Clutterbug - Real-Life Hacks and Tips to Declutter, Organize and Clean your Home Fast - Tidy Home, Clear Mind: The Power of Decluttering for Mental Wellness | Clutterbug Podcast # 271

Starting point is 00:00:00 Have you ever torn your house apart looking for something only to find it later in the place where you thought it should have been the whole time? Or have you ever just felt like you spent so long tiding and putting everything away and cleaning just for it to get messy again overnight? This is like the cycle. This was me. This is something that I struggled with for a really long time and it made me feel like an epic failure on a regular. basis. It made me feel stressed all the time without me even realizing why I was feeling stressed. I just knew that something was really wrong. Today, we're diving into decluttering in a new and different way. I'm going to show you how decluttering isn't just about making your home look better.

Starting point is 00:00:49 It isn't just about because your mother-in-law is coming over and you don't want to be embarrassed. It's about rewiring your brain for less stress. More. joy and more calm. Hey clutterbugs, welcome back to the clutterbug podcast. It is almost the all-day declutter as part of the Take Your House Back team. This is where Dawn, Dana, and I got together and we created a course to help people declutter in a real life way. It's about accountability and support. And then every few months, we do this live all-day declutter where we're your clutter coach and we're motivating you and just inspiring you to get rid of as much as possible. And this is such an incredible event.

Starting point is 00:01:41 Like it has taken off way more than we ever thought because I think at the end of the day, it resonates with especially women in that it feels like maintaining a house is way harder than it should be. And it also feels lonely. And it feels like, am I the only one struggling here? and when you can be part of a community of other people who are in the same place as you, and we're all like, enough is enough. And we have the accountability to say, I am ready for an easier life together.

Starting point is 00:02:17 Miracles happen. And I want to do that with you today. While you're listening, I want miracles to happen. I want you to spend like 40 minutes with me and make real progress in your home and feel really good about what you've done. And more than that, every day after for your life to be a little bit easier and for you to feel a little bit calmer. So here's my ask to you. While you're listening to this podcast, I want you to get up and grab a trash bag or grab a bag or a box that you can use for donations and make a difference by getting things out. We are not pulling things out and making a mess.

Starting point is 00:03:01 We are not pulling everything out of a closet and sorting into a million piles. You are looking for things that can leave without making a mess to do it. What have you not used? What do you not love? Think of it as an Easter egg hunt. Things are leaving your home right now. And I know this is hard, but I also know that you can do hard things. And I also know that you have things in your home that aren't going to feel hard.

Starting point is 00:03:33 You have trash and old receipts and expired food. And this isn't about perfection. It isn't about reorganizing anything or making a space look like it's Pinterest perfect. This is about making your life easier by having less stuff. So while you're listening, I'm just going to be throwing facts at you, facts and figures. sciencey type stuff. But I'm also going to be throwing some motivation to keep you feeling excited about this because it is decluttering that is going to have the biggest impact on your life. Everything you get out of your house is one thing that has made your life a little bit easier.

Starting point is 00:04:17 Sabine Castaner did this whole study. She did like MRI works and everything. I don't like I'm going to put in the show notes below. in the podcast, I'm going to like cite all of these researchy things that I found. I am not a scientist. And so we're just going to float over this. But if you want to do a deep dive yourself, I'm going to put all these things in the show notes. But this one study showed that every object that was in our visual field actually pulled like neural resources. So it made your brain tire faster and it lowered executive function performance. And this was an article in a research paper that was actually published in the Princeton Alumni Weekly. So what they did is they took people and put them in cluttered

Starting point is 00:05:08 spaces and then made them do like a lot of tests and while scanning their brain. And then they put people in tidy spaces and did the same kind of tests and then looked at the difference. And what they saw was messy spaces, even when people were focused on what they were doing in front of them and had nothing to do with the room around them. It was actually using parts of their brain were like firing and tiring the brain and lowering their executive function just because the peripheral vision was picking up the extra noise. Another Princeton Neuroscience Institute study replicated this like in a lab with a desk simulation. So participants were in a tidy set. doing puzzles, and then there was participants in a cluttered section, like doing the same puzzles,

