I really like tackling easy items first. I recently found some motivation after visiting a friend's home. Our home was just as cluttered as theirs 4 years ago. During the visit, I felt cramped in a stressful, cluttered home. Now I realize how far we've come. Still more to do but now I can feel the difference.
I was happy that I stopped at a fast food restaurant just to pick up a quick coffee and outside on the bench. There was this homeless lady. She didn't dress really bad. She was still clean and neat, but you could see that she did need some help. And I had a couple pairs of footwear in my trunk to give to the thrift. I asked her what size she wore and it was exact size that was in my trunk. Somebody else had given me the shoes to see if I could give it away. So cinderella was sitting on the bench😂 She was so appreciative because she didn't need the pair boots which were in really good condition and she did need a pair of shoes which also were in really good condition And with the cold coming pretty soon.It will keep her feet really warm.Because they weren't cheap boots.They were good ones and waterproof because my friend always buys good stuff and she's got more money than me😅. But I said to myself, isn't that nice.I just happened to go and have a coffee.And there's a woman outside, and I often say to myself.What's that coincidental? Maybe it was maybe it wasn't. But it sure makes you feel good knowing that you are able to give to somebody in need. Wasn't
I love these God-incidents. “Just happened…” but so often that timing is too impeccable to be coincidence or anything else as they are so perfectly orchestrated 😍 Thanks for sharing ❤
Thanks for the idea! There is an old lady who sits at the entrance of a big shopping plaza with a Habitat for Humanity Restore in it under an umbrella with a card table and what must be her belongings next to her. I don't know why I haven't stopped there before bringing my donations to the "Restore" to see what she might need. But thanks to your post, I will now.
I started with one drawer, one cabinet, one shelf at a time like you suggest and it was so easy. Before I knew it I had empty pieces of furniture and I let those go too. Moved on to closets after that and only 10 hangers at a time not the whole closet. Lastly surfaces and wall decor. Our house breathed a sigh of relief. I go through our whole house at the change of every season to keep up. Now mind you our house was always neat and tidy with a place for everything and everything in it’s place but we had to many things in to many places that were just not necessary. 🩷
I've been needing this video. For me the first step to make sure I really get it done would be 1. Set small fires in various corners of your home, forcing you to place everything on your lawn, and then consciously organize the surviving items back in. It's basically a 2fer.
Great advice. I have always gravitated toward minimalism. Clutter stresses me. Unfortunately, I find myself dealing with decluttering my extended family’s hoarded collection. Wow! This is so much more overwhelming than I realized.
I also gravitate toward minimalism, and now have a decluttered home after tackling my home last year. Like you, I have family (older, single siblings) who are hoarders, and I know that someday I’ll be tackling their homes. It’s a thought I try not to dwell on, but it’s a reality.
I agree I am now in charge of getting rid of my mom's stuff and I have to remind myself that she is 83 years old and she has about 83 years of stuff she has accumulated. It will just take me some time to get rid of it all and cant be done in a day but, I can take it one day at a time in getting rid of her stuff. Thanks for the reminder and the motivation.
I have this built-in storage cupboard that I open with the idea of decluttering it, then promptly close because it's too overwhelming. It's an awkward cupboard filled with a couple of suitcases and bags, spare crockery and cutlery for parties, random jars, linen and bedding, and... STUFF. This is the largest of two cupboards in the entire house, so it's the depository of eveything that has no place. This video has inspired me to tackle it once and for all. ❤
By The Grace of God, He allowed me to SMASH my drcluttering this year!! I did it all on my own (again, by His Grace!) and reduced down to having an incredibly efficient, clean and lovely home. All that, this year, while working a full time job and taking care of my Beloved husband from home, until he passed into The Loving Arms of Jesus in August! To God be all glory and thank you, Joshua for being there for me via your videos and your "Becoming Minimalist" e-letter! I am so blessed to be living with less!! ❤❤❤
Mr. Joshua... I am THERE and I LOVE it! So much....I still watch you motivating videos as you make so much sense! Thank you for EVERYTHING you do; I am SO grateful for the whole world, people who are blessed to discover YOU! Have a lovely week, helene :)
How to motivate the viewers ? With the beauty and the elegance reflecting the value and the quality of the content offered about minimalism ,without any dogmatism . Thank you from the heart .🌈🦋⭐️
Joshua... I just watched "The Story of Stuff"! Depressing... one has to live on the fringes of society in order not to succumb. Perhaps the solution is minimalism, but in every area of life. Only own what is necessary, only eat what is necessary to live, only participate in what is necessary. A lot of decisions have to be made. How possible is that in this mindless world that we live with. The matrix is doing an excellent job... 😢
Totally relate! Getting started with decluttering can feel overwhelming, but the key is taking it step by step. I once felt stuck too, but breaking down the task into manageable parts, like tackling just one drawer at a time, made all the difference. Also, humor helps lighten the mood when I’m feeling frustrated. Sometimes, cracking a joke about how many mugs I don’t need breaks the tension. The Sense of Humor Improvement Program by Habit10x helped me see humor as a motivator in moments like these. You’ve got this-take it slow and enjoy the process!
