Living Clutter Free Forever - decluttering tips, professional organizing, minimalist living

Decluttering your home and not sure what to keep, donate or discard? How to handle decision fatigue when dealing with clutter. #102

• Caroline Thor - Professional Organizer - KonMari® Consultant

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Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the stuff in your home? I totally get it. But don't worry, I've got some tricks up my sleeve to help you out.

Let's talk about something called decision fatigue. Ever feel like you just can't make one more decision? It happens to the best of us, especially when we're trying to tidy up. But don't stress, I've got some simple strategies to make things easier.

We'll chat about finding joy in what you keep, imagining your ideal home, and setting some basic rules for what to keep and what to toss. With these tips, you'll breeze through your decluttering without getting stuck in decision overload.

Plus, I'll share some common challenges and how to deal with them, like feeling too attached to stuff or worrying about letting things go. And don't forget to celebrate your progress along the way!

So, if you're ready to tackle your clutter and reclaim your space, give this episode a listen. And don't forget to leave that review for your invite to the online event. You won't want to miss it! Until next time, happy organizing!

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Speaker 1:

Hi there, I'm Caroline Thor, professional organiser, konmari consultant, teacher and mum of three. I started off my life as a mum feeling overwhelmed, disorganised and desperately trying to carve out some time for me amongst the nappies, chaos and clutter. One day, one small book called the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying changed everything and I began to learn strategies for making everyday life easier. Today, I have the systems in place that means life can throw almost anything at me, and I want to share them with you. If you're an overwhelmed mum struggling to keep it together, then this is the podcast for you. Grab a coffee and settle in for a quick chat with someone who gets your reality. Hello and welcome back to this latest episode of the Living Clutter-Free Forever podcast. It's great to have you with me today, and I think today's topic is something that is really important and something that lots and lots of people struggle with. But we will get to that in a moment. Because I first wanted to remind you, I am asking you at the moment to leave me a review for this podcast. If you leave me a review and let me know that you have, I'm inviting you to an exclusive online event on the 17th of May, where I'm going to be doing some coaching on decluttering and organizing. There's going to be some prizes, and it's something that I am really, really looking forward to. So all you need to do is go to caroline-thorcom forward slash review and from there you will be sent instructions on how to leave a review, wherever it is that you listen to the podcast, and then it will also let you know how you can inform me that you have left a review so that I can send you the invite to the event. I am looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible there, so send me that review and I will send you an invite.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so let's get back to the topic of today's episode Decision fatigue. So what is decision fatigue? Decision fatigue is when you start to feel mentally exhausted from having to make decisions. So, over time, our ability to make decisions is going to start deteriorating because we just reach saturation point or we just don't know how to make that decision. And when we're trying to declutter or when we're trying to organize, battling decision fatigue makes it much, much harder to get the job done because it gets us stuck. So this episode is all about giving you top strategies to beat decision fatigue and mean that you don't have to be stuck. You can move forward with your decluttering and organizing project.

Speaker 1:

Now I have had times in my decluttering and organizing journey where I have felt overwhelmed by decisions and it has got me stuck. And I have to admit that the category that I have felt overwhelmed by decisions and it has got me stuck and I have to admit that the category that I have had the most problem with is paper. Because I can be looking at pieces of paper and not be sure do I need to keep this? Is it relevant? Is it important? Is it going to serve my life as it is now or is it something I can get rid of? But what if I get rid of it? And then I regret it and maybe I will need it further down the line, and all this stuff going around in my head and it creates such decision fatigue that it's then really difficult to make that decision about whether to keep that item or whether to let it go. So I totally understand it, and decluttering can lead to decision fatigue due to the numerous choices that we are having to make when we are sorting through possessions. And as we start to get stuck, we end up doing one of two things we either start procrastinating and when we procrastinate we then eventually just stop or we start to make impulsive decisions just to get it over with and may end up regretting those decisions later. So understanding when you're starting to reach decision fatigue is really important and then hopefully, with these strategies I'm going to give you, you will find a way to get over that hump and move forward.

Speaker 1:

Now, as you know, if you have listened to this podcast before, I advocate using the KonMari method, and the reason I find it really helpful with decision fatigue is that it's creating a systematic approach to decluttering and organizing. So you have two main principles. The first one is does the item spark joy? And that becomes then your guiding light, if you like, as to whether you need to keep an item or let it go. It makes making that decision easier. So, does this item make you happy? Does it bring purpose to your life, etc. Okay, the spark joy thing.

