Survey #237 results
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | What was your proudest decluttering, organizing, or productivity achievement of 2024? | Name two or three areas of your home, categories of stuff, or collections on which you’d like to focus your attention in 2025. | What’s the most powerful affirmation, quotation, or aphorism that you repeat to yourself to unleash inspiration or energy? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ginger | ▪️ Recycling all the old expired medications left from 2022 after my mother’s death and after my husband’s health crises. It was a huge amount. Mostly because of 90 day prescriptions - things like boxes of nebulizer meds in tubes. None of it was usable. ▪️I also made great progress on decluttering my husband’s clothes. 1st time in years. I found an easy way to help him thru this. I did all the leg work. ✔️1. We’ve done one category a week. Split bigger categories into sub-categories. ✔️2. I laid out a category on our bed. ✔️3. He looked and made 2-3 decisions. Keep, toss, buy/replace. ✔️4. He’s happy with the space in dresser drawers - he can see what he has. | Next year - we plan to paint interior, replace flooring and 2 sets of living room furniture (upstairs & downstairs). I want to simplify. Fewer tables to dust. In preparation for this… My declutter projects are: ▪️My annual declutter pass through the whole house. I’ll update my inventory. Find new homes for any needed items currently stored in LR table drawers. Re-organize our small utility closet to store those items. ▪️Mom’s suite. Bedroom, bathroom, sewing room. It’s been 2 years. ▪️My craft supply closet. | “Just Do It!” - Nike. Over the years - this quote helps me stop overthinking and get things done. ▪️I’m a planner. Plans need follow-thru actions or the plans are just great thought pieces. ▪️My best action energy comes when I give myself 3 next steps. Make the bed, get dressed, start laundry. Start coffee, put away dishes, set-out water & meds. |
| Catherine | Cleaning up for my brother's family to come stay with me. | my own bedroom the living room the kitchen table | No one else is going to do it. Organizing your home is the best gift to yourself |
| Brienne | Nothing specific, just getting better at decluttering overall | 1. Tidying my bedroom regularly 2. Vacuuming my newly visible carpet regularly (it will be "newly visible" because my room and floor will be tidy!) | "Your goal with decluttering is to make more room in your room"- a friend of mine during a conversation I had about my decluttering journey |
| Katherine | I gave up reading for hours on “anecdote” websites. | Daily to-do list Old cords and electronic equipment | We always have enough time to do all the truly important things. |
| Peggy | Going through each kitchen cabinet and prioritizing what we actually use, making room for it by tossing or donating foodstuffs we weren't using. It is so easy now to see what we have, if it's time to repurchase anything. Easy to retrieve items for use and put them back when finished. It's so much better! | This is a juicy one! I have already been working on all the supplies in the linen closet and medicine cabinet, but now am wondering whether I went as far as I could. It is much better than it was but I do still have a box of "stuff I don't regularly use" in my linen closet... may need to look at that LOL. Also, the garage where things go to marinate haha... | not a mantra exactly, but I do remind myself that I have done decluttering work before and it felt hard initially but I got through it |
| Anonymous user | Little bits here and there. But shoes was a major thing as well as old diaries and letters. I could not believe that one friend’s letters from 25 years ago had included so much about her breakup back then! Can yoi imagine that I had been holding onto the ghost of her ex boyfriend??!! I had no idea, having not re-read the letters since then. | Diaries, continued Crafts And other layers from other categories, Plus- looking at the things I’ve left behind at my parents’ house, plus, things from a desceased relative… | For me, it’s every bit counts! My mother’s friend had come up with the term: Hoarders in Order- referring to how neatly they were storing their clutter (collections of fabric and decorative items etc…) And my uncle used to use the phrase: Shuffling Shit- referring to false organizing and decluttering where you move objects and organize and then reorganize - I am trying not to be like them!!! |
| Cheryl | Scanned photos to OneDrive and tossed them! Now I can share them with family, I know they are safe from fading , and I have 2 empty shevles where the photo boxes were! | The dreaded basement! My husband retired this month so I am encouraging him to donate duplicates of hand tools, old paint, stain, varnish, etc. I am converting one of our kids old rooms to a sewing/craft room for myself. Decluttering the kids lingering things by boxing them up for when they have the space for them (I am happy to store them if they are boxed neatly and stored out of site) | “Does this bring me joy?” “ I’m not going to use this item, but I also can’t get the money back by keeping it so I should get rid of it” “Are the kids going to want to sort all this out when I’m gone?” |
