The Life You Want: Clutter Free and Sparks of Joy w/Caroline Thor -38

[00:00:00] Shawna: Welcome to The Grit Show, Growth on Purpose. I'm glad you're here. I'm your host, Shawna Rodrigues, and I'm honored to be joining you on this journey as part of this community growing together as seekers and thrivers. If you haven't gotten your copy of our free coloring pages to support you on your self-care journey, jump on over to https://coloringpages.TheGritShow.Com to download those and get added to our mailing.

[00:00:27] Shawna: The link is in the show notes, which makes it easy to find. Now for a little more about today's guest.

[00:00:33] Shawna: Caroline Thor is a professional organizer and a KonMari consultant. The three important things you need to know about her before we get started are that she is not only a wife and mother of three, she is also a proud pet mom.

[00:00:48] Shawna: She is passionate about helping others, and this is where her role as a KonMari consultant really comes into play. If you know anything about this method, it's focused on sparking joy and letting go of what no longer serves a purpose, which can really transform your relationship to the things that you own.

[00:01:04] Shawna: She wants to empower others to create a home that supports their values and their goals. 

[00:01:09] Shawna: And lastly, she is practical and compassionate, which is what you want with someone you are inviting into something as personal as your organizing and decluttering process. ‘cause we all know that's not easy. So join me in welcoming Caroline.

[00:01:24] Shawna: I think we are going to gain a lot from her today. Thank you so much for coming.

[00:01:28] Caroline: Thank you for having me. I'm looking forward to this chat.

[00:01:31] Shawna: This is such an important part of everyone's life, and I think it's a great time right now. We're getting closer to spring cleaning. I think a lot of us are still dealing with the winter weather, but we're starting to look around at the things in our house and go, Hmm, like there's a little too much going on in here.

[00:01:46] Shawna: Tell us a little bit about how you got to be a Konmari consultant and focused on decluttering.

[00:01:51] Caroline: It's a weird story because I started off as a very, very disorganized and stressed mom when my kids were little, and I happened to be reading a copy of Good Housekeeping from the UK, one sunny day, I'm now living in Germany, but originally from the UK and there was an article about this book, the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.

[00:02:15] Caroline: And the person writing the article had tried the method and it, it sounded really cool and I got straight onto Amazon and ordered a copy. And the rest is basically history. I KonMaried our home for ourselves. At that point, my son was two years of age, he's now 10. And during Covid, my business that I had been running teaching little kids English in Germany, couldn't happen.

[00:02:42] Caroline: And it got me thinking, what else could I do? And I just, the KonMari method had changed my life completely. I'd gone from being stressed to being calm. The day my little girl said to me, mommy, you're a much nicer mommy. It made me realize, what an amazing impact it had had, not just on me, but on the family as a whole.

[00:03:03] Caroline: And so I decided to train as a KonMari consultant, and I happened to see, they were doing online trainings because of the Covid situation, and I jumped at the chance and, and that's how I got started as a KonMari consultant.

[00:03:17] Shawna: That's wonderful. And I remember when I read the Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up, that it was such a different paradigm for looking at things because everything else had been like, oh, you know, turn things around in your closet and if you have the hanger turn the certain way and if you haven't worn a year, get rid of it.

[00:03:33] Shawna: It was about time and practicality . But this whole concept of sparking joy and your connection to things and if things had served their purpose. Why you have things like this deeper level was such a different way of looking at things.

[00:03:48] Shawna: And it sounds like for you, it really made such a difference to kind of look at things in that new way as well.

[00:03:53] Caroline: Absolutely. And it's not just about your stuff, it's about looking at your whole life. And what sparks joy for you, and before you start the whole process, what you need to do is visualize your ideal lifestyle and then you are working towards your home supporting your ideal lifestyle. So for me, I wanted to be less stressed.

[00:04:15] Caroline: I wanted to be less overwhelmed. I wanted to know where things were. I wanted to have more time to spend with my kids. I wanted to have time for me to be able to do things on my own, which I wasn't feeling like I was getting. Once the house is working for you, You can then work towards actually being able to live your ideal lifestyle.

[00:04:36] Caroline: And that's sort of the crux of it really. And everything that you keep, as you quite rightly said, are things that spark joy for you. I think some people find this spark joy a bit. So woowoo a bit difficult to To get their heads around.

[00:04:50] Shawna: What does that even mean? 

[00:04:51] Caroline: Exactly. 

