Thank you so much for watching! 3 Simple Steps to Overcome Flat Surface Clutter. Find the free printable here: www.theminimalmom.com/pl/2148213616 Learn more about the Teux App here: teuxdeux.com/minimalmom The video where I explain how I use Teux Deux: czcams.com/video/MZzG8Zs_2m0/video.htmlsi=VF8hFcIaiZLD2Ji5 I hope you have a great day! - Dawn
Dawn, The other day, I cleaned off the kitchen counter & my Hubby said wow the kitchen looks great. He & I were talking last wk & he actually said 5 minutes matter. I asked him where he heard that & he said that "Justin Case" lady. 😅 He is listening when I play your videos. Keep up the great videos. 😊
Lol funny u should say ur hubby listens So does mine He be sat there quiet ,or watching TV Playing a game and suddenly he comes out with U watching so an so , Or hey that sounded good Good idea that , Shows they Do hear us when we ask them do somthing lol
Dawn, I'm a recent subscriber and I've been decluttering my home like crazy since the holidays. Ive always been tidy and a bit of a minimalist at heart, but being pregnant with my 4th kid with a 4, a 3 and a one year old at home had me feeling like I was drowning and sort of surviving. Anyways, today my husband thanked me for everything I had been doing to declutter our home (he grew up with hoarders for parents) and commented on how much easier everything is. We even noticed this past week, while everyone was sick with the flu, that picking up the toys and doing the dishes weren't a burden to us. Thank you so much for the inspiration to finally saying to heck with all this unnecessary crap 😂 I know I'm not finished with this journey but it has already been worth it and has brought so much peace to our home.
I've been an Inbox Zero girlie for a long time, and I used to put all of my still-relevant emails in one folder to get them out of the way. But after watching your videos, I've split that folder into "Things to Do" and "Time Will Tell" folders instead, and omg, game-changer! Keeping the important tasks away from the kinda-wanna-do-this-someday tasks is so helpful!
@12:02. Dawn It freaks me out every time I see that NAKED plug outlet in your cabinet! Please put a regular cover/plate on it. Because 1)Everything else in there looks perfect 2) I am afraid that somehow it might cause a fire or shock if your papers or metal baskets hit it. Thanks! I appreciate all you do for us. ❤️ Now, back to my decluttering. 👍
Dawn I just want to let you know that you and Cass literally changed my life! I started watching your guy's videos about 5 years ago. Did not take action for months, but got really excited. I was literally like that women's kitchen you did, who's house looked great. My house is 4000 sq ft and EVERY closet, drawer, cupboard, under beds .. was jam packed with garbage,junk, nothing had a home...... We have a s cond garage that was floor to ceiling and you had to climb mountains to get to anything! I have spent 4 years, got rid of about 50-60 percent of all of our belongings. I have a confession to make though: My ADHD brain just can't get my house beautifully organized, so I have hired an organizer to work with me for 30 hours,! Don't judge me!
But you have learned your limitation… that’s huge!! I discovered after trying bins in the cabinet and bins in The fridge…I just don’t like them. To me they corral clutter…but that is me. I have tried to put our bread goods in a basket on the kitchen counter. My husband says he hates it… I don’t know why but I have to respect it because he lives here too. He is a cricket in his garage though. I’m a ladybug. When I decluttered 2 years ago he said I went “ scorched Earth” getting rid of stuff. We only have a king bed and two small night stands in the bedroom… I got rid of a chest of drawers, armoire and dresser. I use our closets and drawers in The bathroom. I still have a way to go but it is better having no clutter on the bathroom counter, hand soap only and the occasional seasonal decor.
Thanks Dawn ! Bonus tip :)) put the whole tray with napkins salt and pepper etc on a shelf in the pantry and just bring out when needed and then so easy to put all away in one go and no clutter on worktop.
The bonus tip hit the nail on the head. We have a peninsula in our kitchen. I keep a fruit bowl there. Guess what it collects, every single thing that has a home within 5 steps of it! Pens? The drawer right below it, command hooks the closet across from the counter, to do paper work that goes in a basket on the fridge 5 steps behind. The fruit bowl disappears tonight when I get home 😂😂
I normally keep apples in the fridge anyway so just bananas so I moved them to a spot on the kitchen table that has a bowl thing but it doesn’t accumulate clutter like the peninsula
I normally keep apples in the fridge anyway so just bananas so I moved them to a spot on the kitchen table that has a bowl thing but it doesn’t accumulate clutter like the peninsula
We found that labeling those small bags of extra nut and bolts with a sharpie before tossing them into a drawer help to identify them later. We also label all black chargers with a silver sharpie so we know what they go to. Love all of your tips and tricks!
For me, it’s “out of sight out of mind”. I think that’s why I leave a lot of stuff on the counter. But then, it’s a constant reminder to clean up which makes me tired, just looking at all my clutter. 😢❤
I bought Kallie’s (But First Coffee) planner and for the first time feel like I am getting tasks done on my to do list. The planner is in clear sight but all the other stuff is not. I’m not forgetting important things even though they are not out in the open.
I’m a person that needs it to be in my face- so my to do and time will tell baskets are clear and at eye level in my pantry. Recycling bin below on the floor, checkbook, envelope and stamps close at hand. I make myself address three items daily, but usually as soon as I bring in the mail I take care of anything to do right then. This is such a triumph for me as a former procrastinator. It feels great. Thanks to Dawn.
Dawn you are an amazing coach for all.of us. As I was decluttering some boxes the other day, you were in my brain talking about flat surfaces and it hit me: couches and beds are flat surfaces...we need to declutter ourselves off those surfaces when we have time to get something else done! Like you say 5 minutes can make a big difference. Thank you for everything you do to help us keep up.our homes.
Great advice! When you leave items out to see because they are important, you end up seeing nothing because it’s all piled together. I used to struggle with this for years! A tip I would add to your awesome advice is to dedicate one day to addressing your items. For me, it’s bills. I have to address bills every Tuesday. That consistent time takes away the fear that if u put something away I’ll forget about it.
