The Mel Robbins Podcast

From Chaos to Calm: 5 Easy Steps to Organize Your Life and Home

Ready to level up? ⬆️🚀 https://bit.ly/takecontrol2023 👈 Sign up for my FREE 3-part science-backed training, Take Control with Mel Robbins! It’s designed specifically to help you step back into excellence, take ACTION, and create the life you deserve 🌟 — After you meet our expert today and learn her revolutionary approach to simplifying your life, you will never approach the topic of picking up, #cleaning up, or #organizing the same way again. Whether it’s your desk or closet that is overwhelming you, or like me, you are guilty of constantly starting projects and putting things in piles, only to run out of time or get flustered, creating bigger projects to deal with in the future, today’s episode will change your entire life. Luckily, the incredible Dana White, founder of the hit blog, A Slob Comes Clean, and author of "How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind," is here to help us all. And that's not all. Don’t forget to sign up for Take Control with Mel Robbins. It’s free. It’s my gift to you for supporting this podcast. It features 3 brand-new training videos, two hours of research-backed curriculum taught by me, and a detailed 21-page workbook. This training will provide you with the coaching, structure, and support you need to hit reset, take control, and level up your life. And if you combine this training with Dana’s advice about decluttering, you, my friend, won’t even recognize yourself in a week. All at zero cost to you. Why? Because you deserve it, and it’s my way of thanking you for being here with me. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. So why not take advantage of this opportunity? Sign up for free at https://www.melrobbins.com/takecontrol now. Xo Mel In this episode, you'll learn: 00:00 Intro 13:17 What my husband thinks about living with a slob. 😂 20:20 Wait. Organizing and decluttering are NOT the same thing? 26:44 How do you know what your “clutter threshold” is? 30:10 Use “the visibility rule” before you do anything. 32:34 This is why you begin with a BLACK trash bag. 36:39 Focus this way on organizing, and it will change your life. 39:08 Here’s why you don’t want a fancy “donate” box. 43:48 The decluttering question you’ve never heard before. 48:31 Here’s what REALLY happens with those organized piles. 49:35 No piles. Here’s what you do instead. 50:50 This is why we always put off organizing in the first place. 57:24 The second decluttering question you’ve never heard before. 1:00:21 Stop making organizing seem so big! 1:05:57 Why doesn’t it work to buy all those organizing containers? 1:07:55 We’ve gotten the purpose of containers all wrong! 1:16:55 So how DO you live with a partner who’s a slob — Follow Mel: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melrobbins/ TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@melrobbins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melrobbins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melrobbins Website: http://melrobbins.com — Sign up for Mel’s newsletter: https://melrob.co/sign-up-newsletter A note from Mel to you, twice a week, sharing simple, practical ways to build the life you want. — Subscribe to Mel’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/melrobbins?sub_confirmation=1 — Listen to The Mel Robbins Podcast 🎧 New episodes drop every Monday & Thursday! https://melrob.co/spotify https://melrob.co/applepodcasts https://melrob.co/amazonmusic — Looking for Mel’s books on Amazon? Find them here: The Let Them Theory: https://amzn.to/3IQ21Oe The Let Them Theory Audiobook: https://amzn.to/413SObp The High 5 Habit: https://amzn.to/3fMvfPQ The 5 Second Rule: https://amzn.to/4l54fah

Mel RobbinshostDana K. Whiteguest

Apr 17, 20231h 42mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Stop Organizing, Start Decluttering: Reset Your Home In Five Steps

Mel Robbins interviews decluttering expert Dana K. White about why so many high-functioning, creative people secretly feel like failures at home organization.
Dana explains that most of us confuse “organizing” with “decluttering” and chase pretty systems and bins instead of reducing the amount of stuff we own.
She lays out a simple, five-step, no-mess decluttering process, introduces concepts like the “clutter threshold,” the “container concept,” and the daily five‑minute pickup, and shows how to adapt this for relationships where one partner is messier.
The conversation is highly practical and emotional, reframing clutter as a solvable, reality-based problem rather than a moral failing or personality flaw.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Stop organizing; start decluttering first.

Buying bins and making things look pretty is organizing, not decluttering. Until you reduce the amount of stuff you own, no system will stay neat, and you’ll keep feeling like you’re failing.

Everyone has a personal “clutter threshold.”

Your clutter threshold is the amount of stuff you personally can keep under control. If a space is constantly out of control, it’s a sign you’re over your threshold and need to get rid of more, not find better systems.

Use the five-step, no-mess decluttering process.

Work in visible areas and always in this order: 1) trash, 2) easy stuff to established homes, 3) obvious donations, 4) two decluttering questions to decide keep/donate, and 5) apply the container concept so everything fits usable in its space—never making a bigger mess.

Let the two decluttering questions make decisions for you.

For any item, ask: (1) “If I needed this, where would I look for it first?” and take it there now; if there’s no clear answer, ask (2) “If I needed this, would it even occur to me that I already owned one?” If not, it goes in the donate box.

Use containers as limits, not storage opportunities.

A container’s real job is to set a boundary. Put your favorites in first; when the container or shelf is full, the rest must go. You can keep anything, but you can’t keep everything and still have a manageable home.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

I viewed my house as a project because I am generally very successful with projects. Your house is not a project.

— Dana K. White

Organizing and decluttering are separate things. They are not the same thing.

— Dana K. White

Everyone has a clutter threshold. It’s the amount of stuff you personally can keep under control.

— Dana K. White

A container is not for putting things in. A container is meant to serve as a limit.

— Dana K. White

I always say you’re one decision away from a different life, and your decision to write about your clutter literally changed everything.

— Mel Robbins

The emotional shame and hidden struggle around home clutter, even among successful peopleThe crucial difference between organizing and declutteringThe concepts of a personal “clutter threshold” and the “container concept”Dana’s five-step, progress-only decluttering processDaily routines and the five‑minute pickup for maintenanceManaging clutter conflicts in relationships with different clutter thresholdsHow decluttering changes your shopping habits and relationship with “stuff”

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