[00:04:52] Shawna: Spark joy? Nothing sparks joy or everything sparks. What is that? Yes. I think people can't wrap their head around 

[00:04:57] Caroline: So I, I mean, it, it is basically saying, okay, what things do you love? What makes you feel happy? What makes you feel confident? What do you enjoy looking at? These are the things that spark joy for you. But if you wanna call it something else, then that's absolutely fine too. And, as you said, it's a different concept because you are deciding what to keep. You're not deciding what to let go. You are only making a decision about what you keep. And once you know what you want to keep, then it's very clear that the other things are no longer serving a purpose in the life that you want to create for yourself, and therefore you can let them go with gratitude, and that's the big difference.

[00:05:34] Shawna: Yes. I think you nailed it right there as you're deciding what to keep when everything else is about deciding what to get rid of, which is completely overwhelming. That you're deciding what to keep and you're deciding what's important. And that does, that applies to so much more than just the things in your life that applies to everything in your life.

[00:05:52] Shawna: That makes such a big difference. So with your clients, do you usually start with visioning what they want as what they start with? Because that feels to me like that's, and I might have missed that in the book. It's been a while since I read it, but that sounds like it's even bigger than what I got out of the book.

[00:06:05] Shawna: That's exciting. 

[00:06:06] Caroline: It is really exciting. And I do we talk about how they would like to be living, what would they like to have time to do? So I have had clients that say, I would love to be able to do a bit of yoga every day, but I, by the time I've got all this stuff out, I can't be bothered anymore. It's just too much

[00:06:24] Caroline: hassle. So therefore, we are working towards creating a space in their home where the yoga mat can stay out all the time and they can just get on with it. Or I've had clients that would love to be able to paint, but by the time they've got the easel out and all the art stuff, and it is just too much hassle and therefore they never get round to it.

[00:06:43] Caroline: But when things are actually there and set. That one step is taken out of the equation and you're more likely to follow your hobbies and make time for them. So it's really looking at, okay, what do you want to have time to do? how do you want to feel in your home? So do you want it to feel calm or do you want it to feel energizing?

[00:07:05] Caroline: And then as we go through the process, we are working towards, once everything has been decluttered and everything's got its place to go back to that it then supports this vision of how you would like to live. And her new book, Kurashi At Home, which has come out recently. This really. 

[00:07:25] Shawna: I didn't know there was a

[00:07:27] Caroline: There's a new book.

[00:07:28] Caroline: It's beautiful. It's a beautiful coffee table book, but it's also a beautiful example of how to follow the KonMari method. It talks a lot about your lifestyle rather than just the stuff that you have, and there are some amazing guides at the back to help you visualize and things you can fill out to help you really get to the crux of what it is that you would like life to be like for you and how your home can support you in 

[00:07:55] Shawna: Oh, that's wonderful. We'll have to put that in the show notes. So it'd be great to to have that, ‘cause I, I've missed that entirely. I think that part of it is that prioritizing, ‘cause I almost feel like clutter comes from the overwhelming desire to do things and have things and, but what's most important, ‘cause I think that I love art, I love reading. I love, I love, I love. But at home, I actually would just want to have a haven and a quiet place and relax. And if I have all my art stuff out, am my yoga stuff out, and this out, and my cooking stuff out, and all those things... then I don't feel relaxed when I'm home.

[00:08:31] Shawna: Cause there's too much stuff everywhere. And so it's a matter of, what do I really want? What do I wanna feel at home? I wanna feel like this and I can't feel like this if I do have those things out. But if I come home and the first thing I wanna do is paint everyday, then I need to have that out, and that's what's gonna bring me the most joy.

[00:08:47] Shawna: But really the most joy is coming home and having a quiet space, and then having the option to get the stuff out if I want it. So I think that 

[00:08:54] Shawna: prioritizing, yeah. 

[00:08:56] Caroline: And, and as you say, I mean, if you love books or you love art, then keep lots of books and keep lots of art. People have got this, um, this concept that, The KonMari method is about minimalism and it has nothing to do with that. You can probably see, I mean, you can see the people listening can't.

[00:09:15] Caroline: But behind me on the shelves, there's lots of bits and bobs and stuff, and it's because they're things that I've chosen to keep because I like having them around and they make me feel great about the space that I'm in. And I had a client at the weekend who loves books, loves books. We got all the books out on this huge dining room table. and it took her five hours to Joy check all her books. And at the end of it, she had kept the books that she really, really resonates with, that she wants to read again or just have a very emotional attachment for her. And she realized going through the process and talking it through with me, that actually most of them she could let go. But the ones she kept, then when she looked at her bookshelf when we'd finished and it was still full, it wasn't, the rest had all been rammed behind doors.