I think saying decluttering has a “finish line” sets us up for failure and disappointment. Because the creep of items coming into our homes is NORMAL, not a character flaw or lazy. It’s normal and daily. I think we should normalize a decluttering lifestyle and mindset. Throw out “perfectly decluttered, one and done” mindset from our expectation and embrace reality. When we discover an item has come into our home or an item that we now view as clutter - get rid of it, immediately. When I find a pause in my day that I have a minute or 2 or 5, I look around and declutter. As I change seasons I life, I declutter relationships, things, my fantasy self hobbies!! We must face that decluttering is a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, season of life activity- a habit like brushing our teeth. Needing to declutter for the rest of our lives is NOT a failure or a character flaw- it NORMAL, it’s what adults do to keep a peaceful, inspiring, relaxing and easy to maintain home.
It's been a while since I've watched your videos or any declutter ones tbh. I am now at a point where I need to declutter all over again from all of the things we've accumulated in the last year. (By no fault of our own for the most part/unwanted gifts), so here I am to remember what's important. It's hard with young kids, for both the energy and their stuff 😂❤
My husband is a stage 3 hoarder. Yesterday he says he's going to buy nasal decongestant. I say there's some in the bathroom cabinet. He says it's expired, I said let's throw it away. Him: ummm.. not yet. He also is a paper hoarder and his garage is disgusting. This developed over the years, he wasn't like this when we first met.
I'm sorry. My husband is the same. He will find things on the side of the road that look like they can still be used, and then puts it in our house! I will find spatulas in the drawer, blankets in then laundry bin, and junk outside. The hoarding is killing me.
I’ve heard that it is usually a loss that causes hoarding to be triggered. If he wasn’t like that at the beginning of the marriage can you identify if there was a death in the family or big job loss that might have triggered the hoarding. If so, maybe you or a therapist can talk it out with him.
I think everything this man is saying is great and will for sure help me but I only have 8 days to pack n move out???? I'll have to save it n come back :(. Help help I'm in pants c mode. 7:29 7:31
Yup. Dealing with this too. Medications that expired ten years ago, that he’s never used in the 6 years we’ve been together but it can’t be thrown out! Musical instruments, clothing, kitchen gadgets, stuff everywhere that I’ve never seen him use. So frustrating. Such a strain on our mental health ( I think it affects women more than men). But I’m focusing on my own stuff first - I still have a long way to go.
I declutterred and now we bought a house it feel I went the wrong direction. I was so stressful and felt so wrong. My husband did not join my five year minimalist journey he keeps everything I feels since I declutterred I developed in a completely different direction than my husband - buying the house of his mum was his wish we went into debt it is still possible for us to eat enough and live normally but this feels so not right to me as I continued striving for more simplicity- I keep developing into this direction and my husband in another it is very difficult at the moment for me. I would just like to leave this big project and live simpler again my kids love the house but the ways to meet friends are further it is bigger and more to manage - garden etc. I feel really trapped and failed as a minimalist since we saved up so much money we were able to buy that house but I still feel stuck it was so expensive and so much stress
As I have Decluttered in a fairly medium sized house, may be large by standards other than the US, I have found that there is more white space in my house, and therefore in my life. I, like you, wanted to have a smaller space, but it is not really practical with my family size. I have found happiness in the white space that I have created here. I hope you can do the same. :)
Is it possible for you to rent out a portion of your new to you bigger home? You could still reduce it to a smaller space, enjoy the financial assistance of the rent, and still hold the family home?
You can still be a minimalist in a bigger house (as I am). I just so don’t like our big house, but we can’t sell it. So it is what it is. It’s half empty now😂so we can be minimalists in any space I believe. My husband also has and keeps too much of his stuff (he wouldn’t agree with that). But I control my, kids and commom spaces and they’re very minimal. So, don’t be discouraged. Stay minimal and control common areas. Hope it will help. P.S. Also in a big debt, just don’t focus on that. Most important is HEALTH.
Good luck. Sounds like this is a consequence of where you’re in your relationship. Hopefully it was throughly discussed before doing it and now that it’s done, it seems like there’s nothing else to do but give up, unless your husband is willing to sell? But sounds like you’ve already been through a lot. Sending good vibes.
