Survey #288 results
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | What did you learn about yourself or your stuff through your decluttering and organizing process in 2025? | What new decluttering or organizing ideas, methods, or techniques proved helpful in 2025? | What did you accomplish in 2025 for which you’d like to pat yourself on the back? | How do you plan to apply what you learned in 2025 to 2026 projects? What new projects will you take on next? |
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| Nina | Listening to the weekly podcast has helped me to downsize some of my collections. When something comes in, something must leave the house. It also made me take a good, long look at how much stuff is in my closets! So many outfits I don't wear and I'm thinking "I might fit into that NEXT year..." In my dreams... So each week I've been taking at least one donation bag for drop off. | A game changer was realizing I didn't need or want all of my holiday decorations. I love the fall, but I had tubs full of ceramic pumpkins, swags, etc. I've passed some of those items along and I'm not replacing them. Too many things in containers are a source of anxiety! | Downsizing some of my dresser drawers--things I knew I wasn't going to wear but that took up space. I have three empty drawers in a bedside table. | I ask myself, "Do I really need that?" when I'm thinking about buying something. And, "will it get used?" If not, it's a hard No. My big project this year is downsizing my books and files from work projects. |
| Ginger | 🔲 I learned I talk a good game but, my follow-through is “not so purdy good” as my dear father would say. I chalk it up to being overwhelmed plus the roller coaster ride I put my body thru this year with my diet. Lots of low energy and achy body parts. ▪️Finally, got back on track this month. Lost 11 lbs. Energy is thru the roof. Feeling good.▪️I also learned - it’s easier to get rid of stuff now. ▪️ I ALSO KNOW I’M TOO HARD ON MYSELF. I got some things done - just not the projects I wanted to finish. | I’ve worked at this decluttering and organizing thing since 2013. I can’t say I learned any new techniques this year. But, I’ve learned which techniques work for me and I’ve made full use of those. 🔲 Vision. Write a vision statement. The more detailed - the better. Write it as if you’ve achieved the vision and you’re describing it to someone. This has been a great guide for us. When things don’t fit the vision - cognitive dissonance happens. 🔲 Arms-Length Decision-Making. I get easily overwhelmed when faced with too many decisions at once. I take pictures of the space - drawer, shelf, closet , area. I may have to move things to get pics. I walk-away and study the photos and make the decisions. Trash, Donate, Relocate, Keep. Then, I can walk back to the space and take the actions. It’s much more efficient use of my time. The actions are usually very quick and the project gets DONE. 🔲 Gamify. ▪️Bingo. I do to complete my weekly and monthly tasks. Make a numbered list of things to declutter or areas to check. Draw a bingo grid. Write numbers randomly in the bingo grid squares. (I use an online number generator.) Don’t forget a FREE space. Choose prizes for yourself. I simply like the satisfaction of getting the bingos. ▪️The Minimalism Game, a 30-day decluttering challenge by The Minimalists, where you get rid of items equal to the day's number (1 on day 1, 2 on day 2, etc.), totaling 465 items by month's end. I play this game at least one month out of the year. I did this in November and decluttered 465+ items from all over our home. ▪️I prefer identifying items to declutter & writing them on my list. Then, once a week I gather them. Donations go to my car’s trunk weekly for drop-off on errand day. ▪️Accountability posts. Either with my sister or with a Facebook workgroup. I make a list and report back to update it. Sometimes - I play a game of 3s. Post 3 things to do with a start time. Return to post my end time and post another round of 3s. I work quickly. This works when I want to push thru getting things done. | 🔲 Bragging Rights. ▪️Maintained Paper Management System. ▪️April. Husband’s Clothes. Decluttered all clothes stored in the 3 drawers of his bedside chest. Decluttered 3 drawers of his 6 drawer chest of drawers. ▪️June. Alcohol. Decluttered all wine & spirits from our pantry. We haven’t touched it in many years. About 20 bottles. ▪️August. Decluttered our Spice Cabinet and trashed 6 lbs of spices, vinegars, oils. ▪️November. Minimalist Game. Decluttered more than 465 things from all over the house. ▪️December. Sold our Lake House. (Saving $6,500/yr.) Kept very little of the contents. Donated the rest. | 🔲 I’m disappointed I didn’t get more planned decluttering projects done in 2025. I will work on these projects this year. ▪️Mom’s Suite - she passed away 3 years ago. ▪️Craft Closet - total disaster Monica closet. ▪️Swapping Utility & Craft Closets. ▪️Pantry ▪️Finish Husband’s Clothes. 4 more drawers & hanging clothes. Most of these will be donated. They’re 3 sizes too big and haven’t been worn in years - if ever. |
