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

Declutter your mind! How to achieve mental clarity and focus with Laura Louise Larson #109

• Caroline Thor - Professional Organizer - KonMari® Consultant

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Feeling overwhelmed by endless to-do lists and a chaotic living space? Does it seem like the clutter in your home mirrors the clutter in your mind? It's time to take control.

In my latest podcast episode, "Declutter Your Mind! How to Achieve Mental Clarity and Focus," I'm diving deep into the art of mental and physical organization. Join me and our special guest, Laura, a Berlin-based KonMari consultant, as we explore the transformative power of decluttering.

Imagine a life with less stress and more focus. Laura's journey from electrical engineering to professional organizing, inspired by Marie Kondo, is a testament to how decluttering can change your life. Hear her powerful story and discover how the KonMari method not only cleared her space but also brought clarity and purpose.

Why stay overwhelmed when you can reclaim your happiness? This episode is packed with relatable stories and practical tips on how to declutter your mind and home. Learn how even the most organized spaces can hide stress-inducing clutter and how tackling it can lead to a joyful, authentic life.

We'll discuss:
- The hidden impact of clutter on mental fatigue.
- The profound benefits of thorough decluttering.
- How your environment reflects your internal state.
- Practical tips to create more time and prioritize effectively.
- Strategies for setting boundaries and managing social connections.

Ready to transform your life? Tune in to learn how to declutter your mind, improve your focus, and find more joy. Don't miss out on actionable steps toward a clutter-free, fulfilling life.

Listen now and start your journey to mental clarity and focus!

Mentioned episodes.
104: Ready for a fresh start? How to create a home that supports your wellbeing with Michele Akester-Marsh

106: 5 strategies to declutter your digital life for better mental health and productivity


Here is how to connect with Laura:
www.lauralarson-organizing.com
- German version of her book: https://amzn.to/45EQjxf

- Englisch version of her book: https://amzn.to/3KVlYBa

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauralarson.organizing/

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ-HDL26upVBhWV9i8QKrYg

 

I would LOVE to hear from you. Text Message me here.

Get your home tidy in just 15 minutes a day! Grab my FREE 15 Minute Declutter Kickstart Guide HERE!

Thanks for listening! For more organizational motivation, support and free resources:
Join my online membership Clutter Free Collective
Join my podcast Facebook group Living Clutter Free Forever Podcast: KonMari® Inspired Organizing | Facebook
Visit my website www.caroline-thor.com
Come and say 'hi' on Instagram @caro.thor
Follow me on Facebook @carolineorganizer

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. Hi there and welcome to this week's episode of the Living Clutter-Free Forever podcast.

Speaker 1:

How often do you struggle with mental clarity and focus? It's something that I know I find very difficult. I am easily distracted by things that are going on around me and very often, for a lot of people that listen to this podcast and this might be you the clutter in our homes is one thing that is really playing around with our ability to focus on the things that we want to be doing. I know you are going to love this conversation. Today I have another KonMari consultant Laura, who is also based in Germany, joining me. So sit back and listen and I will have a quick chat with you again at the end. Welcome to Laura. Thank you for joining us today.

Speaker 2:

Hi, carol, so nice. Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1:

I can't believe that our paths have only just properly recently crossed, because we were actually in the same cohort of KonMari consultants that were training together.

Speaker 2:

Exactly, and I always watched you from afar because I always tried to have the German KonMari consultants inside. So I always kind of I knew you and I watched you, what you were doing and how you were like slowly rising and building a business. But just now we actually made you connect and chat.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and it's because KonMari have set up an amazing new platform where their consultants can interact with each other, so we've got a lot more possibilities to connect with each other wherever we are in the world. But we happen to both be in Germany, so that's really fun. I actually get someone in the same time zone at last.

Speaker 2:

Exactly, you cover the South West and I'm here stationed in.

Speaker 1:

Berlin. Okay, so let's talk about that. So you're in Berlin. Tell us a little bit about you and your business and why you got started with KonMari in the first place.

