No Keep Box! Do NOT Use this Common Decluttering Device
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- I mean, do whatever you want. But if you are trying to follow my progress-and-only-progress, No Mess Decluttering Method, do not use a Keep Box.
Mentioned:
My new book, Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control: www.aslobcomes...
If you've ordered it before January 11, 2022, fill out the form here to get your Decluttering Flow Chart: www.aslobcomes...
Dana, you really deserve an award. I have watched so many organizing, cleaning and decluttering videos… You are the only one who makes sense to me. May your success only keep growing. 🙏
I cannot say how invaluable your point is about not making things a worse mess for those of us with limited energy or stamina. This holds me back often so I embrace your method wholeheartedly!
I don't know whether you write those funnies at the end, or whether Reid does, or you do a bit of both, but they make me laugh! I hope they continue (at least for as long as it doesn't feel like a chore)!
I'm also one of those folks. I love the idea of actually making progress according to when and how I can work.
Such a good point! I have limited, variable energy and once I sorted a bunch of things in my living room (from boxes from moving 6 years before) and lived with keep boxes in my living room for months before I could actually deal with the items. Most ended up being donated.
The description box is so good😂😂 This part of your method has been the most influential for me, because of being able to stop at any time. I can work for short bursts, my family can interrupt me, the space isn’t going to be worse than I started. I had made me feel so much more capable!
Agreed. If I only deal with one item, I’m better off. No messes or double decisions on one item.
Putting items in black bags or sealing up the boxes works really well for me. My dad keeps looking thru the charity shop boxes in the garage and bringing things back in! Then he gives the stuff to my daughter’s kids! = vicious cycle!
I had a bunch of "keep boxes" stored in the rafters of my garage. My mom had boxed things up from my grandmother. After 15 years, I decided Enough Already! Luckily the stuff was not destroyed by bugs or water and was still good for giving away. My son expressed to me how grateful he was that I took care of it and didn't pass a bunch of keep boxes on to him to deal with. Dana, you make so much sense! I love you for it!
You hit upon the weakness of most decluttering and organization videos: most of them advocate shoving stuff into boxes, followed by shoving those boxes onto shelves or some newly created or purchased storage. The hoarding is never addreed.
I LOVE this concept! I used your flow chart (excellent) and added a “take it there now” for the bags of donations. I did the decluttering for 30 minutes WITHOUT MY HUSBAND AROUND and then took them with me on my errands. Why? Because my husband goes through the donation bags and cross-examines me about the stuff or I leave it my trunk until I have filled it up with donations. I use black trash bags to put the donations in tied with about ten knots as a deterrent too.
lol
All great ideas 😁😁😁😁
🤣that is so funny! My husband was ok with what I was doing as long as I didn't touch his stuff. So I didn't. Then behold, he actually got rid of a few of his things anyway. 👍
Agghhhh!!! No kids around, too!!! Haha😂
"If you're putting things into a keep box, you're putting them into a procrastination station." -Dana K. White
I love what you said. It completely boils it down.
As a perfectionist, using this approach freed me to actually make progress, not procrastinate forever til I could do the perfect thing.
And great point at the end - containers are one thing (eg a plastic tub dedicated to kid's artworks with a dedicated location in a closet, etc), keep boxes are different - really, they are just clutter hidden in a box.
SO true -- clutter hidden in a box :P
Yes! Clutter hidden in a box! I had a lot of that! Been decluttering for a month now. It's awesome to get free of a lot of things. I'm still finding random things that I just toss in the trash. A lot of cleaning is revealing to me just what I am able to manage. I'm nearly 60 and I can't manage what I used to. Dana K White and The Minmal Mom has been very helpful to me.
I think this is the key to doing it without making a bigger mess. When my energy is depleted I'm actually done. Nothing else to do
I have hired organizers who have pulled everything out of a room with the typical "it always looks worse before it looks better." And then they left me with "homework" keep boxes that stayed in my hallway FOREVER. Your system is SO much simpler and it really does make things only BETTER! THANKS, Dana! Amazon says my copy of the new book comes on Tuesday. Can't wait!