Starting point is 00:06:01 and then they swapped the people. And what they found is consistently, tidy spaces, the people could do the puzzles 20% faster. 20% faster in a tidy space. Joseph Ferrari's work links clutter with chronic procrastination because the more stuff that we see all around or have all around in our vision, the more likely we are to delay tasks, feeding and reinforcing this stress loop. So even if you don't realize that the clutter is affecting you, it is. It's basically like your brain is like an internet browser and you have 50 tabs open at all times. And they're not only just open in the background. They're open like you're seeing them. How could you possibly focus on one when there's so many open. Decluttering is like closing the tabs. It doesn't just

Starting point is 00:07:04 look nice. It's freeing up ram in your brain. Getting rid of those piles isn't just about what it looks like, friends, having less on the shelves and less on the surfaces and ruthlessly saying enough is enough, this stuff is going, it is leaving, it is not important, why do I have those piles on my kitchen table, enough is enough. And we can't just shove those piles somewhere else because they're just going to be dragged out again a week later. The stuff that's in those piles has to go. It has to go in order for that cycle to stop forever. And that is how we get to a place where our brain is not so overstimulated and so just exhausted by constantly being bombarded by all the things without us even realizing it. And there is real science here that talk about the benefits of

Starting point is 00:08:03 a tidy home. And I think that's something that can help if you're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, it'll be nice, but I'll get to it someday. You know, you're like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know there's a lot of mess, but you know, life is busy and it's not that big of a deal. I'm here to tell you that it is a big deal and I want to prove to you why. Why you should care. Because I want you to care for your own happiness. I know it's going to make you happier and it's going to bring you more joy. I know it's going to make your family happier and bring more joy.

Starting point is 00:08:32 But I don't know if you know the real negative effect that this is having on your mental health and your physical health too. So, UCLA did a no place like home study, which I thought was like awesome. I want more sciencey people to do more studies about this because I just find this so fascinating. But okay, so women who described, they interviewed like thousands and thousands of women. And what they found was women who described their home as clutter had a flatter cordal slope. I didn't know what this was. So I looked it up.

Starting point is 00:09:14 It's basically like a biological red flag for chronic stress compared to those who felt their homes were clutter free. And again, I'm going to put the link to this study down below. But biologically, the women who said that they, when they looked at a big group of women, the women who said that they had a cluttered home showed more. markers for long-term cortisol damage to their bodies. They had chronic stress, and that was showing in their bodies, whereas people who didn't have cluttered homes did not have the same thing. So I think our homes are stressing us out more than we realize, even if we feel like, oh, I'm not stressed or I don't have a lot going on. I think the state of your home really, like innately

Starting point is 00:10:11 affects you more than more than we realize. And I know this now that I've have like a tidy house that stays tidy all the time. When it starts getting a little bit messy, I feel sick. I feel so stressed and overwhelmed. But I didn't know that I was feeling that when my house was messy until it got tidy and that feeling went away. I was so used to it. I didn't even know I was feeling it. Does this make sense? Like I had I had grown up always. messy and I'd always had a messy space. So that was just like, I didn't even know I was stressed. Like I didn't even know it was bothering me until it was gone. And I suddenly felt like so much better. And when the clutter starts creeping back in or I'm really busy and I can't keep up on

Starting point is 00:11:02 things, I start to feel that feeling all over again. In November of 2024, a study found that people who performed a 15-minute tidy-up reported a 27% drop in self-related anxiety that night. So I grabbed this study in particular. I'm going to again put the link. It's like our mental health is where they publish this study. But I loved it so much because this is one of the first things I did was after dinner around 8 o'clock. I mean, I was really messy at this point, but I still started doing this. one thing. And that was a 15 minute tidy up of my kitchen every night before bed. And I would set an alarm

Starting point is 00:11:52 and I would just be like, I'm doing 15 minutes. And it wasn't perfect. It didn't have to be. But I had to do 15 minutes of just tidying every night before bed. And I really did sleep better. I noticed an immediate correlation between my happiness and like how good I felt about my day. And I just like fell asleep. better and I wasn't as stressed, but the best part was waking up the next morning to a tidy kitchen. Then I felt like I saw like that whole day was better. You know what I mean? Like that whole day I would start out like a little pep in my step and feeling proud of myself and feeling more motivated because I was waking up and can 15 minutes change your life? Yeah, kind of. Yeah, it kind of can. when you focus it on the right spots that are going to give you the biggest bang for your buck.

