My No Mess Decluttering Method Demonstration
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ธ.ค. 2021
- Since it's a week when a lot of the world is decluttering, I thought it was a good time to share this video I made a long time ago. I'm working through a cluttered cabinet, decluttering it without making a bigger mess. You can see how the No Mess Decluttering Method is done with the five step decluttering process.
Mentioned: www.aslobcomesclean.com/preorder - บันเทิง
Dear Dana. You may or may not be aware of this wonderful fact about you: you are mothering mothers. This is so cool. For all of us who had amazing but messy mothers, absent mothers, busy mothers etc. And somehow we never learned the habit of real life home managing. Thank you so much. Thank you for mothering mothers/fathers/homemakers… ❤️
Amazing but messy mothers… so real lol!! Love my mom but I’m trying to kick this horrible messy habit and get my home in order!
wonderfully stated! I love Dana, I have listened to her audio books OVER AND OVER, so now I hear her voice in my head encouraging me with my decluttering process.
So true it makes me wanna cry ! 😭
Yes!
And grannys!
My family always made me cleaned as a child and I hated cleaning but not because of cleaning but because the way I felt it was a punishment and was never taught how to clean just expected to know and when I did it wrong I got punished for it even when I told them I didn't know how to do said task.
These videos make so much sense to me thank you for your help. :)
I am so glad I found you. I’m 74 years old and live in clutter and have done for years. Your system makes sense to me. I wish I had found you years ago. Thank you!
Starting to love this method! :)
A small hack for the difficult stuff: if I get stuck or overwhelmed, I will actually take a picture of the closet/dish mountain/other stuff. Then, while I gather up energy (for example watching a tv show or cleaning videos), I will look at the picture, and make decisions about the hard things. Or organise it mentally/look for more functional solutions.
For me, this kind of tricks my brain into thinking I am relaxing, but I am actually 'working'. It also means that once I go to that spot, it will be very quick, because I already made the hard decisions/I know where to take things.
I like your idea!
I love that!!! Im going to try this, thank you!!❤
Wow i really like that idea. I use to take a picture of my refrigerator sometimes before I go to the store so I remember what NOT to buy once again.
😂
I have so many temporary homes for so many different kinds of things, that it is not feasible for me to take every single thing to it's real home as I go along. I have a special basket that I put things in and I intermittently take them on a go back trip and bring like with like. It doesn't make more mess and it keeps me from feeling as if I am frantically running around the house. I also clean each item if needed before I put it in that basket.
It makes me feel like the people putting things back in the baskets in stores lol😅q.
Incidentally, in the thought process of thinking about "like with like" it helps organize my stuff into form and function in my mind and help some questionable things reveal their proper home to me.
Thank you, by the way. As an impossibly cluttered person who is fixing up their living space currently, you are the first person who has made sense to me, with built in follow through...
@@lunizparlein173smart!! Using this
Dana, thanks so much for sharing your 5-Step Decluttering Method. After I watched this video (and took notes), I applied your method to my kitchen desk drawer. It was so jam-packed, we've been unable to open it. However, it took me less than 5 minutes, and I found a credit card that's been lost for months!
Wow & amazing! Congratulations on working through the overwhelm ❤
"Where would I look for this first?" is a great question. I've never heard anyone approach organizing this way. You are brilliant.
I first saw it on Adam Savage and loved it right away. It's how he organizes his workshop and he has ADHD like me so anything that organizes an ADHD brain I'm all-in on!
The 'i probably won't realize i have this and buy another' is so great tip. I have an odd, probably anxiety realted, issue of 'i can't throw that away, what if I need one'. But with a giant mess i would never find it anyway. (Doesn't help i was raised by a grandparent who went through the great depression where that mindset was valid.)
"I think because this thing is wonky and it keeps getting in my way that it's trash!"
Favorite quote ever!!! I say that all the time!!!
Haha! That thought runs through my ALOT lol
I love it! "It's not organized, but it is decluttered, and I can find stuff." You nailed it!
I wonder what I am missing because I thought it was totally organized. “A place for everything, and everything in it’s place.” Unless she means having all the items in a container within the cabinet itself?
It looks organized to me: good enough. Everything should have its place - but that doesn't necessarily mean a clear plastic bin!
Containers keep stuff from going everywhere. When the stuff is contained and the container is full, it is easy to pull out a small container and fix it then to do the whole thing at once imo.
Today I took all the donations I finally dragged out of my closet to four different locations, and I just needed to tell someone. 😅 Thank you so much for all the awesome content!
