doing your intro would have been contracted to do 30 and 60 second commercials as long as it was not AI generated. Frequencies and sounds are huge when you want to reach new customers and keep current customers for businesses buying ad time on the air. Perhaps you might want to check into more of an introduction that fits and sounds like your mission statement for what you do. Again, thank you for your service to all of us learning to de-clutter.
The messy middle: I find if I do a few hours (or however much time) on a few days, the first day or two might not feel like I get far. However on the 3rd day (or 4th) everything can come together and I’m not sure how I was able to clear all that space on those first few days. I could be about 10 mins on that 3rd day and everything’s going well. So I discovered not to judge the progress as I go but know it’s going to feel like not much and then a day that feels rewarding and then the next day it may not feel like much progress and it’s like a wave. This idea has made such a difference to my stress levels while decluttering and organising.
I have four kids too, all grown, married and 15 grandkids! The empty nest was a sad time for me and especially hard as I missed all the help!!🤗 We had to sell our acreage with its big house because it was so much to manage for the two of us!!🤣
Please do a video going further on involving the kids on the household work and the details of how it runs, how you choose who gets what and at what age they can do it. I, too, was shocked when you said 40 minutes in a past video. I also have 4 homeschooled kids (oldest is 9 this summer)
As someone who has chronic health problems, I would suggest that you use Dana’s no mess decluttering and 5 minutes matter (some days it might be 10 or 15 or 0). Good luck to you.
Thank you for including the topic of having a chronic illness. I was recently diagnosed with geographic atrophy so vision loss is imminent and so now I feel more pressure to get my home decluttered. I've been working on it for several years, not as a minimalist, but as less stuff to take care of. This spring is going to be a great time for me to get this stuff out of my house! My family is going to help, too.
Add into that and expand, Inventory eventually equals audits. Now, I completely understand it's different in your own household from where you work, but. . . . This has what got me to a "highly simplified life" almost 20yrs ago, way before I ever heard the term minimalist/minimalism
Thank you Dawn for your videos and encouragement. I have been trying to declutter over 30 years of teaching materials and life items "I just had to have" from every space in my home for the past 5 years. Instead of clearing out the clutter, I have just added more to it. I came across your videos by accident. After watching several of your videos I felt like I had a place to start and the permission and encouragement to finally throw away or donate so many things I was holding onto just in case. I am just starting the journey, but it is so satisfying to be able to let go or organize what I am keeping. I love your 5 minute declutter sessions.
The books thing: I didn't intend to go down to so few, but I didn't have a place to put them in my toddler daughter's room after simplifying. So I just got a basket, and it's filled with a few of our books, and then rotating library books. It's so much easier to choose books at night, and we read a bunch more than before (in part, because it's not always chaos and we have time!!).
I was listening to your podcast with Dana where you both couldn't believe women spend 2 hrs and 40 minutes a day on household chores. Sounds right to me, although as I've been decluttering and maintaining what I've cleane, I notice that it is getting easier.
Not that it needs to be changed for me, but I wonder if the announcer is bothering some people because we all feel like we have some “relationship “ with Dawn. She’s made videos so personal and approachable, that the announcer can feel like a stranger sitting down at our coffee date uninvited.
I think you’re right. Personally his voice doesn’t bother me, it isn’t objectively “creepy” but enough feel it is that I think your explanation hits it on the head.
We have a teen and when his friends came over, my husband and I saw it as a time to hang out in our room and watch a movie, catch up on to do’s. But we also did come out and hang out in the living room for a few minutes just to check in.
When it comes to cleaning your house, i think its only fair yo mention that you have also hired someone to come and clean for you occasionally. I heard this on your interview with Cass recently. Even if you are picking up before they come to clean, you are still getting professional help...which is better than how kids clean, lol! I think its awesome that your kids and husband help, dont get me wrong...i just think its only fair that yoi be transparent about that.
Thanks for bringing this up. I felt it should of been mentioned as well. I really value Dawn's advice & watch all of her videos, and don't resent that she has some professional help in cleaning-at all. She is providing us all a valuable service.
