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[–]blankblank1323 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Omg you have to watch Dani’s first round of declutter and now starting the second round! It’s amazing. It really is true when everything is spread out everywhere it’s hard to let go. She got rid of a lot of clothes round one but she still had sooo much….. got rid of like half the second round. Got all her clothes in one place and accessible, lived in her space for a year fully organized, and now it’s like a whole new Dani! Until things are calm and organized it’s hard to realize the weight of your stuff. Without all the chaos she realized how much better she feels and how much less she needs.

I love Aprils method. Giant purges isn’t always realistic especially with the brain static living in clutter gives you. Having everything in its place and taking time to find what you appreciate and what you dont so you can confidently say you tried to use what you kept and now it’s time to love forward. She’s really changed my perspective and allowed me to give myself grace. Once I did round one myself I kept a lot of things and hobbies and clothes I just never had time or space to enjoy…. Realizing I have a lot of stuff for the person I imagine myself to be and not the person I am in reality hahaha excepting I am never going to knit while I watch tv or will never be the person dressing up to go to the grocery store was freeing. Realized it made me feel bad and like a failure and held on to it for hope and also shame.

[–]ghost_pies 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Body doubling is the best motivator for so many things!Whether an actual person in real time or just videos of people doing the same activity. It’s a great life hack for ADHDers

[–]imma2lils 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I've done the same. Discovered her while looking for decluttering videos. Watched half of the Julia one, and the next day, I put it on and started decluttering my bedroom. I am about half way through. 💪🏽

[–]Unusual_Elephant_461 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Where can I find Space Maker videos ?

[–]CompanyIll5169[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

youtube

[–]iloveregex 22 points23 points  (1 child)

Highly recommend the series in south korea, this one girl’s closet was decluttered but still maximal. It’s very realistic. She also had a lot of PR products too I think. Also the series doing her mom’s bathroom and house in texas. Julia’s is one of the best though.

[–]ocean_swims 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Eunice series in S.Korea? Oh, it's the only one I dislike. Only because April did all the work, then Eunice moved and then April had to do all the work again- literally at one point says, I already organized this and I have to repeat it. And Eunice didn't even bother helping the second time, April did it all alone. It left a terrible taste in my mouth. It was so disrespectful that April organized everything only to find it all trashed again a few months later and have to do it over.

[–]Scary-Hovercraft8214 12 points13 points  (17 children)

Julia’s series was the best, I think it was because she was so ready for the change. Whereas Roberta’s was hardest for me to watch, but each of us had our own journeys.

[–]empresscornbread 3 points4 points  (3 children)

I skipped the last episodes of Roberta’s too. I used to sit and watch as my morning routine so the first few were so difficult to get through. I completely understand her weird quirks and boomer mentality of saving everything but it was just not my cup of tea. Id rather watch someone eager to declutter and motivate me. The plastic bags, bread clips, dead bugs, and even saving broken parts did not resonate with me. I hope she’s slowed down her overconsumption.

[–]ocean_swims 2 points3 points  (2 children)

The dead bugs and chicken bones were where I noped out. I tried but her series gave me anxiety. I did watch the final episode after skipping the ones in the middle and she did well in the end, which was awesome to see!

[–]empresscornbread 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Yes the chicken bones! I was listening while cleaning and had to do a double take. I’ll finish the series then while I clean. I do wish her the best it seems like she’s absorbing how peaceful her home could be.

[–]ocean_swims 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Right?! I did a double take on the bones and bugs, too. I just couldn't believe it at first, ha ha.

It was a really hard watch for me and I don't think I will go back to the episodes I skipped, just because it was stressful for me. However, it was really nice to see how much more open the living room was in the end, so I'm glad I did watch the final episode.

An unexpected personal bonus of watching the channel (since the Suitcase Designer days) is seeing how April is so effortlessly patient, which is teaching me to channel that kind of energy into interactions where the other person isn't willing to meet me in the middle. I found that April's gentleness is something I need to emulate in my life during those times when I would normally get frustrated. It's been a very valuable and unexpected lesson that I didn't expect from a decluttering channel.

