Battling Clutter: My Journey to Reclaiming My Master Closet (Ep. 7)

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

I am loving the cleaned up space in this closet. I hope you all enjoy and once again, thank you for all the well wishes last week when I didn't have a voice. Love our community!❤

[@angelamelum4304]

I find that clutter is a battle of 50% the amount of inventory and 50% habits that need to broken. You can have a very minimal amount of stuff, but if you don’t break habit’s that bring the stuff to the wrong place it becomes a vicious circle that never ends. Decluttering in an ongoing process, but if the system works well it takes very little time to do.

[@robyn-mareepenny2926]

I'm really enjoying this declutter series. You're doing great and I know you'll conquer the doom room. It's great to watch someone real who understands themselves and knows what their habits are and works around them. Change is really hard and I'm due for another round of decluttering, but watching this series is making me think more about how to cater this declutter to our families needs. Thank you.

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

Awww thank you for your kind words! Doing this series is really helping to keep me accountable and I love hearing from others about how this series is relatable. One thing I have definitely decided is there is no one size fits all. There are a lot of great systems out there but unless I can fine tune it to meet the needs of my family, it won't work long term for us. So I am meshing together several tried and true systems to help organize my home. I just keep this number in mind. 300,000. That is the average number of items in an American home, vs. 10,000 in a European home. Having that number present in my mind makes me want to simplify even more. I don't want to have to manage 300,000 items. 😂😂🌻

[@librarynan4610]

I recently decluttered my master closet. I had been thinking about it for about a month and thinking about what I was really wearing. Made it easy and I was able to donate 3 large bags of clothes. One thing I do in the closet is turn my shoes with the toes out so I can see which pair they are. Good job getting your closet in order.

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

Isn't it so nice to open your closet and have order? My husband got tickled at me the other day because he walked in and I was just laying in the closet floor. Nothing was wrong, I was just happy to have room to lay in the closet floor. 😂😂

[@jwest2133]

I bet both your son and the dog love it when the power goes off! The closet camp out sounds pretty fun💕

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

They do! We set up a big area of pillows and blankets close to our battery bank so he can still watch his tablet. We also have a fine assortment of toys and snacks for just such an occasion. ❤

[@phoebecole5482]

Thanks for posting! The music in this video was relaxing too. Blessings to your family!

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

Thank you! You too! ❤️

[@_stateofmind_]

Such an helpful and motivational video, loving this sharing! Big like 184 and subscribed! Amazing job, stay connected 💕

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

Thank you so much for your kind words! ❤️❤️

[@momof2momof2]

For me, decluttering means getting rid of at least 60% of the items. Less to take care of is less to keep wasting time decluttering again and again. Decluttering really is a never ending thing, but after a big clear out, it gets much easier , and can then be done in a few minutes maybe twice a year.For clothes closets using all the same colored hangers makes a huge difference in how it looks.Also grouping like colors together not only looks nicer but makes it much easier to find things quickly.

[@cherrygrovefarmhouse]

Love the huge closet and all the decluttering! Hope you’re having a great week Jamie😊

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

So far so good, just super busy! Got a lot of gardening done today and man I am feelin' it! Been awhile since I moved around large bags of potting and garden soil. 😂 How is your week going?

[@cherrygrovefarmhouse]

@@coffeecarbsclutter it’s going well but busy also! I can’t wait to get out and plant some flowers around my house. We have rain coming in today and then after that, it’s going to get cold again-too cold to be setting out flowers. Soon though!

[@hislivelystone]

Love a closet this big! You did great.

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

Thank you!! 😊

[@vondrabejot9851]

A tip I got from minimal mom is to take items out that don't belong and put them away where they belong. Don't make more work for yourself with another pile. Five items done is far better than another pile to do. Sometimes doing those five items every day and soon your closet will soon show progress. Another thing that I always wanted was matching hangers. I finally bought them. What a difference! This eliminated so much visual clutter and made it easier to focus on the clothing. I actually found them at the dollar store cheap! This also created so much space. My husband's clothes that I couldn't declutter took up less space. He actually accused me of throwing his stuff out, but I didn't. A long time I have heard and learned and lived daily by the motto "If it is to be, it is up to me.". My mother passed when I was very young, so literally I am and have been my only safety net. I have learned giving up is not an option. Break your large closet into small steps and preserve. You got this! Great job!

