When I was a kid, we moved almost every year. One of our decluttering questions became "is this worth carrying up the two flights of stairs to the new apartment?". So many things were not worth that effort to me. But I realize as an adult, I am carrying my crap around 2 flights of stairs every dang day. Except it looks like shuffling, tidying, cleaning up, re-arranging, stuffing in box in the corner.
I was like that with books. Books were sacred, books were kept. Period. Until my husband and I donated roughly 1,000 books - even though we had the space (!!) and they were neatly shelved. They still cluttered my head. Why keep books I’ll never read again? Why keep books about hobbies I’ll never engage in again? We donated to our friends of the library group for their sales. And the gift, the surprise? The books that remained, earned their spots, are even more special. And some decor items are among them. I love looking at the book cases.
Books were considered highly in our house too...in the late 1960's my mother saved up and bought us an encyclopedia set and a couple of science, natural wonders of the earth books...we cherished them...
I had so many books on social trends and phenomena, and why people do the things they do. (A fave was Hoffer's True Believer.) But when I went through all my books a few years ago with the goal of downsizing, I was astounded at how many books I had in that category. As I looked over through those books, I realized I would probably never read most of them. The second thing I realized was what a huge, huge mental weight they were, as I was constantly thinking that I needed to get to those books and read them. It was a weight lifted once I got them out of the house.
I went through my 900+ books and asked one question “Would I replace this book if I lost it in a fire?” Yes. I kept it if room in my “container.” No. It was donated.
@ that’s terrific! The only books that that question wouldn’t apply to for me are a few childhood books. I wouldn’t want to buy new ones if my original ones burned in a fire, but like keeping the originals. I also took pictures of books in series so I could remind myself what I’d already read. They were all together on a book shelf so I’d just snap the whole bunch of them. But I never looked at the photos! I’ll never be the person who keeps track of what I’ve read in an app or on paper, unfortunately. All books I read now are e-books due to bad eyesight and many being free, so after the 1,000+ book purge, there have only been a few new ones added to our collection that are my husband’s.
Putting likes together REALLY helps with clothes. I just helped my girlfriend downsize and organize. We went item by item in two clothes closets: keep, donate, trash. Then when I put likes together (e.g., sweaters--then sweaters by color), she said, "Oh, let me look at all those blue sweaters," and she got rid of duplicates and least favorite ones. Two closets look great and function fabulously well. Thanks, Dana!
Here I am, taking a break from organizing a kitchen cupboard because I am experiencing "technical" brain difficulties, and here you are on RUclips, reinforcing the container concept idea. After I finish watching, I'm going to be ruthless because I'm recharged. Thank you❤❤❤❤
I recently sold HUNDREDS of books because of your "the space you have is the space you have" wisdom. New house, fewer walls for bookshelves, but your container concept made it make sense that the answer was to finally say goodbye to lots of our books. Thank you!! ❤️
@@jengryl7723 To sell books on sites I don't think makes worthwhile .. You can try of course. 😌 There's something really cool now called "Little library". 👀 I found one in my area and I know that now they are all over the places so mby You got one too. It's essentially a big "wooden cabinet" that sits outside .. 🤭 And You can choose any book You like and take it home .. You can also stash it up with Your own books for others to take home .. I have found some really good books there and soon will take them back for somebody else to read.💖
Perfect timing! Spouse has complimented me for about a year now on the much more beautiful front room bookcases since I did this process on them. When he was putting together our new bedroom cube shelving the other night, he discovered his narrow bookcase no longer fit on that wall. I suggested several other locations, and he chose to get rid of his nightstand to make room for the bookcase. But y'all, that bookcase is overflowing! His parents bring him each book they're finished reading, and he's keeping every.single.one. after he's read it. I shared this video for his lunchtime, and he said, "Some good information, but she left out an obvious solution: Get more bookcases!" So I said, "That solution only works until your walls are full. Each room is a container, and your house is a container. There is a limit to what it can functionally hold." We'll see what happens. I have hope because last weekend he brought in a beautiful old wooden cabinet for his games and got rid of 3 filing cabinets to make room for it. Then he mentioned thinking of getting rid of some decades-old cycling magazines to make room for a small cabinet of office supplies! I think we're finally having an effect on his perspective. Fingers crossed.
I am your husband. LOL My hubby and I are working through this process though together and my sister is helping also. We're doing the shadowing thing I think it's called. Also very helpful for me.
Update: We've been filling our cube shelving while decluttering items from our dressers and closet. I think he's going to donate a 2nd dresser now, too! He told me that now that the cube shelving looks so nice, he doesn't like the look of the stacked boxes of organizing supplies and procrasticlutter I've been keeping in that corner of the room. He put some of it on the newly-emptied closet shelves, but now I need to make room in the garage for the rest of the supplies. (I guess I'll have to actually work through my procasticlutter now, too. Fortunately, it's too dark and wet to do yard work this month.) In the meantime, I'm decluttering my sewing supplies, projects, and mending to try to fit them into my 4 remaining cubes. It's a challenge, but I'm going harder on trash and donations this time around. As BSS say, "Fighting, we can do it!"
Like you said, this works for other kinds of things, too: shoes, china, purses.... I had a real-life demonstration of your Container Concept last year when I pulled out a platter, but (bc it had been crammed into the space) out came the platters above and below it, too. One of the ones below was smaller, and crashed to the floor, breaking into a hundred pieces. So, now I had a platter that I had really liked, but was irreparably broken bc I had failed to respect the Container Concept. Plus a mess to clean up. Right then and there, I decluttered a few of my other platters until they fit more comfortably. ❤
The first time someone kindly and gently offered to come over to my house to help me figure out how to declutter and decide which books to get rid of, I remember feeling my blood run cold. It had never crossed my mind to declutter books. I didn't take her up on the offer that day, but it was the first step on my journey to realizing there's such a thing as an educated, book-loving person getting rid of books. I have a long, long way to go on this journey. But this video is helping me look at it right.
