I'm a Californian and wildfires abound. Last June I awoke at 2 a.m. by police who instructed me to leave the house NOW! A wildfire was very close. The next morning, I realized how important it is to keep valuables, documents, etc., in a metal case and ready if/when I'm faced with a similar situation.
I hope you were able to get most of your *important* things safely! I recently bought a medium fireproof file box from Amazon. I figure it would be good to keep the important documents near the main point of egress.
I'm very passionate about this subject! I'm ADHD and a former messy borderline dirty homeowner (the type who would pretend not to be home because my house was too embarrassing to let people in) and I agree with many many things you said, this is absolutely a resource for people struggling if they give themselves grace. Here's what I've learned works for me and might help other people who struggle with this: (this is gonna be long 😅) - start in a corner and work your way out zone by zone, ignore the other spaces, if something needs to go back to the bathroom you just put it on the first surface you can find in the bathroom, no putting it in its actual place in the drawer, take the guess work out of it and be dumb literal. You'll address it when you get to tidying the bathroom - Or you can go by category: take all the dishes to the sink and just leave them there, then all the laundry to the washing machine and leave it there, then all the trash in the trash. Again, no regrouping categories, do them one by one, no thinking, you have to be on auto pilot. Once you've gone through all 3 categories your home should look a whole lot better and the rest should feel much more doable - you can combine the start in a corner with the category methods - progress is progress. If it doesn't feel like much, you're doing it right! It's a marathon not a sprint. If all you've got in you is 5 minutes of trash picking when picking it all would take 15, well you've already done ⅓, you'll get to the rest when it you can. Even if it's not enough to catch up on things anytime soon, you did a small thing to keep it from getting worse and that's progress. - use timers. If you've got 20 minutes in you, do 20 minutes. When the timer runs out you can go back to whatever and be done. Maybe you'll think well I'm already going and I'm in the zone, you can push it a bit, but don't burn yourself out. It's a marathon not a sprint. If all you could do today is not let it get worse, it's still progress - when you finally get your house tidy and clean (there's a difference) then comes the dreaded keeping it tidy and clean. You must rely heavily and even ridiculously on your sense of wonder. Wonder at how much calmer you feel in a clean space. Wonder at how little time it takes to do the dishes when there's only a day's worth and it's not gone crusty and mouldy. Wonder at how quick and easy it is to vacuum a tidy space. Wonder at how cool it is to be able to have people over on a whim - time how long the things you dread actually take. Your brain thinks dishes and immediately thinks you'll be there a full hour scrubbing scrubbing scrubbing. But nah, a day's worth of dishes takes like 10 minutes, and you don't fully realise that until you consciously notice it. Next time you don't feel up to it you'll have proof that it only takes 10 minutes, you've got 10 minutes in you, you can do that - cleaning and tidying are hard when there's too much stuff, so as Reynard said you have to declutter and make sure the things you use the most are the most easy to pull out and put back in. Pay attention to where clutter forms the most easily, that's where you should focus your attention first. Set up your organisation not for who you wish you were but who you actually are, being realistic is the best way to make it sustainable. Doesn't matter how your friends or parents do it, how Pinterest does it. The best way is the way that works, even if it's unconventional or even silly - check out Clutterbug on TH-cam. She did a decluttering challenge with many tips while making sure you don't burn out or end up with the full content of your wardrobe all over your floor with no energy to finish putting it back in - it's ok to relapse, it's ok to feel like you'll never see the end of it. Reframe it as when it's bad it's not your fault (it's the exhaustion of every day life, it's depression, it's the overwhelment) and when you do anything good, it's GOOD, no matter how small, a step forward is a step forward Take care of yourself ❤️
Your post is adorable. Love your tips and tricks. I will pass them on to my daughter who is also ADHD. 😊 My house is always spotless and I didn’t know how to explain to her what you just explained so well. Thank you !
“If all you could do today is not let it get worse, it’s still progress” - I so needed this today, a reminder on the small wins. 🙏🏻Thank you. Rely on “your sense of wonder…” - flipping genius and SO key!
@Dwell_In_Magic_369 I'm so happy to be able to help people on this journey filled with shame and self hatred, even if just a tiny bit. Take care of your heart, friend, it's all that matters in the end ❤️
Reynard, I think you have some wonderful content. But it is your calm, and approachable demeanour and non-judgement attitude that always keeps me coming back. Your choice of shots (inclusion of the b-roll takes while you speak) also make for an enjoyable watch. Thanks for providing great content for us.
@@belenambriz2186 Haha oh this was like the third round of doing this. Thank goodness it's finally done and a lot was purged thanks to a couple of mice doing some damage.
I appreciate the concise way that you deliver the info. The example of the alphabet with the numbers really hit home. I realized I get distracted so easily rt now lol
When I feel like procrastinating, I’ll put a timer on for, say, 10 minutes. Once I get started, I can keep going or not. However, success builds in success. When I see how much I’ve gotten done, I want to keep going.
I already follow most of these ideas. I have decluttered my house a lot. We don't need big houses, too many clothes ,bags, shoes, extra dishes and furniture to be happy. In fact it is the other way around. This process takes time but we feel lighter and more focused on our real goals of life we organize our matters.
