Does your office, car, or even bathroom make you feel heavy and drained every time you walk in?
Clutter isn’t just about stuff—it’s about the weight it puts on your energy and focus. For Day 2 of the Declutter Challenge, Michelle guides you through how to pick the one space that feels the heaviest and break it down into a manageable 30-minute win.
When you listen, you’ll discover:
- The 3-pile method to clear any space without overwhelm.
- How to tackle even the most chaotic rooms by breaking them into bite-sized zones.
- The surprising way a clean space shifts your mindset and makes you feel more in control of your life.
Press play now to learn the simple steps to transform one cluttered spot into a calm, energizing space today.
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Sign up for the Declutter Challenge
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Life can be overwhelming, but on this podcast, you'll discover practical strategies to overcome overwhelm, imposter syndrome, and negative self-talk, manage time effectively, set boundaries, and stay productive in high-stress jobs—all while learning how to say no and prioritize self-care on the Overwhelmed Worki...
Episode Transcript
You're listening to Overwhelmed Working
Woman, the podcast that helpsyou be more calm and more
productive by doing less.
I'm your host, MichelleGauthier, a former Overwhelmed
Working Woman and current lifecoach.
On this show, we unpack thestress and pressure that today's
working woman experiences andin each episode you'll get a
strategy to bring more calm,ease and relaxation to your life
(00:28):
.
Hey friend, welcome to day twoof the declutter challenge.
Yesterday we set our intentionand did a quick micro declutter.
I've heard from some of youclearing out your wallet, say
your nightstands or a car cupholder, and those really tiny
wins do shift how you feel,don't they?
That little hit of relief isproof that even small, tiny
(00:52):
steps matter.
I heard from a bunch of youyesterday which was awesome,
just a reminder that when yousend me your wins, either a
voice note or reply back to myemail, you will get entered to
win a prize.
And when you do that every time, each time, you'll get entered
to win a prize, and when you dothat, your wins might get shared
on the podcast.
(01:12):
I will just use your first name, by the way.
Okay, so for today, we are goingto go a little bit bigger than
yesterday's micro declutter andwe're going to stick with
simplifying a physical space.
So this is about choosing onearea of your life that feels
(01:33):
heavy and making some progressin that area.
So maybe it's your office,maybe it's a room or a section
in your house, maybe it's yourcar Sometimes my car really gets
a little out of control.
You could literally live in itat some point.
So we have all the sportsequipment, sweatshirts, water
bottles, all the things you canimagine in there.
So today I want you to thinkabout the question what area of
(01:55):
your home or a physical spacethat belongs to you feels the
heaviest right now.
Just ponder that for a secondand if you have officially
registered for the challenge,you will see this question in
your workbook, along withseveral other questions to help
you think about what to simplifyfor today.
Again, if you haven't done thatyet, it is absolutely not too
(02:18):
late to join.
Go to the link in the shownotes and you will instantly get
the workbook that goes alongwith this challenge when you
think about that space for you.
So I was just talking to aclient who's feeling very
uninspired by her office.
She had a lot of paperworkthere and it was just kind of
blah and drab.
So if that's you and let's justsay it's your office, because
(02:40):
today we're trying to make smallprogress and as part of this
challenge, what I've promisedyou is that you have to listen
to the podcast in the morningfive, 10 minutes and then you
can spend as much time as youwant, but I'm imagining most
people setting aside like 30minutes to do their declutter.
If you can do more than that,that's amazing.
But take the space that you'rethinking of and break it down so
(03:02):
that if you just spent 30minutes there, what could you
declutter?
So if we're talking about theoffice and you're a person who's
feeling overwhelmed by youroffice, where could that 30
minutes be spent?
Could it be spent on the top ofyour desk?
Could it be spent on a closetin your office?
(03:23):
Could it be spent on abookshelf or a specific section?
If you're thinking about yourbasement, is there like a little
corner or an area that youcould work on?
If you're thinking about yourbathroom, could you do like one
of the drawers or two of thedrawers?
If you really want to gothrough all of your clothes,
could you just do the hangingclothes in one section today?
(03:45):
So think about what space feelsthe worst to you, and then how
to make that space smaller anddo just like you did yesterday,
where you set a timer for 30minutes and then you take the
three simple steps, which are totake it all out, take out every
single item.
This step, by the way, alwaysmakes my children feel panicked.
(04:06):
They always know when I'vetaken everything out that I've
like had it with something.
Don't worry if your familypanics, it's normal.
It's normal, okay.
Sort it into three piles Keep,throw away, give away and by
throw away you can also meanrecycle.
Be a little brutal in thissection.
Okay, we tend to overkeep stuff.
There is really no reason tokeep more than one of
(04:28):
essentially anything, unless youlike have backup tubes of
toothpaste that you've purchasedon purpose.
But, for example, kitchenutensils, do you really need
like five spatulas or do youreally need?
Actually, I have two ones forthe grill and ones for not the
grill.
So think about how many of eachone of these things that you
really need.
Think about if you've used orworn this item in, like the past
(04:50):
year, even if you're like, oh,I might need this for that one
time.
Really, will you or will youfeel better having that space in
your life and then put backonly the keep pile and then
everything else gets discardedor donated.
If you're following along thisweek, you might just want to get
like a big trash bag orsomething and start making your
giveaway pile so you don't haveto run to Goodwill or wherever
(05:12):
you donate things every day.
And once you have it all backin, take a picture, send me the
picture and notice how you feel.
So when you finish that, take asecond to notice the difference
and see how the space feelscompared to before, and what
difference do you notice inyourself when you walk into or
(05:33):
spend time in that space?
Now, I was talking earlierabout my car and how sometimes
it looks like we could live inthere.
When I get it cleaned like takeit through a car wash and then
get all the junk out of it andput it back where it belongs,
like where the water bottles goand where all the sweatshirts go
, etc.
I seriously feel like thethought that I have is I have my
life together when my car isclean.
(05:55):
I feel like I have my lifetogether when it's messy.
I do not.
So notice the difference inyourself before and after you do
that Declutter.
Okay, great job, friend.
I would love to hear your wins.
Reply to your daily email.
If you're registered for thedeclutter challenge, you will
get an email from me everymorning so you already have one
from today.
Or leave me a quick voice memothe link is in the show notes
(06:18):
for that.
Every time you share, you'll beentered to win a prize.
That's it for day two.
Pick your small spot, followthe steps and celebrate your
progress.
Tomorrow we're going to moveinto digital clutter and clear
some space in your inbox or appsor photos.
Have a great day.
See you tomorrow.
Box or apps or photos.
Have a great day, see youtomorrow.
(06:39):
Thank you for listening to theOverwhelmed Working Woman
podcast.
If you want to learn more aboutmy work, head over to my
website at michellegauthier.
com.
See you next week.
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