Thanks Helix for sponsoring! Go to helixsleep.com/minimalmom for 20% off your mattress, plus two free pillows! And thank YOU for watching! Have a great day! - Dawn
I need to have a regular, contemporary desk with 3+ drawers down one side of it (either the left or right side), and a 2 drawer file cabinet on the other side of it, and a 2-shelf bookshelf on top of it. In the top drawer, i have a selection of little re-used boxes laid out to fill the drawer as organizer dividers, with a little (re-used) box for each of my various office supplies: colored pens, black and blue pens, markers; fasteners (a box for different types of tape, another for push pins, one for paper clips, for glues and adhesives, etc.); another little box for post-its, for ribbon and a tiny bit of wrapping paper, etc. The second drawer on my right is for papers, with a drawer paper sorter, to keep types of paper separate: binder paper, graph paper; and for packages of cards from the Dollar Store. i used to have a desk with a 3rd drawer, the lowest drawer, and really miss it. I need three drawers, minimum. And two trash cans: one large, for paper recycling, and one tiny, for non-recyclable trash. And room under the desk for my knees. I like having a corner desk to have a computer in the corner, do paperwork to the left of the computer, and have a reading slant board (to not have to bend my neck downward) to do reading to the right of the computer. My desk is 3' deep, so there's room at the back to put a bookshelf, to keep all my notebooks, finances binder, and project binders at my fingertips. Having everything within arms reach, so I don't have to get up to put things away keeps the clutter down.
My secret to preventing buildup of clutter is to never leave a room empty-handed. If I'm going from my office to the kitchen for a cup of tea, I'll take any dirty glasses/plates etc. that have accumulated on my desk to the kitchen with me. If I'm going to my bedroom, I take the shoes I kicked off when I got in the door. And so on.
Yep! Instead of long detailed explanations and plans on how to clear surface clutter it really all boils down to one thing: HABITS. Make it a habit to put things away when you are done with them it really. Is. that. simple. If you want your house to be clean make it a habit to clean it having routines etc. Et cetera I finally learned this after years of mess!!
A woman said her mother always said, "take something up with you " as she approached the stairs. That was from Country Woman magazine. Since then I have put that into practice.
I learned this in high school as a waitress to never leave the (dining) room empty handed and honestly it's come in handy so much in real life -my waitressing/college days are long over 🙂
Dawn, what I really appreciate about your videos, is that you dive in immediately. I have deleted many people who waste my time with a lot of preliminary blah blah blah.
Thank you Dawn, I've been struggling with too much stuff. A friend stopped by unexpectedly and I realized I felt embarrassed at the state of my house. My excuse was, I'm pet sitting. But the truth is, I just needed to address the clutter!! And I did! I went in my tiny kitchen and put everything away. It looks 100% better now! Thank you for positively motivating me❤❤ At the change of seasons, I redecorate my house. I live in Tampa Bay and I miss the seasons of TN. So I decorate! I have way too much so I decided what better time to declutter my Fall/ Winter. I packed all my Fall today after church, and won't do Christmas until all the Fall is stored. It's all boxed up except for the outdoor decor. So tomorrow, I'll address that. I'm 68 and a widow 13 years. It's difficult to lose your life partner, but I'm hanging in there!
You are so motivational! After watching for 5 mins I paused then went and decluttered some drawers and surfaces in the study! A whole bag of rubbish. (And it's 9.45pm here in the UK) . Thank you!
We have a farmhouse that’s a little larger with not the greatest layout. I’ve paid attention to the habits my family has and they usually just dump items rather then go across the house to put them away. It’s much more fun to go on to another activity rather than tidy it up first. I found an idea where you have a shelf area with a basket or bin or box. One for each floor in an easy to access spot. After doing an activity-like a game or craft, where it belongs somewhere far away…just move it to the bin and then once a day it’s someone’s task to grab the bin(s) and return items to where they belong. So simple and yet it keeps things much tidier. Systems and habits that you’ve cultivated to fit your family, lifestyle and stage of life are such a game changer!
Putting a BASKET or TRAY where smaller items frequently collect (coffee table, desk...) helps reduce the spread, and keeps things looking tidy until I can get to it.
Not the best, I have a tray and when that gets full, I pour into a bigger tray and then finally into a tote that can never be handled because it is too overwhelming-do you know how many pieces of paper you can fit in a tote? Do you know how many totes I now have???
@@carolbuchel3011 I can relate! ; - D Shoving things in bags and boxes when company's coming on a short timeline is still my default, and I have boxes like that from literally years ago that I still have to wade through! What's working for me about having containers for transitional clutter is the visual peace of not having things spread out as often, and the *chance* to be prompted to practice maintenance tidying skills when the containers start to overflow (even if I ignore it sometimes! ; - ). My natural tendency is to drop things everywhere and *never* feel the urge to pick them up, so learning to use external cues to tidy has been a godsend. I'm still extremely imperfect at tidying and clutter-clearing, but now that I've experienced how much better I feel just having a few spaces in my home cleared, it helps motivate me to keep going. We all deserve to live in an environment that nurtures and soothes us, and I'm wishing you and all of us good luck on that journey! Godspeed! ❤
My kids are grown adults but when they were younger I had baskets for each of them on the steps to their bedroom and they we’re responsible to take care of their basket, if I found random stuff laying around the living room, dining room kitchen, it went in the basket. If they couldn’t find something I would tell them check your basket they had to carry it upstairs and put it in their room random items personal belongings even shoes, school items went into their backpacks on the coat hooks when you walked in the door from the garage. Wish I would’ve been better Decluttering, other areas of my house and other stuff. I had a mail basket on top of my microwave in the kitchen that would be overflowing and moved gone through partially, and then another week or two more mail added to it and when we moved here, I found an egg crate box full of paperwork that we didn’t need and ended up getting burnt.
I spent decades doing the paper pile shuffle from kitchen table to dining room table to my bedroom floor if we had guests. You helped me see that “horizontal “ filing was useless. lol I have now spent the summer of 2024 without the paper piles. Thank you, thank you. I shredded tons and recycled bags full. Whew…. Feels great. I found you late Spring 2024 and now we “body double” daily!
When I started living the “don’t put it down put it away” motto I counted how many extra steps it took to just put something away and I was shocked how little effort it took to just put something away the first time! Also I never leave a room or my car empty handed.
You know what Dawn? I took a break from your videos this summer, and watched Netflix instead because "I get it now"... right?... right... Well summer is almost over, I had 0 motivation today, and was tired, baby woke me up way too early... NONETHELESS, I watched this one video and put baby to nap way too late this afternoon, I enrolled my daughter (10 yo). I had a one hour time frame, I blew right threw it! We worked on tidying and cleaning up the house (and removing baby's crib) in 2 hours! Then she went out to play, baby woke up, and I was finally able to finish the video and I'm about to finish cleaning the kitchen! But hey.. wow! What a difference it makes to listen to your sweet and gentle voice and tone telling me that putting like items with likes is the way to easily get rid of clutter... Then I do it, and I like it... Thank you.
Thank you for saying that procrastination is a form of anxiety. 😭 I have been beating myself up for a long time and I think other people don’t understand why there are some things I’m not getting done.
agree, this really resonated with me and makes me see my late mother in a whole new light. I wish I could have shared that quote with her and my sister who constantly shamed and badgered my mother about her house and items 😞
Dawn, I appreciate your positive attitude and how you always make me feel like I CAN stay on top of my home and declutter routinely. I love your channel! Thank you
My favorite place to store the “returns” bin is in my trunk! Then when I’m at the store or near a store on a different errand, my returns are all with me! No more forgetting the returns! And my recommended bun is an instant crate! Folds flat when I need the trunk storage space!! ♥️
Dawn, your videos never fail to spark some decluttering energy in me! It's seriously magical and so helpful! Half of the time I'm just listening to your voice because I'm already up messing with stuff in my closet and drawers 😂
I have been using the “time will tell bin” for quite a while. It is really life changing as far as managing paper clutter, and other things. When you said “fantasy clutter “ it struck a chord. I have to look at things with a different mindset. Too many things I keep, are not something that fits my season of life or my interests. Realizing and recognizing this from the onset will lessen what I hold on to. You always have such good ideas. Thank you for sharing.
I’ve been watching these videos for awhile trying to tackle the cluttered house BUT now going through a divorce and moving out in 6/9 months I’m rewatching these videos to help me get through everything and help me through this time in my life.
