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

What to do once you have organized you home (How to prevent the clutter creeping back in) #114

• Caroline Thor - Professional Organizer - KonMari® Consultant

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Why does the clutter come back? You've decluttered, organized, and set up systems, yet six months later, it's all back. Sound familiar?

I know what your struggles are. I've been where you are, and that's why I've made today's episode. 

In my membership, Clutter Free Collective, we're always working on habit changes to keep clutter at bay. But for most people, clutter creep is a real issue. Today, I want to talk about why it happens and how to stop it.

Why does the clutter come back? Why do we have clutter in the first place? It’s essential to understand the psychology behind clutter. Emotional attachment, decision fatigue, discomfort with change, and cognitive overload all play a part. These reasons can leave us feeling overwhelmed and make it hard to maintain an organized space.

But there’s hope! Imagine living in a clutter-free home where everything has its place. Think about how much easier life would be without the constant stress of tidying up. This episode could be life-changing for you. It’s time to break free from the cycle of clutter and embrace lasting organization.

Curious about the secret to keeping your home clutter-free? Want to know the strategic steps to prevent clutter from creeping back in? Join me as I reveal the tips and tricks that can transform your space and your life. Tune in to discover how to set up a daily reset routine, adopt a one-in-one-out rule, schedule regular decluttering sessions, and more.

Don't let clutter take over your home again. You deserve a space that sparks joy and supports your ideal lifestyle. Listen now and take the first step towards a clutter-free, organized home!
Links mentioned in this episode:
Clutter Free Collective - join my amazing online membership
Episode 102 Are you suffering from decision fatigue? How to decide what to keep, donate or discard

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. Hello and welcome back to the living clutter-free forever podcast. I'm caroline, I'm a konmari consultant and professional organizer and, although it sounds very scary for me to say this, I actually have now over 800 tidying hours with clients under my belt, which I am so, so proud of, and it means that I've seen it all. I know what your struggles are and I've also been where you are, and that is why I am making today's episode, because I hear so often and it's something I've struggled with as well why does the clutter come back? Why, after I've decluttered and organized and tidied and set up the systems, in six months time is the clutter back again. Now, if you work with me, this shouldn't happen, because I work really hard on looking at habit changing. This is something that in my membership, clutter Free Collective, we're working on all the time. So for those people in my membership, this is something that you shouldn't experience, but for most people it really is an issue that the clutter comes back. So today I want to talk about why the clutter is coming back, because I don't think, unless you understand the why, it's really possible to make the changes, and we're going to look at the external factors that contribute to clutter and then look at some strategic steps to prevent the clutter from creeping back in. So this episode potentially could be really life-changing for you. If you are the sort of person that likes to make notes, it might be a good episode to have a pen and paper available, because there may be some things I say that are real aha moments for you and it might be a good idea just to jot them down. So let's get started.

Speaker 1:

Why does clutter come back? Why do we have clutter in the first place? Let's just talk a little bit about the psychology behind clutter. I don't think this is talked about enough and it's important to understand why the clutter starts in the first place. So there are various reasons.

Speaker 1:

We may have emotional attachment to items. So we're holding onto them because of sentimental value, fear of forgetting memories or just the feeling of security that having these items in our homes provide. And very often these are the items that end up getting left lying around or are taking up prime storage space in our cupboards and closets, and they are a really big reason emotional attachment items why we have clutter. Another reason is because of decision fatigue. I've done a whole episode on this. I will link that in the show notes and you can go and have a listen. But deciding what to keep and what to discard can be overwhelming and this leads to procrastination and then the items just start accumulating because we can't make a decision about them. Now the next reason might be something that you haven't really thought about, but change even positive change for us as human beings can be really uncomfortable, and we may subconsciously allow the clutter to remain in our homes because it's what we're used to. We're used to seeing piles of things everywhere and we almost become comfortable with it, even if there are areas of the home where it irritates us and therefore it becomes difficult to even deal with the clutter because it's going to mean a change. And finally, the cognitive overload A cluttered space can lead to a cluttered mind how often have we heard it? And this makes it harder to focus and it increases our stress levels. Yet it might not be that you've yet realized and recognized that the clutter is the source of your discomfort. So have a think about those four things, whether they potentially are the reasons why clutter is happening in your home.

Speaker 1:

There are, of course, external factors, such as busy schedules. These are creating time constraints, like we're trying to juggle the family, we're trying to juggle work, we're trying to juggle personal commitments. Finding time for regular tidying can be challenging, but believe me, it is possible, but it can be challenging, but believe me, it is possible, but it can be challenging. Then, quick fixes are very often another reason for clutter, which sounds crazy, and I did talk about this in last week's episode where I talked about tidying up the whole home in a week a quick fix. But very often opting for quick, temporary storage solutions instead of proper, intentional thought through organization can end up leading to clutter buildup. And then, of course, there's the family dynamics. We're talking about shared spaces here. We've got different habits and personalities and preferences among family members, and this can end up creating clutter hotspots. Now, I could go on forever about this and it really needs to be an episode in its own right, but I wanted you to start to understand the reasons why clutter becomes a problem in our home and why it's difficult for us to deal with it Now.

