“Space care is a form of self care.”
–Ashley Moon
We’re all swimming in STUFF! I see so many people in FLOW365 and in other circles who want to declutter, downsize, and get their space in order. So I’m really excited to talk with decluttering specialist Ashley Moon.
Ashley suggests that we start by taking stock of how you feel about your space. Do you love it or do you hate it or somewhere in the middle? Are you able to nourish yourself, to rest, to nurture relationships? Another way to look at that is what is the purpose of each room — and does it fulfill that purpose?
Then you follow this three step process: sort, purge, organize. It’s simple, but it’s not easy. Don’t worry — Ashley gives specific suggestions for how to actually follow this system. And she shares the arc of decluttering and how to maintain a decluttered and organized house.
We talk about:
- Easy entry points like setting a timer, and leaving time for wrap up so you don’t have to start from scratch again or sorting by person and putting away things that have a home as a starting point
- Notice your stories and feelings during the purge/decision phase
- Try not to be a perfectionist about deciding how to get rid of things
- Having a body double, accountability partner, or coach to keep you going
- Sorting into subcategories to help you make decisions — like sorting books into fiction or nonfiction, or tackling all your workout clothes, but not your other clothes in one session
- How to tackle clutter in a shared space when not all of the stuff is yours
ABOUT ASHLEY
Ashley Moon is one of today’s top decluttering specialists, with an in-person team serving Greater Los Angeles and virtual support available worldwide. Ashley began organizing as a teenager in the late 1990’s, joined a declutter team in 2005, and started her own business, Creatively Neat, in 2011.
They’ve helped hundreds of homes and businesses look, feel, and function more beautifully and optimally. They love the art and power of decluttering- for it can offer us so much physically, mentally, and emotionally.
From an episode of Hoarders to managing moves for bigtime celebrities, and everything in between, Ashley has seen it all and enjoys helping people create neater lives!
LINKS
DOABLE CHANGES
At the end of every episode, we share three doable changes, so you can take what you've heard and put it into action. Action is where change happens.
Even though we want big change, it’s really little things done over and over that make the difference. So pick a doable thing. Put it in your calendar. Weave it through your days for a week and then move on to the next one. It will have a snowball effect.
Here are three Doable Changes from this conversation:
- PUT AWAY THINGS THAT HAVE A HOME. Want to declutter a space? Start by putting away anything that has a home. Move dishes from your desk to the kitchen sink. Throw away trash. Put books back on the shelf. Hang up your sweater. Once you do that, you can work through other categories of sort/purge/organize.
- FIND A DECLUTTERING PARTNER. You and a friend could both declutter on Zoom for a set time together. Or get together and have somebody help you go through your closet. Having a buddy can help you stick to the task and make decisions.
- SORT ONE CATEGORY. Pick one category, break it into subcategories. Then sort and purge. For example, you could choose clothes and go through all your pants or all your workout clothes or all your shoes. Do the whole subcategory and focus on another one the next time you declutter.