@@noracomeau2986 I agree that she gives great info. 100 percent! What troubles me is when people give the illusion that they are doing things by themselves when actually, they are not. It is misleading because we feel that if we do what we are told we will have the same results...but we may not. Even in this video she says it takes her 40 minutes to cook and clean, only to then say that she doesn't really cook and that EACH family member is spending about 40 minutes to do all this work. That's actually 240 minutes of work instead of 40! I absolutely agree that we get great information and guidance, but sometimes there are little things like this that are misleading and I just wish we had more transparency so we can all expect what is more realistic. I hope that makes sense. And also, she is not the only influencer I've seen this from. I just want realistic answers from people.
@@rosiehelminiak2947 Absolutely. She did go on to explain her children's & Tom's contributions, but she didn't mention that she occasionally utilizes professional help.
Dawn, can you do an hour or so video of a typical day for you. Like from wake to sleep. Obvious of fast forwards. Just to see how it all works together?
Everyone in our family has their own dish for everything you don’t wash it that’s your problem there are three plates, three cereal, bowls, three soup bowls, and three dessert ramekins we also have our own glassware. This keeps everybody honest and everybody clean. There are two extras for guests, but they look different so you will get caught if you use them instead of cleaning your own dishes lol.
The other thing that’s hard is feeling like I should SELL some of the things I’m getting rid of, but it’s a process and I’d rather just donate things. But then I guilt myself for wasting so much money to not try to sell the stuff first. 🤪
The money was gone (wasted) the moment you bought the item What's more important to you right now: the item you bought or the uncluttered space? Hey, it's just stuff.
I am so thankful for all your videos and encouragement. I also love the picture of the pitcher in your home office. Does it have a name or painter's name on it.
I guess I don’t understand the obsession about the announcer. I watch to hear Dawn and could do not care who is announcing it’s a few seconds. Turn down the sound till it’s over if it bothers you that much.
I find it a little entitled that people think their opinion on this matters - if Dawn likes it, people need to respect her enough to get over it and keep their mouths shut.
Yeah, I don’t care at all. I don’t know about them, but I’ve got way bigger problems to deal with than how his voice sounds. And there are other people with way bigger problems than me, so why are we bothering to bring this up?
Sometimes I feel like the messy middle isn't that messy. It's just not tidy. You still have to tidy and most importantly, what I thought was still so clutter was actually bright color schemes jumping out at my brain and stressing me. Once I start to switch out vibrant colors to more calm tones (whites, creams, light grays) those items that made my space look cluttered seemed to fade right into the background and calmed me.
Thank you! They're called "Botanist" from Eye Buy Direct online :) They're for distance but I don't normally wear them on video because they glare! www.eyebuydirect.com/eyeglasses/frames/botanist-gray-brown-m-19654
Dawn, Great podcast. I understand the part about having someone come help. Recently, I had a friend of 37 yrs say she'd come help me declutter & I was still too embarrassed to let her come. She said, I'm your friend. I told her that I may let her help after I get a little done. It's very overwhelming & I know I could desperately use the help. She's going on vacation for 2 weeks, so I'll see what I can get done while she's gone & then get her help.
I've had people offer to help, too. I don't think people understand that a huge part of decluttering is the emotional element. I'm not going to ask someone to come and watch me cry for an hour as I let go of a life I'm never going to have.
Currently, I am finding boxes with old cards & letters. I'm putting them all in 1 place & will deal with them later so I don't get stumped in decluttering everything else.
??? I'm 55 and my children are parents now. I'm struggling with coaching young moms (not related to me) on raising disciplined children in this hyper-permissive culture. Can you tell me your favorite parenting books again? (Mine are too old school for them and don't speak their language. Ie, James Dobson, etc.)
HELP: My challenge is getting rid of my beloved books. My life will feel better, but, ITS SO HARD! Any advice on that? Especially my Patricia Polacco picture books, Mercer Mayer books, Robert Munich books. special picture books.
I personally dont believe you should get rid of books that are very special to you if you have room to store & display them. Concentrate on other types of clutter or excess inventory of things that are less meaningful first, then if space or proper home for all the books is an issue, keep your most treasured ones.
I love everything the Minimal Mom does. I've watched her videos over and over. But I am so confused about the gentleman that breaks in at the beginning. In my opinion, this feature is not necessary. And actually, his interuption takes away from the videos and annoys me in some way. Sorry to be so bold.