The biggest thing your RUclips videos has helped me with is removing shame. I have spent over a decade in a shame spiral, and I can now confirm that working on letting go of my shame has helped me SO much with not procrastinating as much. It's taken me many years to get to this point. It's truly not easy.
I absolutely love the idea of the time will tell bin! You already know that everything in it is optional. The number of times i pick up a random coupon with a fantastic deal that I'm hesitant to throw away, landing it back with my important to-dos, is too many times!
Add one more step to that process, put them in order in a calendar. I use an old one from 2019 that just allows me to have sorting by month. At the beginning of every month, throw out the expired coupons and the calendar only stays about 1/4" thick. Plus, you get to see that pretty fall scene of the historic wooden bridge picture every October! :D
@@suet9761 Oh interesting! I like the idea of monthly sorting. If you wouldn't mind please explaining how you use the calendar? Do you put the loose papers into the calendar then put the calendar flat on a desk? The papers don't fall out?
@@massages_for_world_peace8909 My time will tell bin is in a file drawer and a hanging file. I store the calendar in the file. I put the lose papers into the calendar. The papers don't fall out, but I'm pretty ruthless on what gets the privilege of going in there. You could also put the calendar flat on a desk in a bin as Dawn shows in this video. I put the coupons, ESPECIALLY coupons for stores, in the month that the coupon expires. So in June I have coupons for Home Depot, pizza and the local sub shop. In July, I have a pizza coupon and the Fourth of July schedule of events for the local park. My bin is the same type of stuff that Dawn shows in the video, but sorted by month, so I can more quickly go through the bin and toss quicker. So, come August, when I go to put something else in the bin, I know that the Forth of July calendar is useless and has no purpose as well as those expired coupons, so into the trash they go. It makes future decisions even easier and knowing that the information is stale. In one of Dawn's earlier videos she put a seed catalog into the time will tell bin. After August, there is no point to planting seeds (if you're in a northern climate), so you know, it's stale information come September. So, the seed catalog would go into the May 'slot' in the paper calendar since that is planting season and if you still want to look at it in June, you can move it forward. Imagine if you will, you are putting a time for when you want to make the FOREVER decision on the information. Coupons are easy as they have an expiration date. If a coupon expires on the 3rd of the month, and you think you'll REALLY use it, toss it in the previous month so you don't forget about it. Catalogs - give yourself a maximum of 3 months. If you haven't wanted it in 3 months, you've saved yourself that much money! Birthday cards FROM a friend. Toss that card 3 months out from your birthday then you can remember them again and then pass it on to the recycle bin. Another thing I add are credit card offers, but I have the same concept for those is a separate calendar/file drawer. If I want to apply and it's worth it, I know which ones are most relevant to that month. You can also leave yourself notes for credit card deals. For example, every October - December one of my credit cards does 5% cash back on PayPal, so I leave myself a reminder to make sure to register/look for that deal (in September) on a scrap envelope and then it jogs my memory. Enjoy faster future sorting. Give yourself a deadline for that decision.
@@suet9761 oh wow, this all was so helpful! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your advice. I’m definitely going to implement some things starting now!
I think I may ask my husband if he can strategically place a few $$ bills on our cluttered surfaces to help motivate me to clear them more often 🤣😂! I kid! In all seriousness, your tips have helped transform our home tremendously, Dawn! We are nearly always 5-10 minutes away from being "company ready" at any time since decluttering a great deal of our junk, and we are continuing on as my limited energy allows! Since hearing you say that it is okay to just toss items that we don't have time or energy to donate/find homes for, we have made even more progress! No more wasted mental energy thinking about finding the perfect home for our unwanted items, or having to wait until I am able to make a trip out to our donation center (out of our normal path to town), so I am just tossing it, and I do not miss or regret any of those decisions!!! Thank you so much, Dawn-even if people can't do all of the things, implementing a few of your key strategies can help people start making progress today! The two biggest strategies we've taken from your videos is seeing our items as inventory we have to manage (YIKES!!!-all the time, energy, and mental gymnastics needed to do that well gave me so much motivation to let go of so much!) and as I mentioned above, giving ourselves permission to toss things we no longer need have been the biggest game changers for us! Here's to more progress and more time to enjoy the things that matter most to all of us!
My best tip for clearing clutter with bills is to automate the payments for as many of them as possible. I only have two a month that require mailing now. So thankful for my friend Diane who encouraged me to do that about 5 years ago. What a difference it has made!!
Two things that have helped me with the random items are: First,when I put random items in the box, I put a piece of tape with today's date on it so when the box gets full I can find the stuff that has been there a long time and is still unclaimed. It probably will never find it's home. The second thing is when a new item that requires a detachable cord comes into the house the cord is immediately labeled with a sharpie pen or a piece of tape that has been written on. When the cord is later found someplace where it shouldn't be, it is easy to figure out where it needs to go.
Thank you, Dawn, for another helpful, practical video. I love the idea that the time will tell bins inform us of data. It helps to break the shame cycle in our heads. Like, it’s ok to never try that recipe or complete the mini project that I set out to do. Do you know how many little sewing projects I have tossed?! 😂It’s hard because I know I’m fully capable of fixing things but that doesn’t mean I have the time or bandwidth to do it all.
Totally, our ideal self vs reality. I think people who are open-minded and curious are attracted to more things, more ideas, so then they collect so many because so many things sound appealing. But then it's too many things to do. Of course you CAN, but that doesn't mean you SHOULD. This week, we are hiring someone in the house to fix something we could spend a day fixing ourselves, but ehh.. why!? Our time is precious, we get to choose what we want to do in it.
I used to have a job where I had massive amounts of paperwork to deal with I will spare the details. I developed a “touch it once” philosophy. I picked up a piece of paper and immediately acted upon it. I have carried this touch it once mantra throughout my life. Just think of the time saved. A dirty glass? Why set it on the counter? Put it in the dishwasher. Mail with assorted junk pieces? Don’t pile it on the table. While holding, sort it in your hand and toss it right in the garbage..bills put in your to do pile right on your desk. Pay it right away then file paid receipt in a stand up file folder on my desk. You get the idea.
Over 6 months ago, I adopted the practice of immediately scheduling my bill payments as soon as a bill arrived instead of putting in my To Do pile for later. It was an absolute game changer 😊. It immediately cleared my mind of the task to pay bills by a specific date from my To Do List.
My final challenge, having decluttered nearly all my stuff and not missing anything yet, is that now all the beautiful art objects that I have accumulated over a lifetime have started to bug me. Those surfaces need to be cleared. So I’m going to move absolutely everything into my sitting room. That will clear the rest of the house. Then every time I sit down for a break I’m going to fantasize about who might love to own each piece and give it away.
This is called "the Swedish Death Cleaning" method. I started doing this clearing out of stuff 🇺🇲 or skrap 🇸🇪. It is been an awesome trip to let go of beloved and daily objects to family and friends. It has a freeing and decluttering time for me.😊❤
You could even ask people to go into the room and choose a couple favorites, it'd be like shopping for them. Just don't take it personal if they don't want any because often we all have so many things already! :)
My maintenance routine is to do a quick pass through living/dining/kitchen spaces after dinner or before bed to make sure everything is put away, counters wiped down, etc. Doing this daily means stuff doesn't pile up, and we have a clean and tidy space when we start the morning. Maybe easier for me than for some, being an empty-nester retired couple. But this was daily pick-up was vital to my sanity when I was working and had a very busy daughter at home.
Dawn, you’ve literally changed my life by giving me permission to have a special place for “random stuff” 😂 I’ve been improving in to do’s and time will tell items, but get stuck at all the tiny things - SO MANY TINY THINGS 🙌🏻😅
I started a "random stuff" drawer probably 6 months ago. I keep adding things to it. I should probably go back in there and see if I've actually created a place for any of it by now. Baby steps, right? Flat surfaces are so difficult. It's a constant battle. Thank you for your suggestions, Dawn!