Good job!!!!
Good for you!!!!
Awesome, good job.
Thanks guys!!! Wishing you all a wonderful new year ahead full of big and little accomplishments!
I need to drop off lol 😆 I keeping them around 😆 🤣 😂
This is just one of many important take aways for me. If the doorbell should ring expectedly or unexpectedly...or if I must leave...all I have to do is shut the cupboard..I don't have a bunch of "piles" in the way. I love that idea
Dana.. my mom has completely turned her whole life around because of your podcast. She’s got me listening to you now! I prefer TH-cam over podcasts but one day when I have a long drive, I will listen to you. Thank you so so so much. ❤
The shower hooks “not hanging over my head anymore” made me chuckle, because they will literally be hanging over your head! Hehe (sorry, I couldn’t resist!)
😂
That red ribbon hanging down is maddening!
😂
The red ribbon isn't the problem. The entire mess in the cupboard is the problem
I prefer to get a box and dump everything in it. Start with cleaning off all the shelves, and wash them down. Now the area is clean and empty. Then sit down next to the trash and recycle bins and start sorting. Pull out all like things and put them in a pile, tools, sewing, office supplies, etc. then you will have the rest to throw out. Only put back what belongs in this room. If you get called away, you can get back to the contents easily. Often times, going with one object to another room will get you distracted. Also having a container near your stairs helps, Items can be placed there to carry up the next time you go upstairs, (or down). I am 71 and don't waste my time. Happy cleaning!!!
I have to agree that I get distracted VERY easily when going into other rooms. Next thing I know, I'm doing something completely different😅
@suefoulkes2755 - Yes, I’ve been thinking this all the way through watching the video. I did it this way last night when I pulled individual piles out of my bookcase, wiping down each book and the shelf, sorted and re stacked. At the end of it I realised I’d actually accidentally incorporated the 4 plastic bags of books I didn’t get to unpack from my house move 3 months ago. I was very chuffed… - And even put some books in the donations bag.
Putting all the random stuff in a bin is always my first step. But I see what she is trying to teach people. This cabinet already has a job, which is to hold craft supplies. So she’s trying to not make it worse by pulling everything out. If a kid wakes from a nap early or a phone call pulls you away, you can just shut the door and you haven’t made a worse mess with sorting. “Take it there now” has changed my life, even though I get distracted in the other room. It doesn’t matter if I get distracted because I haven’t made anything worse. Shove it all in a bin is better for cleaning off a table or countertop because you’ve made it better. Taking everything out of this cabinet to clean it would be a later step than decluttering.
"Better is Good" comes out of my mouth SOOOOO many times lately! I found Fly Lady years ago and discovered that part of my issue with clutter is that I want things to be PERFECT so if I didn't have time to get it to perfect, I procrastinated and did nothing. In the past year or 2 I've found Dawn of Minimal Mom, Cas of Clutterbug, and YOU! Each of you 3 wonderful women have helped me to get my space to ... better. It's not close to perfect, but it IS better. Thank you for all you do. LOVE your videos and know that I will smile and/or LOL every time I watch one.
I am trying to also get used to the phrase " better than nothing. ..or Better than it was before." Its difficult because I too have the perfectionist mentality.
Yes, I'm trying to leave the 'all or nothing' mentality behind. Chronic illness means it turned to nothing. New mantra is 'better than before'.
Sounds so like me. My space is better now. Still needs work, but I function in it.
So thankful I found these ladies as well! Dana may as well be the American version of me. I've got so much done in the past few months because their advise and experience has taken the pressure off me. I get things done and am not stressed about things being perfect.
My in-law's all have immaculate houses that seem to happen with ease and I've made myself feel terrible for years because I couldn't get the same results.
I'm now comfortable with organising differently because I don't feel alone in my thought processes! So grateful for these ladies!
@@georgawilliams2304 My daughters name is spelled like yours! Wow!
I love how at the end you show us a real space. So often TH-camrs will show this amazing decorated Pinterest worthy area for the final reveal which is just not realistic and actually depressing because my area will never look like theirs. Thank you for showing us what an actual completed area will look like and when I accomplish this I feel like I did it correctly and I have confidence to move to the next area.
I absolutely love that this didn't end with everything in cutsey little matching (expensive) bins in rainbow order with fancy cricut labels (which would be applicable for about a week). Dana, I love watching your videos and your methods are awesome and so practical. Happy New Year!
Exactly!
Dana is so practical and realistic.
EXACTLY! Dana is real people! I appreciate her so much.