Speaker 2:

So I was coming from a totally different direction. I mean, I always loved organizing. I loved organizing as a child. I always sneaked into my parents and my sister's room to actually, as soon as they were gone to organize it, because it was driving me nuts. As soon as they were gone to organize it because it was driving me nuts, and somehow I never thought that my passion for organizing could also be my profession, like I always thought. You know, you have to study and work in a big corporation and you know, go this like really, um, well-walked path, let's, let's say it this way. And so I studied electrical engineering and worked also in a huge energy utility and I realized over the years that I got so unhappy that I feel like stressed and depressed and I was just not doing, not doing what I was meant for, kind of. And then this small book stumbled across my pathway, similar as in your story, and I always loved organizing.

Speaker 2:

So I bought the book and then I started organizing with the method and my apartment got cleaner and like less decluttered and even more organized, like this. What I was expecting from the book but what I didn't expect, it was the internal transformation that was happening while I was reading this book that with every category that I sorted out and every more the home that I decluttered and was reconnecting with the things that I love, I also felt that there was this internal change of that. Also in more abstract areas of my life, I realized what I want and what I don't want, so like in relationships or in hobbies or, as in my case, my job. And for me, the KonMari method actually showed me or reconnected me with my passion for organizing, and I realized that I want to make this my, my job, I want to make this my profession, and so I started googling and saw that she is teaching consultants, and that's the point where we the first time met.

Speaker 1:

And who even knew that was a thing? I didn't even know it was a thing, and who even knew that?

Speaker 2:

was a thing I didn't even know. It was a thing totally, totally. I remember I was back then in my um, in my engineering job I had a coach and uh, he kind of he was helping me because I just got in a leadership position and so I had this coaching with him and uh, he said, laura, I can help you with the struggles you have in this new leadership position, but somehow I have the feeling you don't really want that, you want something else. And I was like, yeah, you're good. And so I was like, yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 2:

I wish I would know what my calling is, this kind of job where you don't care if it's like weekday or weekend, that you kind of are so passionate you don't even feel like it's work. And he said like, okay, then describe me your hobbies. And then I just told him about everything that I like. And then he said you know, the common thing that I realized and what you're saying is like you love organizing. And I was like, yeah, I mean, I do love organizing. That's fantastic, I could do it all day.

Speaker 2:

He was like, yeah, then make it your job. I was like that's not a job. And then he was like yeah, do you know someone who has had a job? That was the same time, you know, as I read the book and uh, I was like, yeah, I mean Marie Kondo did her job. I was like, yeah, look her up. And so I kind of I really needed someone to push me that way. Because still then I was like I mean I saw Marie Kondo's book and saw that she's living her dream, her dream profession, but still I was like so stuck in this, I'm like societal ways of how to see a job and studying and living your life that like he had to like really push me on towards this path.

Speaker 1:

But for me, like that organizing as a job was so not aware of yeah, and it's interesting because the book is called the life-changing magic of tidying up, and for you and I, it has done more than just our homes and our mental health and all the rest of it.

Speaker 1:

It literally has been life-changing in that we now have a new profession that we love and that we both feel really passionately about, and we both feel really passionately about what we're going to talk about today.

Speaker 1:

So this podcast I gave it the title Declutter your Mind how to Achieve Mental Clarity and Focus. So I've talked a lot in the past about how applying the KonMari method really that was the massive shift for me, this feeling of overwhelm, being clear about what it was I wanted in life, what sparked joy for me, as you say, in all aspects of your life, whether that's your job or your home or your relationships, and it just helped me feel so much calmer and less stressed and just a much more pleasant person to be around. I mean my husband will say now I'm just so much calmer when things kick off, I just maintain a level of calm that wasn't there before and I know it's because I feel in control of everything and it's down to this method. So what has been your experience with that, about this sort of mental clarity and this idea of the connection between physical and mental clutter.

