Declutter Backwards (It’s So Much Easier)
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Holding up a little bottle like this and saying should I keep it is the worst possible question
that you can ask because we have spent so much money on these little tiny products that make
huge promises to us. And so it is not a simple question. It's not cut or dry. And all of the
reasons are running through my head now of why I should keep it so I can justify the money that I
spent on it. And so if we try to declutter this the normal way, holding up each item one at a time,
it's too hard. We have nothing to compare it to. But if we flip the script, we do it in reverse
and have a couple really important tools. I'm going to show you how you can fly through this
space because let me ask you this question. Would you rather get ready in this space or this space?
It makes a gigantic difference to how you start your day. So I'm going to tell you a couple tools
you need. We're going to grab those and then you're going to head to your space and then we're
going to get to work. And by the end of this video, you can have a really beautiful space too.
And if we haven't met before, hi, I'm Dawn. I've been a minimalist for 10 years, got rid of 85%
of my stuff, have not missed any of it. And now I love helping other women simplify and
declutter their homes too. I'm telling you, once you get this stuff out, you are never going to
look back. But some of it's kind of tricky. And I also run a membership community. So if you want
more hands-on help, you want a really fun, awesome, supportive group of women to come alongside of
you, then I'll put details for that where details should be. Okay. The two tools you need, and then
we're going to get to work. So you want to have a black trash bag. Black is important because
once it goes in, we don't want to question it, but we're not making any hard decisions today.
So this is just for obvious, clear garbage, things that are empty, worn out, whatever that you don't
need. Now the other tool, and this is the secret sauce, is a time will tell bin. So any kind of
Rubbermaid container, it can even just be an Amazon box. You can decide on the size. For me,
my current bathroom time will tell bin is about this size, but I've pared down quite a bit. So in
the beginning, you might need something a little larger and that is totally okay. Now let me show
you though, how we can get through this process so quickly. And yes, this is my new house. And yes,
I am very excited to share a full tour with you next week. Okay. So we are going to get started.
And again, we're not deciding what to get rid of. We're deciding what to keep. And so this is the
only question that we are going to use. And it's, am I using it? Am I using this product? Am I using
it daily, weekly, or monthly? But here's the thing. Not, I want to use it. My fantasy self uses it.
When life slows down, I'm going to use it. No. It's, are you using it right now, either daily,
weekly, or monthly? I understand there's some things that we use daily and there's other
things that maybe we only use once a month, like some kind of treatment or whatnot. I get it. I
understand. I'm tracking with you, right? But this question is very important. And again, we're not
making hard decisions. So again, I'm going to show you this, right? We're going to get through all of
this stuff really quickly. All right. So I'm going to hold it up. Yes. I actually do use this every day.
Okay. So that goes on this side. Now, what are you going to find? A lot of the stuff that is out here
right now, you're using. Okay. What's the problem? It's hard to put away because there's all kinds of
stuff in here that we're not using, but that's okay right now. Because even as we're going through
the stuff we're using, we do often find stuff that is garbage, almost used up, that we don't need
anymore. And also you will find some stuff that you're not using, but want to use, right? So this
was something Adeline had gotten a while ago. She wasn't using it. She's like, oh mom, do you want to
try this? I'm like, yeah, I'll try it. And then I never have. It just isn't part of my routine.
I don't have a lot of extra bandwidth right now. So when I hold this up and say, am I using this?
No, I'm not. Wait, but I want to. No, I know. I know. Right? It's okay. We're not making any
hard decisions, right? So this is a no. So that's going to go on that side. Let's just quickly work
through the stuff that is sitting out on your vanity. All right. So am I using this? Yes. No. Yes.
Yes. This is extras and it just needs to get put where extras go now. Maybe you have a home for
that stuff. Maybe you don't, but nonetheless, yes, this is going to be getting used and also this
for the kids. So if you're coming across anything and you're like, yes, it just needs to go to this
place or that, that's fine. Just run it there real quick and be done with it. If you're like,
I will use this. Yes. That's why I got it, but it needs a place to go. That's fine.
Still just put it on the side where, yes, I use it. Oh man. We're going to come across things like
this, right? Isn't this the most beautiful palette you have ever seen? It's gorgeous.
