Decluttering 101: How to Get Started by Certified KonMari Consultant & Coach. FREE Clear the Clutter Starter Guide on The Burnout Doctor Podcast by Dr. Louie
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Mentioned on Ep 013: Decluttering 101, how to get started with the KonMari Method and simplifying your life in healthcare.
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Welcome back to The Burnout Doctor Podcast with your host, Dr. Jessica Louie. Today on episode 13, we are discussing decluttering 101, how to get started with the KonMari Method.
Overview: How to Start Decluttering? Use the CURATE Method to get started from episode 7 – this is fully documented on the podcast exclusive workbook too – have you downloaded it yet for FREE?
Decluttering 101 using the CURATE Method
1. Clarify and Ask why
Why do you want to start decluttering? Think about what this personally means to you. Don’t bring in what others want you to do or what you think you SHOULD be doing.
For some of my clients it’s to life a simpler life with less THINGS to take care of – no more hour a day cleaning and tidying up, more time to focus on playing with children on the floor – going to local park – saving for a dream vacation instead of shopping all the time – stop working ALL the time just to have money to pay for house that’s too big to maintain.
2. Unpack all the ideas of what your space will look like at the end – vision boards, thoughts, words you want to feel: calm or sanctuary.
Write out ideas. Draw out visuals. Gather magazine clips onto a vision board. Use Pinterest to create a vision board. Use Trello to brain dump. Anything that works.
For me personally, I use my personal 12-week planner to brain dump and organize thoughts – I even have Japanese pens I LOVE that I have to use when writing notes and brain dumping – I will also compile ideas into Trello boards to easily track.
3. Reduce and simplify to Set vision for ideal lifestyle – how will you look and feel in space after you declutter.
As I’ve said before, knowing this end vision is important as you come upon obstacles and challenges decluttering. Just as in fitness goals and moving our bodies, when we want to reach for a food that is unhealthy or we don’t want to pull ourselves up for that 7am cardio class or afternoon walk after work – we remember WHY we started and the ideal life we want and it gets us through those tough days. It’s the same with decluttering and simplifying.
4. Align how you’ll make decluttering happen – start putting together timeline from end back to beginning – do you have a goal to finish by the holidays or life event or small portion working with children before school year starts – in this step I recommend taking before photographs.
I made the mistake of skipping this step during my own decluttering process. When I was living in the space day to day I didn’t feel the big changes that were happening. This is why I try not to make my mistake with clients – you’re going on a journey, document it for yourself so you can more easily celebrate your wins and accomplishments. Now, please have realistic timelines and goals when you take action align and reverse engineer your timeline. As I said in the last podcast episode number 12, decluttering is not a quick process
Not a quick process, took years to decades to accumulate.
Clutter will not go away overnight – we are not bringing in a dumpster and throwing everything in – and please don’t rush and turn into a discarding machine – that creates guilt, shame and regret, that is why we approach decluttering from a positive mindset, intentionally pick up each item – go back to last week’s episode on the step-by-step process.
5. Take action and schedule the steps you came up with in the align step on your calendar – if you’re looking for more help with children’s back to school, I put together a detailed article last year on this topic.
6. Evaluate and Enjoy by setting up an accountability system
This could be a family member, a friend or a coach like myself. It’s important that when you’re decluttering, someone is either working with you to facilitate the process or someone is checking in with you weekly or monthly to ensure you’re achieving your goals and give advice if you’ve fallen off track.
For me personally, I didn’t have a coach but I had accountability with a family member. I also tracked and celebrate my wins by journaling after each time I decluttered. This helped get thoughts out of my brain, process what just happened and see in writing how far I’d come.
In addition, I took photos during and after the decluttering process to document my progress, show my friends or family who asked to see it.
This was a great way to inspire those around who saw the mental/emotional changes I made through decluttering and simplifying AND the physical changes I was making – this can be empowering when you have family or friends who are skeptical about the process and may not want to participate at first. You never push them but they may find the inspiration to get started decluttering themselves when they see your own transformation.
Recap: today we went over the 6 steps to start decluttering.
If you’re struggling right now, my coaching program offers 30-minute weekly sessions to check-in for accountability, reflect on progress, answer and guide you through difficulties. Apply now at DrJessicaLouie.com/coaching.
Until next time, spark joy my friends!
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This podcast is for educational purposes only and not medical advice.
All KonMari Method Resources and Topic discussions:
- KonMari with Children // How to Go Back to School
- KonMari Before and After Photos
- Financial Well-Being Starter Kit
- Clear the Clutter Starter Kit
- What is the KonMari Method?
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