I love your videos more than any I’ve come across!! And waiting for Reid at the end is priceless!! Thank you for all the wonderful tips and for being so genuine!!!💛
As always, you are so relatable. I’m restarting decluttering most of my home, but my kitchen is already manageable with daily cleaning/ pickups. Thank you for all the REAL talk.
Excellent video, as usual. For all those dithering about starting the decluttering process. Think of the mess your loved ones will inherit. My Mum was like Danas Mum she (thought) she knew where everything was and could grope to the back and pull it out, rabbit out of the hat style. On helping Dad clear out 5 full car loads to the charity shop over the last 3 weeks. It's hard work. I have kept very little, my boys will not want figurines, cups and saucers etc. It's also meant I have been able to declutter at home, gifts, dinner sets and cross stitch, hand me downs I no longer wanted without causing offence. I can now do a five minute pick up in nearly every room.
I love your no mess decluttering. I agree, don’t pull everything out! It’s way too overwhelming and if you get interrupted you have a big mess. And put things where they go right away means you don’t have another pile to deal with when you quit.
Not this book lover! Not all books are equal. The poetry books my mother gave me as a child are far more valuable, than the worn paperback I plucked from a Little Frre Library on a whim. I’m in my 70s and know I won’t live forever. Keeping never to be read or non sentimental books is a rotten thing to due to my survivors who will have to deal with them if I don’t.
I have watched your Mel Robbins podcast twice. You did an EXCELLENT job. You had great answers for all of Mel's questions and explained your method so clearly.
Cute hair and great color on you for video. Blame the Space. Your "container concept" changed my messy life. Thank you. It helps me be content too.Your 5 step system is so amazing for us not-naturally-neat people. Just do the dishes. Just throw out the obvious trash.
Thx! I have a creative mind for keeping things also, so when I convince myself I love it and/or can use it I remind myself that it isn't just space that is finite but also time. I call it "vain imaginations" when I convince myself I am really going to have time to do the amount of things that take up more space than I have. And I tell myself that I can share what I have so someone else can also love it and/or use it. I used to be like your mom and function meant something different, but I now have a degenerative disorder that makes it harder to do things physically. So I wish I had not only made things less cluttered before the decline, but even had thought to simplify beyond just functional. Now it is much harder to get things in order. I love your videos and your genuineness and also compassion and thoughtfulness you put into what you share. Thank you again!
I put the container concept to work in my stationery drawers and found I had an empty drawer and a half. Blew my mind, I feel in control and proud of myself. I also fixed the drawers so they open easily. The drawers were already pretty decluttered from what if items or so I thought.
I am probably going to have to watch this video a couple more times before I am able to actually let go of more than one or two books!!! I am SUCH a book hoarder!!! You presented it in such a way that I can CONCEIVE of letting some books go - my problem is I DO re-read books and frequently they espouse ideas and concepts that will help me "smooth some of my edges" but which still need work cause I'm just that stubborn... Hopefully I can let go of a handful this weekend and meet up with a lady who will get them into the hands of someone else who will put them to good use.
The usably and get-to-ably part of the container concept changed the way I looked at my closet shelves. Everything fit “just so” but it was such a pain to get things in and out I realized I had too much. Now I have space in my space.
The container concept is a huge in mindset shift for me. Also, I had never considered that I could let go of things I loved if they didn't fit in that container. I thought that those must be crammed in somehow. The idea of loving everything in my closet, but releasing the least loved ones if they don't all fit comfortably is a completely new concept for me.
You inspired me to go through the bookshelves in our living room this morning and I found 3 copies of a book! Thank you for breaking down the steps and making it a whole ton easier. We call ourselves "bookies" because we LOVE books in this house. When my oldest son moved out, we made his room our library.
I love your acting!!!! And please do many more videos like this of all different spaces!!! My non-creative brain goes blank sometimes trying to do it in my own house even though I know what to do 😅.
After 40 years of her adult life, being what I describe as an "organized hoarder" and recreational shopper, and dozens of moves my mom is finally decluttering! This only confirms my natural tendy not to hold onto things. Life is too short to pack, move, store, & manage too much stuff. My life & home are for living NOW! Thanks for your brilliant "container concept" Dana ❤
I’m in the process of decluttering books. I literally have thousands, enough that many were double or triple stacked. I started with trash (old college texts)/recycling (books I knew I knew I would never re read- went to little free library). Duplicates and known lesser liked, went to used book stores for future credit. I also found books I had never read, they were separated out and I am now reading them and a final decision gets made as I finish each (love-stays, ehh-goes). By the time I finish the unread books, all my books will fit one deep. Then I’ll start re reading series, if they are still loved they’ll stay if not they’ll go. Eventually, bookshelves will be emptied and passed on and my container/room will have more breathing room.
I can take things even further to save things. 😂 As an interior designer/ space planner I could see how you could stack part of the books flat to gain a couple more books. And the Little Women book was a nice accent to have just one in front for decorative appeal without sacrificing too much functionality. I know it was a demo though. And then my brain goes to….we’ll if there’s not enough storage, what kind of cabinetry/ built ins can I design for the space. But true confessions…I really do need to let go of more even if I do that. Appreciate your ability to not have to pack out a space. Enjoy watching you and your thought process! Thank you ❤
Around our county are little self libraries. It is a bird house like cubard with two shelves that people leave books in. You can take or leave. I drop off at those and then our library. Also are Goodwill and ST Vincent Dapaul. If they are old smelling stained Garbage. I got 150 out last week.