| Gabriella | - If I declutter a space that I haven't cleared out for a long time, like my basement, it is highly probable that a lot more stuff turns up than I expected - I once more realized how relaxing and comforting it is to live in a calm and tidy home. - As I worked a second round through another huge stack of paper I observed that I no longer developed any decision fatigue! - After having accomplished a lot of decluttering throughout the year, in december I granted myself a break from decluttering. This feels so wholesome and makes me look forward to continuing in 2026. | Game changers: 1. Keeping a "decluttering journal": to set decluttering goals and milestones, document my advances, plan out what subcategories I intend to work on next, keeping myself accountable and last not least, journaling to dissolve roadblocks as they appear 2. To overcome my resistance to doing all those tedious little tasks (including maintenance chores) that somehow never end and tend to accumulate relentlessly, I used to set a timer to accomplish one chore at a time. - What turned out to be even better is my invention of a "power hour", in which I quickly accomplish a number of these little tasks, that usually do not require much time to do, but otherwise cause a lot of procrastination and guilt. - To motivate myself to keep up with maintenance and to attack clutter piles, I imagine how wonderful it will feel to once more have a clutter-free space. - I observed that reverse decluttering a designated space helps me a lot in getting rid of items that I have great difficulty in letting go of. I'm sure Ican apply this to other types of paper documents too. - digitizing knitting patterns and references that I want to keep helped me let go of a lot of my knitting magazines | - I got rid of a plethora of paper of different types, especially in categories that I'd already reduced in previous years: most of my knitting mags (a lot!), some other mags, over 130 books, tons of ressources from my former professional life - I cleaned out about 80 % of my basement, even though it was a lot more work than I'd expected - By staying extremely patient and only occasionally gently reminding my partner of how getting rid of unnecessary and/or unloved items would make our appartment in Morocco so much more funtional and enjoyable - a miracle hapened: He began to declutter his stuff step by step on his own. A few days ago he told me, that his log-term goal is to be well prepared for our downsizing at some point in the future. | - Accomplish a decluttering project even if it turns out more difficult or work intensive than expected (start early!!) - reverse declutter when it gets difficult to let go of some items - coninue keeping a decluttering journal - stage regular "power hours" to avoid procrastination - digitize more documents tha I absolutely want keep and get rid of the hardcopies ***- After the pending basement makeover in Summer is completed, I plan to keep my basement almost entirely empty (except for a few items that I actually use for a few weeks each year). My rationale: If an item is not worth keeping upstairs in my appartment and I don't use it at least temporarily, there is no reason that I keep it to marinate in the basement *** |
| Terry | "Too much stuff" gets in the way of what I want to be doing. Excess clothes obscure the clothes I like and that fit. Excess crafting books and supplies get in the way of the items I want to be using. | You can make big progress by donating (Clutter Fairy, Dana K White). The container concept - take it there now (Dana K White) Do it now while you have the capacity (Clutter Fairy) If you say you value something and decide to keep it, treat it with respect and display it (Peter Walsh) | I looked for categories of stuff that could be significantly reduced. Then looked for categories where reducing could 1) deliver a big impact 2) I know someone or an organization that might like the items and I'd prefer that to selling 3) I most likely wouldn't enjoy the selling process for these items. I took a handful of photos I could send to organizations to see if they were interested. I came up with 4 groups of items - a very full large Rubbermaid container and 9 very full bankers boxes of stuff out the door to willing recipients. Yay! | I will ask: What do I want to accomplish or what kind of home do I want to live in? Do I appreciate and use the remaining items, are they accessible and reasonably organized? Do the items I have contribute to me enjoying a safe and peaceful/relaxing home? Find an area or two where some focus will have a noticeable impact. Decide how the excess will be handled - sell/donate/gift, etc. Once some excess is identified, take action. I have one category of item to sell online. I want to try that and see how it goes - do I enjoy the process, is it profitable enough, etc. |
| Agatha | I greatly lacked motivation. I excelled at procrastination. I let "life get in the way". It took so much energy to just keep up with maintenance. | I started doing tasks that were approx. 3 min long or less NOW. "Just do it right now". | I'm rearin & ready to go for 2026. | I will set a win-able daily organizing mini session. |
| C | I learned that although I buy ( a lot ) less, and am continually donating things, I still have too much stuff I don't * really * have a use for, I need to move faster on my decluttering, donate more as my mobility decreases. | Not really new ideas, but re-visited and reconsidered ideas: I cannot continue to "save for Justin". There's only so much of something I will need in the next 2 decades of creative endeavors, as in some crafts will never get done= material can go. Some clothes I will never wear again, even when/if I lose weight. Past two years: whenever I leave a room I do a quick scan to see what has to go out of room or what can be put away quickly. There is a even bigger and growing need to continue to keep all paths clear, at all times. Safety first. | A large number of donations to various places and people of items they needed wanted, brought in money for good causes. | I want to get our former DD's room which is now a semi-organized storage room ( we have no basement or attic) useful again to be able to use it as a meditation/ rest and guest room for us. Moving the single bed from study to there. I have to de-tetris some boxes in closets to fit things now in that room into the closets. I want to finish 3 of my UFO crafts. Papers: started well last February, fizzled out in September. New year= rinse/ repeat? |