| Jean | I let go of the guitar! It had been shouting at me because I wasn’t playing with it! | Recycling computer stuff. | Why do I have this? Is this mine? Who saddled me with this object and why haven’t I decluttered it? |
| Marsha | I got a diagnosis of an illness that made me feel the need for a "Death DeCluttering" I looked into all my financial accounts and consolidated them into a simple plan for my heirs. I checked on beneficiaries which was wise. On several accounts my father who passed away in 1999 was listed as was my sister who passed away in 2014. That would have been a mess if I had passed away before taking care to update it. It highlites the necessity of checking on our accounts periodically. I've created a notebook to outline important information that people will need when I pass away such as passwords, obitiuary information, location of SS card, passport etc. I prepaid my funeral. I also created a living trust so that there will be no issue of probate etc. I put ALL statements other than utilities on an electronic format and shredded all unneccessary paperwork in my files. I offered relatives the opportunity to take anything they would like to have and was of course surprised that nobody wanted anything. So since then I have gone through my house and am making sure that it is "estate sale" ready. No worthless clutter or trash or debris left behind as I do not want my heirs last memory of me being that of the awful task of decluttering. I'm not sure that I'll have the emotional reserve to go through photo's but if I do it will be at the end of my list of chores and will have to wait for next year. It is truly a "Labor of Love" to declutter for those we love before our eventual inevitable demise. | Family Photos Kitchenware Garage & "Clutter Room" | Everything Counts- Gayle & ED |
| Suzanne | I’m thinking. That would maybe be getting the yard ready for winter. This year I handled it and I like how everything is neat, orderly, went through a good decluttering, is tarped atop pallets, and will be easy to come back into use after the melting of snow and when green reappears. | This is smart Gayle and Ed. If I focus on 3 instead of 30 or 300 I will certainly be further ahead. I must think more on this but I’m leaning towards the shelves in my home. Bookshelves, cupboard and cabinet shelves, closet shelves, and shelving unit shelves. None to be purchased. | You got me there. I should come up with something. |
| Danetta | Steady, gradual decluttering of about 2000 items including books, paperwork, hobbies, decor, clothing, dishes in my house while also decluttering my mom’s house bit by bit. I incorporated some things of my moms’ that I love but rehomed most of her stuff. My mom is still alive but demented and immobile, and lives in her own home with help from care givers and her children. I started the clean out while she is still alive and I and my brother are not overwhelmed with grief and a deadline to sell her home. | A few pieces of furniture Books Paperwork Photos | Always take the next step Or Just take the next step I set my alarm for 15 minutes and stop when it goes off. I rest and decide if I want to do 15 more minutes |
| Anonymous user | Getting rid of a stuffed animal I didn't like and that I got as a present for an occasion that I didn't want it for within two months. Yay. | Paper clutter and small storage room that is a little too full. | I just can't think of any right now. - That is my answer not an affirmation or anything 😉 |
| Yvonne | My proudest decluttering achievement was my identity shift. At the beginning of 2024, I did not have clarity on my present self and my home reflected that. I had a lot of anticipatory and former-self clutter. Getting clear on who I am in THIS moment allowed me to remove items from my past that were no longer serving me and thus create an environment that is in alignment with my current needs. My mental clarity allowed me to declutter my outside storage closet, bedroom, craft area, and half of my living room. Although there is still much to do, I am very proud of what I have been able to accomplish this year. Woohoo!! | In 2025, I would like to focus on my kitchen, desk, and craft area. These represent the heart of the family, my primary place of work, and my main clutter magnet. | I primarily use the concept of the 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle) when organizing an area, since it helps me focus on the 20% of items that I use most often. Once those are organized, everything else usually falls into place. |
| Celina | I learnt how to say no to many products. Hopefully, I'm just a couple months away from being a tiny flat owner, so while I haven't downsized one bit, i've managed to resist temptation and make smarter choices (or just return things I didn't like if I honestly didn't like them). | craft supplies, packing material, supplements that I'm supposed to take before they expire | recently, it's been 'If it's not yes, then it's a no" that I stole from the decluttering community, but use to vet boyfriends. |
