Blog
Updated 26 March 2021
Don't miss The Living Room tonight (7.30pm, Ten) for a one hour declutter & decorate special with international expert Peter Walsh and our friend Barry Du Bois. We helped out with beautiful products for a family home in Sydney.
We talked to Peter about some of his experiences working with clients, and also asked some questions about how to approach a whole-home declutter…
The challenge: a Sydney home where clutter was taking hold.
Do you find that once on the right path people stick to a de-clutter programme or do they have a tendency to revert to bad habits?
It depends on whether they've really decided to make a change in their behaviour or not. If they've gotten to a point where they really truly are unhappy with the lives they're living then they generally are more receptive to making a change. Decluttering and organizing are one of those things that you can't do for someone else. It requires someone to make a commitment to change. It's also important to understand that getting organised doesn't start with 'the stuff' - in the first instance it's all about having a clear vision for the life and the home you want. Once someone has this vision clear in their head then I've found that reverting to old ways is unusual.
Peter helping the home owners with the task.
What is the most interesting/valuable object you have ever uncovered?
I once worked to declutter extreme clutter from a family home in Los Angeles. The woman who lived in the home had inherited it (and all the belongings!) from her parents. On the third day of decluttering, buried under piles of old newspapers and magazines, we found a cigar box full of heirloom jewellery worth thousands and thousands of dollars.
Oh - and there was also the time I found a piano in a family room that hadn't been seen by the family in 17 years! No kidding!!
A sneak peek at the master bedroom after the transformation.
The little girl of the family's brand new room.
As I said earlier, the best way to start is to just start. Anywhere simple with anything easy. Throwing away rubbish is usually that place. Moving things into their proper rooms is the next step. As you're doing this, set your vision for how you'd like this room to function. Keep that vision strong in your mind (write it down if necessary) and try your best to make decisions based only on that vision. But, bottom line - just start. As my grandmother always said 'the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time'. Small steps repeated consistently will lead to huge results.
Find out more about Peter at his website, where you can find out more about his books, DVD and app and sign up for regular newsletters.
Declutter your whole home with Peter Walsh
Don't miss The Living Room tonight (7.30pm, Ten) for a one hour declutter & decorate special with international expert Peter Walsh and our friend Barry Du Bois. We helped out with beautiful products for a family home in Sydney.
We talked to Peter about some of his experiences working with clients, and also asked some questions about how to approach a whole-home declutter…
The challenge: a Sydney home where clutter was taking hold.
Do you find that once on the right path people stick to a de-clutter programme or do they have a tendency to revert to bad habits?
It depends on whether they've really decided to make a change in their behaviour or not. If they've gotten to a point where they really truly are unhappy with the lives they're living then they generally are more receptive to making a change. Decluttering and organizing are one of those things that you can't do for someone else. It requires someone to make a commitment to change. It's also important to understand that getting organised doesn't start with 'the stuff' - in the first instance it's all about having a clear vision for the life and the home you want. Once someone has this vision clear in their head then I've found that reverting to old ways is unusual.
Peter helping the home owners with the task.
What is the most interesting/valuable object you have ever uncovered?
I once worked to declutter extreme clutter from a family home in Los Angeles. The woman who lived in the home had inherited it (and all the belongings!) from her parents. On the third day of decluttering, buried under piles of old newspapers and magazines, we found a cigar box full of heirloom jewellery worth thousands and thousands of dollars.
Oh - and there was also the time I found a piano in a family room that hadn't been seen by the family in 17 years! No kidding!!
A sneak peek at the master bedroom after the transformation.
The little girl of the family's brand new room.
OK, so if your whole house looks like a cyclone has hit you hard, then my advice is to start in any room that you think will be EASIEST. And, when you start, start easily too by getting rid of any rubbish, anything that is broken, or anything that doesn't belong in that room. Keep it simple - no hard decisions. Make that your assignment for the first day (and if you want to do more, by all means do). My theory is that sometimes the hardest part of getting organised is just starting. So, anything you think might trip you up or you're unsure whether to toss it, leave it for the next day. But, here's the deal - if you do this, then you have to commit to doing this EVERY DAY for at least a couple of weeks. Make a date with yourself. Put it in your diary. And, work room by room. But, get started.
I'm not a fan of storage units for this kind of problem. Storage units should be used for temporary re-locations only. Unless you're prepared to move then you have to come to terms with the fact that you only have the space you have. Once you accept this as fact, you'll actually experience a freeing feeling. So, what do you do with all of the extra stuff you just can't part with? You need to ask yourself what is more important, personal happiness or this old rocking chair that's taking up space? I vote for happiness every time. It's hard but it's necessary. Ask anyone who has de-cluttered... they'll tell you that the process of letting go of some stuff was hard but I've never met anyone who has said the outcome wasn't worth it.
You have to recognize that if you find yourself in a position where you're both repeating the same scripts ("get rid of it" vs "it means too much to me") then there will always be a winner and a loser in your relationship. That's not healthy. Instead, it's more important to talk through why some of the stuff has meaning to your partner and why it's important to you that there be less of it. Agree on what's important for your relationship first - and constantly work towards that. My book IT'S ALL TOO MUCH delves into this in quite some detail and may help you and your partner work through how to make you both happier.
As I said earlier, the best way to start is to just start. Anywhere simple with anything easy. Throwing away rubbish is usually that place. Moving things into their proper rooms is the next step. As you're doing this, set your vision for how you'd like this room to function. Keep that vision strong in your mind (write it down if necessary) and try your best to make decisions based only on that vision. But, bottom line - just start. As my grandmother always said 'the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time'. Small steps repeated consistently will lead to huge results.
Find out more about Peter at his website, where you can find out more about his books, DVD and app and sign up for regular newsletters.
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