I just haven't taken the time to, I used it once, but too much came off on the brush and I'm like,
that's too much. And now I haven't used it cause I need to learn how to use it. And I don't want
to use it when I'm getting ready to go somewhere. Cause if I put too much on, then I have to wash
my face again. Isn't it amazing? I just thought I ordered it. I thought it was beautiful. I like
the foundation, but yet there's still this barrier to actually using it. Okay. So if I ask myself,
am I currently using this again? No, I'm not. Even though I really want to, but that's not
the question. Am I using it right now? No. Okay. So that's going to go over here. But again,
before we get too worried about this, why I say we're not making any hard decisions today,
because all this stuff we're not using, but we maybe want to, is just going to go into our time
old hell bin. It's not going anywhere. We're going to time test it. But in the meantime,
you need a peaceful place to get ready. You need it to be very simple to see the things that you
use every day. And I'm guessing if you're like me, you don't even realize how these things have
been nagging at you. They add to your silence to-do list. Why haven't you used that? You got
that. You spent like $50 on this. That's a lot. Why haven't you used the body oil? It's going to
make your skin so soft and look younger and all that, right? There is so much aspiration
tied up into all of this stuff. And it's all asking something of us. In the past, we've talked
about the silence to-do list. It's how things tell us something that we're supposed to do,
and it gets added to our mental to-do list. All of this sitting around is reminding us,
you haven't used that. You're not being the best version of yourself. You're not taking as good a
care of your skin. You could look younger. You could be healthier. All of this stuff is adding
up, and we don't even generally realize it. So today, we just want to move this stuff out for
now. And then if that magical day comes when I can actually use this stuff, then, okay, I will
be able to go in and get it. All right, so we are just going back and forth. For right now,
you can either put it straight into your time-lapse element or just put it on this side.
So again, we're just going through and only asking the question, am I currently using it? So
we want to go through this process for hair care, makeup products, skincare, and then also your
styling tools too. I have acquired styling tools too, thinking that I was going to use them,
and I don't, and that's okay. We'll talk a little bit about trial and error and how all of this
stuff is trial and error a little bit further into the video. Okay, so we want to go through
everything on your flat surfaces and your counters, and then also through your drawers too.
Now, we got to stay crystal clear on the question, because in our drawers, again,
we're coming across a lot of things that we spent money on that we thought we were going to use,
we think we should use. I think bathrooms are one of the areas where influencers have
influenced us the most. I mean, so many hair care and skincare and whatever products
to me have come from influencers. And it is what it is. It's the world we're living in now. We're
all learning and getting to be better consumers, right? And so it is what it is. And so I know how
when this stuff is being sold to us, we really are starting to believe that these products can
make us look younger, glowier, fresher, brighter, my hair fuller, thicker. It's sold to us. And so
when I see this, I'm not just seeing, oh, a face, a toner pad, I'm seeing my skin being clearer and
brighter and firmer and less wrinkly. And I'm seeing the money that I spent on it. And so when
I bought this, I thought there was going to be a certain outcome. And sometimes these products live
up to that. And sometimes they don't. So sometimes I've tried a product and it works like this one
has continued to make the cut for me. Okay, great. It works. A lot of times I try it and it doesn't
work. And I think there's something wrong with me or whatnot. No, it could actually just be the
product isn't as great or your skin or whatever DNA is not right for the product. Okay. So sometimes
it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Or sometimes I just haven't been able to try it. There's something
about it that I need to learn or it just takes something more. It's not part of my normal routine
yet. And so I don't know yet. I don't know if it could solve the problem that I was looking for it
to solve. So if clearly it's working, yes, I'm going to show you how we're going to prioritize
this now in our bathroom. Great. I'm going to keep it. If it's not working permission to let it go
and to just toss it into your black trash bag. I know it feels hard. Like that sucks throwing money
away. Like you're literally watching dollars go into the black trash bag. I know, but keeping it
doesn't make it suddenly start working. So if you want to keep trying it, using it up and you will
commit to doing that, you do you boo. But if it just has not worked, it's not living up to it,
then go ahead, part with it. Again, this is nagging at you and your mental to-do list.
