THANK YOU for watching...we really (really!) appreciate it :) you can see my filing system and broad categories here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fZpghZmn0LeXlp8.html ❤️ Dawn

It may not be glamorous but these ARE the kind of decluttering videos I love to watch!

She's so relatable. Most of the challenges she has, I have. I am binge watching her videos to help me get into the mindset.

Oh my gosh! I have been putting off a couple of rooms that need to be decluttered. Every day I ask myself, "WHY do I keep putting this off!? It doesn't have to be a big deal!" And then I go sit on the couch!

I love the "If I forgot about it once I'll forget about again" way of thinking; brilliant!

It was nice to see that you have those real problems even though you are my minimalist role model. With those receipts, it’s like you “fell off the wagon”. It helps me know that you’re real.

I'm sure you've heard "Begin. The rest is easy." I have found that to be true. Often, the hardest part for me is just starting. Once I start a project, I usually find that it isn't so very hard and I don't want to stop until it is all done!

Setting a timer is my favorite trick! I can do anything for ten minutes!

My motto for donating is “Bless someone else.” Why keep something I don’t need or want? I imagine in my mind that person that receives my donation will be happy and blessed by it. Makes me donate items without regrets and I find it’s easier to let go of the clutter in my life.

Hooray!!! I’m ready for a good Declutter now!! This is the hoarder’s achilles’ heel!! Overwhelmed, anxious, depressed and scared!! But you can overcome those emotions!! We keep each up encouraged and uplifted in this decluttering journey 🌟🌟🌟

I'm selling my home a year sooner than expected due to the pandemic, so I need to hurry & declutter and stage it. Thank God I've been watching your videos!

Thank you, Dawn. This really helps. This is my house. This makes so much sense to me, because I already create piles of like things. And this is where I get stalled. I either have to stop for something else, don’t have a home for something or just lack the motivation.

Ive been minimalizing for quite a few years. Moving definitely helps. I sold my house in Florida 2014, only kept what fit in my car. Moved to Oregon and didnt stay long and moved again. Finally got an apartment and started buying furniture again. Moved to a house and and bought more to fill the space, first mistake. Then decided I’d move and rent a room with friends, my dog had to be put to sleep. Went back to my old house and purchased bedroom furniture back from the new owner, it was my grandparents, mistake again, sentimental. Finally after a year had to move from the room and sold the furniture, and moved to another friend’s not wanting be be on a lease, now in Georgia beautiful farm,but not practical for me. Right as Covid struck here i was able to rent a really affordable place in Texas. Still keeping minimal has been the best for me. I’m single with a small dog. This isn’t for everyone, but for this 63 year old woman its good.

How come we rarely recall bringing all this stuff into our homes😂

I realized that I have been at the declutter process for 3+ years and i am learning the issue arises I organize the clutter....I call my issue "CLUTTERIZING" I could not make that decision so i would organize it....I have gotten rid of stuff BUT I still am dealing with too much for our small place..I believe in the book it talks about what our containers (House or Apt) what we really can hold and my apt is small meaning my container can't hold items from 1200 sq ft when we moved 3 years ago into the 950 sq ft. The good part is we did not rent a storage unit and i refuse to do that anymore (did it in the past and was laughing at your video of emptying a storage space). Best thing I learned today is not missing the random stuff and tossed the never used car chargers for prior cell phones that i no longer have....Thanks Dawn.

THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS!!! I won't twist my ankle anymore trying to get to my desk!! 😁😘

You are adorable, then you put your glasses on and look a whole other kind of gorgeous. ☺️ Thank you for making this video. Sharing the "why" and feelings behind keeping things and putting off these tasks is really helping me! I come from a long line of hoarders and the older I get, the harder it is to 1. Stop keeping things (like trash to turn into treasure. It never becomes treasure!) and 2. Get rid of things. Oh! And I love the way you say the word "important". Thanks again!