Maybe if she had Tom say the script you and others would be more accepting? I like the polished professional voice personally. We’ll see if anything changes?
Re books - why not use virtual books? When I was at uni the library had many more virtual books that we could take out for a couple of hours or a day etc. Also kindle books are so much easier, cheaper and more accessible.
Finally a mom who has her chores equally shared with other members of the family!!! I see only women who take on everything or most of it on themselves and then when they get older or are sick and children don't help, they complain.
I believe that parents who do not involve their children in household upkeep are doing their children a GREAT disservice.
We have a friend with a son who's about 5 years older than our son. He has always been a kind, helpful, person. Years ago, I asked the mom what the secret was to raising such a great kid. She said her and her partner's philosophy was to raise their son to be a good "roomie" and future partner. So he was expected to do his share in every area of the house as soon as he was able. When he was at our house for sleepovers, he was always offering to help, always picking up his dishes, even pitching in to do yardwork. He internalized the work ethic because it was something he had been doing all his life.
Yes❤. I deeply regret that I didn't involve my 4 children in everyday chores.
I am one of those parent, so far at least... And I agree. Lately, I have been starting to re-evaluate the activities we parents try to do with the kids. Maybe cleaning can be a fun thing we do together! Not everything needs to be fun either.
My kids were involved in chores, and had their daily chore list,and I was always complimented on their behavior when they visiting others. But now they are all adults 0:10 and I find their personalities dictate their neatness. My kids who were naturally neat at home have very neat and tidy homes. My children that struggled with neatness still struggle as adults to keep neat and tidy homes, but are still very great parents. They just have to work harder at being neat. 🤷♀️fyi I had 8 kids
Yes, my cousin was an only child and she never did any chores. And she's a spoiled adult who is annoying to be around. Lol. Bless her heart.
I live with chronic pain. I am able to walk but have energy limitations. It took me 4 years to declutter and I have a tidy home now. Routines are a must and you have to be flexible but it is possible. I just wanted to encourage others that may be suffering as well.
As someone who has been dealing with chronic fatigue & depression for the past 10 years, I can add to the second question. Please do not spend your time feeling bad about what you cannot do! Have the things you need to get through your day/week/month and give yourself some grace. Trying to be minimal is not about deprivation or making things difficult (Dawn would never wish that on anyone:). It is about reducing what you do not need to feel better about not having all the “stuff” to manage. You can take the time you need to pare down what does not serve you at this time and that in itself is a gift to your future self🥰
100%! Since extreme simplifying my home, my chronic illness has been easier to bear. The process was laborious, but I have so much mental and emotional freedom, and the tasks that need to be done are manageable now. Less clothing= less laundry, less stuff= less dust, less time cleaning around or moving stuff. I do have enough dishes to reasonably fill the dishwasher every couple of days. I have 1 diy cleaning spray I use, only replace items as they run out, and I use delivery service for groceries, etc. I have a small apt, but my shelves, cabinets, and closet are all half empty and I don’t need any more storage. It’s helped so much for my overall well-being. Thanks to DAWN! ❤❤❤
I, too, feel the gentleman’s intro is certainly not necessary, and it ibothersome.❤
I also suffer chronic illness. This was the main reason to look after options for simplification. I am decluttering and simplyfying since 3 months. I am not finished with the process, but i already need much less energy for cleaning etc. That motivates me now to go on . Thank you, Dawn❤❤❤
Re: the 45 minute cooking, cleaning, etc goal - Dawn mentioned several videos ago that she actually hires a cleaner once/wk or once every other. It's WONDERFUL to have this like-minded community but "comparison is the thief of joy." I absolutely spend more than 45 minutes a day cooking, cleaning etcetera and it's just me and my husband. I from-scratch cook every meal, that adds value for us and great for others who prefer to invest less time on household tasks/duties/responsibilities.
It's just me and hubby. I even clean for a living so you would think I would work faster but I don't. I def do more than 20 min a day or 40 or whatever she said lol😂
Dawn I love how your face lights up as you listen to the voice messages, also how much you nod encouragement to each person. You are awesome!
Thank you for this podcast. I have a physical disability with MS. But I still show up no matter what. Due to your inspiration/ motivation. Thank you so much. I still a work in progress
I’ve learned so much watching your channel. I’m single and I have found that I like to have enough dishes for the week and run the dishwasher on Sunday evening. Hand washing daily is not my thing. It’s okay to adapt to what works for you!