Starting point is 00:12:42 And I do feel like your bedroom and the kitchen are these two places that can give you the really biggest bang for your buck. Okay, clean desks. So this is like a little nerd study. Colton Moulton did this. They did this study in 2015. They tried to see if people who were working at a clean desk had had a hard. higher task accuracy and creativity, basically if they did their job better. So they tested a bunch of

Starting point is 00:13:13 people doing the same type of work and the people who had clean desks and messy desks. And then at first, it was like, okay, well, people with tidy desks had higher accuracy. Well, could that be that they're just more detailed people? So then they're having more accuracy because of that. So what they did was they then messed up the tidy people's desks and ran the test again. again, to see that, you know, does the space actually make a difference? Or is it just, it's tidy because they're already tidy people. So then they, you know what I'm saying? And what they found was, apso-freakin-lutely, the space affected their accuracy. So you take the same person, you pluck them out, you put them in a messy space. And then you

Starting point is 00:14:00 take that person and you put them in a tidy space and you have them do the same task or the same type of task and they're going to be much more proficient at it and just much more creative. They're going to have more brain capacity in a tidy space, period. And study after study after study has shown this. There is no arguing with this. We know this that kids do their homework better in a tidy space. They do their schoolwork better in a tidy space. They're able to focus.

Starting point is 00:14:31 It improves their grades. So if we know this and we've seen this, then why wouldn't it work for adults too? And it does. And it does. It's going to improve your brain. Tidy space equals tidy brain. Clean space equals a better functioning brain. You just have more compute power.

Starting point is 00:15:00 I mean, that's all it is. Our brain is like a dying computer. and we get distracted without us even realizing it with all the stuff around us, we will be better at all things when we take the time to clear out the excess around us and stop. So while you're listening to this, I hope you're feeling a little bit. Because maybe you're like, I don't want, maybe you're like, I know I deserve it. I know I deserve this clean space, but maybe that's not enough motivation to actually

Starting point is 00:15:34 actually get you up and making those hard decisions because maybe you are, your overthinking brain is saying all these excuses of like, well, but maybe it's not that big of a deal and someday I'll get to it and it's not really affecting me that much. I hope that I'm showing you that it is affecting you more than you could know. It is affecting your mental health. It's affecting your physical health. When you're constantly stressed, your adrenal glands are just releasing cortisol, cortisol, cortisol, cortisol, cortisol. Constantly living in a state like that makes you sicker. It's taking away years of your life.

Starting point is 00:16:17 You deserve better, not just a space that looks better, but a space that feels better in a space that gives you a calmer, happier life. The stuff from Walmart just doesn't matter. At the end of the day, it is all plastic crap that doesn't matter. You matter and your family matters. And all of that doesn't matter that you spent money on it. You are not richer for having it in your home and you will not be poorer for letting it go. You are keeping it in your house and it is keeping it.

Starting point is 00:16:59 you sad and sick and stressed out. And all you have to do is say enough is enough. I trust myself to get it out, to let go, to put it in a bag, to put it in a box, and move forward with my life because none of this matters. I got better stuff to do. Life is short. You have better stuff to do than be managing your mess on a daily basis. So what are you going to do about it? What right now, what are you going to do about it? You can make excuses. I'm going to do it later.

Starting point is 00:17:40 I don't feel good. So you can have excuses or you can have results, but you can't have both. Get up and make a difference. You deserve it. Okay. I'm getting off on a little tangent here. I'm getting fired up.