Hi Dana, yesterday my husband and i downsized both of our closets. I even gave up 1/2 of my purses😂. All in allwe came out of our room with 5-55 gallon bags! Thank you!
Step 5.9: Convert the demonstration's principles into my pots and pans cupboard and voila! makes perfect sense to me. Getting things in and out of there easily and functionally i-- making it fit -- s paramount especially when there's a bit of room to spare.
Hey Dana! I have your book, “Decluttering at the Speed of Life,” but never realized what your personality was like until I just now started watching your videos. I noticed how much we have in common. It’s not all bad, I promise! 😅 But I’m a creative dreamer type & can always think of a good use for something. Except that I am a songwriter who doesn’t want to waste time doing all the other things to make things useful! And I love books. And pens, pencils, notebooks. And lots of other pretty things. But, my adhd is getting worse it seems with the chaos in certain rooms. Anyway, blah blah blah, bottom line, “Thank you!”
Dana, books are my friends! And yet... I have sent a lot of them to new homes since I started following you. The (currently) last stage for me has been to let some of my old "book containers" go - bookcases I made myself out of boards and screws to hold the burgeoning book population in my 1-bedroom condo. I got some actual nice midcentury modern bookcases that look nice in my apartment, and declared those the new book containers and they are the limit. I can't tell you how proud I am of myself for having no more piles of books on the floor (or on the dresser.... or... wherever). One day soon I will have to meet the challenge of performing "one in, one out" when I inevitably bring new books home. I will apply myself to learning that new skill. Learning new skills is good for the brain!
I realized this concept a long time ago. Since I love to read, I bought a Kindle. If I bought all of the physical books that I wanted, I would need a building just for my books!!!. Thank goodness electronic books don't take up much space.
This is why I never want to put my clothes away bc I don’t feel like wadding everything up and skinning the backs of my fingers pushing them in the drawer.
I wish i accidentally had multiples that I didnt realize i had. That would make this process a lot less angsty. Although i am definitely not to the books stage yet. Nor have i even made it to stage 5. I start everytime in my room and by the time i make it through putting away clean laundry, i run out of time and energy. And by the next time i go to work at it again, more clean laundry has piled up. 🤦♀️lol apparently i need to declutter our laundry or the size of our family lol😅
@MLiesel thank you! You too! I appreciate the support. It helps so much having the community to know others are going through the same things and also on the other side. 🙌
I give you permission to do 5 minutes in the room while laundry sits there. You could actually habit stack 2 minute “hot spot” per FlyLady and then straight to laundry. And build it into your day like that maybe!
Decluttering the laundry could also mean decluttering YOUR part of the chore. Are there parts of folding or putting away that could transition to other family members? We quite often get into a groove of how we do things and keep on, even when circumstances change. Because I teach pre-K, I know that certain clean up tasks must be done by me at the beginning of the year and can transition to the students by the end. But it took years to figure out the timeline for that.
Dana has a video somewhere wherein she deals with burgeouning drawers... if I remember correctly she took OUT items from the bottom of the drawer and got rid of stuff that had been there for a long time as it obviously wasn't being used and just taking up valuable space. The stuff that is always in the laundry is what you are actually using, not the stuff at the bottom of the drawer! WOW THAT HELPED ME!!! Disposing of / passing on things which I am not using is a habit I'm developing since starting to watch Dana.
Love your videos they have helped so much! I have that same copy of Wizard of Oz! I have an extensive library so I’ve decided that’s important enough to make me declutter the rest of my home so I have space to manage books
Love it! I have a problem with keeping the “what if I need it?” things. With books I asked myself if I was just keeping them because they were old and part of a collection. This made it much easier to get rid of the least favourite ones.
I love this video! Perfect demonstration of a shelf as a container and making a home work. I'd love a similar one where you have a book that is too tall for that shelf and you have to decide if it deserves space on a different shelf that currently has a different purpose or somewhere else etc. Like say it is you favourite book, the number 1 that you would keep but the shelf even empty is too low etc
I find the container method very useful for the exact reasons you say. Thank you! Also once I've got to a place of comfort I can be proactive. I have TWO drawers of PJs. I'm OK with that. I love PJs. All the cutest PJs are coming out for the holidays! Yes, I NEED 😂 3 pairs of new PJs that I seen. I am going to pull out 3 prs very easily so I can have space for new ones and I'm so excited! That's this weekend. AND guess what?! It's not going to be my thread bare favorite pair of bottoms! LOL That's is what I LOVE about the container method. ❤ TY Now a harder one I'm also tackling this weekend is mugs. This one will be from step 1 vs completed steps like the PJs. It may or may not suck but using your method I'm feeling decent about it. ❤
Spotted Harry Potter immediately 😂. I’m glad someone else loves Harry too. He always has a place on my shelf too. Great video. Books were really hard during my declutter last year but I don’t think I could have done it without your knowledge. Thanks ❤
This is the part that I get hung up on. If I start going through the process and I need to put out of place items where I would look first or just back where I know they belong… that’s when my brain starts to stutter. For example, if I need to put my son’s books away on his bookshelf where he would look for them first and find 20 other things in the way. My brain says just shove it in there and worry about it later, but later never comes and I just end up stuff shuffling OR I get sidetracked and now I’m working on too many areas at once.