[00:10:10] Caroline: She was like, wow, I just love all those books. And therefore you're looking at ones that you know are really important and special to you, and that's, that's what you are aiming for.

[00:10:22] Caroline: every corner of your home, when you look at it, makes you think, wow, great. Or you open your closet in the morning and you know every item of clothing in there fits you. How cool is that as a woman to know that every item of clothing in your closet fits you? Because we've all kept those jeans. We don't fit in anymore just in case.

[00:10:41] Caroline: But every time we open the door in the morning, they're almost mocking us. Like, ha, you don't fit in them at the moment, and it doesn't make you feel great about yourself. So let those things. and keep the ones that fit you and that you love the color and you love the fit and you feel sexy and confident in them and you, even if it's jogging pants, but they, they feel great on you, then you keep them and you know that everything in your closet sparks joy for you.

[00:11:07] Caroline: And what a way to start the day opening your closet and you know that you could put on anything and you'd feel amazing.

[00:11:14] Shawna: Yes, when I did the, when I KonMari my closet that I had at the time, it was so funny that I realized that I did not like beige pants. So I had, for business, I had beige pants and I didn't like them and I didn't realize that until I went through and did that. I wore them even, but I didn't like them.

[00:11:34] Shawna: It was a matter of me wanting to have the variety and wanting to have options and whatever else. And that's what you had. And when they fit and they looked nice and I got a good deal on them, I wore them ‘cause they fit and they looked nice and I got a good deal on them. And it was like, no, these do not bring me joy.

[00:11:47] Shawna: I don't like them. I don't like the way I look in most of these pants. Why do I own them? And there was. One pair. Of beige pants that I had that like they had this really cool cut and whatever else that, that I loved, but I'd actually, that's a whole other story, actually. Split those pants at a wedding, by the way, everyone, that's a

[00:12:04] Shawna: great story for another time. But that's a great story. It's a great story. Somebody had to come pick me up at that wedding anyways, but. Those pants I love, like they're the one pair of, of beige pants I ever loved. But other than that, all the ones I had in there ‘cause that's something you had as a professional as part of your wardrobe, but they did not bring me joy.

[00:12:19] Shawna: So it was interesting when I used that perspective and went through my closet, how much it changed what I owned because instead of just having things ‘cause I got them on sale and I looked nice on me, it was actually what brought me joy. And I enjoyed wearing and I really liked and it was amazing that concept of how much it changed things.

[00:12:36] Caroline: Absolutely. Yep.

[00:12:37] Shawna: It makes a difference. So when you start, so obviously knowing what's important to you is what you're gonna start with, but it's overwhelming. I know that when I first started doing the KonMari method to my house, the kitchen, the closet, that. clothes, like my clothes. It's recommended to do the whole closet- and it was overwhelming. And it actually took me multiple days. To get through my closet ‘cause I had a lot of stuff at the time. Like, it's a, it's a process to get through it. So with your clients, do you recommend starting with one space or do they decide what's the most important to them?

[00:13:07] Shawna: Or how do you usually figure that out? 

[00:13:09] Caroline: If you follow the KonMari method to the letter, then you should start with clothes. The KonMari method is split up into five categories, and the idea is you start with clothes and then move through the other categories once you've done clothes. If I do clothes with a client who, like you, has a lot of clothes, And and normally I tend to work with clients for a maximum of five hours in one go because I think I have found that to be the sort of the sweet spot that people can concentrate for.

[00:13:39] Caroline: And people will go five hours, that's so long and we get to the end of it and they'll go, if that's never five hours go, cause they've been so into it it goes really fast.

[00:13:46] Shawna: Yeah. 

[00:13:46] Caroline: it's crazy. But if they have got a lot of clothes, then we'll do just tops to start with. So we get out all the tops on the. And go through all the tops, and once they're sorted and we've got time, then we'll get out all the pants or all the dresses and, and do it in categories of clothing.

[00:14:05] Caroline: It makes a lot more sense to do that, and then I can spread it over sessions if people have got an awful lot of clothes. But for most people, if you are working with a KonMari consultant, it really focuses you to make decisions. And not procrastinate and keep thinking, oh, I'm not sure about this. Maybe I should try it on, or, this backwards and forwards.

[00:14:29] Caroline: We, we help you stay on point and it probably goes faster than if you were doing it on your own because we can keep you motivated. We can keep the ball rolling, and I can normally do an average closet in five hours and get things put back away with people. 