You said very quickly. "There's no reason to keep old to-do list" And it just clicked in my head like I have a notebook that has tons of old to-do lists and sometimes I end up going back on them and pulling from them the things that I didn't do to make a new list. And that's super toxic. If it's not important enough to think about right now , it's probably not important enough to write down now
I like keeping my lists on my dry-erase board. I erase items as I do them, it saves a tonne of paper, and I literally get a visible "clean slate" some days - it's oddly rewarding 🤭
My napkins are off the table now - I found drawer space in the wooden spoon and spatula drawer. Salt & pepper on stove. Dawn, I’m on about level 4 of decluttering like an onion, and it gets easier and easier. Our home and my mind are so much more peaceful. Having open space in both is more valuable than stuff. Thank-you !
I wish I could hire you to come walk me thru my paper clutter so you could advise me on what I need to keep and what's okay to get rid of! Meanwhile, it's been a year since we moved, and in going through our boxes, it's been so freeing to say, "I haven't needed or missed this in the past year. It can go!" Just today, I let go of the flowers from my wedding cake that have been in shoe boxes for over 25 years and donated my white heels that I wore that day and have never worn again. It feels so good! Thanks for all your great advice, Dawn. It's helped me SO MUCH.
Organize365 offers paper retreats doing exactly that. They not only walk you through what paper needs to be kept and what can be shredded, but also how to organize and keep it so that it's easy to reference it. I highly recommend!
Last week I took a laundry basket worth of receipts and tax returns that were older than 7 years to be shredded, and I routinely let go of instructions manuals. They’re all online. Bank statements are online too, it helps to switch to paperless.
I loved this system. I got my table cleared off in 10 min. I have been decluttering my apartment and storage room. I play your videos while I do this and it has been so much help. My hardest thing to get rid of was all my daughter's art/school work. I had 20 finger paint pictures and they looked the same LOL So I kept 2 or 3 and let the rest go.
What’s cool about keeping our kitchen table clean from random items and that we only use it for eating, is if we need to remember to bring something with us the next day or something really needs to stand out, since the table is always clear, it stands out like a sore thumb. “Oh right, I NEED to drop this off at the post office” “I HAVE to call the vet to reorder this prescription.” It’s like the table is the To Do List for super important things. 😏
Thank you for such great ideas. One habit I’ve been doing for awhile now is when I carry the mail in, I stop by the recycling bin in our garage and discard junk mail right away so it doesn’t even enter the house. I toss catalogs because everything we need can be purchased online. And, I open all the rest of the mail and put it in its home right away. These simple things I do everyday insures that we never have a lot of paper clutter in the first place.
Thanks for the tips! The best kitchen design decision we made pretty much solved paper clutter--putting our office in the kitchen eating area (we have a dining room and don't see the point of 2 eating spaces), so the filing cabinet and shredder are in the heart of our living space. Because mail was dealt with right there, filled, shredded etc, and receipts etc could be filed right away. Moving it from the bedroom--mere steps away, made all the difference. There's space in the cabinet for "time will tell" and a "to do" folder at the front. Ideally, the office space is behind closet doors or a curtain since a shredder and file cabinet aren't that pretty 😊.
Wjen I first heard you talk about a time will tell basket for papers I loved it and started one right away and had it for a few months. But since I hardly ever looked at the things in it I let go of that system and now I just deal with things right away, which in most cases means it get throughn away directly. It's great!
I laughed when you said “what you perceive to be scary.” What’s scary is my husband moving our filing cabinet up to the scary attic. Please don’t make me go up there every time I have to file a paper 😱
I deal with my "to do" items immediately because I'm old and forgetful; bills come in I pay them immediately, place a post-it-note on the envelope with the due date, and I mail it one week before it's due. Luckily all my bills come in within a four-day span and all are due the first week of the month so it's a routine easily remembered. I have a paper shredder in the garage, so junk mail doesn't make it into the house.
Thank you, Dawn!!! I LOVE having my surfaces cleared! If I don't have time to do anything else, I will get the surfaces cleared off and it brings me so much peace!
Oh boy the clutter catcher really hit home. I've been watching a family member place things around a rustic wooden trough centerpiece on the kitchen table. Each little object is neatly propped up against the trough as to give it the appearance of an altar. ;-) It's like it gives the person a physical boundary to anchor things to? I'll "redecorate" tomorrow and see what happens! Thanks for sharing that!
I can't thank you enough! I am a very organized person. When I worked, my desk and files were immaculate. However, at home, fear builds up, dread, and procrastination follows. It's fear of bills, and believe it or not, fear of forgetting things. How that translates into procrastination doesn't make sense to me. You help me so much!!! My body is broken, and I am limited in physical ability. So much of what you have taught has been lifesaving. May God bless you 🙏 ❤️
I needed you back in my younger years so much! I had a basket that held everything and I would eventually go through it but it would fill up again. Back then, I wasn’t good about getting rid of anything 😮😮. But you have certainly helped me in my current (older 😅) years!
Thank you for giving a name to the piles! That helps! I try to sort into too many categories and then don’t finish and pile them up again. So I can tackle it one step at a time. 😊
This is life-changing. I have fought kitchen table clutter for all my life. Thank you! I am in the middle of this video and have already shared with 2 friends.
Dawn, this was exactly the video I needed for the mounds of paper clutter that has amassed on my table. I immediately found the bins you bought at Walmart and added them to my food order. I have a label maker, so I will label them accordingly and begin sorting them into these three categories. I used to sort by what the paper was for...bank statements, taxes, etc. Now I know that I can do that after everything else has either been recycled or put back in its place. I won't have to be as overwhelmed as I have been in the past. The challenge will be keeping on top of it regularly! Thanks so much for all you do! Blessings!
