You Need a Plan for Both the Messes and The Clutter
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[00:00:00] If you have both clutter and messes taking over your home. Then you need to have a plan to tackle both of them because the fact is that going in blind and just trying to tidy up the messes and while you're still struggling with clutter, that's never going to work. So in this episode, I'm breaking down what that plan is for you to actually tackle the messes and make a change in your home before you start decluttering.
Hey there, I'm Nicole from The Maximizing Momma, and I am obsessed with creating a home that gives me more peace of mind, more time to myself, and more time with my kids. I teach you the tried and true secrets to clearing your clutter, getting organized, and managing your household in a realistic and sustainable way.
This show is where we talk about things like motherhood, decluttering, organizing, creating routines. Mindset, energy, and everything in between. Our [00:01:00] homes are the foundation for the rest of our lives, and it's so important to have a calm, relaxing household so you can have the time, the peace of mind, and the freedom to truly enjoy motherhood.
So sit back and get ready to take charge of your home.
I've been in this industry, the home life industry for a while, and I have been studying and analyzing clutter and the impact that it has on us for almost 15 years. And one of the most important realizations that I've had is that most people think they're decluttering, but they're not.
This is because of the confusion between what it means to actually de clutter. And I've spoken about this before on this show, as I talk about the true definition of decluttering. But let me quickly explain what I mean. The literal definition of to declutter [00:02:00] means to remove items from an untidy or an overcrowded space. But when you take that at face value, that could mean taking items from one space in your home and moving them elsewhere. And the reason why this matters is because that's actually just tidying up. And it definitely doesn't help when you see people all over social media who say that they're decluttering, but they're really just tidying.
So if this is how people are decluttering, they're just dealing with all of their belongings in exactly the same way. And that means that when they do come across true clutter, when they, when they come across a pile of things that they need to sort through and make decisions on and really let go of, they're just doing the same thing, they're taking the items and moving them elsewhere in their home.
Now. This does [00:03:00] need to be done, especially when you're at the beginning stages of taking charge of your home and you need to clean up the messes. When you have piles or spaces that are full and overflowing with stuff, the only way to transform those spaces is to take those items from the overcrowded or untidy area and move them elsewhere in your home. And then when it comes to the accumulated clutter that is hidden away and piling up behind closed doors, you need to declutter those areas by sorting through that stuff and letting go of as much as you can.
So the takeaway here is that you need to have a plan for both these messes and the clutter. Because otherwise, you'll be spinning your wheels for years, really trying to tidy the clutter and declutter the messes, or you'll be clearing the clutter, but the messes will just keep taking over.
[00:04:00] So if moving those items from an untidy space is not decluttering. But it still needs to be done. That really begs the question. What is it? Well, that's actually called overhauling and it should come before you declutter.
In our last episode, we broke down the Big Three Messes. These are the three types of clutter that all need to be tackled differently. If you missed that episode, go check it out and have a listen first, but here's a quick rundown. If you struggle with everyday messes, these are the items that are getting left out that need to be put back where they belong. And the way to handle these everyday messes is to put everything back where it goes. As well as implement a routine to help you keep your home neat and tidy from one day to the next. Now the second of the Big Three Messes is homeless clutter. And these are the items that are getting left out because they do [00:05:00] not have a permanent spot where they can always go back to. For these homeless items, you'll want to find a dedicated, permanent home for all of them. And the last of the Big Three Messes is accumulated clutter. This is the stuff that is piling up in closets doors, cabinet shelves, boxes, and even in basic piles. Now accumulated clutter is just like hidden clutter because it's accumulating behind closed doors. And if you have a lot of piles of accumulated clutter, you need to sort through and decide what to let go of.