Speaker 1:

And then the second is that you're decluttering by category and when you are focusing on just one category of items so, for example, just clothes or just books, or just sentimental items rather than location, items rather than location it makes it easier to focus in on what is important for you to keep and therefore, what you automatically will let go. So really focus in on does it spark joy? And then also stick to doing categories of items rather than doing it by room. Stick to doing categories of items rather than doing it by room. When you have a room full of items and they all belong to different categories, it starts to become really overwhelming. It's like, well, do I need to keep that or not? But if you're doing it by category and you have collected together, for example, all the stationary items in the house and you can see that you have 10 pairs of scissors, it starts to become easier to make a decision, because you know that you don't need 10 pairs of scissors in the house and therefore you're going to choose perhaps two or three that cut really well, that feel nice in the hand. Those are the ones that spark joy for you, those are the ones you're going to keep and therefore the others automatically can be donated. Okay, so that would be my first top tip Apply the KonMari method. It's really really going to help and then set yourself criteria.

Speaker 1:

So what does spark joy mean for you? Is it its usefulness, is it its sentimental value? Is it, the amount of times you use it, the frequency of use for that item, it could be that you have let's take, take something really random. Okay, in the kitchen you might have an ice cream making machine and you hardly ever use it and you sit there looking at this thing thinking, well, do we need to keep it or don't we? And the decision fatigue starts to set in.

Speaker 1:

Try and think about how you feel when you use that item. Try and give some emotion to it. If, when you use it, you absolutely love the ice cream it makes and you know you and the whole family get really excited those few times in a year when you make ice cream then that item sparks joy for you and it's worth keeping. If, however, you never make ice cream with it because it's just too much faff to get it out and buy all the ingredients and then you've got to clean it afterwards, and maybe you've got one of those containers that has to be put in the freezer for a period of time before, and you always forget to do that. So therefore, you don't get around to making the ice cream, and not only that, but the ice cream maker is blocking space in a cupboard, so you have to keep moving it to get out other things that you do use more regularly, that item is not sparking joy for you and then it's easier to know that you can let that item go. So really think about whether the item is useful, the frequency of use, whether it just makes you happy to look at it. So for example this is a totally crazy one my best friend, kathy, years ago now she bought me a teapot that has the Marmite logo on.

Speaker 1:

Now only people from the UK will know what Marmite is. It's a spread that you put on bread and I love Marmite. I absolutely love it. But nobody else in my family likes it. They hate it. This is actually their marketing for Marmite. You either love it or you hate it.

Speaker 1:

It has a very unique taste and so she bought me because she knows I love Marmite. She bought me this teapot and it's not a practical size as a teapot goes and it wasn't something that I particularly wanted out on display because it doesn't fit in with anything else. But this teapot sparks joy for me for a number of reasons One, because I love Marmite. Two, because I love Kathy and she saw it and thought of me and knew that I would love it. And three, because every time I see it it just makes me smile. So, rather than having it out on display, what I have done is I've put it in a prominent place in a cupboard so that when I open the cupboard right on the top shelf, in front of things that we hardly ever use, that we hardly ever need to get out, standing there pride of place is my Marmite teapot, and it means that every time I open that cupboard and see the teapot, it sparks joy for me. So that was, for me, the criteria for making a decision to keep it, and if you can apply that sort of logic to how you are thinking about items, it helps with the decision fatigue.

Speaker 1:

And then the other thing is to visualize your ideal lifestyle. Imagine how you want your space to look and feel. Use that to guide your decisions. Is having this item in your home going to enable your ideal lifestyle? If actually it's going to hinder it, then that is a really good indication that perhaps you need to let this item go. Consider the purpose of the item. What is its true purpose and function? Now, the true purpose for my teapot was to make tea, and I never make tea in it. So its true purpose for me is that it just makes me smile every time, and that is the function of that item in my life. If I had looked at it and it doesn't make me smile and I never use it, then there would have been no reason to keep it. So try and think about it a little along those lines.

Speaker 1:

Okay, now there are some common challenges that occur that contribute to decision fatigue, and I just want to talk about those for a minute. One of them is sentimentality. We're feeling attached to it due to memories or emotional significance, and that is totally normal. But this is where visualising your ideal lifestyle really comes into play. When you look at that item, even if you have sentimental attachment to it, does it actually serve you now? Is it enhancing the life you want to have? Really consider that, and if it doesn't, then it might be time to let that item go.

Speaker 1:

You may feel guilty about letting items go, especially if they have been gifted or their inherited possessions. It's really hard when you know this is an item that someone cherished or someone has taken the time to go out and find for you and buy for you. It is really hard not to feel guilty about letting those items go, but think about the fact that the joy is actually in the fact the person gifted you an item, not the actual gift. Or if you've inherited possessions, would the person you've inherited it from really want you to have an item that is weighing you down and not bringing joy in your home? Would they not rather that that item goes to a home where it is being appreciated and loved? That's perhaps a better way of looking at it.

