Because of you and your books, I threw away an old pair of pajama pants that no longer fit and weren't comfortable to wear. I wouldn't have done that before because they were a gift but I finally realized that I had used them, enjoyed them, and now the time had come. Oh, and I did my dishes last night. It's a start.
I have been a "collector" of things for years. My clutter threshold has changed a lot as I get older. I was tired of looking at it and dusting it all. Not going to lie, purging did make me feel very wasteful. I felt shame for having spent years and $$$ accumulating it and then just giving it away. But now that it's gone, I don't regret it at all.
I find it easier to let go of stuff I paid for when I think of having contributed to the economy. Several people-the designer, maker, marketer, seller, deliverer, etc.-had a little better life because I bought that item, and now thrift store employees and the final recipient will also benefit. As long as I wasn't depriving my family by purchasing it, I've done the world a favor and I've completed my relationship with that item.
@@marymaryquitecontrary Thank you 🙏 that was perfectly written I have been using a similar thought process for giving thanks for my meals. Example: thanking the hen that layes the egg, the farmer that feed her, and kept her free (I eat “Happy Egg” ) all involved to the cashier at the store and for the resources to make it my breakfast. So that being said I want to thank you immensely because this is how I will look at everything in my home that needs a new home ...it’s time to let it go. Thank you thank you 🙏 Divine and perfect timing
Me too. Now I'm expecting my first grandchild this summer and I have 2 adult kids and one daughter in law living with me , I decided I was getting to old and tierd to chase the clutter .Truth be told I felt guilty also, but I feel good about it !
After recovering from Cancer I have not been able to keep up with house cleaning. Living in desert has so much dust. I am 70 Now and I feel I need to declutter to make cleaning easier
Your explanation of the “container method” has literally changed how I look at everything! You may not have intended for your channel to go on this long but clearly there are those of us who NEED your insight and humor....consider it your ministry!!🤣
Decluttering is not just to be a minimalist,Your container method helped me realize I don't have to get rid of almost everything,but keep what is manageable to me.Yes I want to continue to declutter,less is better,but I don't have get rid of it all to be sucessful.Thank you.
This is Wanda again -forgot to say that the toxic people clutter causes my blood pressure to go sky high-seriously,stroke level.I haven't told them this,but maybe I should.
@@wandadraughn1102 I almost had a nervous breakdown today. Thanks to a toxic ex husband father of my kids !! Ugh !! Toxic ppl are the next thing I'm purging !!
I can’t live with my husband’s clutter threshold ... he can’t throw ANYTHING away! We just moved cross country, to a downsized home, and I am taking the container method seriously - I do believe hubs is a little afraid of me right now 😂. I watched this and marched over to our throw pillow graveyard and tossed them out to my donation corner.
“If it makes you feel like your head is going to explode, just go ahead and get rid of it.” This made me laugh out loud, yet, honestly, it is genius advice that should be obvious, but definitely isn’t. Thank you, Dana K White.
Recovering from hoarding and I could not realize what my problem still was....then watched your video and now I get it! I made huge progress can walk through home looks cluttered but not hoarder
I am 83 and some time ago decided if I wanted to continue to live alone I needed to downsize to what I could easily handle. At first I did great but after a while I got bogged down and gave up.Thank you for sharing your ideas.I,m now back at it with the help of you and some others,but I get most of my ideas from you as my decluttering personality seems to be most like yours..Thank you again.
I completely agree with your first sentence! My 74th birthday is coming up fast, and I intend to live alone until I'm near 100. Gotta make it easier to manage!
And I'm 81, recovering from a car crash with concussion and COVID hospitalization, livig with long COVID and brain fog. My tiny apartment is overwhelmed with stuff I haven't been able to keep up with. I was once a hoarder, 20 years ago. I recovered but now I see myself sinking back into that pit again, because now I can't keep up with it mentally or physically. I'm so glad I found your channel. You're showing me itty-bitty steps I'm able to take, a tiny bit every day. I WILL be able to handle this and enjoy many more years in a clean and serene home.
I’m only 44 but live alone and I’m on the same page as you. My goal right now is to get my art collection and shelving mounted by a handyman because the floor and surfaces in my home is not where they live! I want to “take it there now” but don’t have the tools myself. My clutter threshold is pretty high but that doesn’t mean that I’m not at the edge of it and spilling over.
Before COVID, it was obvious when watching RUclips videos, that the RUclipsr was not speaking directly to you, they were speaking to the camera. However, since I am on so many Zoom calls every day, I now find myself nodding my head when I watch RUclips videos and the RUclipsr says things like, “Does that make sense?” I have to constantly remind myself that they can’t actually see me 🤣
I never thought of it like that. I have noticed myself talking to the tv lately. I thought it was because mostly I'm the only person here times.Thanks for a good explanation,.
Self awareness is hard. :) But you are right...you do learn what you can handle and what you can't. This is on a different note but recently I went with my husband to Home Depot to get supplies to take down some boarder in a room I am remodeling and he tried to talk me into a wallpaper remover that I was going to have to mix with water instead of the spray bottle premixed option because it was more product and cost less per ounce. I looked at him and said " I am getting the spray bottle because I will continue to put the job off if I know I have to find a bucket, mix the solution and then clean all that up when I'm done." I know myself!!! :)
Yes! Good for you, knowing your threshold. In the past when I would put something in a garage sale or donate pile, my hubby would say, "But it's cute." And I would take it back out. It was my stuff and I was ready to let go of it, but I didn't because someone else questioned my decision. I realized that was a pattern for me. I let everybody else decide that I should keep stuff I no longer wanted. Now when he says that, I politely say, "Everything is cute, but we can't keep everything." He still pulls things back out from time to time, but being "cute" is no longer enough of a reason for something to stay. I'm still working on the "we don't need it, we aren't using it" thing. 😕😉Hopefully as I get further along he will see the benefits. Like you, I've also learned that it doesn't really save money if I buy the less expensive option but don't use it. Good motto: Just go ahead and buy the spray bottle. I'm going to remember that.
Love that analogy! My sister's house looks like a professional decorated it. She has tons of things sitting around. Shelves. Cabinets. Full of beautiful treasures. Antiques. I tried to be like her, but all I ended up with is a house full of stuff. A thrift store!!! I finally figured out, after decades of trying to do what I thought I was supposed to do, that I like stuff, but not so much. In fact, I like space more than stuff. Hubby likes stuff, so I'm trying to balance my craving for space and whitespace with his need for things. But yes!!! That's exactly how it feels. My sister can manage all of her stuff. I can't manage that much. So I am living in a thrift store of my own making. Thank you!
Totally agree about the throw pillow thing! My threshold is that I have winter ones with snowflakes (notice I didn't say Christmas ones, so I can leave them out ALL winter) and summer ones with birds. They are also the same size, so all I do is switch out the inside stuffing part and I only have to store the out-of-season outside part!
Note at bottom of screen: This is not a decorating video. Lol. I can't get enough of your humor. It's my favorite of various types of humor.The big eyes and the frown, and the other endearing expressions that are Dana traits, are ones I could watch repeatedly. Love you so much . SM Hayward, CA. USA
My threshold has lowered with each child. My mom was here two weeks ago to watch our children while we welcomed our third; she said she had a hard time not buying me lots of stuff to fill our drawers. She can manage much more than I. My nesting this baby was to get rid of truck-loads of stuff!
Good point. Your clutter threshold also changes as you go through different stages of life. As I age my threshold is lowering. I can’t deal with stuff like I used to. I have the urge to purge nearly everything even decor and truthfully I don’t have a lot of stuff compared to most.
Same here. I still have too much stuff though. My threshold has definitely lowered. My goal is to get it so it does look too sparse to most people. I can manage that. Lol! And hubby can have the whole basement, except the laundry area, to house his 'stuff' if he wants to keep it all. That's my plan. At least I can get the main part of the house manageable for myself.
Yep…for me, it’s the energy level. I don’t have the energy or lifestyle anymore to keep up with all this stuff I only use in my imagination. You know….that soiree I’m going to hold, that cinco de mayo party I’m going to have…that afternoon tea I’m going to host. If I’m only doing these things in my imagination now, I should also keep that stuff in my imagination, and not in my REAL house!
Yes, all those tote bags that we are given with purchases. I can't possibly use them all and felt guilty just getting rid of them. Then I met someone who works with women in shelters. They are happy to have all my extra totes as many fled their abusive homes with little to nothing. Win-win.
Nina, yes sometimes fill them with "goodies". My women's circle at church does this as a project from time to time as well. I know they are a much appreciated surprise for those who receive them.
Throw pillows and extra pillows on my bed! I learned that one years ago - it's way over my clutter threshold, too! Because I've experienced that it really helps me understand your clutter threshold concept! Thank you
New subscriber here so that's why I'm commenting on old videos. Really curious when I saw this title. Surprised to find that I have a really low clutter threshold. Now I understand myself better. Thank you!!! I too had to get rid of throw pillows! I love them but couldn't maintain them. My puppy taught me that I didn't need them 🤣🤣🤣. She couldn't resist grabbing and destroying so I put them in a closet at first (and there wasn't room for them in there!!!). Then I realized I loved the furniture without the pillows so they got donated.
