Ep. 350 | Professional Organizers (with Dr. Julia Raz)

[@TheMinimalistsPodcast]

True or false? “Organizing is not the solution-it is the problem.”

[@thejessifar4619]

False.

[@kolitiokada9825]

Both. What are you trying to accomplish? False: if you are finding the best way for you to keep the items that you truly love, need, and use. True: if you are trying to conceal the chaos by containment.

[@jodrew1845]

This was so overwhelmingly helpful and posted at the right time. I've made a commitment to myself to create a capsule wardrobe ✨️ I've also decided to rid myself of between 40 to 60% of my belongings. Please have this be a 'part-1 interview,' because there a more questions that could be asked.

[@wendycash54]

This question is too black and white. There is no wrong answer. Organizing my pantry, my kitchen tools, my yarn, my glue, my crochet hooks, my colored paper for example would definitely solve my storage issues.

[@misa5941]

I recently hired a professional organiser trained in the Marie Kondo method. She’s taken it and made it what sparks joy, is useful and practical. She’s literally changed my life. It’s so worth it when you’re stuck. I think professional organiser is a wrong title. She’s a professional in helping me let go, and finding peace within my home with my belongings. She helped me shed so much of my stuff, and then when with what was left, she helped me put things in their place in a way where I can see everything and it’s very easy to put things back. No buying containers etc, just using what I had. Because of that, because I can see and know where everything is, I’ve been able to maintain it. It’s so fab.

[@gayledeshong6736]

Totally agree about guest placement. Poor Dr. couldn't help but swivel her head throughout. You two should sit together with guest a few feet away. Yikes! Please remember for next time.

[@jen7244]

Regarding the storage units....after my dad passed in ‘97 my sister and I offered to help our step mom go through their storage unit thinking the goal was to empty it...she wanted an inventory of the items plus a # and itemized list of each box. We were in our 20s so we just did what she asked. She wouldn’t let us remove anything. Fast forward to 2020 (and 2 more marriages), she passes and her husband’s son contacts my family because he’s getting billed for 2storage units and he lives in another state. We figured she must have spent 50k on storage over the years! Those itemized lists did come in handy when we were cleaning things out!

[@TM-nb9zf]

It's nice to see your videos, click on them and never get ads. ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@jenniferrumsey9887]

I have been an interior designer for 22 years and during clients’ design process they always need to declutter. When moving out of a space before the transformation I have them pack up their favorite things first. Those favorite items go back into the renovated space, the rest is donated or recycled. Only keep your favorite things and donate to bless someone else - that’s my solution to excess items.

[@KatrenaS]

I love this!!!

[@goldenwestorganizing]

Thank you so much for having me as a guest on your podcast!

[@TheMinimalistsPodcast]

Thank you for joining us! 🥰❤️

[@nnylasoR]

You’re pretty amazing! ✨✊♥️✨

[@goldenwestorganizing]

@@nnylasoR thank you! 🙏✨

[@la_baby_khalil7703]

@@goldenwestorganizing👍🙏😘🙏 I JUST SUSCRIBED TO YOUR CHANNEL...GOD BLESS YOU IN YOUR JOURNEY...🙏😇🙏

[@goldenwestorganizing]

@@la_baby_khalil7703 thank you! 🙏✨

[@bethruck9733]

I too am a Professional Organizer. My main focus is to help people purge-declutter and keep only what they use, need and love.

[@angelasnodgrass6621]

I became a minimalist two years ago. I saw one video of The Minimal Mom. She said you don’t have to keep everything people give you. I was like you don’t? I started decluttering that day. My parents gave me so much stuff. They never wanted me to get rid of anything. When they had both passed away and we were going through there house I could not believe the amount of stuff they kept. Just in case items are still my problem. I feel like hoarding food and toilet paper. People keep saying the price of everything is going up. I stopped watching the news because it is so upsetting and it triggers me to want to buy more of everything. But my home is so peaceful and calm I love it. I am very particular about what I bring into my home. I love being a minimalist. Thank you

[@Katjj]

Wauw... i can relate so much with this story!

[@soledadcastro7028]

wow...i thought i was the only one that has gone through this. my mom would give me so many things that her bosses would get rid of. she cleaned houses. it was great stuff and didn't make sense to give it away. As I grew up, I just went into the mentality of keeping everything for just in case. I am working on starting to let go. Its not easy!

[@kathrynb3718]

Love this..definately True. Thanks to Stephanie's Q and your brilliant and wise answers..I have realised this is why I have become stuck and keep reorganising my spaces. I need to concentrate on the Decluttering. Thank you so much 🌟 🌟😊

[@hopefulforhumanity5625]

I like the black background. It's very calming.

[@caroljones2539]

Wow; lightbulb moment in your first statement Josh! "Organising is well-planned hoarding."

[@aniesarangua777]

I loved this episode and the perspective! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 “not bringing the things in, is letting ho in advance! 💯 Thank you for sharing!