I love that even you have some messy areas. Thanks for sharing

Dawn - THANK YOU for sharing your "junk room" with us!!! I'm almost a year into my decluttering and minimalism and so I find I still have stuff laying around. Your house always looks so put together that I was wondering what I'm doing wrong. It helped to see that clutter happens in your house still too. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I feel, well, normal now. Great news for my family is my husband took the plunge recently too!! He has been going through all his paper clutter and hoarding be habits in the garage. It's really making a difference! Thanks again for your upbeat personality, lovely family, and your willingness to show us the the "ugly" parts too. I love your channel! God Bless ❤️

I found your channel minutes ago and I knew this is the one I can relate too. Due to health issues i allowed my apartment especially the bedroom to become junky and filthy. My pastors said on several occasions that clutter attracts unclean spirits , cluttered thoughts and other negativity. Despite being in much pain I made a vow to myself and to God I would declutter/clean up to 1 hour per day for a week. I kept that vow and did over 20 hours Setting goals is key and the amount of trash i tossed out was staggering. I made huge progress and never want to live in clutter/filth again.

I was overwhelmed with decluttering business inventory. I tackled about 1/3 and stopped for a couple of months. Just went and dealt with another 1/3 mostly alone and it feels so awesome!! When I feel stuck or not motivated, I look for Dawn's videos, since she still declutters - real and practical! Thank you so much!!

I just had a vision of archaeologists of in theyear 2120 finding plastic containers with 'random stuff 2020' and thinking they had found treasure. But the boxes still end up going into a museum! Must remember to purge containers :-)

Thank you! I love seeing that you still have some of those spaces and times when things are not decluttered. It helps me to know that 8 months in, it is okay to still have spaces that get cluttered again after I declutter them and it is okay to NOT be finished with decluttering my house. I so appreciate you!

Loved this practical handson lesson. Now for those of us with tons of "homeless" items, please show us similar start to finish process. This unglamorous approach works!

Love this! It shows how, no matter how far along we are in our decluttering, there is always more to do😆 Thank you for being so relatable. Much love❤️

This was one of my favorite videos you've made. Thank you! The overwhelming feeling for me comes from all the tedious decisions involved in decluttering. It tires my brain. You really broke this down nicely and made decisions for me in how to tackle it. Also, it was gratifying to watch you organize and then to show the final results of your labor! Vicarious tidying satisfaction! 😘 Dawn, thank you for continuing to put out regular quality videos. I assume there's a whole lot of time and energy and prep that goes on in producing all of your content. You are so appreciated!! 💕

Everything is so true! Once I get started it's so much easier. And passing stuff on that just doesn't fit our lives anymore is so smart. How much stuff did I keep that is now too old or damaged to be passed on, could have been a blessing to someone? I'm learning!

Ugh I worked so hard on the main areas of my home that now my bedroom is feeling more like a storage unit. So overwhelming and I do keep putting it off. Needed this push and motivation to get it DONE!!! Thanks so much.

I've only been putting off decluttering and organizing for close to 10 years. After watching this video, I feel very positive and motivated. Thank you! So happy to be one of your subscribers!

It's really hard to throw away those first few things, especially if they're sentimental. But once I get past that, I'm much more comfortable with it.

The bin for stuff that belongs in another room is my favorite trick. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only mom that gets distracted and doesn't go back to what I was doing otherwise!

Thanks for showing your real mess, and not just a perfectly clean home.

I have been working on to Declutter for years & I get “decision fatigue” so fast!! One area I am doing better is my clothing...the rest...I’ve barely put a dent in... Paper clutter has always been bad for me...so funny I’ve procrastinated my area of paper for almost a week & decided to tackle it & that is when I like to watch a lot of videos...this one popped up & im like...Yes!!!

I’ve heard you mention on a few videos ‘I know it’s not glamorous’- but I just want to say it IS glamorous, in its own way. It leads to a more peaceful spot. seeing reality instead of just the big ‘pretty spots’ redone is SO helpful. I hate doing desk areas, so for me- this super inspiring.

Ok so I'm watching this and at this very moment I have a pile of my own that I've been putting off going thru. I'm gonna do it tomorrow but I may need to watch this video again for the motivation to do it.