[00:14:44] Shawna: Wow. I might, if I had, somebody, might have helped me do a little, a little faster than doing it on my own. For sure. And how do you handle trying things on. Is that something that you do as part of that five hours or No, it's just they should know if it fits or not, and that's kind of part of the thing.

[00:14:58] Shawna: Cause I honestly don't know if everything in my closet fits me or not. I shouldn't say that out loud, but I don't, I'm honest. Sorry guys. 

[00:15:04] Caroline: That that's okay. That's, that's fine. I have things in my closet that fitted me last year that I'm quite sure don't now. It's an ongoing, I go through once a year and just have a check, but when I'm working with clients, we, the first thing I do is ask them to show me something that they know they love.

[00:15:20] Caroline: ‘cause everyone's got their favorite piece of clothing, haven't they? So once they've shown me that, and we've talked about it, And we've identified what it is they love about it. I'll then ask them to show me something that they know they really don't like, and they're just hanging onto it because, 

[00:15:35] Caroline: you know, they, they, spent a lot of money on it.

[00:15:38] Caroline: Or they feel they should have a pair of beige pants in their closet or whatever, whatever the reason happens to be. And then we move through the other clothes and there are ones that will come up where they'll go, oh, I dunno if they fit in. Oh, I'm not sure if I like it. And we, we create a pile of, clothes that are maybes, but I always am really careful to talk them through each, so that they are sure that it really is a maybe and not a keep or a donate or sell. So we, we have these piles going on. And then if clients want to try things on, once I've gone, they can then do a call with me, or the next time I come back we can talk about those clothes again. Some of them won't have fitted, so they know then they're for donation or sale. and the ones they're unsure about, they can, they can then sort of discuss with me and I can help 'em come to a decision about that. But the more you practice it, It becomes really clear to you the clothes you want to keep. by the time they've finished, they don't even have to think about it anymore.

[00:16:40] Caroline: It's just like, yep, I'll, that's, that's a definite keep because they start to realize that it's a color or it's a fit or that, or they'll pick it up and go, Ooh, now this one, the light is really scratchy. When I wear this, I don't wanna wear things that are scratchy. I, I'm gonna let that one. So it, it becomes a bit more obvious the more you practice it.

[00:17:01] Caroline: It's like training a muscle basically. The more you train it, the, the easier it gets to to work. 

[00:17:07] Shawna: Yes. Yeah. I always thought it was interesting that the KonMari method started with clothes. And when I read the book even I remember thinking this, cause I didn't start with clothes when I started working on things was I almost wondered if there was like this association, I feel like. Women and I'm from the US that, and it might be a US thing, that there's this association with clothes and weight and sizes that I wondered if, because, Marie Kondo isn't from the US , that there's a consistency in size that she may have experienced in her life and in her writing this book that there wasn't such an association with fitting clothes and with having this thing that there's clothes in my closet from when I fit them, when I used to fit them with all sizes. I have clothes that are too small for me and too big for me because there's this piece of when I lose weight or gain weight, I don't wanna have to go shopping every time I lose or gain weight.

[00:18:03] Shawna: I wanna have clothes that I look good in and I feel comfortable in and I fit that I can grab if I lose weight or gain weight. So I would prefer that I was comfortable and confident in my weight and my size, and that's a whole different conversation. And there's two episodes of The Grit Show that deal with that deal with that separately.

[00:18:22] Shawna: And so that's a great thing for me to resolve independently. But until that's resolved, I almost feel like I need to have a space in my closet for clothes that are a little bit smaller and a little bit larger so that I am not attached to if I gain weight or lose weight. I can go to my closet and have clothes I can wear and feel comfortable and feel good in without having to go shopping anytime that happens.

[00:18:45] Shawna: If that makes sense. And that, and that, that's not a thing. So I feel like there's like, and there's a bigger challenge with women and clothes related to body image stuff that might be a western thing and not that. So I was surprised that it started with clothes, ‘cause for me it feels like it's easier for me to declutter my kitchen.

[00:19:02] Shawna: That it is for me to declutter my clothes. And so it was strange to me that it started with that because of all of those other pieces that go with it. Does that make sense? 

[00:19:10] Caroline: Does make sense? 

[00:19:11] Caroline: But I think the reason clothes, and I can see where you're coming from, I have no idea what Marie Kondo's past history with clothes and experiences in Japan, working with people with changing sizes and stuff. I've no idea what her, her background on that is. But the reason for clothes being first is, It's something that as women, we have a, a connection with that we can really relate to.