I agree so much! Labels are great in theory, containers become obsolete according to the stuff that's there, which changes. My fridge went through this discovery. My drawers have several times. It's maddening. But I hate that color coded, likely completely temporary " organization". I feel the same about complicated, color coded day planners and people who "live by them".. so puzzling. I would never want a life so robotic..
I cannot tell you how much I needed to see this demonstration. It helped me tremendously. I work full-time and having the energy for anything else and needed your explanations of decision making. Thank you!
Respectfully,
Mary Dray
The clarity of that much success at 9:47 with no emotions used, no decisions made and nothing all over the floor etc, this is an absolute game changer
This method changed my world. Now when I get interrupted or distracted in the middle of decluttering there's not a giant pile of stuff that goes elsewhere. I can just stop.
I dont drink herbal teas but have too many selections in my tea drawer. Guests use to drink it. But for the last few years, only 1 guest drinks a cup of tea a few times a year. I've decided to clear the drawer of all the tea. I will give the tea to my hubby to take to work for them to enjoy. I will keep the 1 tea flavor our one guest enjoys but I'll put it away until that guest returns. There is no use to keep a drawer full of teas when nobody else is drinking it. Thanks for your videos.
Thank you for this!!!! I am going to do the same. I want to be a tea drinker, but am just not. Decluttering my fantasy self!
I have a ton of tea varieties. I do drink tea and most of my guests will drink tea. I like to keep a variety. However I had far more than was practical. So I have been making myself travel through my collection instead of sticking to my favorites. And as I come across something that I liked well enough to have during work, I bring it to work with me and use it up. (I hate to waste food, and tea falls into that category for me, so I don't want to throw it out. )
That is a great idea. I gave the tea to my husband to take to work. Many people there will definitely use it so it won't go to waste. Got rid of my fantasy self too. I wish I liked the herbal teas. Thank you.
My idea is I won't keep anything I dont drink myself or my husband. If a one veldt comes stuff it or doesn't who us coming I'll walk 5 mins to the shops beforehand lol
@@KatyInNH
Oh, my goodness!
"I want to be a tea drinker, but I'm just not"! This is SO me.
And I have scads of boxes of tea that I'll never use! Time to pass them along or compost them...!
Your commentary on the beading cord elastic really resonated! I appreciate that you acknowledged that you might be upset when you remember that you got rid of it, but that having simplified space is worth more than the convenience of having the item on hand.
Love this method! I kept thinking, 'wow, if she had to leave right away for some reason she could just shut those cabinet doors and her place would still look great!' So simple, but my mind is literally blown! 😃
It works but if you live with a hoarder you tend to run outta space.. Something *has to go to make a home for something else.. The no see black bin bag is working for me. Out of respect I cannot throw someone else's "stuff" but I can find endless empty boxes and sniggle them out... Its making a difference and I have only found Dana yesterday!! Thank you Dana, thank you. x
She’s right- This is actually the only way to not make a mess. If course it’s counter-intuitive to be “less efficient” by making multiple trips….but unless we have a physical limitation, there’s no excuse not to use it! I think if it as exercise, not inefficiently. I love that I can stop whenever I want. And it also means it doesn’t have to be “a whole production” I will use this method with my messy car. If I grab even one thing every time I arrive home, and put it away, I’ll have a clean car eventually 😅. Better than the nothing I’m doing now!! Lol
That’s how I keep my room tidy! Every time I get up (to use the bathroom, get more water, check on the cat, etc), I grab a plate that needs to go in the sink or a can that needs to be recycled or a tool that needs to be put away. That way stuff doesn’t accumulate or get lost. And I do have some physical limitations so adding the task on to a trip I have to make cuts down on running back and forth later
It can easily take ALL day to declutter this way. When if I just stayed in one place and put stuff in containers or piles and then took each pile and put it away at the end, it would take me only a couple of hours. Instead of like 8 hours which is unreasonable or worse not get it done at all because I'm too tired to continue because I've made a million trips to put things away when I could have just waited.
@crystald3655 the reason why she does it this way is if you have to step away suddenly, you're not left with a bunch of piles and containers everywhere
Also, different things work for different people
OMG 😱 love it! A clear car, who would have thought it?