Yep! I’m working on that ‘Remove ONE (or 2 ) EASY - (trash or duh-donation) items that will make space for it’ thing. ‘Made space, left the area no worse & the trash/donation (hopefully😅) takes me back to the original project space😊
I don't know the age and/or developmental stage of your son, but is he able to put the book away if you were to leave it on his bed? Have HIM find the space for it and declutter an item or two? Yes, You may need to work with him a time or two to get things "under control" but that can also be done another time than when you are working on your space.
OH MY GOSH! REID IS HYSTERICAL!!! 🤣 I look forward to what he's going to say after each video! 😂 Ya'll are the CUTEST and I'm SO GRATEFUL for your advice! I relate to everything you've ever talked about which only means we're "kindred spirits"! 🥰 (Can you say "Anne of Green Gables?? 😁) XOXO
I am going thru same process with books 😮 now have your bookshelf organized and it all fits, I find a new book do I start another shelf or is it one in and one out? I understand from your method once we have our stuff in the container we need to manage it which goes back to one in and one out! Can you address management of your containers? Loved this video and your methods of decluttering, works for me😊
I love reading, after bookcases were stuffed, I discovered the library. I have listen to a couple of your book on audio from my library. I no longer buy books, but I do have 12 books of children's' books for future grandchildren. I recommend using your library and only purchasing books you want to reference, like the Bible. Love your videos. I am a new subscriber
I used to LOVE going to the library so it made it easy for me to get rid of my books. The hustle and bustle of raising children made it ok for me (in my mind) to just buy all my books which also led to an overstock of books that never actually got to read. It was so freeing to use my library card again! 😊
Lol Deborah, we (and friends) used to save books for future grandchildren. But when the grands got real, and old enough to read/look at/play with, guess what? They had no interest in doing *any* of the above. 🤦♀️😆
I was fingertips out to talk about how beautiful that copy of Little Woman is. I was sure it would get put by the wizard of Oz.😅 I get it though. Very helpful video :)
A hack I use is to only keep first volume of beloved series- that way i still have them ready to reread and time to source the rest by borrowing or reading online etc
Thank you Dana! I really needed the idea What do I love more? Because I have a serious prop collection for still life photography. I have let it take over and I need to tame it so it’s usable.
![Lethal Company Music Video 🎵 "Follow The Orders" [VERSION A]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QeooZB4Z7RA/mqdefault.jpg)
When I was a kid, we moved almost every year. One of our decluttering questions became "is this worth carrying up the two flights of stairs to the new apartment?". So many things were not worth that effort to me. But I realize as an adult, I am carrying my crap around 2 flights of stairs every dang day. Except it looks like shuffling, tidying, cleaning up, re-arranging, stuffing in box in the corner.
I was like that with books. Books were sacred, books were kept. Period. Until my husband and I donated roughly 1,000 books - even though we had the space (!!) and they were neatly shelved. They still cluttered my head. Why keep books I’ll never read again? Why keep books about hobbies I’ll never engage in again?
We donated to our friends of the library group for their sales. And the gift, the surprise? The books that remained, earned their spots, are even more special. And some decor items are among them. I love looking at the book cases.
So glad to hear you donated to your FOL! 🤓
I am a huge library supporter and former employee (and also a volunteer). 😊
Books were considered highly in our house too...in the late 1960's my mother saved up and bought us an encyclopedia set and a couple of science, natural wonders of the earth books...we cherished them...
I had so many books on social trends and phenomena, and why people do the things they do. (A fave was Hoffer's True Believer.) But when I went through all my books a few years ago with the goal of downsizing, I was astounded at how many books I had in that category. As I looked over through those books, I realized I would probably never read most of them. The second thing I realized was what a huge, huge mental weight they were, as I was constantly thinking that I needed to get to those books and read them. It was a weight lifted once I got them out of the house.
I went through my 900+ books and asked one question “Would I replace this book if I lost it in a fire?” Yes. I kept it if room in my “container.” No. It was donated.
@ that’s terrific! The only books that that question wouldn’t apply to for me are a few childhood books. I wouldn’t want to buy new ones if my original ones burned in a fire, but like keeping the originals.
I also took pictures of books in series so I could remind myself what I’d already read. They were all together on a book shelf so I’d just snap the whole bunch of them. But I never looked at the photos!
I’ll never be the person who keeps track of what I’ve read in an app or on paper, unfortunately. All books I read now are e-books due to bad eyesight and many being free, so after the 1,000+ book purge, there have only been a few new ones added to our collection that are my husband’s.
Putting likes together REALLY helps with clothes. I just helped my girlfriend downsize and organize. We went item by item in two clothes closets: keep, donate, trash. Then when I put likes together (e.g., sweaters--then sweaters by color), she said, "Oh, let me look at all those blue sweaters," and she got rid of duplicates and least favorite ones. Two closets look great and function fabulously well. Thanks, Dana!
Here I am, taking a break from organizing a kitchen cupboard because I am experiencing "technical" brain difficulties, and here you are on RUclips, reinforcing the container concept idea.
After I finish watching, I'm going to be ruthless because I'm recharged.
Thank you❤❤❤❤
@@kathleenmcgovern9659 I’m going to borrow “experiencing technical brain difficulties,” if you don’t mind. Thank you!
@bethjeans3780 LOL!!!!!!
"Recharged" The best word to describe the effect Dana's videos have. 👌🏼💯
Me: not wanting to "give up my identity as someone who will one day own backyard chickens". I relate to this so hard. 😂
I recently sold HUNDREDS of books because of your "the space you have is the space you have" wisdom. New house, fewer walls for bookshelves, but your container concept made it make sense that the answer was to finally say goodbye to lots of our books. Thank you!! ❤️
Hi what site or where did you sell your books? I have so many to sell and get rid of.