I purchased a clear drawer with a built in shelf on top from Target. The shelf holds my to-do items and the drawer holds my time-will-tell items. Both are cleaned out on Sundays (because trash collection is on Monday). I also have a basket inside my desk to hold my “save for taxes” items. Growing up, we always had a square glass bowl that was inside a cupboard and this was where our random stuff lived. I have a similar basket in my home. My grandmother always had a large side table next to the couch. On this table were all the important (to her) stuff. Things like mail, pens & pencils, manicure set, cards & letters, etc. I realized I have a similar set up next to my chair. I’m going to have to rethink this area (it is where my random-stuff basket lives). 🤔🤔🤔 I’ll start with Step 1 and gather stuff that actually has a home somewhere else! Can you tell that I love your videos!?!
I put a sofa type table in the entryway. My Sunday box sits on top with a tray next to it for magazines. Underneath are 3 trash cans for recycling, garbage and shredding. This way the mail doesn’t make it very far into our home! Mail had been my worst out of control mess. I’d lose important papers mixed in with garbage all the time. And there were piles everywhere!
I think this blue blouse is a beautiful color for you. Thanks again for helping us realize the process for becoming more uncluttered and organized. Every time I start working on this I have your videos on helping to keep me motivated. My husband thinks it’s funny that I do this, he says your my boss for cleaning. 👍🏻🌺
Surface clutter steals my peace! When I taught I had to have my desk absolutely neat when I left for the night. Coming in the following morning was a pleasure with a clean and neat desk. I started my days in control. I'm now the same at home. ❤
I bought the Helix mattress called midnight luxe on the Helix presidents day sale, 25% off and the mattress Protector cover. They said it’s the most they’ve ever offer on the mattresses. One of the questions was, how did I find out about Helix and I said The Minimal Mom. Thanks for letting me know about the mattress. I love it! Only thing I didn’t like it inflated too quickly and I didn’t have time to flip it over so I had to wait three weeks for my son to come over and help me! Lol If they hadn’t had a sale I would’ve got your 20% on it.
I also bought a mattress and the various parts and accessories, over the Labor Day weekend. I, too, specified that I was purchasing from Helix because of Minimal Mom, so she’d get the credit!
Oo I just got a great idea for the things that have a home to help you be able to put them away more quickly and efficiently…load them into a tray (like a serving tray or even a basket) then you can just carry them all at once and make one round around your home instead of running back and forth from the space you are decluttering to where each item needs to go. Hope this is helpful! Thank you for all you do and have done to help me and my family! You are so SO very encouraging my friend!!!
I'm only commenting now because I downloaded this "to touch" when I got the break to do so. I just want you to know how much I appreciate your matter-of-fact, reality-validating, accepting and encouraging approach. Your shame-free approach makes it so much easier to listen to, accept, and integrate your message in my life. Thank you!
We play the ‘counter is lava’, unless we’re cooking, nothing gets set down there, as in our open plan home the island counter is visible from the front entry way. It helps to keep the room looking neat 😊
I really resonate with the common sense of your approach to decluttering. You have helped me recognize so many stumbling blocks that were in my way that I was unable to see for myself. Thank you!
Victor!! U hit the nail on the head lol lol Also, I don’t buy things to sit out due to the same reasoning! Saved me $$$ and a beautiful clean surface!!
We have a relatively small house but a huge kitchen with lots of counter space, a flat surface just past our entry way, and a large kitchen table. Every surface used to be piled high. Part of the kitchen counter space was literally piled quite high. Ask. The. Time. The massive and dramatic change began happening when I started desperately searching for ways to keep up with dishes. Clearing the countertops wasn’t even imaginable to me at that point. Came across Clutterbug which pointed me to Dawn. Minimalism by Dawn’s channel’s guidance changed our lives. The habits to develop are important to learn, but the biggest and most important step is to do the dirty work of getting rid of as much stuff as possible. We have decluttered SO much. And everything has changed. (I recently had a sick day, and my husband and kid got out of the house for a couple hours. I just had the whole house to myself and had such a sigh of relief and gratitude that my house was clean -even after hosting a large gathering that weekend- and I literally had nothing pressing me. I could relax peacefully.)
Hey Dawn ! Thanks for all your wonderful ideas ! My mom was a nurse and taught me years ago to turn my pillowcase inside out / grab the two corners of your pillow and pull the pillowcase on ! It’s like magic ! Thanks again for all your videos! ❤️Robin
had to subscribe: I've been watching you for a while and while I don't have the energy to have the picture perfect house anymore, I still need a normal person living in a normal home giving me just the right amount of ideas and motivation to get there :)
2 tips for random recipes: 1) institute a moratorium on collecting anymore until you've tried all the others in your collection and 2) find it online and keep a recipe folder in your bookmarks.
Oh my goodness, do you have any idea how wonderful you are! In the time it took me to watch this video I cleaned off three services!😂❤ i'm going to flag some of these videos and have my husband watch them. He is always very overwhelmed when it comes to sorting and cleaning. I've only watched a couple of your videos but I'm already in love. I think I need to scroll away way way back and watch the first video and just work my way forward.
As I'm going on in my minimalism journey I'm designing fewer flat surfaces into my home. For example, I have done away with my sofa "end" tables and I now have a floor standing lamp at one end and a plant at the other. Same with the coffee table, gone. The sofa is under the window so I just use the sill to place my coffee onto when I'm sitting there. I have a small folding table under the sofa for if we play a family game or something but then it gets put away. And when I made over my entryway, I went for a built in specifically designed around bins for returns, dog leashes, car stuff, shopping bags, a donation box etc. This was all stuff which would have previously cluttered up my surfaces in the entryway. I just think differently about the way I use and design my home now. Thanks Dawn ❤
Thank you so much! I started watching you last week and your videos are very helpful. I have to tell you I heard a video the other day where you mentioned when people make rude comments; I had just thought how much joy your smile, your happy personality, and your little frequent laugh resonates with me and makes me smile! Have a blessed day! ❤
21:29 Thank you for this video! I become so overwhelmed with my pile of bills. Which is usually mostly ads! But it seems like so much to think about, even though we are blessed enough to be able to pay our bills. The thought of going through them yikes! So thank you 😊
LOL - seeing that exposed outlet in your cupboard reminded me to add outlet covers to my shopping list for tomorrow as we recently moved furniture that now exposed our previous not quite done projects! Thanks for the visual reminder, now it will get done. 😁
Thanks for another great video!! My husband and I moved into our 37 foot motorhome about 22 months ago. I have one spot near my dining table TV that collects my clutter. I keep looking for the right solution, but haven’t found it yet. Love your ideas. I’m giving myself grace that maybe one of these days something will finally click.
Could you do some sort of hanging file type thing on a wall? I remember Cas showing some way to store your papers on the wall if you put them away and forget them. You might not have spare space for it though
Tha top really does make your eyes pop Dawn! I keep a small mason jar on my kitchen window sill for little random bits I find that I'm not sure what they go to. I wore in sharpie on it "odds & ends." Things like a screw or a plastic cover. Eventually I have a revelation of, "oh that's where that is from!" And I know where it is. I'll go through it every couple of months and if I never did figure out what it is it gets tossed.
This is gold! I love the bit about procrastination is anxiety misslabled as lazyness. I also love the idea of "fantasy self to dos". I've already implemented a time-will-tell bin (both physically, and electronically - VERY helpful for emails!) - But I'm excited to try distinguising between ACTUAL Todos and FantasySelf todos. I think it will really help. Thanks for the tips!!
Hi Dawn, it’s Linda Guy…this is the type video that helps me the most. It makes me really declutter and organize so much better than some of the other challenges. Keep them coming !
I love your idea of keeping your to-do pile separate from your fantasy pile. That was such an ah-ha for me. I’m going to do that. And PS I love your genuineness with those shams! Great segues. 😂❤
I love the revisit to basics! We all need reminders to help keep us with forward momentum. When you said…”the stuff on your bedroom floor” I immediately thought about the papers on the floor next to my bed! Thank you Dawn!
Yup! When the kids see me get the vacuum out they start to scramble fast! (I love to vacuum) If it's on the floor it gets sucked away. When it makes a loud noise, wow how they start to worry about what they just lost (of course I do this selectively) But just the following through and repetition does wonders. It's like magic now.
Hi Dawn! Binge watching and learning all your videos, my home is feeling better already! Thank you so much for your relatable and get to the point videos. Also you are such a inspiration to me as a mom of four in a similar place as you where. Thank you!
I have a Homeless Clutter bin in my nightstand and it has helped so much! I also bought a Smead 24 pocket project organizer for my to-dos. It’s a spiral “notebook” that doesn’t have paper, it has clear folders. I’m very visually and I need to see everything. Both of these has helped so much. And thank you for the “Would LIKE to do” differentiation from actual to-dos! That’s life changing!