[00:19:38] Caroline: So we are very clear when we see, let's take a sweater for example. We see a sweater we love and we know we love it and we can tell someone we are with, I love this because, and therefore it helps you train this spark joy muscle, for want of a better word, and therefore by the time you come to do your kitchen or come to do books, you are very clear in your own mind about this concept of sparking joy because you've worked on it with something that you feel quite passionate about because you are, you are wearing them close to your 

[00:20:17] Shawna: Mmm. 

[00:20:18] Caroline: and therefore, you know, Instinctively whether something sparks joy for you or not.

[00:20:24] Caroline: And therefore, I think it makes a brilliant first category. And also I find it really inspiring for women when we do their closet first, because it really makes them see by the time we have finished their clothes, what really is possible with the rest of the house. Because to open a closet and it just looks amazing, it really motivates you to want to carry on and do the other categories.

[00:20:48] Shawna: And because it is contained like that, whereas the kitchen, you have multiple drawers and multiple categories. I see that. That's helpful. This was very helpful for me to hear that reasoning ‘cause when it happened I was like, wait a minute. That's too hard. But I guess. Starting with something that has more connection and closeness to learn.

[00:21:06] Shawna: That's a good place to learn maybe ‘cause it is harder in some ways to, to work through that stuff and to figure out what it actually means to spark joy. ‘cause it does spark joy and maybe people don't get joy from, you know, their makeup , or toiletries or their 

[00:21:19] Shawna: kitchen pieces. ..

[00:21:20] Caroline: It's like, what? Where's the joy in a spatula in the kitchen. But if you've already worked out for yourself, what, what sparking joy means by the time you get there, it's a lot easier to work through those stuff. Can I give you a top tip on your different size clothes? What I always recommend, it's fine if you have clothes that are a size or two sizes too big.

[00:21:40] Caroline: Size or two sizes too small, but there are items of those clothes that you know you love, and if you could wear them, you would because you feel great in them. When you are that size, what I always recommend is that they don't stay in the main part of your closet. If you have a high up shelf or another area where you can pack them away, or a suitcase that you're not using at the moment, put them away out of sight.

[00:22:09] Caroline: You know you've got them should you need them, but only have clothes that fit you at the moment in your closet. And therefore you can keep clothes if they really spark joy for you that don't fit you at the moment, but you don't need to have them taking up space in your current closet of clothes that do fit you.

[00:22:29] Caroline: So that would be my top tip. 

[00:22:31] Shawna: yes. Yes, I have. It's actually a plastic bin, it goes into my basement ‘cause my closet's small where I live now. But yes, there's a bin in my basement, which probably needs to be resorted. But yes, that's what I ended up doing with that. And it, it does help though to only have the things that spark joy because we all have stuff that does not spark joy, that is the wrong size that we have ‘cause it was on sale and a fit at the time. Whether it's too big, too small or otherwise. And so that's stuff that, yeah, get rid of that, be glad that you no longer need that size. And so definitely let go of those things. But I like that.

[00:23:04] Shawna: So your current closet is the things that actually fit you. So you can go in there and freely grab and, you know, move it aside when you need to move it aside. I think having it on a higher shelf is a better idea. That's great.

[00:23:14] Caroline: Mm-hmm. 

[00:23:16] Shawna: What's one of your favorite experiences with one of your clients?

[00:23:18] Shawna: I like the story about the books that you were able to do with one of your clients. 

[00:23:22] Caroline: Well, it gets even better with the books. It gets even better. Last Saturday was just incredible. So this was last Saturday. I did the books with this lady and we have , a website in Germany where you can sell your book secondhand and there's an app for it. So I have an app on my phone and you can literally scan the barcode and it will tell you how much money it will give you for the book.

[00:23:48] Caroline: If it will take it at all. She was joy checking. I was taking them out of her hand if she was saying this is to let go. And I was scanning them and I was making a pile for donation ‘cause they weren't gonna be taken. And another pile for books that the website would take at the end of it, she had made 245 euros.

[00:24:08] Shawna: Oh my word. That's amazing. 

[00:24:11] Caroline: Just incredible. 245. Yeah. 

[00:24:17] Shawna: That's a good reward for letting go. That's a good 

[00:24:19] Caroline: it's an amazing, I mean, there is money in your clutter, so dec decluttering can also be a way of making money.

[00:24:29] Shawna: Mm-hmm. 

[00:24:30] Caroline: be a way of creating donations, which is also a wonderful thing and maybe some charity will benefit from that. And the further down the line, some, some human will benefit from that.