Thank you, brother of another mother! Your excitement, your enthusiasm and your tenacity to help people is the compassion that pays itself and pays forward! Thank you for your empathy and understanding of people and trying to guide them to make themselves better! You’ve succeeded in life would very few get to. And thank you.
Pretend you are helping a friend, except it is your things. This might help you separate the emotional ties and focus on what you really need for your space to be less cluttered and fuction more efficiently. You can do it!
Here's a link to the video, in case it isn't working for others as well: th-cam.com/video/9GorqroigqM/w-d-xo.html
24 วันที่ผ่านมา +1
Thank you for this video Joshua. 🙏 I find it useful and motivating not just for creating a minimalist lifestyle but also for other big projects in my life.
I'm very surprised that you would promote "The Story of Stuff." It's only half the story! Which, of course, they claim to be exposing. We can't afford to be taken in by this one-sided drivel. I have a very high level of respect for you, and I read your newsletters regularly. I have started decluttering! so this piece on motivation is very helpful. But please, people trust you too much to promote half-truths like what is in this video on 'Stuff.'
![สาวเมืองเพชร - ธีเดช ทองอภิชาติ [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kEt7F9PvO3I/mqdefault.jpg)
I really like tackling easy items first.
I recently found some motivation after visiting a friend's home. Our home was just as cluttered as theirs 4 years ago. During the visit, I felt cramped in a stressful, cluttered home. Now I realize how far we've come. Still more to do but now I can feel the difference.
Love the idea of assigning a timeline, like 1 room per week. Very helpful for me. Thanks Josh…
I’m giving myself a goal of getting my apartment fully done by my birthday in January.
In my old age 74. I have only what I need NO XTRAS . I LOVE IT MORE SPACE….Lynn
I was happy that I stopped at a fast food restaurant just to pick up a quick coffee and outside on the bench. There was this homeless lady. She didn't dress really bad. She was still clean and neat, but you could see that she did need some help. And I had a couple pairs of footwear in my trunk to give to the thrift. I asked her what size she wore and it was exact size that was in my trunk. Somebody else had given me the shoes to see if I could give it away. So cinderella was sitting on the bench😂
She was so appreciative because she didn't need the pair boots which were in really good condition and she did need a pair of shoes which also were in really good condition
And with the cold coming pretty soon.It will keep her feet really warm.Because they weren't cheap boots.They were good ones and waterproof because my friend always buys good stuff and she's got more money than me😅. But I said to myself, isn't that nice.I just happened to go and have a coffee.And there's a woman outside, and I often say to myself.What's that coincidental? Maybe it was maybe it wasn't.
But it sure makes you feel good knowing that you are able to give to somebody in need.
Wasn't
Lovely story!
I love these God-incidents.
“Just happened…” but so often that timing is too impeccable to be coincidence or anything else as they are so perfectly orchestrated 😍
Thanks for sharing ❤
Thanks for the idea! There is an old lady who sits at the entrance of a big shopping plaza with a Habitat for Humanity Restore in it under an umbrella with a card table and what must be her belongings next to her. I don't know why I haven't stopped there before bringing my donations to the "Restore" to see what she might need. But thanks to your post, I will now.
I started with one drawer, one cabinet, one shelf at a time like you suggest and it was so easy. Before I knew it I had empty pieces of furniture and I let those go too. Moved on to closets after that and only 10 hangers at a time not the whole closet. Lastly surfaces and wall decor. Our house breathed a sigh of relief. I go through our whole house at the change of every season to keep up. Now mind you our house was always neat and tidy with a place for everything and everything in it’s place but we had to many things in to many places that were just not necessary. 🩷
I've been needing this video.
For me the first step to make sure I really get it done would be 1. Set small fires in various corners of your home, forcing you to place everything on your lawn, and then consciously organize the surviving items back in. It's basically a 2fer.
Great advice. I have always gravitated toward minimalism. Clutter stresses me. Unfortunately, I find myself dealing with decluttering my extended family’s hoarded collection. Wow! This is so much more overwhelming than I realized.
I also gravitate toward minimalism, and now have a decluttered home after tackling my home last year. Like you, I have family (older, single siblings) who are hoarders, and I know that someday I’ll be tackling their homes. It’s a thought I try not to dwell on, but it’s a reality.
I agree I am now in charge of getting rid of my mom's stuff and I have to remind myself that she is 83 years old and she has about 83 years of stuff she has accumulated. It will just take me some time to get rid of it all and cant be done in a day but, I can take it one day at a time in getting rid of her stuff. Thanks for the reminder and the motivation.