And then lastly, if you just haven't had a chance to try it, you want to at some point,
this is exactly what goes into it. Your time will tell then. Okay, good work. We've got through
everything with our question. Again, we're not deciding what to get rid of. We're deciding what
to keep. And so now we're left with just the stuff that we use daily, weekly, or monthly. So let's
talk about how to prioritize this in our space now based on the frequency of use. And so for me,
I don't like anything sitting out on my counters. It makes them harder to wipe down. If you do have
to leave something out or things out, try putting them in a tray or basket or some kind of container
so it reads to your brain, it's complete, it's done. Most of us are used to that if there's
stuff sitting out, our brain is thinking it needs to be put away. But let's talk about the daily
stuff first. So when it's things like toothbrush, I like to put that in the best real estate, right?
So that's going to go in my top drawer. Now, this is a jumbo bathroom. This is ridiculous, right? I
don't need a bathroom this big, but it is what it is. Came with the house, right? But no matter what
size your bathroom is, whatever your prime real estate is, that is where the daily use stuff
should go. Now, I kind of have a luxury here with these drawers where I believe I can put my daily
use stuff in these two drawers. But in the past, I've also shown this, which is a get ready bin,
which I really like. So if you don't have the luxury of drawers or easy access kind of storage
built in here, you might want to use something like this. This is a multi-purpose bin from the
container store. Target and Walmart have some variations of it as well. But this is so easy
to put under your cabinet and then to be able to pull out. So we got to work with the space that
we have, but there are solutions. So this is also a great place where you can put all of your daily
use stuff. And so I'm going to go through and I'm going to put my daily use stuff in the most prime
real estate. And then we're also going to talk about categories. So I'm putting all this stuff
in here. This is all the stuff I use when I get ready. And I'm still going to cut like,
what? I don't know. What is this the lid for? I can throw it in my tumble towel or I can just,
that's just going in my black trash bag, right? Okay. I got all my use stuff. We're going to talk
about like, um, containers and organization and that kind of stuff too. But I am giving
the stuff I use every single day, the best real estate. And then we have the stuff that we use
weekly, like bubble bath. I don't take a bubble bath every day. Well, sometimes in the winter
I do, but anyway, it just depends. So nonetheless, so we have the stuff we use daily. Then we have
the stuff that we use weekly. And where is that going to live? Now let's talk a little bit about
categories. So our brain loves clear categories when it comes to stuff. And so as I'm thinking
about where stuff lives, is it going under the sink? Is it going in a drawer? We want to start
to think about categories. So I want to put all of my hair care products together. I don't wash
my hair every day. I wash it about once a week. I have a full video on my hair and makeup. I am
not saying I'm a makeup expert, but if you're wondering, lashes, hair, whatever, I can do my
makeup in about five minutes and I love that. So I'll link to that video as well. It has my hair
care and how I've stretched it out to only wash my hair once a week. But we want to group like
stuff together. So this kind of stuff too might be perfect to put into a bin like this, where it
has a clear category. And similarly with stuff that I'm stocking up on, where this doesn't
necessarily have to live in your bathroom, right? This is going to go to the linen closet. I don't
want it in here cluttering it up, but we want to have it separate. So we want to have the stuff
that we are using different from the stuff that we're stocking up on or the extras. So using some
kind of container, and we'll come back through and organize this bathroom because I have to figure
out what I want for containers and stuff now here. I will link to another video too where I organized
my mom's bathroom when we were all there living there and using it, and I was really happy with
how that came out. But we want clear categories. And again, we have all this extra inventory in
here and it's all mish-mashed together. That is the worst ever for our brain. Our poor tired brain
is just like, I don't even know. I don't know what to do with this, what you want me to do with this,
right? So we want to have clear categories of stuff whenever possible too. So we got the daily,
we got the weekly, we have monthly or stock up stuff, all going into the best real estate. And
then I also just want to challenge you real quick what's living on your floors. We just kind of
think, or even we were raised to believe, or we just always had things on the floor like
rugs, scales, toilet brushes, garbage cans, bath mats, all of that. And so I would challenge you,
like, so the scale I'll tuck away under the cabinet. I even just got this, one of these stone
bath mats. Maybe you've been, talk about influencers. They're all over Instagram right now.