Speaker 2:

So for me it was mainly this that when you start organizing your apartments and you start out, start sorting out things, and then you do it. The KonMari way is you touch every item and you decide or feel inside your body doesn't spark joy, doesn't make you happy, and I totally lost this feeling. I couldn't tell what makes me happy and what didn't. And you start with just some simple items like your sweater or your socks or your shirt or whatever, and it might, for some, even it may feel ridiculous in the beginning, like why am I touching this? It might, for some, even it may feel ridiculous in the beginning like why am I touching this, you know? But then at one point you train this muscle of knowing what you want, like so much that you're actually able to transfer to this more abstract areas. And that was the life-changing point for me, because I found, through organizing the method of how to reconnect with what makes me happy and that also caused my mental stress, my mental depression that I was living a life which just wasn't me like.

Speaker 2:

From outside someone could have told that, okay, like she's in a relationship and there's a family and she has a job and well paid, so like everything's fine. But inside I just felt like, okay, this is just not me what I'm doing here. I feel like I'm living someone else's life, I'm living someone else's expectations, and so when I learned to reconnect with this like feeling of what I really want, I finally discovered all the things that actually made me happy and slowly made them to integrate my life, and I just felt so how much happier I got and how much more I was finding the self my my way back to myself and I think, actually this knowing deep inside of me, which was totally covered by everything outer else um, this path of um, what I thought I have to be and the past that I really, inside of me, wanted to be, and this path were just not aligning and this just tore me apart inside and called me to be really mentally ill.

Speaker 1:

And I think also we also underestimate the effect that physical clutter in our homes is having on our mental well-being, and I see this when I go to clients' homes. They don't even have to be that untidy their homes. I was at someone's home recently and I walked through the door and it was very minimalist. There literally was virtually nothing out anywhere. Super, super tidy, way more minimalist than my home. And yet she was still feeling overwhelmed because the clutter in the drawers there wasn't a system. She was feeling like she was fighting fires the whole time, trying to keep up with it all, and she knew that when she opened the drawer and things were in there and all sort of higgledy-piggledy and it was going to take her a minute to find things. That was stressing her out and she knew that she needed to conquer that in order for her mental clarity to become better. That certainly was my experience. It sounds like you were quite an organized person.

Speaker 1:

Anyway, as I've always said on this podcast, I am not, and I am to this day not, an organized person.

Speaker 1:

I work at it and the KonMari method has helped me create a system in my home that means that we stay organized, but I have to work at it. I'm not someone that will put something away as soon as I've used it. I have to do my 10 minute reset every evening, going around collecting everything up that I've left lying around all day, because that's just how my brain works. So it's different for everybody, but for some people I know I have someone in my membership at the moment who is feeling so overwhelmed because she has got piles of stuff everywhere and it is impacting her ability to even be able to do things like vacuum and that for her is really frustrating. But knowing that next step to be able to move forward and deal with those piles, you need support for that, because it's got to a point where it's just overwhelming and too much to cope with on your own and it affects your mental health as well I 100 agree with you.

Speaker 2:

Uh, it's this. When we before talked about this, we already called this the law of attraction of the seven universal laws. And this law of attraction means that your outside world reflects your inner world and so and again also, the circle goes in both ways so your outside world reflects your inner world and also then your outside world reinforces your inner world. So if you have then this clutter around and you feel already stressed and then everything around is cluttered, this kind of is reinforcing and even making the stress even bigger. And the interesting thing is you mentioned it before yes, I was organized, but I wasn't big in decluttering this decluttering aspect of organizing and that's why I now, also with with my clients, I make such sure that, um, that you can be organized and you can still be decluttered, because I, when we think of clutter, we always think clutter are like huge piles, you can't see the floor and like you walk into someone that looks like a messy. That's why, also, I think a lot of people don't even know that they could use like this whole life-changing organizing process because, as you said, you have a client, you walk in and like the surfaces look clean, everything's fine and they look kind of minimalistic but, um, I was a perfect example.

