Decluttering Untangled with Heather Tingle : How to declutter when you're overwhelmed, ADHD or Autistic

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary Heather Tingle shares a personal reflection on why decluttering sometimes means releasing more than objects. In this episode, she unpacks how a box of old business supplies surfaced an abandoned subscription box idea and what that revealed about identity, sunk cost, and the difference between a dream and the stuff attached to it. Letting go of stored items can also mean letting go of guilt, without giving up the possibility of a future version of the dream. Timestamps 00:00 — Why this episode is about letting go of a dream 00:29 — The maintenance declutter that surfaced an old box 00:58 — Why Heather had not decluttered her home in 10 years 02:53 — Discovering autism and ADHD during lockdown 05:44 — Why the abandoned idea felt sad, not silly 07:41 — Sunk cost, identity, and staying in limbo 08:35 — Letting go of the stuff without killing the dream 10:32 — Other examples of unfinished dreams and projects 11:30 — How hope turns into guilt and obligation 12:00 — Why the dream was never in the objects 12:22 — Releasing the nagging feeling of unfinished potential 12:51 — Dreams can rest and return in a different form 13:20 — A “Heather says it’s okay” moment about choosing the present 13:49 — Reality over fantasy and prioritising peace of mind 14:46 — Letting go now does not prevent revisiting the idea later Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary This episode started with a comment from an Untangled Life member: "but that's the missing piece, isn't it, no accountability." Heather takes that and runs with a live confession: she set herself a DeclutterCon bonus challenge to find and sell £60 worth of stuff from her own home to pay for a course she's doing. She's found £90 to £100 worth. She's sold none of it, because she hasn't listed a single item. Heather unpacks why announcing something publicly isn't the same as being accountable for finishing it, why the classic "pretend someone's coming over" trick doesn't work for her brain, and shares two real examples from her own life (a disastrous A level project and a course she completed in her 40's) that show the actual difference between a deadline that works and one that doesn't. She ends with specific, small, immediate accountability tactics, and a public commitment you can hold her accountable to! What you'll walk away with Why announcing a goal isn't the same as building real accountability into it Why "pretend someone's coming over in 20 minutes" doesn't work, and why even a real visitor deadline doesn't help The difference between a single distant deadline and a long term goal broken into fixed short term checkpoints Practical, small scale accountability tactics you can use as you declutter and organise your home Why client "homework" between sessions rarely works, and what Heather does instead Chapters 00:00 Introduction: The importance of accountability in decluttering 02:11 Heather's personal decluttering challenge and honesty about progress 04:21 Why accountability often fails when only self-imposed 06:28 The significance of fixed deadlines from Heather's academic experience 08:36 Using short-term checkpoints to stay on track 09:54 The problem with vague goals and how to make them specific 12:30 Practical strategies: body doubling, public declarations, and micro deadlines 13:49 Encouragement to start small and find accountability partners Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary Is Your Tidying Actually Making Your Home Worse? We've all done it, shoved something into whatever drawer had space, told ourselves "away" counted as "organised," and called it a day. In this episode Heather digs into a pattern she sees in almost every client's home: drawers and cupboards with no real system, no zoning, just wherever things happened to end up. She walks through exactly how this spirals, the hunting, the giving up, the leaving things out "so I'll remember where it is," the piles that build on piles, the doom drawers and doom bags, and how it all ends with owning ten of the same item because you can never trust you'll find the original. She unpacks why this is so exhausting on a deeper level too. Your working memory was never built to hold onto "which of six random drawers has the batteries in it today," and it's not laziness when things get left out, it's a system asking your brain to do a job it can't do. The fix is zoning before organising: deciding where something actually lives based on how you use it, then trusting that home enough to put things back there every time. Heather also shares one of her favourite parts of a declutter session: the moment a client finds something they'd forgotten they even owned, tucked away in a drawer that never had a proper place before. Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Why tidiness isn't enough 02:13 The problem with random drawers and cupboards 04:47 The cycle of clutter and why it happens 06:28 The broken windows theory of clutter 09:53 Why your brain can't remember everything 11:58 The importance of zoning and categorisation 12:51 How trusting your system creates lasting order 13:17 The joy of rediscovering forgotten items Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary Ever hit the point in decluttering where it feels like nothing's changing, no matter how much work you've put in? In this episode Heather talks about the invisible wall so many people hit partway through their decluttering journey. The point where progress feels invisible and it's easy to think "what's the point, nothing's ever going to change." Heather breaks down why this happens: shrinking dopamine rewards as you get used to letting go of more, the shift away from delayed gratification, working by area instead of by category (which makes progress harder to see), fatigue from treating decluttering as a marathon rather than a sprint, and still putting things down rather than putting them away. She also shares the broken windows theory and how it applies both to relapsing into clutter and to the moment things finally click, plus her own snowball-up-the-hill metaphor for where you might be in the process right now. If you're feeling demoralised and like you'll never get there: this one's for you. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the decluttering wall and emotional challenges 02:20 How initial decluttering efforts feel more rewarding 05:03 The 'click point' and reaching decluttering milestones 06:22 Decluttering as a slow marathon, not a sprint 07:16 The challenge of putting things away consistently 08:10 The benefits of proper organization and how mess becomes easier to manage 09:36 Dealing with frustration when things are out of place 10:33 Taking breaks and managing capacity during decluttering 11:28 Encouragement to keep pushing and recognising progress 11:55 Final motivation: you're making progress and not alone Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary 147 episodes in, and Heather realises she's never actually done a full episode on one of her favourite neurodivergent-friendly storage solutions: hooks. In this episode she talks through why hooks work so well for messy brains, busy lives, and anyone who forgets things exist the second they're out of sight. Starting with the fruit-bowl-turned-doom-pile most of us have by the front door, and a client's tiny porch that had become a genuine shoe-related fire hazard. From there, Heather walks room by room through where hooks quietly solve problems that baskets and boxes don't: the entryway, the kitchen, and all the small stuff that "doesn't really have a home" : TV remotes, towels, clothes brushes, and the chair-pile of not-quite-dirty clothes. What you'll walk away with Why hooks work so well for ADHD brains and anyone who struggles with "out of sight, out of mind" The difference between a container that helps and a container that quietly becomes a doom pile How a client's small porch and a big shoe problem got solved with hooks instead of baskets Why giving something a finite number of hooks is more useful than it sounds (especially with kids' shoes) A room-by-room walkthrough: entryway, kitchen, and the "floating" stuff that never has a proper home The one question to ask yourself about any storage solution: can I put this away easily? Who this episode is for Anyone with a spot in their home that keeps quietly filling up no matter how many pretty containers they buy for it — especially if you're ADHD, have a busy household, or just tend to forget things exist the moment they're out of sight. Timestamps 00:00 - Why hooks are the storage solution Heather had not talked about yet 00:30 - Why open containers become doom piles for ADHD and messy brains 01:00 - The fruit bowl problem and why hallway catchalls fail 02:29 - When containers turn into extra dumping grounds 03:27 - Why hooks work: visible, finite, and instant 03:56 - Preparing items so they can actually hang on hooks 05:22 - How visible storage stops losing, rebuying, and tripping over items 06:46 - Why floor space and safety improve with hook systems 07:15 - A tiny porch, too many shoes, and why baskets failed 08:40 - Replacing shoe baskets with wall hooks in pairs 09:38 - Finite wall space as a built-in boundary for growing children’s shoes 10:30 - Entryway items that work well on hooks 11:58 - Hooks in the hallway and choosing styles that fit your home 12:27 - Kitchen tools, pans, and utensils on hooks and racks 13:24 - Using a bulldog clip on a hook for receipts and paper piles 14:22 - Solving the problem of items that “float” around the house 14:46 - Anchoring the TV remote near the sofa 15:15 - Towels, colour coding, and preventing damp piles 15:43 - Clothes brushes, torches, and worn clothes that need a temporary home 16:37 - The final test: can you put it away