The Clutter Fairy Weekly

As we work to reduce the clutter in our spaces, sometimes we find that our relationship to stuff seems hopelessly tangled up in our memories, beliefs, and feelings. In episode #184 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, scrutinizes sentimental clutter and offers tips for balancing emotional or sentimental attachment wit...

People who struggle with clutter sometimes get discouraged by how far away and out of reach our goals seem to be. We ask ourselves, “Will I ever finish?” In episode #183 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, ponders the question of whether we’re ever really finished decluttering and offers tips for setting organizing g...

The activities we do to relax, have fun, and express ourselves enrich our lives in countless ways, but they can also bury our living spaces in tools, materials, supplies, reading materials, and unfinished projects. In episode #182 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, examines the stuff that accumulates from hobbies, a...

Some categories of decluttering and organizing are harder than others. But if we focus on the sources of the difficulty, we gain fresh insight that will help us face our worst problem areas. In episode #181 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, explores more factors that make organizing projects and tasks difficult and...

Some categories of decluttering and organizing are harder than others…sometimes a lot harder. But if we focus on the sources of the difficulty, we may gain fresh insight that will help us face our worst problem areas. In episode #180 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, explores the factors that make the hardest organ...

Do you ever feel as if you’re shouting into the void about your clutter problems? Fear not! We’re always ready to listen, and we’re ready to tackle the tough questions and the topics that are giving you fits. In episode #179 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, answers viewer and listener questions and discusses short...

One obvious way to avoid a clutter problem—or to get control of the one you already have—is to stop accumulating stuff in the first place. By paying attention to our cluttering history and collecting habits, we can shift our behavior to hold back the flood tide of new clutter. In episode #178 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Hous...

The two statements we hear most from people who are struggling with clutter are “I don’t know where to start” and “I don’t know what to do next.” We’ve put together a list of fresh ideas for where to start or restart your decluttering efforts! In episode #177 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, offers a few simple cr...

Clutter jeopardizes our relaxation, comfort, productivity, and the pride and enjoyment we get from our homes. But it can also present real threats to the health and safety of our families and guests. In episode #176 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, uncovers the dangers lurking in our clutter and offers tips for op...

Do you find that decluttered spaces tend to collect even more clutter after  you organize than they had before? It can be challenging to shift your thinking and habits to maintain clear space. In episode #175 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, examines the ingrained behaviors of “clutter recidivists” and suggests st...

Children, spouses, parents, roommates, housemates, and even unruly houseguests can muddle or add complexity to our organizing challenges. In episode #174 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, explores these complicating factors and suggests ways to improve communication, negotiation, and cooperation to decrease househo...

Sometimes we get stuck in our patterns and habits and can’t imagine things being any different. The longer your space has remained unchanged, the more permanent the arrangement seems to be. But the power to effect change is in your hands! In episode #173 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, suggests shaking up your “c...

For those who’ve made the decision to declutter and get organized, time can be a source of confusion and frustration. There’s the time you want the job to take, the time you expect the job to take, and the time the job really takes—and those figures often have nothing to do with each other! In episode #172 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter...

The way we talk about our stuff is a clue to the undercurrent of feelings and experiences that influence our choices. Words like “useful,” “mess,” and “shame” are loaded with history, meaning, and judgment for each of us, and they can contain the power to keep us stuck or move us forward. In episode #171 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter F...

The clutter set point is what we call the volume of stuff—in total or in any one category—that feels like the “right” amount to you. When you go beyond this threshold, you may find that systems break down, negative feelings arise, and stuff morphs into clutter. Your set points can change over time,  and you are the ultimate authority on what you choose to keep. In episode #170 of The Clutter Fairy...

Clutter is more than just an annoyance or inconvenience—it can adversely affect our health and well-being in dozens of ways we might not even be aware of. In episode #169 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, discusses the impacts of clutter on our physical, emotional, and psychological health and the health benefits o...

According to a March report from Forbes , 49 percent of Americans plan to travel more in 2023 than they did last year. Travel is also expected to increase within Europe and the U.K. But if you’re not careful, the hard work that travel entails can cut into the fun. In episode #168 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, o...

Photos, heirlooms, and other mementoes can strengthen family ties and help us connect with our history. But many of us inherit or accumulate these precious items as a seemingly random, unsorted, unlabeled, and uncurated mess. In episode #167 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, offers strategies for managing family ph...

Many people come to decluttering late in life, addressing the accumulation of stuff only after it’s been piling up for decades. But it’s never too soon—or too late—to get organized. In episode #166 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, talks about how people of almost any age can benefit from a clear, clutter-free home...

Are you running out of steam on long-term organizing goals, or were you short on enthusiasm in the first place? In episode #165 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, offers strategies for finding—or creating—the motivation to keep your organizing projects and commitments going strong. Show notes: http://cfhou.com/tcfw1...

The pressure of an upcoming move sharpens the urgency of eliminating stuff you no longer want or need. You can purge by making careful, calm decisions, or you can do it in a panic because you’ve run out of time and energy to pack. The choice is yours! In episode #164 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, explains how t...

Have you ever spent hours organizing minutia, only to discover that you hadn’t made any progress toward your most urgent goals? In this episode, we’ll explore the distinction between efficiency and effectiveness, especially as it applies to organizing and productivity. When you’re wrangling a long-term decluttering project, sooner or later your energy wanes and decision fatigue kicks in. We’ll tal...

Spring in the northern hemisphere is here, bringing warmer days, longer hours of sunshine, and a sense of fresh possibilities. Let’s take advantage of an early-spring day to “spring forward” on a few household organizing tasks. In episode #162 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly , Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, shines daylight into neglected corners...

This week Gayle attended the annual summit of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals in Las Vegas. She’ll share a report on the latest news, ideas, trends, and products in the organizing industry. Do your closets or storage spaces resemble a game of Tetris, with every item, box, or bin carefully shoehorned into its designated slot? We’ll discuss the pitfalls of “Tetr...

Most of us have a “command center”—a favorite spot where we sit to read, watch TV, and manage our busy lives. We’ll discuss the stuff that tends to collect in these hot zones and offer a simple plan for decluttering your command center . Even the most perfectly organized space can’t be maintained if the inflow of new possessions outpaces our efforts to declutter. We’ll talk about how to organize n...