| Anonymous user | I need to get rid of more stuff but life is so much easier after I’ve declutterred what I already have | The Goal is Better | Got my end of life affairs paperwork in order | One room full of clutter left Also may be able to donate late husbands clothes to a shelter |
| Allie | I learned how much easier life is with less stuff - easier to find items, easier to clean, easier to just live. | It's not new since I've listened to Gayle and Ed for years but "thinning the herd" and "representative samples" really makes a difference. It works everywhere from Tupperware to shoes. | Sentimental items were on the chopping block this year. Do I "need" my kindergarten class photo? College papers? Wedding dress from decades ago? No, no, and no. Out the door with them. | Slow and steady progress works best so that's how I should continue. I would like to finish a craft project that's been at a standstill for months. |
| Su | I CAN overcome my ... habit/mental illness of hoarding. 1 bite at a time 1 day at a time I DO NOT have to resign myself to living like this for the rest of my life. (I used to think that l just have a storage problem.) | Making sure that l remove at least 1 item a day from my home that I would normally keep. I keep a tally and mark it off every day. Today will be the 238th mark on my tally. I will still find something that can be donated or thrown out today even though it is Christmas day in Australia because I can't miss a day !!!. This has been so powerful for changing the way I think which is really the root of the problem. I did have to go away for 4 days when I was only about 100 days into this practice but thankfully I went to help a dear friend with a big job moving house and there was so much downsizing to do that I was still able to throw something out (or donate) each day . With my friends permission of course. lol. I didn't worry about my tally until I was back home, made a mental note that I had still achieved the goal each day and resumed marking off my tally where I had left it. I am not sure what I will do if I have to go away for something that doesn't involve throwing things out. But I think I could always go through my hand bag or purse or not bring more things home with me . | I got 1 room very clean and empty. However it has been all messed up again. It will not take a week to fix it this time though. I realised that I have a problem with hoarding and I can do quite a lot of things that will help change this. | I will keep removing at least 1 thing every day. I will get the entrance clean again and more organised so that it has a better chance of staying fairly neat and tidy. |
| Jane | I need some structure to be consistent. For example, using the one-in-one our rule works well for me. When I fall out of that routine, things tend to build up. I also need to have schedule donation drops, to make sure things leave. | One-in-one out was new, only from the standpoint that in the past I went for two-in-one out. 🙂 Progress has been made and I need to keep up the momentum. This will help ensure things don't build up over time. | Slow progress has been made getting things out of the garage. There is still work to be done in 2026 and it will be a focus. | The garage will be my 2026 focus. Inside the house, I use a one-in-one out process. This won't work well in the garage. I think a good process may be to go through a box per month and to do an empty box declutter at least quarterly. My best success occurs when I set goals and calendar what's to be done. |
| Kathy | I learned that evan though I decluttered my home, I am still a clutterer by nature. I must continue to work at decluttering by keeping like things together so I know my inventory and by practicing the one in one out rule. | I need to declutter the cabinets in the office which contain books, craft items, and household items. Each cabinet houses its own category but they are all jammed tight and it’s scary opening the doors. I will work on sorting and discarding. I just kept shoving things in without taking anything out. We’ll now, out it goes! | ||
| Fernando | That decluttering is more fun when listening to THE GOATS: G&G (Greatest of All Time: Goddard and Gumnick)! That thinking of decluttering as a normal part of life from cradle to grave is helpful. I now think of the process of eating and pooping as equivalent to buying and getting rid of things: necessary and essential for a healthy life. I deeply appreciate your helpful advice! According to YouTube, you were my most listened to channel in 2025, by far. My goal is not to need this much decluttering in 2026. | Having fun is imperative. Taking my time. Doing what I can. Keeping the end goal in mind. Remembering I’m doing this for myself and those who won’t have to deal with my things. Realizing I’m WAAAAAAAAAAAY ahead of the game compared to so many, when I hear what they are dealing with!! Started Swedish Death Cleaning a couple of years ago when I was 62. Now, at 64, I’m just tweaking the details. I intend to be done by the end of 2026! | My closet has only clothes and shoes I wear. I have space for 12 pairs of shoes, so I own 12 pairs. I’m down to two sets of sheets, four body towels and four hand towels. There is zero clutter on my nightstands: I don’t even have a lamp on them, now that I have hung two sconces. So only a book, a small box with my automatic bed remote and a Google Hub to voice activate the A.C. and lights. | Working on my physical discs collection. I’m already down to ten music CDs, now I want to give away most of the Blu-ray discs and keep only my absolute favorites. Edit, edit, edit my last collection of books. Down to one small waist-high bookcase, instead of five floor-to-ceiling bookcases. |