Speaker 2:

I never decluttered, I never got rid of anything before, but I had just my clutter perfectly piled, you know, in the closets, in the cupboards, but it's still cluttered. You know, it's still things that were wearing me down. That kind of um, when you I think everyone knows this feeling when you walk by a cupboard and you just get this like down feeling inside your chest where you're like, oh, like this, this, like all-purpose drawer, or like this cupboard, where you just, you know, shove things in and even if they're not shoved in, I mean all like, for example, um, board games I never sorted any out, but they were all piled and like color-coded and everything, but still it's clutter, even if we like really nice, organized and color-coded, like. That's more the like the last touch of the organizing to color-code and everything nice, but to actually do the, do work, the decluttering like that was for me the game changer in this life-changing magic of Marie Kondo.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, and I think the decluttering part is in a lot of systems, in a lot of organizing systems, overlooked. I can think of one particular TV program, for example, where they will come in and organize but they don't seem to really get rid of anything, they just reorganize everything that that person already has. So there's still so much stuff and I'm just looking at it, thinking, well, it looks optically very nice now how you've done it in your rainbow colors, but that person has so much stuff that it's still overwhelming and it is going to be hard to maintain because they're going to go out and buy new stuff and where are they going to put it? You know, if they go and buy another bottle of shampoo, there's now no room in that storage box for one more thing. It's just totally overflowing everywhere.

Speaker 1:

So I think the decluttering part is underestimated and I think by doing the decluttering you are really focusing, as you said before, on what sparks joy for you and really understanding how, in all aspects of your life, we can declutter and hold on to just those things that spark joy. So let's move on away from the physical decluttering of items, let's go a little bit more abstract, because, laura, you and I have, I know, have both tackled this and I know it makes such a difference for people, but I think it's very much overlooked. How about calendars? What is your feeling about people and their schedules and their calendars?

Speaker 2:

absolutely. And I think, beside the physical clutter, calendar is my next always go-to topic when we talk about these abstract things, because it's crazy how we declutter our calendars and the greatest thing is that we always think money is our most valuable currency. It's not. It's crazy how we declutter our calendars and the greatest thing is that we always think money is our most valuable currency. It's not. It's time, it's the time that we stop. Yes, let's say this out loud, because I once heard this new money, you spend $10 today, you can gain $10 back tomorrow. It's like nothing but the time you spend today, you never get it back. So that makes this time so valuable. Nothing but the time you spend today, you never get it back. So that makes this time so valuable.

Speaker 2:

And we just declutter things with um, things that we say yes to where we don't even know that we don't want them. But even worse, sometimes we say yes to things where we even know like, oh, I don't want to do that, I would prefer to stay home or I would prefer a calm evening, but then we go still out, or we say yes to this evening meetings, and and they always love this example because in German we have this phrase, ja-saga I already heard that this is not a phrase in English that you have someone, like a person, who says yes all the time and a lot of people think they are persons or people who say yes. But be aware that the people who always say yes are actually the biggest people who say no, because with every yes you're saying, you're saying no to so many other things. When you say yes to this, um, like late night meeting, you say no to seeing your kids or seeing your partner or just having some free time, having some downtime. You know, like you say one yes to one thing but you say no to like 10, 20 other things at the same time.

Speaker 2:

And just to be aware of it, and the hard things come in, especially for people who don't know what they want. That's kind of always the difficult thing, because some people know, okay, I don't want this, so I just need to train it to say yes because your time is, like, so valuable. But what do you do with the people who don't know what they want? And there comes this reconnection with the spark, joy feeling back in that you actually look at your calendar, look at every single item you have on your calendar and like try to feel this within you. Like when I look at this meeting, does it make me happy or not, do I actually want this or not? And like be honest and be brutal. And this is hard in the beginning, like to say no, but it's when you just like clear out your calendar and also not just sorting out but also sorting things in that you actually want to do like you know time for yourself or like a calm morning routine or whatever Sort these kind of things in.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I hear so often from people I don't have time to do that and we all have the same 24 hours in a day and some people appear to find time to do their exercise, to be able to do their decluttering. This is one of the biggest objections to taking my online decluttering course. One of the biggest objections to taking my online decluttering course I don't have time to do it. You do if it's that important to you. If your home being decluttered and organized is a priority for you, then you have to find the time, which means going through your calendar and looking at what you can let go or not do, or stop scrolling through social media for an hour and use that time instead to do some decluttering and organizing. So I think it's and I love what you said before, although it makes me really sad that people do say yes to things but it means they're saying no to time with their family or time for themselves to do a hobby, and that is such a shame that people haven't realized that that is what they're doing. And that is always my greatest wish for my clients that once we have decluttered the physical and we're talking about other areas, then after that that they really start to prioritize making time for themselves. That self-care and making time for things that spark joy for you or are priorities for you is something that you build into your week or your month. It's a huge part of my online membership. We place as much focus on that as the actual decluttering they're having to all the time. Tell me what are you doing this week that sparks joy for you, so that they're building that into their calendar because it is so, so important, and I'm a prime example of this.

