THE SENSORY MADE SIMPLE PODCAST

Transcript

Hello there.

Welcome back to the Food Explorers Podcast, episode 30.

If you are anything like me, you hate clutter and disorganization in your house.

It absolutely overwhelms my sensory system and I feel less productive and so overwhelmed and overstimulated.

So today, I'm bringing a decluttering expert in to share some industry secrets.

Before I introduce her, I did want to talk about some of the most popular foods and talk about Camp Food Explorers for a minute.

This past week, I announced the launch of the most adorable free challenge, Camp Food Explorers.

We're going to spend three days introducing a new food to your child in a way that actually works with their sensory system.

And we're gonna do it without the battle.

Throughout this three day challenge, I'll be with you every step of the way.

Each day, a carefully crafted email will land directly in your inbox, featuring a bite-sized video that provides clear instructions for that day's activity.

These videos make it convenient and easy to follow along, ensuring you have all the guidance you need to make the most out of your Camp Food Explorers experience.

But there's also some extra fun bonuses for you.

You're going to get comprehensive handouts that complement each activity.

Daily chances to win are amazing prizes.

And this one is the best.

My new download, the 10 most common questions parents ask and my answers.

If you've been wondering how to handle food refusals or if bribing is okay or not, this is for you.

School is out, camp is in sessions, my friend.

So do not miss this.

I will be so sad if you do because it is really gonna be a lot of fun and really impactful.

So go to www.drsamgoldman.com/campfoodexplorers.

Again, that's www.drsamgoldman.com/campfoodexplorers and save your seat.

Okay, let me tell you about Courtney from Declutter and Joelle.

Courtney is a decluttering guru.

She is a wife, a mom, decluttering coach and the founder of the Simplicity Society.

She's passionate about teaching overwhelmed mamas how to infuse decluttering into their lives so they have more time and mental capacity for what matters most.

How amazing does that sound?

Her mission is to equip women with the practical tools and support they need to create simpler and more intentional lives in just 15 minutes a day.

I am beyond excited to have Courtney with us today.

She shared so much goodness in this episode.

You'll hear how JR and I are decluttering our home currently and I know you will love her too.

Let's get to it.

Hey Courtney, I'm so excited to have you here today.

So excited to talk about everything decluttering.

Before we begin, can you tell us a little bit about you and who you are?

Yeah, absolutely.

Thank you for having me.

So I am a wife, a mom, I am a decluttering coach and the founder of the Simplicity Society.

And I'm really passionate about helping moms infuse decluttering into their lives because I know that they're busy, right?

And there's lots going on, lots to do, but I know that clutter can also really affect moms.

So I'm passionate about equipping them with tools that they can use to just make decluttering really simple so that they can focus on what matters most at the end of the day.

You really do make it so simple.

I did mention to you, I am a self-proclaimed organizing hobbyist.

I love organizing containers, putting everything in the clear bins and giving everything a place.

But something after I met you that I found really interesting is that there's actually a difference between organizing and decluttering.

Can you explain this a little bit to us?

Yes, absolutely.

So decluttering, I like to say, eliminates the problem, which is clutter, right?

It gets rid of the extra stuff that is bogging you down.

However, organizing, in my opinion, what I like to say is that it actually makes your clutter look pretty, right?

Because you can hide it essentially in these beautiful bins, these beautiful baskets.

You can put it away for a short while, but then what happens when your toddler goes and dumps out the basket?

Or, you know, what happens when you're trying to run out the door, you can't find something, you have to dump the basket out to search through it to find what you were looking for, right?

And then the clutter wasn't eliminated, right?

You didn't get rid of it, you just kind of hid it for a minute, and then it comes out and it's everywhere, and then you're back to square one where you have to clean it up again and again and again.

Another thing is that decluttering really does not cost a lot of money.

In fact, it really doesn't have to cost you anything at all.

It actually could make you money, and that's another conversation, you know, if you maybe went into selling some of those things.

But organizing can actually be very costly.