I have a box dedicated to whatever sewing/craft project I'm working on. Saves me from always having to put the scissors/needles/thread etc away in drawers when I stop to do other things, and nothing gets lost.
I keep a cute basket on a kitchen shelf for random things. If i find a toy. Tool, cord, part or anything I'm clueless on (doesnt belong to me) it goes into the basket. I go through it monthly, let everyone have a look and then ditch or put away. Sort of a mix of homeless and the container idea from Dana. It really helps! My personal to dos...a basket in laundry room for returns, exchanges, to mail etc. Its mostly working but i need to designate a time to go through.
A sign I'm obsessed with decluttering: I had a dream my *daughter* had decluttered some of *my* stuff! But turns out it was all stuff I've been delaying decluttering. I guess it's time for it to go!😊
A couple things that have been working for me... 1) Items that fall under "I'm-gonna-get-around-to-it" now live in my recycle bin. If I'm looking for a recipe or a paint color or an article to read, I know where to find it. But if recycle day arrives & I haven't dug it out to look at it, out it goes. After all, there's always more coming behind those ones. 2) I keep a notebook & pen by the phone. To-Do items get tucked with it. On Sundays, when I spend longer savouring my coffee, I do those things, pay the bills, balance the books, and enjoy the fact that sometimes it takes two coffees. Bonus! 3) I had to finally realize that I am a cricket, so if I haven't quite finished with it, I tend to leave it out. Now I just say to myself "C'mon Cricket! You don't need to feed the stereotype!" LOL. It's a new habit but that little voice makes me chuckle, and I put the item away.
Thank you for this! I have cute baskets or bins around the house and they’ve been full of random stuff for years 🤦🏽♀️. I need to just face the stuff in there already.
You have no idea of how much you are appreciated. Thank you for all that you do for your family and myself. Again thank you for all the tips and suggestions in helping me keep my house afloat. Much love sent your way.
Thank you for this video. This has truly been one of the most useful decluttering videos that I’ve seen. Your techniques are user-friendly & thoughtful. My biggest issue is that I don’t have any closets on the first floor of my 100-year old home. So, I’ll need to find a space to re-dedicate to those sorts of bins. Also, the table idea at the end was great!!🤌🏻
What I need in order to be able to eradicate clutter is homes that _make sense_ for whatever thing I'm dealing with right now. I have ADHD, I don't have the capacity to hunt around stuff in a million different containers, let alone return the stuff after using it. If a particular something is cluttering a particular area, it's trying to tell me that it needs a home _in that specific area_ . Putting it away has to be just as easy as putting it down.
I would like to hear you talk more about fantasy clutter, that concept really resonated with me. Also, I keep all unpaid bills in my purse and then they get paid in my next trip. This works for me. Thanks for your work Dawn
Thanks for another great video, Dawn. I used to have a ten minute limit on old magazines. If a magazine was more than a month old, I'd give myself 10 minutes to tear out everything I wanted to keep, then put the recipes in a place I could find them, save any scrapbook or decorative pieces in the right place.
Dawn, I’m loving the blue and white top! Thank you for sharing these tips about surface clutter. For me this is one I struggle with a lot. Thank you for giving me some easy actionable steps to get this under control.
I’m using “like with like” in my garage currently. I’ve measured and mapped the wall space so I can proceed with organizing. Wall space will ultimately limit what I can keep! Thanks for agreeing with me. 😉
Our table used to be such a magnet for randomness! But once I set a zero tolerance mindset of “Our table is for eating. Period.” it made a huge difference. Now when we do need to use the table as a giant reminder of “Don’t forget to take this item to ______” that item now stands out. I love it that when people drop by there may be dog toys all over the floor, but our table is clean and cleared and ready for serving food on. Because that’s what they are there for, right? 😜
HI there and thanks for this video. I used a number of approaches to get my home organised and it was the catch all box in the end that saved that feeling of intimidation and exasperation. A plastic box is a catch all - it started as a 52L box now it is a shoebox....I now put it away straightaway and get my steps up. The catch all has ended up being someone else's stuff. Thanks again from Adelaide South Australia
So Dawn, I've been watching your videos for quite a while now. You have helped me so much! Our home is so much more manageable. I am not quite a minimalist yet, but getting there. Many times your videos made me get up right away and deal with the issues that needed to be dealt with. This surface clutter video helped me today and I will introduce the two boxes you talked about. Also the real cause for procrastination... that does make a lot of sense to me...! THANK YOU! :-) With warm greetings from Germany and God bless :-)
Selling your house is a great way to keep all your surfaces clutter free but it also just means all your cupboards are full instead 😅 After we move I am implementing SO many of your ideas, Dawn, along with decluttering as we pack up so we're not tracking a bunch of crap with us across the state. Thanks so much!
I totally agree with all of this, Dawn....such helpful and encouraging information! We have two small children and have found when they are running in opposite directions leaving a trail everywhere they go, it is helpful to have one flat surface in each room where everything goes at the end of the day. Everything they played with that makes its way to the kitchen and hallway goes to the living room coffee table. Same process in the basement. The routine was built in for the kids as part of the bedtime routine to put their things away on those two surfaces. With that and the fact that the inventory has been significantly reduced, the kids do not have any trouble putting away their things and we now go to bed and wake up to a (mostly) clean house. We also keep one small basket in place as a catch all for items that seem to spread from little hands seeking adventure. Love your tips and tricks for a more simplified and organized space. These strategies have given us so much freedom. THANK YOU!
Thanks Helix for sponsoring! Go to helixsleep.com/minimalmom for 20% off your mattress, plus two free pillows! And thank YOU for watching! Have a great day! - Dawn
😂
Lol I can relate
I need to have a regular, contemporary desk with 3+ drawers down one side of it (either the left or right side), and a 2 drawer file cabinet on the other side of it, and a 2-shelf bookshelf on top of it. In the top drawer, i have a selection of little re-used boxes laid out to fill the drawer as organizer dividers, with a little (re-used) box for each of my various office supplies: colored pens, black and blue pens, markers; fasteners (a box for different types of tape, another for push pins, one for paper clips, for glues and adhesives, etc.); another little box for post-its, for ribbon and a tiny bit of wrapping paper, etc.
The second drawer on my right is for papers, with a drawer paper sorter, to keep types of paper separate: binder paper, graph paper; and for packages of cards from the Dollar Store.
i used to have a desk with a 3rd drawer, the lowest drawer, and really miss it. I need three drawers, minimum.
And two trash cans: one large, for paper recycling, and one tiny, for non-recyclable trash. And room under the desk for my knees. I like having a corner desk to have a computer in the corner, do paperwork to the left of the computer, and have a reading slant board (to not have to bend my neck downward) to do reading to the right of the computer.
My desk is 3' deep, so there's room at the back to put a bookshelf, to keep all my notebooks, finances binder, and project binders at my fingertips.
Having everything within arms reach, so I don't have to get up to put things away keeps the clutter down.
My kids have realized the floor is the biggest flat surface in our house.
😂😂😂
Funny
🤣🤣🤣
😂😂😂 our kids must know each other!
😂😂😂 my sister says the same thing
My husband said the other day.. "I'm going to put this in the Time Will Tell." I nearly cried. Lol!! It's working...he's being trained!!
And now…everything is the Time Will Tell Zone
My secret to preventing buildup of clutter is to never leave a room empty-handed. If I'm going from my office to the kitchen for a cup of tea, I'll take any dirty glasses/plates etc. that have accumulated on my desk to the kitchen with me. If I'm going to my bedroom, I take the shoes I kicked off when I got in the door. And so on.
I love this! I'm gonna have to start to do this and make it a habit.
Yes! I do the same. It becomes second nature and eliminates the need to go through your house to tidy up at the end of the day.
Yep! Instead of long detailed explanations and plans on how to clear surface clutter it really all boils down to one thing: HABITS. Make it a habit to put things away when you are done with them it really. Is. that. simple. If you want your house to be clean make it a habit to clean it having routines etc. Et cetera I finally learned this after years of mess!!
A woman said her mother always said, "take something up with you " as she approached the stairs. That was from Country Woman magazine. Since then I have put that into practice.
