This week I had the pleasure of talking to one of my Calm the Clutter members (you can catch the podcast episode HERE). We discussed her personal journey with the program and how she went from disorganized to organized and how she’s doing today.
When Elana was packing to move from her small one-bedroom apartment to her bigger home, she felt disorganized, overwhelmed, and stressed. She realized she had acquired some bad habits that she didn’t want to bring with her. So when she decided to take the Calm The Clutter program, her focus was going to be on; letting go of clutter, stop accumulating stuff that she didn’t want, even from close family and friends, and never waste time looking for her “lost” things again.
Letting Go Of Clutter
One of the most challenging parts, for many people, when they start to declutter their home is letting go of their stuff. This can be especially difficult when it’s something of sentimental value. While taking the program, Elana learned how to distinguish between the things of value to her, that she could keep guilt-free, and what was OK to donate or give away, guilt-free.
The trick to letting go, of course, is not repeating old patterns. So learning to say “no” was another important lesson.
How to Say No To Other People’s Stuff
Like many of my clients, Elana would take in things that other people gave to her. Some sentimental gifts from family while others were just items of “good intentions.”
I teach people how to say “no” in a kind but firm way in the course. In Elana’s case, it was difficult for her at first, as it is for most of us to say “no”. No can be uncomfortable, but now her friends and family understand why she says no and is offered less stuff than before.
Now that Elana was equipped with the tools to let go and say no, she started to organize the things she decided to keep.
Innie Vs Outie
When learning how to organize her home, Elana discovered that she was an outtie personality type. This is a term I made up 🙂
I discuss innie and outie personality types in the Calm the Clutter program. But basically, if you prefer things to be behind closed doors, you are an innie personality; however, you are an outie personality type if you like things to be seen.
Because Elana was an outie, she’d require things to be seen when possible. She needed her things that she often used to be at arm’s length. The solution for Elana was to use clear bins so she could see what was inside them and know where things were at a glance.
Knowing that she was an outie was helpful when she was organizing her kitchen. She and her husband love to cook, and they have lots of ingredients in their pantry. In particular, was their fine collection of oils. They would use some oils more than others, and those they didn’t use often would get lost. Using a tuntable to organize the oils helped Elana see what was there easily and without much effort, reducing the stress of cooking and being in her kitchen.
These small but impactful organization tips have allowed everything in Elana’s home to have a home.
Today, Elana has moved into her new home with her husband and says she feels less stressed and less disorganized.
Elana knows where to find what she needs and everything has a home. She is now free to focus on other things. She can now do what she needs to in her home without clutter getting in her way.
Final Words
Before taking the Calm the Clutter program, Elana was worried that it would be too much and become overwhelmed. However, she was happy to see that the modules were broken down into smaller, more manageable tasks. She liked that there was sufficient time to complete each lesson and that she had the freedom to take more time if needed.
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