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

How decluttering will help you find homes for all the items in your space so you can stay organized #129

• Caroline Thor - Professional Organizer - KonMari® Consultant

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Does organizing feel like an endless battle in your home? Are you tired of shuffling items from one spot to another, only to find that things never seem to stay where they belong? In this episode, I’m diving into how decluttering can help you find a true home for every item in your space — a game-changer for reducing overwhelm and reclaiming control.

Imagine opening a drawer and finding exactly what you need in seconds. No more digging, no more decision fatigue. This episode walks you through practical steps to use the KonMari Method as your guide, so you can create simple, intuitive homes for your belongings. Think of it as tidying with purpose — transforming your space, freeing your mental load, and bringing a calm sense of order to your home.

Why is this so important? When every item has a designated spot, you’re not just tidying up — you’re removing the endless stress of searching and making it easier to keep things in place. With the holidays approaching, wouldn’t it be amazing to have a clutter-free environment that helps everyone in the family find and put away things effortlessly?

In this episode, I’m sharing the secrets behind effective storage solutions, organizing strategies for seasonal items, and how to simplify the process (yes, even for families and homes with ADHD challenges!). With these insights, staying organized won’t just be a temporary fix; it’ll be a sustainable lifestyle change that clears out mental clutter and brings lasting peace to your space.

Tune in to find out how a little bit of intentional decluttering can set you up for an organized, joyful holiday season. This isn’t just about tidying — it’s about creating a home where every item has a place, and every family member feels the freedom and clarity that comes with it.

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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.

Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to this latest episode of the living clutter free forever podcast. If it's the first time you've been listening, I am so happy to have you here. I'm really glad you found us and if you're returning and you've listened to an episode previously, thank you for coming back. I'm listened to an episode previously. Thank you for coming back. I'm really looking forward to talking to you about today's topic, because it's actually something that's come up as a result of a message I got on Instagram from somebody who follows me and who also listens to the podcast.

Speaker 1:

Akshaya, you're listening this is a shout out to you and she was letting me know that she finds it really hard to find the right home for every item. So she's trying to tidy up and organize and she's just really, really struggling to find the right home. And I don't know about you, but the frustration of constantly searching for items or the overwhelm of dealing with clutter is just sometimes too much. It's really stressful, especially if you're under time pressure, you're trying to find something to get out of the house or because you've got an event happening and you just can't because you don't know where you left it. And it gets particularly bad, I think, around the holiday season because of the fact that we are pulled in so many different ways when it's holiday time. So I wanted to talk about this today, and what we're going to do is I'm going to explain why assigning a home to every item, including your seasonal decorations, is just an absolute game changer, and I'm also going to dive into how using the KonMari method as a guide a framework, if you like will really help, and I'll give you some tips on how to set up your spaces and also make some reference to ADHD strategies, because I know that a lot of you listening have an ADHD diagnosis or have kids with an ADHD diagnosis.

Speaker 1:

So let's start off with why finding a home for everything matters. I think it's really important, when we're tidying, to be purposeful about it, and the KonMari method really helps you with this. There is this emphasis on intentionality that helps give every item a designated place, so it means that when you're tidying up, it makes it faster and easier because everything has got a place to go back to. So that's the first thing. Then there's the fact it gives you this peace of mind and mental clarity. Everything having a place to go back to is going to reduce decision fatigue, and who these days is not suffering from decision fatigue? It's going to help us feel less overwhelmed, and another outcome is that it's going to create a calming environment for us, and it's very clear to me, having gone through the whole process 10 years ago of KonMari-ing our home, that the environment feeling calm makes me feel less overwhelmed, and everything having a place to go back to just reduces the decision fatigue hugely. And then the final part of this is that it's going to release the mental load. So we at the moment perhaps, are having to juggle all this stuff in our heads, we're having to remember where things might be, where they should be, and that creates extra mental load in our day, whereas if we have got a dependable routine for where items belong, we're going to remove that mental load. We're going to know where things are. There's not going to be any might or could anymore, and that makes such a difference on a day-to-day basis. Try and think of a time during the day where you know you're searching for something or you're wanting to put something away but can't find a space for it, and how that makes you feel. If we could get rid of these stressy feelings, this overwhelm, it just makes life so so much simpler.

Speaker 1:

So the KonMari Methods approach to assigning a home for everything is to declutter first. Now I'm going to be totally transparent with you. It is really hard to find a good home for everything if you still have a lot of clutter. It just is. So the first thing you need to do is declutter, and I know that you don't feel like you have time to declutter. So I have created a really brilliant guide on how to declutter using just 15 minutes a day. Yes, you heard me right just 15 minutes a day. I will put the link in the show notes for my declutter guide and you can grab that, and you will also then receive some emails from me with extra tips, because I know how hard you are finding it to find the time for decluttering.

