Reset Your Home with Ingrid & Lesley

Tasha sits down with Ingrid and Lesley, the hosts of the Declutter Hub podcast and authors of Reset Your Home, to talk about how everyone is different when it comes to their needs and season of life in decluttering.

Links In Episode

HOW DECLUTTER HUB BEGAN

Ingrid and Lesley met at a conference for the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organizers (APDO). They became friends and both began volunteering together for APDO. A few years later they both went back to their own businesses, but missed working together and that was when Declutter Hub began.

DECLUTTERING & WELL BEING

Someone from Bloomsbury was listening to their podcast one day and liked how they talked about the emotional side of decluttering, so she contacted them about writing a book.

And that is where they believe things truly start, needing to deal with the emotions first and then start dealing with the stuff. Once you realize the emotions that are in play, you begin to have the ability to let something go.

WHERE TO START

It’s important to have an end goal, or a big picture goal in mind. You want your house decluttered, but why? Once you know, break it down and start with the easier rooms such as the kitchen and bathroom. There is less sentimental clutter in those rooms.

THE DECLUTTERING MUSCLE

Similar to fitness and exercise, organizing and decluttering is a process that takes time. You have to take your time and be patient for the results. Over time it will become more comfortable and easier to do.

You also don’t want to overdo it. You need to feel in control of the decisions you’re making, and if you don’t feel ready to make a decision, it’s okay to leave it for another day.

SIMILARITIES & DIFFERENCES

Ingrid and Lesley say they have an unlikely friendship because they are so different. Some of those differences are in the way they organize. While they are both organized people, their styles are very different.

Ingrid is one that gets a lot of pleasure from folding everything from t-shirts, underwear, pajamas, towels, etc. while Lesley has her things neatly in a drawer, but not folded.

They see these differences as beneficial to their audience because people are very different and they have two different examples to relate to.

TRANSITIONS IN ORGANIZING

Lesley has noticed that her organizing has changed from when she was younger. Now that kids have moved out, she has been doing some decanting using fancy jars and labels. At this stage, she has more time and more desire to do that.

They say that both of their styles of organizing work because as long as you can find what you need and you don’t have an excess that you are overwhelmed by, then the job is done.

BE REALISTIC

We see a lot of imagery online about how spaces are transformed with a snap of a finger, but those transformations take time. We need to be honest with ourselves about the management of those systems because it takes a long time to get there.

Let’s first start with having just a little bit less, where everything has a place and you can find and use what you have.

So, again, realize what season of life you are in and what your family needs. What is your goal that will make your life less stressful?

MORE STUFF REQUIRES MORE TIME

We need to consider what we want to spend our time on because the more stuff you have, the more time it takes to keep house.

For example, having a better laundry system will give you a much calmer feeling than knowing you have 11 loads to do because you keep buying socks and underwear when you run low on clean ones.

INFORMATION IS MORE ACCESSIBLE

One of the benefits of having so much available online is that we are exposed to so many different styles of organizing and can find the ones that resonates with us. We are able to find a community of people where we feel we belong.

RESET YOUR HOME BOOK

Ingrid and Lesley’s book, Reset Your Home, is available now in the UK and will be released in the US at the end of June. You can pre-order it now, though.

Their book is a step by step guide that takes you through every room in your home. It talks about the emotional connection we have to our things and helps us know what style of decluttering we best match with. It’s also packed with numerous examples that bring the whole process to life.

LESS STRESS, MORE PEACE

Having daily resets is what brings Ingrid more peace. Making sure her non-negotiables are done every day helps her stay on top of things and makes her happy.

While living in the US for a couple of years, Lesley discovered the concept of an upstairs laundry room and has one currently in her home. She loves that she never has to take laundry down the stairs, which helps keep the rest of the house tidy.

 

Posted Under: Podcast, Uncategorized