Decluttering and organizing is hard. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with decisions about what to keep, what to discard, and how to organize the things we keep.
Dana K White, author and decluttering expert, is the creator of this process – the Container Concept.
Understanding the Container Concept
The Container Concept is a simple but powerful principle that shifts the way we think about our belongings. I typically try to fit the most I can into a space. It doesn’t work. At least, not in the long run.
Instead, think about every space in your home as a container that has a limit.
Whether it’s a drawer, a shelf, or a whole room, each container is limited in the space it provides. In fact, your entire home is a container. It can only hold so much stuff.
The key is to recognize that the container is the decision-maker—it dictates how much we can keep. This is one of the most important principles that I had to understand and accept when decluttering and organizing my own home. Shifting the decision-making process to the container also removed my emotional involvement.
Working the Container Concept
Here’s how the Container Concept can transform your approach to decluttering and organizing:
Identify the Container
Start by identifying the space you’re working with. This could be a single drawer, a bookshelf, your entire closet, or even an entire room.
The physical boundaries of this space are the limits of the container.
Choose the stuff you want and need to keep
Sort like stuff together so you can see the quantity you own of each item and make decisions about what you want to keep and what to discard.
Next, go through your items and pick out the ones you want to keep or use regularly. Organize these in your container first.
Place like items together in a container.
Respect the Boundaries
Once the container is full, the hard part begins—everything that doesn’t fit must go. It’s all about recognizing that the container has done its job.
If you’ve chosen what you want and need and the container is full, then anything extra is excess and needs to be donated, discarded, or relocated.
Leave Space to Expand
If you fill a container until it’s completely full, you have nowhere to put additional like purchases.
Leaving extra space not only looks better, but it also gives you the option of adding items in the future.
If you don’t leave space for expansion, you may need to adopt the “one in – one out” rule. For every item you want to add to the space, an item needs to be removed to make room for it.
Apply It Everywhere
The genius of the Container Concept is its versatility.
It works everywhere in your home, from your pantry to your garage.
It even applies to less tangible “containers” like your schedule or your mental energy. They have limits too and recognizing that improves your chances of making good decisions in these areas.
By understanding and respecting the limits of your containers, you naturally begin to declutter and prioritize what’s most important to you.
Embracing the Effectiveness of the Container Concept
The Container Concept is effective because it removes the emotional burden of decision-making.
Instead of agonizing over what to keep and what to let go, the container’s physical boundaries guide your choices. Instead of trying to justify keeping items, your focus becomes making space for the things that add value to your life.
This mindset also helps prevent future clutter.
When you bring something new into your home, you’re more likely to consider where it will go and whether it will fit within your existing containers. If it doesn’t, you need to make a conscious choice about what to remove to make room for it.
By viewing your spaces as containers with fixed limits, you can simplify the decluttering and organizing process. It also reduces stress and helps you create a home that reflects what matters most to you.
The Container Concept is your ultimate decluttering and organizing decision-making tool!
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, go to my website (address below) and sign up for my newsletter. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything!
Are you ready to embark on a transformational journey that promises not only to declutter your space but also bring clarity and peace to your life? If so, you're in the right place!
Welcome to the D-COM project, where we Declutter, Clean, Organize, and Maintain our spaces, and in doing so, cultivate a mindset of change and growth.
The Power of Transformation
We've all been there – staring at a room filled with belongings, overwhelmed by the chaos, and wondering where to begin. It's in these moments that we realize the power of transformation. D-COM is not just about tidying up; it's about reclaiming control over our environments and our lives.
I’ve been looking at my home and thinking about what needs to be done for too long. I’m ready to take action and share my experiences with you. I crave the peace that I know will come from having less stuff to manage and knowing that the stuff I keep is accessible.
The Mindset Shift
Starting a project like D-COM requires more than just cleaning supplies and organizational tips. To be successful, it demands a mindset shift. Here are some key elements to consider:
Commitment: The journey ahead may seem daunting, but remember, every step forward counts. Commit to making a change, no matter how small. Each small victory helps motivate you to take on the next challenge.
Patience: Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will your perfectly organized space be. Be patient with yourself and the process. Real change takes time. This is a process that is never really complete. However, reaching the last step of Maintenance will be worth it.
Letting Go: One of the most challenging aspects of Decluttering is letting go of items we've held onto for emotional reasons or because of a “what if” mindset. Remember – “what if I need this in the future” is not a valid reason for keeping something you don’t need or use now. Be prepared to release the unnecessary to make room for the essential.
Purposeful Cleaning: Cleaning isn't just about aesthetics; it's about creating a healthier and more comfortable environment. Embrace it as an act of self-care.
Organization: Organization is the foundation of an orderly life. If you take the time to invest in tools and strategies that work for you, it will be much easier to Maintain the order you create.
Consistency: The last step, Maintenance, is often overlooked but is crucial for long-term success. Make D-COM – DECLUTTER, CLEAN, ORGANIZE, AND MAINTAIN a lifestyle, not just a one-time project.