I learned this in high school as a waitress to never leave the (dining) room empty handed and honestly it's come in handy so much in real life -my waitressing/college days are long over 🙂
Dawn, what I really appreciate about your videos, is that you dive in immediately. I have deleted many people who waste my time with a lot of preliminary blah blah blah.
Yes! Please! ❤
Thank you Dawn, I've been struggling with too much stuff. A friend stopped by unexpectedly and I realized I felt embarrassed at the state of my house. My excuse was, I'm pet sitting.
But the truth is, I just needed to address the clutter!! And I did! I went in my tiny kitchen and put everything away. It looks 100% better now! Thank you for positively motivating me❤❤
At the change of seasons, I redecorate my house. I live in Tampa Bay and I miss the seasons of TN. So I decorate! I have way too much so I decided what better time to declutter my Fall/ Winter. I packed all my Fall today after church, and won't do Christmas until all the Fall is stored. It's all boxed up except for the outdoor decor. So tomorrow, I'll address that. I'm 68 and a widow 13 years. It's difficult to lose your life partner, but I'm hanging in there!
You are so motivational! After watching for 5 mins I paused then went and decluttered some drawers and surfaces in the study! A whole bag of rubbish. (And it's 9.45pm here in the UK) . Thank you!
Wow, that's awesome!!!!
Way to go! 💪
Dawn, you are just so awesome and wonderful! I am saving this video, and I never do that!
ditto
Amazing!!!!
We have a farmhouse that’s a little larger with not the greatest layout. I’ve paid attention to the habits my family has and they usually just dump items rather then go across the house to put them away. It’s much more fun to go on to another activity rather than tidy it up first. I found an idea where you have a shelf area with a basket or bin or box. One for each floor in an easy to access spot. After doing an activity-like a game or craft, where it belongs somewhere far away…just move it to the bin and then once a day it’s someone’s task to grab the bin(s) and return items to where they belong. So simple and yet it keeps things much tidier. Systems and habits that you’ve cultivated to fit your family, lifestyle and stage of life are such a game changer!
That's a great idea.
Have everyone grab their stuff to put away
I love the procrastination quote! Definitely makes sense that it's anxiety, not laziness. My entire house-keeping has been procrastinated!
Putting a BASKET or TRAY where smaller items frequently collect (coffee table, desk...) helps reduce the spread, and keeps things looking tidy until I can get to it.
Not the best, I have a tray and when that gets full, I pour into a bigger tray and then finally into a tote that can never be handled because it is too overwhelming-do you know how many pieces of paper you can fit in a tote? Do you know how many totes I now have???
@carol buchel you have lived this long without using the stuff in those totes... I would dump all the totes in the trash! Release and relax😊
@@carolbuchel3011 I can relate! ; - D Shoving things in bags and boxes when company's coming on a short timeline is still my default, and I have boxes like that from literally years ago that I still have to wade through!
What's working for me about having containers for transitional clutter is the visual peace of not having things spread out as often, and the *chance* to be prompted to practice maintenance tidying skills when the containers start to overflow (even if I ignore it sometimes! ; - ).
My natural tendency is to drop things everywhere and *never* feel the urge to pick them up, so learning to use external cues to tidy has been a godsend. I'm still extremely imperfect at tidying and clutter-clearing, but now that I've experienced how much better I feel just having a few spaces in my home cleared, it helps motivate me to keep going.
We all deserve to live in an environment that nurtures and soothes us, and I'm wishing you and all of us good luck on that journey! Godspeed! ❤
My kids are grown adults but when they were younger I had baskets for each of them on the steps to their bedroom and they we’re responsible to take care of their basket, if I found random stuff laying around the living room, dining room kitchen, it went in the basket. If they couldn’t find something I would tell them check your basket they had to carry it upstairs and put it in their room random items personal belongings even shoes, school items went into their backpacks on the coat hooks when you walked in the door from the garage. Wish I would’ve been better Decluttering, other areas of my house and other stuff. I had a mail basket on top of my microwave in the kitchen that would be overflowing and moved gone through partially, and then another week or two more mail added to it and when we moved here, I found an egg crate box full of paperwork that we didn’t need and ended up getting burnt.
@@normarejuvenatedbudgeter8268 One basket per child is brilliant! : - )
I spent decades doing the paper pile shuffle from kitchen table to dining room table to my bedroom floor if we had guests. You helped me see that “horizontal “ filing was useless. lol I have now spent the summer of 2024 without the paper piles. Thank you, thank you. I shredded tons and recycled bags full. Whew…. Feels great. I found you late Spring 2024 and now we “body double” daily!
I love the idea of separating to do stuff from fantasy future stuff not just in terms of paper, but mentally
When I started living the “don’t put it down put it away” motto I counted how many extra steps it took to just put something away and I was shocked how little effort it took to just put something away the first time!
Also I never leave a room or my car empty handed.
There is also a rule called the 10/30 rule. If it takes 10 steps to put it away or 30 seconds to do, put it away/do it.
The last point ☝️👍
Love the blue!!! On you! As well as in your house, but so beautiful on you!
You know what Dawn? I took a break from your videos this summer, and watched Netflix instead because "I get it now"... right?... right... Well summer is almost over, I had 0 motivation today, and was tired, baby woke me up way too early... NONETHELESS, I watched this one video and put baby to nap way too late this afternoon, I enrolled my daughter (10 yo). I had a one hour time frame, I blew right threw it! We worked on tidying and cleaning up the house (and removing baby's crib) in 2 hours! Then she went out to play, baby woke up, and I was finally able to finish the video and I'm about to finish cleaning the kitchen! But hey.. wow! What a difference it makes to listen to your sweet and gentle voice and tone telling me that putting like items with likes is the way to easily get rid of clutter... Then I do it, and I like it... Thank you.
Thank you for saying that procrastination is a form of anxiety. 😭 I have been beating myself up for a long time and I think other people don’t understand why there are some things I’m not getting done.
agree, this really resonated with me and makes me see my late mother in a whole new light. I wish I could have shared that quote with her and my sister who constantly shamed and badgered my mother about her house and items 😞
How is it that I learn something new from you every time I watch? Keep teaching cause we are learning! Thanks Dawn! 😊
Dawn, I appreciate your positive attitude and how you always make me feel like I CAN stay on top of my home and declutter routinely. I love your channel! Thank you
My favorite place to store the “returns” bin is in my trunk! Then when I’m at the store or near a store on a different errand, my returns are all with me! No more forgetting the returns! And my recommended bun is an instant crate! Folds flat when I need the trunk storage space!! ♥️
I put them in my car
Dawn, your videos never fail to spark some decluttering energy in me! It's seriously magical and so helpful! Half of the time I'm just listening to your voice because I'm already up messing with stuff in my closet and drawers 😂
Me, too!!
I have been using the “time will tell bin” for quite a while. It is really life changing as far as managing paper clutter, and other things. When you said “fantasy clutter “ it struck a chord. I have to look at things with a different mindset. Too many things I keep, are not something that fits my season of life or my interests. Realizing and recognizing this from the onset will lessen what I hold on to. You always have such good ideas. Thank you for sharing.
I’ve been watching these videos for awhile trying to tackle the cluttered house BUT now going through a divorce and moving out in 6/9 months I’m rewatching these videos to help me get through everything and help me through this time in my life.
The biggest thing your RUclips videos has helped me with is removing shame. I have spent over a decade in a shame spiral, and I can now confirm that working on letting go of my shame has helped me SO much with not procrastinating as much. It's taken me many years to get to this point. It's truly not easy.
I absolutely love the idea of the time will tell bin! You already know that everything in it is optional. The number of times i pick up a random coupon with a fantastic deal that I'm hesitant to throw away, landing it back with my important to-dos, is too many times!
Add one more step to that process, put them in order in a calendar. I use an old one from 2019 that just allows me to have sorting by month. At the beginning of every month, throw out the expired coupons and the calendar only stays about 1/4" thick. Plus, you get to see that pretty fall scene of the historic wooden bridge picture every October! :D
@@suet9761 Oh interesting! I like the idea of monthly sorting. If you wouldn't mind please explaining how you use the calendar? Do you put the loose papers into the calendar then put the calendar flat on a desk? The papers don't fall out?
@@massages_for_world_peace8909 My time will tell bin is in a file drawer and a hanging file. I store the calendar in the file. I put the lose papers into the calendar. The papers don't fall out, but I'm pretty ruthless on what gets the privilege of going in there. You could also put the calendar flat on a desk in a bin as Dawn shows in this video.