easily? Affiliate links to great hooks: Dog tail hooks Pet station Heavy duty hook Shower glass door hooks Over door hooks Remote control bungee Phone lanyard Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary You said you'd "just tidy the side" at 11 o'clock. You look up and it's half past one, the kitchen looks worse than when you started, and you genuinely can't account for the last two hours. In this episode, Heather Tingle talks about time blindness. A genuine, documented part of how many ADHD brains work. Drawing on her own experience of starting ADHD medication and noticing, for the first time, what time feels like when it isn't "bendy." She breaks down the three ways time blindness shows up in decluttering and daily life: losing hours to a task with no sense of time passing, avoiding tasks because they feel far longer than they actually take, and "waiting mode".... the habit of doing nothing before an appointment so you don't lose track of time. Heather explains why this isn't a discipline problem, why generic productivity advice (yes, including all those planners and the Pomodoro technique) hasn't worked for you, and shares practical, decluttering-specific ways to work with it instead of fighting it. What you'll walk away with Why time blindness is different from poor time management, and why productivity advice hasn't worked for you The three ways time blindness shows up: the "Bermuda triangle of time," the overestimation trap, and waiting mode Why a visible, physical timer works where phone timers don't How timing a task once (like putting laundry away) can chip away at the "everything feels bigger than it is" feeling Why setting a hard "leave by" time works better than a vague window before an appointment How accountability — a lift arriving at your cutoff time, or body doubling — can anchor your sense of time passing The one habit to take away that interrupts all three patterns Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Time Blindness and Its Impact 02:17 Common Patterns of Time Misjudgment in Daily Life 04:10 Time Blindness vs. Time Management: Key Differences 06:03 Three Common Patterns in Time Blindness 07:28 Overcoming the Overestimation of Task Duration 08:52 Waiting Mode and Its Hidden Costs 10:41 Practical Tools: Timers and Deadlines 12:22 Using Time Awareness to Reduce Clutter and Anxiety 14:13 Accountability and Body Doubling Strategies 15:10 Final Tips and Encouragement for Managing Time Blindness Visual timer (Amazon Affiliate link) Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary In this episode of Decluttering Untangled, host Heather Tingle speaks with Emma Sales about the unique challenges neurodivergent individuals face when moving house. They discuss the importance of planning, the emotional aspects of moving, and practical tips for decluttering and packing. Emma shares insights from her book, 'Unpacked Neurodivergence and Moving House,' emphasising the need for personalised strategies and the acceptance of one's own moving process. The conversation highlights the significance of creating a safe space during the transition and managing stress effectively. In this conversation, Emma Sails shares her experiences and insights on moving, particularly from the perspective of neurodivergence. She discusses the challenges faced during her own moving day, the importance of having backup plans, and the need for clear communication and organisation. Emma emphasises the significance of creating a safe space during transitions and reflects on her past moves, highlighting the lessons learned. The discussion culminates in practical tips for a successful move. Key topics Challenges of moving house with neurodivergence Strategies for planning and decluttering Importance of safe spaces and routines during move Using tools like spreadsheets and labels effectively Managing stress and overwhelm in the moving process Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Emma Sales and her book 02:00 Why moving house is especially stressful for neurodivergent individuals 03:58 Personal experiences and motivations for writing the book 07:08 Planning and organizing the move: tips for neurodivergent minds 10:11 Using visual plans and spreadsheets to aid packing 12:04 Labeling and prioritizing items for easier unpacking 14:57 Creating safe spaces and managing overwhelm during the move 17:55 Dealing with last-minute packing and unexpected challenges 22:01 Supporting neurodivergent family members during the move 26:01 Reflections on past moves and lessons learned 30:06 Final tips and encouragement for a successful move Link to Emma Sails: https://navigatingneurodivergence.co.uk Link to Emmas Book: Unpacked: Neurodivergence and Moving House - (Amazon affiliate link) courses.untangledbytingle.com Getting Started and Zoning Workshop Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary There is a new decluttering trend doing the rounds called House Hushing, coined