Dr. Jessica Peck prescribes Hope for Healthy Families on American Family Radio
Dr. Jessica Peck Hello and welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show, prescribing Hope for Healthy Families here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner, and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck. Well, hey there, friends, and welcome to my favorite part of the afternoon, getting to spend time with you, prescribing Hope for Healthy Families. We're here on a, Monday in May. Can you believe it? We're almost halfway through the year, and dare I say, I know there's some of you out there, my regular listeners who are thinking. Don't say it, Jessica. Don't do it. I'm going to do it. I can't help myself. That means we're almost halfway to Christmas. Okay, fine. I just said it. I'm not even sorry. I haven't said anything in nearly four months. So just give me one little bit of leeway there.
It is also Nurses Week, and I wanted to share a blessing about nurses
And the other bit of grace that I ask for you today from you today, is that you allow me a moment to give a shout out to my profession. I know it is Teacher Appreciation Week. It is also Nurses Week, and I wanted to share with you before we start the show to a, blessing that I have for nurses. Recently, I spoke at a commencement, and this is the message that I shared about nurses. And listen, since COVID it has been a tough road. It has definitely been difficult. And I want to give this tribute to nurses. So if you'll allow me just a moment before we get started here.
Dr. Jessica Peck Nurses are there in the most fragile moments in human life. This is such a sacred privilege. They meet indignities with the utmost dignity and compassion. They keep secrets with no judgment. They honor wishes and protect autonomy. They cheer big for small progress. They serve daily doses of hope in the face of utter hopelessness. They wipe tears of strangers and they hug broken human spirits. They. They welcome new life into the world and they comfort in the transition of death. They care for people when people can't care for themselves. They ask questions people are afraid to ask. They are calm in the face of fear. They are comfort in the midst of pain. They see things that make most people grimace and look away. But they face them straight on, head up and eyes clear with a brave front. And they hear our rapidly beating hearts masked by a calm voice. Our families and our patients probably don't know that we take a minute to cry in our car before we drive home. We are among the ranks of what I believe to be the most innovative, resilient, life giving, tenacious profession that has ever existed. Nursing will always find a way to Rise up and meet the challenges of tomorrow. The difficult we do immediately. The impossible just takes a little longer. So to my fellow nurses, I salute you and I challenge you to be kind to yourself. Be a caretaker of your own mental health. Be a leader, be a servant, be excellent. Be unafraid to take on the impossible. Be proud of your profession, defend it, be an advocate for your patients and for yourself. And I speak this blessing over you. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. May he be gracious to you, turn his face towards you, and give you peace. And practically speaking, may your scrubs be comfy, your coffee be strong, your holiday shifts be short, and your certification exams be easier than you thought. And may your continued journey in nursing be a miraculous experience.
This week is National Nurses Week and Teacher Appreciation Week
Now, I want to wish all of my fellow nurses out there a very happy Nurses Week. And if you know a nurse or a teacher too, because it is Teacher Appreciation Week. I happen to be a nurse teacher, but reach out to them and just tell them thank you. It really means more m than you know, knowing that the care that nurses provide makes a difference. So thank you for allowing me that moment just to give a, shout out to my profession and nurses. It's so funny because we can be the most organized people at work. Our IV lines can be impeccable and our charts can be just absolutely perfect. Nobody can fill out a flow sheet like a nurse, but at home it can often be a, mess.
The Decluttering Diaries are back with episode five
So we are so happy to welcome you back to episode five of what we're calling the Decluttering Diaries. And our with we're with best selling author, speaker and decluttering coach and my personal informal therapist now, Kathi Lipp. And today's topic we are going to talk about to buy or not to buy. Do you buy those organizers that are being marketed to you? You know what I'm talking about. That moment that you're scrolling through Pinterest or Instagram and all of a sudden you just get sucked into the world of pretty bins and labeled baskets and color coded closets. But are we organizing or are we just buying more clutter to repackage our clutter? So we're going to dive into that trap of pretty clutter and how social media perfection can really mess with our mindset and what helps us to really build a clutter free life that's not just in our homes. I'm talking about in our relationships and our time and our peace of mind. So if you're new here and you haven't heard the Declutter Diaries. Check out the earlier four episodes that we have, and remember, we're all about progress over perfection. No shame, just simple, doable steps towards freedom from clutter. And for even more support, don't miss Kathy's book, the Clutter Free Home, her Clutter Free Academy group on Facebook, her podcast, and her subscription program, Where Real. Transformation begins.
Kathi, welcome back. I'm so glad to have you here
So, Kathi, welcome back. I'm so glad to have you here. I can't wait to see what kind of breakthrough I'm going to have today.
Kathi Lipp Oh, I love it because you celebrate all the breakthroughs and it makes me so incredibly happy. And can I just say, there is no profession that I am less suited to but more grateful for than nurses.
Dr. Jessica Peck That was so well said.
Kathi Lipp I just, I loved your blessing for them. And you know what? I do think that so many people who may be listening, they are putting all of their organizational, all of their, their best energy sometimes into serving other people. And I can relate to this. We get the crumbs at home and so I, I can see that, especially for nurses and teachers. So I'm hoping that we can reclaim some of that energy for ourselves.
Dr. Jessica Peck That is such a good word. And anytime, Kathi, I, I feel like I'm getting to know you so much better. And anytime you say, can I just say, I'm like, yes, you can, but you're going to have to hold on a minute so I can get a notepad to write down whatever words of wisdom are about to come out of your mouth because it's so good. But you know what, you're so right. Teachers are in that too, because teachers can have a really organized classroom, their office can look great. And then it's like at home, we're just so exhaust being organized in our workspace that the home space just, you know, takes the back burner. And we've been making a lot of progress, Kathi. I've been sharing with you my progress and decluttering a hundred spaces. I've been working on that, working on my kids childhood baby memories, working on some memories that I have for my granny. I'm working on all of that. And so many of us can feel like, oh, this is so great, but then it becomes a mess again. And we are going to talk about that temptation to how do we, how do we live in that decluttered space practically? How, do we do that?
Kathi Lipp Yeah. So I will tell you that I have swung wildly in two different directions. So, you know, part of me said if you just declutter Enough, the systems don't matter as much. And so I really ignored a lot of organizational systems for a long time. And then the other part of me said, if I buy all the pretty bins and pretty labels, I can't help but be organized. And so I would love for us to meet somewhere in the middle. Because something I know about cluttery people, and I am cheap among them, is that we love an all or nothing statement. You know, we love for everything to be amazing or nothing is good, or we love for everything to be organized or I'm a complete mess and we have a really, really difficult time living in some of the gray areas where we're a work in progress. And when it comes to organization, I think we have to really align ourselves with the statement that we are practicing organization. Because what worked for your highly organized, sister in law may not work in your home. The things that you see on, Pinterest, some of those are amazing. I'm not going to lie. Some of those have saved my life. And then there's a lot of things that somebody just said. I, this worked for me. But they're not naturally disorganized, they are not naturally cluttery. They are not a maximalist. Like some of us are so maximalist. Oh, I am such a maximalist. I don't like a bare room. I like, I like my memories out where I can see them. I like to know what my choices are in my pantry. I want to see things. My husband, and this is, I'll tell you some of the mistakes we've made.
Dr. Jessica Peck Oh, please do.
Kathi Lipp Yes. buying bins that weren't clear. we will never buy a non see through bin again for the rest of our lives. Because I'm not the only one who's living with this system. Right? And so if I have a box, I'm like, oh, I know our Christmas stuff goes in there. But my husband's the one who's going up to the attic. He wants to be able to see things. He wants to be able to know what's in there. And so, yeah, we've had to ditch a lot of things that we thought. The other thing that I have bought is open storage. Things that don't necessarily have lids. Well, we live in the middle of a forest. It gets so dusty here. And I would not change where we live for anything. But I've had to come to understand that I need sealed containers to keep my stuff. Okay. And, especially when it comes to food and stuff because we use our garage as part of our pantry. And like I said, we live in the middle of the wilderness and we share it with all God's creatures. I need to make sure that none of them can get to my food. So those we, we've all invested in. I'll never forget. Somebody said, kathy, if only every time you got from home, from going out, you took all the receipts out of your purse, and then you put them into these different slots. According to what you, you've lost me. That's never, never in my life is that going to happen. And so if I just say, okay, when I need to do something, I can find my receipts because I've thrown them all into this bucket, that's going to do so much better for me than trying to pretend that I'm a highly organized person when I'm just not.