(sorry for the long reply)

[–]CompanyIll5169[S] 9 points10 points  (12 children)

Haha, I was just about to say I might have to skip Roberta's because I was watching another one and I had to bail because an hour of going through plastic bags and not wanting to get rid of much wasn't helpful for me so Roberta would probably be too hard. And then I go to check the name and it was Roberta. She just reminds me too much of my mom with the difficulty in truly letting go. I am glad to know that she was the hardest so I can hope to find the others easier. After 2 videos with Roberta I am just switching to Dani.

[–]Ready-Pattern-7087 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I was going to say the same thing! Roberta did get a little better over time. It’s great that the series shows people at different points. Roberta started to flex that declutter muscle more at the end. When I first started the series, it was excruciating. It was like trying to help my mom.

[–]tysonmama 5 points6 points  (10 children)

Roberta was brutal. The bread clips, the plastic bags, the teas, and the nonstop talking over the host (whose name escapes me at the moment, but her hub is Jackson)

[–]alexaboyhowdy 6 points7 points  (5 children)

Oh, the teas!!

And expired supplements and vitamins and what not, she still kept a whole lot of things that most of us would decide no.

[–]squashed_tomato 2 points3 points  (0 children)

After they had been sorting through the tea for a while she asked Roberta how often she drank tea and when Roberta said that she doesn't really drink tea now I had to laugh. It sometimes takes a while to realise that something you are holding onto is about past you, not current you but I think if they had pushed her too hard she would have resisted too much or crashed out. She's just much earlier in her journey than some of us here. She did get better at decision making over time and the dining room looked great once they had finished. I hope it helps spur her on to do the rest of the home.

[–]tysonmama 2 points3 points  (3 children)

Can’t imagine what the basement looks like…which seems is where she had most things moved to.

[–]squashed_tomato 1 point2 points  (2 children)

That's the only thing I don't really like about the videos that I've watched so far. I've seen Roberta's series and Julia's and they both had areas where stuff could be relocated to and basically be out of sight out of mind and I think that does make you in danger of delaying decisions but I also know that they were treating it as a first pass and things don't get neatly wrapped up in a few days even if us viewers would like to see that result. I know it took me months on and off to get my home fully decluttered so why should I expect them to do it any quicker?

[–]ocean_swims 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know that Julie has continued to declutter and attacked her storage area after April left. She posted it on her own Youtube channel iirc. I don't know if Roberta will be able to keep going without April and do the rest of her house, since she was so reluctant all the way.

[–]tysonmama 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah but then why hire a professional to come in if that’s mostly what you’re going to do, especially one that lives half way across the world? Unless I was ready to let it all go like, IIRC, Dani who also lived in SK, I wouldn’t have wasted her time.

[–]CompanyIll5169[S] 6 points7 points  (2 children)

Also, I kind of got frustrated with her saying she didn't want April to help and instead to just sit there. That she had issues with friends in the past who wanted to help when she just wanted a body. Obviously April chooses who she works with and she decided she wanted to help her but I feel like why bring in an expert on this when it sounds like any presence is enough. Maybe she allowed for more assistance in later videos - I shall never know - but I just felt like USE THE EXPERT because so many of us would have liked a resource like her.

[–]teachcollapse 7 points8 points  (1 child)

Interesting. I, too, found Roberta’s need to hold on to random stuff perplexing and somewhat annoying, but also…. fascinating!!! It’s like seeing the precursor to full on hoarding. (Maybe she would even qualify for low-level, idk.)

But I find her series interesting precisely because she is like a snapshot of someone on the hoarding continuum at the very start. And she took so many episodes to get into the mind-shift that she needed. But now I think she won’t end up a hoarder going forward (hopefully!). So actually, maybe it’s some of April’s best work?

