Expert Habits For Decluttering & Organizing Every Part Of Your Home (And Life!)
Feb 26, 2025
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Join organizing expert Shira Gill, bestselling author of 'Minimalista,' as she shares practical decluttering solutions to help you regain control of your space. Discover tips for managing disorganized family members, maximizing small areas, and developing effective closet systems. Shira reveals the emotional impacts of clutter, strategies for mindful consumption, and how decluttering can enhance your home's aesthetic. Get inspired with actionable advice you can implement immediately for a calmer, more organized life!
Identifying your core values is essential for effective decluttering, as it guides your decision-making and motivates lifestyle changes.
Implementing organizational systems in shared spaces requires collaboration and communication to foster mutual respect and minimize conflicts.
Addressing emotional impacts of clutter is crucial, as a cluttered environment can lead to anxiety and stress, particularly affecting mental well-being.
Deep dives
Defining Your Organizing Goals
Organizing effectively requires identifying what truly matters to you before implementing any systems. It’s crucial to understand your core values and priorities, as this knowledge drives the decision-making process in decluttering and lifestyle enhancements. Many people attempt to organize their spaces without a clear 'why,' which results in arbitrary actions that lack direction. By asking yourself what you want more of in your life, and what is currently hindering those desires, you can create a more compelling motivation for organizing your environment.
Two Essential Rules for Life
Two significant rules for life revolve around understanding what is essential and letting go of the non-essential. The first step involves clarifying your essential needs and desires, allowing you to establish a meaningful baseline for organizing your home and life. The challenge often lies in the second rule, where individuals struggle to release unnecessary items that detract from their focus. By embracing clarity around your goals, it becomes easier to identify what items and habits hinder your progress, thus facilitating a smoother decluttering process.
Overcoming Clutter Anxiety
Clutter can have a significant emotional impact, often leading to increased anxiety and stress, especially among women who bear the mental load of keeping spaces organized. Studies suggest a strong correlation between a cluttered environment and feelings of overwhelm. It’s essential to recognize how accumulated items can contribute to mental clutter and lessen one's sense of peace. Finding ways to simplify and relieve this burden can transform not just your space but your overall emotional well-being.
The Coordination of Household Systems
Implementing effective organizational systems in a shared household requires communication and collaboration among all members. Establishing a baseline standard for shared spaces can create a cooperative environment where everyone feels respected and included. For instance, agreeing on minimal mess standards can help ensure communal areas remain tidy while allowing individuals the freedom to maintain their personal spaces according to their preferences. This negotiation fosters mutual respect and alleviates tensions arising from differing clutter thresholds.
Setting Up a Simplified Decluttering Process
To simplify decluttering, focus on micro-spaces, tackling one small area at a time rather than overwhelming yourself with large projects. This approach helps maintain your mental clarity and encourages consistent progress. Creating a defined space to hold items needing review or return, known as an 'outbox,' can streamline the process of organizing. This practice, combined with thoughtful planning for your system and organization, leads to long-term sustainability in keeping your surroundings orderly and minimal.
Aligning Your Purchases with Your Values
The habit of consumption often leads to unnecessary clutter, making it vital to assess what truly aligns with your values when making purchases. Creating friction in your shopping processes, such as using cash or having a purposeful shopping list, encourages more intentional buying habits. Implementing a 'no buy' period can help uncover triggers for impulsive purchases, allowing reflection on your real needs versus desires. Ultimately, being mindful of what you bring into your home ensures your space remains aligned with your core values and contributes positively to your lifestyle.
We all want to declutter our spaces, and potentially even get systems in place to contain everything we’ve accumulated, but sometimes struggle to reorganize our spaces in practice. Shira Gill has built a career on helping people get organized. She gives us decluttering solutions for everything from living with a disorganized family member or partner to reducing your consumption, and gives her tips and tricks to help you create a calmer space in your home.
We break apart issues ranging from staying organized in a small space to trendy decluttering hacks to the reasons that reducing clutter can feel so difficult. As always, you’ll get a ton of actionable tips that you can use to start tackling the mess.
The Liz Moody Podcast cover art by Zack. The Liz Moody Podcast music by Alex Ruimy.
Formerly the Healthier Together Podcast.
This podcast and website represents the opinions of Liz Moody and her guests to the show. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for information purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions.