Thank you for all that you do Dawn! I’ve watched many of your videos and then stepped away for some time. I’ve been struggling recently with clutter especially with a new baby and I’m grateful for your videos as reminders, for your support and uplifting attitude, and new tips to try♥️
Only recently found your videos and they are really helping me esp the have a home don't have home find a home or get rid etc it really works and when something does have a home it's making tidying up and cleaning so much easier still working through videos ❤❤❤❤
Dawn, your videos are the best. You have so many different approaches to organization and decluttering, and always something new to learn. You have helped me to make my home into a happier place. Thank you!
This is a very timely video! I'm about to go through my 2023 box of papers. Making labeled piles (trash, to do, has a home, etc) will make this task so much easier for me. Thank you, Dawn.
You are amazing. Thank you for sharing with us!!! We love clean counters and i can see where i need to make some improvements, esprcially in my office with all the paper clutter!!!
Super motivating! I got lots of papers thrown away and a system in place now I feel good about. I was actually excited to create a to do list wow. I do also like making a 2024 area and I try to avoid the time will tell bin and either put things in a home, in the 2024 bin or in the trash but we will see how it goes. This way at the end of the year at least I can sort or trash most everything. Already have a bunch of clear surfaces and excited to do more! I'm convinced on clear surfaces thank you!
The bonus tip! This just might be the fix I’ve been looking for on a counter in my kitchen that keeps collecting clutter from everyone. Can’t wait to try it!
I love this, Dawn! I can definitely share tips and steps to reduce the influx of junk mail. I've been working on it for over a decade and most days our postal carrier doesn't stop at my house. Thanks for all your hard work and amazing tips - you're such a wonderful inspiration!
Thanks again Dawn! Surface Clutter (mostly things I need to sit down and go through) is my big issue! I cannot seem to conquer it! Im looking around my kitchen/living room right now and sadly stuff on my kitchen table, stuff on my island, stuff on my counters and stuff on the side table that is right next to my computer here. ACK!!!! I keep praying that one day I will be able to finally get ahold of all this! (my husband would be so very happy has he hates my "piles".). lol. God bless you!
Dawn! You are amazing! I am sitting at my office desk and I had a pile just like that, but higher 😁so I did what you did with the post it notes and it is so much cleaner! Thanks for all you do! I follow your youtube allot. Always something can help me with my house. 🤩
I loved this video, Dawn. Those are great criteria to use for sorting clutter. Also, I got the Teux Deux organizing app, based on the earlier video you had done on it. I love, love, love the Teux Deux app. I've used several other organizing apps in the past. But the simplicity of the Teux Deux app suits the way my brain works.
After remodeling our kitchen, I created a binder of all my appliance manuals. It was so helpful to reference them when I wanted to use some option they have and to know right where to find it. I enjoy your videos.
This is the final piece in the jigsaw of why I can't ever fully tidy the table. I need 3 trays. One for life admin tasks. One for catalogues. One for the book and magazine I'm currently reading. Thank you!
Dawn, your paper systems have helped us so much over the years, but we need help with cords!!! Charging cords, power cords, bricks, and cord storage. Something that kids can upkeep too! 😵💫 PLEASE send help! Any ideas would be welcome!
Dawn, thank you so much for this video. I have been watching your videos for a while now and I’ve gotten so much cleaned out of my house. Tonight I saw your video and thought yeah I remember her talking about that before and almost didn’t watch it. But I’m so glad I did because it gave me the motivation to get up and clean off several places in my home. It feels so good. Thanks for all you do.
Listened to this video while puzzling but I need to rewatch it while going through my papers. I think I finally found a video to motivate me to address papers! Thank you😊
This is more than true! I recently cleared out my 'supposedly' baking area. And I've gone back to not buying bread for the whole month of January! Less excuses, more reasons to do things properly. 🥰 Thank you for all you do!
Love this and all your videos, Dawn! You have helped me so much, especially with paper, bathroom and kitchen clutter. When we redesigned our home recently to age in place, I made sure that our breakfast are became the office. My mother-in-law's beautiful writing desk is next to the gorgeous bay window. An antique table from my grandmother, with an attractive vinyl tablecloth covers the file bins underneath. I made sure the new kitchen island has a cabinet with a drawer for "stuff." Smaller file bins go in this cabinet (household manuals, contracts and receipts, this year's folder for receipts/taxes/medical, etc. The drawer holds extra pens, scissors, tape, and a place for keys and my husband's wallet. Dawn: as you can tell, we have a lot of file bins, especially since my father passed and I took over my mother's finances. Can you talk a little more about a sensible file system? Also, do you still use the "Sunday basket" system for which you showed a picture?
Went thru my piles of paper and got my coffee grinder into a cabinet that i had decluttered right above where i would use it! Omg so satisfying!!!! Thanku 🌼 Dawn❤
Thank you for this video! I love how you walked us through this in real time. Another reminder that it's not as bad as you build it up to be in your mind. My husband's "drop zone" in our kitchen is the worst. Anything we don't want to deal with ends up there. I did this method today and it took all of 5 minutes to clear out! I also rethought my paper file system in our kitchen. It was taking up too much space so I changed it from a horizontal system to a vertical one. Don't know why I hadn't thought of it before. Love these videos, thanks!
❤ ok Dawn, hands down to you this is a great video. So practical & a real source of direction. Have to give it to you. Well done!👍😊 Will listen to this again on repeat to catch it all. There is so much here.
It is so interesting for me to learn how that clutter happens😀. I have not ever had that and I never saw that at my parents or grandparents so I have wondered about that at some friends houses but I never dared to ask 😅. (My clutter is invisible behind doors or in drawers😅😂) and thanks to you it is much less of it now❤
Clutter! A bad word, but actually realistic. I agree with one of your other comments that my husband piles things like magazines and catalogs. I throw away unless it goes to my office, which is a basket. I need to work on my craft room because maybe I'm working on a project. Thanks for reminding us that clutter clears our mind as well as our homes.