But I like it because it can stay out, but you don't, it doesn't get kicked around. You don't
have to hang it up for it to dry out. I've only had it for a week, but so far I actually really
like it a lot. And it kind of just blends in with the floor. And so here, let's move this. Again,
our brains are overwhelmed. They're tired. We just need a peaceful, easy place to start our day and
end our day. And I know some might think like, oh, this is too bare. I'm telling you, my brain
walks in here and it just like sighs a sense of relief of it's just easy to get ready in here.
There's nothing nagging at me or telling me something that I have to do. I don't feel guilty
about anything in here. And that feels so good. And I know it's a new house, it's beautiful,
it's big, it's white, it's bright. But in any space, no matter how big or small, new or old
your house is, if we will ruthlessly simplify it, keep out just the things that we are using
daily, weekly, monthly, your space can feel so much better too. I think sometimes we think like,
it's an old small bathroom. It's actually the clutter that is actually what's draining us and
making us feel kind of like yuck when we walk into that space. So use your time well-telling.
Again, we don't have to make any hard decisions today. I know we spent money on it. And then let's
talk about like, okay, once the stuff's in there, Dawn, now what are we going to do with it? It's
okay. It's going to be just fine. Oh, and also so easy to clean. So easy to clean. I am not sure who
invented black faucets and that little thing at the bottom. It is the worst ever for cleaning.
I didn't pick the finishes in here, right? Like I have to clean all the time now, but,
but so easy now that there's not a lot of stuff sitting out. Okay, but now I got this bin full
of stuff. What am I going to do with it? So we just want to set it aside and we call it time
testing it. We just want to see, do you go back in it and do you, where did it go?
Do you want to use the fancy body oil or, or whatnot, or the eyeshadow palette? You'll,
you'll just see if you ever end up reaching for it or not. And so what this does is it just
creates some separation and it helps to give us better data to work with. It is very possible
that you don't have the bandwidth, the mental capacity to be trying a bunch of new things right
now. And that's actually okay. That is very much the season that I have come through recently
where like, I just haven't been able to try anything new. I've had to just stick to the
things that have been working well enough. So we set it aside for a while in a storage space
and then we create some separation. And then in a few months we can come back and revisit it.
And even at that point, we don't have to declutter the whole thing then you can,
but you can get rid of some things. And then you get to the point where this is the size of my
Time Will Tell bin now. And it's also where I just keep extra stuff. If I have some extras,
this has been working so well for me. I'm a much better consumer now. I don't make the same impulse
purchases that I did in the past. I'm more selective of the influencers I follow and I
try not to go on late at night when I make poor buying decisions, right? So I'm learning and I'm
getting better at that. And so now I just have a Time Will Tell bin that is this size and it's
just ongoing and it helps me to keep my bathroom clutter-free. And so, and so you might start with
a bigger bin, but over time and pretty quickly, I think you can get down to something that is much
smaller as well. But this is going to create separation, give us good data to work with,
and then we'll just come back and revisit it again in a few months. And then let's just answer a few
questions that often come up when we're dealing with this type of stuff. So number one, what if
I really want to or need to be using this stuff? I think what you're going to find is that once you
get your bathroom decluttered, simplified, you remove all the stuff that you aren't using,
it actually becomes much easier to use the stuff that you do want to use. I have been really
consistent with my skincare routine now ever since I've highly simplified and just got all the other
stuff out from around it. So if there are supplements or skincare routines or anything
like that that you really want to use, we need to promote that. It needs to be very easy to see
and to get to. It doesn't necessarily mean it needs to sit out, but it needs to be in your
prime real estate so that you can see it and it becomes easier to develop the habit then to use
it. All right, number two, what if I spent a lot of money on it? I know, I would be horrified actually
just to add up all the money spent on all of these products, all these products I have in
the bathroom now. Yeah, I know. But what do we know? Keeping it doesn't put the money back in
our pocket. It doesn't make it magically start working. In fact, it works against us. We feel
guilt and shame when we see it. It clutters up our bathroom so that we're not using the products
that we want to be using, and it makes our bathroom harder to clean. So it's just negative, negative,
negative, right? So it sucks. It sucks when we've spent money on this stuff, I know. But again,
what you're going to find as you go through this process, as you're willing to let go of the stuff
that you spent money on and aren't using, you become a much better consumer and you don't make
these kinds of mistakes in the future. And also, don't be so hard on yourself. All of this stuff
is trial and error. Every product we've ever gotten has always been trial and error. And a
small percentage we like that makes the cut, we use it day in and day out, and a lot of it doesn't,
right? But we're getting better. We're being more selective and we're not impulsive buying as much
anyway, right? So we're getting better at it. We just got to get the crap moved out, the mistakes
we've made, move on, do better moving forward. Isn't the time we'll tell bin just deferring
decisions? No, I'm going to push back hard on this one, especially when it comes to the bathroom.
