The Next Chapter Decluttering & A Hoarder's Nightmare | Lifestyle service

The Next Chapter Decluttering & A Hoarder's Nightmare

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22.01.2022 TODAY’S JOB: What a day!! Thank you to all the people who came and bought stuff from the house clear out, the family made in excess of $2,000!! The Skip Bin is nearly full, and all that remains is still on the driveway, free for the taking. Sadly a lot of books went unsold, so I’m taking them to the Op Shop tomorrow.... The family were extremely grateful; the state of the garage had been a cause of stress for years. Great day.

21.01.2022 TODAY’S JOB: My last official day at the house I’ve been cleaning out. Today I met with a Real Estate Agent, to show them the place and get it on the market ASAP for the owner. There’s lots to fix, but it’s an amazing house!! Today I took the last of the boxes of unsold items from the Garage Sale, to the Op Shop; the Salvos’ truck is coming Monday to collect the big stuff. Then I loaded up the car with the last lot of rubbish for a quick tip run, then I cleaned! Scrubbed door...s, floors, window ledges, and skirting boards. I couldn’t clean every surface; I didn’t have time. So I focused on the main bits. I’m so tired, but the owner is happy. And that’s the main thing. This photo is the room we took a video of two weeks ago. (I’ll post in comments if you didn’t see it)

19.01.2022 When my work with a client entails decluttering and organisation, I always start with the declutter. It's so much easier to organise less.

18.01.2022 TODAY' JOB: For the second time in a week, I've been called an angel. I was then told I'm a Warrior - that I'll happily take on board! (It's ok, my ego is in check). I met a new client today, who hugged me before I even walked in the door, so grateful to have found me, and how desperate they were for help. Admitting to cloaking themselves in clutter as a way to protect themselves, they also realise it's an unhealthy way to cope, and it's time to clear the things they are ho...lding onto, and remove the negative energy attached to it all. So grateful were they of meeting me, they paid more than they needed to! (My kind of client... ). This afternoon, I visited a client I have been working with for the past couple of weeks, and I told them I had been thinking about the configuration of their back spare room, and asked if I could rearrange the furniture; I felt the desk needed to move to create a more functional space. I explained my vision, and they were happy for me to go ahead. So I busied myself clearing the excess stuff out of the way so I could shift the bigger items, while I left them with some simple tasks in the lounge room. Once I moved the desk, and then put the necessary items back in place, I asked them to come and have a look and see what they thought. Instantly they saw the benefit of the shift; more central space to move around in, no shuffling around piles, and no risk of tripping over anything. I took it upon myself to move into the garage the items that I believe could potentially go, although this is always the decision of the client, but they agreed with me for most of them. Some items will need clarification from a third party before disposal, but the removal of excess, and unneeded items made such an instant impact, that they were happy to see them go. They will stay in the garage for now, as we work through the home, and potentially add to the pile, then will clear out in one go with the aid of a Ute and a tip run.

17.01.2022 Thanks Joshua Becker for this great example of re-framing your clutter.

16.01.2022 It's my day off, and I am finally catching up on cleaning my own house. I had a packet of batteries that needed to be put away, and noticed I had other opened packs in the tub I store them in, so I decided to check use-by dates.... I ended up throwing out (aka taking to Officeworks for recycling) 5 packets of expired batteries. And expired by years. How many batteries have you got?

16.01.2022 Yesterday I was called a Fairy Godmother. Today I was called an angel, and should have a Saint named after me!! It is humbling to see the relief wash over a person's face when I say to them "no drama, I can do this for you". This morning I met a new client who wants/needs to move interstate, to get out of the area, and leave their past behind, and they want to do it ASAP. So we sat down and chatted about the situation, then I suggested a plan of action, and said "yep, too ea...sy". The look on their face! They almost burst into tears as they realised this was completely achievable. We then took a tour of the home, and I noted down everything that needs to be packed up for the move, including furniture. The rest will either be thrown out, or sold at a Garage Sale; yes boys, another one on the way... Once that is all done, I will organise the Removalist van to come and get the stuff that is going with them. We have pre-booked work days, however going ahead is to be determined by a few factors that need to be sorted out first. If all goes according to plan, I will begin work in the first week of November. We hugged it out, and I left them with a feeling of excitement at the journey ahead. Fun times...