Starting point is 00:18:00 I'm getting fired up. Let's talk about motivation. Let's talk about how to master our motivation because it's all well and good for you to be fired up right now because you're listening to me. You're borrowing some motivation for me because I'm feeling motivated. I want to come to your house right now with a trash bag or a dumpster and just help you get there. I'm feeling pumped. So maybe you're feeling a little pumped right now because you're boring.

Starting point is 00:18:26 some from me. But how can you feel this all the time? How can you feel really excited and like, oh, just ready, ready to just say enough is enough all the time? We get really stuck. We get stuck in this cycle of decision fatigue. Oh, what should go and where do I start? No, I have so many choices to make and where should I give this and should I donate it or throw it out. And also this perfectionism of like, well, what if I need it? And I don't want to make a mistake and I don't want to waste money. And I want to give you some real tools that you can try. That can really help you master the motivation.

Starting point is 00:19:09 And the first one is what you're doing right now, which is borrowing it from someone else. Whenever I have to do something and I know I should and I'm shitting all over myself, but I know like I need to do this thing, but I just, ooh, I don't want you right now. I'm going to wait till later. What I started doing was listening to actually have this app. I don't want to plug it. It's not sponsored post or anything, but I have this app that I listened to that just like consolidated a bunch of motivational speakers just giving like one-liners. Like you can have excuses or you can have results, but you can't have both. It's basically I'm borrowing motivation in the morning and it's a lot of Tony Robbins and Mel Robbins and different people who are just like,

Starting point is 00:19:56 get up and be amazing. You got one life. You got one life. Do you want to make yourself proud or do you want to have you've lived with regret? No, I'm just like, yeah, and I get pumped. And it gets me up. Because that's the hardest part, isn't it? The getting started. So the first thing I want to say is borrowing motivation is a great way of getting in the habit of just getting yourself started and how you can kind of master it. Just remember when you're feeling like that, who can I borrow this from? The second thing is the five minute rule. We talk a lot about five minutes matters, but five minutes fucking matters, okay? Five minutes matters. So set a timer for five minutes. And even if you stop at five minutes and don't do anything else, you are still further ahead than if you hadn't

Starting point is 00:20:44 started at all. And it is every tiny tiptoe that adds up to leaps and back. bounds. You do not have to wait until you can do it all perfectly later or you can spend a whole hour. You don't have to take a big jump to make a difference. You can tiptoe there, my friend, and you'll end up in the exact same place. And the truth is you're going to end up there faster. So five minutes matters. The other thing that you can do, I guess it's called temptation bundling, but I just call it like going to, I used to call it going to zombie land. It's basically pairing something really boring and horrible with something you enjoy that kind of numbs your brain.

Starting point is 00:21:31 So for me, it's, I like music, but music doesn't last for me. I get bored easily, like a good audiobook. So if I turn on an audiobook, I like some YA or I like some kind of naughty books. not full naughty, but like a little bit romancey naughty, usually has something to do with werewolves or vampires or magical witches. I am so invested in the story. Like I really enjoy the story. Sometimes it's a good podcast, but you really have to like like it for this to work. I keep going without even realizing that I'm doing it. So my brain completely checks out and I'm so immersed in the story I'm listening to that I don't even realize my body.

Starting point is 00:22:18 is decluttering or tidying or cleaning or vacuuming or wiping or mopping or doing these really mindless things that I don't actually need to pay attention to do. I can pay attention to my book and so I'm getting so much done. So another thing that you can do to really master motivation is called the win reward loop. I feel like this is kind of like that dog thing, you know, pal viand, I don't know. I have a terrible memory. You know, where you ring the bell and then you give the dog a treat, and then all you have to do is ring the bell and the dog start, the dog starts slobbering because they associate the sound with treats.