@@jengryl7723 I put mine on FB Marketplace
@@jengryl7723 To sell books on sites I don't think makes worthwhile .. You can try of course. 😌
There's something really cool now called "Little library". 👀
I found one in my area and I know that now they are all over the places so mby You got one too.
It's essentially a big "wooden cabinet" that sits outside .. 🤭
And You can choose any book You like and take it home ..
You can also stash it up with Your own books for others to take home ..
I have found some really good books there and soon will take them back for somebody else to read.💖
@@jengryl7723unless they’re rare or collectible, just give them away to a charity you believe in & move on. I’ve done this & it works
The container concept literally changed our home too🙌🙌
No books were harmed in the making of this video, got it.
😂
Perfect timing! Spouse has complimented me for about a year now on the much more beautiful front room bookcases since I did this process on them.
When he was putting together our new bedroom cube shelving the other night, he discovered his narrow bookcase no longer fit on that wall.
I suggested several other locations, and he chose to get rid of his nightstand to make room for the bookcase.
But y'all, that bookcase is overflowing! His parents bring him each book they're finished reading, and he's keeping every.single.one. after he's read it.
I shared this video for his lunchtime, and he said, "Some good information, but she left out an obvious solution: Get more bookcases!"
So I said, "That solution only works until your walls are full. Each room is a container, and your house is a container. There is a limit to what it can functionally hold."
We'll see what happens. I have hope because last weekend he brought in a beautiful old wooden cabinet for his games and got rid of 3 filing cabinets to make room for it.
Then he mentioned thinking of getting rid of some decades-old cycling magazines to make room for a small cabinet of office supplies! I think we're finally having an effect on his perspective. Fingers crossed.
I am your husband. LOL My hubby and I are working through this process though together and my sister is helping also. We're doing the shadowing thing I think it's called. Also very helpful for me.
Update: We've been filling our cube shelving while decluttering items from our dressers and closet. I think he's going to donate a 2nd dresser now, too!
He told me that now that the cube shelving looks so nice, he doesn't like the look of the stacked boxes of organizing supplies and procrasticlutter I've been keeping in that corner of the room.
He put some of it on the newly-emptied closet shelves, but now I need to make room in the garage for the rest of the supplies. (I guess I'll have to actually work through my procasticlutter now, too. Fortunately, it's too dark and wet to do yard work this month.)
In the meantime, I'm decluttering my sewing supplies, projects, and mending to try to fit them into my 4 remaining cubes. It's a challenge, but I'm going harder on trash and donations this time around. As BSS say, "Fighting, we can do it!"
Like you said, this works for other kinds of things, too: shoes, china, purses....
I had a real-life demonstration of your Container Concept last year when I pulled out a platter, but (bc it had been crammed into the space) out came the platters above and below it, too. One of the ones below was smaller, and crashed to the floor, breaking into a hundred pieces. So, now I had a platter that I had really liked, but was irreparably broken bc I had failed to respect the Container Concept. Plus a mess to clean up. Right then and there, I decluttered a few of my other platters until they fit more comfortably. ❤
Shout-out the editor Reid for his humor & respect towards his Mama! 🎉
The first time someone kindly and gently offered to come over to my house to help me figure out how to declutter and decide which books to get rid of, I remember feeling my blood run cold. It had never crossed my mind to declutter books. I didn't take her up on the offer that day, but it was the first step on my journey to realizing there's such a thing as an educated, book-loving person getting rid of books. I have a long, long way to go on this journey. But this video is helping me look at it right.
You could do stand up and I would go watch. 12:16 😂 your face after you were done talking about how easy going you were 😂 I do that too, cracked me up
I loved that too and totally cracked up!
The most relatable thing ever: toilet paper as a bookmark ❤ I feel seen 😄
That or neatly folded in half kleenex LOL
That chicken book got me. That feeling is what I feel about soooo many things
Ps your container concept applies beautifully to my gardens, patio & yard too! Yay 🎉 for outside sanity! ❤
I love your videos more than any I’ve come across!! And waiting for Reid at the end is priceless!! Thank you for all the wonderful tips and for being so genuine!!!💛
Her books are life changing!!!
Reid’s comments are the best bit 😂
I am SO glad to see Reid back here!
As always, you are so relatable. I’m restarting decluttering most of my home, but my kitchen is already manageable with daily cleaning/ pickups. Thank you for all the REAL talk.
"The books in front of the books prevent it from functioning" true
Reassuring those of us who are like “not the books”!! - priceless ❤❤😂
Love this, Dana! The Container Concept has been such a game-changer in my own home too. Let the container be the bad guy!
We like your intensity don’t worry. We are here to be talked to and told how to live our lives so go ahead and be intense 😆👍🏼
So true lol lecture us a bit, we need it 😂
Reid! Do it! make up your own words! its a thing. Also, The Lady that says 'get-to-ably" speaks my language. I understand her conversation. hahaha
Excellent video, as usual. For all those dithering about starting the decluttering process. Think of the mess your loved ones will inherit. My Mum was like Danas Mum she (thought) she knew where everything was and could grope to the back and pull it out, rabbit out of the hat style. On helping Dad clear out 5 full car loads to the charity shop over the last 3 weeks. It's hard work. I have kept very little, my boys will not want figurines, cups and saucers etc. It's also meant I have been able to declutter at home, gifts, dinner sets and cross stitch, hand me downs I no longer wanted without causing offence. I can now do a five minute pick up in nearly every room.
