I use this thought process too! I keep my sentimental things on display or in use as much as possible. Everything else is in one box on my closet shelf (mostly paper stuff). I’ve already told my son that when I’m gone he can just get rid of the entire box as it shouldn’t have much of any meaning to him.
Great job! I am glad to hear you are not rushing with the sentimental bins. 2 years ago I cleaned out my parent’s home. It took me 18 months to sort and process the sentimental items. During this time I made 5 scrapbooks with photos and family documents. My scrapbooks are not perfect. But they are done. As for the “items”, I designated a space. I can keep what I like within this space. With each pass I have released more items to where I have only kept a few things. I had to weigh if the item brought me enough joy to keep. Because if I kept it all, that would be stressful, not joyful. By only keeping a small handful of items, I am able to enjoy them. I hope this helps as you determine what will stay and what will go. Not every keepsake is important to keep. Too much is clutter. Be patient. Take your time. Make several passes. Hopefully with each pass you will figure out what you can comfortably release. Enjoy and honor what does get to stay. You inspire me. I enjoy your videos a great deal. Very real and down to earth.
That is such an accomplishment. I am working on my three son's childhoods from birth to now and my youngest is almost 26. I have baby clothes and school projects and school papers from every grade in containers. Life has been so full of things that required my attention, and also, it was my way of holding on to and the memories of them growing up. Life moves so fast. Now I have grandchildren, and a father who is ill and needs help organizing some of his momentos and papers from his life's work and career. I so wish I had youtube in my twenties. It would have helped me along. Now I'm 53. So, I am trying to process the past and the present at the same time.
@@bg8621 I hear you! I just went through my 3 kids items, etc. (I figured I was on a roll). My youngest is 25. One bit of advice: the memories are for your children, not you. Since they are adults, before you put time and energy into the project, ask them what they want. You may be surprised. Like, these hand crocheted blankets. All 3 had one from a family friend. Only, they didn’t know the woman and the blankets meant nothing to them. I was shocked. Because they were hand made I kept special care. Well, I gave them away. I know. But, it wasn’t about me. So, sometimes it’s hard. I was also surprised when they didn’t want a toy or book I had saved. But also relieved. I also made each child a memory book mostly filed with school work. But they approved of all the papers before I finished the project. Last, and this was an investment, I have a special needs child who is a bit of an artist. I went through a company called “ArtKive”. They made a hard cover professional book of all of her art work. It was a little pricey. But it takes up so much less space. We love the finished product.
@@michellemarcisz7059 Thankyou, Michelle. My name is Denise. I am signed in a B, an initial. Anyway, wow, your youngest is 25, thats encouraging lol. I guess there's hope, lol. Thankyou for that. We always think we have time to get around to things, and life keeps moving fast. I feel like I need to work 24 hrs a day to make up for lost time. Remember when all we had to look forward to was the Oprah show for encouragement way before youtube? Lol.
My tip for decluttering sentimental items: keep small, flat things, declutter large or 3D things. Example: wedding stuff.... Keep: newspaper clippings, invitations, personalized napkins, photos, garters, handkerchiefs, a bit of ribbon from the bouquet. Toss: dress, shoes, bouquet, cake topper. Hard to store and don't hold up over time. And the box your engagement ring came in? You got the ring, you got the awesome guy, you have those stories. An empty box is not that important. Love you and your journey! You are doing fab! ❤ ❤ ❤
oh, the engagement ring box. I no longer have my dress, my bouquet, garter, shoes or cake topper. But that engagement ring box. I can't let that go. Ironically, I don't even wear the ring because my hubs and I bought silicone rings a couple years ago and we love them.
After being happily married for 45 years I have found that when we want to reminisce about our wedding day we pull out the photos! We don’t pull out our wedding cake topper or the knife we cut the cake with. We don’t pull out my wedding dress or garter. We just want to see those things in the photos we used to make our day special. ❤️
If you put a vase with fresh flowers on your island, it will remind you that this space is reserved the special task of preparing food for yourself and your family. For me, flowers help promote keeping a space tidy.
Respect. You recognize and face what does not work, then you research, pick what is feasible for you, come up with a plan, set it into action and later on you might reevaluate. What more can a person do! What a terrific world we have if only everybody would be like you. I am serious, Erica.
Years ago, my mother-in-law said her mother taught her to handle it immediately by saying that "you will never to closer to that item than you are right now"! For example, instead of throwing your coat on the floor/chair as you come home, hang it up NOW because you have it in your hands as opposed to having to come back pick it up & properly deal with it later! This lesson has been a mantra floating in my brain ever since, There is no justifying any action that goes against this principle.
Maybe one? I tend to come in, shed coat, canes, purse, and backpack onto freezer and head directly to the bathroom. THEN I put everything where it belongs. ;)
This might sound a bit odd but since you went on your camping trip it might help you visualize this a bit better. If you have the time and space map out a rectangle that is as long as your camper was on the floor of your basement. Then put all your boxes in that square, to show you just how much sentimental stuff you have. Then, as you sort and purge your sentimental having that square on the floor will help you really see what you're keeping and what you want to get rid of. I like to think of this as the covered wagon method. Think about it, years ago when the wagon trains moved across this country headed west most folks only managed to bring what they could fit on a covered wagon. These were either absolute essentials of true sentimental things that could never be replaced. Obviously this doesn't quite fit what you're going for but I'd like to hope the concept does fit somewhat. For right now, don't worry about how many boxes you end up with, but maybe think about the size of space it's taking up. You've made great progress getting all your sentimental knocked down to 25 boxes, but how much space are those boxes taking up? And if you took everything out of those boxes, how much space would those items take up if you put everything out in your house? Or if you downsized and suddenly only had the amount of space those boxes take up to live in how much of that stuff would you actually want to give prime real estate in your house? And if you come across an item that you're unsure about, turn your back on it and think about it in your mind. Sometimes just the act of looking at something makes the feeling to want to keep it even stronger, so if you turn away and don't look at it, the power it has over you lessens and you might actually find yourself more inclined to let it go! (I stole that little nugget from the Clutter Bug)
Or maybe have a friend actually hold the thing and you just look at it because the tactile and potential aroma may make it harder to make a clear decision.
One addition to everything having a home is that it has to be easy to put each item in its home. If something has a home, but it's difficult or inconvenient to put it there, it won't get put away.
I agree 100% with this Kari McNair! I am working to make every "home" easy to see, easy to reach, easy to put the thing/s away. I find baskets very helpful in places like the pantry, the office, under the sink, in the bathroom. I have moved shelves so they are easier to access. I have replaced some types of storage with other things that are easier to use.
Since becoming minimal, I LOVE having clear counters and so I put things away ALMOST immediately. I learned I have two problem areas in the kitchen however. One is letting a receive and bills pile up at the end of the counter against the wall and when I didn't get to them RIGHT away, it got worse . So now I try to pay a bill as soon as it comes in. My checkbook and stamps are in the utility drawer right there, to make it easy and quick,. And my temporary file is in the cupboard beneath to put the receipts in and write my debit amounts in as soon as I get home from shopping. ThencaI don't dread it and put it off until it becomes a huge pile. The other thing I am working on is to put breakfast and lunch prep food away BEFORE I let myself eat. Then after, I just have to rinse my dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Yes, its all about getting those good habits established!
I'm always amazed when I go to other people's houses and they have food prep stuff or dishes just OUT. I have four very naughty cats. There's NO WAY I could leave anything with food sitting on the counters for more than a minute, lol. So, I guess I just naturally formed the habit of cleaning up before I eat and putting the dishes in the dishwasher after. Sometimes, if I'm lazy, I'll hide things in the oven or microwave to put away later, but at least the counters are clear, haha!