Starting point is 00:23:00 Yeah, yeah, you can do this with your brain. So anytime you complete a tiny task, if you reward yourself, like you give yourself a dose of dopamine, especially if you have ADHD and you're chronically low in dopamine, mean, what that means is your reward system isn't really working great. So you don't really feel every time you do a task. Like you're not feeling the same level of accomplishment or pride or feel good hormones that the average person would. So what's the point? If it's not going to make you feel good, why are you doing it? To really change this and reinforce it kind of like

Starting point is 00:23:45 ringing the bell and, you know, drooling. You can artificially train your brain to release more dopamine for doing my little tasks by rewarding yourself with something small. I used to reward myself with food. That was not a good idea. But can you reward yourself with a little coffee break or just even like a movement? Does this make sense? Like I usually reward myself now with a da-da-da-da-da when I do something like I make a little noise like a da-da-da-da and I make like a celebrationary movement with my body, which is enough of a little burst of excitement to release that little extra dopamine. So then you're training your brain that when you do a task, you feel good. And then you don't always need the actual reward, just like the bell.

Starting point is 00:24:40 you're drooling even though you're not getting a treat you've really trained your brain to release the chemical just in the act of doing a task so i don't know what your reward loop would be i i recommend it's not chocolate and skittles because then you just eat chocolate and skittles a lot but something little even if it's emotion and a sound that you make to reward yourself when you're done a task to train your brain to associating completing tasks with good, feel good hormones. Okay. Last, we have implementation intention. So it's like research shows that when you're stating when and where it increases the follow through up to 91%.

Starting point is 00:25:34 So you are intentionally an out loud saying, something like this. Okay. After I make my coffee every morning, I'm going to do a quick one minute tidy in the kitchen. Or while my coffee brews, I'm going to do a one minute tidy up of the kitchen. For me, my intention was when I'm brewing my tea in the morning, I'm going to write my daily to-do list. Setting that intention and like tying it with a wear and, like, tying it with a wear and and when made me actually do the thing. So it wasn't like someday I'm going to do this or maybe I will when I feel like it. I am really tying it to something and I'm setting a little date with myself.

Starting point is 00:26:23 So now I don't even think about it. When my tea in the morning I make myself a tea because that's like a habit I've stacked on writing my to-do list. I just do it without even thinking. And writing a daily to-do list is something that has really helped me stay focused and just accomplish a lot more. I have to take a quick second to thank today's podcast sponsor, Cozy Earth, because when you prioritize sleep, you prioritize you. Great days, start with better nights. Years ago, I treated myself to new, beautiful, cozy earth sheets. And I have to tell you, it was the first

Starting point is 00:26:59 time I felt like a grown-up who was spending a little bit to give myself that feeling of luxury. I decluttered all the sheets that were scratchy, all the ones that made me feel too hot and just had something that was good quality. They are made of bamboo. Every time I wash them, they get softer. I've had them for years and years and years, no tears, no rips. And their temperature regulating, which I really, really love. I also now have their sleep sets. It's just, it's good quality, but it's different because it makes me feel when I clenely.

Starting point is 00:27:36 into my bed at night, it gives me that like hotel feeling of like, ah, and it's important. A good night's sleep is important and we deserve it. So right now, if you want to give CozyEarth a try, visit CozyEarth.com and use my coupon Clutterbug for 40% off. There's sheets, towels, pajamas, and more. Again, right here, go to cozyEarth.com and use the code Clutterbug for 40% off. Okay, let's talk about some amazing time management secrets. That are expert secrets. These are not my secrets. These are secrets that I copy because they are expert secrets.

Starting point is 00:28:17 And I really just picked like my favorites. And the first one is microbursts. So microbursts for me really beats marathons. And what I mean by that is anytime I can just like, okay, get hyped and I'm going to do something for 10 minutes. I'm going to do something for 10 minutes. and then maybe I do that thing for 10 minutes three times a day, that's going to be more effective than if I do something for 30 minutes straight.

