Survey #299 results
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | Describe a paradox, conundrum, or mental trap in which you find yourself as you work to declutter and organize your space. | What’s the most reliable method for getting unstuck when you find yourself trapped in a clutter conundrum? | Here’s your chance to ask Gayle and Ed any question you’re curious about. It need not be related to this survey’s topic(s). If we think that your question—and our answer—might be useful or instructive to The Clutter Fairy Weekly audience, we’ll share them in an upcoming episode. |
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| Johanna | I save things in case the world turns into a place where my survival depends on owning resources and materials but I would never want to live in such a world. | Tell myself that I am safe, then do the smallest step I can think of next. | |
| Kathryn | I get it all in a group to go get rid of and then have an interruption and it all goes back to its hidden or place of reminder to get back to. | Not visual its re visited as s visual revisit. | Gail, Any more spots in your newer space havent addressed yet. Ed, With family needs are their clutter obstacles you see coming in your future or addressing now. Me, My younger son see more clutter issues with his in-laws so redirects my goals " it will look bare" - " you really don't have that much " or its something he perhaps want at a future date not now?? |
| Gabriella | One side of me thrives on simplicity: I keep a fairly limited amount of things in daily use. Everything is functionally organized, every item has a home and is easy to access and maintain. As for the other side, however........ Even though I was able to get rid of quite a lot of things during the past years, I still find it extremely difficult to part with quite a few items that I inherited from my maximalist family, as well as some beloved items from my childhood. | - Gayle's advice to keep only the most significant sentimental items out of an enormous number of them, has helped me the most in parting with sentimental items. - Other items that I did not want to part with, I was able to use and/or display in my home instead of having them marinate in a cabinet. Something that I use and enjoy cannot be defined as clutter! | |
| Summer | I worry that I may have to replace the item, and keeping it will save me money, | ||
| Summer | I worry that I may have to replace the item, and keeping it will save me money, | ||
| Anonymous user | Memories tied to things. Sometimes a photo doesn't seem like it will be enough. Or I don't want to take the time to sell things of value. I know that I would be happier with the space but in my terrible person if I donate my mother's collectibles after she passed? | Pairing down a collection to just a few small pieces. Knowing someone who loves it will get to enjoy itespecially if I offer it in a free cycle or buy nothing group. | I started with my mother's books and clothes but have not made a huge dent in her belongings to donate after she passed. What's some other categories that are easier to go through? |
| Lisa Beth | Every time I clear an area or reclaim an area someone fills horizontal spaces. | Take it there now with individual items or small groupings. | Ways to claim and keep "empty" space |
| Ginger | I fight perfectionism. I procrastinate starting a project because I believe it to be too big - overwhelming. And, I can find many other things to do rather than deal with this project. But, I’m working on it. ▪️Last week - I started my pantry clean out. There’s just the 2 of us and our diet has changed drastically over the last 4 years. I took pics of the pantry. Sat down and looked at my pics and planning next actions. ▪️ I removed 24 empty jars and 14 journals. And, swept the floor to clean up actual dirt scattered when I dropped a potted amaryllis I had stored there to keep away from kitties. I have quite a few empty containers remaining. ▪️My next step is to move the pasta and beans to these containers so my husband can see what we have. Then, there’s the racks of home-canned goods in the floor that I need to go through. And, the too-many cook books. Plus, the shelf of too-many, mostly specialty, cleaning products. I need to get REAL and make decisions to get rid of most of this stuff. | Break it down into small steps. Most of the time - I take pics and study them to plan next steps. That works for me - when I make myself get past the perfectionist tug and just do it. | |
| Granny | I have a mountain of things to scan, but every time I think about doing that I get caught up in looking at what I have rather than getting on with the scanning. This leaves boxes in my study that I only occasionally see... | HELP - I don't seem to have a strategy beyond writing down what needs to be done and then.... | |
| Suzanne | I want every item in my house to have a home but I haven't figured out where the home should be for so many items in my house. So, so many floaters. | Perhaps the most reliable way to get unstuck is for me to walk away and work on different clutter, or do something healthy like walk. The thing I got stuck on will lose power. | |
| Anonymous user | I find something that I think I should/could be using so I keep it. | to ask myself 1) how long have I had the item and 2) am I REALLY going to use it if I keep it? | |
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| Anonymous user | When I declutter something, my husband gets excited and starts bring me more stuff Then I get overwhelmed because it looks as messy as if I hadn't done anything at all. | Focus on decluttering one box or one stack at a time. | |