Thank you so much for this video. Your authenticity is refreshing. FOR RECEIPTS: I keep two cosmetic zippered pouches in my tote bag. One for business one for personal expenses. When I purchase something the receipt goes into my wallet then right into personal pouch or business pouch. This makes taxes really easy. And returns a breeze. Avalible at Dollar store. Choose two different colors. At end of year I put a label on them and file in family file. Also works for Design projects or home remodels. Thank you for your videos. I am sending love and hugs from Washington State, USA, Jeanne of In Loving Hands and ASMR

All great tips. I suffer from depression, so I let things go and then become overwhelmed. One thing I do now is to make a list. I will stand and look in a room and divide it into small "jobs" and place them on a to-do list. For instance, a kitchen list would be clean the microwave, clean the fridge, clean the top of the fridge, mop the floor, etc. Attacking small areas/jobs takes away the problem of freezing and doing nothing because of feeling overwhelmed and crossing each item off the list gives a feeling of accomplishment (especially when you finally finish the entire room list, then start fresh!) Make one for each room, bounce from room to room day to day at your own pace and pretty soon, you don't get a single room so neglected that it becomes overwhelming ever again. You can do one thing from one room a day or one thing from each room in a day: YOU choose. It works because even just a single something does get done every day. You are in control now.

I like your painting better than the wallpaper in the corner

I happened upon your channel totally by accident, but now I'm binge watching your videos. They have made me feel like I can actually do this. I was actually forced to start with my garage three weeks ago when our HOA parking guidelines changed, which required us to have two vehicles in our garage. So we embarked on an (overwhelming) task to clean out the garage to make way for another vehicle. It has taken awhile, but I can't believe all the stuff we either gave away or threw away. I'm still not done yet, but I have to say that about 70% of the stuff that was in there is gone so far. I bought storage racks at Costco to house the stuff we're keeping to get everything off of the ground, and in the process of putting stuff on the new shelving, I got rid of even more stuff. And then I took a photo of two cars, actually in the garage...the first time it's happened in 23 years. Wahoo! I was hot and sweaty, but felt very accomplished. Can't wait to learn more from your videos, so thanks for sharing your journey and tips, and for the encouragement!

Thank you for showing a REAL room thats actually cluttered like normal folks! Working on my house after a birthday last night

That was excellent! I am also a minimalist and it's been so long since I had any big piles of clutter, (kids all gone so it's all much easier with just my husband and me) that I felt overwhelmed just looking at your stuff and couldn't think what I would tell someone to do first, second and third! But you nailed it!

We build confidence as we go.... that’s SO wise!!! I was always stalling and now I think I know why. Thank you! The random stuff bin is GOLD

Yesss Dawn that's me. I open my closets and it terrifies me and I say "HOW CAN I DO THIS" I have taken MANY big bags to Goodwill but nothing ever looks different. I guess it's because I must have WAY TOO MUCH STUFF that I don't notice any difference. I love when you show the overview of your house because it looks sooo nice and neat. Are you still planning on coming somewhere near New York City ? Although I'm more like Tom, I'm sooo not a social person and super private I would make an exception for you 😊.

Awww Dawn, not long ago you had that "Love Beyond Measure" hanging in your bedroom and I thought it was so sweet!

A re-homing bin. So simple, so genius! I always get distracted if I leave the room I am working on!

I struggle to get started because I look at the mess and realize what a failure I’ve been. I work so hard to get a space clean, then within a few days it’s a complete overwhelming disaster again. Why bother spending all that cleaning time if I’m just in a perpetual messy cycle? It’s frustrating and feels like a waste of time. I also like to think that minimalism and declutter will help me prevent the big messes in the first place, but honestly seeing videos of you (a pro) still struggling with mess really disheartens me. Not that it’s anything bad on you, it’s just my own faulty thinking that “if even the pros can’t prevent mess, neither can I so why bother.” I have it in my head that it’s “all or nothing.” I know that’s illogical reasoning, but it’s where I’m at. 😞 Thanks for your videos though, I’m trying to overcome my stuckness and I think your videos are helping.