I love your no mess decluttering. I agree, don’t pull everything out! It’s way too overwhelming and if you get interrupted you have a big mess. And put things where they go right away means you don’t have another pile to deal with when you quit.
I love how you kept reassuring us that this is just for demonstration…because all us book lovers are yelling , “keep them, you have more shelves.”
Not this book lover! Not all books are equal. The poetry books my mother gave me as a child are far more valuable, than the worn paperback I plucked from a Little Frre Library on a whim. I’m in my 70s and know I won’t live forever. Keeping never to be read or non sentimental books is a rotten thing to due to my survivors who will have to deal with them if I don’t.
I have watched your Mel Robbins podcast twice. You did an EXCELLENT job. You had great answers for all of Mel's questions and explained your method so clearly.
Wow! I'd like to see that ❤
Do you know when it came out? I’m looking for it but none of the episodes have Dana’s name. I’m trying to save time by not clicking on each episode 🤭
@@katsspace4688Hi, I googled Mel Robbin’s Dana K White podcast and it was the first one. Hope that helps! 😊
@vernaaudette3116 thank you for that 👍
That broadcast is how I found Dana about a year ago. Even though Mel’s showmanship & mouth was annoying - Dana shone like treasure.
Cute hair and great color on you for video. Blame the Space. Your "container concept" changed my messy life. Thank you. It helps me be content too.Your 5 step system is so amazing for us not-naturally-neat people. Just do the dishes. Just throw out the obvious trash.
This example in the kitchen would be good too. There used to be a lot of things in my cabinets that had to be moved to reach other things.
Thx! I have a creative mind for keeping things also, so when I convince myself I love it and/or can use it I remind myself that it isn't just space that is finite but also time. I call it "vain imaginations" when I convince myself I am really going to have time to do the amount of things that take up more space than I have. And I tell myself that I can share what I have so someone else can also love it and/or use it. I used to be like your mom and function meant something different, but I now have a degenerative disorder that makes it harder to do things physically. So I wish I had not only made things less cluttered before the decline, but even had thought to simplify beyond just functional. Now it is much harder to get things in order. I love your videos and your genuineness and also compassion and thoughtfulness you put into what you share. Thank you again!
I put the container concept to work in my stationery drawers and found I had an empty drawer and a half. Blew my mind, I feel in control and proud of myself. I also fixed the drawers so they open easily. The drawers were already pretty decluttered from what if items or so I thought.
I am probably going to have to watch this video a couple more times before I am able to actually let go of more than one or two books!!! I am SUCH a book hoarder!!!
You presented it in such a way that I can CONCEIVE of letting some books go - my problem is I DO re-read books and frequently they espouse ideas and concepts that will help me "smooth some of my edges" but which still need work cause I'm just that stubborn...
Hopefully I can let go of a handful this weekend and meet up with a lady who will get them into the hands of someone else who will put them to good use.
The usably and get-to-ably part of the container concept changed the way I looked at my closet shelves. Everything fit “just so” but it was such a pain to get things in and out I realized I had too much. Now I have space in my space.
The container concept is a huge in mindset shift for me. Also, I had never considered that I could let go of things I loved if they didn't fit in that container. I thought that those must be crammed in somehow. The idea of loving everything in my closet, but releasing the least loved ones if they don't all fit comfortably is a completely new concept for me.
This right here. Speaking to me.
You inspired me to go through the bookshelves in our living room this morning and I found 3 copies of a book! Thank you for breaking down the steps and making it a whole ton easier. We call ourselves "bookies" because we LOVE books in this house. When my oldest son moved out, we made his room our library.
One of my sons bought me the same special edition of "Little Women" that I see on your bookshelf. ❤
(My favorite book of all time!)
“Wompy-jawed” 😂🤣🤣
That’s a phrase I use!!! 😂
Wow, this is a really good video. I’ve been decluttering with Dana for 3 years and this video makes me look at my space in a different way.
I love your acting!!!! And please do many more videos like this of all different spaces!!! My non-creative brain goes blank sometimes trying to do it in my own house even though I know what to do 😅.
After 40 years of her adult life, being what I describe as an "organized hoarder" and recreational shopper, and dozens of moves my mom is finally decluttering! This only confirms my natural tendy not to hold onto things. Life is too short to pack, move, store, & manage too much stuff. My life & home are for living NOW! Thanks for your brilliant "container concept" Dana ❤
I’m in the process of decluttering books. I literally have thousands, enough that many were double or triple stacked. I started with trash (old college texts)/recycling (books I knew I knew I would never re read- went to little free library). Duplicates and known lesser liked, went to used book stores for future credit. I also found books I had never read, they were separated out and I am now reading them and a final decision gets made as I finish each (love-stays, ehh-goes). By the time I finish the unread books, all my books will fit one deep. Then I’ll start re reading series, if they are still loved they’ll stay if not they’ll go. Eventually, bookshelves will be emptied and passed on and my container/room will have more breathing room.
I can take things even further to save things. 😂 As an interior designer/ space planner I could see how you could stack part of the books flat to gain a couple more books. And the Little Women book was a nice accent to have just one in front for decorative appeal without sacrificing too much functionality. I know it was a demo though. And then my brain goes to….we’ll if there’s not enough storage, what kind of cabinetry/ built ins can I design for the space. But true confessions…I really do need to let go of more even if I do that. Appreciate your ability to not have to pack out a space. Enjoy watching you and your thought process! Thank you ❤
All my books 📚 are in alphabetical order. I might need to re watch this as still somewhat hung up on books. 📚
I look so forward to your videos ( call it a visit from you} thanks Dana till next time..bless you
Thank you for taking the time to explain 5.1 Consolidation!
