# The 15-Minute Habit That Can Transform Your Home | Tracy Hoth (EP454)

An episode of [Minimalist Moms Podcast | Purposeful Life & Parenting Tips](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1159498258), 2 Jun 2026, 28 min.

Audio: https://prefix.up.audio/s/pdst.fm/e/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pscrb.fm/rss/p/clrtpod.com/m/mgln.ai/e/35/audio2.redcircle.com/episodes/593fb74f-0128-474a-ae66-8e34a6f72b70/stream.mp3

Feeling overwhelmed by clutter? A simple 15-minute habit could change everything. In this episode, I’m joined by professional organizer and life coach Tracy Hoth to discuss a simple, sustainable approach to decluttering that helps reduce overwhelm and build lasting momentum. Tracy shares how our thoughts often keep us stuck and why delaying a task is frequently more painful than simply getting started. We explore her SPACE method for organizing - as well as practical strategies for tackling visible pain points, navigating the messy middle, and maintaining progress through simple daily habits. Tracy also explains how these same principles can be applied to mental and digital clutter, making this conversation a helpful guide for anyone seeking a more peaceful, intentional home and life. Links Discussed in This Episode | • Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane. • Subscribe to the Minimalist Moms Youtube Channel • Connect with Tracy • Website • 15 Minute Declutter Challenge • Instagram • Podcast About Tracy| Tracy Hoth (rhymes with both) is a certified life and organizing coach helping women simplify their homes, lives, and businesses through practical systems and mindset shifts, so they can focus on what matters most. As the host of the top 1% globally ranked Organized Coach Podcast, she empowers women to declutter with confidence, create systems that last, and step into the role of Organized Life CEOs. Episode Sponsors | The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal! Enjoy the Podcast? Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity. You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook. Our Sponsors: * Check out BetterHelp and use my code betterhelp.com for a great deal: https://www.betterhelp.com * Check out Cure Hydration and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://www.curehydration.com * Check out DeleteMe and use my code joindeleteme.com/MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://joindeleteme.com * Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

## Transcript

[0:00] \[SPEAKER_00\]: One thing she said was delaying it is the painful part.
[0:05] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Doing it, getting out of bed and going and doing it isn't as painful as sitting there having this conversation and having all these justifications and arguing with yourself about doing it and imagining how hard it's going to be.
[0:19] \[SPEAKER_00\]: All of that is so much harder, same with organizing, thinking of it and making a bigger project out of it is so much harder than just getting up setting your timer and doing 15 minutes.
[0:31] \[SPEAKER_01\]: This is Diane Bowden, and you're listening to the minimalist mom's podcast.
[0:34] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Are you feeling overwhelmed by clutter?
[0:37] \[SPEAKER_01\]: A simple 15 minute habit could change everything.
[0:40] \[SPEAKER_01\]: In today's episode, I'm joined by professional organizer and life coach, Tracey Hoth.
[0:45] \[SPEAKER_01\]: To discuss a simple, sustainable approach to decluttering, the helps reduce overwhelming and build lasting momentum.
[0:51] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Tracey shares her thoughts often keep us stuck, and why delaying a task is frequently more painful than simply getting started.
[0:59] \[SPEAKER_01\]: We explore her space method for organizing, as well as practical strategies for tackling visible pain points navigating the messy middle and maintaining progress through simple daily habits.
[1:10] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But quickly before we get there, I want to share a minimalist moment of the week with all of you.
[1:14] \[SPEAKER_01\]: This may sound a little silly, but I have an exercise I'd love for you to practice this summer.
[1:18] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I was at Nature Group recently, and a friend had mentioned that she liked the shirt I was wearing.
[1:22] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I came home, threw it in the wash, and thought to myself, I should give her this shirt.
[1:26] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Now, I will preface this by saying, it's not my favorite shirt.
[1:30] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's a shirt I like, sure, but it's not my very favorite shirt.
[1:34] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Even though I do like it, I know that she would like it and probably get more use out of it than I do.
[1:40] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And I think this is an exercise at least for me, and holding our things loosely.
[1:44] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I've always said if everything's your favorite, nothing is your favorite.
[1:47] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And please don't for a moment assume that I would ever give away a favorite shirt, because I know I'm a lot of stingier with my favorite things.