| Peggy | I see potential use in things (for instance, I have a cardboard box with various cardboard shapes inside that I'm saving for my grandchild to build something with... but that could be months from now). Also, I save used baggies for holding sardine cans and such to place in trash... but I don't need as many as I save... sigh | setting a limit for quantity of X item kept, rather than keeping all of X | Do either of you struggle with a particular category of stuff? |
| Janet | After turning 60, I cannot tolerate the amount of stuff we have. I want to downsize our stuff so badly. My Indecisiveness (also less energy) make it very hard to accomplish decluttering. But I have learned from the Clutter Fairy to never give up and small steps are working for me. Thank you! | When I get stuck, I tell myself that " I'm doing good, go thru the pile once and do the easy decisions first, I can do more later" But mostly it takes me forever to declutter, I'm slow, but I'm not giving up! | |
| Terry | I decide to donate/give things, but I keep thinking that maybe this person or that person might like to have it. For bigger things, I'm more likely to snap a photo and ask them. But for smaller things (ex. many pairs of earrings), I find it hard, I decide to donate/give things (ex. crafting materials)/beads), but I don't see the appropriate recipient people or groups in person these days. Photographing and mailing seems like too much work/expense, but I don't have a general recipient (ex. Goodwill) for those materials. | - try to find some Clutter Fairy wisdom in the storage area of my brain or check out a CF podcast on the topic - run it by a friend that is also decluttering to get ideas - have a talk with myself about my overall goals and where this fits in. If I recognize I'm stuck and need to break the logjam to make progress, sometimes I come up with new options. Often that lets me give myself permission to take the "good enough" option, maybe not the best, but it will allow me to move forward. | |
| Anonymous user | After moving items to a different location the next time I forget what I did and where I put things | Dana K White method helps. When I know exactly where something belongs I take it there specifically as long as I don’t change the location. | I am physically and mentally disabled how can you find a hands on someone to help declutter not just tell you what to do |
| Doreen | At my desk, I will save that letter because I need to respond to that person, or save the address, or keep it as a memory. | Face a life situation like a death. Suddenly, the most mal that seemed important isn’t. The filter of importance is very strong unfortunately that fades I find today a fresh start in the morning and a positive attitude and an encouraging cheerleader help. | |
| Brenda | I get bogged down in the decision process early in the declutter. I try to start with obvious items but that ends quickly. | Going to a different area to get fresh perspective | |
| Ruth | Getting rid of sentimental things is difficult while downsizing. | Setting a timer and taking the first step in declutterring. | How do you get more joy out of declutterring and downsizing while appreciating the current day? |
| Cee | When I go to declutter I get hung up trying to rearrange before completing the area and I struggle trying to work around what I'm keeping verses what should probably go | Wait until I'm really frustrated and let things go for donating or in trash on the night before pickup | Do you have that spot in house that you know will not get organized and stay? How to cope |
| Lisa | I definately fantasize about using things I haven't touched in years. Especially crafting/sewing items and books. Have a challenging time letting go of books I haven't read, or that are "good" reference books. I know hanging on to things keeps me stuck, I get it cognitively. But the wall is thick - the wall I hit. Also I seem to be a slow progress person. Which is often frustrating. Lastly, getting rid of bigger items that will create more space can be a challenge. The physical part of dealing with the item, wanting to sell a dresser, for example, but being shy about posting something publicly. | "Progress not perfection." Doing something to move the decluttering needle forward every day helps. At times joining body-doubling zooms and/or specifically-focused decluttering sessions has been very helpful. Working with others as a decluttering coach in their homes brings inspiration through witnessing their often vulnerable growth. Working with a skilled decluttering coach on a personal level also helps. | How did Ed get to the point of letting go of books? I understand it was a space issue, but was it only that or was there an emotional "let-go" that also happened? I one met a retired literature professor in a restaurant sitting at an adjacent table. As happens, a casual chat turned to decluttering talk; when I asked him how it felt letting go of his vast collection of books (he had done so), he said it was a great feeling of liberation and freedom. |
| Kkelann | My parents passed last year within 4 months of each other. When I start to go through stuff I find myself in a sentimental loop and have to walk away. It becomes unbearable. | Watching declutter videos and talking to someone who has gone through it. | How to cope with letting go of passed on family members items? |
| Cathy | When I take things to donate, I catch myself going into the shopping part of the donation center and usually bringing home as much as I donated! Spinning my wheels and the older I get the more it happens. | Finding out a friend is coming to stay with me a few days. Never fails to get me moving. | |