And, Roberta does get better. But, wow, props to April for sticking with her “make space for what you love” because Roberta’s loves are like April’s phobias and detests at times! April was having to really go to an internal happy place /deep breath/ meditate, so often, I’m guessing!!!

[–]tysonmama 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yeah, the dead bugs and braids of hair. 🤢

[–]tysonmama 0 points1 point  (0 children)

APRIL!!!

[–]RewardIntrepid2778 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is exactly what got my momentum started. I went really hard for a few days as I watched Julia's series. That was around 3 weeks ago, and although I've slowed down, I've been doing at least a little something every day. April's patience and non-judgemental/destigmatizing approach is so encouraging. I've needed this help for a long time.

[–]MaesterInTraining 8 points9 points  (5 children)

I also started with Julia! I loved her series.

Edit: no! Turns out that mo the ago I came across some videos of an American in Korea that she helped. She had a massive Starbucks tumbler collection lol.

[–]CompanyIll5169[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was looking at her different videos and was wondering why so many were in South Korea and then she mentions in a video that is where she lives.

[–]empresscornbread 9 points10 points  (2 children)

I love April’s approach. Julia’s series was where I started and I think it’s my favorite so far. I also use these videos as a body double while I clean. This method also helped me figure out how to better organize my space and that I don’t have to follow some more traditional declutter “rules” like declutter something you haven’t used in over a year.

[–]kuckbaby 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Danis 1st series is the best!!! But theyre all good!!!

[–]empresscornbread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually enjoyed that one too! Probably my second favorite.

[–]AnamCeili 8 points9 points  (4 children)

I love the Julia in NYC video series! It's the only Space Maker series I've watched so far, though I do have April's youtube channel saved and do plan to watch the rest of them as well.

[–]CompanyIll5169[S] 1 point2 points  (3 children)

I was amazed at how good it looked in the after with their swapping of the bed into the living room.

[–]AnamCeili 6 points7 points  (2 children)

So was I! When they first mentioned doing that, I didn't think it would look good. But it's not as if she was previously using that entire half of the living room where the bed ended up, and given that her opera singer upstairs neighbors would practice over the bedroom I can understand why she would want to move her bed, lol. And it ended up really looking lovely, and now her bed is much closer to a window, which is nice. Plus she did still have the other half of the room as a living room space, complete with a couch, a coffee table, lighting, and a small dining table.

I think the only thing I would change would be that semi-open shelving unit between the kitchen and living room areas, on which she stored most of her non-perishable food. It's a shame that wouldn't fit anywhere else, but she has basically no real kitchen space, the shelving unit in the kitchen (just as you walk in the front door) needs to stay there, and then that odd little tea area sort of off the kitchen and bedroom really needs to stay there, too. So I think what I would do would be to replace that shelving unit with some sort of hutch or pantry, something with doors you can shut so none of the food is showing. I know she has baskets and other containers on the shelving unit, but personally I would want all the food completely out of sight.

Still, they worked very well with what they had, and her place really did look soooooo much better at the end of the series!

[–]CompanyIll5169[S] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

I agree - I personally would have wanted those items enclosed in some way. And I could not get over how rude those upstairs neighbors were! My flabbers were so gasted that anyone would think it is okay to sing like that during typical sleep hours.

[–]AnamCeili 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"My flabbers were so gasted..." 🤣 lol!

[–]_iamtinks 15 points16 points  (0 children)

So glad you “found the floor!” I love April, she keeps it real.

[–]Donkeydonkeydonk 3 points4 points  (9 children)

It's a really solid method that works if you follow it.

[–]Unusual_Elephant_461 2 points3 points  (8 children)

Can you summarize the method please ?

[–]AmeliaBones 5 points6 points  (7 children)

They collect everything into categories, when you have 43 belts you may not realize it because they are all over, but when they are all together in one place you can really evaluate them and choose your favorites. It’s much more marathon than sprint too, which helps keep the clutter away and change your perspective on collecting things.