15.01.2022 I’ve had this discussion many times...

14.01.2022 This Christmas, any birthday. Time and memories, not stuff.

14.01.2022 TODAY'S JOB: Spent the afternoon with a client who I have been seeing for nearly two years. Today we began with a mental declutter; a family member is unwell, and the stress of that situation compounds already existing mental health issues. We then headed into their back room, which for a long time has been a dead zone/dumping ground for this person, but we are slowly culling, reconfiguring, and improving the functionality of to make it more liveable. I am so proud of this c...lient; it's taken a while, but they decide on their own what they no longer want, or what serves their needs anymore, and when I arrive there is a pile of stuff ready to box up and take away. And today was no different. A particular item has been a very difficult thing to cull; it served a purpose well, but today it went! We then shifted some furniture to create an exercise space in this room, assembled and installed a shelving unit for music - which was stacked alphabetically, then culled some more items. The best thing; once we done with with drills and screwdrivers, they went back to where they belong. I did note to them during the session that they were adopting the OHIO method beautifully - Only Handle It Once. Back again in two weeks.

13.01.2022 When I’m working with someone who wants to cull items, I always have to stress that goods for donation need to be clean, undamaged, and in fairly good condition, otherwise we are just costing the charity money, by giving them things they will end up throwing out.

13.01.2022 The issues found within these people are things I see quite regularly. Even though trying to explain the concept of a physical limitation on space seems logical, hoarders' mindsets cannot fathom it. Decisions about what to get rid become increasingly difficult. I've have on occasion, had heated discussions with clients, ending in us just walking away from each other for a moment, so we can reset. Wanting help, and then actually taking on the advice from that help are two entirely different things. Progress can be quite slow; not just because of the amount of stuff we are dealing with, but also because we are trying to alter years, sometimes decades of a learned behaviour.

11.01.2022 There has been a few times, where I've said to a client, "the only thing that needs to be purchased is food. You have more than enough of everything else". It's a hard pill to swallow; marketing companies make millions convincing us we are less than without a certain product. Close your eyes and imagine your home without the clutter...

09.01.2022 I'm on a roll!! Today I met with a new client, who said I had a lovely aura... Fairy Godmother, angel, saint, lovely aura. Can it get any better??

03.01.2022 TODAY’S JOB: Garage Sale! For the first time ever, no one was waiting for me to open the doors, and this had me worried. I thought the day would be a failure, but we did quite well. Many mentioned the fact that because no local paper exists anymore for people to advertise things, many are unsure of when and where sales like this are taking place. So, with only being able to promote via FB, I hoped people would turn up!... A steady crowd wandered through, and a fair bit went. Monday’s job is packing up the unsold stuff, getting to Op Shops, then cleaning!! 2 days to go...

01.01.2022 TODAY'S JOB: It's been about 2 months since I last attended the house I went to today. A series of cancellations due to illness, and then a minor mental breakdown, is why it has taken so long to get back to this particular client. Upon arrival I instantly saw that the house had deteriorated back to it's original state from when I first started at the beginning of the year. In fact at the end of the day, my client said to me (in a flood of tears) "I thought you would walk in, ...see the place and walk back out again". They were so ashamed that things had back slided. The whole family has experienced a rather intense level of trauma, one that has many triggers, and when things get bad, the safest action is to retreat - and that is what they do - all of them. So this is a slow and long term process; getting the house back in order, and then teaching them the skills required to keep on top of household management. As an NDIS client, I am now required to submit a report of our workings, as their plan is up for review next week. As such, I went for a walk with my client, so we could discuss the issues that would be brought up in the report. It's a tricky situation; I have to be up front about the state of the home, but I know that a feeling of absolute worthlessness shrouds this person, so I felt I needed to give them the heads up about what the report will contain. Can you believe mental illness was not going to be a part of the NDIS??