I don't know if you, I'm sure many of you have, you've been to Target, you've been to the container store, you've seen how much it is for these beautiful bins and baskets that can be helpful, I think, in a certain time, and we can talk about this later, but can also hinder you from achieving that simple life that you're looking for if you're not getting rid of things first.

Yeah, those container store bins, they add up so fast, it's right across the street from us.

Yes, and I think, too, they know who their target audience is, they know who they're selling to, and I think also when people are so desperate for solutions, oftentimes they'll pay any amount of money, depending on maybe how far at the end of the rope they are, if they're like, I just need something to work.

Sure, take my money, right?

I need this to work.

And a lot of the time, they realize it didn't work.

You know, what's next?

Or maybe nothing will work.

Or maybe I just can't do this.

Maybe it's just not for me.

And that's where decluttering comes in.

And I like to show people, no, this can work for you.

Here's, try this.

I also saw something that you put up recently about decluttering.

Like the less stuff that you have, the less you have to clean.

And I was like, yes, less cleaning.

Yes.

I think, yeah, I think everybody wants this, whether you have kids or whether you don't have kids, because everybody has to clean.

But I think especially when you do have kids and you know how much more stuff there is to pick up, the idea of having fewer things to pick up or just having more time to do what you want to do to spend time with your kids instead of having to constantly pick up after them, I think is very appealing for moms.

Oh my gosh, yes.

And that leads me into kind of my next point, because one of the reasons I was so excited to host you is because from a sensory perspective, I find visual clutter very overstimulating, very overwhelming, both for moms and for the kids that we're trying to support.

So you kind of already dove into this a little bit, but how do we see that that clutter affects the moms that you work with and what are the benefits to it?

You kind of mentioned those already.

Yeah, so clutter is a constant visual reminder that there's more to be done, right?

Moms, I mean, women in general, yes, but we'll speak to moms here.

Moms already have so much on their plate, right?

There's, you know, taking care of the kids, taking care of themselves, if they're working, the house, you know, the to-do list, the extracurriculars.

There's just so much to be done, right?

I don't have to tell you guys that.

You guys know that.

You're living that life.

And clutter, even just visually, even beyond, you know, yes, picking up every day and all of that is work.

But just, sometimes it's just looking at it and seeing it across the room out of the corner of your eye while you're already trying to juggle all the things and being reminded, you're not done.

You can't rest, right?

Or oftentimes that's what it makes us think.

At least that's what it makes me think.

I can't, really a lot of the time, I can't sit down and feel like I can relax until I've taken care of the dishes in the sink or whatever it is because I can just see it over there.

Like it's nagging me.

It's that mental reminder that there's more work that I need to do, right?

And I think it can be exhausting.

It can exhaust moms.

And sometimes I even heard moms say like, I just feel like a failure.

I feel like I'm behind.

I can never keep up.

I can't stay on top of everything.

And I don't want moms to feel that way, right?

I want them to feel like they're, you know, that they have the skills to be able to get things done.

They need to get done so that they can be present with their kids and not feel like they're, you know, always having to be cleaning.

So yeah, some benefits are, well, more time for you.

Something that I hear often from moms is, I don't have the time to declutter, right?

I'm just so busy.

There's no way I can fit it in.

But something that I've seen to be true both in my life and in the lives of the moms that I work with is that when they take those little bit of chunks of time to start decluttering, they do see more time free up because like we talked about earlier, they're not spending as much time picking up the stuff.

So yeah, it's not gonna be a quick fix, right?

It's not gonna be an overnight thing, which I know we all want.

But in time, you will start to see, hey, I have a little bit more time here because I don't have so much stuff to manage.

There was so much good stuff in there.

So I already know everybody's thinking, okay, yes, I need to start decluttering.

What would be, it's overwhelming, even just to think about it, even thinking, okay, yes, I can do five minutes of it, but where do you recommend a mom start with that?

Where is like the first place that it's maybe not such a big jump?

Yeah, I would recommend starting with an area where you don't have to make either a lot of decisions or difficult decisions.

So maybe don't dive right in to sentimental items, right?

Maybe don't dive right into your closet if that's a struggle for you.