[00:24:40] Caroline: There is also the possibility of it really creating new shopping habits with you. So I had, I do an online course where people are working through different categories in their home with me, and we had our online meeting last night and one of my ladies had gone shopping to the supermarket and there was a two for one offer on shampoo.

[00:25:04] Caroline: And she said, I stood there and I would've got it in the past, I would've got it. But she'd done her bathroom at the weekend and she was like, no, I do not have, No I do not need it. 

[00:25:15] Caroline: So it d it starts to, and then she said, and then there was coffee, and coffee was on, on offer. And I was like, no, we have coffee at home.

[00:25:23] Caroline: I don't need to take another one home at the moment. So it does start to really affect your shopping habits and it saves you so much money in the long run because we end up buying things that we don't really need, but we're sucked in by these two for one offers. And it can just end up saving us a huge amount of money, which is wonder.

[00:25:42] Shawna: Yes. And that's another thing I remember from the book. There's this great benefit that you were saying where you can sell things and actually get money back. But this concept in the book I remember about your things are sitting in your drawer, not serving you, not doing you any favors, you're neglecting them.

[00:26:00] Shawna: You don't need them, you don't want them, and you give them another life when you let them go and they go to somebody else. And it's easier. I know that I have an easier time, like, oh, this shirt will look so good on such and such, and giving it to a specific person, like it's easier for me to let go in that case.

[00:26:17] Shawna: And it's not as easy when I don't have a friend that will read that exact book, but in fact, when you donate that book, when you donate that shirt, it goes to somebody who's going to wear it or read it or give it another life or experience it. And so being willing to let those things go so that they can fulfill their purpose elsewhere because you're not, you're not, you're not giving it that attention and letting it do it service purpose because you have too many things and you don't need more things.

[00:26:45] Shawna: And you're not reading it, and you're not wearing it, and 

[00:26:47] Shawna: you're not using. 

[00:26:48] Caroline: Absolutely. Yeah, you're completely right. And you asked about other wonderful things with clients. Another really lovely thing I had was I'd worked with, um, a lady on her closet and we'd, joy checked everything. We'd put everything away. I taught her the KonMari fold. 

[00:27:04] Caroline: It looked amazing, and a week later she sent me photos of her daughter's closet and her daughter had come in and said, mommy, I have to have my closet looking like that.

[00:27:15] Caroline: So she had had ended up getting mom to show her how to do it, and they've gone through the process together and she taught her the folding and it is really sweet. And I had a, uh, another couple of girls who I did their bedroom with them. These were teenage girls and they shared a bedroom and we did all, they had a lot of clothes.

[00:27:34] Caroline: We did all their clothes, and it just, they got really into it and they were, they had a great five hours and it was really fun. Mom phoned me the next day. She said, you're not gonna believe this. They've had dad get all his clothes out on the bed. They've had him joy check everything they've taught, they've taught him the fold and they've got him to put everything back away. And, and they've, they, I know they've maintained it. I've stayed in touch with them and they've all maintained it. And as I was saying to everyone on my course yesterday, it creates this ripple effect through the family. so it, those, those are lovely.

[00:28:06] Shawna: that is lovely. I love it. That is so wonderful. So I can't believe we've been talking as long as we have. This is wonderful and I really hope the people have gotten a lot out of this. We talked about, Feng Shui and Clutter previously, and it was a little bit about the reflection of your internal environment externally.

[00:28:22] Shawna: But I love this concept that you're giving us, the ways that we can reverse that and start starting with what we wanna experience and how we can then reflect it in our environment. This is so valuable. So as we wrap things up, we always do something that's called Grit wit as something that's a takeaway that everyone can immediately apply.

[00:28:39] Shawna: So what is something that you would like to give our audience today that we can just take away and people can apply to their life and their world. 

[00:28:45] Caroline: i thought I would give you five quick tips for your kitchen because kitchen is something that is just great when it's organized. So these are my five quick tips for the kitchen. 

[00:28:56] Caroline: First one, do not have multiples of things that aren't being used, so, so for example, sharp knives. Everyone's got their knife, they love to use.

[00:29:05] Caroline: Everyone grabs the same one to chop the veg ‘cause they like how it feels in their hand. So look which members of the family grab which knives and then look which ones are left. And the ones that are left probably are never getting used. So those can go. So that's a, a good way. Or mugs for example, everyone's got their favorite mug for their coffee in the morning and all the other poor mugs get left sitting there ‘cause no one likes using them.

[00:29:27] Caroline: So really think about whether you need to keep those ones. That's tip number one. 