My goodness! This was the most comprehensive step by step psychological and emphathetic way to declutter a home. Thank you for creating this video. I subscribed, and sharing this video to all my friends, co-workers, family, and church members.
I love this guy! As someone with ADD, messiness can easily pile up and get overwhelming. The categories and way of explaining the process is somehow different than what I’ve seen before and is very helpful in wrapping my head around decluttering with less exhaustion and overwhelm. I really like the idea of just keeping these decluttering boxes by the recycling bins, to make it a regular ritual … what can I grab to get rid of each time I recycle something?!
I love love love your work. Your videos are intentional and thoughtful which is such a nice change from the overly saturated videos that are constantly promoting consumption etc. thank you for sharing how you can make Meaningful purchases and create a balanced home/life
This is the most helpful, practical and easy to execute decluttering and tidying video that I've ever seen - and I have been watching these things for the last 15-20yrs! Excellent tips - wonderful thank you ❤❤❤
I can't thank you enough for explaining the step by step approach to decluttering and organising things. After watching your video, with the gentle recommendations and not just "stand up and do it" I got inspired enough to finally rearrange my room and sort the things that have been lying around for months if not years. Now I know I *can* do it because I finally know how to.
Thank you for posting this video, Reynard. The way you explain things, calmly and non-judgementally, was relaxing and took the stress out of parting with the unnecessary.
I read a book many years ago about the 5 minute clean up in each room. You spend only 5 minutes in a room to clean up or organize. I practice that to a certain extent but I don’t do it for all the rooms. It just amazing what I can do in 5 minutes.
Thank you for explaining how our brain focuses on one thing at a time. I get side tracked and only get a few things sorted, with the house looking not improved. Trying new things!
Decluttering is gonna be my biggest project in 2025. I've been so focused on my business for the past 2 years that I kinda neglected my apartment-even though I work at home. It's not super messy, but I have tons of stuff piling up. I also want to build a weekly declutter routine to keep my home organized. I'm gonna binge-watch your videos so I won't feel overwhelmed.
Thanks Reynard, I was actually experiencing anxiety and depression and it was being compounded by the overwhelming thoughts of trying to declutter and organize everything.. but I gave this video a shot and you broke it down into chunks I was able to try and it has been working for me. I still had to take breaks but I think overall the approach is working, and I am feeling better about the space and in general... thank you
It’s super important to declutter and also have good storage system. I see that most my stuff that is always around is out because I don’t actually have a good storage space for it or its difficult to put there - does not fit, not enough space, out of reach etc
What a great insight…don’t get distracted! Your way to just move around and as such make piles like gather the rubbish and leave together, gather the dishes and don’t get distracted washing them, rather leave in the sink… I never thought of this being the key as to how I find myself down the rabbit hole with nothing done,. It’s funny how we don’t notice something we do yet the moment it’s explained as simply as you did in the opening, the light bulb pops on and so much ‘comes to light’ as I began with, thank you for this insight
That thing about storage containers possibly becoming another type of clutter really resonates. I’m always picking up storage containers just because I like them, instead of buying storage as and when I need it!
"I'm truly passionate about this topic! As someone with ADHD and a former messy homeowner (the kind who'd avoid visitors out of embarrassment), I resonate deeply with what you've shared. This is such a valuable resource for anyone struggling-especially if they can approach it with self-compassion."
The question I ask.myself when trying to decide what to keep and what to discard is: "Does it evoke happy memories?" If yes, keep; if no, remove (toss or give away). But I like also your questions too: "If this was destroyed by fire, would Ibe upset and replace it?" "If i didn't already own it, would I pay money a new one?" Also, putting things away by category seems to make sense too. Thank you!
This is the only video about decluttering that I actually loved! Because it was realistic and to the point! Thanks again for another extremely useful video!
All of these ideas are great! Let me give everyone the advice my grandmother told me years ago: “Don’t put it down, put it away” Whatever it is that’s in your hands put it where it belongs. You have a dirty plate and silverware, rinse them off and put in the dishwasher. You take your coat off, hang it up. This works so your house stays neat. When I come home from work nothing gets dumped in a pile, I take a few minutes to put everything away. Once you get used to doing this you won’t have an entire house staring at you with a mess in every room. Saves time and energy in the long run😊
I am listing a bunch of stuff on Marketplace today. I have been doing some Swedish death cleaning lately and loving it! The older I get the less I want. It has been a process, but the result is so satisfying.
I really needed this. I'm so overwhelmed right now. I need a better system. No matter how hard i try to maintain my house clean, it will end up messy by the end of the week. hope this video will help me to improve my ssystem.. i really need to build better habits.
I have a large 4 bed house which is a storage unit for the 2 of us. Simply nowhere is a ‘haven’, even though we have nice, furniture and taste. there is stuff everywhere. I’m at the stage where I want to walk away and literally start again. I managed to pin my husband down today and tell him how I feel. He didn’t say a lot, but said he would give thought as to how we can deal with everything. We will see.
I currently live in a very small place with little to no storage. It's so exhausting tidying up when there's literally nowhere to put stuff. So happy when I move into a bigger place with actual storage at the end of the year!