I have this built-in storage cupboard that I open with the idea of decluttering it, then promptly close because it's too overwhelming. It's an awkward cupboard filled with a couple of suitcases and bags, spare crockery and cutlery for parties, random jars, linen and bedding, and... STUFF. This is the largest of two cupboards in the entire house, so it's the depository of eveything that has no place.
This video has inspired me to tackle it once and for all. ❤
You got this, friend! 😊🎉🎉
@@lisasoto3425 If you take everything out and put it all in a pile in the middle of the room you'll have to get it done!
By The Grace of God, He allowed me to SMASH my drcluttering this year!! I did it all on my own (again, by His Grace!) and reduced down to having an incredibly efficient, clean and lovely home.
All that, this year, while working a full time job and taking care of my Beloved husband from home, until he passed into The Loving Arms of Jesus in August! To God be all glory and thank you, Joshua for being there for me via your videos and your "Becoming Minimalist" e-letter! I am so blessed to be living with less!! ❤❤❤
I am doing the minimalist 30 days challenge! 💪
Timely video. I have a few days off next week and plan to go through everything and downsize. Thanks-you read my mind! 🤓
As a teacher, I have shown The Story of Stuff to many classes of students. And I agree, it doesn‘t seem to „age“.
Mr. Joshua...
I am THERE and I LOVE it!
So much....I still watch you motivating videos as you make so much sense!
Thank you for EVERYTHING you do; I am SO grateful for the whole world, people who are blessed to discover YOU!
Have a lovely week,
helene :)
How to motivate the viewers ? With the beauty and the elegance reflecting the value and the quality of the content offered about minimalism ,without any dogmatism . Thank you from the heart .🌈🦋⭐️
Just what I needed! Thank you so much!
Once you get your house in order you spend less money 💰 it's truly life changing ❤😊
Yes it is.
Joshua... I just watched "The Story of Stuff"! Depressing... one has to live on the fringes of society in order not to succumb. Perhaps the solution is minimalism, but in every area of life. Only own what is necessary, only eat what is necessary to live, only participate in what is necessary. A lot of decisions have to be made. How possible is that in this mindless world that we live with. The matrix is doing an excellent job... 😢
Small chunks at a time. It is just luke weight loss, financial success, etc. It took awhile to get in this shape and will take time to get out of it.
Totally relate! Getting started with decluttering can feel overwhelming, but the key is taking it step by step. I once felt stuck too, but breaking down the task into manageable parts, like tackling just one drawer at a time, made all the difference. Also, humor helps lighten the mood when I’m feeling frustrated.
Sometimes, cracking a joke about how many mugs I don’t need breaks the tension. The Sense of Humor Improvement Program by Habit10x helped me see humor as a motivator in moments like these. You’ve got this-take it slow and enjoy the process!
The Story of Stuff...wow. Thank you for sharing.
Selling things is the hardest
I think saying decluttering has a “finish line” sets us up for failure and disappointment. Because the creep of items coming into our homes is NORMAL, not a character flaw or lazy. It’s normal and daily. I think we should normalize a decluttering lifestyle and mindset. Throw out “perfectly decluttered, one and done” mindset from our expectation and embrace reality.
When we discover an item has come into our home or an item that we now view as clutter - get rid of it, immediately. When I find a pause in my day that I have a minute or 2 or 5, I look around and declutter. As I change seasons I life, I declutter relationships, things, my fantasy self hobbies!!
We must face that decluttering is a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, season of life activity- a habit like brushing our teeth.
Needing to declutter for the rest of our lives is NOT a failure or a character flaw- it NORMAL, it’s what adults do to keep a peaceful, inspiring, relaxing and easy to maintain home.
I have found myself to be full of fantasy self!
It's been a while since I've watched your videos or any declutter ones tbh. I am now at a point where I need to declutter all over again from all of the things we've accumulated in the last year. (By no fault of our own for the most part/unwanted gifts), so here I am to remember what's important. It's hard with young kids, for both the energy and their stuff 😂❤
Thanks Joshua!
My husband is a stage 3 hoarder. Yesterday he says he's going to buy nasal decongestant. I say there's some in the bathroom cabinet. He says it's expired, I said let's throw it away. Him: ummm.. not yet. He also is a paper hoarder and his garage is disgusting. This developed over the years, he wasn't like this when we first met.
I'm sorry. My husband is the same. He will find things on the side of the road that look like they can still be used, and then puts it in our house! I will find spatulas in the drawer, blankets in then laundry bin, and junk outside. The hoarding is killing me.
I’ve heard that it is usually a loss that causes hoarding to be triggered. If he wasn’t like that at the beginning of the marriage can you identify if there was a death in the family or big job loss that might have triggered the hoarding. If so, maybe you or a therapist can talk it out with him.