[1:54] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But I think that when we can release the grip our things has on us, we're better for it.
[1:58] \[SPEAKER_01\]: This might not be a challenge for everyone, but if a friend compliments an item that you'd be willing to let go of, try it.
[2:04] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And then please reach out to me and let me know.
[2:05] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I'd love to hear your stories.
[2:07] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And then lastly, if you've been enjoying the minimalist mom's podcast, be sure to hit five stars, share the episode with a friend that could benefit.
[2:14] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Check out one of the episodes from the archive, check out the sponsors.
[2:17] \[SPEAKER_01\]: These are all great ways that you can continue to support the show.
[2:21] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So thank you, thank you.
[2:22] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And with that, let's get into this episode with Tracey.
[2:25] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Oh, well, Tracey, it's so great to chat today.
[2:32] \[SPEAKER_01\]: We are going to be talking about, let me pull my one-to-back up, 30 days to a calmer home, with one 15-minute daily decluttering habit.
[2:41] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I might have to simplify the title.
[2:43] \[SPEAKER_01\]: That's a lot.
[2:44] \[SPEAKER_01\]: That's a lot for listeners, but it's a lot of information, too.
[2:47] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I'm happy to have you there.
[2:49] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, I'm happy to be here and it's really so simple, but yes, that title might be long, but the process is so simple.
[2:57] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yes, which is great because the majority of my listeners are moms that are obviously looking to simplify and live intentionally.
[3:04] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I had messaged you that I wanted to get this on the books because a lot of my content these days is more about intentional living in
[3:11] \[SPEAKER_01\]: fill in the blank area in whatever area someone's next for it and but I really wanted to get back to some minimalism basics because I think that's what I have been known for so I'm really glad to have you here quickly before we get into it just tell me a little bit more about how you got into this I guess realm this business that work that you do.
[3:29] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, I was a stay at home mom for a long time, but new once I started working again that I wanted to help people get organized.
[3:37] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I had a my daughter's best friend when she was like five, nobody could go in their house.
[3:43] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And so she was the first person I offered to help and I started professionally organizing in 2008, so it's been 18 years that I've been doing this.
[3:51] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I don't go into people's homes really anymore.
[3:53] \[SPEAKER_00\]: but do it all online.
[3:55] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And so it's just been such a neat journey.
[3:58] \[SPEAKER_00\]: In the beginning, it was all action oriented.
[4:00] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I was in their home, and then I found life coaching in 2017.
[4:03] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So I started combining the mindset piece of it, and it's been so transformational for me, as well as for my clients.
[4:11] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, I think before we get into how to, I'd love to know behind the scenes what you're hearing from your client on why they're feeling so overwhelmed mentally and emotionally in the first place.
[4:25] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, I go back to my own story of standing in front of a garage that was packed to the, oh, I was so overwhelming.
[4:35] \[SPEAKER_00\]: but this was before I knew anything about mindset.
[4:38] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It was overwhelming because I was thinking there's no way this woman whose ten years older than me and I are going to be able to organize this garage.
[4:46] \[SPEAKER_00\]: There's just no way it's there's too much stuff.
[4:49] \[SPEAKER_00\]: That thought alone made me feel overwhelmed but because she was paying me and I had to do something because I so bad wanted to leave.
[4:59] \[SPEAKER_00\]: But I had to do something, and so inside my head I said Tracy the first step to organizing is to sort just walk forward and pick something up and I was like on the verge of like having an anxiety attack there was so much stuff and I walked forward and I picked something up, it was a canopy and I put it in a pile and I said paint supplies will go here and then I walked forward and picked up like a rake or something and I said one
[5:23] \[SPEAKER_00\]: you know, supplies will go over here.
[5:25] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And she started doing what I did and we just kept doing that.
[5:29] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And that's how we did her entire garage.
[5:31] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So it was the thoughts in my head that made me feel overwhelmed looking at the stuff.
[5:37] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And so I think that's what I hear the most are those thoughts.
[5:41] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I don't have time.
[5:42] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It's too overwhelming.
[5:43] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I've too much stuff.
[5:44] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And all those thoughts are what's
[5:50] \[SPEAKER_00\]: my feeling of focused when I changed what I was thinking about.
[5:55] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, and I mean, I think we've all been there.