Forget throw pillows! I have a dog bed on my sofa 😂. It seems laying on top of the sofa isn't enough for our 12 year old pug. She wants to lay on her dog bed on top of the sofa (it's bad enough that we actually have a twin size mattress in front of the sofa to save her joints from jumping on and off - needless to say my home isn't going to be featured on Pinterest any time soon)!!
Our old puggie always needed to sit on a throne of cushions, preferably silky ones. All our throw pillows were messed up from her climbing them and smooshing them into shape.
A thousand blessings upon you for making me realize I'm not alone. "I can't handle throw pillows" - not everyone feels this statement in their very soul!
I actually don't even have cushions on my couch (long story😂) but I secretly LOVE it because my kids pulled the cushions off everyday and they were always all over the living room! CLUTTER 👏THRESHOLD 👏
You are absolutely right! I realized this a while back. I have 3 sisters that decorate their homes beautifully everyday and also Christmas. I try to but it really stresses me out and I become a deer in the headlights stuck. All the stuff becomes so overwhelmingly to me. One day I realized it must be how my brain is wired. I just can’t deal with it so for me the less decorations the better. I really enjoy their homes but it I need to keep mine simple🤗 Great video. I’m glad to know I’m not alone.
Decorating for Christmas the last few years has made me dreading Christmas! There is no joy for me in decorating my house for Christmas! But I love Christmas lights outside!
Yes yes yes!!! This is so me! I absolutely love beautifully decorated homes with all the amazing Christmas decorations, but I just can’t handle doing that myself. I get completely overwhelmed and burnt out, as then I don’t enjoy the Christmas season. It feels good to just accept myself and not feel bad that I’m not like other people. Just enjoy other people’s strength and talents, without having to compare yourself. So freeing.
@@M00nflowers We downsized to a fully decorated 4 foot artificial tree, stored in a black construction bag, with a red bow on top, in a closet. Just take out, put on small table by window, plug in. We gather evergreens, pinecones, acorns to display on shelves and hang on front door, tied together with a red ribbon. We display old Christmas cards on shelves. Stressfree. Pretty. Christmas.
I love you Dana, you’ve helped me understand my brain so much better. I will say though, that for true emergency stuff, there can be ways to have those things on hand without having to necessarily manage them much. Like I was thinking of all the poor people in Texas last winter with no warm weather stuff, because they don’t need it. But having some emergency blankets and a tent and a print out with ideas of how to stay warm can be put in a tote out of the way, because you don’t ever need to access it after you’ve assembled it unless it’s an emergency. Same with extra food. There are ways to be prepared for true emergencies that can be accomplished with little management. Just thought I’d throw that out there.
I like the idea of a tote. I recently decluttered my patio storage. I had a lantern and other emergency things that were inaccessible. I made space in my closet and can use a duffle bag for them, and label it.
@@suewright984 that's awesome! Yeah, Ideally emergency things can also be used to make your life easier, that's what I do with mine, my original comment was more for people who think that managing this stuff is too much. But you're right, you'd be surprised how often those things we plan for "big" emergencies come in handy for small everyday emergencies. Along those lines, having food stored in your home (at least 6 weeks worth, 3 months or more is better) does the same thing for you. Helps you be more resilient for big emergencies like covid or job loss, but also can make your everyday life easier, like when you're sick, or have unexpected expenses or bills.
Ahhh, thanks for the reminder that life is a constant flow of stuff...stuff constantly coming in...Also means it needs to be leaving. And also accepting that loving what someone else decorated with can be enjoyed by me...but doesn’t need to be duplicated by me 😉
Knowing your clutter threshold is key! I'm discovering mine as I declutter. I've realized I can't handle a lot of things and pictures decorating my walls. I hate dusting them and there were too many for me to maintain. A lot went into photo albums, the other stuff left my house and I don't miss them. Also, clearing most of the stuff from off my refrigerator makes me breathe a sigh of relief. Why do we feel like we have to stick things to the fridge? 🤷♀️ I am so glad to have found Dana's channel. I also have watched the Minimal Mom.
Clutter threshold- an aha moment. Mine is moving as I get rid of stuff, I have less tolerance for stuff in my house. I live in a house of all men, they don’t give a hoot about throw pillows 😂. They just chucked them on the floor anyway. I now have zero throw pillows, just a blanket for when I an chilly.
Plants are over my clutter threshold. I have a hard time keeping them alive anyway. But even the ones I did manage to keep alive were too much work. So when we moved last year, I got rid of all of them. I don't miss them.
Same for me. No plants. A few years ago, my neighbor asked me to babysit one of her plants while they went on vacation. We had just moved here and I had told her in a previous conversation that I wasn't good with plants, so I don't know why she asked me. But I wanted to be neighborly, so I agreed. I was so stressed, I needed a vacation after that week. Thankfully, the plant and I both survived.
I remember when I was 20 years younger I had decor for every holiday: Easter, Christmas, Halloween, valentines, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Presidents Day.... literally every day but Ash Wednesday. When I divorced my ex, I left all of it with him. No regrets.
You are so my organizing double. Just came to this conclusion myself. My mail would sit on my kitchen table. That was it’s home. But other stuff accumulates there. And I had a plant in the center. I cleaned it off one day for a meal and never put anything back. Not even the plant. Because a funny thing happened in the meantime. People started using my kitchen table. They used it to sit and eat. They used it to sit and talk. And I thought, oh my goodness. The only way this is going to work is to have nothing. I love it. I would see Dawn TMM with an empty table and think - now that’s just too far. But if something is there now, it’s very noticeable. Kudos to you. Love your channel.
1 in 1 out: I've noticed that I don't have to replace like with like. I needed some boots, but I didn't have any boots to get rid of. So, I filled the boot box with nicer than "duh" donations from space near shoe storage and let that go instead.
I LOVE this. For too many people if your house has anything on the walls, anything on a surface or anything that makes it differ from a sterile hotel room it is "cluttered"! A house does NOT have to be minimal to be uncluttered. My decluttering efforts are to reach the place where my house is clean and functional (and easy to maintain that way) and where I can decorate with only my most special items (and pass on the rest for others to enjoy)
My personal epiphany about decluttering was when I realised (a) I have a very low clutter threshold and (b) if I don't maintain it, I get stressed. I seriously reduced my decor - cushions among them. Like many people, I wish I could have a home with all the beautiful decor items that make a house so inviting and attractive. But these very things actually don't bring me the joy they should - they raise my anxiety levels because they have to be "managed".
Once I realized I have a low clutter threshold, I donated all of my decorative bed, couch, and chair pillows. I love my space now. It’s much quicker to makeup my bed in the morning and I no longer have to wash or fluff throw pillows any longer. And I discovered that my couch looks better without them. 😊 ☺️ 🙃
Where have you been my whole life?! I am very glad I have discovered you and your decluttering and household ideas! Thank you for putting it all out there. 👌
Yes!!! My piles become part of the landscape and I don't see it day by day. If someone else walks in the house, NOW I see what I should have cleaned up 😜
This is me!! I need to get rid of my extras! I literally have a pile of throw pillows sitting on my laundry room counter because they overwhelm me. I wash them and then don’t put them back. I have probably 9 sitting on that counter. They need to go! Thanks Dana for sharing with us and being sooo real!!
This is a good way of describing what One can handle. I think that I’m learning here that having chronic pain has lowered my clutter threshold, this is why I can’t have so many clothes, dishes, decorations, craft supplies, puzzles, and other things in our home. I think I have to accept that things need to be easier than I have allowed them to be. Thank you!
Great video. I finally get it. ....I’ve also been decluttering since December & my hoarder spouse is jumping on board in his own personal way (no tidy person would see any progress, but he’s trying). He’s always happier when he has decluttered a bit; so I’m glad I somehow motivated it!... which in turn I was motivated by your ideas & videos :)
I realised my big problem was bags, handbags and purses, I would change them and then have half emptied bags everywhere. I have treated myself to a new beige bag and a new purse and donated the rest. It feels liberating. I have told myself I can buy one a year as long as I donate the old one. It feels amazing and seeing how great it feels has been a chain reaction for so many other things. I love your channel 😍
Growing up, I always had a clean room...my locker in school would get messy, but maintained it pretty well. I went to a business college, no dorms. I had my first apt. I wished I would have convinced my mom I didn’t need sooo many things...she thought of “my life in the future”....it continued to spiral “out of control”. I agree, I can’t have as much in my “container” as my mom did. As, I’m getting older...I know I have tons to get rid of...My adult kids are minimalists. My son gets rid of stuff right away...I’m not like that... I wished I would have found you sooner Dana!!! I can really relate to what you say!!! I am just starting my journey...I guess I shouldn’t say that. I work on it & then I get overwhelmed & I quit!! So, I’m starting the process over & hopefully I won’t quit this time. I LOVE the don’t make a mess concept, that has really helped me!!! I have both your books & it has helped me already!!! I listen to your podcasts etc... Thank You!!!