Dawn, I absolutely love your videos and can relate to everything you’re saying. Thank you for all your help! ❤ Btw your nails look so pretty! What nail polish / nail treatment do you use?!
One of the things you talk about is that we have different seasons in our lives. When I’m tidying up I now ask myself what works for the season of life I am on now.
Dawn you are awesome and so much help. I would just mention that things like that charger block can go to a place that does electronic recycling, which keeps bad stuff out of landfills and water etc. Not everyone has access, but if people do, highly recommend collecting broken or unused electronics and recycling if they can
Yeahhhh!!! This is exactly what I needed this very moment 💕. I’m just about to tackle a huge pile of mish mash stuff that has accumulated over time. I’ve decided 2024 is going to be the year I’m getting my home (and my finances) in order. The pile was the next thing on my to do list. Literally! So this video was perfect for me. My thought on the tray with salt/pepper and napkins. Keep the things on the tray, but find a home for the whole tray. Maybe in a cupboard near the dining table. Then you can easily put it away when finished the meal. What do you all think? Love from Helena in Sweden 🌸
I have paper piles everywhere, most of them are of the 'too inconvenient to put back' ones. And I have don't have a home piles as well. I love your practical advice as always, Thanks so much!
You are a genius!what a practical common sense solution to sort out the surface paper clutter….a Tidy A4 clear flat box that can be kept in drawer…so simple!but so brilliant!I have struggled with the kitchen surface paper clutter every week….thank you for this great video ⭐️💐🌟
Great Video! For receipts and other documents that we need to keep for taxes, etc. I would suggest having a small scanner and scanning them and getting rid of the paper version because the receipts are made of thermal paper and the data will vanish.
I'm disabled so I have to have stuff visible/accessible on the counters. Plus I don't have enough space to put the stuff in other places. But I've gotten around the clutter part by having everything contained in trays. When I'm cleaning or tidying up I can ignore anything in the trays and just look at the counter or table. But also like yesterday, a family member told me that they looked at the basket that holds cleaning supplies, noticed there was something missing, went and looked for what goes there, found it and put it back lol. I'm trying to give everything a permanent home for exactly this reason If we start to put pens in the containers, it usually means we need a pen container in that area. I have been putting small jars in the little baskets i use, to hold scissors, pens, that type of thing It would be cool to have totally clear spaces but it's just not doable here. Just sharing this modification in case anyone else needs an idea to try, because I've spent so many years trying to figure it out and don't want other people to have to waste so much time
Thank you, Dawn, for yet another helpful video. 😊 Dawn, I would love to hear how you manage your shopping/errands (and lists for the same). What do you do when you realize that you need ketchup or you need toothpaste? Where / how do you keep track of that information? Do you schedule one shopping trip 🛒, when you head out of the house & do all of your shopping/errand running? How might you handle the scenario when you unexpectedly find yourself at a store where you would normally buy things, but you don't have the shopping list because it's at home? (This happens to me! It's because when I run out of ketchup (when I'm cooking) I quickly jot the needed item on a (paper) shopping list, which isn't with me every time I walk out the door.) Bottom line, I'd appreciate hearing how you manage the process of realizing that you're out of something to the point you've replenished the items.
Thank you so much for watching! 3 Simple Steps to Overcome Flat Surface Clutter. Find the free printable here: www.theminimalmom.com/pl/2148213616
Learn more about the Teux App here: teuxdeux.com/minimalmom The video where I explain how I use Teux Deux: czcams.com/video/MZzG8Zs_2m0/video.htmlsi=VF8hFcIaiZLD2Ji5 I hope you have a great day! - Dawn
Do you also have a link for the to do app that you mentioned? Thanks so much this is amazing 🤩
I was looking as well!
@@izabelarobinson3639 I knew I was forgetting something! Here you are: teuxdeux.com/minimalmom
@@rachelday1803 Here you are! teuxdeux.com/minimalmom
Thanks so much! 👍🏻😀
Dawn, The other day, I cleaned off the kitchen counter & my Hubby said wow the kitchen looks great. He & I were talking last wk & he actually said 5 minutes matter. I asked him where he heard that & he said that "Justin Case" lady. 😅 He is listening when I play your videos. Keep up the great videos. 😊
Lol funny u should say ur hubby listens
So does mine
He be sat there quiet ,or watching TV
Playing a game and suddenly he comes out with
U watching so an so ,
Or hey that sounded good
Good idea that ,
Shows they Do hear us when we ask them do somthing lol
Absolutely. My Hubby recognizes Dawn, Tom, Cas & a couple more crafters voices. 😅
Haha Justin case lady 😂
Just when I'm about to give up, Dawn comes to the rescue.
Lol, this is the best!!!!
Dawn, I'm a recent subscriber and I've been decluttering my home like crazy since the holidays. Ive always been tidy and a bit of a minimalist at heart, but being pregnant with my 4th kid with a 4, a 3 and a one year old at home had me feeling like I was drowning and sort of surviving. Anyways, today my husband thanked me for everything I had been doing to declutter our home (he grew up with hoarders for parents) and commented on how much easier everything is. We even noticed this past week, while everyone was sick with the flu, that picking up the toys and doing the dishes weren't a burden to us. Thank you so much for the inspiration to finally saying to heck with all this unnecessary crap 😂 I know I'm not finished with this journey but it has already been worth it and has brought so much peace to our home.
I hope I can do this eventually
So wonderful, great job and thanks for sharing ❤
Way to go! Blessings to you and your family!
@@dreamer6943you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. just be happy. ❤
What a wonderful gift to your whole family. Congratulations on your newest baby.
"Where do catalogs go in your home?"
Me: *answering out loud* "the trash!" 😂
I thought the same
They don't even enter the home. I sort mail in the garage and 95% goes straight to the recycle bin.
You help me throw so many things out! I just always repeat, “You have permission”! Thank you for giving us permission Dawn!!