Love your tips! I got rid of my paper waste basket in the bedroom recently. I like not having to empty that container and not having trash in my bedroom at all times. Having to walk a few steps to my laundry room to toss things in the bin helps me add more steps to my daily totals.
Another fabulous video! I like the idea of categories and starting to declutter that way. I always end up starting mini-projects (laundry, pet stuff, vacuum, dishes, etc.) while I try to declutter.
Great organisational tips ! 🤞My top tip is that items tend to 'migrate' to the lounge from other rooms. At the end of the day I put the items that do not belong in the lounge, on a serving tray for each room e.g. bedroom 1, office etc and then return the tray with the items to each room and their owners. I find it only takes about 10 minutes per room to put clutter away. The empty tray is then returned to the kitchen for next time. Simple and quick ! 👍
agreed! Good tips. And instead of going from to room and floor to floor. Just put items that need to travel to another room in one place at the door or stairs. The next to you leave you will just take all of the stuff with you
The *yutulu* canvas tote bag actually reminds me of Hermes Garden Party, too. Thanks for making this video on suggesting more budget friendly alternatives. Love it! 😊
For the white box for things which don't have a place yet, I need a BIG BOX. I recently moved to my new apartment and there are just too many things which don't have a place yet. And probably I have to buy some storage furniture so that they get a place. Thanks for your videos about this topic.
40 minutes was my magic zone-out time for cleaning/tidying. If I can't do it in 40 mins I'm free to stop anyway. I get pretty fast! And my home gets simplified and clean and welcoming. Trying to get back into that habit! Thanks for your encouragement, and your peacefulness!
If you live in a disaster area (fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.), you need to make duplicates of your important documents and send them to a trusted relative or other person who lives in a different region. If you put them in the bank, the bank can be flooded or burnt down. If you leave them with a lawyer, the lawyer can suffer from the same natural disaster that you did. But if you live in the southern Californian fire zone, for example, and your relative lives in Colorado, your relative can have your papers in his home or bank deposit box (and vice-versa), so when you have a disaster, you can just ask your relative to send you the needed insurance policies, etc. You can get them by overnight courier. No worries if your house goes up in flames when you're at work or your house is destroyed by an earthquake with no warning or time to do more than save your life. You can even do this with relatives who live in the same zone, as long as there's a good chance that if you (or they) are affected, the other person will not be (they live far enough from the usual fire corridor or the fault zone, etc.).
I just watched your first video and now your 2nd video here. I really needed this as I am on a career break and trying to declutter my 12yo house. Already feeling overwhelmed by the clutter, dirt and items that my family of 4 have accumulated over the years, some from previous dwellings too... Your videos gave me the clarity I needed. Thank you and do keep the good stuff coming.
You declutter exactly like I do. The only diff is for non-sentimental decorative items, I determine what to keep based on whether I would want to dust it when it gets dusty (keep) or would I get annoyed (toss). 😊
I just found your channel and it’s been so helpful!!! Would you consider doing a video about high ceilings? I would love to hear your take on the pros and cons
After breakfast I must do the dishes; if I don't, I'll let a day's worth pile up in the sink before tackling them just before bedtime. Here's one thing that many people may not think is a problem, now that the family is gone my house is too big. Those two extra bedrooms have become junk rooms where I pile boxes and other things that have no designated place. Selling and moving to a smaller place is not an option because my property taxes are quite low, and I've invested too much in upgrades in this house. So, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
A suggestion for one of those rooms might be to use it for exercising, or for plants and relaxation, or something that creates serenity and fits your lifestyle. 😁 The other room might be as a 'playroom' for pets if you have any__or for young children(grandkids, etc.), again, if you have any. Or possibly into a den/tv room. 😋 Love, Light, and Blessings. 🙏😇✨💫🌱🌿🌻🐝🌳🌎💖🙌😺
"Pretty containers are useless if you don't use them." Also, when/if you have the budget, replace all those small units you used to piece-meal your storage with a a full size cupboard / closet / or decorative storage unit. I'm sure Reynard already has a great video on this! xo
Hey Reynard, I think you have made a lovely video. One of the best decluttering videos I have seen. You excellently capture the main themes and with kindness explain the process. Unfortunately, I have become a heretic. Decluttering doesn't work for me. Even the term clutter is problematic to me. How our possessions exist in our home is personal.. If a person has poor executive functioning or poor decision making skills or stress or physical impairment - a clean and well organised home may not be possible. Even though the benefit of a well organised house is very great ... The effort to achieve such an outcome may be too much. I think best practice for decluttering videos and life style channels generally is to acknowledge that there are people who can't manage like a normal person would