OMG! Now I know why I get so stressed and my husband wonders what the hell is going on! This is THE best RUclips clip on minimalism ever. Thank you for posting.
Ahh, this is why I love you!! I feel like you ate my soul sister. Thank you for explaining what I couldn't figure out. I love how other people's homes are decorated and I felt like I should do that but I don't have alot of space and it becomes clutter and stresses me out. I now mostly only have things I love and I feel like you just explained why it's ok to go ahead and get rid of the things I don't love but thought I should have. I'm literally about to cry bc you have made such an impact in my life, you've freed me up of some crazy ideas I had of what or how I needed to be. Also, I have a slob friend that hasn't watched you but I told her about your techniques and she got 6 xlarge trash bags of crap from her *3* personal closets. I don't even know how I found your channel other than I needed you and God put you in my path ❤❤❤
If you think about it, a photograph or even a video of a "perfect" room is one frame in the time dimension, but a house is a living process. If I look at that single frame and imagine it in the process of my home, it's easier to see how I could (or could not) adapt it to my family's life BEFORE I make the fatal mistake. Very cool stuff, Dana. You have wonderful "aha" moments!
Yes! So true! I got rid of my throw pillows too. It’s so much better. Thanks for the term clutter threshold. Over the past years as I’ve been trying to go from super messy to more simplified I started thinking that super messy people are natural minimalists because I didn’t actually use or take care of very much stuff. It was just lost in a mess. Lol! Your clutter threshold explains this. Thank you!
I got rid of the couch and chair in our family room. I put a small dining room table and chairs in there instead. I love it. It gets used, but I keep it cleared off. The couch was always a mess. And all the stuff that was stored behind it...gone. The room is peaceful now.
I used to love buying all kinds of Knick knacks and cute antique china but I have no where to put it nor time to organize it or clean. Therefore, I got rid of the majority, kept one tea set that I bring out for Mother’s Day or anything tea party themed. Other than that, most of the items are out of the house and I refrain from purchasing any new “treasures”.
This is VERY helpful. Please keep making videos. (Also, did you get a microphone or something? The sound is fantastic. Whatever you're doing, keep it up)
I find the older I get my threshold of “stuff” becomes less & less. I’ve also started to accept that regardless of how much I want to be someone who hosts dinner parties I’m 45 and not had a single one..... decluttered all that “hosting” stuff.
Yes, I love the way pillows look but they are constantly in the way for just sitting. I paired down to just one on our L shaped couch (mainly for when we want to lay down) and I have a small pillow in a chair that hardly gets used since right now we don't have a lot of people over. I do however, have throw pillows on my bed. I make my bed almost every day and I love the way the pillows look and take the time to arrange them. I guess that's where I get to enjoy my love of pillows that works for my clutter threshold.
I'm the opposite. I have 5 pillows on my giant L-shaped lounge, while i sit in my recliner chair. And one throw pillow on my bed cos more is too much trouble for something i have to deal with every day. I used to have dozens of cushions, but i realised i didn't even like most of them, so off they went.
Thank you so much for this message. I so needed to hear this. For years I have had stuff I bought to try to decorate and as you say it looks like it came from a thrift store. Nothing against thrift stores, I love them, I just don't want my house to look like one. Thanks to this video I'm going to give myself permission not to decorate. It's above my clutter threshold and I'm going to embrace the idea. I already feel better about not having to decide what to put on the mantle.
Amazing video, Dana! I have a low clutter threshold but my husband's is high - so I feel like my life has been slowly unraveling for the past 20 years LOL. He always says "You were so neat when I met you" - yes, because my residence room in university was easy to keep neat and organized but a house full of his stuff is a different matter. We have 5 sets of dishes and enough books to open a used book store! My son is like my husband - he has his collections but they are contained in his room and they are neatly organized on his bookshelf (which of course my husband insisted on buying for him!). After watching this video I think that my daughter has an even lower clutter threshold than me - her room is always a complete disaster and she loves to craft so the basement playroom is a wreck too. Thank you for your books and videos - they have blessed me and my family so much!
I grew up in my grandmas house, who is a hoarder. She became that way because she grew up dirt poor and was taught to save everything because it could potentially be useful. My mom, one of her sisters, my brother and I ALL have hoarder tendencies (I’m working on mine. They’re still in denial lol). It’s funny though because my little sister and my other aunt are the extreme opposite. They are CONSTANTLY decluttering. All of us hoarders used to get so frustrated at them for throwing out such useful stuff. It’s finally clicked in my brain this year that I need to be doing the same thing. It’s hard for me to break the thought that I could make something out of random things. It’s a struggle. Wish me luck on this journey you guys lol
Visual clutter destroys my focus, it's a like it's too much for my brain, but I came from a family that had cosy home style with so many knickknacks and furniture and no matter how much I tried to make home feel cosy. It's only since watching you and Dawn and Cas, that I'm learning that what I was brought up with, was never going to feel cosy and calm to me. Thank you so much for your time and your videos. My home is finally starting to feel like a calm place 🥰🤗
The throw pillow thing. So true. I like them, but with four kids six and under they just don’t stay put. I decided they just had to go. My couches each have two pillows that they came with and that’s what I kept
We’re taught that as Americans we have so much and we do, that we should be thankful and we are, but then we feel stressed and guilty about it all. We feel guilty and bad about ourselves because we can’t keep pace with what the media has “sold us on”. Here’s the thing. I’ve got a saying, yes “we can do it all, but we can’t do it ALL well.” Let us prioritize and do the things that actually matter, keeping first things first. All this time I had wondered how I could keep such a clean house before I got divorced, well truth is all I did was clean and maintain stuff and try to keep my kids occupied. How did I use to have all the time I wanted with friends while I was younger but none now? Truth, I had a lot more free time then. Bottom line, what’s really important? Make a list (not a long one either), then start whittling down the list and actions needed to actually live a life that matters, keeping priorities in order. No body said it’s easy but I can honestly say having less things to weight down the mind, and body of extra responsibility is so worth it. Still working on simplicity, and hoping when the last big decluttering projects are done that I will have reached my clutter threshold.
Hi Dana - Great, great great video series!!! I am an extremely organized person, as expressed by my husband and everyone who knows me. I know I like having less stuff with a very low clutter threshold and always have. Organized, in order, everything in it's place and minimal mentality. HOWEVER, your container video and a few others were mind blowers! I used to just keep organizing, reorganizing and reorganizing until everything I had fit in it's proper place. Then if I purchased something new, there goes another reorg and over time depression that it's not all perfect. Even being an extremely organized person does not exempt us from ourselves, if you know what I mean. You have explained so many things that make so much sense to me about how my (and others) minds work. Paper has always been the worst. Your paper clutter video motivated me to start again to find a system that "works for me" not someone else's idea of what works. Thanks soooo much. Love your sense of humor and down to earth (let's get real) delivery. Keep 'em comin'. P.S I have been blessed with a husband who is the exact opposite of me...nothing put away and everything left out all the time.
I love this explanation of clutter threshold, using your throw pillows as an example. There are things in my house that make me uncomfortable because they are constantly a problem. I am realizing that if I get rid of them, I will never think of them again and not miss them. For instance, I have several mypillows which I like but I bought two that are queen size and two full to be comfortable. So even though I paid good money for them, I don’t like them, and now that I’ve donated them I don’t feel the guilt of not using them anymore. It is mind blowing indeed.
I love the way you can put into words, explain logically, use real life examples for me to apply to the decluttering of my own space. Also, toward the end of your video my mind wandered to how we could apply this same process to other behaviors in our lives & to possibly decluttering toxic people out of our lives as well.
Dealing with that right now(toxic people clutter) talk about guilt!,a friend showing their true colors,family trying to get me to do surgery I'm not ready to have yet,if at all.I don't have to be with the ex-friend,but the family,I do.I want to be with them,but have a hard time with them telling me what to do,and that's the problem,ME, just saying no....
I just started reading Decluttering at the Speed of Life and reached the section on clutter threshold. This video explains it so well. I thought I already “got it” from reading but now I am internalizing the concept. There is still so much to learn about myself and my relationship with clutter but I feel I’m making progress. Hopefully my clutter threshold will be reached this year. And now I’m off to get rid of living room throw pillows that get shoved from one spot to another.