We often just need to collect more data and we need some separation from this stuff. Again,
isn't it amazing how much money just this little teeny tiny container of stuff can cost, right? So
just to straight up throw it away or declutter it, that can be very hard for most of us. Now,
if you have strong decluttering muscles and you can just toss it and not look back, skip the
time we'll tell bin. That's awesome. That's good for you. That is super cool. But I'm telling you
that this is a really powerful tool to give us the data we need to see we're not using it,
we don't have time for it, and also to create some separation. There's actually some interesting
research that says that the longer we go without using something, the more we build it up to be
very special in our head. And sometimes the more we build up that it's kind of hard to use or we
need to learn new things to use it. And so I really try now when I get a new product or thing
or tool or whatnot, to use it right away and just be like, open it up, read the instructions,
just start incorporating it right away to see if it's going to be a good fit or not. But anyways,
those are new skills that I'm using. So the time will tell bin creates some separation, gives us
really good data, and then it becomes easier to let these things go over time. What if my bathroom
is teeny, teeny, teeny, tiny? We have to work within the limitations that we have. And again,
I would really challenge you that when you really pare down to just the stuff that you're using
every day, for most of us, it's not actually that much. I'm going to link to my favorite makeup bag
and travel companion to it. These two items, they're from Bagsmart on Amazon. Some of the
best well-designed toiletry and makeup bags that I've ever found. But anyways, I digress.
But when you really pare down to the stuff you're actually only using every day, you'll be pretty
surprised how little it is. So we have to be creative in small spaces. We have to really
simplify things down and don't be afraid to store stuff in adjacent spaces as well. And also for the
shower, we want to simplify everything that's in there too, down to just the stuff we use every
single day. I did get, I haven't put these in yet, but I really like the Simple Human soap dispenser.
And then I also am trying this style that's a little bit slimmer for my shower. I don't need one
that's so big for the kids. I absolutely want to use this one. I've used it multiple times,
works really well, lasts well. I do know, I have seen the push button ones before, but the buttons,
I don't know if you've had this experience, they kind of get gummed up and they don't work so well.
So I like that these have more of the pull style dispenser. I don't know, just my two cents,
because they're a little bit of an investment, but when it comes to getting everything simplified
and streamlined in there, these work so well because they mount on the wall. And then also
it makes it easier to clean and wipe down the shower when you don't have all these bottles
sitting on the shelves. So I am a big fan of these, we just haven't got them in yet. But mostly I just
want to say you're not alone. If you bought stuff and not used it, impulse bought stuff, bought stuff
thinking that it was gonna help you be a better version of yourself, we all do that. There's
nothing wrong with it. I think the only thing that is wrong is keeping things that aren't working
or that are nagging at us or making us feel guilty about them. So permission to let that stuff go
or toss it into your time well belt pelvis. And like I said before, if you could use some more
help, guidance, and getting your home highly simplified and decluttered, I would love for
you to join us inside of our membership community. Coming up actually in the month of March,
we're going all in on paper clutter and it's going to be really good. And that is definitely
something you need tactics and skills and the right bins to have, but you also need ongoing
support and coaching for all the nuances that go along with paper clutter. And so we're able to
try that and it's really good. And we have fun, like it's so much fun. I don't know. Anyways,
all right, well I would love to get to spend more time with you in there as well. But I'll link to
the Get Ready video and another great bathroom declutter and organization. I love you, I hope
you have a really good day, and I'll see you again soon.