The Art of Decluttering

Latest Episodes:

Do It Anyway with Laura Smith Jul 19, 2026

Show notes

If you've ever waited to feel motivated before tackling a project, there's a good chance you've been waiting for something that rarely arrives.

Instead what if you accepted the truth of "You don't have to like it, you just have to do it".

Once you start, momentum usually follows.

You'll hear practical advice for organising your home in a way that suits you. Whether you love beautifully labelled containers or simply want systems that make life easier, the goal isn't perfection. It's creating a home that's functional, peaceful and easy to maintain.

You'll learn why understanding your own organising style matters, how to avoid decision fatigue, why clear labels make such a difference, and the importance of speaking kindly to yourself while decluttering. Instead of focusing on everything that's gone wrong, you'll be encouraged to celebrate progress and build confidence one space at a time.

If you've been putting off decluttering because it feels overwhelming, you'll walk away with practical strategies to help you get started, stay motivated and create systems that last.

Newsletter sign up: https://www.theartofdecluttering.com.au/

Connect with Laura Smith

Follow on YouTube

Follow on Instagram

Laura's Website

Laura Recommends These Containers

You may also like to listen to these episodes:

Winnie's Pile of Pillows with Dana K. White

Sticky Habits with Monica Packer

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/ri2xixE6nBQ

Join my community

Leave a 5 Star Google Review
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Facebook
Join my Facebook group

Thank you to my sound engineer, Jarred from Four4ty Studio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Missing Moving Truck Jul 12, 2026

Show notes

Imagine arriving at your new home only to discover that every single possession you own has vanished.

Not damaged. Not delayed. Not sitting in storage somewhere. Gone.

It's a confronting thought, but it reveals something fascinating about your relationship with your belongings. If everything disappeared overnight, what would you replace immediately? What would you never bother buying again? And what would you realise you didn't even remember owning?

As you work through this thought experiment, you'll discover the difference between what is essential, what is useful, and what is simply taking up space. You might find that your first purchases would be surprisingly simple: clothing, bedding, towels, medications, and a handful of kitchen basics. Beyond that, many of the items currently filling your home may never make it back onto your shopping list.

There's also a deeper question. What would you truly grieve losing? Family photos, handwritten recipes, children's artwork, wedding albums, and treasured keepsakes often carry meaning far beyond their physical form. Yet even when those items are gone, the memories connected to them may still live on through stories, photographs shared by loved ones, and the people who experienced those moments alongside you.

By considering what you would save, replace, miss, or feel relieved to lose, you gain valuable insight into what matters most. You may even discover opportunities to let go of things you're holding onto out of habit, guilt, or obligation.

If you could only keep ten possessions before the truck drove away forever, what would make the list?

You may also like to listen to these episodes:

The Meaningful Home

Fresh Start

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/t2Puf3PcdT0

Join my community

Leave a 5 Star Google Review
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Facebook
Join my Facebook group

Thank you to my sound engineer, Jarred from Four4ty Studio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helping Someone Start Jul 05, 2026

Show notes

Watching someone you love struggle with clutter can be difficult. You want to help, but you don't want to push, nag, or take over.

The truth is that most people don't need more motivation. They need a place to begin.

If you're helping a partner, child, parent, or friend, one of the best things you can do is make decluttering feel small and achievable. Instead of tackling an entire room, try focusing on one of three things:

• A small amount of time

• A small category

• A small space

Set a timer for 5 or 15 minutes. Sort just the plastic kitchen containers, gather all the jeans, or clear a single drawer. Keeping the task small reduces overwhelm and helps build confidence.

Short sessions also help protect your relationship. When people know there's an end point, they're more likely to say yes again next time.

You can make the process even easier by organising the space when you're finished, using containers you already have, and taking before-and-after photos so you can see the progress you've made.

Helping someone start isn't about forcing change or getting everything done in one day. It's about creating an experience that feels safe, manageable, and encouraging.

Because sometimes all someone needs is a gentle beginning.

Join my Free 5 Day Wardrobe Challenge

You may also like to listen to these episodes:

The Meaningful Home

Lingering

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/yaLZWdOgDI0

Join my community

Leave a 5 Star Google Review
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Facebook
Join my Facebook group

Thank you to my sound engineer, Jarred from Four4ty Studio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Divorce Jun 28, 2026

Show notes

Divorce changes more than your relationship status. It changes your routines, your identity, your home, and often your relationship with your belongings.

When you're navigating such a significant life transition, it's normal for your home to become less organised. Your emotional wellbeing, finances, work, and family responsibilities often need to take priority. There is grace for that.

As you begin rebuilding, decluttering can become an important part of healing. You may discover that certain items trigger unexpected emotions. A wedding dress, a favourite board game, or even paperwork can bring up grief for both the life you had and the life you thought you would have.

You don't need to rush or force decisions. Start with the easy categories and allow yourself time to process the harder ones.