| Kathy | I recycled my in-law's 2011 TV that came into our house last year. It sat for the whole year while I tried to think of who I could give it to. Recently, I gave up that notion and decided to take it to a resell shop. They only take working appliances. I was sure it worked but decided to plug it in at home first. I couldn't get it to operate after trying all kinds of things. I gave up and took it to the dump, which charges a recycling fee. The fee was actually about $10 less than I thought, and I was able to drop it off during my weekly dump run, so it didn't take any extra time or effort. Painless! Getting it out of the house felt so good; it was worth giving up the dream of giving it to someone and having to pay to recycle it. I use this experience to help me let go or more and more declutter, choosing the easiest options for me. | Sewing room (fabric, patterns, yarn, etc.); basement (3+ boxes of neatly organized and stored sewing projects I haven't looked at for about 10 years) | Elisabeth Elliot, "Do the next thing" (i.e., just do what comes next without dwelling on the emotions or getting bogged down in overthinking), and Dana K. White, "Take it there now." |
| Anonymous user | Using up food and products stockpile while saving money to refresh them. | Going through clothes and linen closet. | Don't buy it because it is cute or on sale. Only buy consumables. |
| Kate | Due to a year of health appointments, procedures, operations and recovery I and my husband have endeavoured to declutter where we can. My weight loss of around 20 kilos during the year has slowed the closet declutter as I am not sure if all the weight will return. Instead of putting new elastic in my skirts I have folded the waist over and sewn them up partially. A friend gave me a bulldog clip when desperately in need at the shopping centre! It worked really well too. | Books a category in progress. I want to read what I have starting with my least favourite ones and moving them on. Our late cat Tinkerbell’s items eg carry cage, scratching post, nail clippers etc. Whether it is a family member or a pet there have been things belonging to them that have had to go straight away and other items that we were not sure and we can take our time over. | Just do the best I can each day. We are only human and some days can accomplish more than other days. |
| Kathy | Making a space for my grown son to move in while dealing with health issues. | Aging reality down sizing | If it is to be it's up to me! Start checking off a list! Start in small increments... break it apart! |
| Dawn | The fact that I'm seeing progress. I'm decluttering as well as getting other projects done (e.g, organizing my area...working through the processes to put in place which work for me: my personality, etc. as well as well as counted cross-stitch pillows--made 4 of them in addition to a 16x20 design) with the unexpected addition of becoming the caregiver for DH, who fell in the middle of the night on 8/1. | PAPER!!! Decluttering my wardrobe due to a 30-lb weight loss. Woo-hoo! | I can make it; every project is one step at a time. Writer that I am, I just came up with it right now. |
| Bluenose Brenda | Selling several dozen antique glass tree ornaments! We down -sized our 6.5 ft white & silver Martha Stewart artificial tree... a 4 foot real tree can't take the lovely large balls and icicles. The Martha Stewart tree is now in the window display of our friends's art gallery, surrounded by "baby" pink trees! It looks amazing lit up at night in their window. | Paper purging the study; de-cluttering my art studio; sorting & selling to collectors my relatives' expensive decorations | This beautiful item is not my relative/friend..... I can let the item go to someone who will love it.... Gayle Goddard |
| Lela | After my MIL passed away, I decluttered, deep cleaned, repainted, & organized that half of our house where she had built on 20 years ago. I have prepared it in case my mother or daughter ever needs to live there. | Our yard has been somewhat neglected for several years, so I would like to get it looking tidy while also being lower maintenance. I would also like to keep our vehicles cleaned and maintained better. | I can only do my best, & that’s enough. |
| Mel | Got the car in the garage. | clothes, jewelry, garage | With God, all things are possible. |
| Summer | Cleaning out a closet post-move that I have been ignoring/dreading. | paper stuff i've accumulated since moving in 2 years ago clothes in several sizes | I can do anything for XX minutes! Flylady! 🙂 |
| Gabriella | In our two homes, in Berlin, Germany and in Tangier, Morocco, we decluttered a total of more than 2000 items in 2024. | In Tangier: - a lot of broken items that my partner has been keeping in corners of the patio in Berlin: - electronics - books - organizing the papers that survived my great paper declutter in 2024 - a few more sentimental items that I'm still on the fence about | I find it hard to answer this question. I remember, however, what used to magically let me overcome my resistance to decluttering back in the days when I was drowning in stuff: "I'm doing this for myself". When nothing else got me moving, this always did. |
| C | Quite a bit donated. Probably close to 800 items altogether. Even the little things do add up! | Area one: a goal I have had since 2020: Get all my paperwork, all categories, organized/ under control. No more unknown paper piles. Area two: reset the x room to serve as guest room/ exercise room once again, now it is known as room of doom, because it has become our storage room in last 5 years. | Every bit counts! (As in how to eat an elephant. ) Or every step counts, enjoy the walk as you do. |