Agree. I have lots of dishes. They never pile up. Do what works for you!
My neighbour is looking at replacing her dishwasher, and is considering one of the compact versions because she doesn't want to leave her dishes all week. That's another option.
@@MyFocusVaries except that the compact dishwasher will be smaller and she will be left with an awkward space in her kitchen. Personally it would bother me.
Can you get your husband or sister introduce your podcast? Great advice as usual.
Great idea! Diana would be awesome as an intro voice!!
😊 Love you Dawn. There will be a special place in heaven for you for all the people you are helping/encouraging.
Affects of medicines totally wiped me out (no one realized it was the medicines). What I found helped was looking for small wins; if I could wash my cereal bowl so I didn’t have to deal with it later it was a win since it meant fewer dishes later. I actively watched for better days, on a relative better day I took advantage of it, if that meant that all I did extra was wiping out the bathroom sink I did it. I made looking for those small wins and better days a habit. I also ignored advice that didn’t fit me. If making a pile and setting it on the stairs was something I could do, I did it. If it meant those things stayed there till I went up to bed so be it. But when I went to bed, they moved closer to where they belonged. Sometimes they landed on my dresser and didn’t get put away till the next day, but each increment brought me a step closer. I am extremely fortunate that adding an other med pushed me over the edge and a new specialist meant med changes that improved my life greatly. But I am glad for that time (2 years) when I was a “lump in a chair” because now it is easier when things are improving slowly to remember how much better they are and helps me be more patient. I’ve tried to be grateful for even those first very tiny steps because as slow as they were, they were an improvement. Another thing I learned was to not wait to declutter. If I noticed a broken or bent kitchen implement I threw it out as soon as I saw it. There was no waiting, “until I clean out this drawer this weekend”. That bout of total exhaustion taught me that come the weekend I might feel even worse, so toss that one item now. I hope these things help someone realize that slow and steady can win the race, it just might me a longer race than you planned for.
Thank you for sharing the story of this very difficult time in your life. I really appreciate the insight into how you dealt with your physical limitations with patience & grace to yourself. I hope you are continuing to improve.
& helpful to me as I age.
Dawn, I love you, thank you. Today was the first time I’ve ever had a same-day-plans-guest and was not even slightly embarrassed by my home. I have a toddler and an infant (living the ‘5 minutes matters’ life!) and am finally in the home stretch of this process- almost at “maintenance mode.” I was able to get to guest-ready in like 20 minutes! Thank you for pouring into this channel. You are changing lives, you’ve changed mine ❤
I think 40 mins a day for housework is totally doable. I asked my husband and he thinks he spends about that much time as well. He makes breakfast, I make dinner and we each make our own lunch. I wash dishes and load the dishwasher and he dries and empties the dishwasher. I do laundry and dusting and he vacuums. It is not labor intensive for either of us since we have decluttered about 50% of our possessions since retiring 9 years ago. I feel that as we age we have less time and energy so having a decluttered house makes housework much, much easier. Dawn got me started on my decluttering journey and you couldn’t pay me to go back to the way it was before. Housework stress is gone. I also menu and do a fridge and pantry inventory before shopping so I don’t overdo buy. And decluttering so much really curbed my interest in shopping.
I loved when Dawn had us look at how many actual items she keeps as an example in a video. That is kind of a missing piece for some of us, we get busy decluttering and seeing what fits but forget the practical question, "how many do I actually need?" I have watched people get rid of much of say their kids clothes, but they still keep a sofa full of kids clothes that they can technically fit back in their closet and drawers-without realizing that they are keeping way too many to actually use, like 70 shirts etc. Thinking about a practical number, then filling that number with your favorites is a great step to take after you get your first major decluttering done. You can realize it is fine to declutter far more than you first thought, because you don't need 2 months of clothes.
My 24 year old daughter was telling me that some super cute blankets were on clearance at Target. My response was, I love clearance finds. I asked where she was going to use them? Her response, not sure - I should get rid of a few before I bring more in. YES!
Perhaps there is a circle of life here. I am a widow 76. There is not as much work of course but there is no one helping. I do all cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping etc. I like all that and have plenty of time to it.