Subscribed. Very nice video. My family and I just moved from a big house down to an apartment. Just to give you context, our new apartment could fit in my big 2 car garage. I must have been delusional but I really wanted to downsize to save and put the extra money in investments while I build a new business. Before the move I purged every room, going room by room each on a different weekend and it was bruuuuutal and still, I am in my new space and I quickly realized that I am surrounded by boxes as I have run out of storage. I literally have no closet space or furniture space left to unpack another 50 boxes😮. So I am now forced to go through a second purge/donate/throw before buying furniture with storage because more furniture will just clutter the small space so I have to be verrry intentional. Here are some of the techniques I used to date : 1) I set my timer for the easy stuff and used the 5 song Method (favourites of course) for things like the garage. 2) I brought the garbage bag with me, a donate box and for the things I wanted to keep, I kept asking myself 3 questions: -Do I use this on a daily/weekly/monthly or is it gathering dust? -Does it bring joy? -Marie Kondo -Would somebody else I know benefit from it? If I answered no, then it went into the trash. If I really wanted to keep it, then I told myself, if you don’t use it in the next 60 days, it’s gone. The worst thing in my case were/are papers. So similar to you, I grouped them all in one room so I had a place to put them while I finished all the other rooms. 1-I borrowed a paper shredder and had my aunt come over for tea. 2-we sat across from each other with the shredder between us. I handed her the papers on by one and either I put it in a document binder that has plastic sleeves (so I can group them into bills, investment, banking, medical etc) or I handed it to her to shred it. It took 3 afternoons but having narrowed down the myriad of boxes of papers accumulated from all my past moves down to 2 binders was PRICELESS. I even made one separate for my daughter so she can start fresh for when she moves out on her own. Having someone to chat with while doing the thing I hated made it far more enjoyable and we celebrated with dessert when we were done. However today in my new space, I have the equivalent of a small 8x8 office completely filled top to bottom with boxes I have to go through and zero storage. I’ll be using the trash, keep, donate system and put whatever papers I might have missed in a pile. I can see tea and dessert in my future. Wish me luck.❤
What I like about your videos is that they're very calm, and not at all overwhelming, even though a bunch of new information is presented. And I also LOVE that you don't have those incredibly distracting slow zoom-ins that seems to be more standard than the exception these days. Thank you for giving us calm content - and also thanks for the tips 😇 Although there was one tiny thing that did bother me a little, and that you seem to have certain assumptions, like mentioning "your guest bedrooms, attic, or laundry room" like, I barely have the space to move about and I dry my laundry at the foot of my bed thanks to a lack of space elsewhere 😅 > Now, I don't know if you actually assume these things, or just wish to mention those areas for all the people that _do_ have them 🤗
Not assuming, but just giving example of what I meant by "passive zones". I did mention directly afterwards in smaller spaces, this can be your lower drawers, under sink cabinet, etc.
Mis espacios nunca llegan a ese nivel de desorden, pero en serio aprecio mucho la ayuda que nos das, porque los espacios pequeños, como cajones de la oficina, sí pueden llegar a convertirse en un camino a Narnia. Muchas gracias por tus videos y tu paciencia. Saludos desde Chile, en Sudamérica
I'm a Californian and wildfires abound. Last June I awoke at 2 a.m. by police who instructed me to leave the house NOW! A wildfire was very close. The next morning, I realized how important it is to keep valuables, documents, etc., in a metal case and ready if/when I'm faced with a similar situation.
I hope you were able to get most of your *important* things safely! I recently bought a medium fireproof file box from Amazon. I figure it would be good to keep the important documents near the main point of egress.
I have a fireproof box/safe with the most important documents. It also contains a hard drive where I do monthly backups of my computer.
@@metaph3r great idea!
Thank you for sharing your experience and advice 👍 hope you stay safe and hope no more wildfires around anymore
I'm very passionate about this subject! I'm ADHD and a former messy borderline dirty homeowner (the type who would pretend not to be home because my house was too embarrassing to let people in) and I agree with many many things you said, this is absolutely a resource for people struggling if they give themselves grace.
Here's what I've learned works for me and might help other people who struggle with this: (this is gonna be long 😅)
- start in a corner and work your way out zone by zone, ignore the other spaces, if something needs to go back to the bathroom you just put it on the first surface you can find in the bathroom, no putting it in its actual place in the drawer, take the guess work out of it and be dumb literal. You'll address it when you get to tidying the bathroom
- Or you can go by category: take all the dishes to the sink and just leave them there, then all the laundry to the washing machine and leave it there, then all the trash in the trash. Again, no regrouping categories, do them one by one, no thinking, you have to be on auto pilot. Once you've gone through all 3 categories your home should look a whole lot better and the rest should feel much more doable
- you can combine the start in a corner with the category methods
- progress is progress. If it doesn't feel like much, you're doing it right! It's a marathon not a sprint. If all you've got in you is 5 minutes of trash picking when picking it all would take 15, well you've already done ⅓, you'll get to the rest when it you can. Even if it's not enough to catch up on things anytime soon, you did a small thing to keep it from getting worse and that's progress.