[5:57] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Even even those of us that are good at building the momentum through small wins, we've all been there where we've taken off much more than we can handle.
[6:07] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And it's so overwhelming.
[6:09] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And so if someone's starting there, I mean, I really don't have been talking about minimalism for 12 years.
[6:16] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I really don't suggest that.
[6:18] \[SPEAKER_01\]: What is my point here?
[6:19] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I guess just that I have that insight that you're not alone if you're someone that tries to take off more than you can handle and that it doesn't get done like that's pretty human I think especially for moms when it's like we don't have a big chunk of time to dedicate and honestly I don't think we need to do that in order to get it to cluttered house.
[6:37] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yes, and I remember when I would be working with someone, you'd get to that point where you could see their brain just like melting.
[6:45] \[SPEAKER_00\]: They were decision fatigued out and getting past that point.
[6:50] \[SPEAKER_00\]: The other part of it that is.
[6:53] \[SPEAKER_00\]: gets people just stuck is like that messy part where you're working in one area and you want to make a home for things and put it somewhere else, but that place isn't done.
[7:04] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So then you put it there, but that's not done.
[7:07] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And so you get overwhelmed thinking, oh, I need to do all my whole house.
[7:11] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It all comes up again when you're trying to make homes for things that don't really have a home yet.
[7:17] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And so I always tell people, just put it near that spot.
[7:21] \[SPEAKER_00\]: You're organized because you know what you have and you can find it when you need it.
[7:24] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It's not finished in that spot yet, but you know it's where you're going to put it eventually.
[7:30] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And so there is that messy spot in the middle that seems like not as fun, obviously.
[7:36] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, no for sure.
[7:38] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So going back to this idea of 15 minutes a day.
[7:41] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, I mean, I guess I'd like to hear more about that and how you have actually accomplished that in homes.
[7:46] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I like how you said in that garage, it was just like this goes here and this goes here.
[7:50] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So let's break it down a little bit more.
[7:52] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, yeah, okay.
[7:53] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I think of two things that I've done, one that a client's done in 2019 for someone in one of my programs said she was gonna start running a mile every day and I was like, well, that sounds fun.
[8:05] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And so I decided that year I was gonna run a mile every day.
[8:09] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It wasn't an option the night before I decided when I was going to do it, and then I had to do it.
[8:15] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It wasn't an option.
[8:16] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So I think about that.
[8:18] \[SPEAKER_00\]: We could do that.
[8:19] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It was just a decision I made, and then I looked to every day in schedule that.
[8:24] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Another story is a lay a client she was just frozen for so long and then when we made a plan for her, it hers was all paper it was paper everywhere in her house and she made this plan all she committed to was five pieces of paper sorted per day so we kind of set her up and then she committed to that every day.
[8:45] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Same with this and she went through and sorted every piece of paper in her entire house just because she had a plan and that was her thought I have a plan and I commit to sorting five pieces so with this if we want to do 15 minutes a day.
[8:59] \[SPEAKER_00\]: that the 15 minutes are spent, my steps are, they spell the word space.
[9:06] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And so this is helpful to know the steps and the first step to organizing if you heard me say it earlier is to sort and so we're going to sort and then once we have everything sorted and categories in one clarification here is sorting not into
[9:21] \[SPEAKER_00\]: what we're going to keep donate shreds out sorting into just like paper books office supplies jewelry sorting into categories like that.
[9:29] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And then the next step, the P is purge.
[9:32] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So we're going to go back through and that's where we're going to make decisions.
[9:35] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I always say choose your favorite first because that's easy.
[9:38] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And then you can ask yourself those questions after that.
[9:42] \[SPEAKER_00\]: My favorite question right now is does this make me feel elevated.
[9:47] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And like for minimalist question is, is this essential in my life?
[9:51] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So there's all sorts of different questions you can ask in the purge step to decide to keep it.
[9:57] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And then the third step, the A, is a sign home.
[10:01] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So you're going to decide where these things are going to live.
[10:04] \[SPEAKER_00\]: This might be challenging.
[10:05] \[SPEAKER_00\]: One of my clients.
[10:08] \[SPEAKER_00\]: She is kind of a perfectionist, so she wants everything to have a home and wants to know what's going to be the perfect home.