| Anonymous user | It is too easy just to leave things that are no longer being used. | Just start somewhere, anywhere, | Got rid of more junk than I accumulated. | Keep going a little at a time. Closets |
| Dawn | It wasn't really a revelation, but a few things: It takes time and I've made progress. I will get to the end. Decluttering is lived in real time. | I've learned it's personally helpful if I bring a small amount of papers to declutter while watching TV because DH gets uptight. I love decluttering with the Clutter Fairy in the background (since most of my decluttering is centered around paper and my office getting messy). Reading ATOMIC HABITS has helped to build systems in my life, so I'm working on other areas too. It's supportive of Clutter Fairy philosophies, one of them being resetting a room so you can enter back into it as a "set" environment. | I've been using 13-gallon garbage backs to haul out my paper. 🙂 | Just keep on keepin' on. I'm decluttering various topics: writing, scrapbooking, and other smaller projects as they fit into timeslots. |
| Kathy | I can let go of things I've found too hard to let go of in the past and experience the emotions but then move on without any regret. It's very freeing, actually. | Game-changer: I discovered how easy it is to donate to my local thrift shop. It is only about 10 minutes away, and the traffic lights are placed perfectly to make the lefthand turn across traffic on a road that leads right up to the donation doors. The workers have taken everything I've brought so far. The whole process takes just a few minutes. Techniques: I've started collecting quotes from The Clutter Fairy and others that I review to help me get in the right frame of mind to let stuff go. I also figured out that I can download Clutter Fairy episodes to my mp3 player. I relistened to some favorites this fall while doing yardwork, which helped take my mind off raking leaves and kept me motivated to declutter. | I donated my wedding dress, shoes, and purse. It was 33 years old and I'd never wear it, even if it fit, which it didn't, but it was still of an emotional hurdle. I tried it on, looked in the mirror, and remembered all the feelings of my wedding day and then packaged it up to donate. After that, it was so easy to empty the rest of the second closet of my extra clothes and let them go too. | Decluttering my sewing room is an ongoing project filled with things that are hard for me to let go (sunk cost, aspirations, hopes that I will sew and quilt again sometime). I've donated 3-4 boxes of books and patterns plus 3-4 boxes of overflow from the basement this year. I also followed the advice that doing the thing/completing the UFO is decluttering too. I cut down a tunic I never wore to hip length and now wear it all the time. I sewed a jersey and a turtleneck one weekend. That showed me that yes, I still enjoy sewing and want to do it. I plan to review my declutter quotes every time I tackle the sewing room and remember how freeing it was to get rid of other emotion-laden things. I have more supplies than I can ever use, so I don't need to keep all the patterns, fabric, and books but can curate them down to my favorites and then use them. The purpose of the sewing room is to create, not to store things. |
| Lesley | I’ve fallen off the wagon! And decluttering does NOT get easier with age! | Toss-Keep is as good as it gets. I no longer have the bandwidth to donate. I do set stuff on the curb. The most helpful technique for me is to have a none judgemental friend sit and tell me to stay focused while managing my dogs who like to interrupt the process. Also having a second person available to remove the stuff I’m ready to discard. I lose momentum filling the car (doesn’t take long) and delivering items to donation destinations. | The biggest, most impossible challenge for me was having to take interior photos of my living room, kitchen, and bathroom for home owner’s insurance to estimate my renewal premium 😳 OMG it was either I take them or an agent would and no way anybody was coming in my house! Clearing the clutter was horrendous, thankfully, two friends came and sat in my living room and played with my dogs and kept me calm. It was very stressful as there’s just a lot of stuff and my energy level is inversely proportional to the amount of stuff 😨 however multiple 3-day weekends and an extension from the insurance company made it possible along with my dear friends! | Uh, trying not to let those particular spaces get cluttered again, but it’s just hard when I still work full time and have a side hustle of pet sitting to cover basic bills. |
| Anonymous user | I’m ok with most categories, except craft supplies… Teaching has helped tremendously as I have students who want my things, and I’m more than happy to pass them on, sometimes offering anecdotes. Sometimes this has lead to teaching workshops with the materials (! Yay!) There were actually some very expensive clothes that I did not want to wear even after I lost weight and fit into them! My plan of not buying many clothes and getting some altered to fit right- worked really well. I still think through paper, and so decluttering new lists, notes, journals, that I created - I fell behind on that when I got sick with a persistent cold this winter. My mother has organized her extra things into a space for a sale and this has lifted a huge weight I was feeling… even though the things are not mine, save maybe 3 items. | |||
| Evelin | Just try to sell the stuff you want to get rid of. There really is no rhyme or reason to what people buy or don't buy. You never know. Just put it online and see what happens. If it doesn't sell within a certain amount of time - donate. | There's still so much to declutter... I'm confident when it comes to decluttering but I have to get better at getting the bags with donations out of the house. | ||