I think everything this man is saying is great and will for sure help me but I only have 8 days to pack n move out???? I'll have to save it n come back :(. Help help I'm in pants c mode. 7:29 7:31
Yup. Dealing with this too. Medications that expired ten years ago, that he’s never used in the 6 years we’ve been together but it can’t be thrown out! Musical instruments, clothing, kitchen gadgets, stuff everywhere that I’ve never seen him use. So frustrating. Such a strain on our mental health ( I think it affects women more than men). But I’m focusing on my own stuff first - I still have a long way to go.
@she-ra0622 Did your husband have any type of trauma or major life event that correlates around the time he started hoarding? Just curious....
I declutterred and now we bought a house it feel I went the wrong direction. I was so stressful and felt so wrong. My husband did not join my five year minimalist journey he keeps everything I feels since I declutterred I developed in a completely different direction than my husband - buying the house of his mum was his wish we went into debt it is still possible for us to eat enough and live normally but this feels so not right to me as I continued striving for more simplicity- I keep developing into this direction and my husband in another it is very difficult at the moment for me. I would just like to leave this big project and live simpler again my kids love the house but the ways to meet friends are further it is bigger and more to manage - garden etc. I feel really trapped and failed as a minimalist since we saved up so much money we were able to buy that house but I still feel stuck it was so expensive and so much stress
As I have Decluttered in a fairly medium sized house, may be large by standards other than the US, I have found that there is more white space in my house, and therefore in my life. I, like you, wanted to have a smaller space, but it is not really practical with my family size. I have found happiness in the white space that I have created here.
I hope you can do the same. :)
Is it possible for you to rent out a portion of your new to you bigger home?
You could still reduce it to a smaller space, enjoy the financial assistance of the rent, and still hold the family home?
You can still be a minimalist in a bigger house (as I am). I just so don’t like our big house, but we can’t sell it. So it is what it is. It’s half empty now😂so we can be minimalists in any space I believe.
My husband also has and keeps too much of his stuff (he wouldn’t agree with that). But I control my, kids and commom spaces and they’re very minimal.
So, don’t be discouraged. Stay minimal and control common areas. Hope it will help.
P.S. Also in a big debt, just don’t focus on that. Most important is HEALTH.
Good luck. Sounds like this is a consequence of where you’re in your relationship. Hopefully it was throughly discussed before doing it and now that it’s done, it seems like there’s nothing else to do but give up, unless your husband is willing to sell?
But sounds like you’ve already been through a lot. Sending good vibes.
My motivations: I need more free time and energy for the important things in life & I'm allergic to dust 🤧 😂
"The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak". 😄 But.... we'll get there if we don't give up! ❤🙏😄 Happy Decluttering everybody !! 🌼
Why didn't you put a link to zhe film??? Please add one!
How to start when it's overwhelming and you've no motivation 👉 Just start. Small, anything. Motivation will come.
Now come over to my place and help me!B😊
Thank you, brother of another mother! Your excitement, your enthusiasm and your tenacity to help people is the compassion that pays itself and pays forward! Thank you for your empathy and understanding of people and trying to guide them to make themselves better! You’ve succeeded in life would very few get to. And thank you.
Pretend you are helping a friend, except it is your things. This might help you separate the emotional ties and focus on what you really need for your space to be less cluttered and fuction more efficiently. You can do it!
It seems impossible! It helps to look at it one step at a time
Possible yes
Sustainable??
work on visible clutter first
I dont see a link to the video the story of stuff anywhere 🤔
Here's a link to the video, in case it isn't working for others as well: th-cam.com/video/9GorqroigqM/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for this video Joshua. 🙏
I find it useful and motivating not just for creating a minimalist lifestyle but also for other big projects in my life.
I do get things out. I get more. So I'm not actually getting less n less. Staying the same at best. Any ideas folks?
He says number 1....and then it skips to this add....if you have a car the number one mistake is paying for car insurance 😆 I was like what???? 😆
Hi
I am 83 years old, it is hard for me to get rid of things😢
I'm very surprised that you would promote "The Story of Stuff." It's only half the story! Which, of course, they claim to be exposing. We can't afford to be taken in by this one-sided drivel. I have a very high level of respect for you, and I read your newsletters regularly. I have started decluttering! so this piece on motivation is very helpful. But please, people trust you too much to promote half-truths like what is in this video on 'Stuff.'
The best way to get motivated to remove your clutter is to move! 😅
How to tell a parent who lives with you to declutter? 😢
It’s so worth the time and energy on the other side of decluttering! 🤍