This week we celebrate our 50th episode with a decidedly un-celebratory topic, but hey, it has to be done at some stage! Dive headlong into your living room with us this week as we talk about how we can keep our living room working for us, and not the other way around. Bec and Tara share their top tips for keeping living rooms under control, as well as the most unusual things they've seen stored in living rooms! References: https://www.ikea.com/au/en/p/rabalder-cable-tidy-white-00281420/ We'd lo...
Sep 17, 2019•57 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Bec and Tara are big readers. They love reading, and love books. They understand why people end up with more books than space; they totally get it. Because of this, we have a long episode for you this week, full of personal stories about books and reading and all that stuff. Don't worry, somewhere among the stories we'll have some tips for you on how to make decisions about books if you need to declutter them (it's okay....just breathe!). References: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=13296164738...
Sep 10, 2019•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 33
Where does happiness lie? When striving for it, why does it always seem out of reach? Clutter is caused by many things, but acquiring is a big reason we have too much stuff. We acquire things a lot of the time because we feel we need The Thing because it will make our lives better. From the pretty new notebook (I'll get organised) to the new shoes (I'll look taller and trendier) to the new rug (the other one didn't match the sofa properly) and the new kitchen storage (glass will be safer). Are y...
Sep 02, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Have you ever felt like you don't deserve the success you have? Like someone is going to find out that you don't know what you're doing? As if one day the jig will be up and you'll be outed to the world as a complete fake? You're not alone if you have! This week Tara interviews Anne Ditmeyer about Imposter Syndrome. Anne is a designer, writer, traveler, creative coach and consultant with personal experience in overcoming Imposter Syndrome and finding the positive in the experience. References: h...
Aug 27, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Rounding up our epic "Toys" series, Bec & Tara discuss ways to organise and store toys, as well as how to maintain an organised (well, relatively - we are talking about kids so flexibility is a must!) toy space in the long term. If you haven't already listened to our first two Toys episodes, check them out. And if you haven't listened to our "Raising Uncluttered Kids" episodes, they might be useful too. References: https://www.ikea.com/au/en/cat/trofast-toy-storage-series-19027/ We'd love yo...
Aug 20, 2019•56 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Okay, this is the hard part! Now that you're confident in culling your kids toys with them, and you know all of the "why", now it's time to talk about the "how". Do you do it with them or without them? How do you work around the emotions? What tips and tricks are there for getting kids on board? Loads of info in this one. Don't forget that if you haven't listened to Toys Part 1 that we'd recommend you do - it's a good precursor. We'd love you to get in touch to discuss anything about the podcast...
Aug 13, 2019•59 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Toys. Toys toys toys toys toys. That kind of sums it up, really - how life feels like with kids! This week we start our three-part series with a chat about the psychology of play and that part that toys play in it, as well as the part toys don't play in it! We talk about the importance of play and what it does for our children's development. We also talk about the acquiring of toys and how you can make it intentional and helpful so that you and your children aren't overwhelmed with too many toys...
Aug 06, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 38
ADD/ADHD is a condition that affects around 4-5% of adults. It can cause significant barriers to organisation (among other challenges). In this episode, Rebecca chats with Sarah Cottman from Heavenly Order about ADD and ADHD and how it affects organisation. Sarah has a lot of experience, professionally and personally, with ADHD and she's a wealth of information and great source of comfort, as well as a bit of a hoot. There's some tips on managing the symptoms, as well as discussion around some o...
Jul 30, 2019•43 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Have you ever helped someone else declutter? Have you found that it's so much easier than doing your own stuff? If so, you're not alone. Bec & Tara chat this week about how we can be great at helping other people declutter. We can be focused, rational and practical. We are enthusiastic and energetic. But then when we have to do our own, we avoid, procrastinate and get anxious. We find other things to do instead, and we agonise and make excuses. We also chat about what kind of person is the b...
Jul 23, 2019•43 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Despite us thinking this was going to be a short episode, it turns out we have a lot to say about towels and bed linen!! If you've ever wondered what the "right" number of towels are for a household, or find yourself drowning in seas of fitted sheets, this episode might clear a few things up for you. References: https://homes.nine.com.au/latest/how-many-towels-should-you-own-twitter-question-sparks-bath-towel-debate/272c7cc7-c43c-4cbb-92ab-71e173e861c3 http://www.oprah.com/inspiration/what-oprah...