The phrase that resonated with me is "current reality". I've been decluttering using Dana's method, but with that phrase at the topmost of my mind. Do i have a home for this that works NOW? or do i have a home for it for when i get to the way i want it in the FUTURE? If it doesn't have an easy, open space for the way i live now, it goes. I (and my family) need to be in s comfortable, useful environment now, otherwise we'll never have the bandwidth to get to the way we want to need in the future anyway.
100%
At the end of the homeschool year I used to gave away all our school books; keeping only the books I needed for the next school year. It kind of disappointed me when I found some of them hanging on to the books to gather dust uselessly on a shelf rather than passing them on too.
Hey Dawn! Thank you so much for your videos and sharing parts of your life! Your intro is very professional. I was a production manager for a local radio station before changing my lifestyle to a simpler one. The gentleman doing your intro would have been contracted to do 30 and 60 second commercials as long as it was not AI generated. Frequencies and sounds are huge when you want to reach new customers and keep current customers for businesses buying ad time on the air. Perhaps you might want to check into more of an introduction that fits and sounds like your mission statement for what you do. Again, thank you for your service to all of us learning to de-clutter.
The messy middle: I find if I do a few hours (or however much time) on a few days, the first day or two might not feel like I get far. However on the 3rd day (or 4th) everything can come together and I’m not sure how I was able to clear all that space on those first few days. I could be about 10 mins on that 3rd day and everything’s going well.
So I discovered not to judge the progress as I go but know it’s going to feel like not much and then a day that feels rewarding and then the next day it may not feel like much progress and it’s like a wave. This idea has made such a difference to my stress levels while decluttering and organising.
I love that your kids help. Kids might complain but love it. ❤️
Love, humility, wisdom and simplicity = Dawn Madsen!!!!
I have four kids too, all grown, married and 15 grandkids! The empty nest was a sad time for me and especially hard as I missed all the help!!🤗 We had to sell our acreage with its big house because it was so much to manage for the two of us!!🤣
Please do a video going further on involving the kids on the household work and the details of how it runs, how you choose who gets what and at what age they can do it. I, too, was shocked when you said 40 minutes in a past video. I also have 4 homeschooled kids (oldest is 9 this summer)
As someone who has chronic health problems, I would suggest that you use Dana’s no mess decluttering and 5 minutes matter (some days it might be 10 or 15 or 0). Good luck to you.
Sounds like you are doing great parenting job. Please make a video on how to establish this, new mom here
Thank you for including the topic of having a chronic illness. I was recently diagnosed with geographic atrophy so vision loss is imminent and so now I feel more pressure to get my home decluttered. I've been working on it for several years, not as a minimalist, but as less stuff to take care of. This spring is going to be a great time for me to get this stuff out of my house! My family is going to help, too.
I love the idea of a self-sustaining eco-system for our homes through limiting inventory, some great advice that is working for our family big time!
The concept of viewing my belongings as inventory has really helped me to detach emotionally while decluterring.
Add into that and expand, Inventory eventually equals audits. Now, I completely understand it's different in your own household from where you work, but. . . . This has what got me to a "highly simplified life" almost 20yrs ago, way before I ever heard the term minimalist/minimalism
Thank you Dawn for your videos and encouragement. I have been trying to declutter over 30 years of teaching materials and life items "I just had to have" from every space in my home for the past 5 years. Instead of clearing out the clutter, I have just added more to it. I came across your videos by accident. After watching several of your videos I felt like I had a place to start and the permission and encouragement to finally throw away or donate so many things I was holding onto just in case. I am just starting the journey, but it is so satisfying to be able to let go or organize what I am keeping. I love your 5 minute declutter sessions.
Because I have done some decluttering and the benefit your suggestions helped. Thank you
The books thing: I didn't intend to go down to so few, but I didn't have a place to put them in my toddler daughter's room after simplifying. So I just got a basket, and it's filled with a few of our books, and then rotating library books. It's so much easier to choose books at night, and we read a bunch more than before (in part, because it's not always chaos and we have time!!).
Thanks for featuring my question! So fun! You give me hope as my kids aren't far from being able to help a lot. I'll also keeo minimizing!
Thank you Dawn! I appreciate all you do, and the contributions your family makes, to sharing a simplified life with us!