I've been an Inbox Zero girlie for a long time, and I used to put all of my still-relevant emails in one folder to get them out of the way. But after watching your videos, I've split that folder into "Things to Do" and "Time Will Tell" folders instead, and omg, game-changer! Keeping the important tasks away from the kinda-wanna-do-this-someday tasks is so helpful!
@12:02. Dawn It freaks me out every time I see that NAKED plug outlet in your cabinet! Please put a regular cover/plate on it.
Because 1)Everything else in there looks perfect
2) I am afraid that somehow it might cause a fire or shock if your papers or metal baskets hit it.
Thanks! I appreciate all you do for us. ❤️ Now, back to my decluttering. 👍
Dawn I just want to let you know that you and Cass literally changed my life!
I started watching your guy's videos about 5 years ago. Did not take action for months, but got really excited. I was literally like that women's kitchen you did, who's house looked great. My house is 4000 sq ft and EVERY closet, drawer, cupboard, under beds .. was jam packed with garbage,junk, nothing had a home...... We have a s cond garage that was floor to ceiling and you had to climb mountains to get to anything!
I have spent 4 years, got rid of about 50-60 percent of all of our belongings. I have a confession to make though:
My ADHD brain just can't get my house beautifully organized, so I have hired an organizer to work with me for 30 hours,! Don't judge me!
Great job!!!!!❤
But you have learned your limitation… that’s huge!! I discovered after trying bins in the cabinet and bins in The fridge…I just don’t like them. To me they corral clutter…but that is me. I have tried to put our bread goods in a basket on the kitchen counter. My husband says he hates it… I don’t know why but I have to respect it because he lives here too. He is a cricket in his garage though. I’m a ladybug. When I decluttered 2 years ago he said I went “ scorched Earth” getting rid of stuff. We only have a king bed and two small night stands in the bedroom… I got rid of a chest of drawers, armoire and dresser. I use our closets and drawers in The bathroom. I still have a way to go but it is better having no clutter on the bathroom counter, hand soap only and the occasional seasonal decor.
Hey I need the actual person in my house to help me too!! I’m still proud of what I’ve done and you should be too!❤
Me too, but Dawn and Dana have helped me the most, because of my thinking style. Like literally changed my life
Oh that is such an excellent idea for you! I’m working on finding homes for things I want and need and getting rid of the rest.
Thanks Dawn ! Bonus tip :)) put the whole tray with napkins salt and pepper etc on a shelf in the pantry and just bring out when needed and then so easy to put all away in one go and no clutter on worktop.
The bonus tip hit the nail on the head. We have a peninsula in our kitchen. I keep a fruit bowl there. Guess what it collects, every single thing that has a home within 5 steps of it! Pens? The drawer right below it, command hooks the closet across from the counter, to do paper work that goes in a basket on the fridge 5 steps behind. The fruit bowl disappears tonight when I get home 😂😂
😅That's exactly what happened in our home as well so the fruit bowl is long gone!😂
I’m glad it’s not just me! Mean while the apples and bananas rotting underneath because no one even knows they’re there. 😂😂
Where are u putting the fruit?
I normally keep apples in the fridge anyway so just bananas so I moved them to a spot on the kitchen table that has a bowl thing but it doesn’t accumulate clutter like the peninsula
I normally keep apples in the fridge anyway so just bananas so I moved them to a spot on the kitchen table that has a bowl thing but it doesn’t accumulate clutter like the peninsula
We found that labeling those small bags of extra nut and bolts with a sharpie before tossing them into a drawer help to identify them later. We also label all black chargers with a silver sharpie so we know what they go to. Love all of your tips and tricks!
We call ours the Tiddly Bits Draw 😊
For me, it’s “out of sight out of mind”. I think that’s why I leave a lot of stuff on the counter. But then, it’s a constant reminder to clean up which makes me tired, just looking at all my clutter. 😢❤
I bought Kallie’s (But First Coffee) planner and for the first time feel like I am getting tasks done on my to do list. The planner is in clear sight but all the other stuff is not. I’m not forgetting important things even though they are not out in the open.
I’m a person that needs it to be in my face- so my to do and time will tell baskets are clear and at eye level in my pantry. Recycling bin below on the floor, checkbook, envelope and stamps close at hand. I make myself address three items daily, but usually as soon as I bring in the mail I take care of anything to do right then. This is such a triumph for me as a former procrastinator. It feels great. Thanks to Dawn.
"Now, I don't want to brag....But I do have a home for to do items 😏" 😂😂
I thought that was cute. Dawn certainly deserves to brag after creating wonderful habits and inspiring the rest of us.
I thought that was kind of charming too lol
Love your videos. Starting a decluttering journey with my wife. But as a guy that missing outlet cover is morestressful than clutter to me.
Haha! Yes, that got me too...unfinished business!
Dawn you are an amazing coach for all.of us. As I was decluttering some boxes the other day, you were in my brain talking about flat surfaces and it hit me: couches and beds are flat surfaces...we need to declutter ourselves off those surfaces when we have time to get something else done! Like you say 5 minutes can make a big difference. Thank you for everything you do to help us keep up.our homes.
Declutter myself from the bed... Love it! 🌻🍄
Clever!
Great advice! When you leave items out to see because they are important, you end up seeing nothing because it’s all piled together. I used to struggle with this for years! A tip I would add to your awesome advice is to dedicate one day to addressing your items. For me, it’s bills. I have to address bills every Tuesday. That consistent time takes away the fear that if u put something away I’ll forget about it.
You said very quickly. "There's no reason to keep old to-do list" And it just clicked in my head like I have a notebook that has tons of old to-do lists and sometimes I end up going back on them and pulling from them the things that I didn't do to make a new list. And that's super toxic. If it's not important enough to think about right now , it's probably not important enough to write down now
Omg I do the same too. I thought it was helping my brain declutter so I wouldn't have to think about it anymore.