| Anita | I think decluttering is one of the benefits of getting older. I’m aware that I’ll need a less cluttered space and that I might not have the energy to deal with everything. My children have their own places and don’t want their homes cluttered with their old things so I’ve been able to get rid of some ( not all) of their old possessions. I’m feeling positive about moving forward on my decluttering journey. | I have had to face the reality that sometimes my prized possessions are just rubbish/trash and that there really is no charity or person that will take them… there is no magic wand. I’ve never really been an over consumer but I seem to have always accepted things from people so I now have to tactfully decline things or offer them back just before decluttering them. | I’m very much still on the journey so I hope I can answer this next year with more certainty. Although I have made progress … I’m still nibbling away at things rather than than taking the big bite out of the clutter. | I need to deal with the hidden spaces( under the stairs). My husband and I decided we won’t go camping again so I can get rid of the tents. Who knows what else I will find under the stairs😆. |
| Jennifer | I need to schedule trips to donate. Any donation is a good week. | Check inventory before purchashing | Having a max number of each type of clothes and food staples | |
| Danetta | I decluttered steadily throughout the year and have made good progress | Nothing new, just slow and steady in each room and for each category over and over. | Nothing special in any one area. Reduced the same old things: dishes, books, clothes, make-up, yarn, office supplies, etc. | Would like to just do more of the same. |
| Sandra | I learned that, amazingly, I could declutter one item a day in 2025. I have a list in my Notes app. The year is not over yet and some items I don't even remember. | Key phrases that helped were "I deserve nice things" for so-so items, and "Somebody else could use it" for nice stuff. | That "One item a day" challenge I decided to do... especially because I dealt with my own things and house items. I do not declutter my DH's belongings but when he got rid of things on his own, they made the list! His total is about five but I'll take the win. | 2026 will be my Digital Declutter year. |
| Jill | Much of my stuff is linked to my relationship to others-being a wife, a mom, a grandmother, a dog owner. If I were none of these things, my needs would be few. | I have kept the areas I cleared last year neat and organized. The room I had to move our camping gear is able to be accessed and put back into place easily. | Due to contant use, I need our laundry/utility/mud room that holds the home repair equipment and tools, shoes and dog feeding station to be more user friendly. | |
| Rose | Dana K White’s Container Concept changed how I saw the house as a container. Also, Dana K White’s suggestion of putting favorite things first in a container and once the container is full the rest is donations. | I live with others who do not organize the way that I do. This has led to disagreements about shared spaces. Later, I realized that storing communal items on open shelving, clear containers, and wide bins makes it easier for my family to participate in my organizing efforts. Also, labels have helped me with opaque containers I use to store items only I handle and labels have helped me with containers that have lots of small items, like cords and chargers. | I have made significant progress in organizing the garage, but it’s not yet completed. Organizing the shed, garden supplies, and holiday decorations have helped me reduce the clutter in the garage. Also, zoning the garage has helped me feel less overwhelmed with everything in the garage. Grouping similar items together has helped, like bathroom backstock, kitchen backstock, laundry area, tools, and workout area. It’s the small wins that give me the momentum to keep going. | |
| Michelle | I want for nothing! More purging in 2026 | Wants versus needs | Book donations were the hardest. 21 books were donated which felt great (before more come in as gifts to myself) | Dresser drawers and closets are first. Then kitchen and pantry and storage areas |
| Maxibee | I learned that I'm more realistic at 61 than I was at 50...or even 55. I am able to admit to myself that I'm not ever going to use certain items I was saving for later. I'm less sentimental and more practical. | I'm a die-hard follower of Dana K. White's No Mess decluttering method, but listening to The Clutter Fairy on YouTube over the past few months has challenged me to think beyond just decluttering. My age, goals and mindset are all food for thought now. | Since none of us drink coffee at home, we finally decluttered 3 coffee makers we have been housing since my mother-in-law passed away 9 years ago! (One went to a friend, one to Goodwill and the other to our RV at the lake.) Now my basket of tea making supplies lives in the cabinet below my iced tea maker.....the space formerly occupied by a very dusty coffee machine! (And the pantry has more space now that the tea basket is moved!) | I want to take another pass through my home at a more personal level. I've decluttered the major things so now it's time to use my newfound practicality to go a step further. |