We love you! So many good ideas for people of all ages. I am a grandma but a lot of what is suggested for those with children I can adapt.
I was listening to your podcast with Dana where you both couldn't believe women spend 2 hrs and 40 minutes a day on household chores. Sounds right to me, although as I've been decluttering and maintaining what I've cleane, I notice that it is getting easier.
Funny, I was listening to a utube video about flying “minimally “. She even used the container concept!!!! 😊.
You inspire me, Dawn! ❤
Not that it needs to be changed for me, but I wonder if the announcer is bothering some people because we all feel like we have some “relationship “ with Dawn. She’s made videos so personal and approachable, that the announcer can feel like a stranger sitting down at our coffee date uninvited.
I think you’re right. Personally his voice doesn’t bother me, it isn’t objectively “creepy” but enough feel it is that I think your explanation hits it on the head.
I am laughing so hard at the comments about his voice, I am crying!! They are all spot on though. 😂
Dawn you are the best! Thank you for your empathy and wisdom! ❤
My children are 18 and 23 my husband works 60 hours I do everything!
Great Q&A session! Thank you Dawn😘
Great Q&A, Dawn!
We have a teen and when his friends came over, my husband and I saw it as a time to hang out in our room and watch a movie, catch up on to do’s. But we also did come out and hang out in the living room for a few minutes just to check in.
When it comes to cleaning your house, i think its only fair yo mention that you have also hired someone to come and clean for you occasionally. I heard this on your interview with Cass recently. Even if you are picking up before they come to clean, you are still getting professional help...which is better than how kids clean, lol! I think its awesome that your kids and husband help, dont get me wrong...i just think its only fair that yoi be transparent about that.
Thanks for bringing this up. I felt it should of been mentioned as well. I really value Dawn's advice & watch all of her videos, and don't resent that she has some professional help in cleaning-at all. She is providing us all a valuable service.
@@noracomeau2986 I agree that she gives great info. 100 percent! What troubles me is when people give the illusion that they are doing things by themselves when actually, they are not. It is misleading because we feel that if we do what we are told we will have the same results...but we may not. Even in this video she says it takes her 40 minutes to cook and clean, only to then say that she doesn't really cook and that EACH family member is spending about 40 minutes to do all this work. That's actually 240 minutes of work instead of 40! I absolutely agree that we get great information and guidance, but sometimes there are little things like this that are misleading and I just wish we had more transparency so we can all expect what is more realistic. I hope that makes sense. And also, she is not the only influencer I've seen this from. I just want realistic answers from people.
@@rosiehelminiak2947 Absolutely. She did go on to explain her children's & Tom's contributions, but she didn't mention that she occasionally utilizes professional help.
Enjoyed this very much.
Dawn, can you do an hour or so video of a typical day for you. Like from wake to sleep. Obvious of fast forwards. Just to see how it all works together?
THANK YOU for this! It’s what I needed today!
Thank you for always sharing with us
You have inspired me. I’m going to make another donation pile RIGHT NOW!
Wish I had found you when my kids were little… but you were probably like 10 yrs old!!! Lol😂
Everyone in our family has their own dish for everything you don’t wash it that’s your problem there are three plates, three cereal, bowls, three soup bowls, and three dessert ramekins we also have our own glassware. This keeps everybody honest and everybody clean. There are two extras for guests, but they look different so you will get caught if you use them instead of cleaning your own dishes lol.
The other thing that’s hard is feeling like I should SELL some of the things I’m getting rid of, but it’s a process and I’d rather just donate things. But then I guilt myself for wasting so much money to not try to sell the stuff first. 🤪
The money was gone (wasted) the moment you bought the item What's more important to you right now: the item you bought or the uncluttered space? Hey, it's just stuff.
I love the podcast but the 1980s Casey Kasem style narration at the beginning & end is not, IMO, adding value. Your own voice sounds much nicer.
I am so thankful for all your videos and encouragement. I also love the picture of the pitcher in your home office. Does it have a name or painter's name on it.
19:29 Great question!
Please link the episode about getting children involved in chores
14:46 My daughters help me get rid of stuff. They are AWESOME! But NOT my picture books, LOL!
