Professional organizer Ingrid Jansen, co-author of Reset Your Home, explains why clutter is more about emotions than “stuff,” why decluttering is a process (not a project), and how to start small—think kitchens, cupboards, and daily resets—to build your “decluttering muscle” over time. 

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Process over project: Decluttering is never “done”—as things come in, things must go out. 
• Start in the kitchen: Fewer emotions than books/photos; clear storage first, then put surfaces away. 
• Daily resets: 10–30 minute habits (dishes, bins, wipe counters, a load of laundry) that prevent weekend pileups. 
• “If in doubt, keep it”: Build capacity with easy wins; you’ll be ready to let go on a later pass. 
• Don’t buy more bins: The problem isn’t storage—it’s volume; work with what you have. 
• Decide by favorites: Pull everything out, match lids, pick what you use and love first; the rest gets easier. 
• Clutter personalities: From “harassed housekeepers” to “nostalgic knee-deeps”—self-awareness beats shame. 
• Why this pays off: Less hunting, faster cleaning, smarter grocery runs—time and money saved. 

Links & resources:

• Book: Reset Your Home — Ingrid Jensen, Lesley Spellman
• The Declutter Hub (podcast, book, membership, community): declutterhub.com 

Connect with Erik:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 
• ⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This Podcast is Powered By:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Descript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Descript 101⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Castmagic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ecamm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podpage⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rodecaster Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Top Productivity Books List⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of a podcast where you get the core takeaways. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.