When I watch Hoarders, I shudder when they leave the mess and depend on the hoarder, who has no skills, to do the "homework."
@@lindamusser7370 I feel so bad for those people. It's definitely hard to watch. They need Dana!
Saaame here!!!!!!!
@@lindamusser7370 I have been trying to declutter for years, including having the help of hired professionals. I've kind of given up after ultimately it seems like I have just spread or moved the clutter, not actually made any real progress. I had basically given up, but something made me watch this video; and I'm hoping maybe I'll have better luck with this lady's system.
@@scoobydadog246 never, never, never give up! I've struggled with hanging on to things for years. I've read books and watched videos. I'm getting better and better. Slow and steady.
It was Dana who finally inspired me to get stuff OUT of our home and not just stuff-shift. Our basement and my craft area look SO much better!
Yes! Mental note: "Final destination" is sooooo freeing.
"Keep box" is self-induced stress/frustration at a later date... for. the. rest. of. my. life.
Make that choice TODAY and be better💗🤗
Thank you, Dana!
OH MY GOSH!!! YOU ARE RIGHT!! My house is FILLED WITH KEEP BOXES THAT I WILL NEED TO GO THROUGH AGAIN!! 😫😫😫
When I first picked up your book “Decluttering At The Speed Of Life”, I had no idea the change it would bring in my life and home. My first “AHA” moment was establishing a home for every item I touched and then taking it there NOW! What a game-changer for me! It made everything fall into place and definitely changed how I decluttered from that point on. While watching this video, I remember going through box after box of stuff…all my prior “keep” boxes that were never given a final sort because I would be too exhausted from decluttering to sort through the final box. I cannot wait for your next book to come out and have another “AHA” moment as I still have so much to learning! Thank you Dana!!
I've been using your method this week preparing room for our new baby. Having to take things all over the house while 40 and pregnant has been exhausting, but its nice that when I've had too much I can stop and my space is cleaner. I also dont have that keep box hanging over my head of something else to get done.
I love this! It is so amazing how it's actually helpful EVEN when you're so exhausted. Congratulations on the new baby!!!
I totally understand your reasoning for a keep Box not being necessary. However, after 2 surgeries in the past 5 years and of course aging, I am mobility impaired. As a result, I do still use a keep box so that when I'm done decluttering an area, I can go through the Box and pick out everything for each room and only have to go to that room once vs. maybe 10 times. I have a limited amount of time that I can be on my feet and active, So I have to Find ways to cut down the amount of time I spend standing or walking. In the end, I can get more done this way.
I know she's said if taking things around the house later works for you, then great, don't change what's working.
But her method can guarantee it's always better and never making a worse mess 💜
The kitchen is my husband's domain (Yay!) When we decluttered it, we placed what he was unsure about on a large blanket in the middle of the dining room floor. His choice was to decide by the end of the day, or live with stepping over and around those items until a decision was made. We quickly had our dining room back and, first thing the next morning, I hauled everything away before he could waffle on his decision.
Your strategy of "take it there now" is soooo smart! The keep box often never gets dealt with. A handy tip that I use in general is to never leave a room empty handed. There is almost always something that needs to go somewhere else!
That’s a great suggestion! I always put things on the stairs to go up or down, and ALWAYS pick them up and take them where they belong, it keeps me fro doing the steps 40 times in a row! Lol
You are so right, I try to never leave one room without something in my hand(s) or do that nagging one to three minutes task that I could have already done LOL. So many smart and simple things I have learned from Dana K White, don't tell her but she's that daughter I never had. Love Ruthie
Ok, Dana. You are magical. When I started listening to this I was like “Yeah, right. I can’t not have a keep box.” By about 7 min though you’ve made me a convert!!!!
Keep on sharing the good stuff. Thank God for you!!
I always dreaded the after math of a declutter session. The process was mentally taxing and then it was like but wait I'm not done yet. Then kids run in or animals and the box or pile was tossed aside. I'm thankful to have found your method of "take it there NOW". It first it felt like more work but then I realized it really wasn't. Thank you so much for your common sense approach to decluttering.