Speaker 1:

I'm always saying, or I have always been saying, I want to get fit. I'm not fit enough, but finding the motivation to do it for myself was proving really, really difficult, so I decided in January if it's such a priority for me, I need to do something different. I need to book a time, a personal trainer to come to the house and make me do it, because otherwise, otherwise, I'm not making it a priority. It can't be that important to me, and so I've been doing that since January and I'm loving it, and it's like an hour a week. It's just for me, which is just so cool no, exactly already.

Speaker 2:

What you were saying is that, um, it's, it's about sitting down just for one second or a couple of minutes and really think about how do I want my ideal day to look like. You know what elements are in it, and I love this topic so much. I dedicated a whole chapter in my book and also I created a workshop for this. Because, like this ideal day is, um, because if you make it to live your ideal day, you're already so much closer to living the ideal life that you wish for. Because you know, you know, just saying like a day is a small, like every day is a small life within itself, right? Um?

Speaker 2:

And also, when you talked about the organizing is so many people say I don't have time for this.

Speaker 2:

You know, when all my problems are solved you know I don't need to work anymore, my kids out of the house and everything else is solved Then I will take time for the organizing.

Speaker 2:

And that's the big trick behind it is that organizing actually will give you time. Yes, you have to put in some time first and also make time within your busy schedule for the organizing itself, but not just beside that. Your home gets more efficient and more productive because it's easier to source things away and you're less decluttered. But also you're so much more aware of your priorities and what you want in life that you actually will kill out and declutter so many wrong that they want or, um, not real priorities that you have. That in the end, that's what all my clients told me in the beginning, like I don't know how we do this. That's why I want to hire you, because maybe we can do this faster together and then I can go back to my busy schedule. And during the organizing process they all realized I don't want this anymore. I don't even want to do this anymore.

Speaker 1:

And they just had more time, and not because the home was tidy, but because they were so much more aware of how decluttered also their day was yeah, there is a massive mental shift that comes with doing it, and I think that moves then from an awareness about your calendar to other areas of your life, like relationships. Do you really need to spend three hours in an evening with that person that when you walk away you feel so pulled down because they've just been negative the whole time you've been with them? Is that someone that you need in your life? And I did a massive declutter of relationships when I realized that and it has done my mental health so much good not to be spending vast amounts of time with people that have a massive negative energy. I just do not need it. I have got enough going on in my life with all the added problems we have within my family, and when I go out, I want it to be a positive, bright experience where we're not going to sit and talk about problems the whole evening.

Speaker 2:

I love that and I know myself. Maybe you can tell a bit more about this process, because that has been the hardest area for me relationships, because, let's be honest, that is so hard to sort out because that goes even beyond the memories category of the Marie Kondo organizing process. It goes deep. There's a relationship that are your, what kind of, also you're made of and um, so maybe you can talk a bit more how you you did that, because I think that's still a big area, but also I can learn from well, I think the the first thing is to set boundaries with a person, and we've had a couple of conversations recently on the podcast where we've been talking about boundaries.

Speaker 1:

And if you set boundaries with a person and say I'd love that this evening we don't talk about this topic, or when we meet up, I find it really hard when the conversation goes in this direction. Can we stay away from that? And if they're not prepared to stick with your kind boundary that you have set, then that for me is an indication that they are not someone that I necessarily need to be spending a huge amount of time with. I don't need to cut them out of my life completely, but I can reduce the amount of time I'm spending with them if the negativity or the permanent topics that I don't want to be talking about all the time can't be let go, so reducing the opportunities to meet up.

