Thanks for watching how I beat the emotional blocks that were slowing up my declutter. let me know your best tips for breaking through and getting that clutter free home.
Hiya.....just watched your video, the memory book is a genius idea, document the memories properly. Two boxes of stuff or just two booklets is a no brainer. Also a few days a ago I was watching a video on the terrible Australian bush fires. The couple were fleeing their home and packed their favourite possessions in a case to take with them. This really made me think about my own possessions and how I wouldn't know where to start in such a despairing situation. They managed to pack a case and when they reached their safe destination they said that other things can be replace but we have our treasured items. Thankfully they had made provisions and their house was safe so we're able to return. But watching the video made me think clearly about possessions and what is important.
I love the two second rule. If I'm determined enough to seriously declutter, I don't overthink it. If I don't feel a good reason to keep it right away, I know I won't miss it when it's gone. ❤️❤️
I had never heard of but just loved your idea of keeping a little memory book with the picture. A sweet idea to ease the clearing of sentimental items.Thank you!
The tip for taking pictures and creating a little memory book alone is brilliant. Such a nice little way to collect things that spark joy without actually keeping the items themselves. 💖
Thank you so much for this video! Iagree with others, your memory book idea is great. Alternatively, you can store the photos digitally onto a CD disc and even create a slideshow. Another tip is if you have a pile of framed photos, take the photos out of the frames and into a photo album, then donate the frames to your church rummage sale.
I just recently stumbled upon your channel and am currently binge watching! Your channel is lovely and refreshing! Looking forward to each new episode.
I'm in the process of downsizing/decluttering for a possible move to FL in next 2 yrs. I knew about photographing cherished mementos, but your idea of making a journal/scrapbook out of them is wonderful! Thanks!
Hi Gloria, that's the thing that made the biggest difference for me. Once I decided to just take the picture and stick it in a blank book with a quick note I was able to free myself from so much 'stuff' that I'd been dragging around for years. Downsizing and decluttering is such a huge job anything that is an easy solution is welcomed. I'm so pleased you're enjoying the videos I hope the process is going well for you 🙋🏼🌸
Knight Designs I'm thinking an even better idea is to make a digital scrapbook & store it on a USB drive or Cloud drive. Takes up even less room & might keep it safer.
I agree that's a really space efficient way of storing those memories except for me they would disappear into my vast digital void and I'd never look at them. For me a hard copy is a quick and simple way of letting those items go while keeping the reminders within easy reach. My photo albums from the pre digital days are great fun but the photos I've taken since linger in the depths of my collection of hard drives.
Knight Designs Yes I know what you mean. I hope young parents today will have organized albums of some kind for their kids, not just a huge mass of unorganized digital stuff!
Gloria, I move to Florida 5 years ago moved from a house into a mobile home. Couple months ago I bought a motorhome so I'm in the process of getting my mobile home ready to sell so I can move into the motorhome. where are you moving to when you move to Florida? I'm in a suburb of Tampa. You should buy my house lol
Thanks Marian it does feel good doesn’t it?! 😊 Even now I find that a quick sort will always turn up something I can send on to a new home. And my hair.. thanks but I feel I can take no credit for it... it just grows out of my head like this. 😂🧡🙋🏼
I'm gonna give your book of pictures a whirl instead of having and hauling boxes of things I never use I will have them in a nice tidy book to view when I need too.thankyou for the great ideas and inspiration you have given me.
I’m delighted you like the idea Liz. I am so pleased I have done this as it’s made a real difference to the way I see those items I own only for the memories attached to them. So often it isn’t the tactile feeling but simply the sight of them that triggers the lovely feelings. 🙋🏼🤗❤️
This was very helpful! Thanks so much. I have bins of family heirlooms and have always felt guilty being "keeper of the memories" things, scared to get rid of things.