This is sooooo good!!! I have 2 closets of "keep" that I haven't looked at since I moved 6 yrs ago! 2022 is my decluttering year and simplification year. All this stuff is emotionally and physically weighing me down! I pre-ordered your new 📖. Can't wait for Jan. 11th! Thank you for all you do and share! 🙂🤜🤛
That was me last summer. I had a big closet full of stuff that I didn't want to part with when we moved. In my defense some of it was decorating stuff and I just didn't know what I might like to keep since I hadn't decorated this house yet. Last summer I cleared it all out. There were boxes of clothing that I thought I couldn't get rid of and vases, figurines etc. etc. Old exercise VCR tapes and movies. Gone now!
So true! I love the terms “stuff shifting” (a concept in which I evidently have a PhD) & “procrastination station”! I did add a folder to my Sunday Basket entitled “Keepsakes.” In this I’m putting cards & other paper items as I decluttering the paper in the kitchen. I have some attractive boxes upstairs, which I’ve bought for our daughter & for each grandchild. I’ll deliver those once I delve into that sentimental stuff. I know better than to go up there now b/c I’d get sidetracked. I also have a memory box for myself up there. I’m actually starting to realize that I have the occasional drawer or shelf that’s EMPTY! I still have miles to go, but I’ve made progress. Thank you!
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 occasionally have an empty shelf or drawer! Yay! Well done. Enjoy the open space! It’s okay to stare at it for a moment and smile inside. Ahhhhh…
@@user-hi8rg7bl2s Yes, I know what you mean. I often “sneak up” on newly decluttering/organized spots, like a drawer, just to savor my work! I also write things I’ve already done on a list, just so I can cross them off. Just a little cuckoo over here. :)
I just caught you on one of Dawn's videos & I loved when you mentioned "your" people not always being able to do as much decluttering in a day because of limited abilities. I have energy issues that makes it hard for me to declutter a large amount of stuff at one time (even if my mind thinks I can) so I had to check your channel out & I have subscribed & hit the bell for notifications because I love your style.
Preach it, girl! And keep preaching it! Your methods have been very helpful as I"m working at decluttering (at age 67). I still make mistakes, but your method reaslly resonates with me and how my brain works. And I haven't missed a single night of doing my dishes in about 3 months now. (Woke up at 1 a.m. to wash out a cup I'd left in the sink!) It really does make a difference, and I've got fewer dishes in my cupboards - so much easier!
Dearest Dana: A while back I recall someone asking you about when you have more than one item. I have four tape measures (5 if you include the one in my sewing box). I recently labeled one 'sage tea drawer' which is what some people call a junk drawer, but it's the kitchen drawer with rubberbands, scotch tape, scissors, etc. Sage tea was my grandfather's term. What a difference it made! By labeling the tape measure that goes in the kitchen drawer, that's where it lives -- and the pink round one I keep in my purse does not belong there. It lives in my purse for shopping. The big one is for construction projects and naturally belongs in the tool box (never in question). But here's the beauty: the yellow small one could go in my bedroom, or my desk -- but I don't need them. More, I live in a one bedroom apartment, so the distance between the kitchen, bedroom or desk is a few feet. donate forthwith. Of course, I have space for the yellow one. But the beauty is that I don't have five tape measures all banging around wondering where they belong. By labeling the one that wasn't clear, everything feel into place.
Hello Meg Happy New Year, how are you doing today?
I totally agree! I have taken the labeling scissors the same way and it helps tremendously.
Where are you writing from?
that's a great idea :) then it's not a matter of wondering or asking myself each time...almost a reverse of the label-the-bin (so you know what goes inside) you label-the-thing so you know which container it goes into! Brilliant! (+ does labeling both bin + items therefore make us unstoppable!? ;) )
You're right that that is not a junk drawer! I call it my utility drawer and I did buy a special labeled and partitioned divider, which absolutely works for me, a lifelong clutterer!