Speaker 1:

But that is the first thing. It's key to understanding what you actually need to find homes for. If you're trying to find homes for everything but actually you've got a ton of stuff that you don't ever use or need and doesn't bring you any joy, then you're just making the whole job so so much harder. So, talking about joy checking, we're going to use it as a tool. We're going to ask does this spark joy to help determine what to keep? And at the moment, at the time of this recording, we're heading into the holiday season, so seasonal decor, for example, can accumulate over time.

Speaker 1:

So joy checking it can keep the collection meaningful and manageable, meaning you have actually got space to store it all, and then you can move on to assigning a space with intention. When you don't have all this extra clutter, you can really think about where each category of items lives, based on accessibility, frequency of use and also what storage options you have available in your home, and that is something that will come with practice. You may, for example, put one category away in a place and then, after you've done a bit more decluttering, you will find that actually there is a better place for that because you've now freed up some space in a different drawer or cupboard. So that is something that comes with practice. But assigning a space with intention is half the battle. And then you've got to find homes for the categories of items, and this is where it starts to be really important to think about whether they are everyday items or occasional items. Everyday items need prime, easy access storage versus things like your seasonal decor, which can be tucked away somewhere that it's a bit harder to get to because you don't need access to them every day. You need to be creative, perhaps, about your solutions for storage.

Speaker 1:

So I have got my Christmas decorations in a plastic Ikea box. We actually have two plastic Ikea boxes. One of them has all the decorations and the lights for the tree and then any other lights that we would put up anywhere else, and then the other box has got general decor that we put up around the home, and it means that I can store them under the roof in an attic space and when we get to that time of year I can get them down. I also have stored in there Christmas linens like tablecloths, cushion covers, because I don't need those in my prime locations the whole year taking up space, and it means that when we get down the Christmas decorations I automatically have access to everything else that I'm going to need in the holiday season as well. So really think about how you're going to set them up so that you have easy access to them and for seasonal decoration, really think about places like attics or basements or under the bed, using dedicated bins.

Speaker 1:

I have everything labeled so that I know what is in which box. So you might have, for example, if you've got a box for spring decorations or Easter decorations, then write it on the box, or Christmas lights. It makes it easier to get them out and quick and simple to find. And then you've got sentimental items or rarely used items. So think about having a specific spot where they're going to be, but you're going to keep them in a place that you don't need access to them frequently. So with a lot of my clients we have created a memory box or a sentimental box and that is stored at the top of the closet on a high shelf, tucked up at the back out of the way, because we don't need access to it all the time, but if we find something, or something becomes a sentimental item. We know where the box is, we can get it down and we can add that item to it.

Speaker 1:

And I also think that it is really important to have zones for functionality. So what I mean by this is assigning a zone for each category, literally each category. So it means that you can locate the items more easily. So, for example, kitchen gadgets stay in the kitchen, winter gear goes in the entryway or the closet. Dog paraphernalia for taking the dog for a walk gets stored near the front door or the back door, depending which way you go out, in a box or in a drawer, so that you've got easy access to it and when you come in, they go back there. So always gathering together categories and storing them in one place means that not only do you know where they are, but the rest of the family do too, which is absolutely amazing.

Speaker 1:

Now, the next thing I'm going to talk about makes these systems ADHD friendly, but they're also things that are amazing for anybody to use. So I would highly recommend, as I've already said, using labels and visual cues on bins and boxes so that you know what is being stored in there. There is real power in having clear bins so that you can actually see what's in there. You maybe could use colour coded labels and make the storage spaces visually intuitive. So the things at the front are the things you're going to be using every day. The things stored at the back maybe you only use once a week or very, very irregularly.

Speaker 1:

If you're in the kitchen, use your high up storage for storing those kitchen items that really are seasonal and don't get used very often. So if you have something huge for cooking a goose in, for example, or the turkey, then have it high up in the kitchen because you're only going to need it once a year. So this goes back to keeping it simple and accessible. Simplicity is the key to this working for you long term. The more complicated you make the system, the less likely it is that you're going to be able to maintain it so frequently.

Speaker 1:

Use items within reach and make sure the system works for everyone in your home. There is no point having a place for coats to go back to, but your two-year-old can't hang their coat up because they can't reach. Have a low down hanger or hook for that child or somewhere that they can put their shoes that's accessible for them when they come in. Or if you want them to be involved in being able to get something to drink in the kitchen and your child's age five but they can't reach the high cupboards, then have cups and beakers in places that are available for them, like a low drawer or cupboard, so they can get them out. And then regularly re-evaluate your organization systems. I do this every few months. I will just go through a cupboard or a drawer and just make sure there's not build up happening and ensure that homes for items are still serving their purpose.

