Wannabe Clutter Free | Declutter, Simplify, Find Freedom

Your kid won't get rid of anything. You know their room has too much stuff. But every time you try to do something about it, it turns into a battle. What if you never had to be the bad guy again?
Dana K. White is the creator of the No Mess Decluttering Method, the blogger behind A Slob Comes Clean, and the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Decluttering at the Speed of Life. She has spent 17 years teaching overwhelmed, messy people how to get their homes under control without shame or perfection. And now she has taken everything she knows and put it into her very first children's book, Winnie's Pile of Pillows.
In this episode, Dana shares how to use a picture book as an actual decluttering tool, why her container concept works even better on kids than it does on adults, and how to get through a decluttering session with your child without convincing them of anything. This one will change how you approach your kid's stuff.
Covered in this episode:
How to use Winnie's Pile of Pillows as more than a bedtime story
Why the container concept makes the space the bad guy instead of you
The five-minute pickup test that tells you if your child has too many toys
What to say when your kid insists they need to keep everything
How to declutter with your child without starting a power struggle
Why you should never start with your kid's room
The age when kids can really start to grasp the concept of having enough
How to pass on a no-shame, no-guilt relationship with stuff to your kids

If you are fighting the toy clutter battle and losing, this episode is for you. Hit play, grab the book, and go find that trash bag.
LEARN MORE
Winnie's Pile of Pillows by Dana K. White: https://amzn.to/4afYyDH
A Slob Comes Clean: https://www.aslobcomesclean.com
Lenora and Her Super Duper Messy Room by Deanna Yates: https://amzn.to/4gDSp89
Show notes: https://www.wannabeclutterfree.com/315

CONNECT
Dana K. White on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aslobcomesclean/
Deanna Yates on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wannabeclutterfree/

LISTEN TO MORE
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wannabe-clutter-free-declutter-simplify-find-freedom/id1485473251
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ATUIVONi0kyoVUKOQV4OT?si=f555de5388164b10
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wannabeclutterfree

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Digital clutter doesn’t pile up on your counter, but it absolutely piles up in your brain. Every unread email, every unused app, every notification going off every eight minutes is quietly draining your focus and your energy.

In this episode I’m giving you three moves for your inbox, three moves for your phone, and a simple weekly habit that keeps all of it under control going forward.

In this episode you’ll learn:

The one reframe that changes how you think about email forever

How to cut your inbox in half this week without losing anything important

The 30-day app audit (and why you don’t have to fully delete things to get them out of your way)

The Favorites list trick that lets you protect your peace without missing important calls

The three-habit digital maintenance system that takes under 15 minutes a week

Resources mentioned:

Unroll.me (mass email unsubscribe tool)

Clean Email (email management tool)

Digital Declutter Challenge course: https://www.wannabeclutterfree.com/digital-declutter-challenge

⁠If this episode resonated with you, share it with one person who needs to hear it.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and if you have two minutes, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts makes a real difference.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introduction to Digital Clutter

00:29 Understanding the Impact of Email Clutter

03:44 Reframing Your Email Inbox

05:03 Unsubscribing and Archiving Emails

07:45 The Archive Bomb: Cleaning Out Old Emails

11:49 Organizing Your Email Folders

14:30 Addressing Phone Clutter

16:42 The 30-Day App Audit

18:29 Resetting Notifications for Clarity

21:31 Creating a Favorites List for Important Contacts

22:29 Simplifying Your Phone's Home Screen

24:14 Establishing a Digital Maintenance Habit

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Have you ever looked at a "minimalist" home on Instagram and thought, well, that is never going to be me. My kids alone would destroy that in four minutes? Or convinced yourself that your clutter-free journey isn't working because your house just doesn't look the part? You are not alone. And this conversation is for you.

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESOURCES⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the transcripts and more at wannabeclutterfree.com/313⁠⁠⁠

⁠Episode with Joshua Becker

The Minimalists Documentary


Previous episode with Desirae⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Desirae:

Minimal-ish Website⁠⁠

⁠Minimal-ish on Instagram⁠

Minimalish Podcast: Search "Minimalish" wherever you listen

Follow Deanna Yates, the host of Wannabe Clutter Free on:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Effortless Home: DAILY Edition - 5 Steps to Run Your Home Like Magic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Desirae Endres is the host of the Minimalish podcast, and her decluttering journey started in 2018 when she sat down as a brand new mom and watched a documentary that completely changed the way she thought about her stuff, her home, and her identity.

Since then she has built an entire community around the idea of "minimal-ish" living, not a perfect aesthetic, not a stark white capsule home, just a real and intentional life with less in the way. 

In this episode, Desirae gets honest about the postpartum anxiety that made her desperate for a calmer home, what it felt like when her husband said their house no longer looked minimal-ish, and the beautiful shift she had about what this whole journey is actually for. We also dig into how to get your kids involved in decluttering without it turning into a battle, and the single most powerful thing you can do to raise kids who genuinely understand how to let go.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

What "minimal-ish" means and why it has nothing to do with how your home looks

The real connection between clutter and mental health

Why letting go of stuff is really about letting go of past versions of yourself

How to involve your kids in decluttering without forcing it

What age kids can meaningfully participate (and when it is okay to just do it yourself)

The one thing you can do today that quietly teaches your kids to let go

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Introduction

2:59 Desirae's origin story: the documentary that changed everything

5:37 Why changing your nature is harder than changing what you own

9:21 How decluttering helped manage postpartum anxiety

11:37 Letting go of clothes and letting go of past versions of yourself

15:02 Baby stuff, the "what if" fear, and letting go anyway

20:20 Feeling like an imposter when your home does not look minimal

22:45 The minimalist aesthetic vs. the minimalist mindset

24:56 Accepting certain areas of clutter in your current season

32:43 Teaching kids to declutter: where to start

37:21 The power of narrating your own decluttering out loud

43:28 What age should kids start participating?