I think, having a,de-clutter bag or box just dor out-9f-place keep items, would make that step easier. Just put out-of-place items in there, and at the end to each de-clutter session, just take that de-clutter bag or basket around through the house and put things away. If you Don get to the run-through, lave that de-clutter box or bag near tge spot you're de-cluttering, as a signal to your brain the next time you de-clutter, thst THAT idls ghe step you need to start with for that session, so that you're kind of pick up where you left off. Or, create a home fir the de-clutter box/bag, and every time you go to start a session in any area, first double-check yhe de-clutter container and see if it needs a run-through the house and do that step first, THEN take it with you to the spot you're about to de-clutter in case you need to put more stuff in it. Either way, you're still doing that run through the house, but you're doing it in 10-minute session instead of running back and forth. And, you're still I including it in an already-planned de-clutter session, instead of adding it as a completely separate task for later.
I love your method!! I call the "take it there now" part my exercise. I don't look at it as a time waster, but as a micro-bit of exercise. All those steps add up!
Yes! I always tell myself that I’m getting steps in. I turn it into a positive and I makes me think twice about placing stuff down out of place. I say, at some point I’ll have to walk it there, it might as well be now and how long does it take anyway?
I've been using my least favorite extra totes to use for donations. gets rid of them and they are super sturdy.
I just had an urge to declutter, pulled everything out of several drawers then became so overwhelmed and had a mental breakdown 🥲 now I'm decluttering along this video, thank you so much Dana, your videos have been really helpful!
me. tried and tried and tried to declutter, my whole house is a big declutter and get overwhelmed and quit with piles everywhere. This was before I understood what to do how she explains it now I know.
@@llllllllllilillii Me too, think its called "churning".. Just move this from there to here!! I am getting *decisive. LOL .. My motivation is would my daughter have to cope with this if anything happened to me.
Whats motivating is having a friend hang out and help .I listen to you while I work and its like having myvown personal assistant! Thank you your awesome!
This makes decluttering really achievable, as I can walk away at any point without leaving a big mess!
Also I jumped up as soon as you showed the ruler, because I knew damn well I had that one bad unnecessary ruler in my drawer too, and immediately got rid of it. It’s not much, but it’s one thing less! :D
I went to grab a container from my cabinet and ended up decluttering as I just couldn’t stand it. Now the cabinet is much nicer and the drawer that all my lids were in now holds my mixers and other baking things I had stuffed all over every where. Thanks Dana. I think ‘where would I look for it first’ is my new mantra.
No leftover piles! Yay! As a "victim" of past decluttering gone wrong, seeing a workable space and no piles to sort through at the end is such a relief! Thank you so much 💓!!
I have begun to declutter my house and I am primarily using your method. For me taking it where it goes right now makes the most sense because I have it where it will be used. I am still learning to let things go because I have had to clear my mother’s house in the last six months. I promised my children I would not leave them as much as my mother left me to manage.
Lawd get that dadgum red ribbon hanging down! It’s been driving me nuts since you opened the cabinet door.
Me too!! 🤣🤣
Exactly!😂
Lol
Same 🤣 Must be our inner Monks
I thought surely it would be the first piece of trash.
If you are new here, Dana’s methods really work. Her books, podcasts and videos are so helpful. So excited to get her new book soon. ❤️
I decluttered my dresser while watching. I dealt with one piece of procrasticlutter that was decades in the making. Whew! Progress, only progress. You are awesome sauce, Dana!
"Procrasticlutter"!!! I love that! Great word!
Firstly, let me thank you for showing a realistic example of what organizing looks like and not a magazine-shoot-worthy end result! Secondly, your differentiation between decluttering and organizing is a life changer for us perfectionist procrastinators! Thirdly, thank you for your videos and books. They have been life changing for me, my family, and my home. No longer do I feel obligated to take on large, long lasting "organization" projects than never seem to get completed. By just doing a little at a time, and telling myself that "better is good", my home is *slowly* turning into a livable, less chaotic space. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Also, I absolutely love the comical write ups at the end of your videos! Please tell your video editors that they are appreciated by your audience! lol
To me, the only downside of this method is to keep going back and forth to different areas in the house. I use little cheap baskets labeled craft room, dining room, office, bedrooms etc. Then move them all at once. Lessens fatigue and improves efficency
Yes, this is my thought. I would be so tired from this method, but I also think I'd end up with a huge box of things to put in their place and never get to it.
I can see your point, but i can use the exercise, LOL! If you know what I mean. I usually do her method like this, as I feel she is my decluttering soul mate, ha ha....but if it's a big pile and i know I will be bringing several items to one room, I will wait and take them all at the same time, but I sometimes do regret that as I end up with another pile and don't get as far. To each their own maybe? But I sure appreciate Dana, and Cass, and Dawn.