| The Maggs | I learned that by taking the time to honor or realize how the individual items played a role at the time, it has been easier for me to let them go. Example: I kept a box of pamphlets for our travels 20 years ago. I thought that I could not part with the box. But I sat down and looked at each booklet or pamphlet and saw they were from 2001-2002. I looked through each of them and I was able to let them go. I felt they had served their purpose. | My newest technique that I have been using since retirement is the realization that at some point my children or others will need to go through all of our stuff we have accumulated. So I have been making hard decisions about “am I taking this to the nursing home? Or will my children want this” when contemplating a purchase. That has really helped me! | After selling our big house in 10/24 and moving into 2 smaller houses I have done a great job with managing the stuff we have kept. Both of our houses are very manageable. I have a lot of work to reduce what we no longer need and want to get to this point. Very proud of how we currently live. | I have a closet of boxes from when our children were younger. I want to tackle that so the closet could be used by our guests when the visit. I did declutter boxes of school art projects down to 1 folder which was quite an accomplishment considering I kept nearly all of it as it came in. Wish I knew of the keeping a representative sample during those years. Would have made it so much easier easier. |
| Ria | I need to remove more clutter to make it easier for me not to get overwhelmed, to find things and to clean up more easily. I also know I lack routines, which makes achieving goal to do this more challenging. Nd to implement a schedule/appointment mentality and hold myself to it. | Can’t say I tried anything new but find most success with going through little used areas (high cabinets, jewelry overload) and challenging myself to find a few things to release. Have had some success keeping a monthly/ daily tally of items decluttered. Glancing at it and seeing I haven’t added anything in days can motivate me. I also do periodic “use it up” challenges on personal care items to help thin the herd. | Got rid of two small tables and bookcase by gifting them to my massage therapist who mentioned need. I was going to try to sell them but finding a person who would take them now was more satisfying. I’ve also made about six runs to the senior center with books to leave on the “free” table. If I know I am headed nearby and have a few things, I poke around for some other books I know I won’t get to. | 1. More thinning of garage/gardening contents. 2. Decluttering workshop area of basement and the many bottles of hardware inherited from my parents and the former homeowner. 3. Office declutter completion. Lots of paper gone but more to do. Will allow me to assess if I can reduce to two file drawers from four. |
| Nancy | I learned I hold onto too much stuff for "what if" scenarios even though I don't reuse the stuff. I learned I shop too much impulsively and then don't like the thing shortly after buying it. I learned I can give away things and not fall apart. I learned people are happy to get what I no longer need. I learned I need more than one type of decluttering plan. I learned I need postive reinforcement to stay on task. | I've learned that empty storage bins can become clutter in themselves. I've learned that I have to put things away once an area has been decluttered instead of putting it near where it should go. I've learned to work in short periods of time because I'm 79 and don't have the stamina I used to have. I've learned I don't have to do things in a certain order to be successful. I've learned to take before and after photos which really validated my efforts. I've learned I need to commit to someone each day what I'm going to tackle and then offer accountability that evening that I've done it. I've learned progress not perfection is a good goal. | I totally went through my whole house and MOSTLY I DECLUTTERED my heinous basement!!!!!! That was miraculous. Your videos were very much an integral part of my being able to do it. I need to eliminate more down there but it's soooo much better than it was. | I want to bring forward my successes because they give me confidence that I can do more. My new projects are to go deeper in eliminating unnecessary items. I think I'll start with my clothes room. It's my adult daughter's old bedroom. They all have their own homes now so I turned a bedroom in to a closet, makeup area, travel accessories storage room, etc. It's very organized now but I have too much that I don't need. Everything's clean, no damage, organized perfectly, etc. So that's not the problem. I just need to "thin the herd." |
| Celina | so it's 22nd of Dec, I'm literally just taking a short break between my decluttering activities, with your archival posts from late 2024 (that's how much I have to go through to catch up) guiding me through the process. I've just decided to tackle the dust-collecting and more-and-more-disorganized collection of paper craft supplies and little 'junk-drawer-like' stuff from my open shelving unit. So I've just realised the importance of NOT buying boxes BEFORE the sorting stage: turns out most of the stuff won't need a container, just being put into an already-existing place elsewhere. Also, I've just realised that I HAVE to be realistic about how much I'll do and prioritising my crafty plans: I want to sew for dolls, draw some illustrations and paint, but I do NOT plan on being a full-time scrapbook artist, for example, so the papers and other supplies can go to my cousin's community club where the kids will be able to use it. Just because it's useful, doesn't mean I'll EVER get to use it without feeling like I'm wasting my life while I could have been doing some other art. And so I've been decluttering and imagining how happy some kids will be receiving these papers to play with. I love doing all of that while having Gayle and Ed on my headphones - it helps me to focus on these tasks. | I did complain a couple times in previous surveys about my supplements not being used up and worrying they'll go bad. So I have made a plan and put them in a bowl next to cups and my sink (I drink tap water here), so now I usually remember to eat them during the day and I've already eaten up a large portion of them. I'm usper happy about it, because these are good supplements! I just had to have them in sight. Does it look better? Well, not pinterest-perfect, but just suitable for my off-my-eyes-off-my-heart issue 😀 | I've decided I cannot realise all my crafty ambitions, but it's nothing wrong about it - by decluttering some crafts, I'll feel less emotional burden and more motivation to take up again some other crafts (sewing and bead-work on dolly designs as well as drawing/sketching). | Just as with types of crafts and downsizing the variety, I plan to downsize on my dolly collection. I have some NRFB (never removed from box) collectibles I can now just sell and make some money off, and enjoy the then even more pretious remaining bunch of dolls 🙂 A well-curated, tiny doll collection rather than a hoard! |
