ClutterMeister

Just now I watched this episode of one of my regular subscriptions on YouTube. While this is obviously a different kind of support he provides, I felt for Ben when he opens up about his struggle with this client at mark 12:27.

I rarely speak of my own struggles with client issues, but this is different because something he said really hit me full on. These are issues we Professional Organisers have to deal deal with whenever we encounter a client with hoarding tendencies.

I personally have decided to stay clear of such clients for multiple reasons, but one of them is self-preservation. I have learned the hard way that I cannot support my clients if I am starting to struggle myself. I'd rather pass such clients on to a colleague with a specialisation in hoarding behaviour than doing a bad job myself.

I recommend watching this episode and hear what Ben has to say when he shares his thoughts on the matter.

APDO Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers

I'm OUT of my DEPTH Helping Percy On this Home Rescue! We tried to rescue this home! But it was just too much for us..Gr...

Impartiality is an important part of my job. I guide, offer options and assist on the path that my clients choose.

Possession and ownership are two different sides of the clutter medal: possessing an item simply means that it is in your hands, while ownership means that you have full control over what happens with that item. Usually, those two go hand in hand, but if someone borrows a book from you, they now possess it, while you still own it.

Read more about what this has to do with clutter and organisation:

On Possession and Ownership Possession and ownership are two different sides of the clutter medal: possessing an item simply means that it is in your hands, while ownership means that you have full control over what happens...

It's not enough to plan ahead: you need to indicate just how important, unmissable, urgent or personal those items in your calendar are. "Potential" can wait for later, "mandatory" is not necessarily also "urgent".

Stumbling over my coin collection this weekend, I realised that my efforts to shift it have ground to a standstill earlier this year.

Until recently, I thought I’d engage with it again at some point in the future, but I have come to understand that I never will go back to that hobby. Let’s be clear - it’s not just a dormant hobby, it’s a dead collection. There’s a difference!

The logical next step is to clear the space by selling it, and that is exactly what I’m working on. “Why let go of it?” you might ask, and the answer is simple really. It’s taking up room in my home and in my mind.

I’m convinced that we all should occasionally assess the materials we collect, particularly when it comes to crafts and arts supplies, but not limited to it.

I always ask my decluttering clients how long they had certain supplies. In most cases, those materials have been around for years, if not decades, and the hobby never took off. Often the real hobby is the joy of hunting for materials rather than using them, and sometimes we even uncover a shopping addiction…

All that said, it’s not enough to aspire to do something. If it never happens, all those materials are nothing but clutter. Let it go and focus on what you are actually doing.

If you focus only on "more important things", the activities you enjoy will always fall by the wayside first. If you never manage to do enjoyable things, make sure to treat them as "most important" and schedule them in as fixed date/times.

The best way to successfully declutter is to focus on a single thing at any time. That could mean only to deal with a manageable number of items, not mixing making choices with considering what follows next, making sure that each decision only has to be made once (“touch it once” strategy), and others.

The most common way to sort through a category is using the four boxes method. Read more:

The Four Box Method: A Simple Sorting Technique The best way to successfully declutter is to focus on a single thing at any time. That could mean only to deal with a manageable number of items, not mixing making choices with considering what...

Rather than doing everything yourself, can you find someone to do it for you? Ask your family members to chip in with household tasks, find colleagues that are doing similar work and swap tasks, etc. It pays to take a step back and realign tasks that have accumulated over time...

Sometimes we add jobs to our to-do list that can easily be left out: they only end up there out of a sense of completion, of perfectionism. Embrace "good enough" rather than chasing perfection!

Any decluttering project is only going to be as successful as you are able to make decisions about the items you are working through. Of course, being able to stay focused is part of it, too, but it all boils down to asking the right questions when you try to figure out what stays and what goes.

Read more:

Overcoming Decluttering Paralysis: Ask the Right Questions Any decluttering project is only going to be as successful as you are able to make decisions about the items you are working through. In my mind, this is the most important aspect of any such...