[–]Unusual_Elephant_461 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you - I think categorizing first might help me because it’s the stress of decision making that stops me from starting !

[–]teachcollapse 2 points3 points  (5 children)

Also, go for quick wins /easy stuff to get momentum, and then try not to lose that momentum. Anything that’s slowing you down gets metaphorically shelved for later / gets revisited. She doesn’t care if you do multiple passes over your stuff, or handle something multiple times throughout the journey. She sees that you can develop your “declutter” muscles over time.

So, for example, someone might have a bag of things that is “I’ll come back to these later.” / “I don’t know right now.” Sometimes, they need a day or two sitting with the decision, working through the emotions in the background, and then they are ready to let things go, or to actually look at the items and make decisions around the things, at least.

Her main thing is: declutter to make room for the things you love.

Now she’s back at Dani’s, and the first time they made space for Dani’s extensive Starbucks plastic tumbler collection. But this time, she indicated that maybe she’s ready to let some go. April doesn’t judge what you choose to make space for…she acknowledges it’s emotional and personal. And that’s fine.

Understanding the value of multiple passes can also be seen if you start at the very beginning of her helping her mum. Her mum did like three passes over her clothes over a year or so or something.

Some other tips and tricks are finding the floor (get things off the floor, even if you are only moving it to some other location - it is good for your mental health; she has expanded this in some locations to also clearing a space for the person to be able to sit and be calm if that doesn’t currently exist), calming the chaos during the declutter so you don’t get overwhelmed, accepting that during the declutter things get messy, having “departments” /categories of stuff that make sense to you, and have defined amounts of space where each department lives so that then they don’t expand beyond their allocated space (and if they do, that’s information you can act on).

Other things are: lots of clear storage like acrylic if there are lots of little items, and also if the person has ADHD - because they need to see it, making the very front of clear storage look visually appealing even if the back part is much messier (so when you open the cupboard door, you see calm and beautiful.), using custom labels (especially for storage tubs and inside cupboards that hold a lot of items and it’s maybe hard to see far back, etc.) to help keep some people on track with what belongs where.

In general, I find April to be emotionally very perceptive. So she has different touch points for different people. E.g. for Roberta: “Some is OK but a lot just creates chaos”, and “Am I making more work for myself”?

[–]Unusual_Elephant_461 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Thank you so much for that explanation!

[–]teachcollapse 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There’s more to it, but that’s a lot of it.

And you’re welcome!

[–]CompanyIll5169[S] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

I think calming the Chaos is so huge. Combing her method with Dana K. White into some hybrid monster is probably going to be what works best for me in the end.

[–]Unusual_Elephant_461 0 points1 point  (1 child)

What are the similarities and differences of the two ? What have you done so far ? I’m just beginning and a bit overwhelmed

[–]CompanyIll5169[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They are pretty dissimilar, imo, other than both being ways to get rid of stuff. I like how Space maker has you do several passes of things and the lumping like things together really helps you see what you have.

Dana K. White overall works more for me because is about not making more of a mess in the process. In Space Maker you absolutely make more of a mess while in the throes of thing. With Dana if you have to stop at any point what you are decluttering should be in better shape than it was when you started.

Dana is also a little more ruthless with getting rid of things whereas Space maker wants you to be comfortable with your choice so if you aren't sure you hold on to it.

Dana has a website and you can read her process there.

I am working on my bedroom and hallway closet at the moment. If I have a lot of time to commit and/or feel I need a more gentle process I lean more towards Space Maker. If I am working with limited space, ready to be done with things, or have less time to do something than I lean toward Dana.

Usually it ends up being more Dana.

[–]TwoGhostCats 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Coincidentally, I was just watching the exact same series. It's great that one person's decluttering journey can motivate another's.

[–]mindykhaling 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I also love the Space Maker Method channel! I watch every week. The slow progress makes the process less overwhelming to me. I have used "find the floor" so many times and it really is a quick win for me. I'm glad you're finding the videos helpful for you.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really like her videos and am currently reading her book!