[10:14] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So she was getting stuck here, a lot of people get stuck in making decisions about what they're going to keep.
[10:19] \[SPEAKER_00\]: She was getting stuck in this because she was like, I don't know where to put it.
[10:22] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I don't know where it's home should be.
[10:23] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And I said, well, let's test it.
[10:25] \[SPEAKER_00\]: We're going to just test it here for now to see if this is where the permanent home is going to be.
[10:31] \[SPEAKER_00\]: and it's so cool because how we do one thing is how we do everything and in her life now she looks at tasks on her calendar.
[10:39] \[SPEAKER_00\]: She's a doctor.
[10:39] \[SPEAKER_00\]: She's busy and now she can say, hmm, I wonder if this task will have a permanent home at this spot on my calendar.
[10:47] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I wonder if this man that I'm in a date will have a permanent home in my life, but it's not so scary and keeping you stuck because
[10:58] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And then the sea is contained, so we're going to contain then most people do that first.
[11:02] \[SPEAKER_00\]: They buy the containers or the new software, the planter, but wait until you get here because now you know what size I say shop your house first and then the last step is energized.
[11:13] \[SPEAKER_00\]: You're going to
[11:15] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Really, over celebrate, you're gonna feel that energy and you wanna maintain that, so tie it to something you already do.
[11:22] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I do taxes every year, so I clean my paper out.
[11:24] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I go to the gas station, so I clean the trash out of my car and empty it then.
[11:28] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I go to the grocery store, so I clean and tidy my fridge or my pantry before I put groceries back.
[11:33] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So those are the steps to get organized, to declutter an organized, and then we're just going to do 15 minutes of that every day.
[11:43] \[SPEAKER_00\]: People will say, well, where should I start?
[11:45] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And it doesn't matter.
[11:46] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I mean, you can pick anywhere you want.
[11:48] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I.
[11:49] \[SPEAKER_00\]: in a training that I do show me organizing a junk drawer, so that's sometimes an easy place for people to start or a nightstand or just really anywhere.
[11:57] \[SPEAKER_00\]: A countertop, one of my clients just did a part of her countertop and she maintained that and she got so happy because she could see it every day and then then she started doing a little more of her countertop after that.
[12:10] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So that's kind of the just of doing that.
[12:14] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yes, it becomes a part of a rhythm, it becomes a rhythm of life as opposed to just a one time project or a monthly project or even something you do once a year like or like a for a lot of long part of your year or how do I say this even just for a year it's something you regularly do need to stand top up, especially if you have kids, especially if you have young kids and you're growing at a toys and not a close much faster, I used to recommend.
[12:40] \[SPEAKER_01\]: starting in the bathroom or someplace that didn't have a lot of sentimental attachment, but I think I've grown in that answer, and now I would suggest starting in the pain points of your home.
[12:50] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Like you said that woman had the countertop that she could see.
[12:54] \[SPEAKER_01\]: If your countertop's are causing a problem in frustration, start there.
[12:57] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Our daughter's homeschooling cabinet, it has been such a mess, and I feel like my boys will even go in there because their play-do was on the bottom of shelf.
[13:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And I realized they're not going in here because this is chaotic for them.
[13:09] \[SPEAKER_01\]: They can't see what's out here and I've been able to shut this little cabinet door and not address it because life happens.
[13:16] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And so I decided to go back into that cabinet and it took 15 minutes, truly.
[13:21] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Oh, and it does only take 15 minutes.
[13:24] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I just think that we underestimate how much we can get done in 15 minutes.
[13:27] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And then if also if you have your husband or a child helping you, that's 30 minutes that you could knock things out.
[13:33] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, it is so amazing, and that's what, you know, in all the years I've been organizing, I've never done anything like this before.
[13:40] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So last year when I made this challenge, 50-minute challenge, I had the people in my academy tested out.
[13:48] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And it blew me away.
[13:49] \[SPEAKER_00\]: How much they were surprised.
[13:52] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I mean, they've been working with me for quite a while, and they were like, I can't believe how much I can get done in 15 minutes.
[13:59] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And so,
[14:01] \[SPEAKER_00\]: back to where to start to, I asked that question, like, where do you notice the friction happening?
[14:06] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Where is most frustrating?
[14:08] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Or what would make you the happiest?