- use timers. If you've got 20 minutes in you, do 20 minutes. When the timer runs out you can go back to whatever and be done. Maybe you'll think well I'm already going and I'm in the zone, you can push it a bit, but don't burn yourself out. It's a marathon not a sprint. If all you could do today is not let it get worse, it's still progress
- when you finally get your house tidy and clean (there's a difference) then comes the dreaded keeping it tidy and clean. You must rely heavily and even ridiculously on your sense of wonder. Wonder at how much calmer you feel in a clean space. Wonder at how little time it takes to do the dishes when there's only a day's worth and it's not gone crusty and mouldy. Wonder at how quick and easy it is to vacuum a tidy space. Wonder at how cool it is to be able to have people over on a whim
- time how long the things you dread actually take. Your brain thinks dishes and immediately thinks you'll be there a full hour scrubbing scrubbing scrubbing. But nah, a day's worth of dishes takes like 10 minutes, and you don't fully realise that until you consciously notice it. Next time you don't feel up to it you'll have proof that it only takes 10 minutes, you've got 10 minutes in you, you can do that
- cleaning and tidying are hard when there's too much stuff, so as Reynard said you have to declutter and make sure the things you use the most are the most easy to pull out and put back in. Pay attention to where clutter forms the most easily, that's where you should focus your attention first. Set up your organisation not for who you wish you were but who you actually are, being realistic is the best way to make it sustainable. Doesn't matter how your friends or parents do it, how Pinterest does it. The best way is the way that works, even if it's unconventional or even silly
- check out Clutterbug on TH-cam. She did a decluttering challenge with many tips while making sure you don't burn out or end up with the full content of your wardrobe all over your floor with no energy to finish putting it back in
- it's ok to relapse, it's ok to feel like you'll never see the end of it. Reframe it as when it's bad it's not your fault (it's the exhaustion of every day life, it's depression, it's the overwhelment) and when you do anything good, it's GOOD, no matter how small, a step forward is a step forward
Take care of yourself ❤️
Tyvm
Your post is adorable. Love your tips and tricks. I will pass them on to my daughter who is also ADHD. 😊 My house is always spotless and I didn’t know how to explain to her what you just explained so well. Thank you !
@@ChristineLotus happy to help, it's such a struggle sometimes... Take care ❤️
“If all you could do today is not let it get worse, it’s still progress” - I so needed this today, a reminder on the small wins. 🙏🏻Thank you. Rely on “your sense of wonder…” - flipping genius and SO key!
@Dwell_In_Magic_369 I'm so happy to be able to help people on this journey filled with shame and self hatred, even if just a tiny bit. Take care of your heart, friend, it's all that matters in the end ❤️
Reynard, I think you have some wonderful content. But it is your calm, and approachable demeanour and non-judgement attitude that always keeps me coming back. Your choice of shots (inclusion of the b-roll takes while you speak) also make for an enjoyable watch. Thanks for providing great content for us.
Thank you so much for doing this thoughtful video. Adult ADHD and I get so distracted and overwhelmed with cleaning.
We just spent two days organizing/decluttering the garage. Every little nail, paint brush, shovel etc has its own spot now.
Congrats!!
2 days !😮 wow I'll be lucky if it takes me 2 weeks
@@belenambriz2186 Haha oh this was like the third round of doing this. Thank goodness it's finally done and a lot was purged thanks to a couple of mice doing some damage.
I appreciate the concise way that you deliver the info. The example of the alphabet with the numbers really hit home. I realized I get distracted so easily rt now lol
When I feel like procrastinating, I’ll put a timer on for, say, 10 minutes. Once I get started, I can keep going or not. However, success builds in success. When I see how much I’ve gotten done, I want to keep going.
Works a treat for me. I put a 20 minutes timer when I enter my daughters bedroom and go full beam. I can achieve so much without dreading the task
I already follow most of these ideas. I have decluttered my house a lot. We don't need big houses, too many clothes ,bags, shoes, extra dishes and furniture to be happy. In fact it is the other way around. This process takes time but we feel lighter and more focused on our real goals of life we organize our matters.
Everyday, I never get beyond the kitchen. Why? I spend too much time watching videos like this. 🤣
Again! It would seem as I’ve commented before. 🤣
😂
My goodness! This was the most comprehensive step by step psychological and emphathetic way to declutter a home. Thank you for creating this video. I subscribed, and sharing this video to all my friends, co-workers, family, and church members.
Starting my Saturday with Reynard puts me in a great mood - as I could tackle anything now.
I love this guy! As someone with ADD, messiness can easily pile up and get overwhelming. The categories and way of explaining the process is somehow different than what I’ve seen before and is very helpful in wrapping my head around decluttering with less exhaustion and overwhelm. I really like the idea of just keeping these decluttering boxes by the recycling bins, to make it a regular ritual … what can I grab to get rid of each time I recycle something?!
I am falling in love with this channel . He himself is so calm and organized ❤. Love the content Rey !
I love love love your work. Your videos are intentional and thoughtful which is such a nice change from the overly saturated videos that are constantly promoting consumption etc. thank you for sharing how you can make
Meaningful purchases and create a balanced home/life
This is the most helpful, practical and easy to execute decluttering and tidying video that I've ever seen - and I have been watching these things for the last 15-20yrs! Excellent tips - wonderful thank you ❤❤❤
I can't thank you enough for explaining the step by step approach to decluttering and organising things. After watching your video, with the gentle recommendations and not just "stand up and do it" I got inspired enough to finally rearrange my room and sort the things that have been lying around for months if not years. Now I know I *can* do it because I finally know how to.
Thank you for posting this video, Reynard. The way you explain things, calmly and non-judgementally, was relaxing and took the stress out of parting with the unnecessary.
I read a book many years ago about the 5 minute clean up in each room. You spend only 5 minutes in a room to clean up or organize. I practice that to a certain extent but I don’t do it for all the rooms. It just amazing what I can do in 5 minutes.
Thank you for explaining how our brain focuses on one thing at a time. I get side tracked and only get a few things sorted, with the house looking not improved. Trying new things!