Speaker 1:

I used to, in the past, really struggle with clutter. My home 10 years ago was super disorganized. It was one of those homes that looked tidy for anyone that walked through the front door, but if you were to open a cupboard or a drawer or look in my closet, it was every space rammed full of stuff. Because my idea of how to keep my home tidy meant just picking up the piles that I had collected during the week and stuffing them in somewhere, closing the door and hoping no one ever looked, and this caused me a huge amount of stress and anxiety, mainly because I could never find anything, because I'd stuffed everything away. The bottom of my wardrobe, my closet, was just bonkers. It was piled full of stuff that had come from elsewhere in the home that if I found someone was coming to visit, I would quickly gather it all up and throw it in the bottom, and I'm surprised there was actually room for my clothes in there anymore.

Speaker 1:

Now you may think well, how on earth have you got to this point? That you've now got a podcast on decluttering and organizing? And that's due to the KonMari method. I embraced the KonMari method 10 years ago, where we tidy by category, not by location, and we're keeping items that spark joy for us. We're letting go things that no longer spark joy for us, and it changed my life. You may have heard me say in other podcast episodes that once I had decluttered and organized my whole home, my then five-year-old daughter said to me why are you a nicer mummy now? And that really made me realize how much the clutter in our home had been stressing me out and affecting me in ways that I just had not been aware of. So asking the ongoing question does it spark joy? Will help you to decide whether an item needs to stay in your home or not, and this really helps with clutter, and I also have seasonal check-ins now to reassess items.

Speaker 1:

I actually had the opportunity the week before last, we were a whole day without electricity and I hadn't got any clients booked in. I'd had to be at home because the workmen were there and it's amazing how much we get used to looking on our screens Quite phenomenal, and a lot of my work is online, with recording the podcast and my membership and my online courses and stuff. So I was like at a loss. I was like what am I going to do today? And I suddenly realized I could use the day to go through every drawer and cupboard on the ground floor and just check that things hadn't crept back in there that we no longer use or that things were stored in there that we now no longer use. And I found quite a few things and I actually went through in the living room our limited DVD collection that we still had and I got rid of most of those as well because I realized they just don't spark joy for us anymore. So seasonal check-ins to reassess will help you as well. Keep on top of the clutter. So I've jumped ahead a bit because next I wanted to talk to you about strategic steps to prevent the clutter from creeping back in.

Speaker 1:

Now these are things that I work with people on in my membership Clutter Free Collective. If you've not heard of Clutter Free Collective, it's an online membership for women who are wanting to have a community to help and support them declutter and organize their homes. They are the most incredible group of women and we have been making so much progress in people's homes, not just with the clutter, but also with changing our mindsets about how we feel about our spaces, about the perfectionism that we put on ourselves, about our interactions with the people we live with, and we have had examples where husbands that have previously not shown any interest in being involved in organization in the home have actually been asking what they can do to help, and projects have been happening together. It is just absolutely phenomenal. I love, love, love my membership and I am so proud of all the women in there and the progress they're making, especially how supportive they are of each other progress they're making, especially how supportive they are of each other. And what I think is incredible is the no shame culture that we have. People can post photos of their disorganized spaces and all that comes back from the rest of the community are positive vibes. Don't worry, you've got this. Have you thought about doing this, that and the other? The supportive nature of the community is just incredible. So if you want to know more about Clutter Free Collective and how to learn what the women there have been learning with me, then click the link in the show notes.

Speaker 1:

So these strategies are things I'm teaching in Clutter Free Collective and they are setting up a daily reset routine. So spend 10 to 15 minutes each day tidying, focus on high traffic areas like the kitchen, the living room and the bedroom, and try to make it a family activity or even a moment of mindfulness for yourself. It's a time when you can just sort of switch off or I actually put podcast in if I'm doing something and like that and listen and I go around the home and it's just a time for me to be quiet and intentional and make sure that my home is staying as a space that supports my ideal lifestyle and that is so important to me and we I also have the family involved. Everyone knows that once a day they need to collect up their stuff from the communal spaces and take it back to where it came from. So setting a daily reset routine is really important. Another thing you can do, which has got nothing to do with the KonMari method, but I find it really helpful, and that is adopting a one in, one out rule. So if you buy a new item and you bring it into the home, is there something that's in the home that you're not using regularly that you can let go? And this keeps possessions in balance and it helps prevent accumulation. You can apply this to clothes. That's a really good place to do this.

Speaker 1:

Books my husband does this. We have a local bookshelf that's actually in the middle of our village and it's got doors on it so the rain can't get in, and he always goes up there and gets himself a new book. You can just take one. People have donated them and put them in there. He always goes and gets himself a new book when he finishes one. Take one. People have donated them and put them in there. He always goes and gets himself a new book when he finishes one and he takes the one he's just read and he drops it off there. So we never have any new books coming into the home and he's using books that have been donated anyway. So it's absolutely fantastic we don't have this pile up of books anymore.