Speaker 1:

I was fortunate, in a way, that I had COVID hit at a point where this became very apparent to me that this was a problem and that actually created the possibility that you know, I didn't need to see these people and that I couldn't even see these people, and then we never got back into the routine of meeting back up again or if it was suggested, I genuinely had other things going on and had to say no, I'm sorry, I can't this month or whatever, and eventually it it just sort of peters out.

Speaker 1:

It doesn't have to be a sort of hard cut off. That feels really awkward and you know you've got that butterflies in your tummy, feeling I'm going to have to tell them I don't want to see them anymore Because it's like if you've been spending a lot of time with someone as a friend, it's like a relationship breaking. I mean, it's like like it is a relationship breaking up and that is hard because there are aspects of that person that you really appreciate and like. But the negative energy is something that I find really difficult these days with people. I don't want it in my life. I've realized it doesn't make me feel good and so that was sort of my way of of reducing the contact that I had with people that that were like that.

Speaker 2:

I, I love this, thank you, because you know, when you sort out your shirt, you touch your shirt, you feel like you don't like it, you sort it out. And with people it's just different. You know like you don't need to touch this person kind of metaphorically spoke speaking in a person out. You can sort aspects of the relationship out. That was kind of a new um goal for me, kind of, because people are not a piece of clothing, people are the closet you know, and you can um see if there are things you can sort out or even say okay, it's not, and then set your boundaries.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I love that, yeah or or have these people as people you meet in certain situations where you know it's not going to turn into a four hour conversation that is just full of negativity. Perhaps you're going to see them at a get together where there's other people there, or you arrange to meet up with them, but for a time that you know you're going have to say I can meet you, but I have to leave by this time because I need to be there. You can sort of construct it so that the time is kept relatively short and therefore it's good for you and it's good for them.

Speaker 2:

You still have that contact with them, but it doesn't need to be in a way that is detrimental to your mental health definitely also because this is leading back to your calendar, like the yeah, or like how much you, and also maybe it's your absolute favorite person, but three hours is just too much for you because you think, okay, it's, or too much, too much for me, because three hours it's a lot of time, a lot of talking, and maybe two hours enough, like to also then watch that again. Yeah, love, love it, love it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, definitely, and I think it's like quality over quantity when it comes to relationships, and that's the same as with our physical belongings is the quality of what we have in our lives and not the quantity of it that's important and that's how much is on our calendar, whether that's our relationships, whether it's how much time we're spending on social media, whether it's what we're eating it, if it permeates into everything. And it comes back to what you were saying before about knowing what you want for your ideal lifestyle, because starting off by visualizing that is going to mean that you are very clear about what you want to be doing in your day. So tell me a little bit. It's a good segue here. Tell me about your book. So you dropped in there before I in my book. So tell us about your book. What's it called and what's it about?

Speaker 2:

so, um, I wrote a book this year and it actually was. It's 17 chapters and I wrote the book in 17 days because it was just I don't know, it was just coming through me, I think it was inside of me way too long and it was just bursting out. Um, it's called I have it in English and in German written. It's called how organizing your outer world brings you inner clarity and fulfillment, because that is what for in German written, it's called how Organizing your Outer World Brings you Inner Clarity and Fulfillment, because that is what, for me, I drive the heart of the organizing that it's nice that you tidy up your apartment and everything's more efficient and clear and everything, but it's this internal transformation, and so this book is not an organizing guide.

Speaker 2:

I think there are enough out there. And also get the book from Marie Kondo. I think that's all from the organizing tips that you need. This book starts before that for all those people out there who are saying right now I don't have time for this, or I don't see the benefits, or I don't want to be a minimalist, or you know, who all have this kind of things where they think like I don't need this or I'm happy in the way I am and it kind of starts before and shows you what you can gain on the outside and inside world when you start the organizing um, because that was so important for me to kind of get it out. And also I share my story in here in way more detail how I started the kid, how I lost totally lost myself, and how I found myself back again through the organizing and um and kind of yeah, cool, and I originally had not planned for this episode to be a guest episode.