As you sort through your possessions, ask yourself:

* Does this item bring peace or pain?

* Does it belong in my future?

* Am I keeping it out of guilt?

Remember that your possessions don't hold memories. You do. An object only carries the meaning you give it, and you have permission to change the story attached to it.

You also don't have to get rid of everything. Keeping a few photos or meaningful items can honour an important chapter of your life without keeping you stuck in it.

As you create your home for this new season, give yourself permission to imagine a different future. Decluttering can be the gentle act of closing one chapter and making space for another.

You may also like to listen to these episodes:

Letting Go

Memories

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/9csR6zmMBSk

Join my community

Leave a 5 Star Google Review
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Facebook
Join my Facebook group

Thank you to my sound engineer, Jarred from Four4ty Studio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Doom Rooms Jun 21, 2026

Show notes

Do you have a room in your home that has become the place where unhoused clutter ends up? A spare room/ junk room full of boxes, furniture, paperwork, and things you don't quite know what to do with? You might have a Doom Room.

A doom room is often the result of delayed decisions. Instead of finding a permanent home for things, you place them in a room "for now" and eventually that room becomes overwhelming.

The key to reclaiming the space is to give it a purpose. When you know what you want the room to become, it becomes much easier to decide what stays and what goes.

Start by removing the obvious donations and larger items you no longer need. Momentum builds quickly when you begin seeing space reappear.

If the room still feels overwhelming, don't try to make every decision at once. Sort items into categories and create smaller "doom boxes" instead. Group paperwork together, photos together, tools together, and sentimental items together. Suddenly, you're no longer dealing with an entire room of chaos. You're simply making decisions one category at a time.

If the room genuinely needs to function as storage, make it intentional. Add shelving, use labelled containers, and create systems that make everything easy to find and put away.

One small decision at a time can turn a Doom Room into a purposeful, peaceful space that works for your life again.

You may also like to listen to these episodes:

Doom Boxes

Object Permanence

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/ubzTallz6_M

Join my community

Leave a 5 Star Google Review
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Facebook
Join my Facebook group

Thank you to my sound engineer, Jarred from Four4ty Studio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Acquire. Require. Desire Jun 14, 2026

Show notes

What if the key to less clutter isn't just owning less, but changing the way you think about what comes into your life?

You can simplify your home and your decisions by exploring four powerful ideas: acquire, require, desire, and admire.

Acquiring is about what you bring into your home. Requiring is about what you genuinely need to support your current life. Desiring is about the things you want because they bring enjoyment, beauty, comfort, or satisfaction. And admiring is the often-overlooked skill of appreciating something without feeling the need to own it.

As you reflect on these concepts, you'll discover that they influence each other in different ways.

If you're action-oriented, reducing what you acquire may naturally help you realise you need less and eventually want less. If you're someone who processes through thoughts and feelings first, examining your desires may lead to requiring less and ultimately acquiring less.

You'll also find practical questions to help you make intentional decisions before bringing something into your home. Are you accepting it out of obligation? Does it fit your life today? Are you trying to fill an emotional void? Would you even have wanted it if you hadn't seen it advertised?

Using the example of replacing a broken sandwich press, you'll see how a simple purchasing decision can be filtered through these questions to determine whether it's a genuine need or simply a passing want.

Most importantly, you'll be encouraged to embrace the freedom of admiring beautiful things without feeling responsible for owning them. Sometimes the most intentional choice is simply to appreciate something and leave it where it is.

Mentioned

Uncluttered Faith by Joshua Becker

You may also like to listen to these episodes:

Need. Want. Excess

Inherited Clutter

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/ZaU8btaHoiE

Join my community

Leave a 5 Star Google Review
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Facebook
Join my Facebook group

Thank you to my sound engineer, Jarred from Four4ty Studio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sticky Habits with Monica Packer Jun 07, 2026

Show notes

You know that feeling where you know what to do… but you just don’t do it?

Guest Monica Packer explains that gap isn’t about laziness or lack of discipline. It’s often because you’ve been taught habit strategies that don’t actually fit your life.

When your days are full, your energy is unpredictable, and you’re carrying a mental load that never really switches off, rigid, all-or-nothing habits just don’t hold up.

Instead of trying to follow a perfect plan, you’re invited to reframe from just consistency to sustainable habits.

Sustainability is doing your best, most of the time, over time.

That shift changes everything.

Rather than starting with the ideal version of a habit, you start with a baseline. The smallest, simplest version you can do even on your hardest days. The version that works when someone’s sick, when your schedule blows out, or when your energy is low.

From there, momentum builds naturally.

You stop waiting for the “perfect” time to begin, and instead, you just start. You attach new habits to things you’re already doing, keep it realistic, and allow space for life to be part of the process.

This is where habits become sustainable.

And more than that, this is where you begin to see yourself differently. Not as someone who fails to follow through, but as someone who shows up, again and again, in a way that actually works.