Speaker 1:

And then we have the fear of letting go, which I talked about with my paperwork we worry about. Are we going to regret our decision to discard this item? And when we start to have this fear, then we need to work around that. We need to think okay, what is the worst case scenario? If I let this item go? If it's me with a piece of paper and I'm not sure if further down the line actually I'm going to need it, then I can scan it. I can let the physical copy go and I can have a scanned copy that I put into a folder on my desktop and I know where to find it if should I need it. So that is one way around papers.

Speaker 1:

If it's something like a book and you're having a real dilemma about do I let this book go or not? Think to yourself if I, further down the line, decide I've made a decision that was wrong, can I replace this book? Usually, the answer is yes. There are so many secondhand shops available that you probably would be able to find it somewhere, online or in a physical bookshop, or you could buy a new copy again if it really was that you had to have that book and you had made a mistake.

Speaker 1:

And then items of clothing is another one that we really struggle with, especially if we spent a lot of money on it. And then we start to really weigh up the pros and cons of letting this item go. If we never ever wear it because it doesn't fit us anymore, or because we bought it and it's still got the labels on five years later because there's never been an occasion to wear it, then really think about whether, further down the line, whether, further down the line, should you need an item for an event. Would it not be more fun to go and find something new rather than have something that's been sitting in your closet for five years and you've never worn it? So the fear of letting go, worrying about regretting decisions is totally normal. But if you are clear that this item does not serve a purpose in your current life and it is something that further down the line you could get an alternative or you could resource that item if necessary, then the fear of letting go becomes less and it stops the decision fatigue If you can get into that mental space of okay, I've let it go, but it doesn't mean that I can't have that item again later, should I need it or something similar.

Speaker 1:

Now my final top tip is how do you maintain momentum? So you're there, you're decluttering, and how do you stop this decision fatigue setting in and maintain momentum? So I have three top tips for you here. First of all, break it down. I'm always going on about this Divide your larger decluttering projects into smaller, manageable tasks, and that will stop you feeling overwhelmed.

Speaker 1:

It's better to do 10 minutes of something every day than set yourself up for a project that's going to take a whole weekend, and when you get to that weekend, it seems totally overwhelming and you don't know how you're going to take a whole weekend. And when you get to that weekend, it seems totally overwhelming and you don't know how you're going to make the decisions, and so you push it back again and it will never happen. You will never get started. So break it down into smaller, manageable tasks. Celebrate progress, acknowledge and celebrate every single step forward that you make, whether it's decluttering a single category or a single draw, whatever it happens to be. Celebrate when we celebrate ourselves, it gives us the motivation to continue and do the next bit. And then, finally, I would say, establish routines. Develop habits and routines for maintaining an organized space, such as daily tidying or regular decluttering sessions. When you stay on top of it, it helps with decision fatigue because you don't feel overwhelmed fatigue because you don't feel overwhelmed. So that is my inner nutshell guide to how to cope with decision fatigue when decluttering and organizing.

Speaker 1:

So we have talked about first of all, understand what decision fatigue is and then find strategies to stop you getting stuck in it. So use the KonMari method. Find practical strategies for making decisions when you are decluttering, such as does it spark joy for you or visualizing your ideal lifestyle? Consider the purpose of the item and then have a look at what your common challenges might be, such as sentimentality, guilt or fear of letting go, and think in advance how you're going to deal with those scenarios should they come up. If you're prepared for them, you're more likely to be able to deal with them when you get there and then finally find a way to keep the momentum going by breaking down larger projects into smaller ones.

Speaker 1:

Celebrate your success and progress as you go through and establish routines, and if you can do that, you stand a really good chance of avoiding decision fatigue or, if you find you're starting to get into it, getting yourself out of it and unstuck so that you can get on with your decluttering and organizing project.

Speaker 1:

I hope that's been helpful and I hope that, should you find yourself with decision fatigue, you can listen back to this episode and it will get you unstuck and moving forward. So thank you for joining me today and don't forget. If you leave a review, I would love to invite you to my exclusive online event that's coming up, so go to caroline-thorcom forward slash review to get all the information you need to do that. Until next time. If you've enjoyed this episode, please send the link to a friend you know would appreciate it, subscribe and leave a review. I look forward to bringing you more organizing tips next time, but if you can't wait until then, you can go to my website or find me on instagram, at carothor, or on facebook, at caroline organizer. Thanks for listening and I look forward to guiding you on your journey to find your clutter free ever after.