| Bonnie | I really need to get back on track. Nobody else can or will do it for me. I CAN do this. | Less is the new more. | I plan to schedule regular appointments w myself to tackle clutter and other ones to maintain regular cleaning chores. | |
| Lela | Less is best! Less stuff = less stress, less work, & more free time. | Break up sets! I am a sucker for sets of matching things, but this past year I have decluttered pieces of matching furniture, dishes, decor, etc., and have enjoyed the extra space created by reducing the volume of stuff I own. Also, I have used a technique to stop bringing extra things into the house… When I see something I want in a department store, flea market, or even online, I take a photo of it with my phone. That way I feel like I can pass on buying the object and I’ll know where to find it if I decide I really want it later. I almost never go back and get any of the things I took photos of. As I look back through the photos and delete them, it usually confirms to me that I made a good choice to leave those items at the store. | My house is pretty lean after the last few years of decluttering. I think decluttering had become a way of releasing stress during difficult family situations. My goals for 2026 are to stop obsessing over decluttering and to foster joy & peace in the new equilibrium in our home. | |
| L | I learned that if I don't have a flat surface or drawers to put things on or in, I won't have as many things! Just this month, I decided to declutter a spare bedroom that I thought I would use as an office but didn't. So, I donated two dressers, three file cabinets and a kitchen table and chair. Now, I have two plant stands with all my plants on them, a massage chair and a desk and chair in there. I really like the calm feeling I get when I go in there now! I also learned that my loved ones aren't in the items that they once owned, allowing me to declutter more of their items that weren't my style. | I think that the container method by Dana K. White helped me the most this year. It forced me to make some hard decisions! Also, keeping a representative sample of a collection instead of the whole collection, from Gayle and Ed! And Swedish Death cleaning, asking myself if anyone would care to inherit my items. If the answer was no, I really had to ask myself why I was keeping it. If I enjoy it then I'll keep it but if I said to myself, maybe so and so would like this, it needed to go. The people I'm leaving my things to are my daughter and son and I look at where they are in their lives, daughter 39, single lives in an apartment out of town, son 35, married with two kids, two dogs and two cats and a house full of furniture and things they enjoy. And another thing I've done for the past three years I learned from Vera on Simple Happy Zen. She counts the things she buys, not counting consumables, and the things she declutters during the year. This keeps me on track of what's coming into the house and what's going out. This year my ratio is 6 out 1 in! So many good podcasts and techniques out there! I like the different points of views and ideas from different people. Sometimes I think I have to trick my mind into releasing things. The good thing is that I don't miss the items once they are gone! | I've been slowly decluttering the items that I inherited from my dad when he passed fifteen years ago, along with the things from my children's childhoods. Sometimes I would get inpatient with the slow process I was making and couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel and would get discouraged. There were times I had to give myself grace because I had to pause for a while before I could start again, and I know now, that's ok. My house is now at a comfortable level of belongings. | I'm not sure yet. I need to get through Christmas first; that's my focus right now! |
| Denise | I learned that letting go of sentimental items was easier than it has been in the past. I think the comfort of living in a not yet totally but much better organized and orderly home outweighed the discomfort of letting go. In addition to the sentimental items I got rid of so much stuff I don’t need or use. | Dana K White’s “take it there now” was a big help. Not just for a decluttering session but just daily maintenance. It’s so easy to procrastinate. “ I’ll put it away later”. I’ve had so much encouragement from you and your listeners. Good ideas abound and have helped me incorporate little changes in my days which make a big difference. | Nothing really big but many steps in the right direction. A lot of decluttering. A little bit more organized ( still a ways to go on that) but organization is getting better with less clutter overwhelm. Overall a more peaceful feeling which is the best part. | Keep up the good habits. Next: the big, bad craft room👹 |