But maybe start with something as simple as picking up the floor.

Maybe there's toys, some other things.

And instead of just picking it up and putting it where you normally know, putting it in the basket or kind of shoving it away, start to look at those items before you set them down and ask yourself like, okay, is my child actually playing with this specific toy?

Or did it just get dumped out of the basket because it was in there?

Okay, they're not playing with it.

We can probably donate it.

Or, oh, this is actually a broken piece that again, just got dumped out because it was in the massive toy chest that just gets, everything gets taken out every day.

Okay, well, this is a broken piece.

We don't need it.

I can throw it away.

And start doing that.

I think that's a little bit easier to do, like I said, because you may not be making really challenging decisions or you may not have things where you have to really think about them for a while, like heirlooms or, like I said, sentimental items, things that might require a little bit more brain power.

Maybe start with something simple like that or even your junk drawer.

I guess everyone has at least one junk drawer.

Maybe start there because chances are there's random papers, pens, things that you can make quick decisions on to help you then build that momentum to keep going.

My kryptonite is sticky notes.

Those are all over.

And the second I just get rid of those and put them into some kind of online system, the weight feels so much better.

So I don't have a junk drawer.

I have a junk sticky note area.

So of course, a big focus with my listeners is meal time.

When you have kids running around the house, your busiest can be trying to stay afloat.

That clutter can really accumulate in the kitchen, you can see.

Like you said, dishes, you see the bottles, you see the toys on the table, the crayons.

Do you have any specific tips for decluttering the kitchen?

So kind of similar to what I mentioned, you know, starting small, working in those.

Well, I guess I didn't mention starting small yet, but starting with something that maybe isn't crazy, crazy overwhelming, work drawer by drawer or cabinet by cabinet.

So often people go into decluttering, feeling like they have to do it all at once.

I've had, I mean, I can't even tell you how many people have said, you know, well, I don't have three hours or I don't have a day to declutter the entire kitchen.

So I just don't do it or haven't gotten around to it because I don't have that time.

And what I always tell them is to either set a time limit, like 10, 15 minutes, right?

That feels doable or pick a finite space.

So one drawer, the spice cabinet, like, label, you know, like Nate, say it, speak it out and say, this is what I'm going to start with, right?

And just take the pressure off.

You don't have to do it all at once, and you don't have to do it perfectly.

Because I also hear that I, you know, I have to do it the right way or I feel like I'm going to get stuck because I'm trying to, you know, make it look like maybe like it belongs on Pinterest or what we see on social media.

I mean, that is a whole different conversation too.

Be okay with it being a process.

I actually saw a reel a few weeks ago, and it was of a woman.

She was, you know, she had taken all of her mugs out of the cabinets and had laid them all out on the counter.

And in the reel, I mean, I think she had had, oh, I don't know, 30, 40, maybe.

I mean, she had a lot.

And essentially, she was kind of making fun of herself and saying, you know, she had pulled everything out.

And then she was kind of looking around thinking, like second guessing, oh, maybe I shouldn't have done this, right?

Because then she was like, I don't really want to go through all of this, right?

And I just laughed and I thought, oh, this is so true, and this is what so many of us do or think we need to do, right?

Pull everything out and then start, you know, by the time we pulled everything out, we're tired.

That was our 10, 15 minutes, right?

And now we're like, but I want to be done.

So instead of that, maybe pull out five mugs, right?

Make some decisions.

It just, it is more doable, but it also feels more doable in our brains, right?

It feels like, yeah, I can do this.

And a lot of the time you'll do the five.

And because, you know, you were able to make decisions, you made, you know, you feel like you made a little bit of progress, you'll often want to keep going because, like I said, it feels manageable.

And then also keep what you use, what you truly use.

Assess that.

Ask yourself, what am I actually using here in this kitchen?

Not just what is useful, but what am I actually using, right?

Because there's a difference.

And also know that you don't need every gadget.

Oh my gosh, there are so many kitchen gadgets.

I'm sure you can speak to this.

And some of them are great.

And I think some of them can be really helpful and absolutely useful.