Speaker 1:

Things change. How our home is set up now is really different to how I set it up 10 years ago. 10 years ago I had three kids, all under the age of seven. We had a house full of toys. We had little people that couldn't reach to get things. I've now got a 17-year-old, a 15-year-old and a 12-year-old. They can all reach the cupboards. They don't have toys anymore. So everything has been rejigged and rearranged because I don't need to be making sure everything's accessible. So really think about regularly looking at whether it is still functioning and servicing your family as they are now.

Speaker 1:

And one thing that I'm always talking in my membership clutter free collective about is habit stacking for returning items. If you don't put things away, it's going to get really cluttered in your home really really quickly. So putting things back immediately after use, building that habit of returning items to their home, is so, so important, and I know it's difficult. We have a saying now in the membership put the damn thing away, because we know we're really bad at using something and saying oh yeah, I haven't got time now, I'll do it later. We haven't got that one minute, really, because we know where that thing goes back to now. We haven't got the time I do think we have. Know where that thing goes back to now. We haven't got the time I do think we have. And we really tend to put things off on a day-to-day basis because we think we're saving ourselves time in the moment. But look at how much work we create for ourselves later having to go around and put all of this stuff away.

Speaker 1:

So what are the benefits of an organized home beyond clutter-free living? You're going to save time and energy by knowing where things are. It is going to save time because you're not going to be searching for things, and it's going to save your energy and your decision fatigue because you're not having to make repetitive decisions all the time Where's this going to go back to, or where did I leave this? It's going to create a calmer space for you, and there is a huge correlation between organized spaces and emotional well-being, especially in homes where clutter has got particularly overwhelming.

Speaker 1:

I am somebody who, as I have said many times on this podcast, I am naturally very disorganized, but for me to walk into my living room and for there to be only a couple of things out that we're currently using it just makes me feel calm, and I've had to work at it. This has not come easily to me, applying the KonMari method and doing so much work on habit building and mindfulness and understanding how my brain works and why I need the system that I do for me. It's taken the work, but it's been worth it, because I now have a home in which I feel calm, and so I would highly recommend you grabbing my free guide to 15 minute decluttering, because I know it's going to make a difference for you and it's like the kickstart you need to actually get going, just to be spending 15 minutes each day for seven days, which is what this guide is going to help you with. It will make such a difference to kickstarting new habits and getting you in the flow, ready for the holiday season. Let's finish off with some tips for sustaining these systems long term, which is what I'm all about. I don't want you doing all the work and it, in six months time, being back to how it was. I highly recommend doing a seasonal refresh so, as you get out the decorations and then pack them away again later, just do a bit of decluttering, tidy them up, update the homes for items that you want to keep, stay flexible but consistent. So finding a balance between keeping routines, which are going to help you stay on top of things, but also being able to adjust them slightly and tweak things as life changes, that is really important and that will help you stay on top of it long term. And finally, and the most important thing, which I love, on Wednesdays, we always have Wednesday wins in the membership. Celebrate the small wins, recognize and celebrate the progress you have made by committing to finding homes for everything. Even these tiny, small changes are going to have a big impact on your daily life.

Speaker 1:

Now, before I say goodbye today, I would like to say a massive thank you. I am really excited to let you know that this podcast has now made it into the top 3% of all podcasts worldwide, and that is down to you, thank you, thank you, thank you. If you haven't yet left a review, it makes such a difference. So if you listen on Apple, there you can scroll through and you'll eventually, after about four or five episodes, come to a place where you can leave five stars or write a review. If you have time to do that. It can be something as simple as love this podcast, great tips. You don't need to write an essay, so that would be really helpful. Thank you, because it means that more people get to find out about the podcast, the more reviews there are and other crazy things have been happening.

Speaker 1:

Podcasts are split into different categories, and this podcast is in the home and garden category, and last week we were number one in Hong Kong, number one in El Salvador. If you listen in El Salvador, please, please, send me an email and let me know. I want to say thank you, or if you're in Hong Kong, for that matter, and also in Canada. We jumped a huge 140 places and landed at number 11 in the charts. So things are really starting to happen for this podcast and it means that more people are going to get to listen to it.

Speaker 1:

So keep telling people about it, tell your friends about it. Let's spread the word and let's make a huge difference to as many people as we can. And let's make a huge difference to as many people as we can. I would love to help as many people as I can create calm and peaceful home environments, because I know firsthand what a difference it makes. 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.