You make it seem approachable and your knowing and supportive laugh puts those at ease. Thanks

I love the freedom this way of thinking brings. Thank you, so much for sharing the process and the great questions that we can be asking ourselves while organizing.

I was hoping for something like this 🥰 my home office/stash room need declutter and I've been avoiding it because it seems like a huge task, thanks for proving me it is not.

It is definitely HELPING for those who didn't had the parents/auntie/grandma's teaching us how to do things. Also the more you want to be clean inside ... the more you dont feel comfortable in a unclean place. This year it feels like everyone is on a journey to make life more bearable. So greateful for thie inside, Thanks.

I love the quote you stumbled on when cleaning! This procrastinator can for sure relate!!

I think what makes your videos so great and fun to watch, other than the fact that you are so bright and happy, is that you cut to other videos of slides of things, vs just sitting there and talking! It keeps me engaged! Thanks so much for your amazing work! I'm sooo inspired by you!

Another great video! 😊 I used to have the same system for filing. (Pile it up and eventually get to it lol) I also used to use the same container for filing my documents. I went through the bin and got rid of 90% of the stuff that was in it. I bought a binder and some dividers and made sections. I like this way much better because in case of an emergency it is less to carry but has all of the important documents easily accessible. I know this won’t work for everyone but it really has helped me.

I’ve been waiting for your video today so I just started watching an old one.

Thank you for the many reminders. Totally agree with the 'if you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting if off' idea! Instead of 'shuffling around' and wondering where to put things, I need to ask myself: 'Is it worth making a home for?' Hopefully this will help me let go of more stuff. And good reminder to say if you've 'forgotten' it once... I also need to 'deal with the piles' (of paperwork) and 'finish strong'. And to remember that it's lovely to clear a flat surface - and then keep it that way, as a 'reminder space'. Thank you again.

The Random Stuff box idea is awesome! Some days my brain works better than others, and that is a tip that I can use on my not-so-good-brain days (like today). I just cleared out a drawer in my kitchen: something like 50% of the things got put where they belong, 10% of the things are in the donate bag, 10% thrown away, and the rest are now in a random stuff box, that's a lot more done than nothing, and I have some clear space and a sense of accomplishment. Done is better than Perfect! (which is shorthand for: done now is better than not done because it's not gonna be perfect so why even start, or I'm having a hard time doing this, so I should stop altogether). I also LOVE the idea "If I forgot I had this, I'll forget it again" so I should get rid of it. That is gonna be a game-changer for me, too!

Thank you for posting this “simple” video. Papers and such have been one of my challenges, probably I am not alone. And this is encouraging and practical.

It’s all so true. I think our mood is also a factor in getting motivated. Some days, we get up and things just groove. Other days we can dwell in the mire of our clutter and nothing seems to move. Some people believe that moon phase is also a contributing factor. And boy oh boy am I ever with you on the “don’t leave the room to put something away due to distraction.” That is a sure fire way to treadmill your success. People should watch your videos over their early morning coffee; it’ll motivate their day to - clutter. Excuse me while I tackle mine!!!👍🏻

Your channel has inspired me! I want to move towards minimalist, definitely declutter. I live with my mom and she is a bit of a hoarder, and the clutter overwhelms me on a daily basis. I have been trying to help her with her health and with getting her house under control. I didn't even know where to start. Watching your channel has given me hope! Thank you!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I really needed to see this! I'm one who tends to procrastinate with the excuse that it feels too overwhelming. Today I am going to tackle just one space! I will set the timer and I will group like things! ♥️

Thank you for sharing your experience with us! I feel confident about decluttering without the aid of vodka!🍸😹

One thing that I suppose saddens me about minimal living is this example. When I lived at home with my mum I had some things that meant alot to me. A pair of gold and white shoes, a skirt and jacket suit that I bought in Covent Garden, London. A barbie horse with a broken leg and a few other things. My mum threw them all out. These things had such great memories for me, they meant nothing personally or emotionally to her but they held different stages of my life in them, memories of those years growing up. I think they could have all fitted in one plastic storage box. But her minimal mind just got rid of them, they were unnecessary. This is what worries me when I see children growing up in minimal homes xxx