So those are the strategies that you need to know in order to tackle each of the Big Three Messes. But if you have all three of the Big Three Messes, if your home is messy and cluttered and you feel like it's totally out of control ,the [00:06:00] number one thing to focus on is overhauling your home first. Because here's the thing. Tidying, decluttering, and organizing sporadically, it will never work when your house is a mess. So we need to stop pretending that that's normal. Because trying to tidy up all day long and then somehow clear away the accumulated clutter, and then organize what's left, that's like spinning in circles. And this is why I say that the decluttering and organizing industry has it all wrong. Because if you're stuck in a loop of constantly tidying the same messes, only for your house to be trashed again within another week... If you know that you need to declutter, but you can't seem to keep a clean house so that way you can even have the time and the mental capacity to focus on decluttering... Then you need to be overhauling your home before you declutter. [00:07:00]
Overhauling is a home life concept that I came up with that really involves taking back your home. It's where you're quite literally overtaking the messes and getting your household back to a normal state where it's clean and tidy and orderly and things are put away. When you can overhaul the messes, you will have a home that is more manageable from one day to the next. You'll have a dedicated spot for the things that you use every day. You'll have routines to help you manage the messes and stay on top of them and keep them from coming back. And then you'll have the peace of mind and the mental clarity to start decluttering like a boss.
Overhauling has quite literally changed my life and my home forever. It is the secret to how I was finally able to create a neat and tidy home [00:08:00] without becoming a minimalist. Because even though I had cleared away decades worth of clutter, my house was still getting messy. And I thought that I just needed to do a better job of decluttering. Because like most people, I was viewing all the messy areas as clutter. But every time I tried to declutter, I ended up super frustrated because all the items that I was dealing with were things that I wanted to keep, they were things that my family was using pretty frequently. So I had all these items that I was trying to declutter, but I didn't want to let go of any of them. And I knew that I didn't want to become a minimalist. I just wanted to let go of as much of our excess stuff as I could so I could have a more neat and tidy home. I didn't want to have a perfect home. I didn't want it to be empty. I didn't want to get rid of everything. I just wanted to clear away our excess clutter and be able to stay on top of the messes [00:09:00] like I saw so many other people successfully doing on social media.
Once I'm recognized the Big Three Messes and started to identify the different categories of items, I began to tackle each of them differently. And when I stopped decluttering and organizing and tidying randomly and instead overhauled the mess first, then cleared my clutter, and then organized what was left. Well, that's how I was finally able to have an orderly, tidy home without having to let go of all of my belongings. So overhauling is the secret to transforming your home, but you need to do it before you declutter.
So if you're ready to get started with overhauling the mess and really overhauling your home, you're going to want to join us for our three-day Breathing Room challenge. This is our [00:10:00] third and final live event this year and it's going to be the cherry on top of everything that we have covered all summer long. During our three action packed days, you will discover how to overhaul the mess and ditch the clutter. You'll unlock a roadmap to help you transform your entire home one step at a time so you can go from messy to organized without the overwhelm. And you'll uncover the secret to having true freedom from digital, mental, and physical clutter. And by the end of the challenge, you will know exactly how to create more breathing room in your home for both you and your family.
But trust me when I say that it all starts with overhauling, especially if you feel like you're struggling with both messes and clutter. Because as I said, you need to have a plan for both of them. We've been talking about how the clutter and the messes need to be [00:11:00] tackled differently. So if you have both messes and clutter in your home, You need to have a plan for both. You need to have a plan to help you demolish and overhaul the messes. And you need to have a plan to help you ditch the clutter.
So that's what we're going to be covering in the Breathing Room challenge. And I can't wait to see you there! I'm going to drop the link in the show notes for you to save your seat. Just click on that link, enter your name and your email, and you'll be all signed up. And don't forget to join us inside of our pop-up community because during the challenge week, We will have accountability and prizes for those who show up live because overhauling and decluttering is a lot more enjoyable when you make it fun. I'll see you there and I'll talk to you soon. Bye.
Thank you for listening to another episode of the Take Charge of Your Home Show. Go ahead and take a few moments to celebrate yourself for being here, doing this work, and really learning [00:12:00] how to create a calm, relaxing home. Don't forget to check out the show notes and feel free to leave a rating and a review so I can know what you want to hear more about because you and your journey are what make this show a reality.
I'll see you next time.