But I think there are others that, you know, seem like a good idea, right?

We see it at the store.

Oh my gosh, I've never seen this before.

This might be helpful, but then we use it once or we don't use it at all because it seems like it would work, but it's just not something we're using on a daily basis.

So I would say, look through those items and assess what are you using?

You know, I don't know.

It doesn't have to be daily, but weekly or just frequently, whatever that looks like to you.

You know, what is truly worth saving?

And, you know, what is worth taking up space in my kitchen?

And then what can be passed on to somebody else who's actually going to use it?

Yeah, and how nice does it feel to open a cabinet and not have everything, all those mugs, about to fall out on top of you?

Yes, exactly.

My husband and I actually now, as we buy new kind of appliances or new gadgets in the kitchen, we actually look for ones that are like more multipurpose.

So we bought a slow cooker that is also like a multi cooker, and it can do seven different things so that we were able to get rid of other things.

Oh, I love that.

What cooker is that?

That's a KitchenAid.

It's actually a little bit on the older side.

And the same with our air fryer.

Our air fryer died and we were going to get a new air fryer, but instead we got a toaster air fryer so that it's something that does multipurpose things.

Yeah.

And we don't have quite as much.

We have a really small kitchen, so it has helped a lot.

I love that.

Yeah.

And actually another one.

Clearly we are in our decluttering phase of life right now, but we also have an area in our house where we just keep kind of like a donation bag.

So as we just go through our week, if we encounter something that we're like, you know, I'm not really using this.

I don't need it quite as much.

We just have a space where we drop it.

And then we have somebody in the local area that we feel really good about donating to.

They do pickups.

And just the thought that I don't need to bring it somewhere, that somebody will come get it for me, makes it that much easier.

So we also kind of verged on this.

But once you have kids, and I think this is probably your season of life right now, once you start to have kids, the amount of stuff in your home just seems to quadruple.

And I mean, you're getting gifts from everywhere.

You're getting gifts from family members, parents.

You get gifts for their birthdays, for holidays.

And so you feel like you need all these things.

You feel like your child needs all these things, especially maybe if you're saving these things for kids in the future.

So any tips or anything you do specifically within your mom community to help with those extra items as they accumulate?

Yeah, so the first thing I want to say before we, you know, I even dive into tips about dealing with this stuff, it's actually a mindset tip because so much of decluttering is getting in the right mindset.

And, you know, I want you to know that it's okay and it's very normal to have flutter.

Because I think when we start to think about the decluttering process, we, a lot of people, you know, they start to feel guilty, even ashamed of their home, the way it looks, you know, they say, oh, you know, I've just let it get out of control.

You know, I can't believe I've let it get this bad.

And a lot of the time that can hinder you from taking that first step, right?

Because you just start to feel stuck.

You start to feel bad.

And, you know, maybe you're even start, you even believe that, you know, an uncluttered home just isn't for you, or there's no way, you know, you're not an organized person, you're not a type A person, right?

So there's just no way you could do this.

But I want you to know that you can, and it can be very simple.

So just want to encourage you with that.

From there, work in small chunks, like we talked about with decluttering.

Like I said, it doesn't have to be an all day thing.

It can be something as simple as decluttering for 10 minutes when maybe, you know, the baby's napping or the kids are at school, watching a show, you know, depending on the ages of your kids.

And, you know, start to, like, for example, when you're sorting through the kids' clothes, maybe they, your child is, you know, moving up to the next size, you're purchasing some clothes.

So once you bring home, let's say, you know, the two T's, well, instead of just, you know, washing them and putting them away, well, maybe, you know, shuffle out the 18 months, right?

Shuffle out those sizes.

And whether you're going to set them aside for a younger sibling or a future sibling, or you're going to donate them, be really selective about what you keep.

This is something I'm doing because my baby is already in 3 to 6 months.

Clothes, and so, you know, he has his newborn in his 0 to 3 sizes that obviously don't fit in now.

I am going to save some of them, but I'm not saving all of them because, you know, I had purchased some things.

We were gifted quite a few things, and I just don't need to keep all of them.