I guess I don’t understand the obsession about the announcer. I watch to hear Dawn and could do not care who is announcing it’s a few seconds. Turn down the sound till it’s over if it bothers you that much.
I find it a little entitled that people think their opinion on this matters - if Dawn likes it, people need to respect her enough to get over it and keep their mouths shut.
💯
I didn't even notice an "announcer!"
Yeah, I don’t care at all. I don’t know about them, but I’ve got way bigger problems to deal with than how his voice sounds. And there are other people with way bigger problems than me, so why are we bothering to bring this up?
Sometimes I feel like the messy middle isn't that messy. It's just not tidy. You still have to tidy and most importantly, what I thought was still so clutter was actually bright color schemes jumping out at my brain and stressing me. Once I start to switch out vibrant colors to more calm tones (whites, creams, light grays) those items that made my space look cluttered seemed to fade right into the background and calmed me.
Love this video.❤ Also loving your eye glasses. Are they readers? If so. Can I ask where you purchased them. Thanks.
Thank you! They're called "Botanist" from Eye Buy Direct online :) They're for distance but I don't normally wear them on video because they glare! www.eyebuydirect.com/eyeglasses/frames/botanist-gray-brown-m-19654
Yeah would love the cleaning video.... In real time. 😂 Throw go pros on the kids and do a split screen. 😂
Or each meal on a time lapse. And then clean up sessions. Of one day.
Dawn, Great podcast. I understand the part about having someone come help. Recently, I had a friend of 37 yrs say she'd come help me declutter & I was still too embarrassed to let her come. She said, I'm your friend. I told her that I may let her help after I get a little done. It's very overwhelming & I know I could desperately use the help. She's going on vacation for 2 weeks, so I'll see what I can get done while she's gone & then get her help.
I've had people offer to help, too. I don't think people understand that a huge part of decluttering is the emotional element. I'm not going to ask someone to come and watch me cry for an hour as I let go of a life I'm never going to have.
Currently, I am finding boxes with old cards & letters. I'm putting them all in 1 place & will deal with them later so I don't get stumped in decluttering everything else.
Always love your advice, but my question is actually about your nail polish 🤦♀️ Do you know what color/brand it is?
My my my !!!😁
❤❤❤
??? I'm 55 and my children are parents now. I'm struggling with coaching young moms (not related to me) on raising disciplined children in this hyper-permissive culture. Can you tell me your favorite parenting books again? (Mine are too old school for them and don't speak their language. Ie, James Dobson, etc.)
HELP: My challenge is getting rid of my beloved books. My life will feel better, but, ITS SO HARD! Any advice on that? Especially my Patricia Polacco picture books, Mercer Mayer books, Robert Munich books. special picture books.
I kept a few books and displayed them. I got rid of tons. I have to say I don't miss them at all. ❤❤ good luck 🍀
I personally dont believe you should get rid of books that are very special to you if you have room to store & display them. Concentrate on other types of clutter or excess inventory of things that are less meaningful first, then if space or proper home for all the books is an issue, keep your most treasured ones.
@@dianasimplifies , thanks! I need it. I think I'd just like to build a new house and not take anything with me when I move.LOL!
I love all things Dawn, but the voice seems too impersonal for her friendly vibe.
I love everything the Minimal Mom does. I've watched her videos over and over. But I am so confused about the gentleman that breaks in at the beginning. In my opinion, this feature is not necessary. And actually, his interuption takes away from the videos and annoys me in some way. Sorry to be so bold.
Completely agree. Glad someone else said it. His voice is extremely annoying.
Same! I'm not sure why, but that voice totally creeps me out. The stuff of nightmares. But love you, Dawn!
Maybe if she had Tom say the script you and others would be more accepting? I like the polished professional voice personally. We’ll see if anything changes?
Same! It bothers me
It is pretty creepy, indeed.
Re books - why not use virtual books? When I was at uni the library had many more virtual books that we could take out for a couple of hours or a day etc. Also kindle books are so much easier, cheaper and more accessible.
Kindle books aren’t as cheap as they used to be, but for those like me who like to reread a lot of my books, they are a blessing.
We have WAY TOO MANY Legos. I just want to throw them in the trash or donate. What do think?
i donate them. people buy them right away.
Call me crazy but I don't think 9-year-olds should have to make their own breakfast and lunch....