[@clairep7199]

Can I suggest that when you have a guest you arrange the seats so that they are not sitting between the two of you and having to ping pong their gaze back and forth between the two of you. I felt it was difficult for Julia to attend to both of you and it was distracting for the viewer. A very interesting discussion - thank you.

[@doreenimpact]

I disagree. Julia seems to be just fine.

[@MarleneHen]

If someone has a hearing loss of any kind, sitting between two people is not optimal. As a Deaf person, I end up standing or sitting on the floor rather than be in a configuration like that. 🙂 So this suggestion isn't without merit.

[@Izanami2050]

I am sure they agree on the best arrangement for everyone before the show.

[@tucsongirl4082]

I had so much fun with the minimalist challenge. I took a bunch of Trader Joe’s bags and trash bags that I had around the house number them one through 30 and put the number of items in each numbered bag. It was so much fun and my friend enjoyed it too

[@meldabelda]

How incredible! Dr. Raz was a great former professor, lectures were meaningful and memorable. Very grateful!

[@goldenwestorganizing]

Aw thank you so much!

[@maryssaann]

I’m not a professional organizer at all, but I’ve had people ask me how I do it because of the aesthetic way my home is decorated and organized. Once I get to the part where I’m ruthless for decluttering junk before organizing what’s actually needed, I lose a lot of people. Another secret she may get to is decluttering BEFORE organizing. Don’t go buy the pretty bins until you’ve gotten rid of things you don’t actually need.

[@dragonfly4water]

❤️ the hardest part is starting! That's my motto too! ❤️

[@amonralice]

😳 Wow, the lady with the two storage containers... This motivates me to be more and more intentional during my minimalism journey.

[@sarahlockridge7879]

It's very freeing! Every year I go through the 2 I have (they are small) and see if emotions or memories are triggered. If I can let go I do. I take a picture of it if I think it's sort of neat but want to let go.

[@amonralice]

@@sarahlockridge7879 Have you heard of the Swedish Death method? That should help you decide quicker what to do with the items.

[@sarahlockridge7879]

@@amonralice sounds like it's just decluttering? Going through things before I die?

[@rowenalee1684]

@@sarahlockridge7879 it's thinking about what happens to our stuff when we're gone, will it be left to our loved ones to sift through? The end goal of not being burdened by things and achieving freedom. We're not immortal, so how much stuff do we actually need? I'm still working on it too 💜

[@sarahlockridge7879]

@@rowenalee1684 I ended up finding a good video on it after searching. It was really good and kind of helped with the emotion part of it. I have a ton of baby blankets that I want to donate now to the foster care program in town so I'm glad that someone mentioned it! I'm holding on to a lot of my children's things even though they're adults now. I think I'm going to sit down with them and ask if it's something they want for their future children. And if not then I'm going to donate them.

[@soledadcastro7028]

First time listener. Always had alot of stuff and started organizing. then started discovering minimalism, which I will never be 100% there but I want to mentally be able to declutter and maintain declutter so then organize. Thanks for this podcast.

[@Peter-mf6gh]

No ads 100% 😁🥳💪🧠

[@ronacabantog26]

there are two factors of living minimal courage and consistency having this will make your minimalist journey into a huge sucess😊actually im on my way to it though its so really hard but with dedication i know i can make it happen😊

[@kevinmayers4346]

I live in the Caribbean and didn't know this was an actual profession but my gf and her sister are two people who I can see doing well in this

[@PS-bs8oe]

Yes, bankrupt client sits in midst of hoard, wellpaid organizer gets paid to throw every THING overboard. :))))

[@mkistach7115]

Thank you so MUCH!! This is one of the best in your series. ❤️

[@goldenwestorganizing]

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

[@annoravetz5908]

My husband always complained about “the stuff”. “We need to have a tag sale.” Meanwhile, I’m the only one sorting through the too-small and hand-me-down clothes, cleaning and putting-back, and making trips to the donation centers. It was exhausting. It has to be a team effort. That way it goes by quicker. My brother told me, “It’s always a 100% off sale if you don’t buy it.” Very cool about the writing. I’m there! Native Americans named the moons, for the most part, or they have names for all of the full moons.

[@patriciaalbertson5183]

I would like people who live there to be part of the solution, not the problem. I felt burdened until I started asking; " Who is taking care of it, cleaning etc. The caretakers vote is the only one that counts! " Wish me luck with enforcing this.. ha ha

[@koreanrainbow4723]

When I'll finally move out from my parents I only have 1 room to pack and still I will only will take things I use, need and leave behind/donate the rest. From those 2 years I was decluttering, minimazing I have so much less things that didn't bring anything to my life. I would bring clothers, bathroom essentials, my desk, chair, sofa bed, 2 posters in frames, my toaster, basically everything I own I bought with my own money and eventually buy other thing I might need to have place to put those things :P

[@gailtester8749]

Do your parents a favor and don't leave anything behind!