When you said “sentimental items” you sighed like it was a yoke around your neck rather than a collection of joy-inspiring items. Try and imagine how light you’ll feel when you have only a couple of selected things you’ve chosen to keep and display. I promise you won’t forget your wedding if you don’t keep the table favour bags.😉 You’ll do well once you start, you always do!
Hi Erica! Peter Walsh says “if it’s in a box it’s not being honored anyway.” That advice helps me a lot 🥰. When me moved, I put everything out, keeping it in a box didn’t make any sense to me. (Other than kids stuff). My two girls didn’t keep hardly anything! A few special books.
We had a fire, lost memory boxes of our 6 kids. Consider when going through your boxes what it would mean if you lost something permanently.Take a picture of things, the memories will come to your heart.
I had a flood so I ask myself would I clean mud off of this? Truth is when my kids grew up they didn't want any of the stuff I saved and downsizing in retirement I didn't either.
I saw a renovation program a number of years ago in which professional organizer Peter Walsh suggested that the homeowner employ a “1 Touch” rule. When you take off your clothes at the end of the day, for example, you immediately put them where they go, one the 1st touch, instead of having to touch it again and again: in the hamper, hung up on a hook or hanger to be re-worn, etc. Make a mess? Clean it up right now, with everyone involved’s help. I’ve been using this one for years and it has saved my sanity.
When pushing myself on 'sentimental' or really any items from my 'past', I realized that some times the emotions I was feeling, while deeply felt, weren't actually *good* feelings but because the items have been labeled or categorized in my mind as important or sentimental, they kept getting a free pass from deeper, more intentional decluttering. Realizing that was a watershed moment (and one that has also helped me start decluttering more of my books as well that I was having similar hang-ups about). Now I try really hard to empty out my preconceived notions and feelings about sentimental items and listen to what my heart and body are really telling me when I hold an item. It's been surprising. The mediator sounds interesting! I think it would be interesting for your audience who might really struggles with exactly this kind of back and forth/ hard feelings when trying to dispose of an estate, or clutter being stored from past family members that aren't actually bringing any value to anyone.
Sentimental stuff is a struggle. My in-laws are sentimental with furniture and overstuffed their house and expect us to keep space available for what's available when someone else passes. I want nicer stuff now, so I decided to not wait to inherit anything. We're not responsible for their emotional ties.
The mediator sounds really interesting. When it comes to sentimental items, different family members can have VASTLY different ideas about what's actually special. I've been helping my friend sort through her father's things as he's going through a major downsize and it often comes up that things that are special to others in the family are just being stored at his house. We've been gently suggesting that the interested parties come get their items, because they aren't meaningful for him, so he shouldn't have to keep storing them.
Great video Erica! I think decluttering sentimental is a process for sure. I think the sentimental items I kept years ago is not what I keep now. I had a lot of scrapbooks from my childhood & highs cool years with movie tickets, birthday card, recital programs etc in it. I let those go. I’m 56! I not attached to them anymore. What I keep now is different from back then. It’s forever evolving. 💜🌿💜🌿💜
I find that I have enjoyed using sentimental items like my grandma’s candy dish. I’ve also had several of her handmade doilies professionally framed. They are beautiful on the wall. I’ve matted and framed a couple pieces of my children’s most meaningful art pieces (my kids are now in their late 30s) and I still have their art hanging in the office and play area for the grandchildren. I also seasonally rotate some framed children’s art for the holidays. I store them with the other holiday supplies. Pictures are in albums. In recent years I’ve used Shutterfly to make the 8 x 8 digital albums. My daughter and i also made a book with all my mother-in-laws wonderful recipes and family photos of our holidays and times together. Ii use her recipe book all the time. She’s such a great cook! Shutterfly is always running specials. When my daughter was little, I altered her newborn clothes to fit her baby dolls. Added Velcro where buttons were, etc. for her to easily use. I know that I’m at a different stage of life than you but I hope you find this useful.
Sentimental items are so tricky. I have kept very few purely sentimental items. The ones I have kept tend also to be useful. My great-grandmother inlaw's spice rack, my grandmother's grease tin, my great-grandmother's silverware. None of these women would have wanted me to keep these items for the sake of keeping them, but they would be very happy to have provided me with something of quality that I use daily. I have a few things that are purely sentimental that my husband can't let go of and a few things for my kids to make the decision on later in their lives (handmade baby blanket, favorite "lovey", a couple of school things) But I don't want boxes and boxes of things that just sit in boxes or that my kids have to deal with later in my live (or after my death) when guilt or grief makes it harder for them to part with the items that I couldn't part with.
I’d do a one personal box per person, one box for family, maybe one box for Andy’s military career. Then use the “container theory” to manage going forward.
I only have one daughter so I save a lot of things for her from birth through college and it was definitely overwhelming. A few years ago she finally went through everything and only wanted less than 5% of the stuff I saved. Dumped and shredded the rest. Just my experience.
Yes, I’d be interested in seeing the mediating process for sentimental items. I think the process could be beneficial for alleviating guilt when evaluating particular items, as well as helpful for people who tend to identify items as sentimental perhaps too freely.
I have maybe just one habit/system when it comes to tidyness that helps me so much: before I go into another room I look around me what things belong in that second room, take them with me and put them in their homes (just touch it ones!). I always have something in my hands when I walk through my appartement. This way I tidy as I naturally go about my day and don't have to spend an hour or more just to put things back where they belong.
For some of my sentimental items I have reached out to family members that might want the items (if it is relevant to them as well) and they have been so happy to receive them - yes, I've incurred some shipping costs, but I didn't care, because it went to someone who was happy to get them. It worked for me. Just something to consider where items might be something sentimental to other family members as well.
Please share decluttering information on sentimental. That is the one I struggle with the most. Watching you has allowed me to give myself some time to process when emotions take over. Will appreciate any additional suggestions you have.
I would love to hear about the mediator and see what can be addressed and how it is addressed. I continue to try to reach my goals and you are helping me to be less critical of myself. Thank you!
Hey Erica! Totally understand the counter clutter thing. I gave my husband a kitchen drawer for his worldly possesions (keys, mail, receipts, whatever, etc) he was a big part of my counter clutter. Doing this was a HUGE help. Life changing almost. He had ONE place to put his crap. Also, I've had to be sort of a nag to my kids about dumping there sheez on the. counters. NO MORE!! Now they know that nothing goes on the counters unless its for cooking.
Our family started using a different habit app this last month, and it's amazing the difference it has made - something about rewards, even if they are small has helped all of us be more motivated to follow through.
One thing that I've noticed since day one in your home that is absolutely fabulous(compared to your last home) is your hardwood floors!! Those floors help in every way-You see items in every corner and automatically, you want to free up the floor(keep things that don't belong off the floor) and immediately putting everything in its place. And, I guess, the same applies to the Island counter. At least, that's how I see it! 🥰
For the kitchen counter-try something fun. Maybe challenge the family to help remind everyone not to leave things on the counter. Maybe after 30 days of a clean counter there could be a fun family reward, and the real reward would be the habit that has been built.
I hope when you do declutter sentimental you find ways to display and share your memories, not leave them in a box or get rid of them. Shadow boxes, digital photo frames, and using your sentimental items as decor would all be so wonderful for your family to enjoy.
You are so right about the process. There is so much to take into account- emotional, etc. I’ve been there with the 25 boxes. You can do it. It might take a while and it might be painful at times but you can do it.
Regarding the habit of putting things away, which I also struggle with, I think a simple mindset shift can be very helpful. For me I have had the most success when I changed my thinking from something negative such as "I don't have time to do that now" or "I don't feel like doing that now" to "it's not going to be any more fun later " to do whatever (usually) simple thing I'm putting off. Maybe you should assess what thoughts are going through your mind when you put off picking up or putting something away? "It's not going to be any more fun later" has been very useful for me in the past.