That was my problem with this method too. I am very ADD if I left that spot to put something away, I would get interested in a different area. I have to stay in that spot and finish it. 4 boxes put away, throw away, recycle, donate.
I can see items that have a place and I will want to keep but taking them there seems like a lot right now yet I get why she does it as I've done the boxes to this place or that and it might end up near the place it goes but never put away then I just have spread out clutter all over....I'm just going to do it to the garage I go why knee pads are in my bedroom are not the jucie reason you might think its laziness from unpacking some tools a week ago blahhhh
I thought it would be better to put things together and take them all at once to put away. But so often then I quit or run out of time, and then there are just more piles of things that didn't get put away! So I am going to try this, even though it doesn't seem logical to me. I really like the idea of nothing left out!
Hi from Australia! Thank you so much Dana. Do your dishes, 5 minute pick-up, 5 steps, only progress, container method, clutter threshold, visible spaces first etc. = ❤. These have been so great in dealing with all the ‘just-in-case’ and sentimental items we have in our house, and in dealing with the last of our parents passing.
Thanks for using your God-given talents in such a wonderful way! 😃
The saying 'take it there right now' is the best. Its proves to help get decluttering done.
This is so helpful! Part of what holds me back from doing the decluttering I want to do is the mess I know it will create (with other methods). I love that with this method I could stop if I run out of energy or my kiddos need me and come back later without leaving a bigger mess than I started with! Can't wait to try this out!
If I decided to put the shower curtain up I would have had to clean the tub and wash the shower curtain. I would never have gotten back to the cupboard. That's why I have a put away box in the area.
Kathy B.
P. S. I would put each of those categories in separate boxes inside the cupboard.
I think it's the difference between improving your home overall vs finishing a project of decluttering a space, it's a different philosophy for sure
I find your videos helpful. A lot of us need step by step real life situations and how to deal with our items. Thank you for going step by step. There are so many TH-cam's that say " let's declutter" and then play music the whole time. I am like why did you get rid of that? Many of us need this step by step and reasoning. Thank you. ❤
Well said! I never even realised this til u said! I find it much more inspirational to have this on while I (do my dishes and then) de-clutter 🤣🤣🤣
Yes!
The beading cord elastic would have been my downfall. I have such a hard time letting go of the "what if I could use this someday" stuff. For me, that stuff is way worse than even the sentimental stuff.
Same !
It's awesome that you recognize this about yourself. Some will probably never question their reasoning, it all just gets kept in a junk space.
😅 same
Me, too!🤷🏻♀️😁
Same for me!
I love this woman. (I kinda still cringe when I watch her awesome videos because she total bursts my self-delusion bubbles!) I've read so many articles, books, and watched MANY TH-cam videos about getting organized and decluttering -- wayyyyyyy too many! Dana White's methods clicked for me. Finally. I am actually getting organized! Thankfully, the decluttered area have actually STAYED uncluttered and well organized. I am still working through the entire homestead. God bless her!
Could you please take us on a tour of your new home? Kathryn from Texas
Thank you. So, I realized part of what's helping me with your videos is you're explaining WHY you do each step. When it all feels like a leaf tornado then it's hard to do any of it.
Thank you so much for making this video!!!! I love seeing actual items in someone’s clutter. Most of the time you just see that clutter and then see it go away without learning why they made any of those decisions. It’s not helpful.
Seeing your actual things and the reasoning WHY you’re doing the things you with them, is so helpful!!! It makes you think about your own things as well, and helps you learn about what to do when you start looking at your items.
Despite already being a member of Dana’s “Take Your House Back” course, listening to ALL of her podcasts, and having read ALL of Danas books including her newest one, I found this particular video of’ how to decluttering without making a mess’ to be the most clarifying about how to actually DO the five step decluttering process than anything else! Thank you Dana!
Thanks, I really found this video helpful - as I work full time need desperately to start de-cluttering, and have been worried about pulling stuff out of a closet and leaving a project half-done. This looks like the perfect method for my life right now.
same. I just signed up for the tyhb class the other day and started it but still had questions of like seriously how do i do this. now I frickin know I've been wrong headed about it the whole time. I have bags and bags and boxes and boxes of "this goes in this room" stacks and it's all a big mess and now I know why.
@@llllllllllililliiOther courses taught you that- put everything that goes into every other room in their own bags/boxes.