Around our county are little self libraries. It is a bird house like cubard with two shelves that people leave books in. You can take or leave. I drop off at those and then our library. Also are Goodwill and ST Vincent Dapaul. If they are old smelling stained Garbage. I got 150 out last week.
Thank you infinitely For your work and your books!!! My whole family’s lives have improved literally from me following your technique ❤❤❤❤
Totally agree. Me too ❤
Hi Dana, yesterday my husband and i downsized both of our closets. I even gave up 1/2 of my purses😂. All in allwe came out of our room with 5-55 gallon bags!
Thank you!
This was so helpful! I watched it three times. 😀
Step 5.9: Convert the demonstration's principles into my pots and pans cupboard and voila! makes perfect sense to me. Getting things in and out of there easily and functionally i-- making it fit -- s paramount especially when there's a bit of room to spare.
I even went (thrift) shopping specifically for a 2 quart saucepan for the first time in my life after using your methods!
LOVE the closing comments from you guys.😅
This is very clear, and so helpful, thank you!
I love the “get-to-ably” ❤
Hey Dana! I have your book, “Decluttering at the Speed of Life,” but never realized what your personality was like until I just now started watching your videos. I noticed how much we have in common. It’s not all bad, I promise! 😅 But I’m a creative dreamer type & can always think of a good use for something. Except that I am a songwriter who doesn’t want to waste time doing all the other things to make things useful! And I love books. And pens, pencils, notebooks. And lots of other pretty things. But, my adhd is getting worse it seems with the chaos in certain rooms.
Anyway, blah blah blah, bottom line, “Thank you!”
Love your method, your books & your videos. Thank you for “stuff sanity”! ❤❤❤
This was so incredibly helpful and will make my decision making process less stressful.
Dana, books are my friends! And yet... I have sent a lot of them to new homes since I started following you. The (currently) last stage for me has been to let some of my old "book containers" go - bookcases I made myself out of boards and screws to hold the burgeoning book population in my 1-bedroom condo.
I got some actual nice midcentury modern bookcases that look nice in my apartment, and declared those the new book containers and they are the limit. I can't tell you how proud I am of myself for having no more piles of books on the floor (or on the dresser.... or... wherever).
One day soon I will have to meet the challenge of performing "one in, one out" when I inevitably bring new books home. I will apply myself to learning that new skill. Learning new skills is good for the brain!
Books have finally been leaving this house. I feel better. Thank you so much.
I realized this concept a long time ago.
Since I love to read, I bought a Kindle.
If I bought all of the physical books that I wanted, I would need a building just for my books!!!.
Thank goodness electronic books don't take up much space.
How would you have guessed that 'make it fit' or 'cram it in', can't mean the same thing in my hoarding mind?!
This is why I never want to put my clothes away bc I don’t feel like wadding everything up and skinning the backs of my fingers pushing them in the drawer.
I wish i accidentally had multiples that I didnt realize i had. That would make this process a lot less angsty. Although i am definitely not to the books stage yet. Nor have i even made it to stage 5. I start everytime in my room and by the time i make it through putting away clean laundry, i run out of time and energy. And by the next time i go to work at it again, more clean laundry has piled up.
🤦♀️lol apparently i need to declutter our laundry or the size of our family lol😅
Cheering you on! I can relate to the cycle feeling endless and not feeling like I’m seeing progress. You’ve got this!
@MLiesel thank you! You too! I appreciate the support. It helps so much having the community to know others are going through the same things and also on the other side. 🙌
I give you permission to do 5 minutes in the room while laundry sits there. You could actually habit stack 2 minute “hot spot” per FlyLady and then straight to laundry. And build it into your day like that maybe!
Decluttering the laundry could also mean decluttering YOUR part of the chore. Are there parts of folding or putting away that could transition to other family members? We quite often get into a groove of how we do things and keep on, even when circumstances change. Because I teach pre-K, I know that certain clean up tasks must be done by me at the beginning of the year and can transition to the students by the end. But it took years to figure out the timeline for that.
Dana has a video somewhere wherein she deals with burgeouning drawers... if I remember correctly she took OUT items from the bottom of the drawer and got rid of stuff that had been there for a long time as it obviously wasn't being used and just taking up valuable space. The stuff that is always in the laundry is what you are actually using, not the stuff at the bottom of the drawer! WOW THAT HELPED ME!!!
Disposing of / passing on things which I am not using is a habit I'm developing since starting to watch Dana.
Always nice to see a demonstration, even if your explanations are always clear.
Love your videos they have helped so much! I have that same copy of Wizard of Oz! I have an extensive library so I’ve decided that’s important enough to make me declutter the rest of my home so I have space to manage books
I’m a simple person: I see you posted, I like! ❤
I also like the ”what it s NOT” approach, off to actually watch! Thank you.
I love Dana!! ❤ Your videos are the best!!!!
Our home is feeling so much better applying your no-mess decluttering system. I wish I had taken before photos. Thank you so much for sharing !!!
Thank you for your videos that just make sense! Especially the space functioning for use and being get-to-able ❤
Love it! I have a problem with keeping the “what if I need it?” things. With books I asked myself if I was just keeping them because they were old and part of a collection. This made it much easier to get rid of the least favourite ones.
Ooooh❤ I see cobalt blue glass below! Love that stuff. Love your helpful advice in real life home life😊
Love the "no emotion" advice and it works for my Capricorn moon💫🌛
Awesome video, Dana💕
This video is very helpful and informative! Helps explain things even more in-depth than your "pen container" video!