Dr. Jessica Peck Oh, that is so good. Because, yes, I, You. I feel like you've just, you know, you look into my soul, Kath. I think that's me. I'm the extremist. And I want to say, like, oh, yes, I've got it under control. That used to be a problem, but I don't struggle with that anymore. But I do.
My mistake was the Pinterest pantry
And so since you shared your mistakes, I'll share mine. My mistake was the Pinterest pantry. Oh, my goodness. I cannot even tell you how many things on social media I saw that just appealed to me, you know, as a nurse, thinking about it being clean and sanitary and, you know, putting all of my cereal in the little plastic bins, you know, with the artisanal labels on them that just, like, looks so artistic and everything. But here's the reality, Kathi. I have four kids in five years. They do not have any respect for a Pinterest pantry. They are climbing shelves. They are leaving open packages in there. Like, it is a work in progress. We are definitely. And so I had to give that up and think that is not realistic for this stage in my life. Now, maybe when I'm an empty nester, maybe one day I will have that Pinterest pantry. But I bought all of these, like, pantry organization things. Well, I'm not gonna put my cereal in a plastic thing that looks nice because, frankly, if you have four kids, they go through one box of cereal in one sitting. Like, it's just not even the point, you know? So, that is so encouraging to me. Okay, well, we're not gonna leave people stranded, Kathi. We are always going to give them some hope. And so when we come back, I want to talk about organizing for real life. Not for Instagram, not for social media, not for all of those things where we all look and see the reels on our phone and think, oh, yeah, I can create that. I can maintain that. Like, not only can I not maintain it, I can't even create it, but it's gotta work for us. So we'll talk about that. How do we organize for real life? And we'll talk about to buy or not to buy. Do we buy those bins or baskets? When does it sell smart to buy those organizing tools? And when is it just re buying more clutter? We'll also talk about the prettier clutter trap. I know you really want to know about that because that is something that's there. But ultimately, Kathi is going to help you to set up sustainable systems. So make sure that you listen to the past episodes, get a copy of her book the Clutter Free Home, join her free clutter free Academy group on Facebook, listen to her podcast, or you can do her subscription program where real transformation begins. I'll be back with my friend and clutter expert Kathi Lipp on the other side of this break. Don't go away. More Declutter Diaries is coming up next.
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You Make Everything Beautiful by FOR KING + COUNTRY and Rebecca Grant me serenity, Lord, and patience for things will take time. Grant me freedom, walk a new path and let me feel your love. In. My weakness you can shine in your strings I can fly and you make everything, everything beautiful you make everything Everything new you make everything, everything beautiful in it's time in your time it's beautiful Lifting open hands to you, my savior Beautify my soul Knowing you redeem my pain and failure Purify my soul Beautify my soul.
Dr. Jessica Peck Welcome back, friends. That is you make everything beautiful by Rebecca St. James and for king + country. And that is from the movie Unsung Hero. And actually here's a fun fact for you. Unsung Hero is a faith based film that was released last year. My high school friend who was in my same small group, Richard Ramsey, is the director of that film and we featured him here on the show and it has been nominated for a, K-Love fan award. K Love, of course, is a Christian music radio station. So if you happen to see that movie or if you want to vote for any of your favorite categories, just check it out at klovefan awards.com and you can vote on their fan awards and vote for your favorite Christian artists, Christian songs, Christian movies. And that would be a great thing to do. And you may get some ideas for some things to stream with your family and some new songs to put on your playlist. But today we're going to.
We are talking about God making everything beautiful, even your clutter. We are in a series called the Declutter Diaries
We are talking about God making everything beautiful, even your clutter. Yes, I know. Believe me, I am a clutter queen. I struggle with this. I struggle mightily with this. And I know that a lot of you do too. We are in a series we're calling the Declutter Diaries. We are here with the amazing Kathi Lipp. And today we're really hitting a nerve because we're asking the question, do organizers really help or are we just spending money to feel better about our clutter? Yeah, how about we just go there? We have all seen those dreamy Pinterest parties, Instagram worthy closets. But behind the likes, behind the curated feeds, there's often a deeper story. And when we struggle with clutter, we struggle with stress, with shame, with strained relationships. And overall, I don't talk to anybody who struggles with clutter who doesn't just have a longing for peace. Kathi is here to help us cut through all of that noise. And this is a wake up call to stop chasing unrealistic pretty clutter and start building a home and a life that actually works for you. So if you're feeling overwhelmed, you are not alone. Listen back to our early, earlier episodes. Join the Clutter Free Academy Facebook community with Kathi. Check out her podcast, her practical grace filled book, the Clutter Free Home. Mine is cluttering at my desk. But we'll we'll deal with that later. But we're talking about not just decluttering our stuff, but our hearts and our habits and our expectations.
There's a difference between decluttering and organizing
So, Kathi, let's just dive back in and just say, what do you think is one of the biggest mistakes that people make in make when they jump? Well, actually, let me go back. There's a difference between decluttering and organizing. And we talked a little around that, but let's talk straight to it. What is the difference between those two things?
Kathi Lipp Yeah, I see so many people try to organize clutter. And here's the thing. You can get your clutter to look really, really pretty, but the next time you go back to that filing system or to that closet and you actually have to interact with that stuff, it's like setting up, it's like stepping on a landmine. It just, it all gets blown to pieces. And, and here's what I would say. You have to declutter before you can organize. And so because you cannot organize clutter, you can't organize clutter if you can do it in the short term, but your system is going to fall apart. So it's really important to me that we do this in order. So for me, the order is declutter. So get anything that you don't use love or would buy again out of that space. Clean the space. And then that gives your brain a little time to say, what do I actually need to organize here? And I want you to build your organizational systems around your habits, not your dreams. So it's m okay to get inspired by Pinterest. It's okay to get inspired by Instagram. But if you're like, well, my whole family would have to change their personality for that to work. It's probably not the system for you.
Dr. Jessica Peck That is so convicting. You can build. So you should build around your habits, not your dreams. And you know, Kathi, I'll share with you that this has impacted me the way that you have helped coach me for clutter. Because I think about my closet and how many times I've gone through my closet and I've said, okay, that's a Saturday project, and I spend all Saturday organizing my clutter in my closet. But I can't maintain it. And now, since I've done exactly like you have told me, would I, looking at the things and saying, would I use this? Do I love this? Would I buy this again? And then thinking, keep and give away and throw away. Those are my categories that I had. I really got rid of so much, and now I've noticed that when I go into my closet, I can also tell exactly what's in the wash, what's in the laundry. Like, I know what I have. So I find myself not. Oh, well, I can't find this. I know I have this. You know that I need this pair of socks or whatever it is, but I can't find it. So I'll buy a new one. I know exactly where it is. And it has been life changing. And I can't wait until this goes to the rest of my house. But I'm not quite there yet. And so you say, Kathi, that is one of the biggest mistakes that people make when they jump into organizing is organizing based on their aspirations, not on reality. So that is such a great. Ah, that's a great thing. And you have a story you want to tell us about shoe organizers, is that right?
Kathi Lipp Okay. You know what, Can I just say, I am over the shame of this story, so. But I am going to share it here because I love you and I know, I know this is a safe space.
Dr. Jessica Peck It is, it's absolutely a safe space.
Kathi Lipp Yes. So our teenagers were shoe kicker offers, right? They. They would come in and they would immediately take their shoes off. So we had this pile of shoes by the front door, which was not cute, let me just say. Not cute. So what I did was I went to Ikea and I got a. It was just basically set of shelves. And I had my husband build this set of shelves, put it behind one of our couches. And I said, guys, when you get home, you take off your shoes, you go behind the couch, you put your shoes in there. Great system, Great system. Only one person in our house used the system. Can you guess who that is?
Dr. Jessica Peck You. Was it you?
Kathi Lipp He loves me.
Dr. Jessica Peck Oh, your husband, he loves you. Oh, sorry. No, I missed you for just a second. Did you say. Was it your husband.
Kathi Lipp Was the only one who did the system? Because he loves me. Pretty sweet. But how dumb was I? How dumb was I that I thought teenagers were gonna go behind a couch?
Dr. Jessica Peck That's okay. I thought that they were gonna honor my pantry system. It was never going to happen.