This is brilliant and I just realized it is exactly where I fail - I set EVERYTHING aside, in wannabe categories, and when I am done decluttering a space, I end with an even bigger mess of things that have to be put away, find a place to go and so on. I have so many of these piles, and I end up shoving it all in bags, and putting the bags aside and..... Clutter. Tripled. Somewhere else instead. So thank you for this video! :)
The pre-order printable has been AMAZING! The Yes/No questions make it so easy. And it’s hilarious to me how much more ends up in the donation box or black trash bag because I’d rather do that than “take it there now.” 🤣🤣🤣
I just preordered but no printable arrived. How long did it take please?
All good. Sorted now
😂
I know you have done lots of visual examples before on your channel but I honestly get something new out of them every time! Please don’t ever stop because you think we have seen it all
Yes! I love these type of demonstration videos, especially the “1 hour better” series. It’s nice to see examples in different spaces and different homes because it usually relates to a wide range of people! It also engrains the 5 step process into my mind 🤣
I’ve watched this video once before. Watched it again just now and was so motivated (even though I’m sick) that I went and filled a huge garbage bag full of trash - and completed a decluttering and organizing project I’ve been wanting to do for months!!🎉 thank you for your wonderful and very helpful videos!
So helpful and more realistic than all the frufru videos that magically appear in multiple organizer containers without explaining why
I really love your videos. I've always been overwhelmed with decluttering because of the "mess in the middle" of other decluttering methods. I have two special needs children and a husband with disabilities, I just can't pull everything out of my dresser and closet to declutter clothes. Your process makes so much more sense for me.
I love all of this and I'd add just one tiny little thing and that is I'd make only one trip away from the area with all of the things that have other homes. I guarantee that if I walked away from that cabinet I'd be sidetracked multiple times by heaven knows who and what! So, I love this that the stuff isn't totally pulled out (like I thought I had to do and hated), which just overwhelms the LIFE out of me! Thanks for the video!
I’ve been struggling with clutter for YEARS and watched tons of videos and read many books on the topic. I borrowed an audiobook version of your Decluttering at the Speed of Life from the Libby app just to give it a try, I didn’t have high hopes at all because I’ve tried so many books, and I haven’t heard of your book before. But your book is the first one I listened to from the beginning all the way to the end! I found myself nodding at what you are saying and everything made so much sense to me! And I love how you read the book personally and it felt just like listening to a TH-cam video. The way you kept drilling the decluttering questions really helped me remember them. It makes so much sense to start decluttering from the most visible spaces. I used to always start in my bedroom, make halfway progress then give up. But having my entryway and kitchen counter finally free of clutter is motivating me to keep going. I searched your name and found your TH-cam channel! I’m excited for more content from you!
I love the magic that happens when I use the five-step method to clean up after meals: First, dispose of trash- wrappers, containers, vegetable trimmings, etc.
Second, put things where they belong- leftovers in the fridge, condiments in the fridge, dishes in the sink. Third, notice any dish or pan that just gets in your way and take it to your donate box. All the while, thinking of the container concept.
Lastly, wash the dishes and wipe off surfaces. Beautiful!
Love the visual of the before and the final result. So much better!
And I totally went back and paused the ending credits several times so I could read them all. Reid makes me laugh. 😆
Discovered you at just the right moment. I am overwhelmed at the moment but, as I am watching and listening, I am literally calming down………I CAN DO THIS!!!!! 😊
goodness! I love this, I'm off to tackle my cupboard of doom. so happy to see a decluttering method that doesn't result in more mess and doesn't require me to go and buy anything to achieve an organised and tidy space.
I use random boxes and wipe containers, it does look pretty but it’s organized and functional!
silver tools that are hand held as a category totally rocks…nut cracker and stapler all in one spot…yep I’m in the right place
Impressed you had to fake clutter. 😁 What a huge sign you have been a success!!!
Also I love that the fake clutter totally looks like my real clutter I'm definitely a piler and a shover.
Totally!!!! I had to rewind to make sure I heard her correctly when she said "fake clutter" ❤😃
You’re so funny! Thank you for making this fun instead of horrible and frustrating ❤
I absolutely use your method now and "Better is good" has become part of my vocabulary. The one thing I really differ on is when you took the shower curtain hangers & put them on the shower curtain. That would utterly derail the project I had going in the cabinet. I would have put it & the curtain in the bathroom to do later, and continue in my craft cabinet.
I think her point is that if it does derail you and you don't get back to your cabinet right then, it's still better.
Same; I would have lost all my momentum
OK... I had a hard time with that one: the shower curtain hooks.
I couldn't figure out whether she had always planned to switch them out and just never got around to it, or what exactly?
