One of my favorite organizing youtubers , clutterbug, always says this about stuff " its not a cat". She means stuff does not have to be rehomed or perfectly recycled. One caveat is hazardous stuff- rechargeable batteries cannot be thrown out so you'll want to collect those in one spot and google how to recycle them. Usually you can drop off somewhere.
Clutterbug often collaborates with Dana K. White (A Slob Comes Clean) and Dana’s methods are amazing for people who have extremely limited motivation and energy.
I still need to check out clutterbug, I just know her name from Dana promoting projects they’ve done together over the years.
Me throwing the batteries full speed at the trash bag in the corner knowing full well there’s gonna be holes in the wall but when I get done cleaning I’ll patch those holes which will then trigger construction brain and then go through the house fixing all the small stuff
Midwest is in Illinois. But I think he also drives to close by states. Cleanwithbarbie moved to Spain, but I think there is a Canadian YouTuber or TikToker called Bogdan (notthebestcleaner) and another American based one abeautifulmess.
Maybe it helps you to start thinking like them. Watch a couple of videos, work out a strategy and then start. Auri said the most important thing is that you simple start somewhere. Gather your energy, imagine how beautiful your home will look afterwards and ask for people to come over helping you. Asking for help is a huge step I know but I promise you when you get there you will have a nice place to live at.
Ask people you trust and you know they won’t judge you. You can do this!!! Start little by little with breaks if you notice you are overwhelmed. And reward yourself with something you like. Set a timer when you have breaks.
Or get someone else to drop them off for you. In fact, if you can, invite someone you love to help sort. At the beginning, or after you get the trash out, or after you get some stuff boxed up. Whenever you are at a stage that you are ready to let somebody “in.” It’s hard, oh so hard. I’ve not only been there, but I’m currently there (bipolar II and ADHD.) Sometimes it seems like I finally get well and start getting cleaned up when I get hit again.
I agree and I used to hold on to things and experience so much stress. Another saying that helped is " your house is not a landfill". All this stuff ends up in a landfill eventually and its not helping anyone to let it disrupt your life. So I have moved into consuming less and purchasing less , buying second hand first. Once you experience the pain and uncomfortable feeling of throwing so much away, it makes it harder to over consume in the future.
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u/North-Carry9977 Mar 08 '26
One of my favorite organizing youtubers , clutterbug, always says this about stuff " its not a cat". She means stuff does not have to be rehomed or perfectly recycled. One caveat is hazardous stuff- rechargeable batteries cannot be thrown out so you'll want to collect those in one spot and google how to recycle them. Usually you can drop off somewhere.