Decluttering is gonna be my biggest project in 2025. I've been so focused on my business for the past 2 years that I kinda neglected my apartment-even though I work at home. It's not super messy, but I have tons of stuff piling up. I also want to build a weekly declutter routine to keep my home organized. I'm gonna binge-watch your videos so I won't feel overwhelmed.
Thanks Reynard, I was actually experiencing anxiety and depression and it was being compounded by the overwhelming thoughts of trying to declutter and organize everything.. but I gave this video a shot and you broke it down into chunks I was able to try and it has been working for me. I still had to take breaks but I think overall the approach is working, and I am feeling better about the space and in general... thank you
It’s super important to declutter and also have good storage system. I see that most my stuff that is always around is out because I don’t actually have a good storage space for it or its difficult to put there - does not fit, not enough space, out of reach etc
Just the “caffeine” I needed to start my Saturday cleaning/decluttering routine! Thank you!
What a great insight…don’t get distracted! Your way to just move around and as such make piles like gather the rubbish and leave together, gather the dishes and don’t get distracted washing them, rather leave in the sink… I never thought of this being the key as to how I find myself down the rabbit hole with nothing done,. It’s funny how we don’t notice something we do yet the moment it’s explained as simply as you did in the opening, the light bulb pops on and so much ‘comes to light’ as I began with, thank you for this insight
I am decluttering now and a new vid about decluttering pop up . helpful
All the best with it. Very therapeutic and the effect doesn't wear off, in my experience! G Ire
Same 😅
That’s the algorithm for ya.
That thing about storage containers possibly becoming another type of clutter really resonates. I’m always picking up storage containers just because I like them, instead of buying storage as and when I need it!
I've been feeling overwhelmed with decluttering and this was such a fantastic video. Thank you, I finally feel like I can do this!
"I'm truly passionate about this topic! As someone with ADHD and a former messy homeowner (the kind who'd avoid visitors out of embarrassment), I resonate deeply with what you've shared. This is such a valuable resource for anyone struggling-especially if they can approach it with self-compassion."
The question I ask.myself when trying to decide what to keep and what to discard is: "Does it evoke happy memories?"
If yes, keep; if no, remove (toss or give away).
But I like also your questions too:
"If this was destroyed by fire, would Ibe upset and replace it?"
"If i didn't already own it, would I pay money a new one?"
Also, putting things away by category seems to make sense too.
Thank you!
This is the only video about decluttering that I actually loved! Because it was realistic and to the point! Thanks again for another extremely useful video!
nice
All of these ideas are great! Let me give everyone the advice my grandmother told me years ago: “Don’t put it down, put it away” Whatever it is that’s in your hands put it where it belongs. You have a dirty plate and silverware, rinse them off and put in the dishwasher. You take your coat off, hang it up. This works so your house stays neat. When I come home from work nothing gets dumped in a pile, I take a few minutes to put everything away. Once you get used to doing this you won’t have an entire house staring at you with a mess in every room. Saves time and energy in the long run😊
Hey Reynard, Thank U for Ur vids, especially for this one. This is particularly helpful for someone with an adhd brain. I Appreciate it.
I was about to write exactly that. Thank you. 👍
I am listing a bunch of stuff on Marketplace today. I have been doing some Swedish death cleaning lately and loving it! The older I get the less I want. It has been a process, but the result is so satisfying.
The edit is so good. I love this format and topic.😊
Another top notch video with clear, practical and realistic ideas and suggestions. Love your style and content !
I really needed this. I'm so overwhelmed right now. I need a better system. No matter how hard i try to maintain my house clean, it will end up messy by the end of the week. hope this video will help me to improve my ssystem.. i really need to build better habits.
I have a large 4 bed house which is a storage unit for the 2 of us. Simply nowhere is a ‘haven’, even though we have nice, furniture and taste. there is stuff everywhere. I’m at the stage where I want to walk away and literally start again. I managed to pin my husband down today and tell him how I feel. He didn’t say a lot, but said he would give thought as to how we can deal with everything. We will see.
I currently live in a very small place with little to no storage. It's so exhausting tidying up when there's literally nowhere to put stuff. So happy when I move into a bigger place with actual storage at the end of the year!
Love your tips!
I got rid of my paper waste basket in the bedroom recently. I like not having to empty that container and not having trash in my bedroom at all times. Having to walk a few steps to my laundry room to toss things in the bin helps me add more steps to my daily totals.
Another fabulous video! I like the idea of categories and starting to declutter that way. I always end up starting mini-projects (laundry, pet stuff, vacuum, dishes, etc.) while I try to declutter.
Great tips. I've been agonizing over my clutter; I've subscribed. Thank you.
Thanks for this video - it also was nice to see more of your home =)
Thank you for the video,I started decluttering immediately
I have noticed a huge improvement in how you present your videos, can see your personality shine through. Keep up the great work 👍
Thank you so much!
Great organisational tips ! 🤞My top tip is that items tend to 'migrate' to the lounge from other rooms. At the end of the day I put the items that do not belong in the lounge, on a serving tray for each room e.g. bedroom 1, office etc and then return the tray with the items to each room and their owners. I find it only takes about 10 minutes per room to put clutter away. The empty tray is then returned to the kitchen for next time. Simple and quick ! 👍
This seems like a very logical and practical method to straighten up the home. I’m looking forward to trying this out. Thank you!!
agreed! Good tips.