I love this video! Perfect demonstration of a shelf as a container and making a home work. I'd love a similar one where you have a book that is too tall for that shelf and you have to decide if it deserves space on a different shelf that currently has a different purpose or somewhere else etc.
Like say it is you favourite book, the number 1 that you would keep but the shelf even empty is too low etc
I find the container method very useful for the exact reasons you say. Thank you! Also once I've got to a place of comfort I can be proactive. I have TWO drawers of PJs. I'm OK with that. I love PJs. All the cutest PJs are coming out for the holidays! Yes, I NEED 😂 3 pairs of new PJs that I seen. I am going to pull out 3 prs very easily so I can have space for new ones and I'm so excited! That's this weekend. AND guess what?! It's not going to be my thread bare favorite pair of bottoms! LOL That's is what I LOVE about the container method. ❤ TY
Now a harder one I'm also tackling this weekend is mugs. This one will be from step 1 vs completed steps like the PJs. It may or may not suck but using your method I'm feeling decent about it. ❤
Spotted Harry Potter immediately 😂. I’m glad someone else loves Harry too. He always has a place on my shelf too. Great video. Books were really hard during my declutter last year but I don’t think I could have done it without your knowledge. Thanks ❤
I have an antique wall hanging shelf that is my Harry Potter shrine! 😂❤
@@NovasRUclipsName love this❤️
After not getting some loaned volumes back, I switched “Harry” to e-books. Always have him, but less visual clutter in 3-4 different editions.
The intensity is real 😂
Dana, your container concept is pure gold! I share it with everyone!❤
Reid, get-toit-ably should be in the dictionary. It just makes sense.😂
Very Helpful. Thank you.
This is the part that I get hung up on. If I start going through the process and I need to put out of place items where I would look first or just back where I know they belong… that’s when my brain starts to stutter. For example, if I need to put my son’s books away on his bookshelf where he would look for them first and find 20 other things in the way. My brain says just shove it in there and worry about it later, but later never comes and I just end up stuff shuffling OR I get sidetracked and now I’m working on too many areas at once.
Yep! I’m working on that ‘Remove ONE (or 2 ) EASY - (trash or duh-donation) items that will make space for it’ thing. ‘Made space, left the area no worse & the trash/donation (hopefully😅) takes me back to the original project space😊
I don't know the age and/or developmental stage of your son, but is he able to put the book away if you were to leave it on his bed? Have HIM find the space for it and declutter an item or two?
Yes, You may need to work with him a time or two to get things "under control" but that can also be done another time than when you are working on your space.
@@dianneroberts2786 Great idea!
Thanks 4 sharing! Great very helpful tips! 😃
I use your method and it really works. Never realised before that a shelf was a container but you made it all make sense. Thank you Dana xx❤
Always a learning opportunity 🎃 Happy Halloween 🎃
OH MY GOSH! REID IS HYSTERICAL!!! 🤣 I look forward to what he's going to say after each video! 😂 Ya'll are the CUTEST and I'm SO GRATEFUL for your advice! I relate to everything you've ever talked about which only means we're "kindred spirits"! 🥰 (Can you say "Anne of Green Gables?? 😁) XOXO
I love hearing your thought process. Your voice echoing in my mind as I declutter is so helpful!
Also, yay Harry Potter! 😊
I am going thru same process with books 😮 now have your bookshelf organized and it all fits, I find a new book do I start another shelf or is it one in and one out? I understand from your method once we have our stuff in the container we need to manage it which goes back to one in and one out! Can you address management of your containers? Loved this video and your methods of decluttering, works for me😊
I love reading, after bookcases were stuffed, I discovered the library. I have listen to a couple of your book on audio from my library. I no longer buy books, but I do have 12 books of children's' books for future grandchildren. I recommend using your library and only purchasing books you want to reference, like the Bible. Love your videos. I am a new subscriber
I used to LOVE going to the library so it made it easy for me to get rid of my books. The hustle and bustle of raising children made it ok for me (in my mind) to just buy all my books which also led to an overstock of books that never actually got to read. It was so freeing to use my library card again! 😊
Lol Deborah, we (and friends) used to save books for future grandchildren. But when the grands got real, and old enough to read/look at/play with, guess what? They had no interest in doing *any* of the above. 🤦♀️😆
Happy Halloween. 🎃
I was fingertips out to talk about how beautiful that copy of Little Woman is. I was sure it would get put by the wizard of Oz.😅 I get it though. Very helpful video :)
New to your channel 😊 Great video!!! Very helpful!
16:05. . . . lol "I don't want to get rid of anything for backyard chickens - "BECAUSE" 🤣
Hilarious 😂😂😂 also get intense! It’s important work! ❤❤❤
A hack I use is to only keep first volume of beloved series- that way i still have them ready to reread and time to source the rest by borrowing or reading online etc
Mark if the Lion series is such an amazing set. Great book selection. Might have been distracting me... 😂
Thank you Dana! I really needed the idea What do I love more? Because I have a serious prop collection for still life photography. I have let it take over and I need to tame it so it’s usable.
Your hair looks so cute! From one curly girl to another 😊
Oh, those perfect tortured facial expressions! You capture the angst of decluttering we all have to face. Pun unintended.
Utensil drawer is staring at me like “mmmm hmmmmm”.
I got $100 for a bunch of my old Nancy Drew's!
Many many thanks I look forward to your videos bless you Dana
My books shelf feels seen
@@StaringCompetition 😆
Oh, we have that Wiz of Oz book - isn’t the art FABULOUS!?!?
The fact that she has to go and on about books to calm people about it shows that books are often a huge problem.
Bookworms love their libraries 🤷🏻♀️
Good morning! 😊