So true! I had zero pillows (all donated years ago when I discovered minimalism and went on a decluttering bender). I was about to invest in a bunch of them again, on the advice of an interior decorator who was trying to help me create ambience in my home, when my mother kindly gave me two of hers as a start. Well those pillows spend nearly zero time on the sofa. The kids kick them off. The dog kicks them off. I am forever picking them up and putting them back and they are driving me nuts. Suffice to say I will not be investing in throw pillows or blankets that drape over the arm or any of that stuff. Maybe it’s the season of life I’m in or maybe it’s just me, but life was certainly simpler before I got throw pillows! My question is, how DO you make your living room look nice without all the pillows and blankets and ornaments and stuff. Most times I don’t care, but when I see a beautiful home and mine looks so bare and plain... well, I wish I was that person who could handle all the stuff... I guess I’m still not at the self acceptance stage.
I hear you. I cannot handle a bunch of knick knack stuff. Have you tried hanging up one BIG framed piece of art or mirror in the living room and adding one plant? Your room will look like you are a dedicated stylish minimalist and people like me will admire your style.
I really like my large textured floor covering. It probably is what holds my studio apt room together (living room and bed room are the same room) For sure I'm no decorator, although I do try to pay some attention to things like groupings, flow, focal point, and groups of 3, 5 or 7. Cass the clutterbug has videos about decorating to your own personal style. I recommend her.
This honestly hands down is the best explanation to clutter. I know now that I only needed to get rid of what I couldn’t handle, not necessarily get rid of things for the sake of having less to manage as the minimal mom says. I couldn’t wrap my brain around missing items I wanted and or needed. I think I jumped in too fast into this whole minimal lifestyle because I thought that’s what I need to do to be organized. I’ve always been great at getting rid of stuff if my house felt cluttered or overwhelming. I do notice when someone puts things where they don’t belong and I put it back where it goes. I like my couch with lots of pillows and I fluff them daily so they look nice. I sell things or donate items regularly when I no longer love an item or have a use for them. So I guess my threshold is high 🤷🏽♀️. Thank you this was an ah ha moment!
I’m with you! My best and only “throw pillows” are the small ones I use to support my lumbar. Anything else is a waste. Don’t use them for pretty just practical. Lol
I learned I HATE dust catchers. They're cute, and I like looking at candles and ornaments, but I hate dusting, so I can't have them because I don't dust them, and then I can't stand looking at them or I blind spot them as junk. I'm still working on paper clutter.
Dana, this concept of clutter threshold resonates with me. When you talked about blankets was the first aha moment. I own way too many blankets. Why? I live alone, do I just keep them to collect cat hair? Then have to clean them? ...to over stuff my otherwise neat closet shelf? You have just given me permission to reduce my blanket inventory to three. Manageable, and in case I have an occasional overnight guest. There, I just did it! Into the donate bin, with some other things that are going into the car in the morning! Done! Thanks.😀🙋♀️
Good video. Makes a lot of sense. Getting clutter down to a level you personally can cope with, and then properly organising what's left. As far as throw pillows are concerned, you may find you need them as you get older. Pillows behind your back, your neck, and for when you doze off, etc; etc! Can't bear the ones that "dress" a bed, however. Complete waste of time.
Dana..I'm new to your channel as of 3 days ago and I just LOVE it..love you and the way you go at things, the clear explanations, the whole thing. I have decluttered my home now for 4 years off and on so I'm not new to this, also not good at it or I wouldn't still be doing it as much as I am (still too much stuff. I could really relate to not only your declutter threshold but you saying " I just can't handle it." Thats ME and I never thought of it like that before! I need every room in my house to look like a motel room and thats achievable now with all the kids grown and gone from home.
Great video! Thank you again for writing “Decluttering at the Speed of Life”! It was life changing for me. Now, when a room feels icky, I know I need to declutter. The book questions are so very real life & helpful! Ty! Bless you!
Hahaha! I’m almost 5 minutes in and I had to stop and go deal with the numerous very large empty boxes from my recent order of a huge craft desk and all it’s accessory pieces that were still cluttering my house. Since I was headed to the dumpster, I collected all the trash cans I. Various areas and took them out as well. Also moved a full donation box to the car to take to Goodwill tomorrow rather than waiting until I had enough to have a full carload. Why??!! It’s not like I have a long journey to get there...it’s less than 10 miles from my house. 🤦🏼♀️ And while I was in the garage putting the box in the car, I noticed 2 large silk trees I’ve been meaning to take to Goodwill for a couple of months, so the car wound up pretty full. Thanks for your books and videos.
My clutter threshold is VERY low. Bless my heart. I have bad ADHD and I have to keep my home super minimal or I lose stuff and clean continually. It’s very annoying. I like cute stuff and decor and such, but can’t have it because “it looks like a badly organized thrift store 🙄”
Amen to the throw pillows! I can handle two. Thank you for explaining this threshold mentality! It totally explains how sometimes I just feel the need to purge because something isn't quite right, and I'm on the verge of crazy overwhelm even though I think I'm vigilant about decluttering!
Wow. I kept looking at my couch with it's two pillows during this video. When I had more, they would get thrown on another surface and never replaced after we got up. When I decided to replace my pillows for another color (new couch), I decided to get rid of all them and only buy two. I'll see pictures of beautifully decorated couches, and know, deep down, in my house, the 3rd plus pillows would become clutter, not decoration. I'm so glad I'm not the only one.
THANK YOU for this wonderful lesson in self-acceptance. I also love the little displays of beautiful things, and I've always thought, "If only I could do life correctly, I would have these beautiful displays." Well, now I realize I can stop dragging myself down with that thought! Thank you for your honesty and for sharing your real-life examples.
This is really useful. I realise I have a low clutter threshold as demonstrated by my emergency COVID larder. I just couldn’t cope with the knowledge that there was extra food in another cupboard in the utility room. It was driving me crazy so I brought it all into the kitchen and we’re busy using it up so that we can have normal stocks again. I feel much better 😃
An aha! moment: I also was raised by a person who has a high clutter threshold, and I am finding I have a low clutter threshold. It's time to be me in my own home and stop trying to be my mother (whom btw I appreciate and admire, but again I am not her).
I have to put a chair in my sofa so my dog doesn't sit there when we're not in the room...he scratches on circles and absolutely destroyed our last sofa lol. So my home will never look like a magazine until chairs on couches is the new throw pillow collection
Because of you and your books, I threw away an old pair of pajama pants that no longer fit and weren't comfortable to wear. I wouldn't have done that before because they were a gift but I finally realized that I had used them, enjoyed them, and now the time had come. Oh, and I did my dishes last night. It's a start.
I have been a "collector" of things for years. My clutter threshold has changed a lot as I get older. I was tired of looking at it and dusting it all. Not going to lie, purging did make me feel very wasteful. I felt shame for having spent years and $$$ accumulating it and then just giving it away. But now that it's gone, I don't regret it at all.
I hear ya!!!!
I find it easier to let go of stuff I paid for when I think of having contributed to the economy. Several people-the designer, maker, marketer, seller, deliverer, etc.-had a little better life because I bought that item, and now thrift store employees and the final recipient will also benefit. As long as I wasn't depriving my family by purchasing it, I've done the world a favor and I've completed my relationship with that item.
@@marymaryquitecontrary Thank you 🙏 that was perfectly written I have been using a similar thought process for giving thanks for my meals. Example: thanking the hen that layes the egg, the farmer that feed her, and kept her free (I eat “Happy Egg” ) all involved to the cashier at the store and for the resources to make it my breakfast. So that being said I want to thank you immensely because this is how I will look at everything in my home that needs a new home ...it’s time to let it go. Thank you thank you 🙏
Divine and perfect timing
Me too. Now I'm expecting my first grandchild this summer and I have 2 adult kids and one daughter in law living with me , I decided I was getting to old and tierd to chase the clutter .Truth be told I felt guilty also, but I feel good about it !
After recovering from Cancer I have not been able to keep up with house cleaning. Living in desert has so much dust. I am 70 Now and I feel I need to declutter to make cleaning easier
Your explanation of the “container method” has literally changed how I look at everything! You may not have intended for your channel to go on this long but clearly there are those of us who NEED your insight and humor....consider it your ministry!!🤣
Decluttering is not just to be a minimalist,Your container method helped me realize I don't have to get rid of almost everything,but keep what is manageable to me.Yes I want to continue to declutter,less is better,but I don't have get rid of it all to be sucessful.Thank you.
Yes! Love the container method. So helpful in learning to set boundaries as I declutter.
This is Wanda again -forgot to say that the toxic people clutter causes my blood pressure to go sky high-seriously,stroke level.I haven't told them this,but maybe I should.
@@wandadraughn1102 I almost had a nervous breakdown today. Thanks to a toxic ex husband father of my kids !! Ugh !! Toxic ppl are the next thing I'm purging !!
Totally agree love the container method!
"I can't maintain that." Amen to that, sister. Neither can I!
I can’t live with my husband’s clutter threshold ... he can’t throw ANYTHING away! We just moved cross country, to a downsized home, and I am taking the container method seriously - I do believe hubs is a little afraid of me right now 😂. I watched this and marched over to our throw pillow graveyard and tossed them out to my donation corner.
“If it makes you feel like your head is going to explode, just go ahead and get rid of it.”