In the past I was always the person sat in the middle of the floor with loads of various categories of stuff piled around me. Even on a good day, I’d still end up with a bag or box of “random, sort later” stuff. Most of that stuff has ended up in my craft room along with a lot of sentimental stuff and way too much craft stuff. I’ve been slowly working around my house and I’m leaving that room til last. For a long time I thought I needed more storage in that room, but you’ve taught me that I really just have too much stuff. I’m half excited and half terrified to start tackling it, but this time I’m determined to be ruthless and use the containers properly. No more “sort later” boxes! (Looking forward to the new book next week!)
You can thank your son Reid for me watching to the end. The credits were gold this time, Reid!
Putting things where they go RIGHT THEN is my favorite part of the process, after throwing away the trash. I feel like I'm actually making progress, and I LOVE no longer having the "it gets worse before it gets better" phenomenon!
Hello Mickie Happy New Year, how are you doing today?
Just stumbled across your channel.. I started decluttering a kitchen cabinet yesterday where I tend to shove stuff because I don’t want to see it on the counter. Your question “ where would I look for this item if I needed it?” Is life changing for me! I was actually able to get through it fairly easy, where as before I would just shut it and put off the decision making for another day. You’ve inspired me to go through my paper piles, wish me luck! I hate paper so much, and tend to shove mail in a basket until it’s full, or we can’t find something and then I’m forced to go through it🤣
Hi Dana, honest question here: What do you suggest to do when coming upon "keep" items whose home is in the messy space that is actively being decluttered and organized?
Just leave it there and keep decluttering the space around it. Once you’ve got that decluttered then it is where it goes!!!
Dana talks about taking it to the place it belongs -- or as *close* to the place as you can get it (the right room + ideally generally close the correct location). And then as Shannon said, once you get to decluttering that area, then it'll be ready for you to get more precise with the putting it away/organizing the space. Good luck with the decluttering!
I decluttered a box a couple of months ago that had been in our garage since we moved here. Before that, it was in our attic...since 1979!!! Other than a box of Crayons, it was mostly trash. I call those my 'Stash N Dash' boxes because whenever I had a mess and had to clean it up fast I would throw it all in a box, with the intention of dealing with it later. But I never did. Life keeps moving forward. It doesn't slow down and wait for us to clean up old, forgotten messes.
First of all, I want to know what my German Shepherd is doing at your house??? I loved this video and your other procrasti-clutter video. Absolutely spot on description of how I was doing chores or decluttering. Thank you for your approach to not creating a bigger mess and contributing to the overwhelming task of simplifying my life and home!
Soooo close to your book launch! So excited for you and for all the extra videos! What a beautiful room! Yeah I was all smug til I realized I have a keep closet ( one shelf is maybes one is keep I didn’t want to make decisions on).....I think you call that procrasticlutter...... it as together as I think over here! Your personality makes these videos so so fun to declutter to and rewatch! Starting to think our big Canadian basements are not good for me. Thank you Dana!
I thought you might get a chuckle out of this dream (nightmare?) I had last night. I walked into my house and it was just as bad as (maybe even worse than) it was before I found your book and podcasts years ago. Piles of stuff everywhere. Overflowing closets. Cabinets that wouldn't close. BUT - I started tackling it using your methods. Pulling out trash that I could see without pulling everything out. Taking easy things to their home right away. (I was horrified to find every other room in the same state when I did take things there.) No keep boxes, even in my dreams. Lol.
Oh my word! I love this!! A nightmare but you solved the problem!
Lol. Totally watched a sorting my closet that had matching laundry baskets for both keep bin and a donate box. I was so wanting to tell her this is not how you do it. Also watched her forget which was which and misplace items meaning after the video she was going to have to resort everything a second time. Who has time for that.
Absolutely love this! I get so sick of finding random miscellaneous boxes years later and having to deal with it!
Are you saying “meow” in place of “now”?
Genuinely asking. Every video I watch I wonder this and I’ve finally decided to ask. Lol.
I don't use a keep box, but I'd literally be paralyzed if some things didn't go in a box that I can distance myself from the item. I'm lucky to have an attic and I go through it regularly and it's easier to let things go that have been in the attic for awhile
Reid's comment at the end about the dogs made me laugh out loud!