| JM | I sort and sort with good intentions, but not enough leaves the house. We recently painted and I made a rule that we could only put back 50% of what we pulled out, so now we have clogged up all the living space & navigating the mess is making things worse. 🤦🏻♀️ | Dana K White's method. | |
| JM | I sort and sort with good intentions, but not enough leaves the house. We recently painted and I made a rule that we could only put back 50% of what we pulled out, so now we have clogged up all the living space & navigating the mess is making things worse. 🤦🏻♀️ | Dana K White's method. | |
| Anja | While downsizing I want to get rid of a lot of stuff but I am often at a loss, what to keep and what to toss. | I ask myself if I will actually use and/or enjoy some things at some time. This only partly works. I think what keeps me hesitating is the idea of giving something up just to buy it again later, because I will not have a lot of money in the future. That is a realistic road block for me. Scarcity mind set - I know. | |
| Celina | I want to use up my sewing and art supplies, but they need to be better organized. This means buying more boxes and containers... This is counterproductive financially. I have to downsize the supplies, not buy boxes to keep as many. No, I won't give away any more of my supplies. | start small... Put on some podcast/reward content to watch/listen to along and just start working at anything. Go area by area. Or gamify - e.g. draw lots on what's the next activity/area/space to work on - tidy, clean, reorganize, declutter, etc. | n/a |
| Debra | Setting a timer for 20 minutes and racing myself. Also—I was watching The Minimalist Mom (Dawn) and she said about her new house, (which viewers were criticising as being “too empty” and “not cosy”: “my goal is not cosy, my goal is easy”. This resonates with me, because I want my place to be easy. I do love cosy too, but I want an easy home—easy to clean, easy to manage, with no need to fret about managing stuff. | ||
| Kathy | Aspirational clutter is the hardest thing for me to declutter. I think I might want to make that craft again some day and don't want to let supplies go even though I am not making time to do the craft currently. | Setting the item aside and moving on to something easier. I suppose it is a form of procrastination, but doing something easier helps me to feel like I'm still making progress. | Just wanted to say I greatly enjoy your book reviews even though I don't usually read the books myself. I value your opinions and like the discussions about the books. 🙂 |
| Leslie H. | I see something in my stash that is so inspiring, or that I am sure I will use at some point in the future and I cannot part with it. | If I can remember when I got it, how long I have had it and that is a very long time (years), then I can sometimes talk myself into parting with it. | I do watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink, and sketching, as well as quilting, sewing, beading and embroidery. What is the best approach to having all the supplies and kits for these passions without being overwhelmed by all of them or thinking that I need to buy more? I have more projects than I can do in my remaining years. I need to know the right attitude towards owning the tools for my artistic expression. Thanks for your help. |
| AJ | I look at spaces I want to declutter and get overwhelmed by the question of where to put excess, unneeded items. | Try to tackle one shelf or drawer at a time. | What is the best way to declutter large areas like attics and basements? |
| Judy | When I try to declutter, I see so much to sort, that I don't do any of it. | Trying to break the clutter into small jobs. | |
| Anonymous user | I have decluttered but have reached the items that I am struggling to keep or let go. | I stop and try and come back later | |
| Noreen | I find things to declutter, but then sometimes I save them as I believe I can find another use for them. | Walk away and do something else. Then I come back later and can make clearer decisions. | |
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| Evelin | I declutter a lot and it has influenced how I think about shopping but I still seem to have more come in than come out. | a spending freeze (like one no-spend-month) or counting my shoes (or purses or jeans....) to see how much I really have | |
| Anonymous user | I dream of a minimized garage, but when I open a box of my parents’ or grandparents’ things, I feel confused about what to do with it. (I’m the eldest and only female, and I feel responsible, and guilty if I get rid of things.) | Saying I can just look for something to do with part of it. Actually, I’m not very good at getting unstuck, except to hire a professional organizer. That always helps. | |
| Anonymous user | A fear of getting rid of too much. | Do small parts of the project at a time, then walk away from it | Should you declutter when you’re angry? |
| Anonymous user | I get stuck to declutter. I’m so overwhelmed at this time. I have so much to do and just can’t get started. | Is it better to donate collectibles to goodwill or antique type shops? What about scrapbook items? Can you donate to schools or nursing homes? | |
| Bonnie | Although I can’t stand the sight of my clutter, everytime I try to start dealing with it I am quickly overwhelmed with where to even start so I usually don’t ever get started. | Pick a physically small area and just work on that. It might be 1 drawer or the top surface of a dresser or whatever is inside my pocketbook. Sometimes I also set a timer for 15 minutes & that helps me do something, anything! | |
