It's a new year.

Which means New Year's resolutions.

Many of us have the goal of getting organized this year, and we are so glad you're here because on Inspire today, we discuss where to get started on your home organization projects.

How to stay on budget and how to not give up.

Stay with us.

Inspire is sponsored by the estate of Ray and Anne Goldsmith, the Raymond C and Marguerite Gibson Foundation, and the Louis H. Humpreys Charitable Trust.

Thank you so much for joining us today for Inspire.

It's great to be here with my beautiful inspire sister, Danielle Norwood, and you to talk about home organization.

Thank you so much, Betty Lou.

It is so good to be back with you on today's show.

And I'm sure we're not the only ones that need a little home organization advice.

I wonder where to begin.

How much does it even cost to get organized?

And how do we get started?

And how do we not give up after we get started?

Joining us today is home organization expert and founder and CEO of Tidy Ventures Sydney Achilles .

Sydney, we're so glad that you're here.

And I am.

I just have to say, you are a Washburn student and you're teaching - Woah!

What?

What?

First of all, what made you decide that this was, something that people needed to know?

Yeah.

So I've always loved organizing, and I started just in my parents house, just going around and organizing every drawer and cupboard.

And my mom would take pictures and post them on Facebook, and then everyone would comment like, I need her to come to my house and, and do this.

And, so that just kind of was growing up.

And then, in one of my marketing classes, I needed a business to work with throughout the semester.

So I was thinking about different things that I find interesting, and my mom actually brought that up and I was like, yeah, I mean, I love organizing.

And so I used it for that class, loved it.

And then I got my professional organizing license, over Christmas break that next year.

And I've just loved learning more and using my skills since that.

Okay.

The fact that there's a license intrigues me.

What do you need to do in order to get a license to be a professional home organizer?

It's like a series of classes.

So it's like actually organizing the mental side, of helping someone organize and then the business aspects, too.

Oh, there's two different parts to getting mental.

We've got.

Yeah.

Let's get to the mental.

There's so much about mental health these days.

And you see on the hoarder shows and all that, how really, you know, you really need to.

Is that something you need to attack first?

The mental side is definitely like the biggest part of it as just like someone in their home, it's kind of hard to understand where your mind is going.

And so that's something that I help with with my services.

Like the majority of it is the mental side.

And working through that.

But there is different strategies through decluttering and organizing that will naturally tackle the mental side.

So it's not necessarily like you need to start, with the mental side, but you just kind of figure it out through the process.

So I've watched what is the lady's name, Marie, about make sure that it brings you joy.

Marie Kondo.

Yes.

Sparking joy.

We try to spark joy in our environment.

When you first do a consultation, do you sit down with your client and say, okay, what are you trying to achieve?

What's the process like to actually getting started?

Yeah, so I do have a consultation with my clients and usually we figure out what space they're doing.

So let's say they want to do their pantry and then we talk about it.

What is working right now, what's not working, what the vision is and the goal.

And then I really dig into like how their family functions.

Because everyone needs something different.

There's the home edit who everything is rainbow and color coded, color coordinated, which works great for some people, but not everyone.

Some people decant.

That's what I like.

So everything's in, like, a clear container.

Not in the original packaging, but my sister, like, hates that.

Like, she can't do it.

She's like, why, when you get home, are you just dumping everything from one container into a different container?

And so there's definitely like different styles.

And so I figure out what people enjoy and what is functional for their family, because that's how you maintain and keep a system.

Well, I always hear that it's kind of a cleansing, and you feel so much better and clearheaded when you can come into a clean, well-organized environment.

Yes.

That true?

Yeah.

I mean, clutter is such a big stressor, and there's so much research out there about like the amount of stress that people have from clutter in their home.

And so decluttering is another portion, that is I want help decluttering.

I kind of have a system to walk through the process of that and helping people, and usually they eliminate a lot of stuff.

Oh, what's funny is that they're organizing stores, like container stores all over the place, and people have cool like, containers, but everything is still out cluttered in their house, which I think is really funny.

So how do you get people to make the connection between, look, we have this really cool box from The Container Store.

Why don't we put some things into it and get organized?

How do you get people to actually say, hey, let me not just have this is a good looking piece here, but we're actually going to make it functional.

Yeah.

I think just like stating the importance of function more than like the esthetic, although usually the esthetic comes, because you like to keep it looking nice.

Yeah.

And so that will come later.

But if you start with it being functional, because you can make something look nice, and then the next day or the next week, it will be a complete disaster.

And then it is no longer nice to look at.

And so just really like bringing the point that it's important to have something that is functional and works for you, because then you're more willing to keep it and then it stays looking nice.

So that's where the interview kind of comes in.