Jul 16, 2019•53 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Tara talks to Tania Goranitis about Women Against Waste , a roving event for regional Australia aimed at helping women and their families wage the war on waste and reduce their impact on the environment. Tania explains how Women Against Waste works, and you might be inspired to host one in your town! With the core pillars of Swap, Donate, Recycle, Mend and Learn, she has loads of great ideas to reduce your impact on the environment too - every little bit helps. We'd love you to get in touch to d...
Jul 09, 2019•46 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Decluttering is not a one-off activity - it's something that stays with you for life. Although it is always with you, it does change over time, however. This week Bec & Tara discuss what Maintenance Mode is, how it differs from Decluttering Mode and how each mode works. When do you know when you're in Maintenance Mode? Will you ever get there, and can you switch between the two? References: https://carinajane.com/category/minimalism/ We'd love you to get in touch to discuss anything about th...
Jul 02, 2019•34 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Wrapping up Wardrobe Month, Bec & Tara are teaching you how to transition from your current wardrobe to an intentional one. An intentional wardrobe isn't a capsule wardrobe, nor a minimalist wardrobe. It's YOUR version of the best wardrobe - one that has only what will fit easily in your closet, and has all of your favourite clothes. Tune in and find out how to get there! References: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/war-on-waste/series/1/video/DO1624H003S00 https://truecostmovie.com/ http://car...
Jun 25, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Wardrobe month week three! Project 333 is an experiment in the capsule wardrobe concept. You can take it on as a one-off challenge or you can adopt it as a long-term lifestyle. Bec and Tara talk about the ins and outs of Project 333 this week, to help you decide if it's something you'd like to consider on your journey to taking control of your wardrobe. References: https://bemorewithless.com/ https://www.facebook.com/wardrobe.mayfair/ We'd love you to get in touch to discuss anything about the p...
Jun 18, 2019•34 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Week 2 of Wardrobe Month has us all diving into our wardrobes and closets and figuring out what to keep and what to toss, and how to put it all back together again in an organised fashion. As usual, there's a few ways to approach this so you'll get some tips and hints so you can figure out the best way that suits you. References: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/home/interiors/reverse-hanger-hack-decluttering-expert-offers-clever-nye-trick-to-keep-wardrobe-organised/news-story/9e9cb94bb3b8695a2...
Jun 11, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 46
It's wardrobe (closet!) month! This month is all about wardrobes, what we wear, why we wear it, how to be intentional, and how to organise your wardrobe. For those of you in the US, when we say wardrobe we mean closet. But we also mean wardrobe (ie, the collection of clothes we own). We use the word wardrobe for both the closet AND the collection of our clothes, just to be confusing for you, sorry! We're starting off this special month with a little sneak peek into what's in our wardrobes. Why d...
Jun 04, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 47
We've all receive them before - free stuff. Water bottles, lanyards, keyrings, mugs, stress balls, extras with an order, samples at the supermarket, 2-for-1 whats-its and all sorts of stuff. We see a LOT of clutter caused by free stuff, so we wanted to have a chat about the fact that even though something seems to be "free", it's not really - everything you bring into your home costs you in some way. We talk about lots of the hidden costs of "free" in the hope that perhaps it might help you be a...
May 28, 2019•38 min•Season 1Ep. 48
The #minsgame is a game created by The Minimalists , Joshua Fields-Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus. The game's aim is to provide you with motivation, accountability and a straightforward method to declutter as many as 695 items from your home in one month. Bec and Tara share their thoughts on it, and their experiences with doing it (and avoiding doing it, in Bec's case) in this episode. If you're interested in playing the game yourself, make sure you join our Facebook Community Group to play with us ...
May 21, 2019•41 min•Season 1Ep. 49
Bec and Tara don't really like using the words "right" or "wrong" or "too much" or "not enough" when talking about the volume of people's belongings. Everyone is so different - we all have different sized homes, different personalities in our household and different tolerance levels for clutter. A better way to describe volume levels is to call them "helpful" or "unhelpful". In this week's episode Bec and Tara discuss how to work out if you have unhelpful or helpful volumes of belongings, so tha...
May 14, 2019•38 min•Season 1Ep. 50
Cluttered kitchens are such a pain - when they're overly cluttered it's really obvious, and it gets in your way more than other areas because it's so frequently used. This week Be and Tara dive into the kitchen and give you some strategies to declutter and organise it so that you get the most out of the space, and get rid of some of the clutter that's annoying, embarrassing and frustrating you. Tara's platter tip will have you wondering why you never thought of it yourself, and Bec's Tupperware ...