I find Flylady's system works well. Fifteen minutes at a time. No more than an hour's worth pulled out to go through. I find boxing and letting it sit a week or two before donating allows me to take a glance and confirm I don't need it. I also have good results "forcing" myself to do a 15-min declutter the night before trash pickup. I focus on things I know are worthless. It may not be a lot but every purge adds up. It didn't build up overnight, so you don't have to declutter in one day, week, month. Just stick with it. It's not so daunting that way. Enjoyed learning your tips!
That’s such good advice and yes that ‘before bed tidy’ is a big part of a happy morning. In this case I had no time (10 weeks between selling and the new owners) and I had to do all the packing and ‘letting go’ on my own. Frankly I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. In the next weeks I will do a video on the differences between downsizing, decluttering and organizing so I hope you look out for that.
A friend also suggested "15 minutes" you can also apply this to all different things ,that hold us up! like cleaning for me, bc I'm disabled & no one's going to do it for me, nothing ventured nothing gained! Ha! I can't possibly do All that needs to be done in my lifetime, all my family passed, jolly me, I have all their stuff. -but it makes me feel good & productive anyway! to do what I can do! :) Have a Beautiful Day! I Enjoyed your video!
Thank you for the great ideas!! My husband and I just downsized, and had to do this... bittersweet was the hardest. We made a pile for each of our children to keep of their 32 year old school papers, and pictures. They loved looking at their old things, and they decided what to do with it.
It’s hard work isn’t it Karen? I’m so pleased you are through and on the other side. I was exactly the same with my kids things ... ‘here it is, your stuff: your problem’ .. with love of course. 🧡 My older son and his wife have now produced a beautiful child so all the books and toys he took are beginning their second life. He wants her to have what he had and she is frugal and happy ‘shop’ Toms childhood. Funny days 😂🙋🏼👍
I love your way of thinking. I'm in the process of decluttering and hopefully downsizing. And as is usual, with my 3 children, they are interested in very little of what I have. They all have a houseful that's running over! LOL
Great video. I've just retired and I find this video very supportive as I declutter. I still have a little tshirt from my son's first birthday. He's 43!!! Yikes, where's the garbage can.
Haha, I can completely understand that ... it's exactly the sort of thing I had to make myself do. It's not easy but I did find it less stressful as I did more and more. Let me know how it's going and remember you can always have a 'maybe' bag that you go through again at the end. I guarantee by the time you get into the swing of it you will find they have less and less emotional hold on you. And well done for that tshirt! 🙋🤗💐
:) The baby tshirt is gone! And the decluttering in full swing. It does feel great, like a big door opening. It's funny how clearing physical space frees up headspace too. I wanted to start tapestry weaving now that I have the time, but felt paralyzed by clutter from a work life and raising children. I love the idea of the 'maybe' bag so I don't lose momentum. I also love the book you made to hold souvenirs and pictures of things that you hold dear, like the little hat. That's a terrific idea (and what a cute little hat). Yes, we have to move on with less stuff. And you're right, it does get easier the more I purge. And it seems to happen fast. It's like one minute you're taking wobbly baby steps, not sure what to get rid of and the next day you're running a marathon. You have a great day and thank you again for the support and great advice.
Hi Briana, it is great to have company but in the end most decluttering decisions really need to be your own. However a good friend can ask some helpful questions when you get stuck.🙋🏼♀️🤗
Hi Katarina, I think the world divides into people who love it and those who will do anything to avoid it. I've always liked a good clear out so the more I do the better I feel. Do you have any tips to share?
2019 wow, thank you, "I will play this as I start to declutter - hopefully soon! Your TALKING about the emotional blocks - I can HEAR & FEEL your emotion truth of what you went through. ~ hugs ~
I have helped friends who are dealing with large homes where every room can take a week or more. I think they are so brave to face the overwhelm and do it any way :-)
Thanks so much for making this video I'm currently helping my grandmother with her room of many things and I was glad to come across your video its straight to the point without cheezy music I'm looking forward to her watching this soon :)
Yes, too much stuff as sorting Mothers and mine. The beanie you knit looked so cute and in great shape, did you first ask your son if wanted in case had children and pass it down. Same with photos, if children want any. I break down jobs by tiny space or find a certain item or colors... Recall when came back to young sons room after had told him to pick up and put stuff away, he looked so puzzled. He has my get overwhelmed gene, so told him to put all the blue items away. He was excited 5 minutes later asking me for another color. I do that for myself and it really helps me.