Do people want to start at different rooms or different places in their house, or how how is that usually?

Yeah.

Typically when someone reaches out to me, they have an idea of like the room if they want me.

Like I have someone who I'm doing her whole house, but she had like a place where she wanted me to start.

And then she's like, Kim, next, I want you to do this place.

But I've also had people who just had me come for one thing, like my I need help with my closet.

And so I just come and help with that one place.

So usually people have an idea of where they want to start.

So is it easier for I know it's easier to just do one room as opposed to the whole house.

But if somebody is in the process of like, okay, new year, new me, would you say, okay, let's just go ahead and do the whole thing and get it all done at one time?

Or would you say, let's do it in stages so we can actually make this like maybe a couple of weeks, couple of months at a time?

Yeah.

I mean, you cannot do your whole house in one day.

Obviously not.

Just like maybe a week or so.

Yeah.

So you definitely have to break it up.

And it depends on how in-depth you want to do.

If you just want to like tidy up, tidy it up and make it look good, then yeah, you can do it in a week.

But if you really want to go in and declutter and just like make a change in your home, then that's going to be a process.

And not everyone has all day to work on these things.

So even if if someone just has an hour a day, it will change.

How much you tackle or what space you do first, what they said, like, don't give up.

So that's how do you keep the mindset to not give up?

So commonly people think, well, getting started is the hardest part, right?

You see all the stuff and it's just overwhelming.

You know, it's going to be a lot.

So you have to get started in.

I feel like that's a main part of keeping going is you kind of get an adrenaline rush once you once you start going, spaces start becoming tidier.

And so at least for me, like I get addicted to it.

I know it's different for everyone, but it becomes easier when you can see like a transformation in one space.

So just getting started is super important.

And lots of people think to start in with the hardest spot, like they're like New Year.

I have motivation, so I'm going to pick the hardest one and start.

But not often.

Time just kills it because you go and you can't finish or you it's not enjoyable.

And so I recommend people to start with whatever they're most excited about.

So if you're really excited about doing your closet because you struggle to pick out outfits and you're like, I just need a new closet and I'm very excited about it, then start there because you'll do it.

It will be like amazing.

It will look nice.

It will help your, morning routine.

And then it's more easy to replicate that in different spaces and keep on going.

And maybe if you're like some of us, you know, new closet means new clothes.

So there you go.

Yeah, we're going to take a short break.

We're going to be back soon to continue our discussion with Sydney.

So please stay with us.

We're back.

Danielle and I are here with Sydney Achilles of Tidy Ventures to continue our discussion.

And I tell you, Sydney, you have given us so much to think of and I hope you guys to think of too, because this is amazing and I love the fact you're a junior at Washburn University.

You saw a need for this.

Your mother must be sorry that your whole family must be sorry that you're off at college right now, but you have made this a mission, and I think so many people watching are thrilled.

Can we get started on pretend I'm a client coming to you?

What would you do with me?

There's different ways that we can get started.

But if we want to start with, like, what brings you the most stress and you think that you need the most help with, then we can figure out what that space is.

And figure out whether you want help decluttering.

So I have a system to help people declutter.

Or if you just want to get organized with what you have, if you've already decluttered or like, you have pretty streamlined, you know what you have and you just want it in a different space.

Organize.

Medicine is a common one for people that they have the medicine, but they don't have it in a way that is easy for them to know what they need to take.

Like each day or which ones are just for like when you have a cold.

So there's just systems that can be put in place.

And if you're interested in containers, then I can recommend containers for those spaces.

And so there's more just a few things that we need to work out to make sure that we're on the same page of what you need my help with.

And then we pick a time to get started and then we go from there.

But also, I know a lot of our viewers are like, okay, my biggest issue is the kitchen.

Because we cook every single day, we clean, we're throwing things.

I have a friend who's got Tupperware all over the place and none of the lids and they're, they're just in this situation.

So give us a tip.

Say somebody wants to get started tonight.

Like I've gotten inspired by this and I want to know what to do.

Like, what are like a couple of things that we could do to at least get a little bit of organization into our kitchens.

Okay.

Kitchens are big.

There's a lot of stuff in there, a lot of things that we use or like you just use once a year in big and bulky items, but you have to keep most of them around.

But I would start with decluttering because we also pick up a bunch of random gadgets and utensils.

Six cans I'm sorry, seasoning.

You didn't.

Yeah, yeah.

So going through food definitely like expired stuff.

I like to just get out all like not even just because it's expired, but it usually means that it.

You didn't use it.

You don't like it.

So it's good to get rid of.

But as far as, like all the items in your kitchen, either start with one drawer or one cabinet, or if you have things mixed match, then pull all those out.