Kathi Lipp No. Because we were living. And you are currently living with humans who, they don't care about the esthetics, they don't care about the organized, and to a certain extent, that's okay. it's not okay that they leave dishes everywhere in the house. It's not okay that they leave their clothes, but it is okay that that's not their top priority. So what we ended up Doing instead, Jessica, is we put a basket, by the front door, and 50% of the shoes made it into the basket, and the other 50 didn't. But here's the thing. I could just throw them in there, and it made it so I at least felt less embarrassed when people came. And about once a month, I'd say, hey, everybody, grab your shoes, put them up in your closet. Like, we need to start over here again. Because we don't need six pairs of shoes from every person in the house. You know that. What is that? That's six times 36 pairs of shoes. Not. Okay, not cute. 72 shoes is not cute. But, I have to build around the reality I have. The basket was the reality. The. And here we have, like, a slipper bar at our house, because people come over, you know, they. They want slippers, but they don't bring them with them. So we have a slipper bar where we put slippers in. We have all these different sizes. We throw them into the washing machine. When they're done, we put them back there. We're adults. We can maintain that now, but there's no way that we could have done that when we had teenagers. So you have to organize for the life that you actually live. And we have to understand, especially when our kids are in. You're in the trenches with kids. Your house is never going to look the way you want it to. It's just not. It can look, it can be comfortable, it can be cozy. But, you know, you were talking about earlier. You know, we've talked about this before. My. My husband grew up in a perfect house, and he couldn't wait to move out because he wanted to live in a comfortable house. And your kids are not going to refill this clear cereal thing. But here's the thing. You're also not screaming at them to refill the clear cereal container. And I would much rather live in a house with peace, where I can read Honey Nut Cheerios on the side of a box, than to be in a house with so much discomfort and strife. So we have to hit that happy medium.
Dr. Jessica Peck That's really good, because I remember my husband saying that to me. it was right at the rise of Pinterest. And I really feel like it did put, especially on women, this pressure to have this perfect house, you know, where if you're going to invite a friend over for coffee or something, that it needed to look like it's something out of a magazine. And I remember feeling the pressure to do that to the point where we've talked about this before too, Kathi. I wouldn't invite people over because I would feel so socially crippled. And my husband looked at me one day and he said, you do realize that people actually live here, right? Like, we live here. This is our home. So yes, we're going to bring our, you know, our dirty stuff in. Like, there's going to be dirt that's tracked in. There's going to be, you know, towels that are, that are wet and hanging up and like, it's not going to look like a hotel because people live here. And so I think that's the really important takeaway here, Kathi, is to give yourself permission to not be perfect and to choose from function over aesthetic. Choose what works for you rather than what looks like it will work for you.
Once you've decluttered a space, how do you continue to live in that space
And so that leads us into our next topic, Kathi and being tempted to buy or not to buy because we all see those cute things. And, that really has stuck with me from what you said. I think back on our first show together, talking about how we're constantly being marketed to, we're constantly being given solutions for problems we didn't even know we had. And so, how do we, how do we resist that? And how do. Because it's well intentioned, but how do we know whether to buy or not to buy those organization tools?
Kathi Lipp So a couple of thoughts come immediately to mind. Once you've decluttered a space, how do you continue to live in that space? So recently I cleaned out my sock underwear unmentionables drawer and I'm like, okay, I've cleaned this out a hundred times, but it always goes back to what it is. And I thought, are there some things that could really work for this space? So, one of those things that I didn't look for marketing, I looked for real people. And I just asked a question. What has worked to keep your, your sock and underwear drawer organized? And somebody told me about these honeycomb dividers where it just looks like a big honeycomb, but each little slot has a place for their sock. I've had those for a year and a half now. Changed it. I can actually see what I have. I don't put single socks in there. Like, oh, we'll find it later. No, only socks that I'm ready to pluck out. The other thing are drawer dividers. So, like, I have one drawer divider for underwear, one drawer divider for sports bras, one drawer divider for, you know, bike shorts, that kind of thing. It has made a huge difference that I. Here's What I think is what my. The true test is. When I wake up in the morning and I go to that drawer, it doesn't overwhelm me first. First thing, like, I don't greet it with like, oh, what do I have to do? the other thing is, okay, so live with your decluttered space for at least a week and then start asking the questions. What would help me to keep this area organized? So that's number one. Number two, do I know exactly what is going to go into this container? Like for my sock and underwear drawer? I know socks and underwear are going into there. I know what's going in there. But don't buy a container without a purpose for it. Because sometimes we're like, oh, those are cute boxes. I could put something like this in there. But if you're not looking for a container for a specific need, don't buy your way into a problem that you don't have. And number three, will this tool support my system or just hide the chaos? And can I just tell you it's okay to have a junk drawer? It's okay to, you know, I, I believe in a junk drawer when you don't know what to happen. But I also think one thing that cleverly, people do not do well, not all of them, but people like me, is I've never had anything like a treasure box or a chest or something like special things go into. And can I tell you, Jessica, after many, many years of research, I know where all these things go. They go into underwear drawers. Like, I don't know what to do with it. I'm gonna put it in an underwear drawer. I don't know why we do that. I think it's because we always know where our underwear drawer is. And if it's personal, I don't want to put it necessarily out for the rest of the family. So I put it in the underwear drawer.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, hold on. I'm going to hold you there, Kathi. We do. I'm going to hold you there because we're already at a break. But I mean, Kim, we all have an underwear drawer. It's very true. We'll learn more about how to organize it on the other side of this break. We'll be back with Kathi Lipp
The month of June has been hijacked by the anti Christian culture
The month of June has been hijacked by the anti Christian culture to show their pride in something God calls an abomination. When you support afr, you help us continue to stand for godly values and provide the resources for you to stay in the know about the enemy's tactics. To say thank you for your gift. This month, we'll give you the booklet inside the LGBTQ push of the 1990s. To help strengthen your convictions, just go to afr.net/offers afr.net/offers
What He's Done by Passion(ft. Kristian Stanfill, Tasha Cobbs Leo See on the hill of Calvary My Savior bled for me My Jesus set me free. And. Look at the wounds that give me life Grace flowing from inside no greater sacrifice what he's done, what he's done all the glory and the honor to the Son My sins are forgiven My future is heaven I praise God.
Dr. Jessica Peck For what he's done welcome back, friends. That's what he's done by passion and God has done so much for us and I am grateful for this journey that he has taken me through. The Decluttering Diaries and you may think, what does that have to do with anything spiritual? Well, it really does have everything to do with our spiritual health, our emotional health, our mental health. Clutter is a cancer that is infecting our homes. It really is. And all of us, you know, you're thinking, oh, there's somebody in the car who's looking at somebody else across the way and saying, yep, see? Mm, Yep. You're still struggling with this clutter. There is no judgment here, let me tell you, here, where we're doing the Declutter Diaries, this is the only place where clutter meets comedy and coaching and a whole lot of grace. And it is a good Monday afternoon. There's a lot of times I was telling Kathi, we talk about such serious things, and if we are talking about the most serious thing is your underwear drawer, hey, that is a good day. And Kathi is the queen of calm in the chaos and the master of the no shame purge, which is what we're talking about.
Kathy Lipp says there's a difference between decluttering and organizing
We have talked about today's question, which is to buy or not to buy the cute organizers. Kathi has reminded us that there's a difference between decluttering and organizing. And you must declutter before you organize. And there's a lot of times we stand in the store with a cart full of bins and good intentions and we think, oh, this is going to fix everything and I'm finally going to get control of my clutter. And spoiler alert, it won't. So we're unpacking how social media sells us perfection, how our homes become performance stages, and why the real win is less about matching labels and more about freedom and function. So don't forget to catch the past episodes. Each one has wisdom, a lot of humor, and a lot of hope. Too. And if you're ready for next level support, head on over to Kathi Lipp's Clutter Free Academy. Grab her book, the Clutter Free Home. And Kathi, let's just dive back into where we were.
I want to talk about avoiding the prettier clutter trap. And so what is prettier? Clutter
I want to talk about avoiding the prettier clutter trap. And so what is prettier? Clutter. That's still clutter.
Kathi Lipp So I think about it like this, that, we just think if we can find the right box to put everything in. And in our brains, of course we'll only put necessary things in there, but it's easy to just gather a lot of containers and then you need containers for the containers. And I don't mean to make us sound crazy, but I have been in that place where I have tried to skip the decluttering step and go straight to the containing step. And here's what I know. If you can contain less man, it makes your house lighter and brighter and it feels like there's space, you know? You asked, ah. What does decluttering have to do with spirituality?