[00:29:31] Caroline: Tip number two, if you use a lazy Susan in your cupboards. So one of these rotating platforms, it means that things that would normally be at the back of the shelf that you forget about because they're at the back, you have access to, ‘cause you can just turn the table and see what's on there.

[00:29:47] Caroline: So that's a great tip. 

[00:29:49] Caroline: Don't save things for best. So your best wine glasses, but you never use them. They just stay in the cupboard, the best dinner service, but it never gets used. 

[00:29:58] Caroline: That's always a bit of a shame. Isn't every day special? Just putting it out there. 

[00:30:04] Caroline: Decanting things into containers. We've all seen home edit style, matchy, matchy. Everything gets decanted out when you bring it home. Great. If you like that, look, go for it. If you can't be bothered, don't . It's as simple as that. You have to do what works for you. And if it's quicker for you to have things in the packets and put a clip on and you just organize them according to packets and you are happy with that, look then fine.

[00:30:30] Caroline: I've got some things I decant out, but I don't bother with pasta ‘cause I know when I open the pasta for my family, I use the whole packet. So what have I done? I've decanted it into something to only tip it all out. So with pastor, I don't bother. So go for the least line of resistance and do what works for you.

[00:30:48] Caroline: And my final one would be once you've got your kitchen to a certain point, planning meals in advance so that you know what you need and you make sure you are using up stuff in your cupboard so you aren't going out and buying stuff that you've already got. That is also a really, really good tip.

[00:31:06] Shawna: Yeah, we just went shopping and got more stuff and filled up our freezer. And I need to have my freezer organized so I have all of the meats together and I have all the vegetables so I know what's in there. And my fiance is fabulous and helpful and puts things away from me, but he does not organize necessarily.

[00:31:22] Shawna: And so I was the one that put things away this time and really organized and actually made a list of what was in the freezer ‘cause we are. Buying more of the same, running out of something and not realizing we're running out of it. And it makes it challenging for meal planning. So I actually have that list ‘cause our freezer's in the basement.

[00:31:37] Shawna: So I actually have the list upstairs so that when we want meals, I'm like, oh, that's right. We have a pork loin that we can defrost that's in the freezer, in the basement that we forget about because it's in the basement and I don't, he's wonderful and goes down to the basement and gets things, but I never look at it, so I don't know what's down there.

[00:31:52] Shawna: So it is helpful to know what you have and so that way you 

[00:31:55] Shawna: can plan accordingly. 

[00:31:56] Caroline: Because eventually you suddenly realize stuff's out of date, like really, really out of date, and then you can't use it. And that's just a waste. So it, it helps with food waste. It helps you save money and it helps the stress ‘cause you know, okay, today I'm cooking that and you're not scrabbling around when you're already tired trying to work out what you're gonna cook.

[00:32:17] Shawna: Yes. Yes. And you mentioned about like saving the nice glasses and saving the nice silverware, et cetera. My mother love her. God rest her soul. She was that way about food, so she would have like, a chocolate frog somebody gave her, or ‘cause she was into frogs or somebody gave her like a package of something or candies or whatever she was saving, and she would save them and they would go bad and never get eaten. And then I would come to town. I was like, mom, this is like a year old. This is expired. I'm throwing this away now. And no one ever ate it. And so, Like dish is, you should use the pretty China, you should use the pretty wine glasses.

[00:32:51] Shawna: You should use the beautiful things you like. I let kids use wine glasses at my house for holidays and parents were mortified. I never had a kid break a single wine glass. I had more than one adult break a wine glass, but never a kid. So definitely I let kids use those things. But the food, like it goes bad.

[00:33:07] Shawna: If you're saving like this special box, you know, mix for something for holiday, then you never use it, then you end up throwing it away. So you might as well use those. 

[00:33:16] Caroline: absolutely. I totally agree.

[00:33:19] Shawna: The other thing we always talk about on The, Grit, Show is self-care. So what do you do for self-care? 

[00:33:25] Shawna: Caroline 

[00:33:26] Caroline: I make sure that I get out every day on my own, well, not on my own with the dog, um, for a really, really long walk. But even if I, before we had the dog, we've only had her a couple of years. I would do it every day anyway, just so that I get out, I get away from screens. I get some fresh air. It gives me thinking time.

[00:33:45] Caroline: Sometimes I'll put my ears in and listen to a podcast just so I have some time on my own, ‘cause I think that's really important. I don't think we have enough downtime where we are disconnected from everything.