So if you have pothole potholders in different places, or sometimes people have like spatulas, some on the counter, some in drawers.

So if you have things in different spaces, grab all those together and lay them out.

Then pull out your favorites.

So like, oh, I love the spatula, I love this whisk.

And put those aside and then look at what you have left.

And then just like get real with yourself.

Do I actually need this.

And sometimes you use them but you don't need to.

Like you have a spatula and it's like, if I only had the one, I would be fine not to use the other one.

And so just kind of working through that with different spaces.

And if you just want to do like one drawer a night after work or something, that's great.

If you're just in the mode and you want to do all of it, that's also great.

So there's different ways to work through it.

But that's a nice way to get started.

So we saw Marie Kondo and she had her little folds and everything.

What about clothes.

Let's go on.

Like what it's not everything's going to fit in that little fold.

So what how do you organize your clothing?

Okay, so everyone kind of does theirs differently.

As far as categorizing, I like to help people categorize by how they pick out their outfit.

So if you look for a specific color, then you want to color code.

If you look for a style or an activity, like some people have their workout in their work in their weekend clothes.

So just however, when you're going to pick out an outfit in the morning, however you think to grab the clothes, that's how you want to organize it.

So that will be the easiest for you to, use and to maintain.

But then I like to keep most of my clothes hanging just because it's easier for me.

Tip is to have all matching hangers.

It makes such a big difference of the look of your closet and it can save space.

I like the thin felt ones, and those were great.

But then drawers.

I like to fold them nicely, like Marie Kondo, because I like the look of it, but it does take work.

So I actually enjoy folding them like that, and I like the look of it.

But some people, it's just too much work and they're not going to keep it.

So then don't do it.

Okay.

What is the 8020 rule?

It's that we use 20% of our items 80% of the time.

And so as far as clothing, you're wearing 20% of the clothes 80% of the time.

There's different like, ways that you can use this to declutter.

But for me, it's a nice way to just like think about that.

Like before I go into a space like, I don't use 80% of this stuff most of the time.

And so it just kind of gives you a number to think about when you're looking at the size of the closet.

And then really what size you use.

But I just think about it when I start and then I have my own ways to declutter.

And so I don't really use the decluttering forms of the 8020 rule, but it is kind of it's a good way to think, even your whole house, just how much stuff we don't use.

So I was going to say real quick, can we put like the 80% that we're not using and another space, maybe it's not in the main closet, but maybe it's in another closet because like, I wouldn't wear of like my formal attire much, but I don't want to necessarily get rid of it.

So can we put it in other spaces?

We don't necessarily have to get rid of it.

Yeah.

So you're right.

Like there is some things that you want to keep you don't wear very often, but you need to have it.

You don't want to have to go out and buy a brand new formal dress every time.

If you if it doesn't fit in your closet, then yes, you can find a different space, but if it fits in there and works, I would just leave it there.

Once you start putting things in different spaces in storage, you forget about them.

They'll never get used.

So I like to keep things in their home.

If it works, if it fits, but if it doesn't, that's a good thing to get rid of.

But a lot of that 80% is things that we can get rid of.

I know jeans especially for me.

I used to have like one pair that fit my waist, one fit, that one pair that fit my length.

And so I like wore them differently for different occasions.

But then I finally was like, I just need to get jeans that fit me like ten pairs of jeans and got two that I really like.

And so I feel like there's a lot of things like that that we just hold on to for one moment and it's like, but if we didn't have it, we would just wear something else and it would be fine.

So I think a lot of that you can kind of go through and and get rid of a lot of the 80%, but there are some that you have to keep.

Well, you've certainly given all of us a lot to think through.

And especially as we're starting a new year, we need to think about purging so we can become a maybe newer, better version of ourselves.

So thank you so much for being on inspire, and thank you for starting us on our own home organization journey.

And if you're interested in learning more about home organization and Tidy Ventures, which is her business, just visit us at our website at ktwu.org/inspire.

But don't go anywhere because we've got more home organization conversation coming right up.

So please stay with us.

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I'm glad you stayed there, and I'm glad we stayed here because Sydney Achilles is here with Tidy Ventures and you have given us so much to think about.

In case you just missed.

She is a junior at Washburn University.

She started her own business, Tiny Ventures, and I have to say, when you have moved out now, you're going to maybe finish.

Of course you are going to finish.

Then you'll be going to your own apartment.

I'm sure you have things at your parents house.

Well, how are you going to incorporate that and make it your own?

Yeah.

So it's kind of like a weird stage where you have some of your own stuff and, stuff back home.

So currently I live in an apartment with other girls, and so some things are shared.

It's like one person has a crockpot, one person has the toaster.

And so there's things that are mine and I have at my apartment in use.