Starting point is 00:28:46 And why that is is because in the beginning, I just have way more energy and I'm way more pumped and the excitement is really the whole, that's the fuel behind motivation. You're excited to do something. And so when I microburst instead of macroburst, I just find I get a lot more done. it never feels crazy, crazy overwhelming. The other thing that's really effective is like using timers. So timers work for two reasons. One, it's motivating because you're setting a timer for something. But the other thing is knowing that you have a time limit makes you move a lot faster. It really does. It's like a gamification. Like you're beating the clock. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:29:29 So setting a timer is a really effective tool for time management. And you can take that a step. further and kind of use like the pomandero method. Listen, I'm butchering all these names because I have a crap memory, but basically, our, let's just call it the 2010, which means you do something for 20 minutes, like tidy, and then you get to rest for 10 or do something fun. So you're just using these timers over and over. You're like, I've got to do this for so many minutes, and then you set a timer, and then when the timer dings, you set a new timer for 10 minutes, and you get to do something

Starting point is 00:30:05 fun or rest. So 2010, 2010, and what study after study has shown as this is a way more effective tool than just like, I'm going to work for an hour straight. I also think, though, that this depends on the person because I've met a lot of people who get into the zone and want to keep going. And if that's you, then don't use these methods. But if you find you started task and get distracted and kind of wander away and maybe don't follow through and finish. This could be an effective like 2010 or 10, 10, 10 bursts of time using timers can help you actually get to a point where you're getting stuff done. All right.

Starting point is 00:30:50 Let's talk about something that I really want you to consider as you're listening to this podcast. And I know I'm not doing this 100%, but I am considered. really embracing this more. And that is the idea of minimalism. So will I ever be a full minimalist in a white room with one fork? No. But I also think that that is a misconception.

Starting point is 00:31:22 I talk to a lot of minimalists, especially on this podcast. And what I've really found is none of them are like that, except maybe Joshua from the actual minimalist. He is definitely like that. But most of them are just people who have said, I am not keeping extra noise. I'm not having extra tabs open in my brain. I am not keeping things unless I use it and love it all the time, period.

Starting point is 00:31:50 I can go without because my peace of mind and my happiness is worth more. They have realized that all this extra stuff is not enriching their life. like they were told it would. In fact, it's making their life worse. And I really think there's something behind this because I know less is more. And I've seen the transformation in my own life doing the huge declutter that I did. But I also know that I could go a lot further. I know that that 80% of the clothes in my closet I don't wear.

Starting point is 00:32:30 I know that. and I know that 80% of the clothes in my kids closet they don't wear. I know that 80% of the stuff in the kitchen I probably don't use. It's so much excess. And it's all stuff that even if it's not taking up space, even if I have the space to store it, I don't think I have the space in my brain. I don't think I have the space in my brain that it's taking up without me even realizing it. All the stuff I have to remember.

Starting point is 00:32:59 all the stuff that I have to shuffle and clean and just, ugh, it's just in there. If I own it, it's in my brain. And I don't want it in there anymore unless it's really making my life easier, unless it's really adding to my life and enriching my life. If not, I want to close that tab. I do. And maybe it's because I'm getting older and I'm tired. Maybe it's because I just have a lot going on.

Starting point is 00:33:29 But whatever it is, I don't want my stuff to feel like a part-time job anymore. I really don't. And there are things that we could do. We could say like, does it spark joy or is it a job? I like that. Does this item spark joy or is it a job? And the job's got to go. Could I replace this in 24 hours or 48 hours?

Starting point is 00:33:56 Could I borrow it from someone? or could I replace it for under $20? If the answer is yes, it's got to go. Or the 2020 rule, this is from the minimalist. If it costs less than $20 and I can go out and get a backup in less than 20 minutes, I don't need to keep it in my house. There's so many lessons out there. And I think I want to encourage you, if you're listening to this and it's resonating

Starting point is 00:34:24 and you're like, yeah, I think I think I also want to close some tabs in my brain, Cass, you don't just have to listen to me. There is so many podcasts out there that are in books that are giving you the same message, but maybe in a different way. And maybe that's what you need to hear is the same message in different ways for it to really, like, resonate and last, right? For you to really like finally be like, yes, I'm ready. And I hope listening today you made some small difference. I hope. I hope there is less in your house right now than there was before you started this podcast. I hope you filled a bag.