Surely her shower curtain was already on hooks? (Or not???)
I'd have just put them in the bathroom: on the counter where I could see them so I could switch them out later, OR in the linen closet or under the sink out sight for the short term.
That way I wouldn't kill my focus and momentum.
@Cheryl Davis if you took them to the bathroom and just put them somewhere else you'd be faced with the same problem just in another room. If you're accomplishing something while you're cleaning out the cupboard, you probably won't lose your momentum it will just take you longer.
I love watching your videos and so do my two teen daughters. I have wasted more time overthinking and procrastinating at times than being diligent and productive.🤦♀️ You are so helpful and simply a beautiful person. Thank you for all you do to show us how to make decluttering so much easier! God bless you!
“This is sticky and that’s gross and I don’t want it” was so empowering 😂
Im 67 years old...I like the take it where it belongs Now. Great exercise!
Just pre-ordered for my BFF, whose cleaning personality is more like yours. I grew up constantly moving and getting rid of stuff, so I learned not to get attached to much. Her dad puts her on a guilt trip for getting rid of anything, even stuff she hates! Anyway, so excited to give it to her!!!
Ugh my mother is like that. "Why throw it away. It's in good condition" WHY KEEP IT COLLECTING DUST.
"Silver tools that I use with my hands..." Love it!
My daughter recommended the book "Decluttering at the Speed of Life" to me. I bought the audio version and have listened to it while driving to and from work at least 4 times over the last 2 years. So the other night I started on my office closet (again) and played this video while I worked on it. It was as if you were giving me moral support as I worked on it!! LOL Thanks, Dana!!
Can you do an office supplies declutter please? I am drowning in craft and office supplies and it all feels useful. I need help! Thank you so much, Dana, you are one of my favorite people I have never met! 😁
Can you separate the areas into ? I'm going to use my linen cupboard as my craft drawer now. I only keep 4 sets of 4 seasons bedding.
I love your method! It's so different from what is traditionally taught but works without creating extra work and mess! I'm so glad to have found you!!! :)
😂 Family: sees thru the donation bag and says “that’s my favorite thing ever!!” 😩 SO true 🙈 but you never use it. Me: Use a black bag from now on 👍🏼
Gosh yes, the black bag comment really struck home. Have to do that cause my husband wants to keep everything.
This was so helpful. I was just introduced to your videos by the scary algorithms of TH-cam that seem to read my mind. Your method really resonates with me. It makes so much sense after years of putting stuff into different labeled boxes. They always say to take stuff all at once to a particular location. I end up with half-finished piles. I love the permission to go put things away right away. It is done! Plus, ya know, more steps! Call it exercise. Better is Good is a great phrase. I could go on and on but butterflies know exactly what I am talking about anyway. I am so glad I listened to you today. I feel so happy right now. Weird, I know.
I would get stacking bins and utilize the unused vertical space in that cabinet!
Thank you Dana!!!
I love your method and the fact that you show real messy and cluttered cabinet that most of us can relate to 😅 it’s great to see I’m not alone in this department 😂❤
Thank you! I loved the use of the black garbage bag . It’s perfect for me and my family members who don’t help but want to keep cluttering the home with things they’ll never use again or think they’ll fix them (BS!!!)!!!.😂😂😂
Exactly lol the black bag method is priceless. You don't have to deal with the "why are you getting rid of that" question lol they never miss the stuff
I had a slight interruption of an hour because I felt compelled to declutter my creative stuff =D great techniques! Thanks for sharing!
This is one of the most helpful organizing videos I’ve ever seen. Life changing skills you’re teaching! Thank you!
and...don't we just LOVE the word..."Do-lolly":)
Dana, I am moving soon. Back in 2020, my boyfriend and I moved in together when my crazy ex roommate lost her last marble during the onset of the pandemic. He and I found out that we love being around each other. We live in a work-live small 700sq ft, 1 bedroom unit. We love the work-live lifestyle so much that we found a 3 story, 3,000sq ft condo. We move to our bigger dream place come July 10, 2023!
In 2020, I moved my 2bedroom apartment in a storage unit. I have had so much anxiety over the storage unit. I am literally watching your videos as a means to mentally prepare myself to go to war against this 3 year anxiety filled, overwhelming decluttering task of going through my storage unit. I’m also scared that there might be mice in my things because it’s been in storage for so long and I’m super afraid of rodents and critters.