And instead of going from to room and floor to floor. Just put items that need to travel to another room in one place at the door or stairs.
The next to you leave you will just take all of the stuff with you
Absolutely *awesome* Reynard! Your videos are concise, informative & excellent 💗🙂
Thank you for this video! At 66, I have finally realized why I forget what my main project was & why I get side-tracked !
The *yutulu* canvas tote bag actually reminds me of Hermes Garden Party, too. Thanks for making this video on suggesting more budget friendly alternatives. Love it! 😊
You give a lot of information cleanly and distinctly, well done!
Very well explained and structured, thank you! I also loved how your house looked -- an inspiration for sure 🤩
Loved this format!
best video on cleaning and organizing. Thank you!
Great tip on single category sort. I get stuck into the detail and then run out of steam! Thanks
For the white box for things which don't have a place yet, I need a BIG BOX. I recently moved to my new apartment and there are just too many things which don't have a place yet. And probably I have to buy some storage furniture so that they get a place.
Thanks for your videos about this topic.
40 minutes was my magic zone-out time for cleaning/tidying. If I can't do it in 40 mins I'm free to stop anyway. I get pretty fast! And my home gets simplified and clean and welcoming. Trying to get back into that habit! Thanks for your encouragement, and your peacefulness!
This is some great advice. Thank you.
JUST FOUND THIS VIDEO. TOTALLY AWESOME. THANKS 👍❤❤
I didn't know I needed to watch this video. Thank you for this. I feel like I can finally declutter my room before the New Year
This was so helpful. I have watched it over and over. I'm doing to action a few steps now. Thank you so much.
How encouraging We'll tackle this together and make it a breeze. Thank you
Im loving all your videos, concise and very well explained! Love the calm presence you have, thank you for your work!
If you live in a disaster area (fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.), you need to make duplicates of your important documents and send them to a trusted relative or other person who lives in a different region. If you put them in the bank, the bank can be flooded or burnt down. If you leave them with a lawyer, the lawyer can suffer from the same natural disaster that you did. But if you live in the southern Californian fire zone, for example, and your relative lives in Colorado, your relative can have your papers in his home or bank deposit box (and vice-versa), so when you have a disaster, you can just ask your relative to send you the needed insurance policies, etc. You can get them by overnight courier. No worries if your house goes up in flames when you're at work or your house is destroyed by an earthquake with no warning or time to do more than save your life. You can even do this with relatives who live in the same zone, as long as there's a good chance that if you (or they) are affected, the other person will not be (they live far enough from the usual fire corridor or the fault zone, etc.).
I just watched your first video and now your 2nd video here. I really needed this as I am on a career break and trying to declutter my 12yo house. Already feeling overwhelmed by the clutter, dirt and items that my family of 4 have accumulated over the years, some from previous dwellings too... Your videos gave me the clarity I needed. Thank you and do keep the good stuff coming.
You declutter exactly like I do. The only diff is for non-sentimental decorative items, I determine what to keep based on whether I would want to dust it when it gets dusty (keep) or would I get annoyed (toss). 😊
Great video!!! I loved the visual part of it as much as the awesome content!!
This video is gold 🥇 man! 😅
I just found your channel and it’s been so helpful!!! Would you consider doing a video about high ceilings? I would love to hear your take on the pros and cons
Dear Reynard, thank you for your incredible work on your channel. Your videos are now my daily inspiration and pleasure❤❤
After breakfast I must do the dishes; if I don't, I'll let a day's worth pile up in the sink before tackling them just before bedtime. Here's one thing that many people may not think is a problem, now that the family is gone my house is too big. Those two extra bedrooms have become junk rooms where I pile boxes and other things that have no designated place. Selling and moving to a smaller place is not an option because my property taxes are quite low, and I've invested too much in upgrades in this house. So, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
A suggestion for one of those rooms might be to use it for exercising, or for plants and relaxation, or something that creates serenity and fits your lifestyle. 😁
The other room might be as a 'playroom' for pets if you have any__or for young children(grandkids, etc.), again, if you have any. Or possibly into a den/tv room. 😋
Love, Light, and Blessings. 🙏😇✨💫🌱🌿🌻🐝🌳🌎💖🙌😺
I found your video very helpful!! Thank you! You have a peaceful beautiful home❤
Such a great collection of vintage/pre owned bags! A vintage *yutulu* is definitely also on my list ❤😍
Thank you for another awesome video!
5:38 very helpful tip! So simple
If I'd make a video like this:
"For this video, I purposefully let my home get a little bit messy for the past 20 years" 😂
That hits hard!
Decluttering time for spring
Love this video. Simple and inspirational. Very helpful.
Excellent Topic!!!! Thank you!!!!
"Pretty containers are useless if you don't use them." Also, when/if you have the budget, replace all those small units you used to piece-meal your storage with a a full size cupboard / closet / or decorative storage unit. I'm sure Reynard already has a great video on this! xo
This content 🔥🔥🔥🔥 and your attention to details and presentation 🎯🎯
This video really helps, thanks a lot
Your messy rooms are my super, super, super tidy house! 😂😂😂
Hey Reynard, I think you have made a lovely video. One of the best decluttering videos I have seen. You excellently capture the main themes and with kindness explain the process.