Starting point is 00:35:05 I hope you filled a box. And I hope you're freaking proud of yourself. You close some tabs today. Here's some really quick wins that you can do. If you feel like, oh, I just want to do a little bit more quick wins that you can do, homework that you can do. The junk drawer, that's always an easy one. Get in there. Not taking everything out.

Starting point is 00:35:26 just looking in there what can go those felt pads at the bottom of your furniture come on man you put it on you haven't used them in years you're not going to buy any new furniture how about those felt pads go all those little screws that you got that were like extra with things that you've never why why no buy buy all the pens that are dead how many pens do you need in a drunk drawer two you probably only need one why do you have so many why do you have so many pens what Buy. There's all by. You don't need them. It's ridiculous. Your countertops in your kitchen. I know there's even one thing that you can find that can be put in a cabinet to free up a little bit. Something you don't use every day. Because if you don't use it every day, I don't want it on your counter.

Starting point is 00:36:17 Which means you're probably going to have to get rid of something to make room for it. That big soup pot, when's the last time you used it? Your roasting paint. I got rid of my roasting pan. I actually moved it to my downstairs basement kitchen here, then forgot about it. And I made a roast the other day, and I made a pork loin, and I made a turkey.

Starting point is 00:36:38 And I was like, oh, man, I don't have a roasting pan. And guess what I used? I used a glass baking dish, and I just tented it with tinfoil. Who the freak cares? It didn't even make a difference. So guess what? I decluttered that roasting pan.

Starting point is 00:36:53 Because I just used something else, and it made no difference. And I use that other thing for lots of things besides just roasting. Clear something off your countertops. And maybe you can find 21 things to go. A 21 item task is such a good homework because it's this really magical number that pushes you out of your comfort zone a little bit. You've got to run around your house and hunt for 21 things that can go.

Starting point is 00:37:26 but it's a small enough number that you could do it in five minutes. It's also just a fun way to kind of make gamification, like turn it into a challenge. And if you give every family member a bag and you set a timer and say, who can find 21 things the fastest on your market set go, it's also an easy way to get your whole family into decluttering. And, you know, the winner gets a pack of skittles. I really like skittles, can you tell? Or something.

Starting point is 00:37:56 The point is, the point is, we got to practice and practice makes perfect. And it is through consistently decluttering and letting go that we're going to see that not only is our life going to change and our home's going to change and our brain's going to change and our mental health and our physical health is going to improve. But it's going to get easier to let go. And we're going to get to a point where we actually enjoy letting go. Today we learned about some sciencey stuff, kind of, that clutter spikes your cortisol, and it steals your focus, and it fuels anxiety. But we also learned that really tiny actions can flip the script. And your challenge is to finish this, I'm going to let you go,

Starting point is 00:38:47 but do one more five-minute thing, whether it's finding things to go for five minutes, or cleaning the kitchen for five minutes, one more five minute thing that can go. And then if you want to share what you did on social media and any progress that you made today, make sure you tag me, friends, because I do think that sharing the excitement and sharing your small steps and small wins, not only will it help, you know, solidify you, like ring that bell, you know, give yourself that little sense of reward. but you probably have friends and family and maybe even strangers on the internet that you can motivate too because it takes a village it does it takes a village to realize that we're not

Starting point is 00:39:35 alone and we are in this together and we can do this and we deserve this and if you haven't already joined the take your house back team i totally recommend that you do that now i'll put that down in the notes as well, like a little link to join the Take Your House back. It's on sale just for the next few days. The all-day declutter is coming up on May 3rd, which is Saturday. You don't want to miss it. It's going to be awesome. So please, please, please. If you haven't already, check out the Take Your House back where we just, as a whole community, motivate each other to live with less. Thank you guys so much. I hope you're feeling inspired and motivated and proud of yourself. And I'll see you guys next time.

Clutterbug - Real-Life Hacks and Tips to Declutter, Organize and Clean your Home Fast - Tidy Home, Clear Mind: The Power of Decluttering for Mental Wellness | Clutterbug Podcast # 271

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