[@koreanrainbow4723]

@@gailtester8749 :) I didnt mean that in a wrong way. They bought wordrobe we share for example so that's that :)

[@sarahlockridge7879]

On my wish list job...become a certified professional organizer!

[@Alldaysun]

Worst part of being disorganized, is you can't find that specific item you need! If everything was organized, life would be so much easy.

[@alanbirkner1958]

I've helped people take old clothes and papers out of their closets. True hoarders can't make choices, they think every thing they have is valuable. Tina, Al's wife

[@wendycash54]

The idea that "I do not have enough space for my things and so I need to get rid of more things" is not acceptable to me on many levels. I am a crafter. I do a wide variety of crafts, from knitting, sewing, paper crafts, hand and machine embroidery etc. The "stuff" that I might want to choose for a given craft needs variety. I'm not going to get rid of all of my yarn because it is messy. I'm going to want to try to make it as organized as possible so that when I choose a project, I can find what I need. Same goes for fabric, paper, glue, dies, stamps and the list goes on. I am a crafter, and I am not going to remove 8 of my 10 hobbies to accommodate a minimalist lifestyle. I get the other factors, where you would have multiple wooden spoons when all you use are two at max. My brother, for example has 40 screwdrivers. He could easily pare down to 8, varying sizes to fit a job. So I do understand the concept, it just doesn't fit every lifestyle. So my goal and the reason I am watching this "professional ORGANIZERS video, is to see if there are ways to ORGANIZE my many things. Putting like things with like things and creating containers to separate things out, so they are easy to find. Creating an inventory that is easy to follow so I can locate the things I need. Thats what organizing means to me. Not that we have to get rid of 80% of our stuff because it's not bare counters etc. My "stuff" does not stress me out, it energizes me. Creatively speaking, the more options I have the more different things I can create. It isn't just my craft room, its the kitchen where I cook and have 30 appliances to do the different things that they do. However, I have 4 bath towels, (I'm married) 3 sets of sheets (I have a motor home that uses the same size) and so I do my best to make it make sense for me. I'm no minimalist, but I guess I'm just concerned that the only solution for storing a lot of stuff is to get rid of most of it.

[@PS-bs8oe]

"Evaluating your relation with your belongings. " Then maybe evaluate and value your life without your belongings.

[@kevinspliid8509]

Bunny trails get me when i start decluttering

[@myaccount9498]

Check out Dana K White for no mess decluttering

[@estherkinzelmann4875]

Frank Zappa: moving to Montana soon... Awesome🎻🎸🎤 nice song every little thing.....

[@nimzovanleuven1733]

This makes me unclutter

[@ritajunee]

Okay, I need all of you to come to my house please. I have so much stuff and haven't been living my best life and I have a toddler and feel like a horrible mom because of my depression with all my stuff.

[@goldenwestorganizing]

I'll happily organize your home! Please don't hesitate to reach out. :)

[@bessiebreedlove4888]

I am a plants hoarder, how can i declutter?

[@TheMinimalistsPodcast]

This would be a great question for a future podcast episode. Would you be willing to send a voice memo to [e-mail] so we can answer it on the show? In the voice memo, state your name and city followed by your question (use a fake name if you wish to be anonymous).

[@kevinspliid8509]

Wat yall do with receipt s for food in case its bad

[@robinstevens5132]

You would know soon. They go.from purce to trash

[@robinstevens5132]

How do you let go.of sentimental things. My adult kids don't want this stuff. ( breaks my heart) And books. I've done very good letting other things go . And not bring in new things No rummage sales this year.***** So proud of myself. I was a rummage sale junkie.

[@TheMinimalistsPodcast]

This would be a GREAT question for a future podcast episode. Would you be willing to send a voice memo to [e-mail] so that Joshua and Ryan can answer your question live on the show? In the voice memo, just state your name and city (or use a fake name if you want to be anonymous) followed by your concise question (write it down first); also mention if you are a Patreon subscriber, so we can prioritize your question. (And if you have more than one question, that's great-just send separate voice memos.)

[@myaccount9498]

Take a photo + donate the item. I have 1000's of photos and don't regret letting go of any of it, when I scroll through the photos!

[@kaykimble9742]

Thank you for sharing. I’ve just finished clearing my attic - took 4 months 1 item/ box a day. Hard work. Got stuck on baby clothes and heirlooms no one wants 😢 donating the clothes

[@davidarbelaez2012]

An unfortunate way to get rid of much of your stuff is to get divorced.

[@Sims3Freek123]

Yea. Sad.

[@PS-bs8oe]

Money, sex &stuff bickering, all about thoughts way deeper than the obvious. Letting go to expérience and maybe enjoy spaciousness with your love(d ones.)

[@TeresaCurrent]

"ClutterBug" tell about four styles of organizing.

[@kevinspliid8509]

Bad writing or poorly recorded audibles