I know I have to do this because I don’t want to take this feeling and unnecessary stuff into my future. So thank you for helping me feel like Rocky…just training mentally to pump myself up for the big task ahead. I am also excited to rediscover who I was prior to being in a long term relationship . I definitely want to reconnect with the awesome parts of my old life prior to meeting my sweet thang. I want to have fun and not just have anxiety.
Thank you for your videos. They are helping!! I can do this!!! 😊 🎉
She really brings a calm in helping me, as I'm feeling overwhelmed. I have already made progress just watching her videos! Love her humor too! She is awesome!!😢
Growing up, Mother's house was spotless. Then she would walk into my room. Lol
She didn't know how to teach me how to tidy or clean.... Now I'm finally teaching myself and having to teach my kids at the same time.
Thank you for breaking things down into easy steps to follow. I actual have hope!!!!!
I was so excited to share this and my husband loved it! Many a-ha moments of understanding for him
I LOVE your no mess decluttering. My previous efforts would start with a huge mess and I wondered why I started.
I really enjoy the funny editors comments at the end. Great job Reid!
For me, the most important take-away is that "put it in its place right now" is okay. It's how I do things, but I have pretty bad ADHD, so I have always questioned whether I was wasting my time stepping away each time I find something that is not in its place. I'm just delighted that it's what you recommend. Plus... getting my steps in 😆.
On the subject of ADHD -- I've been trying to permit myself to organize in a way take that takes my ADHD into account, rather than trying to force myself into a more "rational" system.
For example, I don't live in an enormous place, but having to go to another room for some things can create little barriers that lead me to accumulate clutter and procrastinate the simplest tasks for months. Just for instance, I eventually realized that by putting a pair of scissors in every bedroom, the bathrooms, the kitchen, the office, the tool closet, the entryway, and with my plants, any number of little tasks now get done timely, that didn't used to. Sounds ridiculous even to me, and it sure sounds like the opposite of decluttering, but it has made a big difference in processing through certain tasks.
I have a paper shredder on either end of my apartment, but honestly, given that I still havent conquered the paper clutter problem (there's a mail pile *everywhere* you look) , I should probably add a couple more, but I haven't really convinced myself yet--especially since it really goes against my environmental beliefs. We'll see.
Great idea to break the deadlock in cupboards! Like the fact you didn't even use containers, but had things in piles. Also a great reminder that the whole point of organising is to make things function better.....and better is good!
Love this!!! Thank you so much for sharing this. So often I start a project and the space ends up a disaster zone, as if it wasn't already. By using these steps I feel I will be more effective in getting to my end result. The goal is to get rid of the heavy cloud that I feel when I walk into my house. The "stuff" is 80% of that cloud.
Loved this video. As a person with energy limitations I do this same thing and follow your steps, but I seperate the items into piles divided by the rooms they go in, and then take them all at once to their "homes". Then I'm not crossing my house over and over again. I realize this is a little different technique but it works the same for me and I don't exhaust myself. Having enough energy is my hurdle.
I love your decluttering method! I have all your books and am in the take your house back course. I still have a long way to go, but I have made more progress this year than in all my previous 40 ish years of my life!
Thank you for pointing out my biggest problem re decluttering and tidying up as I'm guilty of the "inbetween". I usually make huge messes when I'm spring cleaning and cleaning out drawers etc, the mess seems to go for miles lol. My mantra USE TO BE "you have to make a mess before you can clean something properly" NO MORE... subscribed.
That's how I declutter. It's because of laziness. I don't want to make more work. You simplified it. Great video!
"Would I know to look for this item", as someone with out of sight out of mind and hoarder tendancies, this has blown my mind!
You are brilliant, Dana. Never stop being youre lovely self
I have told myself many times”it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better “ now it doesn’t have tooo! Thank you!
One of the things I remind myself when I am getting rid of stuff is that I really like going into craft stores, office supply stores, etc. It is not a hardship to pick up little inexpensive supplies 😊
Better is Good- love that!
Piece by piece it’ll get better
oh my God that was one of the most practical, sane decluttering methods I’ve ever seen thank u girlfriend I desperately needed all those tools life changing
I'm so grateful to you Dana, for putting out so much after Christmas content. Also as a recovered re-seller, I SO identify with too many ship materials
I have been struggling with this a lot for the last 8 years or so, but the way you explained this and walked us through it was very helpful to me. Instead of taking right then though as I have a mobility issue, I would have to have a few boxes heading a certain direction or room, and everything in each and then moved mid cleaning and end of it. To just transport individually would be too much for me. But i can definitely do the boxes and then move them a few times.
Thank you so much!!!