47:07 What Desirae wishes someone had told her at the very beginning

49:13 Decluttering as a gateway to bigger life changes

50:09 Rapid fire questions

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Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.silvermansound.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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We’d love to hear how you’re applying the strategies discussed in this episode. Share your stories and tips with us on social media (@wannabeclutterfree). Don’t forget to subscribe for more insightful episodes designed to make your busy life a bit easier.

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Paper doesn't ask permission. It just shows up in your mailbox, your kids' backpacks, and somehow on every flat surface in your home. And if the piles keep coming back no matter how many times you deal with them, it's not a discipline problem. It's a system problem.

In this episode I'm sharing the exact system I use to keep paper from taking over, including what to do with everything that comes in, how to handle the stuff that's been piling up for months, and two bonus sections for the things nobody talks about: your kids' school papers and the one document organizer every family needs.

In this episode you'll learn:

Why paper piles keep coming back (it's not what you think)

The Paper JAM System: three categories, every piece of paper, no exceptions

How to set up a weekly processing routine that takes under 30 minutes

The landing spot rule that stops paper from spreading during the week

A simple system for kids' artwork and school papers that doesn't require keeping everything

What an Emergency Binder is and the one document it cannot be missing

Mentioned in this episode:

Catalog Choice (opt out of paper catalogs for free)

Digitized in a Day (go fully paperless)

Episode 310: Your Phone Has 10,000 Photos

Episode 314: Digital Declutter

Ep 232: How Simplifying Your Home Can Improve Your Finances with Jill Sirianni

Ep 174 Learning How To Spend Guilt-Free in a Clutter Free Home with Alli Williams

Ep 243: Declutter Your Finances: Breaking Free from the Debt Cycle Without Budgeting Burnout with Germaine Foley

Ep 260: Simplify Your Family Budget: The 5-Account System That Changes Everything with Brittany Flammer

If this episode resonated with you, share it with one person who needs to hear it.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and if you have two minutes, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts makes a real difference.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 The Sneaky Clutter: Paper Invasion

01:47 Understanding the Paper Pile Problem

06:55 The Paper Jam System: Sorting Made Easy

16:26 Establishing a Weekly Processing Routine

23:16 Managing Kids' School Papers

27:18 Creating an Emergency Binder

30:16 Going Digital: The Future of Paper Management

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Time management expert and Secrets of Supermom host Lori Oberbroeckling joins Deanna to talk about why energy runs out before time does, how clutter quietly sabotages your best-laid plans, and the small routine changes that actually stick.

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESOURCES⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Snag your ticket to Supermom Summer Camp⁠


⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the transcripts and more at wannabeclutterfree.com/311⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Lori:

⁠Secrets of Supermom Website⁠

Secrets of Supermom Instagram

Follow Deanna Yates, the host of Wannabe Clutter Free on:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Effortless Home: DAILY Edition - 5 Steps to Run Your Home Like Magic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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You bought the planner. You made the schedule. You had a whole plan. And then a super busy day happened.

Sound familiar? This week Deanna sits down with Lori Oberbroeckling, a working mom of four, corporate project management leader, and host of the Secrets of Supermom Show. Lori has spent years helping busy, ambitious moms figure out why their best systems keep falling apart. Spoiler: it is almost never the plan.

In this episode, Lori introduces her framework of energy bleeds, energy blocks, and energy boosts, and explains why your home environment plays a much bigger role in your daily productivity than most time management advice will ever admit. When your physical space is draining you before you even start your to-do list, even a perfect schedule cannot save you.

Lori also shares the moment she and Deanna both recognized in themselves: we think we need a better planner, when really we need more energy boosts built into our days first.

If you have ever felt like you are doing all the right things and still ending every day depleted, this episode is going to reframe everything.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

Why a cluttered, chaotic home is an energy bleed that quietly tanks your whole day

How to do a simple time and energy audit to figure out where your energy is actually going

What to do when you hate a task but still have to do it

Why routines fall apart and the one question to ask before you try to build one

The small change that helped Lori's family of six stop tripping over shoes

How to get your family actually on board with new home routines

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction to Lori Oberbroeckling

03:05 Why home environment matters to your schedule

08:25 Energy bleeds, blocks, and boosts explained

10:01 What to do when you have to do an energy bleed task

16:18 How to find your energy boosts when you do not know what they are

20:24 Flying trapeze and other energy boost revelations

21:32 Why routines fall apart and how to build ones that stick

24:11 Small changes that create big impact for the whole family

26:58 Getting family buy-in with carrots, not sticks

29:28 Why the planner is not the problem

32:27 Where to start when everything feels out of control

34:26 Rapid fire: what clutter free means, what is making Lori happy, and one takeaway

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Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.silvermansound.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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We’d love to hear how you’re applying the strategies discussed in this episode. Share your stories and tips with us on social media (@wannabeclutterfree). Don’t forget to subscribe for more insightful episodes designed to make your busy life a bit easier.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy