How to clear out the clutter (physically and emotionally) using the Space for GRACE method. Interview with the Clutter Coach, Kim Sneath.
overview: how to the clear the clutter with the clutter coach
(1:17) Kim talks about 5 different types of clutter
- physical
- mental
- sentimental
- moments
- animals
(2:25) Why we have trouble getting rid of our clutter.
- Sometimes the physical clutter is connected to us emotionally. So that can be guilt or regret.
- People are hanging on to the past or worried about the future so they’re not in the present.
(3:03: Kim explains the 5 steps to clearing out clutter using her Space for Grace method:
- G: Going within (this is a step that almost everybody skips. But the missing piece is setting your goals. What is the bigger picture? Why are you getting organized?)
- R: Release without fear (You have the confidence to not worry about the future, to let things go and release it and we’re doing it in a really step-by-step way.)
- A: Alignment (Stay aligned with your goals and also when you organize your sort. So we’re really getting into the sorting at this point.)
- C: Cultivate new habits (Find systems that we can set up to be organized to keep your clutter gone.)
- E: Embrace and embody the new lifestyle (This whole new way of not just having an organized home but being an organized person in your life, in your day to day life)
(5:30) Kim explains how long it should take to declutter your whole home but also how to use the GRACE method to declutter your life.
- It’s a three month program to declutter your whole home, but it’s also your life.
- Transform your space, transform your life. Because I truly believe one leads to the other.
Related: How to Clear the Clutter When You Hate to Clean
(6:18) We talk about how to get kids and other people on board to declutter your home when usually it’s the mom who’s the one who starts the decluttering process.
- Different physical solutions of organizing don’t fit with everybody.
- The mom is the commander in chief she sets up the whole household and then they follow her example.
- Men and women look at clutter very, very differently. Women have more of an emotional attachment. Men have more of a pride of ownership.
(8:31) What should we feel like when we’re done decluttering? What is the end goal?
- Kim says this is why she is now called the Clutter Coach because decluttering is so much deeper than a clean room.
I’m drowning.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t relax.
I’m suffocating.
Have you ever thought or said these words while being in your home? You probably need to declutter.
(10:05) How clutter weighs us down.
- A lot of people who have lots of clutter also struggle with weight or other health issues.
Related: How to Declutter Your Soul
(11:44) We talk about maintenance – once you’ve decluttered your home, how to keep it decluttered.
- Kim talks about “hotspots” such as the dollar store or garage sales that bring more junk into your home.
- The C in the GRACE is cultivate new habits rather than shopping. Replace it with walking or something other than what brings more clutter into your home.
(13:26) Where should we start decluttering?
- Kim explains why we don’t go room to room and why we should start with our clothes.
- Clothes are the first category. It’s because we’ve been decluttering it all our lives. Right? We can’t possibly fit into the clothes we were wearing when we were 10 and so those go.
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