Homeless stuff... Feel like I've been working on that for years. Stuff I shouldn't really throw away because I'll just end up buying it again. A curtain rod that needs to get put back up after I figure out how to fix the hole in the wall. So many things waiting for me to figure out how to fix, buy the supplies, and do it when I won't be accidentally dropping a tool on my kid's heads. 🤕 Paper looks overwhelming pretty quick, because 1 inch of paper looks like 100 decisions. But it was nice to see an actual mess in your house. Dawn isn't perfect. 🤫🤯😱. 😉. I have several spots in my house that regress to this within 1 day to 1 week, even though I throw a lot of it away. That part is discouraging. Between kids crafts and mom (me) not really owning an office spot, it's hard to have a working paper system. (My husband has his own office, and my kids keep taking over mine... even tho they have their own.)

life happens, and things pile up during construction projects. give yourself grace. and good for you for taking us into this office area.

Thank you, needed this one week into moving into a new house, hubby new job, new state, and a new 7 week old, our third child, everything feels a bit overwhelming. Just needed reminding that little bites make a difference! Also, Dawn, You made a difference in our life when our second child was born, and I was feeling overwhelmed trying to "manage" our house, let alone struggling to maintain the basics...then, welcome minimal mom! Blessings on you and yours Dawn!

Ah, the timer. It's gold. I can't tell you how many times I've been AMAZED at what I can accomplish in 15 minutes.

What!? YOU had a messy spot?! Loved the video. So true. Any flat surface in my house becomes a stuff magnet. So the last couple of weeks I’ve been going thru 5 huge totes of misc stuff. Mostly papers. Deferred sorting, filing, opening. A lot of my mom’s paperwork I kept after her funeral. To keep from getting overwhelmed, I left the totes in the dining room then brought out about 5” stack at a time to my desk. I brought in two tall trash bins. One for recycling and one for shredding, and a small box for stuff I needed to keep. So I got 4 totes done then stalled on the last one. Mostly checking account statements and old checks. The former me dreaded the thought of having to sort and file them like I would in the past. Then for two nights I had a discussion with myself asking when have I ever needed to pull an old check. So today I dumped the whole lot in the shred box. (My work hosts free shred days for the community, so I save up boxes in my garage to take.) I can’t believe I actually dumped everything. I asked what would Dawn do?! Thanks for the help!!! It’s gonna be great to not keeping moving those totes around. Thanks again!!! 💜 - em

Your "Declutter with me" videos are so helpful! My desk and my craft room are the two messes I've had a mental struggle tackling. I literally cleaned my desk while watching you tackle your own desk. Really helpful tips and questions that I can apply to other areas of my home (and mind) that I'm working on de-cluttering. Thanks for your openness and sharing your journey.

I love Dawn & have learned smart, practical but most of all EASY ways to keep my house tidy. Thank you Dawn, you are a pleasure to learn from.

My dumping ground is my "office". I quit working two years ago and the space has become a place to shove things, close the door and forget about for awhile. I have returns, file boxes, donations, hand soaps/air fresheners?!?! I need to deal with most of it and find homes for the others. I needed to watch this video to get motivated. Thanks!

Great advice Dawn! Love your common sense approach!💗🙏💗

Love your videos! Before finding your channel, I made two passes through my home. The first was cathartic - I took a garbage bag and just walked around, pawing through drawers and closets and cabinets, throwing away SO much stuff! Since then I did another layer and reorganized all cabinets and drawers. Now I am on pass 3 and see there is a lot more I could have gotten rid of on pass 2 - I should have said “out” to many more items than I did - particularly in my closet. So many things I left in the closet last time because I just could not cut the cord! I ended up pitching them this time around because those clothes just sat there unworn for months. I am nowhere near a minimalist,” but your tips are still so helpful to me in making our home a haven instead of a stress chamber.

Homeless stuff is definitely a problem. It took me a long time to realize how much this contributed to my clutter dilemma. It's still a problem because I just can't seem to find a good home for certain things, and if I have learned one thing from decluttering, it's that out of sight/out of mind is not a good policy.