This made me laugh out loud, yet, honestly, it is genius advice that should be obvious, but definitely isn’t. Thank you, Dana K White.
"I get to make up definitions, cuz I wrote the book" 😂😂😂😂
Recovering from hoarding and I could not realize what my problem still was....then watched your video and now I get it! I made huge progress can walk through home looks cluttered but not hoarder
I am 83 and some time ago decided if I wanted to continue to live alone I needed to downsize to what I could easily handle. At first I did great but after a while I got bogged down and gave up.Thank you for sharing your ideas.I,m now back at it with the help of you and some others,but I get most of my ideas from you as my decluttering personality seems to be most like yours..Thank you again.
I completely agree with your first sentence! My 74th birthday is coming up fast, and I intend to live alone until I'm near 100. Gotta make it easier to manage!
Good for you. I'm 76 and I want a home that I can manage.
And I'm 81, recovering from a car crash with concussion and COVID hospitalization, livig with long COVID and brain fog. My tiny apartment is overwhelmed with stuff I haven't been able to keep up with. I was once a hoarder, 20 years ago. I recovered but now I see myself sinking back into that pit again, because now I can't keep up with it mentally or physically. I'm so glad I found your channel. You're showing me itty-bitty steps I'm able to take, a tiny bit every day. I WILL be able to handle this and enjoy many more years in a clean and serene home.
I’m only 44 but live alone and I’m on the same page as you. My goal right now is to get my art collection and shelving mounted by a handyman because the floor and surfaces in my home is not where they live! I want to “take it there now” but don’t have the tools myself. My clutter threshold is pretty high but that doesn’t mean that I’m not at the edge of it and spilling over.
Before COVID, it was obvious when watching RUclips videos, that the RUclipsr was not speaking directly to you, they were speaking to the camera. However, since I am on so many Zoom calls every day, I now find myself nodding my head when I watch RUclips videos and the RUclipsr says things like, “Does that make sense?” I have to constantly remind myself that they can’t actually see me 🤣
I never thought of it like that. I have noticed myself talking to the tv lately. I thought it was because mostly I'm the only person here times.Thanks for a good explanation,.
Omg! That is soooo funny! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
🤣👍
“Please note, this is not a decorating channel “😂😂😂😂 oh my word, you make me laugh so hard 🤣🤣🤣😱
I love that about this channel. It's so refreshing.
💯
Self awareness is hard. :) But you are right...you do learn what you can handle and what you can't. This is on a different note but recently I went with my husband to Home Depot to get supplies to take down some boarder in a room I am remodeling and he tried to talk me into a wallpaper remover that I was going to have to mix with water instead of the spray bottle premixed option because it was more product and cost less per ounce. I looked at him and said " I am getting the spray bottle because I will continue to put the job off if I know I have to find a bucket, mix the solution and then clean all that up when I'm done." I know myself!!! :)
And find a spot to keep the leftover you didn't use, or feel guilty for throwing it away! Good for you! 😀
Yes! Good for you, knowing your threshold. In the past when I would put something in a garage sale or donate pile, my hubby would say, "But it's cute." And I would take it back out. It was my stuff and I was ready to let go of it, but I didn't because someone else questioned my decision. I realized that was a pattern for me. I let everybody else decide that I should keep stuff I no longer wanted. Now when he says that, I politely say, "Everything is cute, but we can't keep everything." He still pulls things back out from time to time, but being "cute" is no longer enough of a reason for something to stay. I'm still working on the "we don't need it, we aren't using it" thing. 😕😉Hopefully as I get further along he will see the benefits.
Like you, I've also learned that it doesn't really save money if I buy the less expensive option but don't use it. Good motto: Just go ahead and buy the spray bottle. I'm going to remember that.
Yepppppp.....that's why I LOOOOVVVVEEE cleaning wipes.🙂
Love that analogy! My sister's house looks like a professional decorated it. She has tons of things sitting around. Shelves. Cabinets. Full of beautiful treasures. Antiques. I tried to be like her, but all I ended up with is a house full of stuff. A thrift store!!! I finally figured out, after decades of trying to do what I thought I was supposed to do, that I like stuff, but not so much. In fact, I like space more than stuff. Hubby likes stuff, so I'm trying to balance my craving for space and whitespace with his need for things. But yes!!! That's exactly how it feels. My sister can manage all of her stuff. I can't manage that much. So I am living in a thrift store of my own making. Thank you!
"I like space more than stuff."
Totally agree about the throw pillow thing! My threshold is that I have winter ones with snowflakes (notice I didn't say Christmas ones, so I can leave them out ALL winter) and summer ones with birds. They are also the same size, so all I do is switch out the inside stuffing part and I only have to store the out-of-season outside part!
Oohh, I like that idea! Zippered covers to change (and clean) each season!
@@ginic7932 Thank you! Saves a lot of space! 😉😄
Note at bottom of screen: This is not a decorating video. Lol. I can't get enough of your humor. It's my favorite of various types of humor.The big eyes and the frown, and the other endearing expressions that are Dana traits, are ones I could watch repeatedly. Love you so much . SM Hayward, CA. USA
My threshold has lowered with each child. My mom was here two weeks ago to watch our children while we welcomed our third; she said she had a hard time not buying me lots of stuff to fill our drawers. She can manage much more than I. My nesting this baby was to get rid of truck-loads of stuff!
Congratulations! Both on the new baby, and how you managed your nesting.
So nice to hear about a mum who understands and acceprs her daughter is different. Kudo to your mum.
Good point. Your clutter threshold also changes as you go through different stages of life. As I age my threshold is lowering. I can’t deal with stuff like I used to. I have the urge to purge nearly everything even decor and truthfully I don’t have a lot of stuff compared to most.
This is exactly, me! I sometimes think that other people might think our house looks too sparse but to me, it says, "Ahhhh."
Same here. I still have too much stuff though. My threshold has definitely lowered. My goal is to get it so it does look too sparse to most people. I can manage that. Lol! And hubby can have the whole basement, except the laundry area, to house his 'stuff' if he wants to keep it all. That's my plan. At least I can get the main part of the house manageable for myself.
Amen, sista!!
So true! It took a long time to realise, and longer to accept, that it was MY STUFF which was overwhelming me.
Yep…for me, it’s the energy level. I don’t have the energy or lifestyle anymore to keep up with all this stuff I only use in my imagination. You know….that soiree I’m going to hold, that cinco de mayo party I’m going to have…that afternoon tea I’m going to host. If I’m only doing these things in my imagination now, I should also keep that stuff in my imagination, and not in my REAL house!
I now search for trash and duh donations when a space frustrates me. It's amazing how knowing my clutter threshold impacts every room of the house.
I think The Clutter Threshold might actually be the key concept to absorb for successful decluttering. Thank you :D
Dana’s solid gold: “Hers looks like a magazine; mine looks like a thrift store!” Painfully true. But getting better the more I listen to Dana.
Throw pillows - out, bags & totes 😬-out, shoes 😱-out, note pads - (seriously?) - out! I love you Dana! I think we're long lost sisters.
Yes, all those tote bags that we are given with purchases. I can't possibly use them all and felt guilty just getting rid of them. Then I met someone who works with women in shelters. They are happy to have all my extra totes as many fled their abusive homes with little to nothing. Win-win.
@@bethheerten1132 do you put products in them? I've been wanting to do that for the longest time. Like face wash, I lotion, moisturizer etc
Great idea
Nina, yes sometimes fill them with "goodies". My women's circle at church does this as a project from time to time as well. I know they are a much appreciated surprise for those who receive them.
Throw pillows and extra pillows on my bed! I learned that one years ago - it's way over my clutter threshold, too! Because I've experienced that it really helps me understand your clutter threshold concept! Thank you
New subscriber here so that's why I'm commenting on old videos. Really curious when I saw this title. Surprised to find that I have a really low clutter threshold. Now I understand myself better. Thank you!!! I too had to get rid of throw pillows! I love them but couldn't maintain them. My puppy taught me that I didn't need them 🤣🤣🤣. She couldn't resist grabbing and destroying so I put them in a closet at first (and there wasn't room for them in there!!!). Then I realized I loved the furniture without the pillows so they got donated.
Forget throw pillows! I have a dog bed on my sofa 😂. It seems laying on top of the sofa isn't enough for our 12 year old pug. She wants to lay on her dog bed on top of the sofa (it's bad enough that we actually have a twin size mattress in front of the sofa to save her joints from jumping on and off - needless to say my home isn't going to be featured on Pinterest any time soon)!!
Our old puggie always needed to sit on a throne of cushions, preferably silky ones. All our throw pillows were messed up from her climbing them and smooshing them into shape.
Important thing is that your priorities are on point!!
Dealing with what our animals want is a whole ‘nother video!!?? 😂
Your home sounds just perfect to me, our furbies are a vital part of what makes a house a home IMO!