And I honestly don't really want to keep all of them.

I want to keep my favorites, right, the things that I really like, and then donate the rest.

And I was, you know, I've actually been able to pass on quite a few of those things that we're not going to use to other families who are in need of them and post them for free and say, you know, anyone who needs this, just come on by and pick it up.

And I think it's a great way, too, to bless somebody else who truly needs those clothes, right?

Because I don't need to keep all of them.

And, you know, there's nothing wrong with bringing them to Goodwill to donate.

I know many people do that, but I know people will also ask me, is there a way that, you know, I can give these, you know, just maybe give it a little bit more purpose.

Some people like kind of just, they feel a little bit better about getting to do that.

So that's a great way to do it as well.

If your kids are older, you know, honestly, they really don't even have to be that old.

They can be, and, you know, we all know, toddlers want to help.

They want to do, they want to be involved in everything.

They don't have to be, you know, elementary school age, but kind of gauge where they're at.

Involve them in the process if they're willing.

If they're young, you know, maybe they're not going to make decisions, but maybe they'll play and you'll go through them and they'll see you.

They see what you're doing, right?

They may not, you know, be able to say yes or no if they're young, but they will grow up and they will see what you're doing and start to model that.

And, you know, I just, I've, there have been quite a few families who have told me, you know, in the beginning, maybe their daughter's son wasn't super on board with decluttering what they watched mom do it, right?

And then they started to ask questions.

Hey, what are you doing?

Some of them have even said, hey mom, I want to get rid of some of my toys.

Can we go through those together?

Like you are equipping them with these skills that they're going to use for a lifetime, right?

These are things they're going to grow up with and then be able to use, yeah, in their childhood, but also in their adult life.

Like these are really great skills to teach your kids.

So involve them if they're willing, but don't force them.

I want to, I want to say that, you know, we don't want to force because a lot of the time they're going to want to, you know, do the opposite or maybe you'll get some push back there.

Make it a game, you know, make it a fun experience for them.

It's a really great way to teach them how to take care of their belongings.

Oh, I love that.

I love getting those skills in nice and early so that they do have those for life.

And I also think the point that you made about donating them maybe to a family in need, I see in, you know, the mom groups on Facebook all the time where a mom is maybe asking for a little bit of support.

They're going through maybe difficult time.

And those things could be so useful for them.

And you're giving it directly to somebody that you really know needs it and is going to love it and use it.

So I think that was such an awesome point for like how to give back to another mom who's, you know, has a lot of the same feelings and placements as you do.

Yeah, absolutely.

So what are some of the biggest mistakes you see when someone is starting out on that decluttering?

Yeah, so I think I covered most of them, but there's three main ones that I see all of the time that come up all.

I mean, I would say most people would probably fit into one of these three.

So if you're listening, think about which one you resonate with the most.

The first one is trying to do it all at once.

Like we talked about, you know, having that all or nothing mindset.

I think the reason we have a lot of people have this mindset, and I've definitely been there too, is because, you know, we see that big end result.

And we often think like, you know, that's what we're working towards.

But sometimes we see that as like the only way to make progress, right?

The big transformation, the 15 minutes of decluttering.

Sometimes that feels like, well, what's the point?

You know, I'm only going to get one drawer done.

So I'd rather just, you know, wait until I can do it all.

But what I've seen and, you know, what I've truly seen to be the most successful is when moms do chip away at it first because it's realistic, you know, it's just the most doable for them, but also because it empowers them to keep going.

They've been able to build that momentum.

And one drawer and then another drawer, you know, and then another drawer eventually does end up to be the entire kitchen is decluttered.

And I just find that's just the most sustainable method for people to keep going because it can be hard to start, but in another way, I think it can be easy to start, but then stop, right?

And say, I'm overwhelmed.

I got stuck.

I, you know, I did a drawer, but now I'm done, right?

And then not do it again for another year, you know, two years, however long that is because you got stuck, right?

So trying to do it all at once.

Remember, it's okay to start small and see it as a process.

The second one is trying to do it perfectly.

