Ep 35: How to Succeed with Decluttering Once and For All with Karen Burke

Tried decluttering before, but didn’t get the results you wanted? That was the exact spot today’s guest found herself in - even after she decluttered over 2000 items. But, don't despair! There’s good news.

Instead of giving up, she learned she just had to declutter one more place in her home and then it all changed. She finally started feeling lighter and less stressed. Her home became her haven and she finished decluttering each room.

So what made the difference? It all came down to one sentence. Honestly, just a few words made all the difference when it came to clearing out her home to pursue the life she wanted.

And you can do it too!

In this episode of the Wannabe Minimalist Show, I chat with declutterer extraordinaire, Karen Burke, about discovering your purpose, positive mindsets, living a life of adventure, and how a challenge can give you the push you need to change your life. This episode is will help you get past your doubts and realize that the life you envision in your head, may be just around the corner.

Karen is a wife, two time boy mom, and former middle school teacher who now works from home as a blogger and course creator. The heart of her work at Slow Motion Mama is to help overwhelmed moms simplify their spaces & style them on a budget. She is dedicated to helping others organize their spaces and find their own unique style so that they can love the home they’re in.

If you have struggled with seeing results with decluttering and are about to throw in the towel, or you just want more direction on how to clear out the clutter, this show is for you.

This episode of the Wannabe Minimalist Show will help you discover:

How to flip the script when it comes to decluttering. Is it really all about what we take out of our homes?
The ONE sentence Karen asks herself when decluttering anything that changed everything.
Why setting a goal and joining a challenge may be just the thing you need to finally declutter your home.
What Karen suggests you do with expensive items you no longer want that makes it so much easier to let them go.

HIGHLIGHTS

[00:00] – This episode is brought to you The QUICK Way to Declutter and Organize Your Home. This 5 part mini-course will help you declutter, tidy, and organize any room in your home. Get started today!

[00:51] – Deanna welcomes listeners back to the show and introduces listeners to Karen Burke of Slow Motion Mama.

[02:11] – Karen introduces herself and tells us about her life as a wife, mama to 2 boys, a middle school teacher, and blogger. She also tells us about her journey toward minimalism and what she finds most important.

[05:12] – We learn from Karen how her husband’s debt-free journey reignited the fire she had for minimalism.

[06:13] – What is the statement that Karen and her husband used to change their stories and take back their life from clutter? What will your statement be?

[07:35] – Deanna unpacks all of the nuggets Karen shared starting with the family why statement and the reason this is so important for others to create for themselves.

[08:22] – Karen shares why she thinks of minimalism as a muscle that you make stronger each and every time you use it.

[09:10] – Discover how Karen’s choice of a minimalist life has allowed her family to travel. Are there things you really want to do that would be possible if you gave up the idea of “keeping up with the Joneses”?

[10:42] – Karen discusses how she uses their family why statement as a filter for any big choices they make as a family. This is the #1 thing you can do to make your life simpler and any decision easier. Find out why.

[12:02] – How has Karen’s life changed since adopting minimalism? What are the tangible and intangible things that might change for you as a minimalist?

[13:22] – Karen drops some incredible decluttering insights on us. Hint: It’s not about clearing things out of your home!!

[14:11] – Challenges are one of the biggest motivators for Karen so she challenged herself to see how much stuff was coming into her home. She was floored at how much stuff came in because they don’t really shop.

[16:50] – What was the crazy decluttering challenge Karen took on in 2018 and why didn’t The Minimalists Challenge work for her?

[18:34] – Deanna and Karen connect on why The Minimalists way of doing things doesn't work well for moms like us (even though we believe in what they stand for).

[19:40] – Is Karen a bite-sized decluttered that likes to do a little bit each day, or does she prefer a big weekend decluttering session?

[20:49] – Discover why Karen prefers to declutter late at night when her kids have gone to bed.

[24:22] – How did the big declutter challenge of discarding 2018 items in 2018 go for Karen? Did she hit her goal? How long did it take?

[25:10] – Karen gives us her best advice for what to do when the vision in your mind is not manifesting into a lighter feeling home when decluttering. Hint: most people do the opposite.

[27:05] – Some of Karen’s friends joined in so she hosted her own version of the year long challenge in 2019. What are the guidelines she recommends if this is something you want to do?

[30:22] – What does Karen count as an item when she is counting the number of things she is decluttering and what exceptions does she make?

[33:38] – Karen gets asked about how to count paper when going through this challenge. Here’s what she recommends.

[34:25] – Does Karen sell anything when she is decluttering? Usually no, but she has made a few exceptions. But this secret is her favorite alternative.

[35:38] – Deanna addresses the guilt that comes with decluttering expensive things and how to overcome this mental hurdle.

[37:05] – This mindset shift Karen makes around decluttering, donating, or gifting expensive nice things is such a game-changer. Try it and see how much better it makes you feel

[37:43] – If Karen were starting her minimalism journey over today or she had a friend who was just starting out, this is the advice she would give.

[42:05] – Where can you find Karen online?

[43:06] – What has been Karen’s favorite simple pleasure this week?

[44:10] – What is the best advice about minimalism or habits that Karen has ever received?

[45:12] – And finally, what is making Karen happy right now?

[50:36] – Deanna circles back to the importance of creating a why statement for your family so that you can make decluttering easier than ever.

[51:30] – Join Deanna in her private Wannabe Minimalist Group on Facebook and get in on the discussions going on there with others just like you. And remember we love hearing from listeners, so please get in touch by email at hello@littlegreenbow.com or by sending her a message on Instagram (@WannabeClutterFree) or on Facebook (@WannabeClutterFree)!