Try the book on Swedish death cleaning. It can help provide perspective on all the sentimental items. Also, I would declutter about 80% of the paid promotions. The quantity is diluting your brand. If you are more selective, people will value your choices.
The best tips I have for decluttering sentimental items is to take a photo of anything that you want to remember, but don't want to keep & use Marie Kondo's suggestion of thanking the items. The latter sounds so ridiculous, but it really does help with any guilt! I hold an item in my hands & I say in my head (or aloud) "Thank you for how you served me" or "Thank you for the joy you brought me." Then, I donate, toss or recycle it. It's truly freeing, even though it feels odd at first. Regarding taking photos of sentimental items, it helped me let them go, but I rarely look at them.
Congrats on your counter victory. Discipline=Freedom. I think I may try that app. Finished the last of my small wood trim refinishing projects this morning and cut back all my roses and hedge as well. Tomorrow , the flower beds will get a clear out of the blown in winter debris . I think Atomic Habits will be a reread, as well. Peter Walsh deals with the emotional clutter as well
25 boxes of sentimental items would give me anxiety, for sure. but happy that you still have it under control/contained. anyway, the sentimental items are truly the hardest for most of us. me, i just cn't throw away a printed photo even after i have scanned it. no, cant even reduce. arrrgh. it will come one day. thank you for mentioning the amount of sentimental boxes as here in the comments are some amazing advice and approaches to keeping it sane.
You know what helped me with printed photos I had scanned? After I scanned them, I went through them again and again over the course of several weeks. The first to go were blurry photos. Even with those I had to tell myself that I had already scanned it and it was "safe." The second to go were photos of places I never visited and weren't familiar with or people in a picture that I didn't know (and now there is no one to ask who they are, either). I decided that since all the pictures were safely scanned (and I had backups of those scans), I didn't want to keep pictures where someone looked really bad in the photo. If they had their mouth open or that picture didn't really look like them, it went. That was the third pass. Then I decided that I would move my "favorite" pictures (and they were my favorites for many different reasons) into one pile and all the other pictures into a different pile. My favorites went into a small box. The "not favorites" I left out and again and again I would go through the pile. This was over a couple of weeks. Each time I went through the pile I would remind myself that the photo was safely scanned and asked myself, why was I keeping this particular photo, since it was not one of my favorites? In the end, I kept only my favorite photos. I have gone through my favorites several times and they are still my favorites. And you know what? I don't miss the "not favorites." But even if I wanted to look at the "not favorites" I still have them scanned and can look at them whenever I want. I even sent my favorites to my email as attachments, making it even easier to look at them!
@@NCweathernice thank you so much for this nice and detailed plan of action. I havent even scanned them all yet. But doing this,with some slight variations, will be sooooo liberating. Putting it in my planner right now!
@@danielamestanek7899 I have a very slow (but cheap and reliable) scanner, so I would scan as time and my patience would allow. Sometimes I enjoyed it and sometimes I didn't, but I made sure I looked to see how much my pile had diminished to keep me going. When I was finally finished, it was sooooo liberating! And that was before I sorted through them. Even if I had stopped at that point, it would have been okay, but sorting through them and discarding some of them after they were scanned was actually FUN!
@@NCweathernice I’ve had a similar approach but now I’m also deleting the digital photos. I’m single, no kids, no nieces and nephews so my perspective is no one is going to care about any of these photos one day so I just as well get rid of the one’s that fit all your criteria now. Another thing I picked up from Minimal Mom is that we don’t need 100 pictures to remember an event - just a few great ones. I just wish I’d cleaned them out before scanning. I somehow ended up with multiple copies of my digital photos so that mess was stressing me out too. Step one for me was delete multiple copies of digital photos and try to organize them better and now I’m going through the paper copies. I also know that my sister and I will have to deal with all the one’s coming from my mom so trying to get mine downsized before we get all those.
@@midlife_minimalist That's great that you are organizing the ones you have now. That will be helpful when you get the ones from your mom because you've given yourself permission to keep only the ones you like and you'll have a template set up already for the ones you've already organized. Way to go, Hilary!
A few things that help me. First I try to remember that it takes as much time to put something away as it does to put it down. Secondly, I never leave a room empty handed. I always take something to put away or clean something up.
What a dream to have a clear counter 😱 I have been on this journey for over a year and to me it is a process and I am learning it takes time. I remember when I first watched your channel as your journey began and I see the change❤️ Thanks for sharing.
I am amazed by your progress. Sentimental is so hard. You are the second YT channel to recommend that book, so I'm off to my library website to see if they have it and how long I might have to wait.
For a lot of sentimental items, it works to take pictures of them and put in an album. It is the memories connected to the items that are of importance and the photo can in most cases bring the memories
Give yourselves the goal of one bin a week, make your system to be one bin a week, this gives you 7 days to mull it over and let it go. On a Saturday or Sunday you start a new week, that when, while going through the bin, you don’t have to be somewhere, you can stay home and grieve or whatnot and then take the rest of the week to let it go and thin the herd. Friday or Saturday your week is done and you can celebrate one less bin haunting you. Good lick
I think this is a great idea. I would also love seeing you work together on an item or two. It would be really helpful on my decluttering journey. I'm still quite stuck with sentimental items.
Fabulous is amazing. I followd there program for 3 months. One year later the habits i build in that time are still there, delutat but still. Fabulous changed my life!!
When you go through the sentimental bins, you can really reduce the amount by picking out those things that you can feel comfortable photographing and keeping in a small album .That way you reduce the physical items.
'Putting away groceries through to The potatoes'...i nearly died when you said that 🤣. So often we DO put the groceries away BUT the sack of potatoes 🤣. For whatever's reason we don't put it away right away and it just ends up being lugged around and moved across the kitchen floor until someone finally makes a spot in the cupboard for it. I don't understand whyyyyyyy we do it 🤣
I think that you could get your perpetually clear counter and also experience less stress over it by choosing what I call a landing zone. A landing zone is a designated spot where I place things that I need to put down, but can’t deal with this instant. I personally clear my landing zone right before I cook dinner every night. I pushed enter too soon. I wanted to tell you how it works for me. I have a small counter area that’s a bit separated from the rest of my kitchen counters. This is where I put anything that needs attention or needs to go to its home, but I’m not able at the moment. For example, I’ll very often end up coming in with the mail around the same time that laundry is finishing up in the dryer. The laundry needs my immediate attention to avoid wrinkles, so any mail (other than junk mail, which goes straight into recycling as soon as I walk in the door) will go in the landing zone so that I can attend to the laundry. When I’m unpacking groceries and have personal care items that go to the master bath on the other end of the house, I shove them into the landing zone until all the food is put away and the dogs have been taken care of. A lot of the time, I go back to whatever it is as soon as I have dealt with the priority task, but there are definitely days where I head to the kitchen to make dinner 5 minutes early so that I can clear the landing zone.
My parents used one sentence on my sister and me growing up...."That doesn't belong there." !! I wish I had a dollar for each time I heard that (apparently I am a slow learner!). It clearly helped keep our house tidy.
Well i looked at fabulous app and searched around for a tracker that fit me better. Thank you for the idea. Getting a journal and a pen is actually a block to recording progress, but my phone is always in my hand. Thanks for the idea
Do you think 15 minute tidies would help? When our son was younger, my wife would set the kitchen stove timer for 15 minutes and assign us each area to tidy for 15 minutes. Now, son is out of the house and my wife tidies for 15 minutes before going to bed (she always hits the kitchen counters) so mornings are blissful!
I would love to see you collaborate with clutterbug. She talks about 4 different organisation types. i would love know if you are a butterfly just like me.
Putting things back where they belong was probably the number one thing my mom taught me. I remember sitting down in the living room chair and taking my shoes off, I was asked immediately asked to go put them away! And, I did! We wore socks around the house. I'm guessing I'd been outside and didn't take my shoes 👟 👟 off by the door, when I came in. I honestly wish I would've been as strict about putting things away as my mother was to me! It's an ingrained habit now, at 61, I put things back without a second thought, 💭 USUALLY!! Back when I was a kid we had one pair of scissors and if you used the scissors ✂️ by golly, you put it back in the scissor can!! Have a great day friends! Be safe!!!
I find it is making habits not a goal or system. I started by a clean sink and dishes before bed every nite, added clean counters before bed, added wipe down stove, then added sweep floors before bed. This is just how it has worked for me.
Totally speaking to me in this video! Thank you! Part of me resists structures and giving myself tasks or goals to do, but then I get frustrated and sad and exhausted when there’s a lot of things that aren’t done. You know what I mean? I’ve also gotten a lot better at a lot of things, but consistency and flow and ease… And truly having a home for all the things in my home is still something in front of me :-) And what you said about putting groceries away “down to the potatoes!“ ~~ I have to really laughed because I went shopping the other day and potatoes are still on the floor in the kitchen. 🤣 I took one out and used it today but they haven’t made it to their “home”. It may be makeshift but it’s effective and I know where they are if they are there, and I’m not apt to kick them by mistake walking across the kitchen! 😄
Concerning sentimentalism...heres a thought...your Children are still very young so there's still a lot of years left to collect stuff...so it might be a thoughtfull process to put systems in place for dealing with future sentimental items as they come along as you go through the years.
I defeated the dirty-dishes-on-the-counter-and-in-the-sink-problem by putting things straight into the dishwasher after use. No rinsing, the dishwasher does this first anyway. I do lightly scrape things into the small compost pail which lives in the sink, but that’s it. If something doesn’t get clean first time Who Cares, put it right back in the dishwasher again.
That’s my goal too. I’ve been putting stuff left on the counters from my kids and husband on the stairs. They can’t go up until they put their stuff back.
ID LOVE A MEDIATOR VIDEO!!!!!! i have a friend whose fiance needs to be the mediator between family, while cleaning out his grandparents house for selling...lots of drama and its taken a year so far...I'd love to be able to pass along any wisdom and tipsa
You can take a picture of the sentimental item and keep the photo on a disk or hard drive. Then you will always have it. It takes up less space. Just a thought
I’m curious to watch the process to declutter your sentimental things but I, for one, am not interested in the mediator work. Marie Kondo talks about putting sentimental declutter as your last step for all of the reasons you gave. Find a home for your sentimental items to honour these items while being able to have them in your daily life. I now use some of my sentimental things daily instead of packing it away in a bin or cupboard.
I have such hard a time with the decluttering process. I am ready for less but I struggle with my kids stuff. I leave my husband's stuff alone. My kids are blessed to have a lot of people who love them and gift them things but it becomes overwhelming sometimes. Plus, I struggle with getting rid of toys that I think they may like to play with as they get a bit older.
Recently Matt Ragland made a beautiful and very inspiring remark. In your review be a reporter instead of a judge he said. And that is the best credo to be kind to yourself. So, dear Erica, be the reporter and feel, really feel, what you already have achieved. 😘, Yelle
Definitely sold me on reading the book! I am curious about the app is there a free trial version cuz one of my bad habits is consistency with things. so consistently using app Lol . Also I would be curious how that lady helps you process your stuff can you do a video of that?
I’m not sure that mediation is necessary yet. You’ll be amazed how much you’ll get rid of when you go through your sentimental stuff again. It gets easier every time. And I bet your husband will too.
Oh that self discipline thing! 🤦♀️ I don’t have a great deal. It’s a muscle that needs regular exercise to build it up. But you have done amazingly well in the last year and a half Erica. So much less stuff to clutter your home and carry from house to house. As for mediation: sorry to say that would cause even more trouble in my family. I can just hear them being so offended that a stranger should be involved - my parents would go ballistic! A step too far I’m afraid.
I found grouping things and taking pictures of them allowed me to throw many things out. Awards, trophies etc. Once things were grouped I would sometimes just keep one representative item. We had a devastating flood once and I lost a host of sentimental items. Truth be told years later I can only remember one item and I don't really care anymore. I do remember losing all of our shoes. Because we had no shoes.
@@NCweathernice True that, it's just stuff. But I keep my shoes on the top shelf now, never on the floor. My kids are 36 and 40 and they still don't put theirs on the floor either. We remember the time all of our shoes were trashed and we were barefoot.
Sentimental let your camera be your best friend, ten down load on flash drive or back up external drive. So you have the memories without taking up the space.
Try not to worry about setting goal amounts for your sentimental items right now. Sort it first and get rid of what's easy first. You might be surprised how much you are keeping that are essentially or literally duplicates.
Hey Erica, I would love some creative help from you and your fans!!! What should we do with all of my husband's military trophies??? He's not the type of guy to display them but he also doesn't know how to get rid of them without feeling "wrong" about it. Like sending them to a thrift store isn't something he wants to do because his name is engraved on all of them... but tossing them in the trash doesn't feel good either 😬 HELP! THESE THINGS TAKE UP TOO MUCH SPACE!!! 😭
I would suggest you keep and display any really special/sentimental ones, take photos of the others and donate them to a trophy store or scouts to repurpose. Hope this helps. =)
My advice for sentimental stuff:- all papers -scan it and throw away. Letters, postcards... it will last for ever that way. -use that grandmas china that you have in sentimenal, but get rid of that scarf, candlestick, pillow... and make a memory photo of the rest of that stuff so when you use that china set you remamber the candlestick
If everything is special, then nothing is special! Saying this helps me when decluttering sentimental items!
yesss!! thank you!
I like that. I say a hoard is still a hoard even if it's good stuff.
I use this thought process too! I keep my sentimental things on display or in use as much as possible. Everything else is in one box on my closet shelf (mostly paper stuff). I’ve already told my son that when I’m gone he can just get rid of the entire box as it shouldn’t have much of any meaning to him.
Great job!
I am glad to hear you are not rushing with the sentimental bins. 2 years ago I cleaned out my parent’s home. It took me 18 months to sort and process the sentimental items. During this time I made 5 scrapbooks with photos and family documents. My scrapbooks are not perfect. But they are done. As for the “items”, I designated a space. I can keep what I like within this space. With each pass I have released more items to where I have only kept a few things. I had to weigh if the item brought me enough joy to keep. Because if I kept it all, that would be stressful, not joyful. By only keeping a small handful of items, I am able to enjoy them. I hope this helps as you determine what will stay and what will go. Not every keepsake is important to keep. Too much is clutter.
Be patient. Take your time. Make several passes. Hopefully with each pass you will figure out what you can comfortably release. Enjoy and honor what does get to stay.
You inspire me. I enjoy your videos a great deal. Very real and down to earth.
That is such an accomplishment. I am working on my three son's childhoods from birth to now and my youngest is almost 26. I have baby clothes and school projects and school papers from every grade in containers. Life has been so full of things that required my attention, and also, it was my way of holding on to and the memories of them growing up. Life moves so fast. Now I have grandchildren, and a father who is ill and needs help organizing some of his momentos and papers from his life's work and career. I so wish I had youtube in my twenties. It would have helped me along. Now I'm 53. So, I am trying to process the past and the present at the same time.
@@bg8621 I hear you! I just went through my 3 kids items, etc. (I figured I was on a roll). My youngest is 25. One bit of advice: the memories are for your children, not you. Since they are adults, before you put time and energy into the project, ask them what they want. You may be surprised. Like, these hand crocheted blankets. All 3 had one from a family friend. Only, they didn’t know the woman and the blankets meant nothing to them. I was shocked. Because they were hand made I kept special care. Well, I gave them away. I know. But, it wasn’t about me. So, sometimes it’s hard. I was also surprised when they didn’t want a toy or book I had saved. But also relieved.
I also made each child a memory book mostly filed with school work. But they approved of all the papers before I finished the project.
Last, and this was an investment, I have a special needs child who is a bit of an artist. I went through a company called “ArtKive”. They made a hard cover professional book of all of her art work. It was a little pricey. But it takes up so much less space. We love the finished product.
@@michellemarcisz7059 Thankyou, Michelle. My name is Denise. I am signed in a B, an initial. Anyway, wow, your youngest is 25, thats encouraging lol. I guess there's hope, lol. Thankyou for that. We always think we have time to get around to things, and life keeps moving fast. I feel like I need to work 24 hrs a day to make up for lost time. Remember when all we had to look forward to was the Oprah show for encouragement way before youtube? Lol.
My tip for decluttering sentimental items: keep small, flat things, declutter large or 3D things. Example: wedding stuff.... Keep: newspaper clippings, invitations, personalized napkins, photos, garters, handkerchiefs, a bit of ribbon from the bouquet. Toss: dress, shoes, bouquet, cake topper. Hard to store and don't hold up over time. And the box your engagement ring came in? You got the ring, you got the awesome guy, you have those stories. An empty box is not that important. Love you and your journey! You are doing fab! ❤ ❤ ❤
I like that a lot good points
oh, the engagement ring box. I no longer have my dress, my bouquet, garter, shoes or cake topper. But that engagement ring box. I can't let that go. Ironically, I don't even wear the ring because my hubs and I bought silicone rings a couple years ago and we love them.
After being happily married for 45 years I have found that when we want to reminisce about our wedding day we pull out the photos! We don’t pull out our wedding cake topper or the knife we cut the cake with. We don’t pull out my wedding dress or garter. We just want to see those things in the photos we used to make our day special. ❤️
April Hoover love that. I need to get rid of my ring boxes! My brother in law is a jeweler and I can always get more if needed
I just decluttered our ring boxes a few weeks ago, along with the pretty little cloth bags they came in. Been married 15 years.
If you put a vase with fresh flowers on your island, it will remind you that this space is reserved the special task of preparing food for yourself and your family. For me, flowers help promote keeping a space tidy.
Thank you, sincerely. I‘ll watch this properly later but for now the sight of that empty counter just got me out of bed and doing the dishes.
WOOHOOOOO!
Respect. You recognize and face what does not work, then you research, pick what is feasible for you, come up with a plan, set it into action and later on you might reevaluate. What more can a person do! What a terrific world we have if only everybody would be like you. I am serious, Erica.
Years ago, my mother-in-law said her mother taught her to handle it immediately by saying that "you will never to closer to that item than you are right now"! For example, instead of throwing your coat on the floor/chair as you come home, hang it up NOW because you have it in your hands as opposed to having to come back pick it up & properly deal with it later! This lesson has been a mantra floating in my brain ever since, There is no justifying any action that goes against this principle.
Awesome.
Mt best friend taught me Ohio - Only Handle It Once.
@@adz5bneweng589
Exactly!! Love this!!
Maybe one? I tend to come in, shed coat, canes, purse, and backpack onto freezer and head directly to the bathroom. THEN I put everything where it belongs. ;)
This might sound a bit odd but since you went on your camping trip it might help you visualize this a bit better. If you have the time and space map out a rectangle that is as long as your camper was on the floor of your basement. Then put all your boxes in that square, to show you just how much sentimental stuff you have. Then, as you sort and purge your sentimental having that square on the floor will help you really see what you're keeping and what you want to get rid of.
I like to think of this as the covered wagon method. Think about it, years ago when the wagon trains moved across this country headed west most folks only managed to bring what they could fit on a covered wagon. These were either absolute essentials of true sentimental things that could never be replaced. Obviously this doesn't quite fit what you're going for but I'd like to hope the concept does fit somewhat. For right now, don't worry about how many boxes you end up with, but maybe think about the size of space it's taking up. You've made great progress getting all your sentimental knocked down to 25 boxes, but how much space are those boxes taking up? And if you took everything out of those boxes, how much space would those items take up if you put everything out in your house? Or if you downsized and suddenly only had the amount of space those boxes take up to live in how much of that stuff would you actually want to give prime real estate in your house?
And if you come across an item that you're unsure about, turn your back on it and think about it in your mind. Sometimes just the act of looking at something makes the feeling to want to keep it even stronger, so if you turn away and don't look at it, the power it has over you lessens and you might actually find yourself more inclined to let it go! (I stole that little nugget from the Clutter Bug)
Or maybe have a friend actually hold the thing and you just look at it because the tactile and potential aroma may make it harder to make a clear decision.
One addition to everything having a home is that it has to be easy to put each item in its home. If something has a home, but it's difficult or inconvenient to put it there, it won't get put away.
I agree 100% with this Kari McNair! I am working to make every "home" easy to see, easy to reach, easy to put the thing/s away. I find baskets very helpful in places like the pantry, the office, under the sink, in the bathroom. I have moved shelves so they are easier to access. I have replaced some types of storage with other things that are easier to use.
Since becoming minimal, I LOVE having clear counters and so I put things away ALMOST immediately. I learned I have two problem areas in the kitchen however. One is letting a receive and bills pile up at the end of the counter against the wall and when I didn't get to them RIGHT away, it got worse . So now I try to pay a bill as soon as it comes in. My checkbook and stamps are in the utility drawer right there, to make it easy and quick,. And my temporary file is in the cupboard beneath to put the receipts in and write my debit amounts in as soon as I get home from shopping. ThencaI don't dread it and put it off until it becomes a huge pile. The other thing I am working on is to put breakfast and lunch prep food away BEFORE I let myself eat. Then after, I just have to rinse my dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Yes, its all about getting those good habits established!
I'm always amazed when I go to other people's houses and they have food prep stuff or dishes just OUT. I have four very naughty cats. There's NO WAY I could leave anything with food sitting on the counters for more than a minute, lol. So, I guess I just naturally formed the habit of cleaning up before I eat and putting the dishes in the dishwasher after. Sometimes, if I'm lazy, I'll hide things in the oven or microwave to put away later, but at least the counters are clear, haha!
When you said “sentimental items” you sighed like it was a yoke around your neck rather than a collection of joy-inspiring items. Try and imagine how light you’ll feel when you have only a couple of selected things you’ve chosen to keep and display. I promise you won’t forget your wedding if you don’t keep the table favour bags.😉 You’ll do well once you start, you always do!
Hi, your right about the favors you only need 1,
Hi Erica! Peter Walsh says “if it’s in a box it’s not being honored anyway.” That advice helps me a lot 🥰. When me moved, I put everything out, keeping it in a box didn’t make any sense to me. (Other than kids stuff). My two girls didn’t keep hardly anything! A few special books.
Love Peter Walsh!
We had a fire, lost memory boxes of our 6 kids. Consider when going through your boxes what it would mean if you lost something permanently.Take a picture of things, the memories will come to your heart.
😔
I had a flood so I ask myself would I clean mud off of this? Truth is when my kids grew up they didn't want any of the stuff I saved and downsizing in retirement I didn't either.
I saw a renovation program a number of years ago in which professional organizer Peter Walsh suggested that the homeowner employ a “1 Touch” rule. When you take off your clothes at the end of the day, for example, you immediately put them where they go, one the 1st touch, instead of having to touch it again and again: in the hamper, hung up on a hook or hanger to be re-worn, etc. Make a mess? Clean it up right now, with everyone involved’s help. I’ve been using this one for years and it has saved my sanity.
When pushing myself on 'sentimental' or really any items from my 'past', I realized that some times the emotions I was feeling, while deeply felt, weren't actually *good* feelings but because the items have been labeled or categorized in my mind as important or sentimental, they kept getting a free pass from deeper, more intentional decluttering. Realizing that was a watershed moment (and one that has also helped me start decluttering more of my books as well that I was having similar hang-ups about). Now I try really hard to empty out my preconceived notions and feelings about sentimental items and listen to what my heart and body are really telling me when I hold an item. It's been surprising.
The mediator sounds interesting! I think it would be interesting for your audience who might really struggles with exactly this kind of back and forth/ hard feelings when trying to dispose of an estate, or clutter being stored from past family members that aren't actually bringing any value to anyone.
Sentimental stuff is a struggle. My in-laws are sentimental with furniture and overstuffed their house and expect us to keep space available for what's available when someone else passes. I want nicer stuff now, so I decided to not wait to inherit anything. We're not responsible for their emotional ties.
The mediator sounds really interesting. When it comes to sentimental items, different family members can have VASTLY different ideas about what's actually special. I've been helping my friend sort through her father's things as he's going through a major downsize and it often comes up that things that are special to others in the family are just being stored at his house. We've been gently suggesting that the interested parties come get their items, because they aren't meaningful for him, so he shouldn't have to keep storing them.
Great video Erica! I think decluttering sentimental is a process for sure. I think the sentimental items I kept years ago is not what I keep now. I had a lot of scrapbooks from my childhood & highs cool years with movie tickets, birthday card, recital programs etc in it. I let those go. I’m 56! I not attached to them anymore. What I keep now is different from back then. It’s forever evolving. 💜🌿💜🌿💜
So true!
I find that I have enjoyed using sentimental items like my grandma’s candy dish. I’ve also had several of her handmade doilies professionally framed. They are beautiful on the wall. I’ve matted and framed a couple pieces of my children’s most meaningful art pieces (my kids are now in their late 30s) and I still have their art hanging in the office and play area for the grandchildren. I also seasonally rotate some framed children’s art for the holidays. I store them with the other holiday supplies. Pictures are in albums. In recent years I’ve used Shutterfly to make the 8 x 8 digital albums. My daughter and i also made a book with all my mother-in-laws wonderful recipes and family photos of our holidays and times together. Ii use her recipe book all the time. She’s such a great cook! Shutterfly is always running specials. When my daughter was little, I altered her newborn clothes to fit her baby dolls. Added Velcro where buttons were, etc. for her to easily use. I know that I’m at a different stage of life than you but I hope you find this useful.
Sentimental items are so tricky. I have kept very few purely sentimental items. The ones I have kept tend also to be useful. My great-grandmother inlaw's spice rack, my grandmother's grease tin, my great-grandmother's silverware. None of these women would have wanted me to keep these items for the sake of keeping them, but they would be very happy to have provided me with something of quality that I use daily. I have a few things that are purely sentimental that my husband can't let go of and a few things for my kids to make the decision on later in their lives (handmade baby blanket, favorite "lovey", a couple of school things) But I don't want boxes and boxes of things that just sit in boxes or that my kids have to deal with later in my live (or after my death) when guilt or grief makes it harder for them to part with the items that I couldn't part with.
I’d do a one personal box per person, one box for family, maybe one box for Andy’s military career. Then use the “container theory” to manage going forward.
I only have one daughter so I save a lot of things for her from birth through college and it was definitely overwhelming. A few years ago she finally went through everything and only wanted less than 5% of the stuff I saved. Dumped and shredded the rest. Just my experience.
Great video! Another great mention is that systems take time to decide if they work and often times we need to make adjustments.
Yes, I’d be interested in seeing the mediating process for sentimental items. I think the process could be beneficial for alleviating guilt when evaluating particular items, as well as helpful for people who tend to identify items as sentimental
perhaps too freely.
I got rid of a lot of stuff. I got rid of a set of dessert dishes, and kept just the sugar bowl, it’s out, and being used 🥰
I have maybe just one habit/system when it comes to tidyness that helps me so much: before I go into another room I look around me what things belong in that second room, take them with me and put them in their homes (just touch it ones!). I always have something in my hands when I walk through my appartement. This way I tidy as I naturally go about my day and don't have to spend an hour or more just to put things back where they belong.
Don’t put it down... put it away! Say that to yourself every time the action occurs👊🏼
The progress you have made since you started is a breathe of fresh air! I hope you are enjoying your results
For some of my sentimental items I have reached out to family members that might want the items (if it is relevant to them as well) and they have been so happy to receive them - yes, I've incurred some shipping costs, but I didn't care, because it went to someone who was happy to get them. It worked for me. Just something to consider where items might be something sentimental to other family members as well.
Please share decluttering information on sentimental. That is the one I struggle with the most. Watching you has allowed me to give myself some time to process when emotions take over. Will appreciate any additional suggestions you have.
I would love to hear about the mediator and see what can be addressed and how it is addressed. I continue to try to reach my goals and you are helping me to be less critical of myself. Thank you!
Hey Erica! Totally understand the counter clutter thing. I gave my husband a kitchen drawer for his worldly possesions (keys, mail, receipts, whatever, etc) he was a big part of my counter clutter. Doing this was a HUGE help. Life changing almost. He had ONE place to put his crap. Also, I've had to be sort of a nag to my kids about dumping there sheez on the. counters. NO MORE!! Now they know that nothing goes on the counters unless its for cooking.
Our family started using a different habit app this last month, and it's amazing the difference it has made - something about rewards, even if they are small has helped all of us be more motivated to follow through.
One thing that I've noticed since day one in your home that is absolutely fabulous(compared to your last home) is your hardwood floors!! Those floors help in every way-You see items in every corner and automatically, you want to free up the floor(keep things that don't belong off the floor) and immediately putting everything in its place. And, I guess, the same applies to the Island counter. At least, that's how I see it! 🥰
For the kitchen counter-try something fun. Maybe challenge the family to help remind everyone not to leave things on the counter. Maybe after 30 days of a clean counter there could be a fun family reward, and the real reward would be the habit that has been built.
Exactly what I was thinking as well, make it a team effort and hold each other accountable!
I hope when you do declutter sentimental you find ways to display and share your memories, not leave them in a box or get rid of them. Shadow boxes, digital photo frames, and using your sentimental items as decor would all be so wonderful for your family to enjoy.
You are so right about the process. There is so much to take into account- emotional, etc. I’ve been there with the 25 boxes. You can do it. It might take a while and it might be painful at times but you can do it.
Don't put it down..... put it away. Love your channel!
Regarding the habit of putting things away, which I also struggle with, I think a simple mindset shift can be very helpful. For me I have had the most success when I changed my thinking from something negative such as "I don't have time to do that now" or "I don't feel like doing that now" to "it's not going to be any more fun later " to do whatever (usually) simple thing I'm putting off. Maybe you should assess what thoughts are going through your mind when you put off picking up or putting something away? "It's not going to be any more fun later" has been very useful for me in the past.
Try the book on Swedish death cleaning. It can help provide perspective on all the sentimental items.
Also, I would declutter about 80% of the paid promotions. The quantity is diluting your brand. If you are more selective, people will value your choices.