I put the coupons, ESPECIALLY coupons for stores, in the month that the coupon expires. So in June I have coupons for Home Depot, pizza and the local sub shop. In July, I have a pizza coupon and the Fourth of July schedule of events for the local park. My bin is the same type of stuff that Dawn shows in the video, but sorted by month, so I can more quickly go through the bin and toss quicker. So, come August, when I go to put something else in the bin, I know that the Forth of July calendar is useless and has no purpose as well as those expired coupons, so into the trash they go. It makes future decisions even easier and knowing that the information is stale. In one of Dawn's earlier videos she put a seed catalog into the time will tell bin. After August, there is no point to planting seeds (if you're in a northern climate), so you know, it's stale information come September. So, the seed catalog would go into the May 'slot' in the paper calendar since that is planting season and if you still want to look at it in June, you can move it forward. Imagine if you will, you are putting a time for when you want to make the FOREVER decision on the information.
Coupons are easy as they have an expiration date. If a coupon expires on the 3rd of the month, and you think you'll REALLY use it, toss it in the previous month so you don't forget about it.
Catalogs - give yourself a maximum of 3 months. If you haven't wanted it in 3 months, you've saved yourself that much money!
Birthday cards FROM a friend. Toss that card 3 months out from your birthday then you can remember them again and then pass it on to the recycle bin.
Another thing I add are credit card offers, but I have the same concept for those is a separate calendar/file drawer. If I want to apply and it's worth it, I know which ones are most relevant to that month. You can also leave yourself notes for credit card deals. For example, every October - December one of my credit cards does 5% cash back on PayPal, so I leave myself a reminder to make sure to register/look for that deal (in September) on a scrap envelope and then it jogs my memory.
Enjoy faster future sorting. Give yourself a deadline for that decision.
@@suet9761 oh wow, this all was so helpful! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your advice. I’m definitely going to implement some things starting now!
I think I may ask my husband if he can strategically place a few $$ bills on our cluttered surfaces to help motivate me to clear them more often 🤣😂! I kid! In all seriousness, your tips have helped transform our home tremendously, Dawn! We are nearly always 5-10 minutes away from being "company ready" at any time since decluttering a great deal of our junk, and we are continuing on as my limited energy allows! Since hearing you say that it is okay to just toss items that we don't have time or energy to donate/find homes for, we have made even more progress! No more wasted mental energy thinking about finding the perfect home for our unwanted items, or having to wait until I am able to make a trip out to our donation center (out of our normal path to town), so I am just tossing it, and I do not miss or regret any of those decisions!!! Thank you so much, Dawn-even if people can't do all of the things, implementing a few of your key strategies can help people start making progress today! The two biggest strategies we've taken from your videos is seeing our items as inventory we have to manage (YIKES!!!-all the time, energy, and mental gymnastics needed to do that well gave me so much motivation to let go of so much!) and as I mentioned above, giving ourselves permission to toss things we no longer need have been the biggest game changers for us! Here's to more progress and more time to enjoy the things that matter most to all of us!
My best tip for clearing clutter with bills is to automate the payments for as many of them as possible. I only have two a month that require mailing now. So thankful for my friend Diane who encouraged me to do that about 5 years ago. What a difference it has made!!
I haven't done this yet but I'm single so smaller bills so sometimes I prepay so i can mail a check 6 times a year instead of 12
Two things that have helped me with the random items are: First,when I put random items in the box, I put a piece of tape with today's date on it so when the box gets full I can find the stuff that has been there a long time and is still unclaimed. It probably will never find it's home. The second thing is when a new item that requires a detachable cord comes into the house the cord is immediately labeled with a sharpie pen or a piece of tape that has been written on. When the cord is later found someplace where it shouldn't be, it is easy to figure out where it needs to go.
Thank you, Dawn, for another helpful, practical video. I love the idea that the time will tell bins inform us of data. It helps to break the shame cycle in our heads. Like, it’s ok to never try that recipe or complete the mini project that I set out to do. Do you know how many little sewing projects I have tossed?! 😂It’s hard because I know I’m fully capable of fixing things but that doesn’t mean I have the time or bandwidth to do it all.
Totally, our ideal self vs reality. I think people who are open-minded and curious are attracted to more things, more ideas, so then they collect so many because so many things sound appealing. But then it's too many things to do. Of course you CAN, but that doesn't mean you SHOULD. This week, we are hiring someone in the house to fix something we could spend a day fixing ourselves, but ehh.. why!? Our time is precious, we get to choose what we want to do in it.
I used to have a job where I had massive amounts of paperwork to deal with I will spare the details. I developed a “touch it once” philosophy. I picked up a piece of paper and immediately acted upon it. I have carried this touch it once mantra throughout my life. Just think of the time saved. A dirty glass? Why set it on the counter? Put it in the dishwasher. Mail with assorted junk pieces? Don’t pile it on the table. While holding, sort it in your hand and toss it right in the garbage..bills put in your to do pile right on your desk. Pay it right away then file paid receipt in a stand up file folder on my desk. You get the idea.
Over 6 months ago, I adopted the practice of immediately scheduling my bill payments as soon as a bill arrived instead of putting in my To Do pile for later. It was an absolute game changer 😊. It immediately cleared my mind of the task to pay bills by a specific date from my To Do List.
I ❤️ 'the dining table is lava'! Hilariously! My grands love the lava game! What a great idea! Thanks for sharing! 😊
My final challenge, having decluttered nearly all my stuff and not missing anything yet, is that now all the beautiful art objects that I have accumulated over a lifetime have started to bug me. Those surfaces need to be cleared. So I’m going to move absolutely everything into my sitting room. That will clear the rest of the house. Then every time I sit down for a break I’m going to fantasize about who might love to own each piece and give it away.
This is called "the Swedish Death Cleaning" method. I started doing this clearing out of stuff 🇺🇲 or skrap 🇸🇪. It is been an awesome trip to let go of beloved and daily objects to family and friends. It has a freeing and decluttering time for me.😊❤
I love this idea so much! I've gotten rid of all I don't want, many things I like, and now working on things I love but that don't serve my space. 💜
You could even ask people to go into the room and choose a couple favorites, it'd be like shopping for them. Just don't take it personal if they don't want any because often we all have so many things already! :)
My maintenance routine is to do a quick pass through living/dining/kitchen spaces after dinner or before bed to make sure everything is put away, counters wiped down, etc. Doing this daily means stuff doesn't pile up, and we have a clean and tidy space when we start the morning. Maybe easier for me than for some, being an empty-nester retired couple. But this was daily pick-up was vital to my sanity when I was working and had a very busy daughter at home.
Dawn, you’ve literally changed my life by giving me permission to have a special place for “random stuff” 😂 I’ve been improving in to do’s and time will tell items, but get stuck at all the tiny things - SO MANY TINY THINGS 🙌🏻😅
I started a "random stuff" drawer probably 6 months ago. I keep adding things to it. I should probably go back in there and see if I've actually created a place for any of it by now. Baby steps, right? Flat surfaces are so difficult. It's a constant battle. Thank you for your suggestions, Dawn!
Omg yes, so many tiny decisions. The big categories she mentions helps so much.
Unfortunately my random stuff gets out of hand and turns into doom piles/corners/rooms. My new rule is to categorize everything or throw it out lol.
I purchased a clear drawer with a built in shelf on top from Target. The shelf holds my to-do items and the drawer holds my time-will-tell items. Both are cleaned out on Sundays (because trash collection is on Monday). I also have a basket inside my desk to hold my “save for taxes” items. Growing up, we always had a square glass bowl that was inside a cupboard and this was where our random stuff lived. I have a similar basket in my home. My grandmother always had a large side table next to the couch. On this table were all the important (to her) stuff. Things like mail, pens & pencils, manicure set, cards & letters, etc. I realized I have a similar set up next to my chair. I’m going to have to rethink this area (it is where my random-stuff basket lives). 🤔🤔🤔 I’ll start with Step 1 and gather stuff that actually has a home somewhere else! Can you tell that I love your videos!?!
I put a sofa type table in the entryway. My Sunday box sits on top with a tray next to it for magazines. Underneath are 3 trash cans for recycling, garbage and shredding. This way the mail doesn’t make it very far into our home! Mail had been my worst out of control mess. I’d lose important papers mixed in with garbage all the time. And there were piles everywhere!