Follow Monica

Listen to Monica's podcast: aboutprogress.com/podcast

Order Monica's book: stickyhabitsbook.com

You may also like to listen to these episodes:

Obligation

The Minimal Mom

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/56aMrAmQksA

Join my community

Leave a 5 Star Google Review
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Facebook
Join my Facebook group

Thank you to my sound engineer, Jarred from Four4ty Studio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anything. But Not Everything May 31, 2026

Show notes

You can keep anything you want... but you can't keep everything.

When your home feels cluttered, it’s easy to focus on what you have to get rid of. But a healthier and more empowering question is: what deserves to stay? Your home, your calendar, your budget, and even your energy all have natural boundaries. Those boundaries are not punishment. They are containers that help you decide what matters most.

You can keep anything you want in your wardrobe, but not every piece of clothing you’ve ever owned. You can say yes to anything on your calendar, but not every invitation, commitment, or opportunity. You can spend your money on anything, but not everything. Limits force you to prioritise, and prioritising creates clarity.

You’ll also hear how the paradox of choice can actually leave you feeling more overwhelmed, more indecisive, and more likely to keep buying more. An overflowing wardrobe, packed fridge, chaotic toy room, or crowded makeup station often makes decision-making harder, not easier.

Instead of seeing boundaries as restrictive, you can start seeing them as freedom-giving. Your home becomes more functional. Your schedule becomes more intentional.

Your choices begin aligning with your values.

When you stop trying to keep everything, you finally make room for what you truly love.

You may also like to listen to these episodes:

Winnie's Pile of Pillows

Overstimulation

Later Never Comes

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/4Uyyfhqphsk

Join my community

Leave a 5 Star Google Review
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Facebook
Join my Facebook group

Thank you to my sound engineer, Jarred from Four4ty Studio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Need. Want. Excess May 24, 2026

Show notes

What if every item in your home could be sorted into just three categories: need, want, or excess?

Be challenged to look at your belongings through a completely different lens and ask yourself what you actually need to live safely and well, what genuinely adds enjoyment and wellbeing to your life, and what has quietly drifted into clutter and overwhelm.

Instead of approaching decluttering from guilt or restriction, you’re encouraged to create space for the things you truly use and love while recognising when possessions have tipped into excess.

You’ll also explore the difference between owning enough and owning too much. A pair of shoes can be a need. Six more pairs might be want. Thirty pairs crammed into overflowing cupboards might be excess.

The same principle applies to paperwork, hobby supplies, bedding, kitchenware, and even sentimental items. There’s also an important reminder that wants are not bad.

Beautiful art, plants, music, hobbies, and comfortable furniture all help create a home that reflects your personality and supports your wellbeing.

The key is making intentional decisions about what deserves your space, time, money, and attention.

As you listen, you’re invited to mentally walk through your home and ask one simple question over and over again: Is this a need, a want, or excess?

Links Mentioned

Paperwork Course

Dana K. White's new book - Winnie's Pile of Pillows

You may also like to listen to these episodes:

Winnie's Pile of Pillows

Pile or File

2 Factor Authentication

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/mBNpVshvd8I

Join my community

Leave a 5 Star Google Review
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Facebook
Join my Facebook group

Thank you to my sound engineer, Jarred from Four4ty Studio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Winnie's Pile of Pillows with Dana K. White May 17, 2026

Show notes

Dana K. White joins us today to talk about her new book, Winnie's Pile of Pillows.

As you listen, you’re invited into a refreshing way of thinking about decluttering, one that removes pressure, perfection, and shame. You’re reminded that your love for your things isn’t the problem. In fact, it matters. What you love reflects who you are.

Through Dana's story of Winnie’s Pile of Pillows, you see yourself, or your child, in that moment of joy when something feels special. That little spark, the mix between a tickle and a giggle, is real. And it’s worth honouring.

But when everything feels special, your space can quickly become overwhelming. You might recognise that feeling of loving your things, yet no longer enjoying your home.

The shift comes when you realise you can keep anything, but you can’t keep everything.

Instead of asking “Do I love this?” you begin asking, “Do I have space for this?” Your home becomes the container that gently sets limits, not your emotions.

You’re encouraged to keep your favourites, the best of the best, without needing to label anything else as bad or worthless. That simple reframe changes everything.

For your kids, this creates freedom. They learn they can love what they love without it taking over. For you, it removes the internal battle and replaces it with clarity.

You walk away seeing that boundaries aren’t restrictive. They’re what allow you to actually enjoy your life and your space again.

Follow Dana

Listen to Dana's podcast: https://www.aslobcomesclean.com/podcasts/

Order Dana's book: https://www.aslobcomesclean.com/winnie/

You may also like to listen to these episodes:

A Slob Comes Clean

The Minimal Mom

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/5LSGxlw0Mwo

Join my community