[14:10] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Like, if you could have one thing in your house, organize what would it be and start there because you're going to be motivated to keep going.
[14:19] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Do you recommend a certain time of day that people are doing this 15 minutes at the end of the day when their kids are down?
[14:24] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Is it right after work?
[14:26] \[SPEAKER_01\]: If there is stay at home, mom is it right after your kids leave?
[14:28] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Or, I'm assuming it's just whenever you can get it to it.
[14:31] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I would say look at your calendar the next day and decide then when you're going to do it when there's time.
[14:38] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And you can even have a recurring appointment on like if you're a digital calendar, put it recurring at like 7 a.m. in the night before, look at that and then drag it into place when you're going to do it the next day.
[14:51] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So it's always there.
[14:53] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It's super easy to schedule it in
[15:01] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I don't like working out.
[15:03] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I want to now I'm starting to think differently like it's filling me up and I'm just blessing myself so much when I'm lifting so I'm trying to think of that.
[15:13] \[SPEAKER_00\]: But one thing she said was delaying it is the painful part.
[15:18] \[SPEAKER_00\]: doing it, getting out of bed and going and doing it isn't as painful as sitting there having this conversation and having all these justifications and arguing with yourself about doing it and imagining how hard it's going to be.
[15:32] \[SPEAKER_00\]: All of that is so much harder, same with organizing, thinking of it and making a bigger project out of it is so much harder than just getting up setting your timer and doing 15 minutes.
[15:44] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I mean, I feel like that's true of a lot of things.
[15:46] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Even a conversation that we don't want to have, we just ruminate and if you just do it, like if you stop ruminating and just plan it and then have it, I don't know, we just kick the can down the road.
[15:55] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And then we have to install it.
[15:56] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And then it's usually much worse when we've waited and ruminated, if not for whatever the circumstance is, it is for us.
[16:03] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's like the whole thing of, um,
[16:05] \[SPEAKER_01\]: There's, quote, attributed to the Buddha holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.
[16:14] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And so I think that, again, it's kind of not completely in line with what we're talking about in regards to decluttering our medicine cabinet, but it's like a longer that we hold off and delay.
[16:29] \[SPEAKER_01\]: The medicine cabinet is going to get much fuller when, if in
[16:36] \[SPEAKER_01\]: stop roominating, then when we have a new medicine to put in there, it's already organized for us, and it doesn't get as cluttered as it once was.
[16:43] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Does it make sense?
[16:44] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Oh, totally, and it's that delay part once I started thinking that, notice myself start justifying or delaying or arguing.
[16:54] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I'm like Tracy, this is a painful part.
[16:56] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And just having that recognition and awareness has changed a lot, it's helped me so much do things that I've been putting on.
[17:04] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Plus then you eliminate the beating yourself up later for not following your plan and not doing it and all of that that goes with it.
[17:18] \[SPEAKER_01\]: There's something about this time of year spring, a little more light in the evenings that makes me want our home, especially the kitchen to feel calmer and more functional.
[17:27] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And obviously, I know that when my space feels less cluttered, I actually enjoy cooking more.
[17:33] \[SPEAKER_01\]: One of the changes that's made a real difference to us is been switching to care away.
[17:36] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I'm sure this before, but I genuinely love these pans.
[17:41] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Number one, they're beautiful, but they're also just really practical for everyday life.
[17:45] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You don't need a lot of oil, everything cooks evenly and clean up as simple, which matters a lot in this busy scene.
[17:51] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And honestly, just having cookware, as I said, looks really good in store as well, makes my kitchen feel more pulled together.
[17:56] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's one of those small shifts that actually changes how your home feels day-to-day.
[18:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Right now, you can save up to $230 on the 12-piece cook-set versus buying the products individually.
[18:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Plus, if you wanna include their fan favorite minis duo, you can save up to $350.
[18:12] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Visit carawayhome.com slash minimalist to take an additional 10% off using code minimalist on your next purchase.
[18:19] \[SPEAKER_01\]: This deal is exclusive for my listeners, so visit carawayhome.com slash minimalist
[18:28] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I really like how you said that you shop your house first for organization and I do think that because we have so much access and to
[18:39] \[SPEAKER_01\]: influencers and or professional organizers and these people that have a lot of money to make their Instagram account look great we assume that our space needs to look that way and to me it just has to be efficient and it has to be a system that works for the family and the life that you're in.
[18:56] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So yeah I think that shopping your house if that saves you money and time and effort energy like absolutely do that you don't have to go to the container store you don't have to make it look
[19:07] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, I love doing that and I was showing an example of my cabinet and a drawer that I have in the kitchen in the products that I have in there are not they're not new fresh you know we've had it for 20 years it was a box that I got like cheese and crackers in when you're for Christmas and it works perfectly and it makes me happy even kind of seeing that it's not.
[19:30] \[SPEAKER_00\]: all brand new purchased things that I used what I had.
[19:34] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Plus, when you sort first, you're emptying out a lot of containers that you already have, and so then there are going to be those things that you can use.
[19:43] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I mean, I even love like iPhone boxes are great in drawers or whatever phone boxes.
[19:48] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, I think like that because they, they were perfectly in their such high quality boxes.
[19:53] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, and I think also use what you have for now, see if the system works and then go in investment if it works.
[20:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But why are you investing before you know if it even works well for you?
[20:04] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Exactly.
[20:05] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah.
[20:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah.
[20:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: What is a calm environment look like for you?
[20:10] \[SPEAKER_00\]: What does it feel like for you personally?
[20:13] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Oh, well, that's where I go back, you know, my kids are grown.
[20:17] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I still have one at home who's probably going to be out by the end of the year.
[20:21] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And I am at the stage of life where I just love it.
[20:25] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I can go into each space and make every space in my house exactly how I want it.
[20:31] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And it feels good, but what I'm really thinking of as I go through each area of my house is does this make me feel elevated?
[20:40] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And if I were to put my house on the market right now, could I list it at the end of the day or at the end of the weekend or whatever, is it that much determined that everything in here is something that I love and I use?
[20:53] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And that makes me feel so happy.
[20:56] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I think because I don't have to spend my time rearranging, deciding things in my house.
[21:03] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It's decided and then I can go spend my energy in my life where I want to.
[21:08] \[SPEAKER_01\]: As we somewhat wrap up the conversation, I would love to know what you have seen or heard as somewhat of a sticking point and where someone might make mistakes when attempting, even the 15 minutes, what are some things that you hear that cause friction?
[21:23] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Well, one of the things is not knowing where you're going.
[21:27] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And so I love helping people with their identity kind of where they're going.
[21:33] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So they have a destination set in their GPS.
[21:36] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So they know, like, this is what it's going to look like.
[21:39] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Have this vision ahead of time.
[21:42] \[SPEAKER_00\]: That's one big thing because in maybe some parameters, because then when you're going through things in that area, you can just say, like, does it fit into this?
[21:54] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Um, the other thing is some kind of, I don't know, grounding thoughts.
[21:58] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Like, I trust that I'll have everything I need when I need it.
[22:01] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Some beliefs like that that you've really worked through and identified that are helpful so that you can,
[22:09] \[SPEAKER_00\]: know that the items you're letting go of, that you're being generous and you're letting that item have an adventure of a life.
[22:16] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Sometimes I like to hang up them with little lives and they're like, I've been stuck in this closet for 10 years and they can go out and in you trust that they will find the person that's going to use them and need them.
[22:29] \[SPEAKER_00\]: That's kind of fun to think about in
[22:34] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Who is the person that has the life I want and how do they think and what decisions do they make and coming from that energy in the moment so that you're not
[22:46] \[SPEAKER_00\]: back where you were, that's going to move you forward to the place you want to get to.
[22:50] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I have a question I just thought of that might catch you off guard for people that have decluttered their house, feel like they're on top of the 15 minutes with the tangible things.
[22:59] \[SPEAKER_01\]: What could 15 minutes look like in non tangible ways?
[23:04] \[SPEAKER_01\]: How would we apply that to
[23:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: other things.
[23:06] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Well, I'm glad you asked this, yes, because that space acronym works for every single thing.
[23:13] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So it works for your brain.
[23:14] \[SPEAKER_00\]: You can use sort, purge, assign homes, everything like that in your brain.
[23:19] \[SPEAKER_00\]: You can even assign homes to thoughts or worries that you have at a certain time of the day.
[23:24] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So, that works for your brain.
[23:26] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Then you can move into your digital life.