The best tips I have for decluttering sentimental items is to take a photo of anything that you want to remember, but don't want to keep & use Marie Kondo's suggestion of thanking the items. The latter sounds so ridiculous, but it really does help with any guilt! I hold an item in my hands & I say in my head (or aloud) "Thank you for how you served me" or "Thank you for the joy you brought me." Then, I donate, toss or recycle it. It's truly freeing, even though it feels odd at first. Regarding taking photos of sentimental items, it helped me let them go, but I rarely look at them.
Congrats on your counter victory. Discipline=Freedom. I think I may try that app. Finished the last of my small wood trim refinishing projects this morning and cut back all my roses and hedge as well. Tomorrow , the flower beds will get a clear out of the blown in winter debris . I think Atomic Habits will be a reread, as well. Peter Walsh deals with the emotional clutter as well
Maybe try a 5-10 minutes “tidy time” a couple times a day for everyone in the family to help tidy up and put things back where they belong
25 boxes of sentimental items would give me anxiety, for sure. but happy that you still have it under control/contained. anyway, the sentimental items are truly the hardest for most of us. me, i just cn't throw away a printed photo even after i have scanned it. no, cant even reduce. arrrgh. it will come one day. thank you for mentioning the amount of sentimental boxes as here in the comments are some amazing advice and approaches to keeping it sane.
You know what helped me with printed photos I had scanned? After I scanned them, I went through them again and again over the course of several weeks. The first to go were blurry photos. Even with those I had to tell myself that I had already scanned it and it was "safe." The second to go were photos of places I never visited and weren't familiar with or people in a picture that I didn't know (and now there is no one to ask who they are, either).
I decided that since all the pictures were safely scanned (and I had backups of those scans), I didn't want to keep pictures where someone looked really bad in the photo. If they had their mouth open or that picture didn't really look like them, it went. That was the third pass.
Then I decided that I would move my "favorite" pictures (and they were my favorites for many different reasons) into one pile and all the other pictures into a different pile. My favorites went into a small box. The "not favorites" I left out and again and again I would go through the pile. This was over a couple of weeks. Each time I went through the pile I would remind myself that the photo was safely scanned and asked myself, why was I keeping this particular photo, since it was not one of my favorites?
In the end, I kept only my favorite photos. I have gone through my favorites several times and they are still my favorites. And you know what? I don't miss the "not favorites." But even if I wanted to look at the "not favorites" I still have them scanned and can look at them whenever I want.
I even sent my favorites to my email as attachments, making it even easier to look at them!
@@NCweathernice thank you so much for this nice and detailed plan of action. I havent even scanned them all yet. But doing this,with some slight variations, will be sooooo liberating. Putting it in my planner right now!
@@danielamestanek7899 I have a very slow (but cheap and reliable) scanner, so I would scan as time and my patience would allow. Sometimes I enjoyed it and sometimes I didn't, but I made sure I looked to see how much my pile had diminished to keep me going. When I was finally finished, it was sooooo liberating! And that was before I sorted through them. Even if I had stopped at that point, it would have been okay, but sorting through them and discarding some of them after they were scanned was actually FUN!
@@NCweathernice I’ve had a similar approach but now I’m also deleting the digital photos. I’m single, no kids, no nieces and nephews so my perspective is no one is going to care about any of these photos one day so I just as well get rid of the one’s that fit all your criteria now. Another thing I picked up from Minimal Mom is that we don’t need 100 pictures to remember an event - just a few great ones. I just wish I’d cleaned them out before scanning. I somehow ended up with multiple copies of my digital photos so that mess was stressing me out too. Step one for me was delete multiple copies of digital photos and try to organize them better and now I’m going through the paper copies. I also know that my sister and I will have to deal with all the one’s coming from my mom so trying to get mine downsized before we get all those.
@@midlife_minimalist That's great that you are organizing the ones you have now. That will be helpful when you get the ones from your mom because you've given yourself permission to keep only the ones you like and you'll have a template set up already for the ones you've already organized. Way to go, Hilary!
Love seeing your new habits taking place! Rockstar!
A few things that help me. First I try to remember that it takes as much time to put something away as it does to put it down. Secondly, I never leave a room empty handed. I always take something to put away or clean something up.
I'm excited to hear you are going to start on your sentimental bins.
What a dream to have a clear counter 😱 I have been on this journey for over a year and to me it is a process and I am learning it takes time. I remember when I first watched your channel as your journey began and I see the change❤️ Thanks for sharing.
I am amazed by your progress. Sentimental is so hard. You are the second YT channel to recommend that book, so I'm off to my library website to see if they have it and how long I might have to wait.
In the hospital for a hip replacement and so very happy to have an Erica video for company.
I realized the "systems " I was not implementing kept me from reaching some personal goals. James Clear's quote sums it up so perfectly!
Mediator would be interesting. Just a new concept to consider.
For a lot of sentimental items, it works to take pictures of them and put in an album. It is the memories connected to the items that are of importance and the photo can in most cases bring the memories
Give yourselves the goal of one bin a week, make your system to be one bin a week, this gives you 7 days to mull it over and let it go. On a Saturday or Sunday you start a new week, that when, while going through the bin, you don’t have to be somewhere, you can stay home and grieve or whatnot and then take the rest of the week to let it go and thin the herd. Friday or Saturday your week is done and you can celebrate one less bin haunting you. Good lick
It would be helpful for me to see you work with the mediator to lose sentimental items!
I think this is a great idea. I would also love seeing you work together on an item or two. It would be really helpful on my decluttering journey. I'm still quite stuck with sentimental items.
I would be interested in seeing the mediator about items.
Definitely best to leave sentimental items until last and practice the decluttering habit on other areas 👍
Fabulous is amazing. I followd there program for 3 months. One year later the habits i build in that time are still there, delutat but still. Fabulous changed my life!!
When you go through the sentimental bins, you can really reduce the amount by picking out those things that you can feel comfortable photographing and keeping in a small album .That way you reduce the physical items.
I did that with some items and interestingly a year or so later, I deleted the photos because the attachment was gone.
'Putting away groceries through to The potatoes'...i nearly died when you said that 🤣. So often we DO put the groceries away BUT the sack of potatoes 🤣. For whatever's reason we don't put it away right away and it just ends up being lugged around and moved across the kitchen floor until someone finally makes a spot in the cupboard for it. I don't understand whyyyyyyy we do it 🤣
I think that you could get your perpetually clear counter and also experience less stress over it by choosing what I call a landing zone. A landing zone is a designated spot where I place things that I need to put down, but can’t deal with this instant. I personally clear my landing zone right before I cook dinner every night.
I pushed enter too soon. I wanted to tell you how it works for me.
I have a small counter area that’s a bit separated from the rest of my kitchen counters. This is where I put anything that needs attention or needs to go to its home, but I’m not able at the moment.
For example, I’ll very often end up coming in with the mail around the same time that laundry is finishing up in the dryer. The laundry needs my immediate attention to avoid wrinkles, so any mail (other than junk mail, which goes straight into recycling as soon as I walk in the door) will go in the landing zone so that I can attend to the laundry.
When I’m unpacking groceries and have personal care items that go to the master bath on the other end of the house, I shove them into the landing zone until all the food is put away and the dogs have been taken care of.
A lot of the time, I go back to whatever it is as soon as I have dealt with the priority task, but there are definitely days where I head to the kitchen to make dinner 5 minutes early so that I can clear the landing zone.
My parents used one sentence on my sister and me growing up...."That doesn't belong there." !! I wish I had a dollar for each time I heard that (apparently I am a slow learner!). It clearly helped keep our house tidy.
Does that work for you today keeping your house tidy?
@@NCweathernice I hear their voices in my head every time I am tempted to just throw something down. It has served me well for many years!
@@lindamaglione7189 LOL, LOL!!!
A good explanation of goals and systems; and how to develop those systems!
