A few years ago, I got into the show Extreme Hoarders, an
American show revealing the shocking, sometimes even tragic lives of
individuals or families living under the massive shadow of compulsive
hoarding. From newspapers to coupon-bought frozen foods, Extreme Hoarders would show entire houses engulfed in stuff!
I would wonder to myself how anything could ever get that serious,
never able to imagine that someone like little old me would ever be like
those I was watching. I never have of course, but I am guilty of
clutter, as are most of us. Though we might not need entire teams with
forklifts to bust walls through our houses in a bid to save us from our
mess, in our homes we all have that one drawer in the study, or that
chair in the bedroom, that section in the garage, where we dump things
we don’t need or don’t want to use, bad purchases, or memorabilia that
has somehow found its way off that treasured place atop the mantelpiece.
Yes, we are all guilty of mess and clutter, and might be one bad
purchase away from seeing that neatly constructed pyramid of clutter
collapse. Astra Holmes has made it her life’s work to ensure that
proverbial pyramid not only doesn’t topple over, but never gets
constructed in the first place. Holmes is a clutter expert – she knows
just how to make the mess disappear.
How did you get into the science or the art of decluttering?
I got into decluttering ten years ago, when I had a client with a
very hectic lifestyle. Before I could get to the interiors I needed to
see the floor, so we did a decluttering project before starting. This
got me interested in decluttering, and starting to research techniques
to help clients gain control of their home environment. It was amazing
how much of a difference it made, to both my clients’ physical space and
mental health. How have you been able to incorporate it into, not only your life but your family’s life?
All children do better in and enjoy having a clean and mainly
organized environment. I started when my son was very young, with
clothes and toys, getting him to try on his clothes and decide what he
had outgrown, at the end of each season; getting him to be responsible
for putting his own toys away – at first just into a big basket, and as
he grew, into a storage system by category. Then we would do an annual
or biannual cull of the toys he didn’t use anymore. There are a lot more
needy kids out there, and teaching your child to part with their toys,
to give to someone who might not have as much, is a good lesson. For
larger children it can be more difficult to change lifetime habits. My
husband is a lost cause. He always loses his keys, phone and wallet.
“Have you seen my…?” is a constant conversation. So help your kids to
develop this life skill now.
What are some of the activities and habits you encourage
in your family members to ensure that your house and your lives remain
decluttered?
To declutter with your kids, you need to help them by having enough
storage and designated areas for their toys, art supplies, and books.
It’s no good trying to get a kid to be organized, if you don’t give them
the tools to succeed. Ikea and Taobao are an endless resource of
storage items, but it can be as simple as an old shoe box too.
Classifying containers for young kids is a must. Montessori is a great
education technique and teaches kids great life skills. One of the
things I really like is that kids “work” is in designated trays, and
they are required to put the tray back when they have finished their
“work”. You can utilize this technique for toys too. The younger you
start with these techniques the more ingrained they become. That’s just
how we do it!
What are some ways in which parents can encourage their kids to declutter and live a more minimalist life?
“Toys” is far too broad a term for kids to cope with. You want to do
small 5-10 minute fun tasks to get them to start flexing their
decluttering muscles. Do not go full Marie Kondo with your kids. Having a
few quick games can really rein in the chaos. Kids like games and
competition, so making it into a game can really help them to get into
the spirit of things. Here are some ideas to help you declutter with
your child.
The Games
Toddlers:It can be as simple as to see who
can find the most toys to put back in the toy box. Teaching them to put
away their toys will save you time and irritation.
Trash Bag Tango: is a quick game, you
decide the time limit, go around your child’s room, and throw away
rubbish and broken toys. Put on some music, set a timer and get your
child to try and find a designated number of items before the buzzer
rings.
Pen challenge: In my decluttering WeChat
group we are doing a January challenge, quick decluttering tasks
everyday for a month. The first challenge was pens. This is easy to do
with kids: set a timer, find all the pens in the house. Make it a race,
who can find the most. Then get some scrap paper and try them to see if
they work; whoever gets the most broken pens wins. Kids love this
challenge. Now create a pen zone.
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Longer term decluttering techniques for kids Artwork: Kids’ artwork grows exponentially
in the early years. Create a designated area to display it. Each term or
year, go through the artwork with your child and decide which are their
favorites. Then you can have them easily “collaged” in a frame, with
the month/year and create an art gallery wall that shows their
development as the years go by. Kids especially love to see their art
hanging up. Clothes: Get your child a clothes basket
and create a chore list; one of the chores should be making them put
their clothes in the basket as they get ready for bed each evening. You
can give them a sticker for every day they manage to do it, or they get a
story after they do it, or something that will incentivize your child.
Toy rotation: Get your child to choose
twenty (or a number of your choice) toys they want to play with for the
coming week/month. Everything else goes in storage. Set a return date
like a library book, when they can make new choices. This helps kids
really decide what they like playing with, and creates a newness factor
to toys that have been stored when they come back out. If they decide
after a day or two they made some wrong choices, don’t be militant about
it. Let them swap out, once, but then keep to the next date. One in one out: This technique works well
around holidays or birthdays, to keep toy chaos under control. A week or
two before the event, explain that they are going to get new toys, and
as there is only so much room, they need to decide what they think they
are too old for now. Then as the toys enter your house, get them to
decide which toy they will part with, in place of the new toy.
Give us a week’s worth of daily challenges towards decluttering. All of these games & techniques will help to rein in toy chaos,
and general kid clutter. But they need to be consistently applied. Make a
date with yourself and your child. These tips will teach your child to
love and appreciate what they have, and will save you time and money in
the long run. No more broken toys, no more kid clutter in the living
room, less time spent clearing up, more time playing and having fun.
Kids learn best through modeled behavior, so don’t expect your child to
be a neat freak if the rest of your house is in disarray. What are some of the benefits of living a more decluttered life – both short term and long term? My belief is that outer calm leads to inner peace, and these
techniques should help you find a bit of peace in a frantic life. If you
need help with adult clutter, you can always contact me for a
one-on-one consultation: astra888@qq.com or join my WeChat De-cluttering
challenges.