Kathi Lipp One of my favorite verses. Isaiah 38. excuse me, Isaiah 32:18. My people live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.
Dr. Jessica Peck Oh, that's good.
Kathi Lipp Isn't that good?
Dr. Jessica Peck That's good.
Kathi Lipp I've been talking on decluttering for years and my friend just quoted that to me and I'm like, where has that verse been all my life? And now I've quoted it probably every day since. God knows that our hearts long for peaceful dwelling places and our brains hang on stuff. And even if your clutter is contained, your brain's still going to ping on it because you know that there are unfinished loops in that pretty box. And so I'm making it sound like you need to live in a perfect place to have peace. I do not believe that at all. But we all know those places that our minds go to when we're like, oh, why is it still like this? and you know what? We tried to buy the right systems before, and, can I just say, if you've bought a system and it hasn't worked out, please don't beat yourself up. We are practicing organization. We're trying new things. So it's really important to me that you don't go all in on something expensive to try. So my, my recommendations to you is find out what has actually worked for real human beings. There are things that I've bought that have worked really, really well for me. I used to have a problem with trying to my. My spices were out of control. We're. We're big cooks around here. There is a spice organizer. And I know that sounds crazy to some people, but I'm a spice addict. And I don't even like spicy things, but I love flavorful things. And there's this, and I'll put it up in our clutter free academy group on Facebook, and I'll send the link to your producer. So if somebody wants to look at this. Yeah, it's spice drawers. It's like stacking drawers that you pull out and you can see all your spices at one time. And I just put little labels on those every time I go to it. Not only can I find my spices, it just makes me happy. It makes me happy every single time. So I. I know that the pretty stuff doesn't always work. So try to get down to the basics. Like, I don't want you to buy more organizational systems in the name of organizing until you've gotten your stuff down to what you actually need to organize. And organizing isn't about adding things. It's about giving every essential item a clear home. So if I know where my spices go, I know where my husband's sweatpants go, I know where my travel accessories go. And sometimes that requires a container, and sometimes it doesn't. It just requires knowing what is there.
Dr. Jessica Peck This is, really life changing. Honestly, Kathi. I mean, I say that and it sounds so over the top, but it really is life changing. Because I'm thinking in that moment, you're talking about your spice drawer. I think about, like, even, you know, like, I think about a drawer in my closet where I have all these pairs of shorts, and I probably only wear, like, you know, three pairs out of the 20 that I've got in there or however many there are. And. But you're like, you're constantly, you know, rummaging through stuff that you're not even using. But to open that drawer and to know, okay, these are the three pairs that I have that I like, oh, the middle one is missing. I better go find that out of the wash. Like it does. It makes me smile because I'm thinking when I can't find, I can't get dressed quickly. Now I'm stressed because I'm going to be late, and I'm trying to up, hurry, hurry. And then I start, you know, getting irritable with my kids and telling them, hurry up, let's go, because now I'm late, and now they're bearing the weight of that. I mean, I Just think about this vicious cycle that we don't think about when we live in cluttered places and when we live lives that are not organized. And then it causes, conflict with a person in our family that is not cluttered. You know, and they're looking at you thinking, like, why can't you get control of this? This is such a problem. You feel defeated. So I think this is really transformational in thinking. If you feel like you're a failure at organizing, maybe you are putting the cart before the horse and you've got to get rid of stuff before you organize. So you talk about three categories of a simple organizing system that really lasts. So tell us what those three categories are because I love me a list, Kathi.
Kathi Lipp Yes. And, you know, so when you go to an area, do I need to contain this? So think about craft supplies that needs to be contained. And so you're going to put all, like, craft supplies in one area. maybe you have a baking session station. How do you contain all of those items? And then label. I really do believe in labeling, and I don't have a million different kinds of labels. I have this one cute little labeler. I'm just holding it up right here that is, you know, connected to my cell phone. You can get this on Amazon. I just type it into my, my telephone and it spits out a label and it works for everything. So. And if you don't have that, use blue painter's tape right now to label it. It doesn't have to be pretty right off. Just do what you have and then reset.
You talked about making sure you declutter first before you organize
So after I'm done baking, I reset my baking station, I reset my crafts, and I put them back into a container. It's just a reset to put back what you've taken out. Because let's be honest, we are busy, busy people and we don't always just perfectly line up everything at the, you know, right after we're done with it. On Fridays, I reset my desk. So on Monday I'm back to it. Reset is a beautiful thing.
Dr. Jessica Peck These are such great tools. So, I mean, I'm taking notes as you're talking about, talking about making sure you declutter first before you organize. Another great thing that you've said today is don't shop for solutions until you know what your problem actually is. And, maybe your problem is, like you said, containing something like the shoes that you talked about earlier. But maybe your problem is that you just can't let go of stuff that you should let go of that you don't need Anymore. That was really helpful. And choosing function over perfection. It doesn't have to look good. It needs to work. Good work.
Kathi Lipp shares practical tips on how to declutter your home
Well, I guess you could say if you, if we're using proper grammar so you have some practical examples that you can share with us, Kathi. So give us some examples, get our creative juices flowing, help us think about what, can be okay.
Kathi Lipp So by the front door I have a tidy tray. And this isn't some plastic organizer I bought. I've got this beautiful blue and white tray that I just love. And then on top of it it has like a silver. It's really a candy dish, but that's where the keys go. And on the tray is where my wallet and anything else that I know I need to run out the door. And it looks pretty, but it is just from things that I've gathered from around the house. a grab and go basket in my pantry. So like if I'm going to bake something, I grab this little basket and it's a pretty basket. It's one that I got. You know, it's beautiful, it's woven. And I just load everything in there that I need for that baking project. So I'm not going back and forth a million times. we talked about the sock and underwear drawer dividers. Another thing is I have a collapsible box I put in my car and that's where I put like my cooler bags and my shopping bags. So at least there's a chance I'll remember to bring those into the grocery store. That's real. I love rolling containers under the bed. But don't put something under the bed that doesn't correspond to the bed. So I put out a season sheets in there, but I don't have to wonder what's under my bed because I know it's just different sheets. And then I installed or I, let's be honest, Roger installed pull out drawers in the kitchen so that it's not just a shelf that I have to dig down to, but that I can actually pull them out and see everything's there. You can get those on Amazon and I helped install them. They're pretty easy to install and they've made our lives so much easier.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, those are always great practical tips, Kathi. And I just thank you so much for taking some of the shame and stigma out of all of this because it is something that impacts a lot of people. And I know you know this because you do this on a daily basis. We're talking once a month, but there are People who are saying, this is a big enough problem for me that I need some daily help and daily interaction. So I want you to share one step that our listeners can take today. If they've decluttered, they feel like, okay, I have at least maybe this one space that's decluttered, but they just feel stuck and they're feeling defeated. Let's leave them with a little practical, encouragement.
Kathi Lipp I'm going to give you two quick ones. One, find the area that frustrates you the most and spend five minutes brainstorming on how you can make it more functional. Do I need to put a bowl there? Do I need to put a basket there? What can I try? Practice and try it for a week, and if it doesn't work, then switch it out. If you need day to day support, our Facebook group is Kathi Lipp's Clutter Free Academy. It's completely free. We give daily support over there. We'd love to have you.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, that is so, so fantastic. So thank you so much again, Kathi, for all of this. I am so appreciative. And we were just talking during the break. These people shall remain nameless. But there have been other guests who have been clients of Kathi. You would never guess who might be struggling with clutter. We all struggle with it to some extent. And for those of you that don't, well, I just, I aspire to be you one day. But if you are staring at that pile of cute bins and you're wondering, are you just organizing? Are you really organizing? Are you just moving clutter around? I hope today gave you clarity and grace to pause before you purchase and to purchase with some intentionality. And remember, this decluttering journey isn't about perfection. It's about progress. I'm embracing that myself. I have made small victories. There are small spaces and areas in my life that I feel like I'm getting more organized and it's just making room for what truly matters. Peace in your home, connection in your relationships, freedom in your mind and your heart. And if this episode hit home for you, don't stop here. Go back and listen to the first four. Each episode is packed with practical tools and a healthy dose of humor and hope. And don't forget to grab a copy of Kathy's book, the Clutter Free Home. It is really a game changer. Or join the Clutter Free Academy Facebook community where thousands of people are walking this road together. Thank you for walking with us today. You don't have to do this alone. You don't need another bin to prove your worth. And we'll see you next time. And until then, may the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you.