Speaker 1:

My daughter has moved on to using a Kindle because she is obsessed about reading and she had realised that the amount of books in her bedroom was just getting totally out of control. She just did not have the space. She was spending all her money on books. So she actually got a Kindle for her birthday in January and she is now avidly reading on her Kindle and it has stopped this accumulation of books. Coming in. Kitchen gadgets how many times do we see something and think, oh, that would be fun for the kitchen or I could use that, and we bring a kitchen gadget home and they take up so much space and we find we're not actually using them. So that could be something else where, if you do buy a new kitchen gadget, is there one you could let go or sell that you realize that you're not actually using very often.

Speaker 1:

My next top tip is one that I mentioned and jumped ahead to before, and that's regular decluttering sessions. If you schedule in monthly or quarterly decluttering sessions focusing on categories so clothes this month I'm just going to quickly look through my clothes and check that it hasn't got to the point that I'm starting to let things accumulate again. Paperwork this is something I do every week. I know for me personally, if I don't just check my paperwork. Every week it gets out of control. But once a year I go through the paperwork and make sure I'm not holding on to documents that I no longer need, so, for example, the year before's insurance documents they're no longer valid, I've had the new insurance document sent to me or sentimental items. That's another place where things can start to accumulate and you can use these sessions as opportunities to re-evaluate and reinforce for you what sparks joy. Then my fourth top tip for you is to create designated spaces.

Speaker 1:

Make sure everything has got a place to go back to. This is very much key to the KonMari method, and I personally find labeling the storage areas makes it easier for everyone to return things to their places. I did this recently with a family where I was working with them in their home. We had decluttered and reorganized all the storage in their living space downstairs and I actually put labels on the doors just while people got used to where things would be moved to, and that has been working really well for them. So you don't need to maybe use labels forever on the outside of drawers and cupboards, but when you initially first organize things, it can be really helpful so that everyone's clear where things go back to, because then they can help you with the tidying up. If they don't know where things are going back to, it's very, very hard for anyone else to help you put things away and utilise baskets and bins and drawer organisers to keep similar items together.

Speaker 1:

And then think about mindful consumption. Be really intentional about what you're bringing into your home. The reason our homes get cluttered is because we bring stuff into it. It is as simple as that. Your home is cluttered because you have brought too much stuff into it and the first thing to do then is to declutter. But then you need to be intentional after that about what you're going to bring into your home, because if you aren't intentional, you're going to be back to square one really, really quickly. So reflect before purchasing. Do I need this? Does it truly spark joy for me? Is it going to change my life or support my life in a way that actually makes sense? And practice gratitude for what you already have, and this will curb your desire for more. And then finally, as I mentioned is happening in my membership, clutter Free Collective.

Speaker 1:

The habits and mindsets that you build are the most important thing. In order to stop clutter building back up, you need to have a mindset shift towards valuing simplicity and intentionality and that can transform your space and also your life, and I would encourage you to be patient with yourselves and recognize that maintaining an organized home is an ongoing journey. We have been making mistakes for years, for our whole lives in that we have not learned how to declutter and organize and tidy up, and it takes some time to change the mindset to learn new habits. It's not something that suddenly you can start doing. It's like if you decide you want to take up running which I occasionally decide I want to do and you have to start slowly and be kind with yourself. You're not going to suddenly be able to go out and run five kilometers if you've never really run before.

Speaker 1:

You need to do a little bit of walking, a little bit of running, and make sure that you do it regularly and go out every day, and eventually it starts to become easier. And you find that you do it regularly and go out every day and eventually it starts to become easier and you find that you're running for longer and walking for less time and then one day this miracle happens that you actually make it around the 5k without having to walk, and I really think decluttering and organizing and learning to maintain a tidy home is no different. You need to do little steps. You need to start building in short tidying sessions to help you maintain the spaces that you have already decluttered and organized or the categories you have already decluttered and organized. And when you start to do that every day and it becomes a habit, in time, you will notice the difference. You will notice you don't have piles of stuff standing around. So please see it as an ongoing journey and not something that is just going to suddenly happen by some miracle.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I think that is a lot for one session of advice on decluttering and organizing and how to prevent the clutter creeping back in. I could talk for hours on this and I am very aware of the fact that shorter episodes are easier for you, so I'm trying really hard to keep them around the 20 minutes, if not shorter, so I hope that has helped. I hope understanding why we end up with clutter will make it easier for you to be kinder on yourselves, that there are external factors that are contributing to the clutter and that makes life really quite difficult, and the fact that the KonMari method can help you and that there are things you can do. Strategic steps to prevent the clutter from creeping back in, such as setting a daily reset routine, adopting a one-in-one-out rule, having regular decluttering sessions, creating designated spaces for everything, being mindful of your consumption, and then changing your habits and mindsets will also make a huge difference. I hope this episode has been helpful. I hope it's been helpful in helping you realize it's not you. You've done nothing wrong.

Speaker 1:

There are so, so many people out there just like you who are struggling, having decluttered and organized, to maintain it, and you can do this. I believe in you. I know you can. Sometimes it takes the right support, but you can do this, so be kind to yourself. Keep plugging away at it. You will get there eventually. 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.