I like keeping my lists on my dry-erase board. I erase items as I do them, it saves a tonne of paper, and I literally get a visible "clean slate" some days - it's oddly rewarding 🤭
My napkins are off the table now - I found drawer space in the wooden spoon and spatula drawer. Salt & pepper on stove. Dawn, I’m on about level 4 of decluttering like an onion, and it gets easier and easier. Our home and my mind are so much more peaceful. Having open space in both is more valuable than stuff. Thank-you !
Time will tell basket is a game changer!
I wish I could hire you to come walk me thru my paper clutter so you could advise me on what I need to keep and what's okay to get rid of! Meanwhile, it's been a year since we moved, and in going through our boxes, it's been so freeing to say, "I haven't needed or missed this in the past year. It can go!" Just today, I let go of the flowers from my wedding cake that have been in shoe boxes for over 25 years and donated my white heels that I wore that day and have never worn again. It feels so good! Thanks for all your great advice, Dawn. It's helped me SO MUCH.
Organize365 offers paper retreats doing exactly that. They not only walk you through what paper needs to be kept and what can be shredded, but also how to organize and keep it so that it's easy to reference it. I highly recommend!
Last week I took a laundry basket worth of receipts and tax returns that were older than 7 years to be shredded, and I routinely let go of instructions manuals. They’re all online. Bank statements are online too, it helps to switch to paperless.
I loved this system. I got my table cleared off in 10 min. I have been decluttering my apartment and storage room. I play your videos while I do this and it has been so much help. My hardest thing to get rid of was all my daughter's art/school work. I had 20 finger paint pictures and they looked the same LOL So I kept 2 or 3 and let the rest go.
Flat surfaces are LAVA 🌋 I needed this video so much! Thank you!
What’s cool about keeping our kitchen table clean from random items and that we only use it for eating, is if we need to remember to bring something with us the next day or something really needs to stand out, since the table is always clear, it stands out like a sore thumb.
“Oh right, I NEED to drop this off at the post office” “I HAVE to call the vet to reorder this prescription.”
It’s like the table is the To Do List for super important things. 😏
I do that too ! So helpful !
Thank you for such great ideas.
One habit I’ve been doing for awhile now is when I carry the mail in, I stop by the recycling bin in our garage and discard junk mail right away so it doesn’t even enter the house. I toss catalogs because everything we need can be purchased online. And, I open all the rest of the mail and put it in its home right away. These simple things I do everyday insures that we never have a lot of paper clutter in the first place.
Thanks for the tips! The best kitchen design decision we made pretty much solved paper clutter--putting our office in the kitchen eating area (we have a dining room and don't see the point of 2 eating spaces), so the filing cabinet and shredder are in the heart of our living space. Because mail was dealt with right there, filled, shredded etc, and receipts etc could be filed right away. Moving it from the bedroom--mere steps away, made all the difference. There's space in the cabinet for "time will tell" and a "to do" folder at the front. Ideally, the office space is behind closet doors or a curtain since a shredder and file cabinet aren't that pretty 😊.
Wjen I first heard you talk about a time will tell basket for papers I loved it and started one right away and had it for a few months. But since I hardly ever looked at the things in it I let go of that system and now I just deal with things right away, which in most cases means it get throughn away directly. It's great!
I laughed when you said “what you perceive to be scary.” What’s scary is my husband moving our filing cabinet up to the scary attic. Please don’t make me go up there every time I have to file a paper 😱
I deal with my "to do" items immediately because I'm old and forgetful; bills come in I pay them immediately, place a post-it-note on the envelope with the due date, and I mail it one week before it's due. Luckily all my bills come in within a four-day span and all are due the first week of the month so it's a routine easily remembered. I have a paper shredder in the garage, so junk mail doesn't make it into the house.
Thank you, Dawn!!! I LOVE having my surfaces cleared! If I don't have time to do anything else, I will get the surfaces cleared off and it brings me so much peace!
Great idea even if you don’t have time for anything else. I never thought of it that way!
Could you do a video on ‘finally getting around to the Time Will Tell Bins around the house’ ?
Yes!
Oh boy the clutter catcher really hit home. I've been watching a family member place things around a rustic wooden trough centerpiece on the kitchen table. Each little object is neatly propped up against the trough as to give it the appearance of an altar. ;-) It's like it gives the person a physical boundary to anchor things to? I'll "redecorate" tomorrow and see what happens! Thanks for sharing that!
Oh, my family and I need this so much! Great tips!
I can't thank you enough! I am a very organized person. When I worked, my desk and files were immaculate. However, at home, fear builds up, dread, and procrastination follows. It's fear of bills, and believe it or not, fear of forgetting things. How that translates into procrastination doesn't make sense to me. You help me so much!!! My body is broken, and I am limited in physical ability. So much of what you have taught has been lifesaving. May God bless you 🙏 ❤️
Such an accurate description- I agree. Fear, dread, delay. But clearing it up and handling it brings peace.
Dawn, Thank you! You are such a good teacher!! 👍🥰💕
Love the video!! Really good thinking behind every direction. Keep doing your thing!!
Thank you again for wonderful tips! As another member mentioned, I can always count on you to make decluttering fun and simple.
My favorite video of yours so far!
This is so helpful. What a great video! You explained it so well.
I needed you back in my younger years so much! I had a basket that held everything and I would eventually go through it but it would fill up again. Back then, I wasn’t good about getting rid of anything 😮😮. But you have certainly helped me in my current (older 😅) years!
We love and appreciate you too Dawn❤
I love turning on your videos and decluttering and organizing. It is so therapeutic! ❤
Thank you for giving a name to the piles! That helps! I try to sort into too many categories and then don’t finish and pile them up again. So I can tackle it one step at a time. 😊
This is life-changing. I have fought kitchen table clutter for all my life. Thank you! I am in the middle of this video and have already shared with 2 friends.