| Jill | I want to declutter so I have less to do, but I find things that I really like and would only take "a few minutes" to repair and use again. So why haven't I already fixed it? | I'm hoping someone else has one because I don't. 😀 | |
| Ernestine | All of the above. LOL | Go away and do something else for a while. Will I eventually come back to decluttering. "Someday"... maybe eventually. | |
| Melissa | I want to get rid of clutter but find the starting point difficult at times. If I don’t have a clear plan for the space or my things I end up just jumping in and making a mess. I also tend to procrastinate until I feel motivated or have enough time and energy to do a whole room, project, or closet in a day rather than just a shelf or a drawer, which is far more productive and realistic. Having a plan helps instead of just an vague idea. | I usually do a routine task like the dishes, laundry, make the bed, vacuum, or take out the garbage. This gives me a chance to think and plan because there’s no decision making in those tasks but my space does look better and I feel a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes, I play this podcast in the background and that motivates me to start. | When someone is really overwhelmed and has a ton of clutter, what is the best plan - a room at a time? And what are the most successful questions to help people who know they have more than enough but are having a hard time letting things go? |
| Nina | I think about doing a few drawers or shelves--putting away winter clothes and getting out lighter weight items and then I go down the rabbit hole looking at sweaters, wondering if I should keep them. Ditto for magazines, books, etc. | Mr. Timer! I bought a timer at the grocery store. It's a manual one. I have a watch with a timer and a phone, but I like the BIG LOUD RING. And, I like to play Beat the Clock. How fast can I get clothes picked up and put away, or a load of laundry or dishes into the washers. | When is your book coming out. LOL What advice do you have for downsizing a book collection. For example, I'll start looking at one of MANY cookbooks and then I get off track and think, Oh, I'll keep this one. Thoughts about dealing with that? |
| Luz (like you lose something) | I'm stealing some of your first example: I want to get rid of clutter, but every time I feel paralyzed by my perfectionism. I can't get started because I need the perfect time, a perfect plan, the perfect order to accomplish the perfect plan. Very frustrating. | Sometimes, I just tell myself to do something for just five minutes and then 2 hours go by. | |
| Anonymous user | I have physical limitations but still try. I usually have good intentions of starting but get quickly overwhelmed. Being sentimental doesn't help either. | I watch older Clutter Fairy videos. | |
| Anonymous user | My piles of Amazon returns are growing and I'm overwhelmed by the prices required to return them. That results in items I can't return, so they end up in the ENORMOUS donate piles. Plural! The donate piles are growing and not leaving the house because I want to bring them to a particular place whose hours don’t coordinate with mine. My house is overrun with enormous piles of clothing to be donated (because I lost a lot of weight - so should I keep some clothes in all those sizes???) | Procrastinating an awful work project. I get to work from home at least a day a week, and when I really detest a particular project, I will do some decluttering. Admittedly, this is not healthy! Once in a blue moon, I will ask a friend to come over and help, and that is when I really get moving along. At this particular moment in time there really isn’t anyone that I would call upon to assist in this way. | my brain is too cluttered to think right now |
| Dawn | I want to declutter, but at times DH is a strong barrier to progress. I want to be done with overall decluttering, but it's hard to do with so many things on my plate. | Just do SOMETHING and be OKAY with whatever gets done. Tomorrow is another day. | |
| Katherine | I spend more time looking for the perfect plan than I do actually decluttering. When I do get a hopeful-looking plan/schedule written down, I either give in to the temptation to rush through too much right away and exhaust myself; or I set a full brain dump’s worth of goals and try to cram time for each into every day, then scrap the whole thing as soon as “life happens” or something else doesn’t go exactly as hoped. | ||
| Tiffany | Gifts from others stop my decluttering in its tracks. I have guilt associated with decluttering gifted items. | Simply putting the item in the bag without too much introspection. Once it is in the bag, my mind concludes the decision has been made and no further reflection is required. | How can I convince others that I no longer want material gifts without threatening their worldview about gift giving? |
| Anita | All 3 of those. Or whenever you choose to get rid of something, someone says they like or need it. | I’ve started a four box system: a box for each of my (grown up) daughters and one for my husband and one for me. Then I only have to face my own clutter. Theirs becomes tidier as it is contained.. although the next stage has still to happen. | I’m still a bit stuck on getting stuff actually out of the house; e.g a bread maker and an old printer ( neither work well). They can’t be thrown in our bin( council rules) The recycling centre is now only open twice a week ( when I’m working) ( and nobody else can take them) I could get the council to collect but it is very expensive. The scrap collectors only take metal… I did get them to take a couple of bikes though .. which was good. Even our local charity shop has gone! |