Your decluttering strategy is life-saving! Thank you so much for sharing your method 🙏❤
My garage is full of keep boxes 🥺 we were going to move a few years ago. I’ve been doing 5 minutes a day. To tackle this mess.
Making progress, being able to stop and rest when I need to. Having a home for the things I do use helps so much. I have dissociative identity disorder - lots of inner people, so one of my people doesn't know what we have or where it is put, and so puchases another. After decluttering and doing the put it away now thing. Some of us are going to go through the apartment and do an inventory of what we own, and where it is located so the other alters can find them. This will help us with our finances too.
I had back surgery just over a week ago. I found you while recovering and have gotten boxes of donations and bags of trash out of my house. Of all the decluttering tips online, I’ve never been able to get rid of more than one or two items here and there before finding you. Thank you!! My house is finally getting clean.
Hey Dana you're great. I like your process. Less is good
Might as well call it “The Deferred Decision Box” 🤣
Best method ever! Totally on board! This is genius! Thanks so so much!!! :D
Better is Good - this helps me a lot!! I say it often
So glad I stumbled on your channel. Your method has transformed my house from - i can’t have people over - I need three weeks notice before guests arrive - I only need three days notice - to sure come over in an hour! Can’t tell you how freeing this is. Now I’m working towards 15 mins notice. Thank you so very much. PS I have the chronic energy limitations. - this absolutely works!!
Hello Vicki Happy New Year, how are you doing today?
Dana Thank you so much for your honesty. Picking up trash first always makes it better. And, I promise NO MORE Keep boxes. That's what's in my garage now. I will deal with them when it gets warmer, promise. Thanks for being real.
Thanks so much for considering those with chronic health issues that limit energy and mobility!
Beautiful pupper sighting
I’m so glad you mentioned those of us that are limited energy. I’m older and just can stand long and just run out of energy very fast. I have trouble keeping up with the laundry so I’m trying to declutter my clothing. Still trying to work on my kitchen. I live in double wide mobile home so not a lot of storage. Really enjoy your videos.
Dana has taught me my house is the keep box
Yes! The “Keep box(es)” always killed any supposed progress, bc life would happen and I would have to stop, and shove the pile and keep boxes aside. Later, I would look at the misc Keep boxes and go through them again, esp if it had been a while, bc I couldn’t remember what I was going to do with them. “Take it there now” is everything!
Why is everyone not saying this?!?! You’re are a brilliant woman! Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
(Side note, that sweatshirt makes your eyes pop! 😉)
Hey from Maine! Last month, my husband pulled down an extra bin when he was getting Christmas decorations and I realized it was a keep big from 12 years and 2 moves ago! Thanks to your videos, I was ready to tackle it.
Your dogs need to go out! lol great video
Reid’s credits always crack me up! Thank you for this video. It’s great advice and makes so much sense. I continue to uncover keep bags, boxes, and boxes in boxes 🙈 as I’m decluttering my home. Can’t wait to get through them all!
This was one of your most clearly expressed and organised videos - Kudos to you and to Reid’s editing skills! :) I’m so enjoying your RUclips ‘partnership’.
For me, Dana 's method is the only one that works for me.
Thank you, Dana for the printable.
TIP for the rest of us: The printable can be printed any size you want. I just printed it at 60% and am off to laminate it. I wanted it with color and did not want to use as much ink as letter size. I may also put it on a lanyard so I don't lay it down and forget where I put it.
Although full size for easy reading (and laminated or not) and some removable tacky putty to hold it up at eye level where one I am decluttering would also be good. Anything to keep it from being clutter while I declutter.
I'll use it until I memorize the method and keep it in the book for a bookmark (also where I would look for it).
Keep boxes=doom boxes.
Dana, you always make SO much sense! (I also love your four-leggeds walking by in the background.) Thanks for the encouragement. :)
this idea really helps and your dogs are cute
I always love it when they decide to be in the videos!