Sounds perfectly acceptable to me ( and I don’t have dogs). I’d love to visit!xx
A thousand blessings upon you for making me realize I'm not alone. "I can't handle throw pillows" - not everyone feels this statement in their very soul!
I actually don't even have cushions on my couch (long story😂) but I secretly LOVE it because my kids pulled the cushions off everyday and they were always all over the living room! CLUTTER 👏THRESHOLD 👏
They call them throw pillows because the first thing you do with them is throw them away!
You are absolutely right! I realized this a while back. I have 3 sisters that decorate their homes beautifully everyday and also Christmas. I try to but it really stresses me out and I become a deer in the headlights stuck. All the stuff becomes so overwhelmingly to me. One day I realized it must be how my brain is wired. I just can’t deal with it so for me the less decorations the better. I really enjoy their homes but it I need to keep mine simple🤗
Great video. I’m glad to know I’m not alone.
Decorating for Christmas the last few years has made me dreading Christmas! There is no joy for me in decorating my house for Christmas! But I love Christmas lights outside!
Yes yes yes!!! This is so me! I absolutely love beautifully decorated homes with all the amazing Christmas decorations, but I just can’t handle doing that myself. I get completely overwhelmed and burnt out, as then I don’t enjoy the Christmas season. It feels good to just accept myself and not feel bad that I’m not like other people. Just enjoy other people’s strength and talents, without having to compare yourself. So freeing.
@@M00nflowers We downsized to a fully decorated 4 foot artificial tree, stored in a black construction bag, with a red bow on top, in a closet. Just take out, put on small table by window, plug in.
We gather evergreens, pinecones, acorns to display on shelves and hang on front door, tied together with a red ribbon.
We display old Christmas cards on shelves.
Stressfree.
Pretty.
Christmas.
I love you Dana, you’ve helped me understand my brain so much better. I will say though, that for true emergency stuff, there can be ways to have those things on hand without having to necessarily manage them much. Like I was thinking of all the poor people in Texas last winter with no warm weather stuff, because they don’t need it. But having some emergency blankets and a tent and a print out with ideas of how to stay warm can be put in a tote out of the way, because you don’t ever need to access it after you’ve assembled it unless it’s an emergency. Same with extra food. There are ways to be prepared for true emergencies that can be accomplished with little management. Just thought I’d throw that out there.
I like the idea of a tote. I recently decluttered my patio storage. I had a lantern and other emergency things that were inaccessible. I made space in my closet and can use a duffle bag for them, and label it.
I have an earthquake kit (California) in my car. That way I have supplies at work or home. Surprisingly I’ve needed to use things in it.
@@suewright984 that's awesome! Yeah, Ideally emergency things can also be used to make your life easier, that's what I do with mine, my original comment was more for people who think that managing this stuff is too much. But you're right, you'd be surprised how often those things we plan for "big" emergencies come in handy for small everyday emergencies. Along those lines, having food stored in your home (at least 6 weeks worth, 3 months or more is better) does the same thing for you. Helps you be more resilient for big emergencies like covid or job loss, but also can make your everyday life easier, like when you're sick, or have unexpected expenses or bills.
Completely true! My threshold is getting lower and lower...as more goes out, I love it that way!
Me too! It's like the oldies "Limbo Rock" song by Chubby Checker. "How low can you go?" 🌞
Ahhh, thanks for the reminder that life is a constant flow of stuff...stuff constantly coming in...Also means it needs to be leaving. And also accepting that loving what someone else decorated with can be enjoyed by me...but doesn’t need to be duplicated by me 😉
Before I watched this video, I thought our "clutter threshold" meant "how much clutter can we tolerate in our home?" 😄
Oh, me too!!!! Phew !!!
Knowing your clutter threshold is key! I'm discovering mine as I declutter. I've realized I can't handle a lot of things and pictures decorating my walls. I hate dusting them and there were too many for me to maintain. A lot went into photo albums, the other stuff left my house and I don't miss them. Also, clearing most of the stuff from off my refrigerator makes me breathe a sigh of relief. Why do we feel like we have to stick things to the fridge? 🤷♀️ I am so glad to have found Dana's channel. I also have watched the Minimal Mom.
My mind is like a container. Don't overfill it, or bad things happen. Haha
Ah, so THAT'S my problem.
Hahaha
Clutter threshold- an aha moment. Mine is moving as I get rid of stuff, I have less tolerance for stuff in my house. I live in a house of all men, they don’t give a hoot about throw pillows 😂. They just chucked them on the floor anyway. I now have zero throw pillows, just a blanket for when I an chilly.
Plants are over my clutter threshold. I have a hard time keeping them alive anyway. But even the ones I did manage to keep alive were too much work. So when we moved last year, I got rid of all of them. I don't miss them.
Same for me. No plants. A few years ago, my neighbor asked me to babysit one of her plants while they went on vacation. We had just moved here and I had told her in a previous conversation that I wasn't good with plants, so I don't know why she asked me. But I wanted to be neighborly, so I agreed. I was so stressed, I needed a vacation after that week. Thankfully, the plant and I both survived.
Thank you, Dana K. White, your books and your videos have brought me such peace and an action plan I could handle emotionally. GRATEFUL!
I'm with you on throw pillows! Also, I've found that the "Rule of Three" decorating tip helps keep things under control.
I remember when I was 20 years younger I had decor for every holiday: Easter, Christmas, Halloween, valentines, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Presidents Day.... literally every day but Ash Wednesday. When I divorced my ex, I left all of it with him.
No regrets.
ROFLOL!! payback is no joke :D
You are so my organizing double. Just came to this conclusion myself. My mail would sit on my kitchen table. That was it’s home. But other stuff accumulates there. And I had a plant in the center. I cleaned it off one day for a meal and never put anything back. Not even the plant. Because a funny thing happened in the meantime. People started using my kitchen table. They used it to sit and eat. They used it to sit and talk. And I thought, oh my goodness. The only way this is going to work is to have nothing. I love it. I would see Dawn TMM with an empty table and think - now that’s just too far. But if something is there now, it’s very noticeable. Kudos to you. Love your channel.
1 in 1 out: I've noticed that I don't have to replace like with like. I needed some boots, but I didn't have any boots to get rid of. So, I filled the boot box with nicer than "duh" donations from space near shoe storage and let that go instead.
I LOVE this. For too many people if your house has anything on the walls, anything on a surface or anything that makes it differ from a sterile hotel room it is "cluttered"! A house does NOT have to be minimal to be uncluttered. My decluttering efforts are to reach the place where my house is clean and functional (and easy to maintain that way) and where I can decorate with only my most special items (and pass on the rest for others to enjoy)
My personal epiphany about decluttering was when I realised (a) I have a very low clutter threshold and (b) if I don't maintain it, I get stressed. I seriously reduced my decor - cushions among them. Like many people, I wish I could have a home with all the beautiful decor items that make a house so inviting and attractive. But these very things actually don't bring me the joy they should - they raise my anxiety levels because they have to be "managed".
Once I realized I have a low clutter threshold, I donated all of my decorative bed, couch, and chair pillows. I love my space now. It’s much quicker to makeup my bed in the morning and I no longer have to wash or fluff throw pillows any longer. And I discovered that my couch looks better without them. 😊 ☺️ 🙃
Where have you been my whole life?! I am very glad I have discovered you and your decluttering and household ideas! Thank you for putting it all out there. 👌
I am so glad Cas introduced me to you. We are so much a like.
I learn so much.
Thank you for being you❣
I love Cas and her humor but am so glad she introduced me to Dana who speaks to my soul!
Mee too! Cas and Dawn both directed me here and then I found the one who deals with and thinks of stuff like me!
Yes!!! My piles become part of the landscape and I don't see it day by day.
If someone else walks in the house, NOW I see what I should have cleaned up 😜
This is me!! I need to get rid of my extras! I literally have a pile of throw pillows sitting on my laundry room counter because they overwhelm me. I wash them and then don’t put them back. I have probably 9 sitting on that counter. They need to go! Thanks Dana for sharing with us and being sooo real!!
This is a good way of describing what One can handle. I think that I’m learning here that having chronic pain has lowered my clutter threshold, this is why I can’t have so many clothes, dishes, decorations, craft supplies, puzzles, and other things in our home. I think I have to accept that things need to be easier than I have allowed them to be. Thank you!
💜
Great video. I finally get it. ....I’ve also been decluttering since December & my hoarder spouse is jumping on board in his own personal way (no tidy person would see any progress, but he’s trying). He’s always happier when he has decluttered a bit; so I’m glad I somehow motivated it!... which in turn I was motivated by your ideas & videos :)
Your explanation really was a light bulb moment for me and the fact that my husband and I have very different thresholds.
I realised my big problem was bags, handbags and purses, I would change them and then have half emptied bags everywhere. I have treated myself to a new beige bag and a new purse and donated the rest. It feels liberating. I have told myself I can buy one a year as long as I donate the old one. It feels amazing and seeing how great it feels has been a chain reaction for so many other things. I love your channel 😍
Growing up, I always had a clean room...my locker in school would get messy, but maintained it pretty well.
