Survey #258—Full Response from Leslie
| Pronouns | She/her |
|---|---|
| What useful decluttering or organizing strategies or methods did you take away from the book? | The difference between decluttering, organizing, and cleaning and how I was conflating those in my mind like the author did. The no mess method is okay for short time sessions of decluttering or if you have toddlers around interrupting you constantly. It's not my favorite method but it does have value. |
| What parts or aspects of the book did you find difficult to grasp or challenging to apply to your home or situation? | The "take it there now" is a bit too scattered and unfocused for me. I rather finish a small area and then move items back that have a designated home elsewhere in the house. |
| Please share your favorite quotations or key ideas and concepts from this book. | The distinctions and difference between decluttering, organizing, and cleaning. Also, I like her advice on dealing with elderly parents clutter. |
| White suggests a decluttering process that requires making a final decision about each item (keep, trash, or donate) and placing the item in its appropriate home right away rather than into a “keep pile” or “keep box” for later organizing. If you’ve used her method, how has the “take it there right now” approach worked for you? What are the pros and cons of her suggested strategy? | The cons are its too unfocused and scattered and easy to get sidetracked by something on your way to taking it there now. The pro is its good for short decluttering sessions, low mental and physical energy times, and if constantly interrupted by toddlers or babies. |
| A big part of White’s decluttering philosophy is the “container concept”—the idea of setting firm limits on the containers you use to hold your stuff, where “containers” are understood to mean the boxes, bins, racks, baskets, drawers, cabinets, shelves, etc., that you use to hold stuff, as well as the rooms that must contain the containers—and then decluttering to fit those limits. If you’ve used her method, how has the “container concept” helped or hindered your decluttering? What are the pros and cons of her methodology? Are there areas or categories of stuff for which it works better than others? | I love this concept! It helps me to buy less because I consider where the item will live. I've designated drawers for certain items like kitchen towels, clothing, etc and have a rule that the drawer must close all the way. Same for cabinet and closet doors. If it does not close, I've exceeded the container. I won't just buy something because it's cute, it must have a place in my home first. |
| White suggests following the “visibility rule”: Start every session of decluttering in the most visible places in your home. If you’ve used her method, how has the “visibility rule” helped or hindered your decluttering? What are the pros and cons of her suggested approach? | The visibility rule is okay, but I don't follow it. I declutter and tidy whatever area is bothering me the most, regardless of visibility. For example, my bedroom is not seen by any guest, yet a tidy bedroom has the most positive impact on my mood. |
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