I call them gorp boxes and am working through years of them. I often wonder why I kept the things that are in there. Any way, I love the progress I make when I think about how better is good! Often it's good enough! Thanks Dana!
You are my role model. I love you
Don’t need a keep 📦 just need my feet 👣
I can't thank you enough for this piece of advice, I am still working on years of keep boxes from before I found you, but I am still making forward progress even if very slowly. And as someone with multiple chronic illnesses, I definitely agree that this way is so much simpler and less stressful on my body because some days 5 minutes of work is challenging, but even 5 minutes can show progress this way.
I definitely have a procrastination station!! I decluttered & organized it’s my pregnancy 3 years ago and had a box of “don’t know where this goes right now, but I definitely want it!” And it still sits there, in the corner of my closet. Things are added to it here & there. Need to go through that!
Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Your ability to communicate is nothing short of REMARKABLE. Thank youuuuu!!! 🥰
Teacher here. Every summer I would dread going through everything because frankly I needed a break, and my keep box necessary for my work just expanded every year. Now I know I don’t need it and can find what I need a lot easier and the mess (keep boxes) are also going away. Thank you so much. I love it!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Good reminder video. I used to call my keep box my “decide later” pile. Isn’t that clever. I can tell your editor is pushing you to push your book. I agree!!! Your books have absolutely changed my life. I could probably go through the entire process by memory. But I need the reminders!! There’s a special place in Heaven for you Dana. ❤️
THIS IS GENIUS!!!
✨🌲✨MAINE✨🌲✨
Duuhhh....makes perfect sense! Genius.
Hello Beth Happy New Year, how are you doing today?
So true. I have found that a keep box in decluttering turns into a “I’ll deal with that later” box and by later I mean 2 or 3 yrs later. If I’m keeping it, I’m taking the item to its home.
Lately for me, defining the space has been the game changer!!
Also doing the dishes, sweeping the floor (I already 5min pickup)
But forcing myself to consistently put away laundry as much as I'm washing & wearing clothes. And being more ruthless about what stays in the space I have.
Ok, I'm totally listening to what you're saying, but also..... puppies!
I try to avoid forced decisions when I'm decluttering with my mom. She hates making decisions and tends to be agressive towards the source of pressing, e.g. me. I don't want to spend half an hour over some piece of junk, argue, cry, get tired, wrap it up somehow and sulk for a month. My role in mom's decluttering journey is the support (and workforce), and moreover, the promotion of decluttering itself. It's not hard, it doesn't hurt, you'll feel satisfied and won't afraid of further ones. So if she cannot decide, I'll skip it. Maybe next time she'll be ready.
Good morning!!! Great timing Dana!
I’ve preordered 🥰 Thank you for empowering me to get rid of my excess stuff. I’m currently working through my craft stash and finding it really hard so not having a possible keep/quarantine box is very freeing, I’m not coping well with the maybe! The volume of stuff that’s left my house already is amazing. I sold some of it through eBay but have reached the point where I just want it gone. I’ve already gone through the whole who would benefit most from my craft stash thinking like you with your car 🤦♀️I’m just going to donate it and be free 💕🥳
"procrastination station"...genius. You sure you don't live in my house? Keep boxes are just evil and I had never thought about it until now.
What if you have ADHD? Seriously, if I take it right there right now I'll get distracted in the "new" space.
Thanks for the editing note Reid!!! Wish we could have seen the dogs playing with the trash though!😂
My personal method is to make a small “take to home” pile. I take it before it gets too much to carry. I will manage “putting it back” in small batches so that I can reduce any unnecessary leg work. So idk. Maybe for me it’s kind of a modified no mess approach. 😅😅 My rule basically is that it can’t be too much to carry in one trip before I take care of it. To me I can’t deal with what feels like constant interruptions. Lol. Ha ha. Obviously I wrote this before the end. I’m a big fan of “fill my hands up first.” 😅😅
For those of you who are starting out with many “keep boxes” or who have had a move, remember Dana’ s line that less equals success. In my family we play the 2 into 1 game (or the 5 into 3 game....). In that game, we deal with enough (easy) things from the boxes that we can consolidate what’s left and fit the contents into fewer boxes. That doesn’t mean we stop there forever. But it does mean when we’re done for now, we have less mess, and fewer boxes than when we started, so we win. Yes there is some stuff shifting, No, it’s not ideal. But it’s reality, and it works, and my family gets a lot of joy out of celebrating each others’ reducing numbers of boxes. Because maybe you will always have boxes. But you can have fewer boxes!