Love that you show the reality of systems having to be redone it is what it is.

You’re the best Dawn!!! You have such a gift of communicating complex ideas in a simple way. And empowering others to believe in themselves and take action.

I watch this one over and over again,it helps to supports me a lot! Thanks Dawn!

So, while watching this I pulled open a drawer that I have been putting off reorganizing and decluttering!!! In the remainder time I had listening to you, I tidied up the drawer and FINALLY dealt with it. Funny thing was, once I lifted up a book that was covering the contents of the drawer and looked underneath it, the actual drawer contents covered by the book (which I just kept shoving in there on the top) was really not that bad. Took a few minutes to “touch up” and its done!!! Thanks for sharing your information. I am slowing getting it done and I enjoy your company along the way.

Been putting off my closet, but we are going away for a week so... Today is the day ! So far 2 huge trash bags and more to go. Found clothes i forgot about some went in trash bag to donate😊i will have to go through again after we get back to get rid of more. But so far It's getting better and of course I have been listening to your videos in background to keep me going. Thank you Dawn! You are such a great help and encouragement to me. Can't wait to enjoy yours and Diana 5 days for Christmas while I'm on vacation!

Wow, amazing. I also got rid of my desk and it works ! I have a Sunday basket, a file bin, and that’s it ! Love it.

Thank you!! I’m heading to the kitchen to declutter my “office” cupboard that I’ve been avoiding.

I just found your channel a few weeks ago. I've been binge watching ever since. It's helpful to know that even after years of minimalism you can still fall into old patterns and then can still git er dun. The problem with binge watching you is......I'M NOT GETTING ANYTHING DONE. LOL

As always, so enjoy your encouragement! Happy decluttering!

Thank you. Been decluttering for a few years. It keeps looking better. 🙂

I sure wish I was more like you!! I am not organized in the least. I have never really been organized. When I start cleaning or clearing, I end up going from one room to another. Oh this goes in the bedroom, oh this goes in the bathroom and so on and so on. I not a hoarder yet, but if I don't do something soon. My vehicle has stuff all over the floor in the back. When you have back problems and you also have a handicap hubby, well, let's just say that nothing ever gets done. You're awesome!! I can't seem to through ANYTHING away. God bless you and your family

Love the piles first part so that I can make things tidier faster! Thanks Dawn!! I always learn something from your videos!

I'm going to re-watch this so that I can take notes on some of those key points you made. They really made me nod my head in agreement when you said them. Great job on the room. Can't wait to see what you do with it in the Fall.

This was extremely helpful!!! Very real-life. You touched on so many problems I usually run into when trying to declutter. THANK YOU! Your videos have seriously changed my life!!!💞

So glad to see that even you have a room like this! My house is thoroughly minimized and easy to keep up with in most rooms, except for our office and guest room! They become the dumping grounds for “homeless stuff” and in progress projects because we can shut there door and not have it in the way daily! It’s amazing how quickly it builds up, how daunting it feels, and how quickly you can actually clean it up once you get started. Thanks for motivating me!

This is so helpful! Thank you. The random stuff is definitely the hardest to deal with.

One thing I do try to do is keep as much as possible out of the landfill. If I don't want it in my space I ask 2 questions before putting it into the trash. 1) "Can it be recycled?" Were those rocks in the plastic soda pop bottle? The bottle can be recycled (& rocks returned to the garden). 2) "Can anyone else use it?" I'd have put the random stuff in the donation pile. The glasses case, kids' crafty stuff, and pen all looked like they were in good shape. Your videos are inspiring and motivating. Thank you for making them. Since my mother moved in with us (6 months ago) I have many places that need decluttering.

Thanks Dawn. Removing the things that go somewhere else, and returns is key. I force myself to process returns immediately because I’ve been guilty of letting them stockpile because I just didn’t want to deal with it. Now I remind myself, I get my money back if I do this one thing now.

It may not be glamorous but it's real life and exactly what I've been thru. Thank you so much for this video! Very motivating

Very encouraging dawn! I really love seeing your space that needs decluttering as it helps me to realise I’m not alone and that it actually doesn’t take long to sort things. So Thankyou for the inspiration!

