Decluttering Motivation from "Hoarders"

One of my guilty pleasures is the TV show, Hoarders. It's "trainwreck TV", the subjects are so pitiful, you can't turn away. Watching this show results in a range of emotions for me, from disgust, pride, humility, and yes, strangely enough, motivation. Watching this show reminds me of how much emotional attachment people place on "things", and use the act of collecting and shopping to cope.

"Hoarders" is motivating because of some new tips, but also, how important teaching cleaning and decluttering skills are for children.

Some of the tips I have learned from the show are the 3 second rule, (make a decision to toss or keep in three seconds), and to lay things out so the items are all visible, and the boys can quickly scan for items they wanted to keep. I also did the "first decluttering pass", and cleaned out the items that were outgrown or worn out.

Our sons have been working on these skills in abundance and I am glad to share that they have been helpful, (with direction and nagging, I mean, Encouragement!) I was really impressed when our youngest sorted through this pile of clothes and got rid of well over half!

Before-
Before-
After-

These is just one area. In total, I have decluttered and cleaned 21 drawers, 4 bookcases, 3 closets, and one armoire getting ready for our yard sale this weekend. Tomorrow, I am going to start pricing merchandise, make signs, and organize the tables and display.

What have you learned and accomplished lately? Thank you so much.

Treasure people, use things.