Jeff Chamblee The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
Dr. Jessica Peck prescribes Hope for Healthy Families on American Family Radio
Dr. Jessica Peck Hello and welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show, prescribing Hope for Healthy Families here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner, and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck. Well, hey there, friends, and welcome to my favorite part of the afternoon, getting to spend time with you, prescribing Hope for Healthy Families. We're here on a, Monday in May. Can you believe it? We're almost halfway through the year, and dare I say, I know there's some of you out there, my regular listeners who are thinking. Don't say it, Jessica. Don't do it. I'm going to do it. I can't help myself. That means we're almost halfway to Christmas. Okay, fine. I just said it. I'm not even sorry. I haven't said anything in nearly four months. So just give me one little bit of leeway there.
It is also Nurses Week, and I wanted to share a blessing about nurses
And the other bit of grace that I ask for you today from you today, is that you allow me a moment to give a shout out to my profession. I know it is Teacher Appreciation Week. It is also Nurses Week, and I wanted to share with you before we start the show to a, blessing that I have for nurses. Recently, I spoke at a commencement, and this is the message that I shared about nurses. And listen, since COVID it has been a tough road. It has definitely been difficult. And I want to give this tribute to nurses. So if you'll allow me just a moment before we get started here.
Dr. Jessica Peck Nurses are there in the most fragile moments in human life. This is such a sacred privilege. They meet indignities with the utmost dignity and compassion. They keep secrets with no judgment. They honor wishes and protect autonomy. They cheer big for small progress. They serve daily doses of hope in the face of utter hopelessness. They wipe tears of strangers and they hug broken human spirits. They. They welcome new life into the world and they comfort in the transition of death. They care for people when people can't care for themselves. They ask questions people are afraid to ask. They are calm in the face of fear. They are comfort in the midst of pain. They see things that make most people grimace and look away. But they face them straight on, head up and eyes clear with a brave front. And they hear our rapidly beating hearts masked by a calm voice. Our families and our patients probably don't know that we take a minute to cry in our car before we drive home. We are among the ranks of what I believe to be the most innovative, resilient, life giving, tenacious profession that has ever existed. Nursing will always find a way to Rise up and meet the challenges of tomorrow. The difficult we do immediately. The impossible just takes a little longer. So to my fellow nurses, I salute you and I challenge you to be kind to yourself. Be a caretaker of your own mental health. Be a leader, be a servant, be excellent. Be unafraid to take on the impossible. Be proud of your profession, defend it, be an advocate for your patients and for yourself. And I speak this blessing over you. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. May he be gracious to you, turn his face towards you, and give you peace. And practically speaking, may your scrubs be comfy, your coffee be strong, your holiday shifts be short, and your certification exams be easier than you thought. And may your continued journey in nursing be a miraculous experience.
This week is National Nurses Week and Teacher Appreciation Week
Now, I want to wish all of my fellow nurses out there a very happy Nurses Week. And if you know a nurse or a teacher too, because it is Teacher Appreciation Week. I happen to be a nurse teacher, but reach out to them and just tell them thank you. It really means more m than you know, knowing that the care that nurses provide makes a difference. So thank you for allowing me that moment just to give a, shout out to my profession and nurses. It's so funny because we can be the most organized people at work. Our IV lines can be impeccable and our charts can be just absolutely perfect. Nobody can fill out a flow sheet like a nurse, but at home it can often be a, mess.
The Decluttering Diaries are back with episode five
So we are so happy to welcome you back to episode five of what we're calling the Decluttering Diaries. And our with we're with best selling author, speaker and decluttering coach and my personal informal therapist now, Kathi Lipp. And today's topic we are going to talk about to buy or not to buy. Do you buy those organizers that are being marketed to you? You know what I'm talking about. That moment that you're scrolling through Pinterest or Instagram and all of a sudden you just get sucked into the world of pretty bins and labeled baskets and color coded closets. But are we organizing or are we just buying more clutter to repackage our clutter? So we're going to dive into that trap of pretty clutter and how social media perfection can really mess with our mindset and what helps us to really build a clutter free life that's not just in our homes. I'm talking about in our relationships and our time and our peace of mind. So if you're new here and you haven't heard the Declutter Diaries. Check out the earlier four episodes that we have, and remember, we're all about progress over perfection. No shame, just simple, doable steps towards freedom from clutter. And for even more support, don't miss Kathy's book, the Clutter Free Home, her Clutter Free Academy group on Facebook, her podcast, and her subscription program, Where Real. Transformation begins.
Kathi, welcome back. I'm so glad to have you here
So, Kathi, welcome back. I'm so glad to have you here. I can't wait to see what kind of breakthrough I'm going to have today.
Kathi Lipp Oh, I love it because you celebrate all the breakthroughs and it makes me so incredibly happy. And can I just say, there is no profession that I am less suited to but more grateful for than nurses.
Dr. Jessica Peck That was so well said.
Kathi Lipp I just, I loved your blessing for them. And you know what? I do think that so many people who may be listening, they are putting all of their organizational, all of their, their best energy sometimes into serving other people. And I can relate to this. We get the crumbs at home and so I, I can see that, especially for nurses and teachers. So I'm hoping that we can reclaim some of that energy for ourselves.
Dr. Jessica Peck That is such a good word. And anytime, Kathi, I, I feel like I'm getting to know you so much better. And anytime you say, can I just say, I'm like, yes, you can, but you're going to have to hold on a minute so I can get a notepad to write down whatever words of wisdom are about to come out of your mouth because it's so good. But you know what, you're so right. Teachers are in that too, because teachers can have a really organized classroom, their office can look great. And then it's like at home, we're just so exhaust being organized in our workspace that the home space just, you know, takes the back burner. And we've been making a lot of progress, Kathi. I've been sharing with you my progress and decluttering a hundred spaces. I've been working on that, working on my kids childhood baby memories, working on some memories that I have for my granny. I'm working on all of that. And so many of us can feel like, oh, this is so great, but then it becomes a mess again. And we are going to talk about that temptation to how do we, how do we live in that decluttered space practically? How, do we do that?
Kathi Lipp Yeah. So I will tell you that I have swung wildly in two different directions. So, you know, part of me said if you just declutter Enough, the systems don't matter as much. And so I really ignored a lot of organizational systems for a long time. And then the other part of me said, if I buy all the pretty bins and pretty labels, I can't help but be organized. And so I would love for us to meet somewhere in the middle. Because something I know about cluttery people, and I am cheap among them, is that we love an all or nothing statement. You know, we love for everything to be amazing or nothing is good, or we love for everything to be organized or I'm a complete mess and we have a really, really difficult time living in some of the gray areas where we're a work in progress. And when it comes to organization, I think we have to really align ourselves with the statement that we are practicing organization. Because what worked for your highly organized, sister in law may not work in your home. The things that you see on, Pinterest, some of those are amazing. I'm not going to lie. Some of those have saved my life. And then there's a lot of things that somebody just said. I, this worked for me. But they're not naturally disorganized, they are not naturally cluttery. They are not a maximalist. Like some of us are so maximalist. Oh, I am such a maximalist. I don't like a bare room. I like, I like my memories out where I can see them. I like to know what my choices are in my pantry. I want to see things. My husband, and this is, I'll tell you some of the mistakes we've made.
Dr. Jessica Peck Oh, please do.
Kathi Lipp Yes. buying bins that weren't clear. we will never buy a non see through bin again for the rest of our lives. Because I'm not the only one who's living with this system. Right? And so if I have a box, I'm like, oh, I know our Christmas stuff goes in there. But my husband's the one who's going up to the attic. He wants to be able to see things. He wants to be able to know what's in there. And so, yeah, we've had to ditch a lot of things that we thought. The other thing that I have bought is open storage. Things that don't necessarily have lids. Well, we live in the middle of a forest. It gets so dusty here. And I would not change where we live for anything. But I've had to come to understand that I need sealed containers to keep my stuff. Okay. And, especially when it comes to food and stuff because we use our garage as part of our pantry. And like I said, we live in the middle of the wilderness and we share it with all God's creatures. I need to make sure that none of them can get to my food. So those we, we've all invested in. I'll never forget. Somebody said, kathy, if only every time you got from home, from going out, you took all the receipts out of your purse, and then you put them into these different slots. According to what you, you've lost me. That's never, never in my life is that going to happen. And so if I just say, okay, when I need to do something, I can find my receipts because I've thrown them all into this bucket, that's going to do so much better for me than trying to pretend that I'm a highly organized person when I'm just not.