Dawn, this was exactly the video I needed for the mounds of paper clutter that has amassed on my table. I immediately found the bins you bought at Walmart and added them to my food order. I have a label maker, so I will label them accordingly and begin sorting them into these three categories. I used to sort by what the paper was for...bank statements, taxes, etc. Now I know that I can do that after everything else has either been recycled or put back in its place. I won't have to be as overwhelmed as I have been in the past. The challenge will be keeping on top of it regularly! Thanks so much for all you do! Blessings!
Thank you. You are such an inspiration. Thanks for the great video...just in time. Love you girl.😊
Thank you for all that you do Dawn! I’ve watched many of your videos and then stepped away for some time. I’ve been struggling recently with clutter especially with a new baby and I’m grateful for your videos as reminders, for your support and uplifting attitude, and new tips to try♥️
Only recently found your videos and they are really helping me esp the have a home don't have home find a home or get rid etc it really works and when something does have a home it's making tidying up and cleaning so much easier still working through videos ❤❤❤❤
Dawn, your videos are the best. You have so many different approaches to organization and decluttering, and always something new to learn. You have helped me to make my home into a happier place. Thank you!
This is a very timely video! I'm about to go through my 2023 box of papers. Making labeled piles (trash, to do, has a home, etc) will make this task so much easier for me. Thank you, Dawn.
You are amazing. Thank you for sharing with us!!! We love clean counters and i can see where i need to make some improvements, esprcially in my office with all the paper clutter!!!
You are just awesome Dawn. Your mom must be so proud ❤❤❤
It’s the way you explain things…🥰. Thanks.
Super motivating! I got lots of papers thrown away and a system in place now I feel good about. I was actually excited to create a to do list wow. I do also like making a 2024 area and I try to avoid the time will tell bin and either put things in a home, in the 2024 bin or in the trash but we will see how it goes. This way at the end of the year at least I can sort or trash most everything. Already have a bunch of clear surfaces and excited to do more! I'm convinced on clear surfaces thank you!
Good timing..my kids have just gone back to school today from 6weeks xmas holidays in Australia..new subscriber!loving your videos! Thankyou!😊
The bonus tip! This just might be the fix I’ve been looking for on a counter in my kitchen that keeps collecting clutter from everyone. Can’t wait to try it!
Great tip about putting our action items into our to do list! So obvious now that you say it but I have been missing this step!
Ty ty ty ❤ i’ll keep saying that you’ve changed my life and i will always remember and feel appreciated to you ❤
Inspiring & Practical! This video has motivated me to tackle a big pile on my desk & revisit my fam's flat surface clutter. Thank You!
I love this, Dawn! I can definitely share tips and steps to reduce the influx of junk mail. I've been working on it for over a decade and most days our postal carrier doesn't stop at my house. Thanks for all your hard work and amazing tips - you're such a wonderful inspiration!
Thanks again Dawn! Surface Clutter (mostly things I need to sit down and go through) is my big issue! I cannot seem to conquer it! Im looking around my kitchen/living room right now and sadly stuff on my kitchen table, stuff on my island, stuff on my counters and stuff on the side table that is right next to my computer here. ACK!!!! I keep praying that one day I will be able to finally get ahold of all this! (my husband would be so very happy has he hates my "piles".). lol. God bless you!
Dawn! You are amazing! I am sitting at my office desk and I had a pile just like that, but higher 😁so I did what you did with the post it notes and it is so much cleaner! Thanks for all you do! I follow your youtube allot. Always something can help me with my house. 🤩
A “clutter catcher”. Brilliant! Such a fantastic video. I’m definitely going to use this method next time I have a pile of paper clutter.
This helped me so much! I have a medium size basket of random stuff on my kitchen table!Sadly, idk what is in it. Thank you so much❤️❤️❤️
I loved this video, Dawn. Those are great criteria to use for sorting clutter.
Also, I got the Teux Deux organizing app, based on the earlier video you had done on it. I love, love, love the Teux Deux app. I've used several other organizing apps in the past. But the simplicity of the Teux Deux app suits the way my brain works.
"...a kindness to your brain".❤ Love this! Thank you so much for your practical help and guidance!!!🥰🙏💕
After remodeling our kitchen, I created a binder of all my appliance manuals. It was so helpful to reference them when I wanted to use some option they have and to know right where to find it. I enjoy your videos.
Dawn, I love all your videos, I'm trying to be more minimal and I watch your videos to get inspiration.
Thank you
This is the final piece in the jigsaw of why I can't ever fully tidy the table. I need 3 trays. One for life admin tasks. One for catalogues. One for the book and magazine I'm currently reading. Thank you!
I have my catalogues in a basket on top of fridge. By the time I get around to looking at them the sale has ended 🤣 which saves me money in the end.
Dawn, your paper systems have helped us so much over the years, but we need help with cords!!! Charging cords, power cords, bricks, and cord storage. Something that kids can upkeep too! 😵💫
PLEASE send help! Any ideas would be welcome!
Agree!! Plus, old phones/ computers with photos/ videos on them. What to do with those??
Lots of great tips. TY!
Dawn, thank you so much for this video. I have been watching your videos for a while now and I’ve gotten so much cleaned out of my house. Tonight I saw your video and thought yeah I remember her talking about that before and almost didn’t watch it. But I’m so glad I did because it gave me the motivation to get up and clean off several places in my home. It feels so good. Thanks for all you do.
This is so helpful, Dawn. Thank you so much!
Listened to this video while puzzling but I need to rewatch it while going through my papers. I think I finally found a video to motivate me to address papers! Thank you😊
Thankful for your life and many life changing tips God Bless you abundantly
This is more than true! I recently cleared out my 'supposedly' baking area. And I've gone back to not buying bread for the whole month of January! Less excuses, more reasons to do things properly. 🥰 Thank you for all you do!