That’s brilliant ‘put away all the blue items’ of course 🤦🏼♀️ it’s the perfect way to deal with overwhelm. Too much stuff. And yes my new baby granddaughter has the hat 👍😍
Just found your video and am going to subscribe. I thought what you had to share was very helpful especially the picture book. Love that idea! You touched on the reasons I have when I'm sporadically decluttering. You put into words how I feel about the process. Thank you!
Hi Chistina, I was always the kid that liked helping with the Spring cleaning perhaps that's why people talk to me about how hard they find it to let 'stuff' go. That's about so much more than having a clean and tidy home and more about emotional attachment to belongings. For me it's mostly about downsizing from a very large family home to an apartment. It's the elephant into a thimble problem 😂
I did a major declutter about 3 years ago. My attic was full and after a medical issue I wasn't able to get the items out. When my brother was visiting I had him pull everything out and put it in the basement for me to sort! I had a yard sale, sold items on EBay and also took some to goodwill. Now I need to do another declutter and hope to find time this summer for another big cleansing. Great tips, I'll be using them soon! You caught me on the old cell phones..... I need to get rid of them now!
Oh I love eBay and you must be really tenacious to sort it all out (and what a nice brother). It's actually a physically demanding task, lots of moving and packing and getting out to Goodwill. Well done you! :-)
Have just emptied my partner's parents' house, and for a large house (by UK standards) there was actually very little in it. Made me look at my own 'stuff' differently - my house is small by comparison and there is way more stuff crammed into it than there was in theirs!
I start with that which I can do, and acknowledge that which I can not do. I do not scan the house. I do do one room at a time. Scanning the entire house makes the task overwhelming. Doing cluttering by topic means I reward myself by stopping further work. Therefore, I tackle the closet, the bookcase, the drawers, until the room is as empty as I want it to be. Room by room. The questions I ask myself are, have I used it in the past year? Will I need it where I am going? Since I don't know where I am going, I say no, I do not need it. One roadblock I have is that I want to gift the item to someone who can use it. I do not want it thrown out, wasted. I prefer to gift to a relative, someone I know, a neighbor. When there is no one, I am stuck.
usacookie I’m so pleased this process works for you and that was what I did on a normal spring clean type of clean up. In this situation however I had a large house with the items accumulated to decorate a large space as well as the belongs of decades.... and I had an absolute deadline to get it reduced to the things that would fit into an apartment. I had to reduce by 90% of my belongs in 10 weeks. The gentle approach wouldn’t work in my circumstances. Thanks for watching. Xx
Thanks Victoria, I had a lot to learn when I started this process so it's great if I my experiences can help others. It's not an easy process but I found it so worthwhile 🙋🌸👍
Thanks! I’ve listened to a lot of videos on sentimental items and this has been the best! Probably because we have both lived many years and have that perspective of what really is the hard stuff to get rid of. My favorite tip was how to deal with photos. Thank you so much! I think I can begin to deal with 35 years of photos of 6 children! 😂🤪
It's such a difficult undertaking and I really feel for you. You are right about the age/stage thing... with wanting to be mean I do smile at 30 somethings with out children (or with one little tot) explaining how we should deal with the lifetime of memories which are triggered by our possessions. Let me know how you go and I'm very pleased to hear that I have been able to help you in some little way. 🙋🤗🙏
I agree Edith, it's very hard to 'declutter' especially when it's really beloved possessions that are part of the fabric of your life. I hope my tips are helping a little and remember to be kind to yourself but know that life can be so much easier when you have fewer belongings. then you can really enjoy them on a daily basis. Take care and thanks for watching 😘🙋♀️
Trax I’m so sorry to hear that you have had to face this. While I know there is no magic answer to such a difficult situation I do want to encourage you to try to ‘not take it personally’. It was advice my father gave me because he realized that the things others did were about how they viewed the world and not about you. It’s small comfort but it can sometimes help to develop the mental separation that you’ll need to finish the task and hopefully hold onto your positive memories of your father. All the best 🙋🏼☀️
Maybe your grandchild might like the wool cap? Good-quality wool caps don’t grow on trees! And made with love instead of by machine? It’s okay to preserve things.....