May 07, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 51
Our surroundings are caused by our behaviours, and our behaviours are heavily influenced by our values and our beliefs. What we believe can actually cause clutter. In this episode, Bec and Tara discuss five beliefs that you may have, that may be causing your clutter issues. From how we perceive ourselves and who we believe we are, to how we see waste - there's a lot of thought-provoking stuff in this episode! References: https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2009-02-16/laughter-lifts-spirits-among-bush...
Apr 30, 2019•34 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Social media is such a large part of so many people's lives. It's awesome, and it sucks. It's handy, and it drives us batty. It's a connection to the world and it's a complete waste of our time. It's fun, and it makes us miserable. So if you think you might need to stop letting social media be the boss of your time and your feelings, listen in for some tips and hints on how you might take control of social media instead of it controlling you. It's not going away, and we wouldn't really want it t...
Apr 23, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 53
Following on from the episode on "Keeping Your Bedroom Clutter-free", Bec and Tara discuss bedroom storage specifically. From trunks to fold-down bedside tables, they discuss ways to make the most of the space in your bedroom. Find out what's under Bec and Tara's beds, too! We'd love you to get in touch to discuss anything about the podcast. You can send us an email at rebecca@clearspace.net.au, basklifecoaching@outlook.com, or any of the links below will help you get in touch too. Our Facebook:...
Apr 16, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 54
You probably come up against the roadblock a lot when trying to declutter - the value of the item. Value is important because it helps us decide what stays and what goes, and helps us prioritise items. A lot of how we decide what value an item has is flawed, however. We usually go straight to what we paid for it, or what it might receive if you sold it. Bec and Tara explore all the ways we can figure out what the true value of your belongings are, to help you work out what really matters, and wh...
Apr 09, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 55
Craft room too full to do craft? Desk too covered in stuff to do stuff? You're not alone! If you're drowning in beads, threads, fabric or needles; if you're overwhelmed by paints, wool, ribbons and card; if you're suffocating under fabric, washi tape, mosaics and yarn... listen in! Bec & Tara talk about why we end up with craft clutter, how our personalities can affect it and how letting go can open the doors to your crafts again. We'd love you to get in touch to discuss anything about the p...
Apr 02, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 56
This week Bec chats to her buddy Alex, who lives with chronic pain. They chat about how reducing your belongings can help people who live with a chronic illness (or any debilitating condition), and the benefits that Alex has experienced through moving to a minimalist lifestyle. As Alex is a big low-waste advocate, they also chat about how his consumption and waste generation has changed as well as the volume of his belongings. References: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/fibromyalgia https://www....
Mar 26, 2019•29 min•Season 1Ep. 57
If you've ever wondered what Professional Organisers and Declutter Coaches do, here's the episode for you. Bec and Tara are more Declutter Coaches than POs, and chat about the differences between the two, what you can expect from hiring a PO and how to make sure you get the best one for you. You may even learn something if you're wanting to become a PO as well! References: https://www.iopo.com.au/ We'd love you to get in touch to discuss anything about the podcast. You can send us an email at re...
Mar 19, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 58
Is your handbag like the Tardis? Do you have everything in there you could possibly need in all sorts of situations? Or do you have a pared-down approach? If you're in the US, we're talking about your purse/pocketbook. When we mention the word "purse" in this episode, we're talking about a wallet. As expected, Bec & Tara have very different handbag situations (which are surprisingly consistent with the aspects of their lives!). Tara keeps control by being organised and Bec keeps control by o...
Mar 12, 2019•42 min•Season 1Ep. 59
Following on from last week, Bec & Tara dive into how to reduce the busy-ness of your life. If you're ready to jump off that hamster wheel, listen in for tips and hacks on how to reduce your "busy" feeling and slow your life down a little. From committees to drama, from being a "yes person" to accidentally volunteering for things noone asked you to, Bec & Tara will help you smooth your schedule and ease the frenzy. Learn Bec's habit of saying no, and find out what Tara means by her "toma...
Mar 05, 2019•51 min•Season 1Ep. 60
Why are we all so busy? Are we really busy or are we just saying we are? Is "busy" something that is done to us, or something that we do to ourselves? Is Being Very Busy a badge of honour? Why do we value it? How many other questions about busy are there? (answer - plenty!). Bec and Tara dissect all of this in this episode - so if you're a VBP (Very Busy Person) and want off that train, listen in! References: https://brenebrown.com/ https://slowyourhome.com/the-slow-home-podcast/ We'd love you t...
Feb 26, 2019•43 min•Season 1Ep. 61