[23:28] \[SPEAKER_00\]: You can work move into your photos, like digital photos, your phone.
[23:32] \[SPEAKER_00\]: You can claim your phone out.
[23:33] \[SPEAKER_00\]: There are so many things that the same exact acronym works for in-life, a project.
[23:39] \[SPEAKER_00\]: You plan a project using those steps.
[23:42] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So, there are so many things.
[23:43] \[SPEAKER_00\]: That's fun to think about.
[23:44] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And, I mean, that's where
[23:47] \[SPEAKER_00\]: If you finish organizing, then you can do something that you really want to do.
[23:52] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Maybe you want to spend 15 minutes painting or, you know, reading or whatever it is that you have been putting off.
[23:58] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I hear so much that people put off things because they're not organized because they need to work on their house.
[24:06] \[SPEAKER_00\]: absolutely well Tracy do you have a final word of encouragement you want to leave with the listeners and then let them know where they can find more from you okay I would say for sure you're you might be bad at this at the beginning totally okay expect to that it's no problem it's no problem if all you get to is sorting a drawer don't be discouraged just keep practicing
[24:30] \[SPEAKER_00\]: to get from where you're at to the place you want to go is only a skill or a mindset gap or a combination of those two.
[24:38] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So once you master the space acronym and those steps, you have the skill down.
[24:43] \[SPEAKER_00\]: You're just getting better and better at it.
[24:45] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So I would say be encouraged with that.
[24:47] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And then people can find me on my podcast, the organized coach and get the declutter challenge,
[25:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Perfect.
[25:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Well, I'll be sure to include all that in the show.
[25:02] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And as we wrap things up, I'm going to ask you the final two questions I ask all my guests.
[25:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: The first one is, what has been a beneficial resource in your life that you want to share with the listeners?
[25:11] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Well, I kind of already said it, but those that acronym, when I feel overwhelmed, I use the space steps.
[25:16] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I sort everything down on my paper by category, I put it into categories.
[25:22] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And that it's been so helpful to me every time I feel overwhelmed, I think the first step to organizing is to sort, no matter if it's physical or mental space.
[25:33] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So I would have to say that.
[25:35] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I definitely want to do that when it comes to my calendar for the summer especially just kind of getting really simplistic about the things that we're doing okay last question what is something that you can't stop talking about
[25:47] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I would say in my business or on my computer life is my bookmarks bar.
[25:53] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I've done so many classes in groups on how to organize your bookmarks bar and set it up.
[25:58] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And it is like the feedback people give me, this has changed my life.
[26:02] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It's so great like having all the links you use using folders in your bookmarks bar, it's so exciting and so helpful to working online.
[26:14] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Oh, interesting.
[26:15] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I've really never thought about that.
[26:16] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I do have a ton of bookmarks.
[26:18] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I just never really go back to them.
[26:19] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So you're saying like, the more visible so we can actually use the things that we have.
[26:23] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's kind of like decluttering.
[26:24] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's like the things we never use.
[26:28] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, and people didn't know you could make folders on there and it's my favorite thing like I have a team folder every link I would need for my team is in there.
[26:35] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I have a dashboard folder my client folder everything I can get to with one click.
[26:41] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It's so exciting.
[26:42] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, no, that's great advice.
[26:43] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Well, I really appreciate all the advice that you showed with us today.
[26:47] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And again, this doesn't have to be overwhelming.
[26:49] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It really is just keeping on top of it.
[26:51] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And 15 minutes a day can really get you there.
[26:53] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So thanks for reminding us and joining me today.
[26:56] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, thanks Diane for having me.
[27:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: What did you think of the episode?
[27:01] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I hope you enjoyed the conversation.
[27:03] \[SPEAKER_01\]: To learn more about today's guest, including links, resources related to everything discussed today, visit the episode page at minimalismomspodcast.com where you can find the entire podcast archive as well as my book Minimalismoms Living and Parenting with Simplicity, or other ways to connect or work with me online.
[27:22] \[SPEAKER_01\]: If you'd like to support the podcast, the easiest and most impactful thing you can do is subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify, or YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave a rating or review of your favorite episode.
[27:34] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Lastly, sharing the show or your favorite episode with friends and social media is very helpful and will encourage others on their journey to think more and do with less.

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