Like I mentioned, sometimes, whether we're perfectionists, whether we feel like it has to look a certain way.

Like I mentioned before, social media plays a huge role in this.

Seeing seemingly perfect homes posted online, feeling like we have to live up to that standard.

You don't.

It's okay.

Do it in the way that works for you.

My house does not look perfect.

And you know what?

I'm okay with that.

And I like it that way.

I don't want it to look perfect because then, you know, it feels like you can't live in your house, right?

If it was perfect, it would be a model home and nobody would live there.

And lastly, another mistake I see is people who are trying to organize first.

So I think there is a time and place for organizing if that's something you truly enjoy.

But don't try to do it first.

Like I said, get rid of some of those things.

And then if you truly want, you know, to buy the baskets and things for the things that you're true, you know, you're using and the things that you need, go ahead.

Organize to your heart's desire.

Oh, well, thank you.

I will.

No, but I think the point you made, that second one, remind me what the second one was.

Trying to do it perfectly.

Trying to do it perfectly, yes.

So often we see on social media that, you know, we see these organizing pages, we see these decluttering pages, and most of the time when they share it, they look perfect.

And even the pros don't have their house perfect 100% of the time.

That's life.

That's how we live.

And like you said, enjoy.

So I think that was really important to share and for everybody to hear here is that nobody's house is perfect.

So if somebody is feeling really inspired right now and wants to start decluttering, where is the best place they can get started?

They can get started with you.

Where can they find more?

Yes.

Well, the best place to find me is on Instagram.

You will find tons of content there.

You know, if you like, I just, you know, I want to get to know you a little bit more and kind of your method.

There are tons of tons of reels, tips, graphics, all the things to help you get started.

You'll also find you can find my website there too, but it's just declutteringdwell.com.

And I have some different freebies and things that you guys can download as well to help you get started.

Yeah, and I will link that in the show notes for everybody so that it is super easy to find Courtney.

So we do have a couple of rapid fire fun questions that I like to ask my guests.

So as you know, I talk all about sensory processing and how we all have our own little sensory quirks.

I've shared a bunch of here, a bunch of mine on here.

One of mine is Saran Wrap.

I hate the feeling just of Saran Wrap.

So you will not find it in our house.

Is there a sensory quirk that you have?

Yes.

Well, this is probably obvious and probably something that many have, but I put clutter.

I mean, the visual thing, you know, just that like we mentioned that visual kind of nagging reminder.

I find that that just when it gets out of control or, you know, when there are things out, I feel like that just sets me over the edge.

So you will find that at my house at times, yes, but I try and, you know, keep it to a minimum so that I don't go crazy.

Lucy, you're a visual person.

Yes, definitely.

Interesting.

And what was eating like for you as a child?

And does this influence how you interact with food today?

Yeah, so as a child, I really was not picky when it came to eating.

I feel like I was exposed to all of the foods, or most of them.

And as an adult, I feel like I...

I mean, I think I would say I'm a pretty adventurous eater.

There's not...

There may be a couple of things I don't like.

Like, for example, they're all random.

I just...

I don't like mustard.

That's just kind of a random thing.

I don't think it's...

You know, it was any experience I had.

It's just a dislike.

But yeah, I can't even think of what else I don't like.

Pretty adventurous from the beginning.

Yes.

And what is one technique you like to use to either calm down or to wake up your nervous system?

Yeah.

I put walking.

It's getting super hot here in Texas, so I'm trying to go in the morning or in the evening.

But yeah, I just...

I've noticed really over the past several years that just getting outside is just a great way to reset, getting that fresh air, movement, and just a change of scenery.

And something I like to do is just put Lynn in the stroller, grab Toby, walk our dog, and just go for a walk.

I think, yeah, it's a great way to reset mentally.

Yeah.

I start my day with the walk in the mornings on weekdays, and if I don't, I do feel a little out of it, so I get you that one.

Well, Courtney, thank you so much for joining us today.

It has been such a pleasure, so much good information, and I can't wait to chat with you more over on Instagram.

Awesome.

Thanks for having me.

Thanks, Courtney.