If you're only focused on decluttering, you're doing it backwards

When we look at our home, and the tasks that need to be taken care of, we see mostly the clutter, don't we?

Sure there’s dishes and laundry- but mainly there’s all this clutter that we need to deal with right?

We think, If the clutter was gone, the house wouldn’t be so bad!

But have you noticed over the years that you can do a huge declutter and then a couple of months later the house is just as bad as it was before?

And of course, our automatic response is to say “Ugh! I need to declutter again!”

But that’s doing it backward.

Clutter is a result of our daily habits.

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[gratefulketo]

WOW!!! Did this ever hit home! In my family, I was always the only one organizing, decluttering and cleaning. I was not very good at it so you can imagine the disaster! I never knew how to motivate them. It struck a chord when you pointed out that you first have to learn new habits and have routines in place before you can get people to help. This really rings true to me and I can see how it would work. Now that I am widowed and my kids are on their own, I am slowly learning what I should’ve learned when I was younger! Better late than never!
One tip that has helped me greatly concerns the dishes. Before I start cooking my supper, I fill my sink with hot soapy water. As I am cooking, I am washing the dishes. There is always a few minutes of wait time while you wait for veggies to cook or water to boil. That’s when I’ll clean up the cutting board, the mixing bowls etc. It leaves a lot less to do after supper.
Thank you for the wonderful insights!

[status-danielho]

I make it a habit of doing the dishes and putting them away twice a day. It's so much more pleasant to confront a small manageable pile than it is to confront a day's worth, even if it takes slightly more time in total.

[NLYWAYU]

Yes, daily habits is something some minimalists do not address. A place for everything and everything in its' place !!! AND put away immediately!

[tphillips]

It's true that it spreads. I started with just washing the dishes before I go to bed so when I get up walking into the kitchen feels better. Then in the morning while waiting for water to boil for my tea, I started cleaning off the counters just to kill time. I noticed the other day that in the past few months I've since cleared off the island bar right above my sink and my cabinets and refrigerator are organized. My bathroom has also become a clean and organized place as well. Here's hoping the rest of the house will follow!

[ArtyAntics]

Routines are like finding a home for chores in your day 😊 Everything in its place (and time)!

[kbkb]

I think this video is spot on! And I fully agree with the other comment about this not often being addressed in minimalism videos. Sometimes people think if I just declutter then I will have a clean home and that would be true if no one actually lived in the home. But people do and so with every meal, and activity, and food shopping, etc messes are made, and clutter and disorder are visible. No amount of decluttering can ultimately address these messes. These have to be addressed by daily habits so that what was “gained” by decluttering can be daily enjoyed.

[juliebrooke]

Setting these good habits is definitely the key. Once something becomes a habit it happens automatically without you having to give it conscious thought. I’ve been working on getting everyone to hang up their coat as soon as they come in instead of abandoning it randomly round the house ( started with myself of course). They’re getting there.

[cinnie]

I've been doing my dishes before I go to bed every day for the past month or so and I love waking up to a clean kitchen, but I do feel frustrated if someone pops over after breakfast and my kitchen is a mess again. Sounds so simple, but I never thought of putting it back together after breakfast. Thanks!

[carrotgold]

CPI = continuous improvement process. The person feeling the pain is the one motivated to solve the problem 🤪👍🤗

[jcepri]

Omg.you are the first person who sees me. 99.99% of the advice out there is basic common sense that DOES NOT work, at least for me. I will say that I really need to find professional help because I am out of control. It's not just my house. It's my digital environment, my finances, pretty much everything. I leave kitchen cabinet doors open, clothes on the floor, etc. I hate it but I can't seem to change. Nothing seems to light a fire under me. I'm almost 60 and I have been messy since at least 12-14 years old.

[tmontero]

Making my bed upon waking was tricky to incorporate into my daily routine. When I don't feel like doing it, I tell myself "you can do ANYTHING for 3 minutes! " Like magic, the bed gets made!

[eahuebner]

I like the word reset too. I see that I'm setting myself up for success later instead of catching up from the stuff we've already done.

[ttratt]

i never thought about NOT needing your videos in the your videos are so encouraging and as decluttering isn't a once off thing I assumed we'd be youtube friends for years to come. Great thought to ponder.

[JennsCorner]

Ya know you really hit the nail on the head about persistent habits. I did love to shop as a hobby mostly because there wasn't anything else I could do since living with family gives me no space or privacy to unwind at home to do my creative hobbies. But after working on my self discipline I decided to just stop shopping unless I needed something. Going out even was fine to look around and just be mindful of purchases vs getting over excited and grabbing everything I wanted....this was at Dollar Tree mind you I don't have millions lol.
Really I just didn't have anymore frigging room for anything. The decluttering helps for sure but you're right, habits gotta be in place to upkeep.

[sruhaana]

I felt you are talking about me 😢 I always think i am the only one cleaning. But while observing, i can see that first i have to have good cleaning habits.

[GoingGreenMom]

Excellent points! I did the minimalism game in January, so it was just a little bit at a time. But it cleared just enough in the kitchen I felt like I could regularly wipe down counters. That has definitely snowballed!

[pixiegumnut]

I paused the video and"reset" the kitchen. Thank you so much! I think I listened to you because you said you were a " recovering messy"❤️ hopefully I can keep it up!

[amiehegeman]

This totally resonates with me. This has been the big shift with me over the last few years. I have a long way to go on this though. And I like the term “reset”.

[MercyUS]

🦋 So true! We withdraw out of frustration & get depressed! Thanks!

[helpfulnhappy]

Awesome! Your best video... everyone should save this one to a playlist and watch it again until they have it down and well on their way to getting their house reset! Thank you for your wonderful insights.