I went to a business college, no dorms. I had my first apt. I wished I would have convinced my mom I didn’t need sooo many things...she thought of “my life in the future”....it continued to spiral “out of control”. I agree, I can’t have as much in my “container” as my mom did. As, I’m getting older...I know I have tons to get rid of...My adult kids are minimalists. My son gets rid of stuff right away...I’m not like that...
I wished I would have found you sooner Dana!!! I can really relate to what you say!!! I am just starting my journey...I guess I shouldn’t say that. I work on it & then I get overwhelmed & I quit!! So, I’m starting the process over & hopefully I won’t quit this time. I LOVE the don’t make a mess concept, that has really helped me!!! I have both your books & it has helped me already!!! I listen to your podcasts etc... Thank You!!!
I stop and start too. Overwhelm and physical issues interfere with consistency.
OMG! Now I know why I get so stressed and my husband wonders what the hell is going on!
This is THE best RUclips clip on minimalism ever. Thank you for posting.
Ahh, this is why I love you!! I feel like you ate my soul sister. Thank you for explaining what I couldn't figure out. I love how other people's homes are decorated and I felt like I should do that but I don't have alot of space and it becomes clutter and stresses me out. I now mostly only have things I love and I feel like you just explained why it's ok to go ahead and get rid of the things I don't love but thought I should have. I'm literally about to cry bc you have made such an impact in my life, you've freed me up of some crazy ideas I had of what or how I needed to be. Also, I have a slob friend that hasn't watched you but I told her about your techniques and she got 6 xlarge trash bags of crap from her *3* personal closets. I don't even know how I found your channel other than I needed you and God put you in my path ❤❤❤
Btw, that's not me in the pic, my 9 yo grandson changed my yt thingy and I don't know how to fix it 😂
Also I feel like you are my soul sister, I'm sure you didn't eat her 😂😂😂😂😂
This made me laugh so hard!!!!
I know you meant “are” but this just cracked me up.
@@despicabledavidshort3806 😂😂
If you think about it, a photograph or even a video of a "perfect" room is one frame in the time dimension, but a house is a living process. If I look at that single frame and imagine it in the process of my home, it's easier to see how I could (or could not) adapt it to my family's life BEFORE I make the fatal mistake. Very cool stuff, Dana. You have wonderful "aha" moments!
Yes! So true! I got rid of my throw pillows too. It’s so much better. Thanks for the term clutter threshold. Over the past years as I’ve been trying to go from super messy to more simplified I started thinking that super messy people are natural minimalists because I didn’t actually use or take care of very much stuff. It was just lost in a mess. Lol! Your clutter threshold explains this. Thank you!
Thanks!!! I threw all the extra sofa, chair, and bed pillows away a year or so ago! Yay! Felt so freeing! 😁
I got rid of the couch and chair in our family room. I put a small dining room table and chairs in there instead. I love it. It gets used, but I keep it cleared off. The couch was always a mess. And all the stuff that was stored behind it...gone. The room is peaceful now.
I used to love buying all kinds of Knick knacks and cute antique china but I have no where to put it nor time to organize it or clean. Therefore, I got rid of the majority, kept one tea set that I bring out for Mother’s Day or anything tea party themed. Other than that, most of the items are out of the house and I refrain from purchasing any new “treasures”.
This is VERY helpful. Please keep making videos. (Also, did you get a microphone or something? The sound is fantastic. Whatever you're doing, keep it up)
I find the older I get my threshold of “stuff” becomes less & less. I’ve also started to accept that regardless of how much I want to be someone who hosts dinner parties I’m 45 and not had a single one..... decluttered all that “hosting” stuff.
Yeah, I think that's me too!! And I'm 70...don't think I'm gonna change anytime soon!!
Letting go of that "Fantasy self!"
Yes, I love the way pillows look but they are constantly in the way for just sitting. I paired down to just one on our L shaped couch (mainly for when we want to lay down) and I have a small pillow in a chair that hardly gets used since right now we don't have a lot of people over. I do however, have throw pillows on my bed. I make my bed almost every day and I love the way the pillows look and take the time to arrange them. I guess that's where I get to enjoy my love of pillows that works for my clutter threshold.
I'm the opposite. I have 5 pillows on my giant L-shaped lounge, while i sit in my recliner chair. And one throw pillow on my bed cos more is too much trouble for something i have to deal with every day. I used to have dozens of cushions, but i realised i didn't even like most of them, so off they went.
I ditched all our throw pillows except our master bedroom! Man, do I relate to this!
Thank you so much for this message. I so needed to hear this. For years I have had stuff I bought to try to decorate and as you say it looks like it came from a thrift store. Nothing against thrift stores, I love them, I just don't want my house to look like one. Thanks to this video I'm going to give myself permission not to decorate. It's above my clutter threshold and I'm going to embrace the idea. I already feel better about not having to decide what to put on the mantle.
Amazing video, Dana! I have a low clutter threshold but my husband's is high - so I feel like my life has been slowly unraveling for the past 20 years LOL. He always says "You were so neat when I met you" - yes, because my residence room in university was easy to keep neat and organized but a house full of his stuff is a different matter. We have 5 sets of dishes and enough books to open a used book store! My son is like my husband - he has his collections but they are contained in his room and they are neatly organized on his bookshelf (which of course my husband insisted on buying for him!). After watching this video I think that my daughter has an even lower clutter threshold than me - her room is always a complete disaster and she loves to craft so the basement playroom is a wreck too. Thank you for your books and videos - they have blessed me and my family so much!
I grew up in my grandmas house, who is a hoarder. She became that way because she grew up dirt poor and was taught to save everything because it could potentially be useful. My mom, one of her sisters, my brother and I ALL have hoarder tendencies (I’m working on mine. They’re still in denial lol). It’s funny though because my little sister and my other aunt are the extreme opposite. They are CONSTANTLY decluttering. All of us hoarders used to get so frustrated at them for throwing out such useful stuff. It’s finally clicked in my brain this year that I need to be doing the same thing. It’s hard for me to break the thought that I could make something out of random things. It’s a struggle. Wish me luck on this journey you guys lol
Visual clutter destroys my focus, it's a like it's too much for my brain, but I came from a family that had cosy home style with so many knickknacks and furniture and no matter how much I tried to make home feel cosy. It's only since watching you and Dawn and Cas, that I'm learning that what I was brought up with, was never going to feel cosy and calm to me. Thank you so much for your time and your videos. My home is finally starting to feel like a calm place 🥰🤗
The throw pillow thing. So true. I like them, but with four kids six and under they just don’t stay put. I decided they just had to go. My couches each have two pillows that they came with and that’s what I kept
We’re taught that as Americans we have so much and we do, that we should be thankful and we are, but then we feel stressed and guilty about it all. We feel guilty and bad about ourselves because we can’t keep pace with what the media has “sold us on”. Here’s the thing. I’ve got a saying, yes “we can do it all, but we can’t do it ALL well.” Let us prioritize and do the things that actually matter, keeping first things first. All this time I had wondered how I could keep such a clean house before I got divorced, well truth is all I did was clean and maintain stuff and try to keep my kids occupied. How did I use to have all the time I wanted with friends while I was younger but none now? Truth, I had a lot more free time then. Bottom line, what’s really important? Make a list (not a long one either), then start whittling down the list and actions needed to actually live a life that matters, keeping priorities in order. No body said it’s easy but I can honestly say having less things to weight down the mind, and body of extra responsibility is so worth it. Still working on simplicity, and hoping when the last big decluttering projects are done that I will have reached my clutter threshold.
Hi Dana - Great, great great video series!!! I am an extremely organized person, as expressed by my husband and everyone who knows me. I know I like having less stuff with a very low clutter threshold and always have. Organized, in order, everything in it's place and minimal mentality. HOWEVER, your container video and a few others were mind blowers! I used to just keep organizing, reorganizing and reorganizing until everything I had fit in it's proper place. Then if I purchased something new, there goes another reorg and over time depression that it's not all perfect. Even being an extremely organized person does not exempt us from ourselves, if you know what I mean. You have explained so many things that make so much sense to me about how my (and others) minds work. Paper has always been the worst. Your paper clutter video motivated me to start again to find a system that "works for me" not someone else's idea of what works. Thanks soooo much. Love your sense of humor and down to earth (let's get real) delivery. Keep 'em comin'. P.S I have been blessed with a husband who is the exact opposite of me...nothing put away and everything left out all the time.
I love this explanation of clutter threshold, using your throw pillows as an example. There are things in my house that make me uncomfortable because they are constantly a problem. I am realizing that if I get rid of them, I will never think of them again and not miss them. For instance, I have several mypillows which I like but I bought two that are queen size and two full to be comfortable. So even though I paid good money for them, I don’t like them, and now that I’ve donated them I don’t feel the guilt of not using them anymore. It is mind blowing indeed.