Thank you for being friendly - you make it seem like even I can do better! 💐
You can! 😄💪
So true. Dawn you are the best.
I think this blue blouse is a beautiful color for you. Thanks again for helping us realize the process for becoming more uncluttered and organized. Every time I start working on this I have your videos on helping to keep me motivated. My husband thinks it’s funny that I do this, he says your my boss for cleaning. 👍🏻🌺
“To do things don’t need to live on the counter “ love that statement. Thank you for all that you do and share.
Surface clutter steals my peace! When I taught I had to have my desk absolutely neat when I left for the night. Coming in the following morning was a pleasure with a clean and neat desk. I started my days in control. I'm now the same at home. ❤
I bought the Helix mattress called midnight luxe on the Helix presidents day sale, 25% off and the mattress Protector cover. They said it’s the most they’ve ever offer on the mattresses. One of the questions was, how did I find out about Helix and I said The Minimal Mom. Thanks for letting me know about the mattress. I love it! Only thing I didn’t like it inflated too quickly and I didn’t have time to flip it over so I had to wait three weeks for my son to come over and help me! Lol
If they hadn’t had a sale I would’ve got your 20% on it.
I'm so glad to hear this Debra!!! THANK YOU!!!!
I also bought a mattress and the various parts and accessories, over the Labor Day weekend. I, too, specified that I was purchasing from Helix because of Minimal Mom, so she’d get the credit!
Oo I just got a great idea for the things that have a home to help you be able to put them away more quickly and efficiently…load them into a tray (like a serving tray or even a basket) then you can just carry them all at once and make one round around your home instead of running back and forth from the space you are decluttering to where each item needs to go. Hope this is helpful! Thank you for all you do and have done to help me and my family! You are so SO very encouraging my friend!!!
I love the way you said “dealing with old stuff gives you data to train you on how to handle new stuff”.
Let’s read this twice. 😊
❤❤😊
I'm only commenting now because I downloaded this "to touch" when I got the break to do so. I just want you to know how much I appreciate your matter-of-fact, reality-validating, accepting and encouraging approach. Your shame-free approach makes it so much easier to listen to, accept, and integrate your message in my life. Thank you!
We play the ‘counter is lava’, unless we’re cooking, nothing gets set down there, as in our open plan home the island counter is visible from the front entry way. It helps to keep the room looking neat 😊
I really resonate with the common sense of your approach to decluttering. You have helped me recognize so many stumbling blocks that were in my way that I was unable to see for myself. Thank you!
I have found something that eliminates clutter on countertops and tables. It's called a cat.
😂
😂 too true!
😅
Victor!! U hit the nail on the head lol lol Also, I don’t buy things to sit out due to the same reasoning! Saved me $$$ and a beautiful clean surface!!
Yes! 😂
We have a relatively small house but a huge kitchen with lots of counter space, a flat surface just past our entry way, and a large kitchen table. Every surface used to be piled high. Part of the kitchen counter space was literally piled quite high. Ask. The. Time. The massive and dramatic change began happening when I started desperately searching for ways to keep up with dishes. Clearing the countertops wasn’t even imaginable to me at that point. Came across Clutterbug which pointed me to Dawn. Minimalism by Dawn’s channel’s guidance changed our lives. The habits to develop are important to learn, but the biggest and most important step is to do the dirty work of getting rid of as much stuff as possible. We have decluttered SO much. And everything has changed. (I recently had a sick day, and my husband and kid got out of the house for a couple hours. I just had the whole house to myself and had such a sigh of relief and gratitude that my house was clean -even after hosting a large gathering that weekend- and I literally had nothing pressing me. I could relax peacefully.)
Hey Dawn ! Thanks for all your wonderful ideas ! My mom was a nurse and taught me years ago to turn my pillowcase inside out / grab the two corners of your pillow and pull the pillowcase on ! It’s like magic ! Thanks again for all your videos! ❤️Robin
had to subscribe: I've been watching you for a while and while I don't have the energy to have the picture perfect house anymore, I still need a normal person living in a normal home giving me just the right amount of ideas and motivation to get there :)
2 tips for random recipes: 1) institute a moratorium on collecting anymore until you've tried all the others in your collection and 2) find it online and keep a recipe folder in your bookmarks.
I do that… but just like my Pinterest account. I save my recipes electronically and never look at them again. 😂
Oh my goodness, do you have any idea how wonderful you are! In the time it took me to watch this video I cleaned off three services!😂❤ i'm going to flag some of these videos and have my husband watch them. He is always very overwhelmed when it comes to sorting and cleaning. I've only watched a couple of your videos but I'm already in love. I think I need to scroll away way way back and watch the first video and just work my way forward.
As I'm going on in my minimalism journey I'm designing fewer flat surfaces into my home. For example, I have done away with my sofa "end" tables and I now have a floor standing lamp at one end and a plant at the other. Same with the coffee table, gone. The sofa is under the window so I just use the sill to place my coffee onto when I'm sitting there. I have a small folding table under the sofa for if we play a family game or something but then it gets put away. And when I made over my entryway, I went for a built in specifically designed around bins for returns, dog leashes, car stuff, shopping bags, a donation box etc. This was all stuff which would have previously cluttered up my surfaces in the entryway. I just think differently about the way I use and design my home now. Thanks Dawn ❤
Dawn I LOVE the outfit you are wearing in this video!! Sooo cute!!
Thank you so much! I started watching you last week and your videos are very helpful. I have to tell you I heard a video the other day where you mentioned when people make rude comments; I had just thought how much joy your smile, your happy personality, and your little frequent laugh resonates with me and makes me smile! Have a blessed day! ❤
21:29 Thank you for this video! I become so overwhelmed with my pile of bills. Which is usually mostly ads! But it seems like so much to think about, even though we are blessed enough to be able to pay our bills. The thought of going through them yikes! So thank you 😊
Omg your explanation of anxiety/procrastination link is so true. Now that you've mentioned it, a lot of time it was hidden anxiety.
LOL - seeing that exposed outlet in your cupboard reminded me to add outlet covers to my shopping list for tomorrow as we recently moved furniture that now exposed our previous not quite done projects! Thanks for the visual reminder, now it will get done. 😁
Same here!!!
Thanks for another great video!! My husband and I moved into our 37 foot motorhome about 22 months ago. I have one spot near my dining table TV that collects my clutter. I keep looking for the right solution, but haven’t found it yet. Love your ideas. I’m giving myself grace that maybe one of these days something will finally click.
Could you do some sort of hanging file type thing on a wall? I remember Cas showing some way to store your papers on the wall if you put them away and forget them. You might not have spare space for it though
Wow that definition of procrastination is right on point for me! Thanks gor that.
Tha top really does make your eyes pop Dawn! I keep a small mason jar on my kitchen window sill for little random bits I find that I'm not sure what they go to. I wore in sharpie on it "odds & ends." Things like a screw or a plastic cover. Eventually I have a revelation of, "oh that's where that is from!" And I know where it is. I'll go through it every couple of months and if I never did figure out what it is it gets tossed.
This is gold! I love the bit about procrastination is anxiety misslabled as lazyness.
I also love the idea of "fantasy self to dos". I've already implemented a time-will-tell bin (both physically, and electronically - VERY helpful for emails!) - But I'm excited to try distinguising between ACTUAL Todos and FantasySelf todos. I think it will really help. Thanks for the tips!!
Wow never thought about a “time will tell” electronic, I will definitely implement that one. Thanks for your comment
@@carolinaschierholz6677 I hope it helps! It's been a game changer for me :)
The act of watching your videos, is motivation to declutter something! So that's a habit to do each day!😊
Hi Dawn, it’s Linda Guy…this is the type video that helps me the most. It makes me really declutter and organize so much better than some of the other challenges. Keep them coming !
This is HUGE! I now know what has been missing in my home. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love you.
I love you too, Dawn! Thank you for all you do! ❤
I love your idea of keeping your to-do pile separate from your fantasy pile. That was such an ah-ha for me. I’m going to do that. And PS I love your genuineness with those shams! Great segues. 😂❤
I love the revisit to basics! We all need reminders to help keep us with forward momentum. When you said…”the stuff on your bedroom floor” I immediately thought about the papers on the floor next to my bed! Thank you Dawn!