“So thats been working really well...that I just dont have a desk.” 😂

Really have a woop moment when I see a new video has arrived! Awesome advice as usual, thanks Dawn🤩

I’m so thankful and happy that I found you!!! I epically failed the Kondo method and that really set me back and made my depression worse. I got to the point where I didn’t want to even get out of bed to face the “ultimate mess” where at least prior to Kondo I was getting up and trying! What the Kondo method fails to take into consideration that your method does is that there are people out there that suffer from chronic health issues. I have multiple autoimmune disorders and get easily tired or run down and I have to watch myself carefully to not overdo things or allow myself to become overwhelmed by stress. I can flare up as a result of extremely stressful situations that could result in 6 months to a year of in and out of hospital stays (at my worst flare up I found myself in the ICU fighting for my life and that time was some of my family’s most scary times. I actually ended up coding in the ER and my life was hanging on by a very thin thread. This was not related to a messy house and the Kondo method!) I eventually got my “Kondo mess” cleaned up (probably not to her standards and it definitely has not stayed clean and organized like she claims that her method will do, but I will not be applying the “Kondo Crazy Clean and Organizing ways” to my life ever again!!) and I am ready to jump back into the game again, but this time I do believe I am going to use “The Minimalist Mom” method maybe a little modified to fit my individual need to make one trip to my car and the shed to conserve energy (so I may have a tiny little “collection mess” for a minute) but I know that it will get taken out and I will be able to see actual progress and not the mountain of disappointment and failure if I can’t finish my project in 1 day (like you have with “Kondo.” The mess “looks” at you and was my constant reminder of what I couldn’t do and how I epically failed and that I was an epic failure and disappointment. I was ashamed and embarrassed.) I just need you to now tell me the secret to keeping my husband and my 3 kids (they are definitely old enough to participate and to keep up with the work that I do get accomplished and not be “wreck it Ralph’s” at the ages of 18 and she’s a pre-med student (that both my husband and I are so proud of ) on a scholarship that my husband and I don’t want her to worry about working for now and to just focus on her grades and the 2 (yes she only has 2 years of a 4 year undergraduate degree left and she graduated high school in May), 17 and a Senior in high school (that will also be following in his sister’s footsteps with needing just 2 years to complete a 4 year degree, and he has potential to either go pro out of high school and play at the MLB level or for a AAA team that MLB pulls from or to play at the university- not junior college level baseball as a pitcher with an average of 88mph pitch that has a wicked 55/60mph curve or slider and he can also play a mean short stop and right field- sorry Proud Mom moment) so he still has to live with us for at least this next year until he decides if he is going off or staying local for college, and the 10 year old, so he has to live at home still and this year with the covid virus it’s looking like he will be homeschooled either by my choosing or by our district being one of the few smart districts in “the land of Oz” to be providing the option as an alternative to in face/in class learning for their students, how to keep them in line and on board with helping or at least maintaining the clutter minimum lifestyle I am adopting?! HELP ME PLEASE AND THANK YOU 🙏🏼

Hi Dawn, thank you for the great example. So much encouraging. 😄🙂👌👵

Yay for decluttering inspiration and support! It's been an ongoing journey, and we've made lots of headway. There are still some deeper archives that need to be cleared out and refreshed. Thanks, Dawn! Your cheerful, humorous, encouraging demeanor is the best!

I started cleaning an area that was a dumping ground. I kept asking myself "Did I know this was in here?" If the answer was no, I trashed or donated it. Yes meant more questions. Do I still want or need it and where is its home! Thanks for the motivation and tools to get a lot done!

You are SO sweet, so helpful and SO motivating! You have just inspired me to go dig through a couple big boxes of papers I have on a desk in my spare room. Although it's out of sight, it's always in the back of my mind - I want it GONE but haven't known where to start - it's like the great abyss! Thanks for the inspiration to just GET STARTED, to put like things with like, get a garbage bag, and make some simple broad files! I can DO this - thanks to YOU!!