Dr. Jessica Peck Oh, that is so good. Because, yes, I, You. I feel like you've just, you know, you look into my soul, Kath. I think that's me. I'm the extremist. And I want to say, like, oh, yes, I've got it under control. That used to be a problem, but I don't struggle with that anymore. But I do.
My mistake was the Pinterest pantry
And so since you shared your mistakes, I'll share mine. My mistake was the Pinterest pantry. Oh, my goodness. I cannot even tell you how many things on social media I saw that just appealed to me, you know, as a nurse, thinking about it being clean and sanitary and, you know, putting all of my cereal in the little plastic bins, you know, with the artisanal labels on them that just, like, looks so artistic and everything. But here's the reality, Kathi. I have four kids in five years. They do not have any respect for a Pinterest pantry. They are climbing shelves. They are leaving open packages in there. Like, it is a work in progress. We are definitely. And so I had to give that up and think that is not realistic for this stage in my life. Now, maybe when I'm an empty nester, maybe one day I will have that Pinterest pantry. But I bought all of these, like, pantry organization things. Well, I'm not gonna put my cereal in a plastic thing that looks nice because, frankly, if you have four kids, they go through one box of cereal in one sitting. Like, it's just not even the point, you know? So, that is so encouraging to me. Okay, well, we're not gonna leave people stranded, Kathi. We are always going to give them some hope. And so when we come back, I want to talk about organizing for real life. Not for Instagram, not for social media, not for all of those things where we all look and see the reels on our phone and think, oh, yeah, I can create that. I can maintain that. Like, not only can I not maintain it, I can't even create it, but it's gotta work for us. So we'll talk about that. How do we organize for real life? And we'll talk about to buy or not to buy. Do we buy those bins or baskets? When does it sell smart to buy those organizing tools? And when is it just re buying more clutter? We'll also talk about the prettier clutter trap. I know you really want to know about that because that is something that's there. But ultimately, Kathi is going to help you to set up sustainable systems. So make sure that you listen to the past episodes, get a copy of her book the Clutter Free Home, join her free clutter free Academy group on Facebook, listen to her podcast, or you can do her subscription program where real transformation begins. I'll be back with my friend and clutter expert Kathi Lipp on the other side of this break. Don't go away. More Declutter Diaries is coming up next.
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You Make Everything Beautiful by FOR KING + COUNTRY and Rebecca Grant me serenity, Lord, and patience for things will take time. Grant me freedom, walk a new path and let me feel your love. In. My weakness you can shine in your strings I can fly and you make everything, everything beautiful you make everything Everything new you make everything, everything beautiful in it's time in your time it's beautiful Lifting open hands to you, my savior Beautify my soul Knowing you redeem my pain and failure Purify my soul Beautify my soul.
Dr. Jessica Peck Welcome back, friends. That is you make everything beautiful by Rebecca St. James and for king + country. And that is from the movie Unsung Hero. And actually here's a fun fact for you. Unsung Hero is a faith based film that was released last year. My high school friend who was in my same small group, Richard Ramsey, is the director of that film and we featured him here on the show and it has been nominated for a, K-Love fan award. K Love, of course, is a Christian music radio station. So if you happen to see that movie or if you want to vote for any of your favorite categories, just check it out at klovefan awards.com and you can vote on their fan awards and vote for your favorite Christian artists, Christian songs, Christian movies. And that would be a great thing to do. And you may get some ideas for some things to stream with your family and some new songs to put on your playlist. But today we're going to.
We are talking about God making everything beautiful, even your clutter. We are in a series called the Declutter Diaries
We are talking about God making everything beautiful, even your clutter. Yes, I know. Believe me, I am a clutter queen. I struggle with this. I struggle mightily with this. And I know that a lot of you do too. We are in a series we're calling the Declutter Diaries. We are here with the amazing Kathi Lipp. And today we're really hitting a nerve because we're asking the question, do organizers really help or are we just spending money to feel better about our clutter? Yeah, how about we just go there? We have all seen those dreamy Pinterest parties, Instagram worthy closets. But behind the likes, behind the curated feeds, there's often a deeper story. And when we struggle with clutter, we struggle with stress, with shame, with strained relationships. And overall, I don't talk to anybody who struggles with clutter who doesn't just have a longing for peace. Kathi is here to help us cut through all of that noise. And this is a wake up call to stop chasing unrealistic pretty clutter and start building a home and a life that actually works for you. So if you're feeling overwhelmed, you are not alone. Listen back to our early, earlier episodes. Join the Clutter Free Academy Facebook community with Kathi. Check out her podcast, her practical grace filled book, the Clutter Free Home. Mine is cluttering at my desk. But we'll we'll deal with that later. But we're talking about not just decluttering our stuff, but our hearts and our habits and our expectations.
There's a difference between decluttering and organizing
So, Kathi, let's just dive back in and just say, what do you think is one of the biggest mistakes that people make in make when they jump? Well, actually, let me go back. There's a difference between decluttering and organizing. And we talked a little around that, but let's talk straight to it. What is the difference between those two things?
Kathi Lipp Yeah, I see so many people try to organize clutter. And here's the thing. You can get your clutter to look really, really pretty, but the next time you go back to that filing system or to that closet and you actually have to interact with that stuff, it's like setting up, it's like stepping on a landmine. It just, it all gets blown to pieces. And, and here's what I would say. You have to declutter before you can organize. And so because you cannot organize clutter, you can't organize clutter if you can do it in the short term, but your system is going to fall apart. So it's really important to me that we do this in order. So for me, the order is declutter. So get anything that you don't use love or would buy again out of that space. Clean the space. And then that gives your brain a little time to say, what do I actually need to organize here? And I want you to build your organizational systems around your habits, not your dreams. So it's m okay to get inspired by Pinterest. It's okay to get inspired by Instagram. But if you're like, well, my whole family would have to change their personality for that to work. It's probably not the system for you.
Dr. Jessica Peck That is so convicting. You can build. So you should build around your habits, not your dreams. And you know, Kathi, I'll share with you that this has impacted me the way that you have helped coach me for clutter. Because I think about my closet and how many times I've gone through my closet and I've said, okay, that's a Saturday project, and I spend all Saturday organizing my clutter in my closet. But I can't maintain it. And now, since I've done exactly like you have told me, would I, looking at the things and saying, would I use this? Do I love this? Would I buy this again? And then thinking, keep and give away and throw away. Those are my categories that I had. I really got rid of so much, and now I've noticed that when I go into my closet, I can also tell exactly what's in the wash, what's in the laundry. Like, I know what I have. So I find myself not. Oh, well, I can't find this. I know I have this. You know that I need this pair of socks or whatever it is, but I can't find it. So I'll buy a new one. I know exactly where it is. And it has been life changing. And I can't wait until this goes to the rest of my house. But I'm not quite there yet. And so you say, Kathi, that is one of the biggest mistakes that people make when they jump into organizing is organizing based on their aspirations, not on reality. So that is such a great. Ah, that's a great thing. And you have a story you want to tell us about shoe organizers, is that right?
Kathi Lipp Okay. You know what, Can I just say, I am over the shame of this story, so. But I am going to share it here because I love you and I know, I know this is a safe space.
Dr. Jessica Peck It is, it's absolutely a safe space.
Kathi Lipp Yes. So our teenagers were shoe kicker offers, right? They. They would come in and they would immediately take their shoes off. So we had this pile of shoes by the front door, which was not cute, let me just say. Not cute. So what I did was I went to Ikea and I got a. It was just basically set of shelves. And I had my husband build this set of shelves, put it behind one of our couches. And I said, guys, when you get home, you take off your shoes, you go behind the couch, you put your shoes in there. Great system, Great system. Only one person in our house used the system. Can you guess who that is?
Dr. Jessica Peck You. Was it you?
Kathi Lipp He loves me.
Dr. Jessica Peck Oh, your husband, he loves you. Oh, sorry. No, I missed you for just a second. Did you say. Was it your husband.
Kathi Lipp Was the only one who did the system? Because he loves me. Pretty sweet. But how dumb was I? How dumb was I that I thought teenagers were gonna go behind a couch?
Dr. Jessica Peck That's okay. I thought that they were gonna honor my pantry system. It was never going to happen.