Putting something pretty on flat surfaces motivates me to keep them clear (a plant, flowers, picture...). ❤🪴💐
Genius!
My newest hobby is going around the house throwing away everything that is on the floor😅 nobody misses it 😂
I do that with small toys and nerf gun bullets 😂. Just have to remember to tuck them under other things in the bin so not seen.
@@traceygould4555 LOL, I find that last part is most important: hiding it. Or else....😅
😂😂😂
@@traceygould4555 true 🫣
Yup! When the kids see me get the vacuum out they start to scramble fast! (I love to vacuum) If it's on the floor it gets sucked away. When it makes a loud noise, wow how they start to worry about what they just lost (of course I do this selectively) But just the following through and repetition does wonders. It's like magic now.
Hi Dawn! Binge watching and learning all your videos, my home is feeling better already! Thank you so much for your relatable and get to the point videos. Also you are such a inspiration to me as a mom of four in a similar place as you where. Thank you!
I have a Homeless Clutter bin in my nightstand and it has helped so much! I also bought a Smead 24 pocket project organizer for my to-dos. It’s a spiral “notebook” that doesn’t have paper, it has clear folders. I’m very visually and I need to see everything. Both of these has helped so much.
And thank you for the “Would LIKE to do” differentiation from actual to-dos! That’s life changing!
I have a box dedicated to whatever sewing/craft project I'm working on. Saves me from always having to put the scissors/needles/thread etc away in drawers when I stop to do other things, and nothing gets lost.
I keep a cute basket on a kitchen shelf for random things. If i find a toy. Tool, cord, part or anything I'm clueless on (doesnt belong to me) it goes into the basket. I go through it monthly, let everyone have a look and then ditch or put away. Sort of a mix of homeless and the container idea from Dana. It really helps!
My personal to dos...a basket in laundry room for returns, exchanges, to mail etc. Its mostly working but i need to designate a time to go through.
A sign I'm obsessed with decluttering: I had a dream my *daughter* had decluttered some of *my* stuff! But turns out it was all stuff I've been delaying decluttering. I guess it's time for it to go!😊
A couple things that have been working for me... 1) Items that fall under "I'm-gonna-get-around-to-it" now live in my recycle bin. If I'm looking for a recipe or a paint color or an article to read, I know where to find it. But if recycle day arrives & I haven't dug it out to look at it, out it goes. After all, there's always more coming behind those ones. 2) I keep a notebook & pen by the phone. To-Do items get tucked with it. On Sundays, when I spend longer savouring my coffee, I do those things, pay the bills, balance the books, and enjoy the fact that sometimes it takes two coffees. Bonus! 3) I had to finally realize that I am a cricket, so if I haven't quite finished with it, I tend to leave it out. Now I just say to myself "C'mon Cricket! You don't need to feed the stereotype!" LOL. It's a new habit but that little voice makes me chuckle, and I put the item away.
Thank you for this! I have cute baskets or bins around the house and they’ve been full of random stuff for years 🤦🏽♀️. I need to just face the stuff in there already.
You have no idea of how much you are appreciated. Thank you for all that you do for your family and myself. Again thank you for all the tips and suggestions in helping me keep my house afloat. Much love sent your way.
I hear my mom's voice when I now say to my kids, "Don't put it down. Put it away."
I hear Cas’ voice!
I tell myself "future self will thank you."
My slogan exactly!!!❤
Thank you for this video. This has truly been one of the most useful decluttering videos that I’ve seen. Your techniques are user-friendly & thoughtful. My biggest issue is that I don’t have any closets on the first floor of my 100-year old home. So, I’ll need to find a space to re-dedicate to those sorts of bins. Also, the table idea at the end was great!!🤌🏻
Dawn, I feel you are my best virtual friend! 😂 I am an old subscriber and have watched and rewatched all your videos. Lots of love!
I love being best virtual friends! THANK YOU for ALL of your support, I'm so grateful!!!!
I’ve been loyal for 3plus years!! Love her!!!!
@@Rangersmama Thank you so much Girdy!!!
Me too! Dawn, you are also my Best Virtual Friend
@@TheMinimalMom yes, thank you for being a virtual christian friend.
What I need in order to be able to eradicate clutter is homes that _make sense_ for whatever thing I'm dealing with right now. I have ADHD, I don't have the capacity to hunt around stuff in a million different containers, let alone return the stuff after using it. If a particular something is cluttering a particular area, it's trying to tell me that it needs a home _in that specific area_ .
Putting it away has to be just as easy as putting it down.
I would like to hear you talk more about fantasy clutter, that concept really resonated with me. Also, I keep all unpaid bills in my purse and then they get paid in my next trip. This works for me. Thanks for your work Dawn
i think Dawn has videos on fantasy self if you look back
Thanks for another great video, Dawn. I used to have a ten minute limit on old magazines. If a magazine was more than a month old, I'd give myself 10 minutes to tear out everything I wanted to keep, then put the recipes in a place I could find them, save any scrapbook or decorative pieces in the right place.
Love this!
Thanks, Dawn! I had a bunch of to-dos to do and I did them while watching this! Most excellent.
Your table looks adorable ! I love the little house and plant in the middle !
Dawn, I’m loving the blue and white top! Thank you for sharing these tips about surface clutter. For me this is one I struggle with a lot. Thank you for giving me some easy actionable steps to get this under control.
Hi Dawn! Glad to always learn new tips! 😊
Thank you Dawn!!! You explain how we're all feeling so well. You have done so much to help so many.
Always great video!That blouse is so great on you!
Hi, I also was thinking that. I think it also went with her room and decor. Have a great day 😀👍
You are such a comfort and joy to listen to,a beautiful soul. I had a breakthrough on this one, as my can dos and must dos were not separated. Aha!
I just have to say that top is the perfect color for you! Thankful to you for all of these tips.
I’m using “like with like” in my garage currently. I’ve measured and mapped the wall space so I can proceed with organizing. Wall space will ultimately limit what I can keep! Thanks for agreeing with me. 😉
Our table used to be such a magnet for randomness! But once I set a zero tolerance mindset of “Our table is for eating. Period.” it made a huge difference. Now when we do need to use the table as a giant reminder of “Don’t forget to take this item to ______” that item now stands out. I love it that when people drop by there may be dog toys all over the floor, but our table is clean and cleared and ready for serving food on. Because that’s what they are there for, right? 😜
HI there and thanks for this video. I used a number of approaches to get my home organised and it was the catch all box in the end that saved that feeling of intimidation and exasperation. A plastic box is a catch all - it started as a 52L box now it is a shoebox....I now put it away straightaway and get my steps up. The catch all has ended up being someone else's stuff. Thanks again from Adelaide South Australia
Excellent. I love the term: “Fantasy Clutter” I am going to use it from now on. Thank you!!!!
Hi Dawn! Thanks for reinforcing this "concept"... I feel like it's the root of clutter in my house at least!😅❤
Thanks for your continued encouragement Dawn!!!
So Dawn, I've been watching your videos for quite a while now. You have helped me so much! Our home is so much more manageable. I am not quite a minimalist yet, but getting there. Many times your videos made me get up right away and deal with the issues that needed to be dealt with. This surface clutter video helped me today and I will introduce the two boxes you talked about. Also the real cause for procrastination... that does make a lot of sense to me...! THANK YOU! :-) With warm greetings from Germany and God bless :-)
Selling your house is a great way to keep all your surfaces clutter free but it also just means all your cupboards are full instead 😅
After we move I am implementing SO many of your ideas, Dawn, along with decluttering as we pack up so we're not tracking a bunch of crap with us across the state. Thanks so much!
I totally agree with all of this, Dawn....such helpful and encouraging information! We have two small children and have found when they are running in opposite directions leaving a trail everywhere they go, it is helpful to have one flat surface in each room where everything goes at the end of the day. Everything they played with that makes its way to the kitchen and hallway goes to the living room coffee table. Same process in the basement. The routine was built in for the kids as part of the bedtime routine to put their things away on those two surfaces. With that and the fact that the inventory has been significantly reduced, the kids do not have any trouble putting away their things and we now go to bed and wake up to a (mostly) clean house. We also keep one small basket in place as a catch all for items that seem to spread from little hands seeking adventure. Love your tips and tricks for a more simplified and organized space. These strategies have given us so much freedom. THANK YOU!