[00:33:56] Shawna: Yes, and running your business and having your three kids, and I'm sure it's a lot. So that's very important. I'm so glad you do that. And as a thank you for coming and sharing your wisdom with all of us, we always give our guests a copy of one of our coloring books so you can add that to your repertoire of self-care items. 

[00:34:14] Caroline: Thank you. That's 

[00:34:15] Shawna: you get to. Yes, 

[00:34:17] Shawna: it's kind of fun. So we have two of them. We have vintage Mermaid and Magnificent Ocean. Or we have, you've got this, which is inspirational sayings. So which of those two can we send you? 

[00:34:28] Caroline: I think you've got this. Sounds good.

[00:34:30] Shawna: Perfect. We will send you a copy of that as a thank you. So I will get your information and get that off to you. And so how can people get in touch with you? I know you have a podcast. What is your 

[00:34:40] Shawna: podcast?

[00:34:40] Caroline: My podcast is called Living Clutter Free Forever, and it's on all the platforms, so you can find it everywhere.

[00:34:48] Shawna: Wonderful. So if you wanna hear more of this, check that out. Living clutter free forever, we'll have that in the show notes. And you also have a website. 

[00:34:55] Shawna: What is your website?

[00:34:56] Caroline: My website?

[00:34:57] Caroline: is Caroline-Thor.com.

[00:35:01] Shawna: Perfect. And you're also on Facebook and Instagram. Do you wanna give us your your contact on 

[00:35:06] Caroline: Yeah. Um, Instagram is Caro.Thor, and Facebook is at Caroline Organizer.

[00:35:14] Shawna: We'll have all that in the show notes for you guys, but I know that I love to hear things out loud so that I can track them and know how to find them. So you guys can definitely keep up with Caroline and all of the wonderful information that she has to share. And you also have, we're gonna have this in the show notes.

[00:35:28] Shawna: I'm very excited about this for our parents. Specifically, can you tell us a little bit more about this wonderful free guide that you're, you're providing for folks? 

[00:35:35] Caroline: Yeah, I've got an amazing guide. Everyone that's had it has been raving about it. It's five super easy hacks to get your kids to tidy up without them even realizing it. So it's, it's loads of tips and tricks on five different themes of things you can do as a parent to get your kids involved and helping you with the tidying up, which what parent doesn't want that.

[00:36:00] Caroline: So that's available 

[00:36:02] Shawna: Yes. Yes. And it's such a, Habit to get kids into that can make such a big difference. ‘cause I know that I've worked in early childhood and it's great when you get kids involved in the process. It makes such a difference with tidying up and doing those things and it sets some great habits up for them for life as well.

[00:36:20] Shawna: So having tips and tricks, very valuable. So we'll have the link for that and the show notes, you guys can just click on that. Yes. Click on that and and it'll also get you on Caroline's, email list so you can hear more about the other things that she's offering. And your course is, your course gonna open up again soon that you have.

[00:36:38] Shawna: How often does that open up? 

[00:36:39] Caroline: Uh, my course is gonna be coming out again in September, but if you're on my email list every month I do a free workshop just for people on my email list. So actually this week's was about how to get kids involved with tidying up so everyone could come along to that for free. And then I can meet everyone, which is.

[00:37:00] Shawna: So get on that email list, it sounds like there's some great perks to being on that. That's great. And then you can hear more about in September, getting connected to Caroline and you have individual clients or people just get your services through your workshop? 

[00:37:12] Caroline: No, I have individual clients. I go to people in their homes, which for some of your listeners would be tricky ‘cause I'm in Germany. But I also do, I do one-to-one online sessions with people as well, and those are really popular. So wherever you are in the world, you can work with me. I'm on Zoom. You are on Zoom. It's as if I'm in the room with you. And we just do the normal process together, just online. And it works brilliantly. So if people fancy working with me, they can get in touch with me over my website for that.

[00:37:41] Shawna: So definitely check that out and get on the mailing list so you can get access to those other workshops as well. Perfect. Thank you so much. It has been such a joy chatting with you, Caroline. I think we all got a lot out of that and I'm sure people are excited to connect with you.

[00:37:53] Shawna: So thank you for sharing with us 

[00:37:54] Caroline: Thank you for the opportunity. I've enjoyed it.

[00:37:56] Shawna: Just a reminder, your self care is very important and we do have samples of those coloring pages. You can grab them off of our website, www.TheGritShow.Com. I know right now things are pretty busy and pretty stressful, so it can be easy to forget, but you are the only one of you that this world has got, and that means something. I look forward to connecting with you next week.