But then there's also things that I've been gifted that I don't need right now because I'm using my roommate's crockpot.

And so I have kind of different categories at home.

So I have buckets that are for my future house, which is mostly like kitchen items, but different things that I know I'm going to use in the future, but I don't need in my space right now.

And then I also have stuff from my like bedroom growing up.

And so I actually just decluttered that over Christmas break when I was home, because I kind of just packed up when I needed came to college, and then I had the rest of it just left at home.

And so I went back through and was like, hey, what's like sentimental items that I want to keep and what are items that I don't want that I left behind from college because I didn't need them anymore, and I went ahead and got rid of those.

So now my room has a lot less in it, and it's all things that I will want in my future.

And so that will make it a lot easier when I like, graduate and go to move somewhere else.

But I know what I need to take with me.

And so there's not just a lot of random items that are just sitting in storage.

And speaking of storage, I can certainly relate to you because I have a ton of things in storage that were from an apartment when I lived here in Topeka, and now that I've moved to Kansas City, I'm trying to figure out, okay, how can I realistically incorporate some of these items into my new space?

Because maybe they spark joy in my apartment in Topeka, but now I'm in a totally different space.

So what do I need to do?

Do I need to purge before I put them in the space, or put them in the space and kind of see how they're working and then make a decision at that time?

Yeah.

So those like fresh start moving is a great time to purge because once you put everything away and it has a home or kind of has a home, it will probably stay there.

Because a lot of time people go by the philosophy of like if it fits, it stays.

And so if you can find a spot for it, if you can squeeze in somewhere, will probably stay there.

And so as you're unpacking just look there and like, do I like this item?

Does it spark joy?

Will I use it.

And some things you won't know and you'll have to like.

Only time will tell.

But there is a lot of things that you can go through and be like, I don't even know.

I packed this up.

I don't like it and just get rid of it then so you don't even have to bring it into your new space.

Less things to dust.

Yes, this is true.

And I found myself when I've done some decluttering, I'm like, oh my gosh, it's Merry Christmas.

I forgot I had this and so is that.

Do you encourage like a weekly purge or monthly whatever works for a person maybe.

Or yeah, it depends on the person and how much time you have.

So I typically like to do two big declutter a year, spring and fall, especially with my clothes.

But then I do maintenance all the time whenever I'm in the mood for it, whenever I'm like, oh, I just need to declutter.

Then I go for it and do a quick one.

Yeah.

Just to help maintain spaces, but typically doing like two big ones a year in different seasons is it's good for that.

Now would you say, you know, now that we've decluttered and everything is looking beautiful, you've made the home look immaculate.

Now trying to keep that up.

What are some tips that we can actually do it.

So it's not so overwhelming would you say like weekly we need to be on top of it with, you know, as we're cleaning and doing our dusting routine of vacuuming that we do some of those things, or maybe a room a day to make sure that everything is polished like you left it.

Yeah.

I mean, part of decluttering is that you have way less of that to do.

You have way less random stuff sitting around.

And if you've created a good system, hopefully it's not like a disaster every week because that you have to go through and do this big pickup.

And so hopefully that will take care of a lot of that.

But lots of times I've seen people doing putting your house to bed at night.

And so just every night doing the dishes or clearing off the counters, just doing that every night.

So you wake up with a fresh space I think is good because you can in ten minutes go through and just quickly pick things up, and that makes a big difference every day.

But then, yeah, like weekly you can clean vacuum and also pick up and yeah, I love she said ten minutes.

About it I said try it.

Just set the timer for ten minutes and see what a difference it makes.

Oh, I know what you mean.

If you just do 15 minutes they say before you know it, 30 minutes have passed and you've gotten so much done and you're on a roll and you just keep going.

Yeah.

So the 10 or 15 is work is what you're trying to say.

Because it's actually going to take longer than that.

But at least start for the day.

Yeah.

Sometimes it will surprise you how much you can get done in ten minutes.

So oh so well you again thank you so much for being on with us today.

I am actually going to implement some things, so I would love to have like a little refresher course maybe halfway in the year.

Like, okay, Danielle, did you get together?

Did you actually clean up?

But yeah, that's all the time that we have for today's show.

And we definitely want to thank our guests, Sidney and Phyllis for joining us on Inspire.

Or as always, you can watch this program again at watch.ktwu.org.

And if you're so inspired to learn more about our guests and what's coming up in future episodes, please visit our website www.ktwu.org/inspire Inspiring women, inspiring organization and happy spaces, inspiring you on KTWU.

Thank you so much for watching.

(♪) Inspire is sponsored by the estate of Ray and Ann Goldsmith, the Raymond C and Marguerite Gibson Foundation, and the Louis H. Humpreys Charitable Trust.