| Lynn | That it is time to let go of the last few remaining items of my moms that have been emotionally blocking the completion of my whole house decluttering project. Next year will be ten years since her passing and I have procrastinated long enough with getting rid of stuff that hasn't been touched in those ten years. Time to rip the bandaid off and move on with life. | My robot vacuum has been a game changer. It can reach under things i cant reach, the schedule i have it on forces me to routinely keep the floors clear of obstacles. Second is the recent passing of my dog of 19 years. I greatly miss his company and affection, but don't miss the responsibility of always cleaning up after him. Not having to care for his senior dog issues gives me a sense of freedom I haven't experienced in a long time. | I enjoyed more roadtrips, paying off my car loan a year early and being debt free again, getting dental work completed and new dentures, replaced the last of ancient kitchen appliances, and started the process of hiring a contractor to replace the 28 year old roof next year before it starts leaking.. All of this was done with cash, no loans or credit cards, just sticking to a tight budget and saving as much as possible in this inflationary era while still having a little fun. Have nicely set myself up for the forseeable future with getting all the anticipated big ticket expenditures accomplished. Now I can focus on hiring help when needed for things I can no longer do. My goal is to be able to comfortably age at home and enjoy the rest of my life. | Absolutely no new projects or decluttering other than getting the roof replaced. Once that is done, I need to not spend money and replenish my emergency fund. |
| Kim | I learned that I am willing to part with beloved mementoes in order to live in an uncluttered home. Sometimes it takes many months of self-talk to gather the courage to pass them on, though! | The idea that it is being passed on in order to bring joy to someone else. This is very comforting. | Completed a move across country in just under 3 years! The last of our boxes arrived last week! We will spend our time over the holidays purging old photographs -- and crying ugly tears while doing so! | I think of my donations as helping those less fortunate to have things they might not otherwise be able to obtain or afford. I regularly donate items that were bought recently and have been used only once, as well as unused items with the price tags still on. I would rather bring joy to someone less fortunate than get a $20 refund by returning it to Winners. And if I will not be using an item for a long time i.e. seasonal, I donate it and buy another one next year. (We are very short on storage space.) |
| Yvonne | 1) my threshold for managing items is decreasing. 2) living a simpler life means needing to buy less stuff . 3) buying good quality items up front reduces the need to replace items faster. 4) my children don’t need nearly as much as I have been buying for them! | 1) one in and one out 2) do I really want to manage this new item if I bring it into my house ? 3) container concept- I only buy enough that I can fit in a designated spot ie my purse shelf . If I want a new purse I must be willing to sell one that I already have so that they all continue to fit on the shelf that I have designated for their storage. | I have significantly reduced the items in my bedroom. I have forced myself to be ruthlessly honest about whether items are actually serving me or not and it has led to a dramatic reduction of the items in my room. Plenty of empty floor space, everything has a place, nothing is cramped and flat surfaces are empty. It’s a space where I can breathe!! | I would like to work with my children to declutter our back porch/ mudroom. There are too many old outdoor toys and sports equipment that no one is using. We will only be keeping items we are actually using. I will encourage them to sell items to make some extra money. They can use the extra money towards any new sports equipment that they may need in the future . I plan on doing a no buy challenge for the next 3 months. No non essential purchases will be made. It’s time to admit to myself that I have everything I need. |
| Amanda | I learned that I should've done it before my son was born, and I learned that I'd better get on it before our second baby arrives in July! I also found that having a focused goal for the space helped me make faster and more complete decisions, so I am taking some time now to envision better uses for specific areas of my basement than storing dusty 100 year old books and enough Christmas ornaments to decorate 3 or 4 trees. | Not much... I just need time, energy, and focus, which are tough to come by at the moment. Decluttering was not my crowning achievement this year. It took the back seat to family and health goals. | I sold 1.5 full Rubbermaid bins worth of Hallmark ornaments on eBay! It was a lot of work, but that stuff is gone for good and I have some cash in my pocket. | In the spirit of focusing on family and using our spaces to better achieve that goal, I'm looking forward to clearing out one area of the basement to repurpose into an active play space so my children can run around when it's too cold or rainy outside to go to the playground. Think mats to jump on, Little Tikes slide, the little pedal car... outside toys that I don't have space for in my living room, but that could be wiped down well enough and enjoyed in an unfinished basement in the off season. |
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | What did you learn about yourself or your stuff through your decluttering and organizing process in 2025? | What new decluttering or organizing ideas, methods, or techniques proved helpful in 2025? | What did you accomplish in 2025 for which you’d like to pat yourself on the back? | How do you plan to apply what you learned in 2025 to 2026 projects? What new projects will you take on next? |