| Allison | I've made great progress this year letting go of sentimental items. Saying goodbye to things that belonged to deceased family members is a lot harder than dumping five excess mixing bowls or t-shirts. | There's a large piece of furniture that won't fit into my car. My friend offered her car but that likely won't happen this month so it'll be early 2025 when it's done. I'm looking forward to the empty space when the furniture is gone. My clothes fit neatly into the closet and dresser but I think I can pare down some more so I'll focus on clothing. | I don't really have an inspirational saying. As I age I'm just less interested in holding onto stuff perhaps because I'm aware that eventually someone else will have to deal with it. The one word that helps is simply "less." |
| Cynthia | Divide and conquer. | ||
| CHRISTINE | I decluttered and reorganized and cleaned the entire basement. I got rid of all cardboard boxes, most of which had become damp. To replace the cardboard boxes, I repurposed my waterproof plastic totes , to store excess, like paper towels, cleaning products. . I will use these waterproof plastic totes, for packing, when I move. | 1. Important paper work. Including the most essential emergency documents. 2. kitchen cupboard and countertop reorganization and decluttering., of all cupboards. my kitchen is small and poorly designed for work, , and I do lots of cooking. I need to make my kitchen more efficient to work in. | I am doing this work now, because I love and respect my adult children. and I do not want them to have to deal with MY Mess, after I have passed on. My mess is my responsibility entirely... not theirs. I do not want to steal time from their lives, just so I can be lazy now. There is a famous slogan....which is...CARRY YOUR OWN WATER ... when you are in the desert, you carry your own water. |
| Lynn | Making $900 at my garage sale this summer that enabled me to dispose of a lot of items. I lowered prices enough to ensure people took things away, even gave away a lot of stuff for free. I was more interested in stuff leaving than making a lot of money from it. Everything remaining fit into my car for a final load to the charity shop and I was finally done with the majority of decluttering my inherited house. Used the money to replace two ancient appliances in my kitchen. It was a win win win. I got rid of stuff, people got things they needed, and I got a new more energy efficient stove and dishwasher. | I have one more bedroom to empty out in preparation for new flooring. It is 90% done with just memorabilia and empty furniture to sort through and relocate. My goal is to have it done before the end of Spring and hot temps return. | Just one more, then take a 15 minute break. People are coming over, it is time for this to get done. I'll feel so much better when it is done. |
| Zoë | We moved into a bigger house in Oct., and I still purged a phenomenal amount before move day! I'm thrilled with the house-to-stuff ratio now. I held a couple of jam-packed driveway donation events, posting pics in a local free-stuff group, and people came and grabbed everything. We also donated 30+ boxes to an agency helping unhoused people... and I found a thrift store benefiting a local children's hospital. Knowing proceeds went to a good cause made it so much easier to part with nice vintage items I didn’t have the time/energy to sell. They even got to know me by name after multiple trips! I still have more than my share of "stuff" (ha)... but it's much more curated/essentials. | I have a few boxes in the garage labeled "To Sell" – things that I don't feel comfortable donating, mostly because of their historic specialness, where I want a special collector to own – or where I know I can list for a significant enough amount. I also have a couple of tubs labeled "Correspondence" – basically every letter I've ever received, including things like a big bundle of 30+ year old letters from a brief boyfriend in the Navy. (Why the heck haven't I tossed those?? I'm just hugely sentimental about my younger years...) | I don't have an affirmation I use, although I look forward to hearing others' responses. I mostly just visualize the better future me, and my situation. |
| Kathy | I purged, packed and moved to a smaller house, one without a basement or a garage. A small shed took the place of the garage. | Our office space which doubles as office and overflow storage. Everything fits and is stored neatly but I know I have too much. | It's so simple but I tell myself: "You can do this!" Sometimes getting rid of clutter, attempting a project (right now it's painting furniture), things that I need to do responsibly yet don't want to can be monumental. I repeat this to myself to remind me that I really can do hard things, I can do the things I don't want to do. |
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | What was your proudest decluttering, organizing, or productivity achievement of 2024? | Name two or three areas of your home, categories of stuff, or collections on which you’d like to focus your attention in 2025. | What’s the most powerful affirmation, quotation, or aphorism that you repeat to yourself to unleash inspiration or energy? |