I love this! I lean toward minimalism, and STILL.....I "lose" my phone in my house 10x a day. I can't keep track of shxt!
I use pockets. I've decided to purge pants without them.
I love the way you can put into words, explain logically, use real life examples for me to apply to the decluttering of my own space. Also, toward the end of your video my mind wandered to how we could apply this same process to other behaviors in our lives & to possibly decluttering toxic people out of our lives as well.
Dealing with that right now(toxic people clutter)
talk about guilt!,a friend showing their true colors,family trying to get me to do surgery I'm not ready to have yet,if at all.I don't have to be with the ex-friend,but the family,I do.I want to be with them,but have a hard time with them telling me what to do,and that's the problem,ME, just saying no....
@@wandadraughn1102 Not sure of your particular situation, but I've found covid to be a relaxing break from some people in my life!
I just started reading Decluttering at the Speed of Life and reached the section on clutter threshold. This video explains it so well. I thought I already “got it” from reading but now I am internalizing the concept. There is still so much to learn about myself and my relationship with clutter but I feel I’m making progress. Hopefully my clutter threshold will be reached this year. And now I’m off to get rid of living room throw pillows that get shoved from one spot to another.
So true! I had zero pillows (all donated years ago when I discovered minimalism and went on a decluttering bender). I was about to invest in a bunch of them again, on the advice of an interior decorator who was trying to help me create ambience in my home, when my mother kindly gave me two of hers as a start. Well those pillows spend nearly zero time on the sofa. The kids kick them off. The dog kicks them off. I am forever picking them up and putting them back and they are driving me nuts. Suffice to say I will not be investing in throw pillows or blankets that drape over the arm or any of that stuff. Maybe it’s the season of life I’m in or maybe it’s just me, but life was certainly simpler before I got throw pillows! My question is, how DO you make your living room look nice without all the pillows and blankets and ornaments and stuff. Most times I don’t care, but when I see a beautiful home and mine looks so bare and plain... well, I wish I was that person who could handle all the stuff... I guess I’m still not at the self acceptance stage.
I hear you. I cannot handle a bunch of knick knack stuff. Have you tried hanging up one BIG framed piece of art or mirror in the living room and adding one plant? Your room will look like you are a dedicated stylish minimalist and people like me will admire your style.
I really like my large textured floor covering. It probably is what holds my studio apt room together (living room and bed room are the same room)
For sure I'm no decorator, although I do try to pay some attention to things like groupings, flow, focal point, and groups of 3, 5 or 7.
Cass the clutterbug has videos about decorating to your own personal style. I recommend her.
This honestly hands down is the best explanation to clutter. I know now that I only needed to get rid of what I couldn’t handle, not necessarily get rid of things for the sake of having less to manage as the minimal mom says. I couldn’t wrap my brain around missing items I wanted and or needed. I think I jumped in too fast into this whole minimal lifestyle because I thought that’s what I need to do to be organized. I’ve always been great at getting rid of stuff if my house felt cluttered or overwhelming. I do notice when someone puts things where they don’t belong and I put it back where it goes. I like my couch with lots of pillows and I fluff them daily so they look nice. I sell things or donate items regularly when I no longer love an item or have a use for them. So I guess my threshold is high 🤷🏽♀️. Thank you this was an ah ha moment!
I’m with you! My best and only “throw pillows” are the small ones I use to support my lumbar. Anything else is a waste. Don’t use them for pretty just practical. Lol
Thank you. I want to be a throw pillow person, too, but I'm accepting that I'm just not. You helped me realize that. I totally relate to this!
Good concept. I feel that way about area rugs. I like the way they look, but we have three dogs. Bare floors are easier to keep clean.
I literally can’t watch your videos without your making me laugh out loud. You’re phenomenal! You’re kind of like a psychologist LOL
I learned I HATE dust catchers. They're cute, and I like looking at candles and ornaments, but I hate dusting, so I can't have them because I don't dust them, and then I can't stand looking at them or I blind spot them as junk. I'm still working on paper clutter.
Love this! Throw pillows actually make me feel crazy! Now I now it's because it's past my clutter threshold.
Dana, this concept of clutter threshold resonates with me. When you talked about blankets was the first aha moment. I own way too many blankets. Why? I live alone, do I just keep them to collect cat hair? Then have to clean them? ...to over stuff my otherwise neat closet shelf? You have just given me permission to reduce my blanket inventory to three. Manageable, and in case I have an occasional overnight guest.
There, I just did it! Into the donate bin, with some other things that are going into the car in the morning! Done! Thanks.😀🙋♀️
Good video. Makes a lot of sense. Getting clutter down to a level you personally can cope with, and then properly organising what's left. As far as throw pillows are concerned, you may find you need them as you get older. Pillows behind your back, your neck, and for when you doze off, etc; etc! Can't bear the ones that "dress" a bed, however. Complete waste of time.
Yep, 4ft 11 here, and 76. I really don't fit in my Texas home without them. Also have painful body. And my mini doxi loves pillows too.
Dana..I'm new to your channel as of 3 days ago and I just LOVE it..love you and the way you go at things, the clear explanations, the whole thing. I have decluttered my home now for 4 years off and on so I'm not new to this, also not good at it or I wouldn't still be doing it as much as I am (still too much stuff. I could really relate to not only your declutter threshold but you saying " I just can't handle it." Thats ME and I never thought of it like that before! I need every room in my house to look like a motel room and thats achievable now with all the kids grown and gone from home.
Great video! Thank you again for writing “Decluttering at the Speed of Life”! It was life changing for me. Now, when a room feels icky, I know I need to declutter. The book questions are so very real life & helpful! Ty! Bless you!
This is the best video I've watched. I relate so much to this. Thank you, Dana! It's nice to be understood and guided, rather than judged.
Hahaha! I’m almost 5 minutes in and I had to stop and go deal with the numerous very large empty boxes from my recent order of a huge craft desk and all it’s accessory pieces that were still cluttering my house. Since I was headed to the dumpster, I collected all the trash cans I. Various areas and took them out as well. Also moved a full donation box to the car to take to Goodwill tomorrow rather than waiting until I had enough to have a full carload. Why??!! It’s not like I have a long journey to get there...it’s less than 10 miles from my house. 🤦🏼♀️ And while I was in the garage putting the box in the car, I noticed 2 large silk trees I’ve been meaning to take to Goodwill for a couple of months, so the car wound up pretty full. Thanks for your books and videos.
So far I’m already loving what I’m hearing and boy do I need help! I moved into a studio apartment! 🤪
My clutter threshold is VERY low. Bless my heart. I have bad ADHD and I have to keep my home super minimal or I lose stuff and clean continually. It’s very annoying. I like cute stuff and decor and such, but can’t have it because “it looks like a badly organized thrift store 🙄”
I find I like my home best when the moving van is still half full!!!
Thank you, Dana, for your wise and pertinent concepts. As I've decluttered I feel more at peace and content in my home.
I have 1 quillow (lap size quilt that folds into a pillow) and 1 throw and that is enough for me! Thanks for your great ideas!
Amen to the throw pillows! I can handle two. Thank you for explaining this threshold mentality! It totally explains how sometimes I just feel the need to purge because something isn't quite right, and I'm on the verge of crazy overwhelm even though I think I'm vigilant about decluttering!
Wow. I kept looking at my couch with it's two pillows during this video. When I had more, they would get thrown on another surface and never replaced after we got up. When I decided to replace my pillows for another color (new couch), I decided to get rid of all them and only buy two. I'll see pictures of beautifully decorated couches, and know, deep down, in my house, the 3rd plus pillows would become clutter, not decoration. I'm so glad I'm not the only one.
THANK YOU for this wonderful lesson in self-acceptance. I also love the little displays of beautiful things, and I've always thought, "If only I could do life correctly, I would have these beautiful displays." Well, now I realize I can stop dragging myself down with that thought! Thank you for your honesty and for sharing your real-life examples.
You’re such an inspiration! My bathroom only needed a 12 minute declutter, so I stopped this video midway and did it. Thank you so much.
Haven't even finished the video yet, but had to pause to comment that I'm LOVING your super super curly hair today Dana! (fellow curly girl here! ♥)
This is really useful.
I realise I have a low clutter threshold as demonstrated by my emergency COVID larder. I just couldn’t cope with the knowledge that there was extra food in another cupboard in the utility room. It was driving me crazy so I brought it all into the kitchen and we’re busy using it up so that we can have normal stocks again. I feel much better 😃
An aha! moment: I also was raised by a person who has a high clutter threshold, and I am finding I have a low clutter threshold. It's time to be me in my own home and stop trying to be my mother (whom btw I appreciate and admire, but again I am not her).
This was a HUGE realization for me!
I have to put a chair in my sofa so my dog doesn't sit there when we're not in the room...he scratches on circles and absolutely destroyed our last sofa lol. So my home will never look like a magazine until chairs on couches is the new throw pillow collection
😂