Love this and all your videos, Dawn! You have helped me so much, especially with paper, bathroom and kitchen clutter. When we redesigned our home recently to age in place, I made sure that our breakfast are became the office. My mother-in-law's beautiful writing desk is next to the gorgeous bay window. An antique table from my grandmother, with an attractive vinyl tablecloth covers the file bins underneath. I made sure the new kitchen island has a cabinet with a drawer for "stuff." Smaller file bins go in this cabinet (household manuals, contracts and receipts, this year's folder for receipts/taxes/medical, etc. The drawer holds extra pens, scissors, tape, and a place for keys and my husband's wallet.
Dawn: as you can tell, we have a lot of file bins, especially since my father passed and I took over my mother's finances. Can you talk a little more about a sensible file system? Also, do you still use the "Sunday basket" system for which you showed a picture?
Love this ❤. Counter clutter is my weakness. My mantra now is “put it up, not down”! Thank you Dawn 😘👏👏👏
Went thru my piles of paper and got my coffee grinder into a cabinet that i had decluttered right above where i would use it! Omg so satisfying!!!! Thanku 🌼 Dawn❤
Thank you for this video! I love how you walked us through this in real time. Another reminder that it's not as bad as you build it up to be in your mind. My husband's "drop zone" in our kitchen is the worst. Anything we don't want to deal with ends up there. I did this method today and it took all of 5 minutes to clear out! I also rethought my paper file system in our kitchen. It was taking up too much space so I changed it from a horizontal system to a vertical one. Don't know why I hadn't thought of it before. Love these videos, thanks!
❤ ok Dawn, hands down to you this is a great video. So practical & a real source of direction. Have to give it to you. Well done!👍😊 Will listen to this again on repeat to catch it all. There is so much here.
It is so interesting for me to learn how that clutter happens😀. I have not ever had that and I never saw that at my parents or grandparents so I have wondered about that at some friends houses but I never dared to ask 😅. (My clutter is invisible behind doors or in drawers😅😂) and thanks to you it is much less of it now❤
Oh, the irony of a printable to eliminate paper clutter. 😂
Clutter! A bad word, but actually realistic. I agree with one of your other comments that my husband piles things like magazines and catalogs. I throw away unless it goes to my office, which is a basket. I need to work on my craft room because maybe I'm working on a project. Thanks for reminding us that clutter clears our mind as well as our homes.
9:49 the warmth of this shot is beautiful 🌅
Omg perfect for me!! Thank you!! ❤❤❤
Thank you so much, Dawn
Dawn, I absolutely love your videos and can relate to everything you’re saying. Thank you for all your help! ❤
Btw your nails look so pretty! What nail polish / nail treatment do you use?!
OK Dawn I’m gonna try this. Wish me luck.🍀
One of the things you talk about is that we have different seasons in our lives. When I’m tidying up I now ask myself what works for the season of life I am on now.
So true about the tray on the counter! We have one and it just constantly collects stuff in and around it, no matter how hard I try to keep it neat.
Dawn you are awesome and so much help. I would just mention that things like that charger block can go to a place that does electronic recycling, which keeps bad stuff out of landfills and water etc. Not everyone has access, but if people do, highly recommend collecting broken or unused electronics and recycling if they can
Yeahhhh!!! This is exactly what I needed this very moment 💕. I’m just about to tackle a huge pile of mish mash stuff that has accumulated over time.
I’ve decided 2024 is going to be the year I’m getting my home (and my finances) in order. The pile was the next thing on my to do list. Literally! So this video was perfect for me.
My thought on the tray with salt/pepper and napkins. Keep the things on the tray, but find a home for the whole tray. Maybe in a cupboard near the dining table. Then you can easily put it away when finished the meal. What do you all think?
Love from Helena in Sweden 🌸
I have paper piles everywhere, most of them are of the 'too inconvenient to put back' ones. And I have don't have a home piles as well. I love your practical advice as always, Thanks so much!
You are a genius!what a practical common sense solution to sort out the surface paper clutter….a Tidy A4 clear flat box that can be kept in drawer…so simple!but so brilliant!I have struggled with the kitchen surface paper clutter every week….thank you for this great video ⭐️💐🌟
Thanks, Dawn! Great info!
Great Video! For receipts and other documents that we need to keep for taxes, etc. I would suggest having a small scanner and scanning them and getting rid of the paper version because the receipts are made of thermal paper and the data will vanish.
Great video. I watched it twice to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
I'm disabled so I have to have stuff visible/accessible on the counters. Plus I don't have enough space to put the stuff in other places. But I've gotten around the clutter part by having everything contained in trays. When I'm cleaning or tidying up I can ignore anything in the trays and just look at the counter or table. But also like yesterday, a family member told me that they looked at the basket that holds cleaning supplies, noticed there was something missing, went and looked for what goes there, found it and put it back lol. I'm trying to give everything a permanent home for exactly this reason
If we start to put pens in the containers, it usually means we need a pen container in that area. I have been putting small jars in the little baskets i use, to hold scissors, pens, that type of thing
It would be cool to have totally clear spaces but it's just not doable here. Just sharing this modification in case anyone else needs an idea to try, because I've spent so many years trying to figure it out and don't want other people to have to waste so much time
Thank you, Dawn, for yet another helpful video. 😊
Dawn, I would love to hear how you manage your shopping/errands (and lists for the same). What do you do when you realize that you need ketchup or you need toothpaste? Where / how do you keep track of that information? Do you schedule one shopping trip 🛒, when you head out of the house & do all of your shopping/errand running? How might you handle the scenario when you unexpectedly find yourself at a store where you would normally buy things, but you don't have the shopping list because it's at home? (This happens to me! It's because when I run out of ketchup (when I'm cooking) I quickly jot the needed item on a (paper) shopping list, which isn't with me every time I walk out the door.) Bottom line, I'd appreciate hearing how you manage the process of realizing that you're out of something to the point you've replenished the items.
"The floor is hot lava." (I laughed out loud.) I think I played that back in the 70s too! 😂