Kathi Lipp No. Because we were living. And you are currently living with humans who, they don't care about the esthetics, they don't care about the organized, and to a certain extent, that's okay. it's not okay that they leave dishes everywhere in the house. It's not okay that they leave their clothes, but it is okay that that's not their top priority. So what we ended up Doing instead, Jessica, is we put a basket, by the front door, and 50% of the shoes made it into the basket, and the other 50 didn't. But here's the thing. I could just throw them in there, and it made it so I at least felt less embarrassed when people came. And about once a month, I'd say, hey, everybody, grab your shoes, put them up in your closet. Like, we need to start over here again. Because we don't need six pairs of shoes from every person in the house. You know that. What is that? That's six times 36 pairs of shoes. Not. Okay, not cute. 72 shoes is not cute. But, I have to build around the reality I have. The basket was the reality. The. And here we have, like, a slipper bar at our house, because people come over, you know, they. They want slippers, but they don't bring them with them. So we have a slipper bar where we put slippers in. We have all these different sizes. We throw them into the washing machine. When they're done, we put them back there. We're adults. We can maintain that now, but there's no way that we could have done that when we had teenagers. So you have to organize for the life that you actually live. And we have to understand, especially when our kids are in. You're in the trenches with kids. Your house is never going to look the way you want it to. It's just not. It can look, it can be comfortable, it can be cozy. But, you know, you were talking about earlier. You know, we've talked about this before. My. My husband grew up in a perfect house, and he couldn't wait to move out because he wanted to live in a comfortable house. And your kids are not going to refill this clear cereal thing. But here's the thing. You're also not screaming at them to refill the clear cereal container. And I would much rather live in a house with peace, where I can read Honey Nut Cheerios on the side of a box, than to be in a house with so much discomfort and strife. So we have to hit that happy medium.
Dr. Jessica Peck That's really good, because I remember my husband saying that to me. it was right at the rise of Pinterest. And I really feel like it did put, especially on women, this pressure to have this perfect house, you know, where if you're going to invite a friend over for coffee or something, that it needed to look like it's something out of a magazine. And I remember feeling the pressure to do that to the point where we've talked about this before too, Kathi. I wouldn't invite people over because I would feel so socially crippled. And my husband looked at me one day and he said, you do realize that people actually live here, right? Like, we live here. This is our home. So yes, we're going to bring our, you know, our dirty stuff in. Like, there's going to be dirt that's tracked in. There's going to be, you know, towels that are, that are wet and hanging up and like, it's not going to look like a hotel because people live here. And so I think that's the really important takeaway here, Kathi, is to give yourself permission to not be perfect and to choose from function over aesthetic. Choose what works for you rather than what looks like it will work for you.
Once you've decluttered a space, how do you continue to live in that space
And so that leads us into our next topic, Kathi and being tempted to buy or not to buy because we all see those cute things. And, that really has stuck with me from what you said. I think back on our first show together, talking about how we're constantly being marketed to, we're constantly being given solutions for problems we didn't even know we had. And so, how do we, how do we resist that? And how do. Because it's well intentioned, but how do we know whether to buy or not to buy those organization tools?
Kathi Lipp So a couple of thoughts come immediately to mind. Once you've decluttered a space, how do you continue to live in that space? So recently I cleaned out my sock underwear unmentionables drawer and I'm like, okay, I've cleaned this out a hundred times, but it always goes back to what it is. And I thought, are there some things that could really work for this space? So, one of those things that I didn't look for marketing, I looked for real people. And I just asked a question. What has worked to keep your, your sock and underwear drawer organized? And somebody told me about these honeycomb dividers where it just looks like a big honeycomb, but each little slot has a place for their sock. I've had those for a year and a half now. Changed it. I can actually see what I have. I don't put single socks in there. Like, oh, we'll find it later. No, only socks that I'm ready to pluck out. The other thing are drawer dividers. So, like, I have one drawer divider for underwear, one drawer divider for sports bras, one drawer divider for, you know, bike shorts, that kind of thing. It has made a huge difference that I. Here's What I think is what my. The true test is. When I wake up in the morning and I go to that drawer, it doesn't overwhelm me first. First thing, like, I don't greet it with like, oh, what do I have to do? the other thing is, okay, so live with your decluttered space for at least a week and then start asking the questions. What would help me to keep this area organized? So that's number one. Number two, do I know exactly what is going to go into this container? Like for my sock and underwear drawer? I know socks and underwear are going into there. I know what's going in there. But don't buy a container without a purpose for it. Because sometimes we're like, oh, those are cute boxes. I could put something like this in there. But if you're not looking for a container for a specific need, don't buy your way into a problem that you don't have. And number three, will this tool support my system or just hide the chaos? And can I just tell you it's okay to have a junk drawer? It's okay to, you know, I, I believe in a junk drawer when you don't know what to happen. But I also think one thing that cleverly, people do not do well, not all of them, but people like me, is I've never had anything like a treasure box or a chest or something like special things go into. And can I tell you, Jessica, after many, many years of research, I know where all these things go. They go into underwear drawers. Like, I don't know what to do with it. I'm gonna put it in an underwear drawer. I don't know why we do that. I think it's because we always know where our underwear drawer is. And if it's personal, I don't want to put it necessarily out for the rest of the family. So I put it in the underwear drawer.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, hold on. I'm going to hold you there, Kathi. We do. I'm going to hold you there because we're already at a break. But I mean, Kim, we all have an underwear drawer. It's very true. We'll learn more about how to organize it on the other side of this break. We'll be back with Kathi Lipp
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What He's Done by Passion(ft. Kristian Stanfill, Tasha Cobbs Leo See on the hill of Calvary My Savior bled for me My Jesus set me free. And. Look at the wounds that give me life Grace flowing from inside no greater sacrifice what he's done, what he's done all the glory and the honor to the Son My sins are forgiven My future is heaven I praise God.
Dr. Jessica Peck For what he's done welcome back, friends. That's what he's done by passion and God has done so much for us and I am grateful for this journey that he has taken me through. The Decluttering Diaries and you may think, what does that have to do with anything spiritual? Well, it really does have everything to do with our spiritual health, our emotional health, our mental health. Clutter is a cancer that is infecting our homes. It really is. And all of us, you know, you're thinking, oh, there's somebody in the car who's looking at somebody else across the way and saying, yep, see? Mm, Yep. You're still struggling with this clutter. There is no judgment here, let me tell you, here, where we're doing the Declutter Diaries, this is the only place where clutter meets comedy and coaching and a whole lot of grace. And it is a good Monday afternoon. There's a lot of times I was telling Kathi, we talk about such serious things, and if we are talking about the most serious thing is your underwear drawer, hey, that is a good day. And Kathi is the queen of calm in the chaos and the master of the no shame purge, which is what we're talking about.
Kathy Lipp says there's a difference between decluttering and organizing
We have talked about today's question, which is to buy or not to buy the cute organizers. Kathi has reminded us that there's a difference between decluttering and organizing. And you must declutter before you organize. And there's a lot of times we stand in the store with a cart full of bins and good intentions and we think, oh, this is going to fix everything and I'm finally going to get control of my clutter. And spoiler alert, it won't. So we're unpacking how social media sells us perfection, how our homes become performance stages, and why the real win is less about matching labels and more about freedom and function. So don't forget to catch the past episodes. Each one has wisdom, a lot of humor, and a lot of hope. Too. And if you're ready for next level support, head on over to Kathi Lipp's Clutter Free Academy. Grab her book, the Clutter Free Home. And Kathi, let's just dive back into where we were.
I want to talk about avoiding the prettier clutter trap. And so what is prettier? Clutter
I want to talk about avoiding the prettier clutter trap. And so what is prettier? Clutter. That's still clutter.
Kathi Lipp So I think about it like this, that, we just think if we can find the right box to put everything in. And in our brains, of course we'll only put necessary things in there, but it's easy to just gather a lot of containers and then you need containers for the containers. And I don't mean to make us sound crazy, but I have been in that place where I have tried to skip the decluttering step and go straight to the containing step. And here's what I know. If you can contain less man, it makes your house lighter and brighter and it feels like there's space, you know? You asked, ah. What does decluttering have to do with spirituality?
Kathi Lipp One of my favorite verses. Isaiah 38. excuse me, Isaiah 32:18. My people live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.
Dr. Jessica Peck Oh, that's good.
Kathi Lipp Isn't that good?
Dr. Jessica Peck That's good.