Well i looked at fabulous app and searched around for a tracker that fit me better. Thank you for the idea. Getting a journal and a pen is actually a block to recording progress, but my phone is always in my hand. Thanks for the idea
Do you think 15 minute tidies would help? When our son was younger, my wife would set the kitchen stove timer for 15 minutes and assign us each area to tidy for 15 minutes. Now, son is out of the house and my wife tidies for 15 minutes before going to bed (she always hits the kitchen counters) so mornings are blissful!
That would be interesting.
Good morning. Have a great day. Love your videos
I would love to see you collaborate with clutterbug. She talks about 4 different organisation types. i would love know if you are a butterfly just like me.
Putting things back where they belong was probably the number one thing my mom taught me.
I remember sitting down in the living room chair and taking my shoes off, I was asked immediately asked to go put them away!
And, I did! We wore socks around the house.
I'm guessing I'd been outside and didn't take my shoes 👟 👟 off by the door, when I came in.
I honestly wish I would've been as strict about putting things away as my mother was to me!
It's an ingrained habit now, at 61, I put things back without a second thought, 💭 USUALLY!!
Back when I was a kid we had one pair of scissors and if you used the scissors ✂️ by golly, you put it back in the scissor can!!
Have a great day friends! Be safe!!!
I find it is making habits not a goal or system. I started by a clean sink and dishes before bed every nite, added clean counters before bed, added wipe down stove, then added sweep floors before bed. This is just how it has worked for me.
Totally speaking to me in this video! Thank you!
Part of me resists structures and giving myself tasks or goals to do, but then I get frustrated and sad and exhausted when there’s a lot of things that aren’t done. You know what I mean?
I’ve also gotten a lot better at a lot of things, but consistency and flow and ease… And truly having a home for all the things in my home is still something in front of me :-)
And what you said about putting groceries away “down to the potatoes!“ ~~ I have to really laughed because I went shopping the other day and potatoes are still on the floor in the kitchen. 🤣 I took one out and used it today but they haven’t made it to their “home”. It may be makeshift but it’s effective and I know where they are if they are there, and I’m not apt to kick them by mistake walking across the kitchen! 😄
Concerning sentimentalism...heres a thought...your Children are still very young so there's still a lot of years left to collect stuff...so it might be a thoughtfull process to put systems in place for dealing with future sentimental items as they come along as you go through the years.
And ask your kids along the way what they want to keep!
I defeated the dirty-dishes-on-the-counter-and-in-the-sink-problem by putting things straight into the dishwasher after use. No rinsing, the dishwasher does this first anyway. I do lightly scrape things into the small compost pail which lives in the sink, but that’s it. If something doesn’t get clean first time Who Cares, put it right back in the dishwasher again.
Dishwashers nowadays are much better than they used to be. I don't rinse mine and I run it everyday.
That’s my goal too. I’ve been putting stuff left on the counters from my kids and husband on the stairs. They can’t go up until they put their stuff back.
ID LOVE A MEDIATOR VIDEO!!!!!! i have a friend whose fiance needs to be the mediator between family, while cleaning out his grandparents house for selling...lots of drama and its taken a year so far...I'd love to be able to pass along any wisdom and tipsa
You can take a picture of the sentimental item and keep the photo on a disk or hard drive. Then you will always have it. It takes up less space. Just a thought
I’m curious to watch the process to declutter your sentimental things but I, for one, am not interested in the mediator work. Marie Kondo talks about putting sentimental declutter as your last step for all of the reasons you gave. Find a home for your sentimental items to honour these items while being able to have them in your daily life. I now use some of my sentimental things daily instead of packing it away in a bin or cupboard.
Have you tried fly lady hot spots cleaning? Seems like the island us a hot spot?
Great video!
I admired your practice of tidying before lunch, before dinner and before bedtime (I think that’s right 😃). Is that still a practice in your family?
I think you should categorize all your sentimental stuff, then declutter by category. Only one category per time.
Yes,always put “like” with “like”,then declutter and immediately organize by category.Great method 😁
That app looks amazing! I feel like I'm not having much success in a few areas because I don't have a system set in place to succeed.
That’s currently my bedtime reading.
I would be interested in hearing what the mediator has to say.
I would like to hear more about the mediator
I have such hard a time with the decluttering process. I am ready for less but I struggle with my kids stuff. I leave my husband's stuff alone. My kids are blessed to have a lot of people who love them and gift them things but it becomes overwhelming sometimes. Plus, I struggle with getting rid of toys that I think they may like to play with as they get a bit older.
Love your videos 👍🏻💕☘️
Great video.
Recently Matt Ragland made a beautiful and very inspiring remark. In your review be a reporter instead of a judge he said. And that is the best credo to be kind to yourself. So, dear Erica, be the reporter and feel, really feel, what you already have achieved. 😘, Yelle
It’s awesome that you are using your sentimental,family dishes every day!🙌🏻👏👍
Definitely sold me on reading the book! I am curious about the app is there a free trial version cuz one of my bad habits is consistency with things. so consistently using app Lol . Also I would be curious how that lady helps you process your stuff can you do a video of that?
I’m not sure that mediation is necessary yet. You’ll be amazed how much you’ll get rid of when you go through your sentimental stuff again. It gets easier every time.
And I bet your husband will too.
But do ask your mom if you have to keep every item she ever sewed for you or does she want it back to share with someone else.
Oh that self discipline thing! 🤦♀️ I don’t have a great deal. It’s a muscle that needs regular exercise to build it up. But you have done amazingly well in the last year and a half Erica. So much less stuff to clutter your home and carry from house to house.
As for mediation: sorry to say that would cause even more trouble in my family. I can just hear them being so offended that a stranger should be involved - my parents would go ballistic! A step too far I’m afraid.
I found grouping things and taking pictures of them allowed me to throw many things out. Awards, trophies etc. Once things were grouped I would sometimes just keep one representative item. We had a devastating flood once and I lost a host of sentimental items. Truth be told years later I can only remember one item and I don't really care anymore. I do remember losing all of our shoes. Because we had no shoes.
Isn't that interesting that we really don't care after awhile? All the angst we go through at the time and later, we don't even miss the items.
@@NCweathernice True that, it's just stuff. But I keep my shoes on the top shelf now, never on the floor. My kids are 36 and 40 and they still don't put theirs on the floor either. We remember the time all of our shoes were trashed and we were barefoot.
Less to have to manage!
Sentimental let your camera be your best friend, ten down load on flash drive or back up external drive. So you have the memories without taking up the space.
Try not to worry about setting goal amounts for your sentimental items right now. Sort it first and get rid of what's easy first. You might be surprised how much you are keeping that are essentially or literally duplicates.
Like the rest of your stuff it's not going to be one and done. It's a process. The most important step is starting.
Hey Erica, I would love some creative help from you and your fans!!! What should we do with all of my husband's military trophies??? He's not the type of guy to display them but he also doesn't know how to get rid of them without feeling "wrong" about it. Like sending them to a thrift store isn't something he wants to do because his name is engraved on all of them... but tossing them in the trash doesn't feel good either 😬 HELP! THESE THINGS TAKE UP TOO MUCH SPACE!!! 😭
I would suggest you keep and display any really special/sentimental ones, take photos of the others and donate them to a trophy store or scouts to repurpose. Hope this helps. =)
My advice for sentimental stuff:- all papers -scan it and throw away. Letters, postcards... it will last for ever that way.
-use that grandmas china that you have in sentimenal, but get rid of that scarf, candlestick, pillow... and make a memory photo of the rest of that stuff so when you use that china set you remamber the candlestick
Link for app is not working
But do you find distractions may interrupt with kids or other things.
Absolutely! Andy has said that before, too.