[@angelamelum4304]

As someone who has organized many people, that tip tends not to work for people with ADHAD/ADD. If they leave leave the room they tend to stop progress. More progress ends up happening if they can leave it for the end.

[@vondrabejot9851]

@@angelamelum4304 Interesting l am very much ADHD. I have taught many children with this problem as well as my own four children as a teacher for 28 years. I have found that it is very important for them and myself to train ourselves to take care and follow through with putting things in the correct place or home the first time it is handled. Dana White says to ask yourself "Where is the first place that I would look for this item and make a home for it?". Handling things once is the greatest strategy I used while teaching and in my home. Many of my students have shared their success in life by using the strategies I taught and modeled. I have never believed in medication. But I do believe that life throws us problems that we can grow from by learning structures and strategies to overcome them.

[@angelamelum4304]

@@vondrabejot9851 well I’m a teacher too and it backfires every time. Also I’m in the medical community and people get mislabeled ADHD /ADD all the time. I also have been paid to help people organize. They are only tips and you have to do what works for you. I personally can put stuff back immediately and not lose focus. However, many of the people I have helped lose focus after one item. They then add ten more items because they didn’t learn to break the habit at the same time. It’s 50% clutter 50% bad habits. If you don’t work on both you end up worse than you started.

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

@@vondrabejot9851 I follow both Minimal Mom, Dana White, and Cass from Clutterbug. While I agree that their systems help many people, I am not one of them. If I leave the space I am in, I will not come back to it. My brain will not remember that I was in that space. I have a huge problem with object permanence and time blindness as well as Executive Functioning issues. This can be seen in this closet video where I believe I am in 4 different outfits because I kept leaving the space and would forget to go back until the next day. 😂 As far as Dana’s question of where would I think to look for something first, I wouldn’t. I struggle with homes for item’s because I cannot figure out logically where I would think to look. I keep a list on my phone of where items go, for example, knives go in the cutting board drawer. First aid kit goes on top of fridge. Homeschool stuff has to be clearly labeled in clear bins with exactly what goes inside. I wish I could train my brain to do better but all I can do it the best I can. Struggles and all. 😁 I do appreciate the suggestions though and maybe between us, we can come up with something I haven’t tried and could maybe help.❤️

[@karenmabe9819]

I like focusing on the low hanging fruit too so it seems less daunting.

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

It really is and it really helps to build that early momentum. Don't get me wrong, I still struggle even after getting the easy stuff done but it does help make a noticeable difference quickly and sometimes, that is all it takes for my brain to kick in and get things done. 😂 Hacking my brain to make it work more efficiently is definitely part of the fun of having ADHD. 😂😂♥

[@karenmabe9819]

@@coffeecarbsclutter I like that it usually makes the next task an obvious choice when I don’t otherwise know where to start. Thank you for posting and taking time to reply.

[@amyking6506]

Huge change!🎉

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

Thank you so much! ❤️

[@Happylife10101]

Hi it looks great thanks for your video saying you can sleep in there is a awesome i guess its scary too

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

Thankfully the sleeping in there does not happen often! My kiddo has always loved being in that closet though, when he was a toddler, I would often find trains hidden under the lower hanging bars from where he would play with them in the closet. ❤ I kinda miss those days. 😁

[@JazzyBabe56]

nice job!

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

Awww thank you so much! It feels nice to have the house looking tidy again. My biggest challenge is on the horizon though so I really have to get some strong momentum built to tackle the next room. 😉

[@theloveyourfacegal2773]

My master closets filled with so much items that have nothing to do with wardrobe, so true "just things that belong" I have crafts, books, excess candles 😭 that means I have to make room elsewhere

[@coffeecarbsclutter]

I feel your pain on that one. Decluttering and organizing can be so hard but I just have to believe it will all be worth it in the end! ❤️

[@cinderellafan362436]

❤