Join the D-COM Community and make your home a haven that supports you emotionally, spiritually, and physically because you invested the time to make it a reality.
Join me by committing to your personal D-COM journey, knowing that you're not alone. We are building a community of like-minded individuals who are ready to embrace change and elevate their living spaces. Share your experiences, challenges, and successes with us, and let's support each other along the way.
More to Come
In the coming weeks and months, we'll delve deeper into the various aspects of D-COM, providing tips, tricks, and inspiration to keep you motivated. Remember, the journey towards a clutter-free, clean, organized, and well-maintained space begins with the decision to start.
Are you ready to transform your life and living space? Let's decompress and D-COM together and watch your stress levels diminish.
It’s true. I have been ahead of the HGTV curve for years. And today I’m going to show you the evidence to prove it.
Click on the image below to see my Trending Top 10 HGTV and H.E.R. kitchen storage and organization hacks. In this vlog post, HGTV kitchen hacks are shown on the left side of the slide and my kitchen hacks (H.E.R.) are on the right side.
Be sure to subscribe to my channel before you leave!
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything!
I am intentionally embarrassing myself with this post. Read on…
Even though I have some excuses – or rather explanations – I won’t list them here. This post starts a series of BEFORE videos and pictures of the condition of my house, which is basically a mess.
My plan for my messy house is to regain control by decluttering, cleaning, organizing and creating a system for maintaining by the end of 2022. And then sharing it all with you.
What you’re going to see is the worst of the worst place in my house. The utility room – where stuff goes to lanquish until I find a place for it. Where the door can be shut, and no one is allowed to enter.
Here is the BEFORE condition of my utility room. Pre-decluttering; pre-cleaning; pre-organizing; pre-establishment of a system for maintenance. Click on the image below and come on in! (The background music is incongruent with the current status of the room!)
While this is an embarrassment, you won’t believe the transformation. Tune in later for the AFTER! I can’t wait to see it myself!
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our October through December focus on HOME: seasonal home decor and BEFORE and AFTER videos and pictures of me regaining control of my messy house!
Do you have a decorating style? And just what does that mean, anyway? When I researched decorating styles, there doesn’t seem to be any definitive list of styles! Apparently, if you can describe your decorating style in a few words, then you can add it to the ever-broadening list of decorating styles out there. The most accepted rule for decorating is that that are no rules!
Just for fun, I looked for style quizzes online. There are almost as many style quizzes as there are styles! While they are not meant to define your style and how you should decorate your home, they are fun to take and see how the results resemble how you define your decorating style.
Here are just a few decorating style quizzes that are minimal in the number of questions and fun to take. I took them all, and it was interesting to see how close they were to defining my actual style. And you were not required to give your email address or sign up for a subscription in either of these quizzes.
The seven questions in this simple quiz include photos of four different rooms labeled A, B, C, and D. Write down the letter of the image you like the best in each group of four. Then examine your responses to see which letter you have chosen the most times. Your suggested style is defined by the letter you chose the most.
The result of the Apartment Therapy quiz for me was warm industrial. From the photos available, I can see how that would be my result. However, some of my choices were more like the “best of the four options” than “I really loved this room”.
There were six options from which to choose in each of the 12 questions. The first question asked which room created the feeling you would like your home to have. The following questions asked which you liked best among chairs, sofas, tables, flooring, lighting fixtures, patterns, art, rugs, mirrors, dining rooms, and kitchens.
I enjoyed taking this quiz, because the results offered more options to explore your design style. When your designed style is revealed, you are given a detailed description of the style, suggestions for magazines you might like, and suggestions for places to shop for your style.
I took this quiz twice, and made some different choices the second time, but I still liked each of the options I chose. Interestingly enough, my style turned out to be the same – Coastal Chic.
This simple quiz showed you photos from which to choose your favorite in nine questions. Included were kitchens, living rooms, nightstands, gardens, house exteriors, bathrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, and fireplaces. After revealing your design style, you could further explore design inspiration in your style.
I took the quiz twice and selected different photos the second time around. I liked the options I selected both times, but the results were more different than I expected. My first design style was traditional and the second time I took the quiz, my design style was contemporary. Interesting!
The six questions in this simple quiz showed you six options from which to select your favorite among color, pattern, architectural style, dream vacation, material, and flowers.
I also took this quiz twice, because I liked more than one of the options shown.
I was surprised when my style was the same both times – Coastal!
After revealing your style, you are invited to “shop the look”. Naturally the shopping options were from Pottery Barn, which I love anyway!
Did you take any of the quizzes? How close were they in predicting your personal decorating style? Leave your comments about your experience and decorating style!
Ultimately, you should decorate your home in the style that makes you and your family feel comfortable and happy. When you do that, you’ve found your decorating style.
For more information and tips about your home style, lifestyle and food choices, visit https://HERLifeHacks.com and sign up for free updates!