Ok, I just read your book Decluutering at the Speed of Life,and I fully understand the first question where would be its home, and take it there.
But I dont understand the second one. I kept reading and I am not grasping what you are saying. Please explain?
Thanks fot the no keep box thing. Makes sense.
Your furry babies are beautiful!! Sorry, I notice them😍. Thank you for your great advice!!
I soooo needed to hear this. I have a garage full of keep boxes. I want everything too! I’m going to declutter with no keep box from now on. I’m kind of excited!
I don't have a keep box either. It's either decluttered or it goes to a home in my home, lol. I'm a minimalst so its easy for me to get rid of items if it needs to go. I also don't have the space to have a keep box for random things. Lol
I can’t concentrate on what your saying with your adorable doggies wandering around behind you! 🥰🥰🥰
Sometimes I physically can't take everything where it goes right away (I just shove it back where it was honestly lol) BUT now I've actually looked at what was in there so later I can say "Ok, I've got to walk out to the garage to get the laundry so let me grab those things from the closet that go out there."
I put it in my laundry basket & that way I have to put it away to get my laundry.
I actually go thru boxes / spaces while I'm resting a lot & then when I can start moving again I have a game plan :)
What do you do with items that don't have homes .. or the homes are overrun with stuff so it's not feasible. Clothes and papers... are typically the culprits.
i have used/ still use keep boxes, but always use a box that is small enough to fit in the space im working on. so if i set the box down, grab each item and make the disicion to keep, trash, donate, other spaces. But if i don't finish it, it isn't a problem. The box can be put into the space i was trying to declutter so i can continue another time. This helps me to visualise what i have already sorted and make progress more visual for me. It is also easier for me to group things together when done and putting it back into the space sorted. The small box forces me to only do 1 shelf or drawer at a time so way less chance for overwhelm. i will sometimes use multiple small (shoe)boxes at 1 time, but they are all in different places so i can declutter the space i feel most comfortable with that moment.
I totally understand the pitfalls of it tho, and am glad you made this clear for me to prevent falling for them.
also your first question, here would I look for it first, combined with clutterbug/ cas organising strategies help so much with actually organising my stuff in places i can acces and actually find the stuff i looked for!
I had 4 x 80ltr keep boxes during my 20s.. I decluttered them all by the time I was 32 🎉
Dana, your method is pure genius. It makes sense, it's foolproof, and it is SO EFFECTIVE. Thank you for sharing your talent & helping to improve all our lives through your sensible, incredible methods! Wishing you & your family a very happy new year filled with blessings & joy!
1)If i needed this where would i look
2)make a final decision don't need a keep box
Haha future you will not know either
Because of health problems I can't do the "take it over there now".
But i don't use a keep box either.
I do it one drawer or cabinet at at time.
I take everything out, put the things i need to keep back in, and the rest goes in the trash.
After every space is done, i organize the things to the places they need to be
I wish i could do it like she says, but that's simply not possible.
If i have to do it that way, decluttering a house would take 20 years for me.
I could only do that 2 minutes at a time
Taking away my thumbs down "dislike". Too much to write. I'm emailing you. :o)
What is the step in between? As in, I have a keep box from the last declutter (and 10 tiny piles still mocking me), where do I start?
All great advice but I would say that 4 years after moving to a house a third of the size of the previous one; asking myself where I would look for that thing doesn’t work that well for me because I have no idea where I would look for it. I don’t know where to put it, I don’t know where find it and when I do decide where to put it, I forget where I decided to put it and waste too much time searching.
I thought my house was the keep box. 😊
Hello Dana Happy New Year, how are you doing today?