ToAbideInGod'sLoveMattersMost You will be pleased to know that 18 months on my little granddaughter is nearly big enough to wear that little hat. (She was tiny at birth but is growing nicely) I agree completely, items made with love are precious beyond words. Thank you for watching 🙋🏼😊🌸
So this completely contradicts your premise, including that it was silly you held on to our for 30 years. I struggle with thinking my 20yo daughter might eventually want to see her little things or that she her (eventual?) children might what to see her little things. And i myself question if it's silly to hold on it them. So your answer was yes...but then no. I understand you're just presenting videos to be helpful. I don't want to be harsh and I'm sorry but i felt very frustrated there. I want to get to the end of these emotionally charged decluttering issues. i was hopeful to get a little clarity due to the title of your vid.
Oh Beth it was one item out of literally thousands that I did part with. And if that diminishes everything else in the video I’m sorry you are so easily discouraged. We are humans and there are no magic bullets. So while it was perhaps silly to hold onto it for so long it was a babies hat not boxes and boxes of clothing or art work or Grandma’s china. Be kind to yourself and if you have space for a few things that are precious to you keep them but perhaps limit yourself to one box. There are no ‘clutter police’ and no strict rules. Let me know how you get on. 🙋🏼😊
I just tossed a pair of baby booties I have been hanging on to for far too long.. I just can not believe it took me this long to let them go. I would have donated them but they did not even look nice enough to really give away, but I have had them here for twenty years.. I am working hard on letting things go. It is difficult. I really like this picture and a memory book idea!
I was gonna g through their paperwork from school one summer. I kept asking my sons do you want me to save ? Or ? They kept saying no get rid of it Mom. So I started recycling what I could and threw out the rest. Now I’m blasted bc one POG t t hat was thrown. Away is valued at 500.00. I asked about three times so it’s not my fault
It’s so so hard Marilyn. Our possessions are so closely tied to memory. In the next few weeks I’m going to be talking about this in new videos because it is the most difficult part of any move. 🙋🏼😊🌼🌸
Downsizing is certainly challenging for seniors; thank you for these helpful tips. Further information on downsizing can be found in this article as well: dakotahomecare.com/downsizing-the-family-home/
My daughter is pregnant at 40 w a girl. Wish u had her little flannel embroidered jacket. Save the wool cap. Entrust it to your son. Toss an old Pillowcase instead.
I find that to not be true at all. I absolutely rotate items in and out of use. I have a record player from my childhood. I don't always use it. Sometimes a year or more passes when I don't listen to records. And then I do use it. It's certainly worth it to me. I don't ever want to get rid of it and try to buy a new one when I think I will start to use it.
There is another fear: Fear of not disposing of it in the most optimal way. Can I sell it for a good bit of money. If not who could make best use of it? I must prioritize family, then friends, then charities, then recycling, and finally trash. This can take weeks to achieve.
Oh I understand that feeling so well. I can't tell you the number of times I wanted to just throw my hands in the air and give up. All I can say is take it in little bites and accept that in the big scheme of things a box (or 10) of photos won't derail your downsize. Just take 10 mins most days, set a timer and sort then stop, check the ones you've tossed, then bin them move on with your day. Take care and give yourself credit for how far you've come
I did it with my own photos and I started on my mums.Bin all the blurred photos where heads are chopped,unflattering pictures that make you feel bad etc I realised a lot of photos I took,especially of my babies had a lot of boring background around the little baby so I cut out the bits of the picture I wanted and was able to show sequences of expressions on a couple of pages instead of half an album and labelled the date with a description of the event.This has really winnowed out the crap and made the albums more interesting