Speaker 1:

It was. The title was already, uh, written. I'd already got the podcast outline. And then you and I connected last week through the Newcombe Mari platform and we ended up having an online chat and you told me about your book and I was like, oh my goodness, this just fits totally with what I'm going to be talking about. Come on, come and be a guest. I would love to have a chat with you about it. Talking about come on, come and be a guest. I would love to have a chat with you about it. So it's perfect timing, the stars aligned, which I love when things like that happen. So, and you said, you've got a workshop as well yes, um.

Speaker 2:

So, because out of this book, I my goal was to also make this in a bit more transparent way. So also, I created a workshop out of it, um, talking about the ideal day and how to, how to actually get started, how to, like you know, first think, and it's always the same method behind it, the same organizing method also, as you do organize your home, it's this um, you get everything out first, um, then you declutter, you decide what you want to keep and then you sort things back in, and this is the simple scheme, but you can use it to literally everything in your life, as we talked about about for your calendar, for your relationships, for your digital clutter, for anything and um, and especially, I want my. My plan is to. My plan with this book was to touch people who have this excuses, um, who are saying you know, I don't want to be a minimalist, or I, you know, organizing is not sustainable because you know I'm just decluttering and throwing things away. And also maybe just at that point for a quick second, because we talked about it before is that when you think decluttering is not sustainable because you throw things away, but what is actually more sustainable to like once go through this process and actually wonder what do I want and what do I don't want, and go through this pain of decluttering, which is hard, but that is the point where the actually learning process starts. And for the next time you don't buy the third shampoo that doesn't fit somewhere.

Speaker 2:

You know where the actual internal change is starting, that you stop collecting pens from every hotel that you're staying in because you know you have enough pens at home. Or you're going to fairs and they stop like getting all this clutter and like I almost want to say trash you know, in your home. And so I really want to like clean up with this. And but also talking about this like tidying up is not a luxury, it's not something that you do at the end of your life when, like everything else is done, it's kind of tidying up gives you time. Tidying up it's kind of it's a starting point of everything else and not the end point and um, and then also I really talked there about this like north star um, which you know you have to have your ideal in mind, like what you want and how you can reconnect with it, so it really touches like the deep things.

Speaker 2:

And this is also what I'm doing my workshops. I go to companies but also like um for private settings to try and kind of talk about all these things how to declutter your calendar, how to declutter your schedule, how to declutter your meetings, how to declutter your networks. Like it's like organizing is just in every area and I know how many people don't want to hear that, because with organizing they always. They somehow connect like really strict measures and like no fun and everything is clean and sterile and everything, but it's just, it touches every area of your life. That's what I want to show with this, because also you can, through, once you understand the organizing process, you can also actually transform every area of your life totally agree, and I've recently had episodes where I've talked about digital decluttering.

Speaker 1:

I'll put the link to that in the show notes so that if you know you are struggling with that area, you can have a listen to that episode.

Speaker 1:

And I also had an amazing episode recently with Michelle and I'll link to that as well where we were talking about mindfulness and the ability to sort of mentally declutter and techniques for doing that it was.

Speaker 1:

It was just such a good episode, so I will link to that as well, because all these things sort of tie in together. And if we just go back to the title of this episode Declutter your Mind, how to Achieve Mental Clarity in Focus, when you pick away at all those areas and declutter them and yes, it's going to take some time done that, you are in such a solid place to be living your ideal lifestyle and you need for all of those areas to be done in order for that to be possible. It's not just the physical stuff, but the mental clarity comes with, starting with your physical belongings and becoming clear about what it is that you want, and then you can move on to things like your relationships and your calendar and your digital stuff and all the rest of it so that you end up with this life that sparks joy for you.