| Maureen | The task seems overwhelming as a whole, so I put off until I think I’ll have more time. | Digging through clutter just to find trash or things to be donated. | Gayle, how or where do you start in a client’s room full of clutter? |
| Silby | I am stuck in a clutter conundrum where my lower lever WFH office and now my upper level WFH office became a storage place for things left behind from deceased family members and remenants of traumatic events. I now HAVE l to get it cleared out in the next 30 days. This is causing panic and freeze reaponse. | Music? Help from my BFF. | I used to be so organized and have recently regressed to being a packrat and chaotic. How do I turn this ship around? |
| Anonymous user | I want to streamline my stuff, but don't have the confidence to let anything go. so I seesaw from the desire for freedom and fear. | Give myself permission to start TINY. | |
| Anita | When I’m stressed or in a rush my “I’ll do it later” mode takes over.I returned from the hospital visiting my brother last night and it looked like the place -at least my bedroom and the living/dining area- had been ransacked. | Today I made a new rule: if I touch something I have to out it away. I also talk to myself out loud and ask myself “what’s the most important thing I need to take are of right now?” It helps me to refocus. | When does Ed usually post to You Tube? I can’t tell if it’s my blocker or just normal time needed to get the episode. Not complaining, just asking! |
| Anonymous user | I don’t have one.😂 | ||
| C | Similar to all suggested statements, I will overthink too often as to who could use an item still in good condition, where best to donate or often whether I could still use it. I have too many things for Justin Case and it has happened that it's come in handy to do so, a few times already reinforcing that tendency. | The best is a deadline from without. Like a local Bazaar drop off date or a friend who said they'd come over to pick up things to donate. Otherwise my own : what can I do in 15 minutes deadline. | How often have you started a new hobby, and kept at it? Likewise, when did the idea come to you to be a prof organizer. How risky was it? Did you have clients lined up? |
| Danetta | 1. I’ll move these books into that closet as soon as I get the photo album stuff out of there; but first I need to get the folding table out of the garage which I’ll set up as soon as I finish the ironing and fold away the ironing board, then I can spread out the photo album stuff on the table to work on it. 2. I’ll spread this project out on the large dining room table so I can put like with like and decide what to discard, but Easter is in 10 days and everyone is coming here for lunch so then I’ll have to put the huge half finished project away again. | Go read a book or knit instead. Walk around the house looking for something I can work on instead. | |
| Lynn | Many times I overestimate how much effort I can physically invest into a decluttering project and end up having to leave it unfinished until my body recovers enough to complete it. At other times, the misguided percecption of the enormity of a decluttering project allows me to procrastinate until forced to do something about it, only to realize it wouldn't be that awful of a project had I just gotten started with it a lot earlier. | Inviting people over, either for socializing or hiring to do some work. It makes the blindness disappear for a few days so I see the real state of things through fresh eyes. | |
| Yvonne | My conundrum is the thought “ what if I need it someday”. I try to remind myself that for most things, I won’t need them again, but if I do the thought of having to re-buy something at today’s prices makes me cringe . | For me it’s asking myself “do you really want to manage this just for the sake of a potential someday scenario”? | |
| Ellen | Something else (a different space, another clutter pile over THERE, or a recurring task like laundry or cooking dinner or washing the dishes) always seems more urgent than tackling the clutter HERE. My mental trap is not considering the clutter urgent or important until it has become really overwhelming. | Reminding myself that “I will feel better even if I get just 10%-25% of this done….I always do” - basically, reminding myself something is better than nothing and it takes time and trusting the process. | |
| Anonymous user | I have made much progress but have failed to implement any accountability to continuing with the tedious stuff that’s left. I said in Dec. I would commit to two 15-min declutters each week thinking that would spur me to do more. I did it one week and stopped. I still manage to clear books, trinkets, incoming paper a little each month but not regularly enough. | Setting a timer. Picking a visible spot. | |
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | Describe a paradox, conundrum, or mental trap in which you find yourself as you work to declutter and organize your space. | What’s the most reliable method for getting unstuck when you find yourself trapped in a clutter conundrum? | Here’s your chance to ask Gayle and Ed any question you’re curious about. It need not be related to this survey’s topic(s). If we think that your question—and our answer—might be useful or instructive to The Clutter Fairy Weekly audience, we’ll share them in an upcoming episode. |