Kathi Lipp I've been talking on decluttering for years and my friend just quoted that to me and I'm like, where has that verse been all my life? And now I've quoted it probably every day since. God knows that our hearts long for peaceful dwelling places and our brains hang on stuff. And even if your clutter is contained, your brain's still going to ping on it because you know that there are unfinished loops in that pretty box. And so I'm making it sound like you need to live in a perfect place to have peace. I do not believe that at all. But we all know those places that our minds go to when we're like, oh, why is it still like this? and you know what? We tried to buy the right systems before, and, can I just say, if you've bought a system and it hasn't worked out, please don't beat yourself up. We are practicing organization. We're trying new things. So it's really important to me that you don't go all in on something expensive to try. So my, my recommendations to you is find out what has actually worked for real human beings. There are things that I've bought that have worked really, really well for me. I used to have a problem with trying to my. My spices were out of control. We're. We're big cooks around here. There is a spice organizer. And I know that sounds crazy to some people, but I'm a spice addict. And I don't even like spicy things, but I love flavorful things. And there's this, and I'll put it up in our clutter free academy group on Facebook, and I'll send the link to your producer. So if somebody wants to look at this. Yeah, it's spice drawers. It's like stacking drawers that you pull out and you can see all your spices at one time. And I just put little labels on those every time I go to it. Not only can I find my spices, it just makes me happy. It makes me happy every single time. So I. I know that the pretty stuff doesn't always work. So try to get down to the basics. Like, I don't want you to buy more organizational systems in the name of organizing until you've gotten your stuff down to what you actually need to organize. And organizing isn't about adding things. It's about giving every essential item a clear home. So if I know where my spices go, I know where my husband's sweatpants go, I know where my travel accessories go. And sometimes that requires a container, and sometimes it doesn't. It just requires knowing what is there.
Dr. Jessica Peck This is, really life changing. Honestly, Kathi. I mean, I say that and it sounds so over the top, but it really is life changing. Because I'm thinking in that moment, you're talking about your spice drawer. I think about, like, even, you know, like, I think about a drawer in my closet where I have all these pairs of shorts, and I probably only wear, like, you know, three pairs out of the 20 that I've got in there or however many there are. And. But you're like, you're constantly, you know, rummaging through stuff that you're not even using. But to open that drawer and to know, okay, these are the three pairs that I have that I like, oh, the middle one is missing. I better go find that out of the wash. Like it does. It makes me smile because I'm thinking when I can't find, I can't get dressed quickly. Now I'm stressed because I'm going to be late, and I'm trying to up, hurry, hurry. And then I start, you know, getting irritable with my kids and telling them, hurry up, let's go, because now I'm late, and now they're bearing the weight of that. I mean, I Just think about this vicious cycle that we don't think about when we live in cluttered places and when we live lives that are not organized. And then it causes, conflict with a person in our family that is not cluttered. You know, and they're looking at you thinking, like, why can't you get control of this? This is such a problem. You feel defeated. So I think this is really transformational in thinking. If you feel like you're a failure at organizing, maybe you are putting the cart before the horse and you've got to get rid of stuff before you organize. So you talk about three categories of a simple organizing system that really lasts. So tell us what those three categories are because I love me a list, Kathi.
Kathi Lipp Yes. And, you know, so when you go to an area, do I need to contain this? So think about craft supplies that needs to be contained. And so you're going to put all, like, craft supplies in one area. maybe you have a baking session station. How do you contain all of those items? And then label. I really do believe in labeling, and I don't have a million different kinds of labels. I have this one cute little labeler. I'm just holding it up right here that is, you know, connected to my cell phone. You can get this on Amazon. I just type it into my, my telephone and it spits out a label and it works for everything. So. And if you don't have that, use blue painter's tape right now to label it. It doesn't have to be pretty right off. Just do what you have and then reset.
You talked about making sure you declutter first before you organize
So after I'm done baking, I reset my baking station, I reset my crafts, and I put them back into a container. It's just a reset to put back what you've taken out. Because let's be honest, we are busy, busy people and we don't always just perfectly line up everything at the, you know, right after we're done with it. On Fridays, I reset my desk. So on Monday I'm back to it. Reset is a beautiful thing.
Dr. Jessica Peck These are such great tools. So, I mean, I'm taking notes as you're talking about, talking about making sure you declutter first before you organize. Another great thing that you've said today is don't shop for solutions until you know what your problem actually is. And, maybe your problem is, like you said, containing something like the shoes that you talked about earlier. But maybe your problem is that you just can't let go of stuff that you should let go of that you don't need Anymore. That was really helpful. And choosing function over perfection. It doesn't have to look good. It needs to work. Good work.
Kathi Lipp shares practical tips on how to declutter your home
Well, I guess you could say if you, if we're using proper grammar so you have some practical examples that you can share with us, Kathi. So give us some examples, get our creative juices flowing, help us think about what, can be okay.
Kathi Lipp So by the front door I have a tidy tray. And this isn't some plastic organizer I bought. I've got this beautiful blue and white tray that I just love. And then on top of it it has like a silver. It's really a candy dish, but that's where the keys go. And on the tray is where my wallet and anything else that I know I need to run out the door. And it looks pretty, but it is just from things that I've gathered from around the house. a grab and go basket in my pantry. So like if I'm going to bake something, I grab this little basket and it's a pretty basket. It's one that I got. You know, it's beautiful, it's woven. And I just load everything in there that I need for that baking project. So I'm not going back and forth a million times. we talked about the sock and underwear drawer dividers. Another thing is I have a collapsible box I put in my car and that's where I put like my cooler bags and my shopping bags. So at least there's a chance I'll remember to bring those into the grocery store. That's real. I love rolling containers under the bed. But don't put something under the bed that doesn't correspond to the bed. So I put out a season sheets in there, but I don't have to wonder what's under my bed because I know it's just different sheets. And then I installed or I, let's be honest, Roger installed pull out drawers in the kitchen so that it's not just a shelf that I have to dig down to, but that I can actually pull them out and see everything's there. You can get those on Amazon and I helped install them. They're pretty easy to install and they've made our lives so much easier.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, those are always great practical tips, Kathi. And I just thank you so much for taking some of the shame and stigma out of all of this because it is something that impacts a lot of people. And I know you know this because you do this on a daily basis. We're talking once a month, but there are People who are saying, this is a big enough problem for me that I need some daily help and daily interaction. So I want you to share one step that our listeners can take today. If they've decluttered, they feel like, okay, I have at least maybe this one space that's decluttered, but they just feel stuck and they're feeling defeated. Let's leave them with a little practical, encouragement.
Kathi Lipp I'm going to give you two quick ones. One, find the area that frustrates you the most and spend five minutes brainstorming on how you can make it more functional. Do I need to put a bowl there? Do I need to put a basket there? What can I try? Practice and try it for a week, and if it doesn't work, then switch it out. If you need day to day support, our Facebook group is Kathi Lipp's Clutter Free Academy. It's completely free. We give daily support over there. We'd love to have you.
Dr. Jessica Peck Well, that is so, so fantastic. So thank you so much again, Kathi, for all of this. I am so appreciative. And we were just talking during the break. These people shall remain nameless. But there have been other guests who have been clients of Kathi. You would never guess who might be struggling with clutter. We all struggle with it to some extent. And for those of you that don't, well, I just, I aspire to be you one day. But if you are staring at that pile of cute bins and you're wondering, are you just organizing? Are you really organizing? Are you just moving clutter around? I hope today gave you clarity and grace to pause before you purchase and to purchase with some intentionality. And remember, this decluttering journey isn't about perfection. It's about progress. I'm embracing that myself. I have made small victories. There are small spaces and areas in my life that I feel like I'm getting more organized and it's just making room for what truly matters. Peace in your home, connection in your relationships, freedom in your mind and your heart. And if this episode hit home for you, don't stop here. Go back and listen to the first four. Each episode is packed with practical tools and a healthy dose of humor and hope. And don't forget to grab a copy of Kathy's book, the Clutter Free Home. It is really a game changer. Or join the Clutter Free Academy Facebook community where thousands of people are walking this road together. Thank you for walking with us today. You don't have to do this alone. You don't need another bin to prove your worth. And we'll see you next time. And until then, may the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you.
Jeff Chamblee The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
Declutter Diaries. Kathi Lipp joins Jessica to talk about organizing once the clutter is gone.
Rx for Hope: Practice Purposeful Organization
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