Speaker 2:

Totally, and also before this episode, just to give you another feeling about how important this mental health in general is, but also mental health in connection to clutter is. I looked up some statistics and it says that 45 percent of americans say they feel overwhelmed by the clutter in their home. 45, that's every second american. Um, that is that is crazy, and especially when we know what clutter does to your mind, to your, to your mental health, or we just talked about, and another study was that 80 of most medical spending is stress related. So it's one of the most common diseases that we have stress, burnout, all these things and we always expect from outside something to change. You know, our boss, forgive us less task or whatever, and kind of what we want to give on this episode and talk about is this you have it in your hand, like you, you can change it. There's like there is this part, there are parts which you can't control, and always saying you need the wisdom to see what you can control and what you can't control.

Speaker 1:

But there, um, it's a crazy amount of what you actually can control just by decluttering, yeah, but literally decluttering your life yeah, and there is only one certainty in life, and that is that you will die at some point, which really is a bit sad to think about ending the episode on this positive note.

Speaker 1:

Let's talk about that. No, but it is the only thing that is certain, and we have control over what we choose to do with our lives while we have them, and we don't have any control over the external factors or other people. At the end of the day, I mean, I would love to think I have control over my kids, but they are. They are their own people and at the end of the day, they're going to do things and make decisions that I can't have any control over, the what I choose to do.

Speaker 1:

And you and I are both really clear examples of how we have taken this method, the KonMari method, and we have applied it, fulfill its potential of changing our lives so that we have got a life that is filled with joy. That doesn't mean to say that there aren't challenges, and you and I have talked about this. We both have challenges within our home situations and in our personal lives, but it is so much easier to deal with those things when they come up, when you have mental clarity and focus about what is important to you. You can then make the right decision in those moments, for what is the the best move, the best decision for you and for your family, so that you can move out of that challenge and back into joy again totally.

Speaker 2:

Um, I think it's almost the last chapter in this book, which is called am I done forever? And the answer is no, you're never done forever because, also, life's challenges never end. You know, like, the way life changes never ends. So but the good news is is that you know how to change. Is that what you were just saying? Like, you know, the tool you found through organizing we found, and that's the tool we're suggesting is a way of how to deal with these things. You know, like, things will always change, things that you can't control will change, and maybe even things that you can control will change, but you know how to tackle them. You got the tool and this makes life interesting but also way more calming to know okay, whatever comes, I will be able to adjust. Like I can do this.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, and I think that is a great point to end on. It's been such an amazing conversation. Thank you so much for joining us. I have. Thank you, Caroline. Where can people find your book?

Speaker 2:

so they can find um the book on all, like this german huge um book um bookstore. It's called talia, but also, I think, way more easier, it's on amazon. I think, uh, it's important. You type in laura luisa larson, like my full name, and then you find because I was another big author called Laura Larsen I thought like what are the odds from exactly the same spelling? And then you find the book on Amazon. It's available in the entire EU and in the US and yeah, and also otherwise. You see the links on my Instagram. I also have a LinkedIn and I have a YouTube channel also where I'm releasing this week a video about where read the first chapters of the book. So to get an idea of what you can expect.

Speaker 1:

Brilliant. I will put links to how people can find you in the show notes and where they can find your book, and then, if anyone's interested, they can have a look in the show notes and find you. I wish you a wonderful rest of your week. Thank you for taking time to talk to me today. Thank you, caroline, it was a pleasure to talk to you. Well, I hope you found a lot that resonated for you there, and it hadn't been my intention, but a lot came out about Laura's and mine own journey, about why we started with the KonMari method at all, and so I hope that was interesting for you too.

Speaker 1:

If you have related to some things in here, then please be comforted by the fact it is possible to make improvements, and you can improve your focus by building new habits, by decluttering in your home, by being intentional about what it is you want to do. So keep listening to this podcast because, as you know, I am always offering amazing tips and tricks. If you have loved this episode and tricks, if you have loved this episode, then please give it a rating wherever you're listening. It does wonders for helping other people find this podcast. It is so, so important and I would really appreciate you doing that today. 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 organising 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 Organiser. Thanks for listening and I look forward to guiding you on your journey to find your clutter-free ever after.