Unfortunately, I have become a heretic. Decluttering doesn't work for me. Even the term clutter is problematic to me.
How our possessions exist in our home is personal.. If a person has poor executive functioning or poor decision making skills or stress or physical impairment - a clean and well organised home may not be possible. Even though the benefit of a well organised house is very great ... The effort to achieve such an outcome may be too much.
I think best practice for decluttering videos and life style channels generally is to acknowledge that there are people who can't manage like a normal person would
At the same time, what is "normal"(?)! 😳😋
You do you. 😁
Love, Light, and Blessings. 🙏😇✨💫🌱🌿🌻🐝🌳🌎💖🙌😺
Knickknacks: Definition is CLUTTER. ❤
That's your opinion.
'not get discracted' that's the key!
First time on your channel which i found so helpful and beautifully presented with a flair and practical! 🎉😅
Thanks you so much as I’m watching this I’m going around the room and cleaning with you 😂😂😂
Fantastic presentation!
Subscribed. Very nice video. My family and I just moved from a big house down to an apartment. Just to give you context, our new apartment could fit in my big 2 car garage. I must have been delusional but I really wanted to downsize to save and put the extra money in investments while I build a new business. Before the move I purged every room, going room by room each on a different weekend and it was bruuuuutal and still, I am in my new space and I quickly realized that I am surrounded by boxes as I have run out of storage. I literally have no closet space or furniture space left to unpack another 50 boxes😮. So I am now forced to go through a second purge/donate/throw before buying furniture with storage because more furniture will just clutter the small space so I have to be verrry intentional.
Here are some of the techniques I used to date :
1) I set my timer for the easy stuff and used the 5 song Method (favourites of course) for things like the garage.
2) I brought the garbage bag with me, a donate box and for the things I wanted to keep, I kept asking myself 3 questions:
-Do I use this on a daily/weekly/monthly or is it gathering dust?
-Does it bring joy? -Marie Kondo
-Would somebody else I know benefit from it?
If I answered no, then it went into the trash.
If I really wanted to keep it, then I told myself, if you don’t use it in the next 60 days, it’s gone.
The worst thing in my case were/are papers. So similar to you, I grouped them all in one room so I had a place to put them while I finished all the other rooms.
1-I borrowed a paper shredder and had my aunt come over for tea.
2-we sat across from each other with the shredder between us. I handed her the papers on by one and either I put it in a document binder that has plastic sleeves (so I can group them into bills, investment, banking, medical etc) or I handed it to her to shred it. It took 3 afternoons but having narrowed down the myriad of boxes of papers accumulated from all my past moves down to 2 binders was PRICELESS. I even made one separate for my daughter so she can start fresh for when she moves out on her own.
Having someone to chat with while doing the thing I hated made it far more enjoyable and we celebrated with dessert when we were done.
However today in my new space, I have the equivalent of a small 8x8 office completely filled top to bottom with boxes I have to go through and zero storage. I’ll be using the trash, keep, donate system and put whatever papers I might have missed in a pile. I can see tea and dessert in my future. Wish me luck.❤
What I like about your videos is that they're very calm, and not at all overwhelming, even though a bunch of new information is presented. And I also LOVE that you don't have those incredibly distracting slow zoom-ins that seems to be more standard than the exception these days. Thank you for giving us calm content - and also thanks for the tips 😇
Although there was one tiny thing that did bother me a little, and that you seem to have certain assumptions, like mentioning "your guest bedrooms, attic, or laundry room" like, I barely have the space to move about and I dry my laundry at the foot of my bed thanks to a lack of space elsewhere 😅 > Now, I don't know if you actually assume these things, or just wish to mention those areas for all the people that _do_ have them 🤗
Not assuming, but just giving example of what I meant by "passive zones". I did mention directly afterwards in smaller spaces, this can be your lower drawers, under sink cabinet, etc.
@reynardlowell ooh okay, sorry I did not get that originally 🤗 thanks for the clarification!
👏🥇 good video and I loooooove your home ..... love it love it love it ❤🇸🇪
Mis espacios nunca llegan a ese nivel de desorden, pero en serio aprecio mucho la ayuda que nos das, porque los espacios pequeños, como cajones de la oficina, sí pueden llegar a convertirse en un camino a Narnia. Muchas gracias por tus videos y tu paciencia. Saludos desde Chile, en Sudamérica
Brilliant tips- thank you
Thank you for this video. Some great tips!
Great tips, Reynard. I am downsizing next year and just started the decluttering. Thanks :0)
Thank you so very much for the information
As a German, I almost had a heart attack when he put all the trash in the same bag.
😂
Why?
In Germany rubbish is seperated for recyceling
@@perfektpeter8037it is in the U.K. it’s a pain
Good thing you didn’t because it’s a nightmare getting medical attention in Germany
A collaboration between you and Dear Modern would be wild.
I’m having this on the background when I’m cleaning my house 😂😂😂
The last two sound familiar: items that aren't in place yet or dont have a place. This is a good video to get inspired and tackle my clutter. 😅