by Myquillyn Smith, known online as The Nester. Heather breaks down what it actually involves, where it works brilliantly, and why she has some real reservations about it for anyone with a genuinely full house or an ADHD brain. What You Will Learn What House Hushing is and the three steps behind it, the Holding Area, the Pause, and the Return How House Hushing fits into Myquillyn Smith's wider four part approach, decluttering, quiet decorating, soulful styling, and living seasonally When this method genuinely works well, and who it suits Why a full house makes this method tricky in practice The doom bag risk hiding inside this method, especially for ADHD brains Why decluttering by category beats decluttering by room Heather's take on how to adapt House Hushing so it actually sticks Chapters 00:00 Introduction to House Hushing and Its Popularity 00:30 What is House Hushing and Its Core Principles 01:01 The Three Steps of House Hushing: Holding Area, Pause, Return 01:57 The Benefits of a Quiet, Simplified Space 02:26 Personalizing Your Space and Seasonal Living 03:55 Ideal Scenarios for House Hushing: Renovations and Full Projects 06:56 Practical Challenges: Space, Sorting, and Emotional Impact 08:50 Risks of Instant Gratification and Over-Correction 10:13 Limitations: Addressing Underlying Habits and Systems 11:42 Recommendations for Effective House Hushing and Final Thoughts Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary You know that moment when the kitchen cupboard finally shuts, because you've moved half of what was in there to a back stock cupboard in the garage or a shelf in the cellar? It feels like a win. It isn't. In this episode Heather unpacks one of the most common (and sneakiest) decluttering mistakes, splitting or extending a category so some of it can live in a different room. It solves the problem in room one for about five minutes, then quietly creates two new ones, in room one and room two. Heather explains why this happens (it's not laziness, it's your brain looking for the fastest way out of a hard decision), the three knock on effects that show up later, decision fatigue, forgotten back stock, and a second room that was never designed to hold the extra weight, and walks through real examples including summer and winter clothes, books scattered across the house, and children's toys split between three rooms. You'll also get the actual fix: how to choose one proper home for a category based on where it's really used, and reduce what you own until it fits comfortably, rather than reaching for a second location every time it doesn't. If you've got clutter quietly living in more than one place, this episode will help you spot it and, more importantly, sort it for good. In this episode: What "splitting a category" actually means and why it feels like progress The three problems it creates over time Real examples: seasonal clothing, books, and children's toys How to pick one home for a category and make it actually fit Why this isn't a willpower issue, and how to give yourself permission to fix it Chapters 00:00 Introduction: The common decluttering mistake 00:30 The problem with splitting categories 01:26 How splitting causes decision fatigue 02:23 Secondary spaces and their pitfalls 04:15 Examples of category splitting: books and toys 07:07 Strategies for effective decluttering 08:34 Creating space and reducing categories 09:58 The importance of proper decluttering 10:27 Final tips and encouragement Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary Two clients, one week, the same sentence. "I'm worried because I'm sentimental about everything." It's a phrase Heather hears often, and one that quietly convinces people they're worse at decluttering than everyone else. In this episode, Heather breaks sentimentality down into four levels, most of what feels precious isn't actually equal, and talks through how neurodivergence can shape emotional attachment to belongings. She shares the story of a bag of trip souvenirs that taught her the difference between a true memory and something that just happened to be sitting next to one through osmosis. She also makes the case for why being sentimental, far from being a disadvantage, is a skill worth developing rather than a flaw to fix. In this episode you will learn: Why sentimentality isn't a weakness, and why it's simply a natural part of being human How neurodivergence can shape emotional attachment to belongings The four levels of sentimentality, from long-time possessions to pure sentimental items, and the "osmosis" attachment in between The difference between fondness and true sentimental attachment How grouping souvenirs and keepsakes together makes them all feel equally important, and how to break that grouping apart The question to ask yourself about any item, would this matter if it was the only memory you had left Why non-sentimental, disposable living leads to more clutter and more cost over time, not less Why caring for your possessions and feeling attached to them is a skill worth developing, not a disadvantage Mentioned in this episode: DeclutterCon, Heather's upcoming event for practical tips, reframes and connections to move forward decluttering and community support Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary Heather debunks the myth that decluttering means minimalism, emphasising that a home should reflect personal love and functionality rather than societal ideals of minimalism. She discusses practical tips for organising, the importance of having backups, and embracing a lived-in, personality-filled space. Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Debunking the myth of minimalism 00:29 Why decluttering isn't about minimalism 01:00 The importance of a home that feels good 01:27 The reality of real homes versus social media images 02:27 The pitfalls of owning nothing 03:23 The value of having backups and extras 04:46 Visual clutter versus sensory needs 05:45 Creating a home that feels welcoming and personalised 07:13 Living with emptiness and adjusting to space 08:07 The 'just in case' pile and planning ahead 09:04 Hobbies, collections, and loving your belongings 10:01 The goal: functional, organised, and personalised spaces 11:24 Organising for purpose, not perfection 12:17 You can have a lived-in, chaotic, yet calm home 12:48 Final thoughts: Focus on what you love and need Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary: If you've ever put loads of time and energy into decluttering and getting organised, only to watch it completely unravel the second life gets difficult, this episode is for you. Heather talks through one of the most common patterns she sees in client homes and inside the Untangled Life membership: building systems that only work when everything is going well. She explains why that happens, what to do instead, and how designing for your worst week actually makes your best weeks even easier. In This Episode: 00:00 Why does it all go wrong? Heather opens with something so many people experience but rarely talk about. You do all the work, you create the system, and then one hard week hits and it looks like a bomb's gone off. She explains exactly why that happens and why it is not a discipline problem. 05:38 The fantasy self problem The system you built was probably built for a version of you that was rested, on top of things, and having a decent week. Heather talks through why that's such a natural trap to fall into, and why it's also the thing quietly sabotaging your home. 09:17 The fallback system fix The solution isn't a better system. It's a system with a built-in backup for the hard days. Heather walks through a practical example involving bathroom towels and airing cupboards, and explains how to find the right fallback for your own home. Have you bought your ticket to DeclutterCon 2026 yet? Its going to be AMAZING! full of new ways of thinking, support, companies to support your decluttering and accountability to make changes when you get home - all without the overwhelm or judgement. An Untangling Community coming together. 10/10/26, Sheffield UK. www.decluttercon.co.uk for details. Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary In this episode, Heather shares the trick she occasionally uses on herself, and with clients, to get a decluttering task started when it really doesn't want to happen. By pairing a dreaded decluttering task with another dreaded task that has a fixed deadline, she's worked out how to make procrastination work in your favour instead of against you. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Decluttering Strategies 02:48 The Letter of Two Evils Trick 05:52 Setting Up Your Projects for Success Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary Have you ever stood in a room, able to see exactly what needs to happen, but nothing will move because one thing is waiting on another thing, which is waiting on another thing? That is the bottleneck, and in this episode we're sorting it out. I walk you through the placeholder method: a simple, slightly-messy-in-the-short-term approach that gets everything moving again, even when the thing you're waiting for hasn't arrived yet. We use the sideboard example, but this applies everywhere in your home, and once you see it, you will not be able to unsee it. We also talk about why the placeholder does something that waiting never can: it gives you real information. About volume, about what you actually use, about whether the storage solution you've been dreaming of is really going to do what you think it will. Spoiler: sometimes it is. Sometimes it absolutely isn't. Either way, you'll know. In this episode: What the bottleneck actually is and why ND brains are especially prone to it The placeholder method explained, and what to use if you don't have the real thing yet Why messy short term is absolutely worth it for movement long term How placeholders tell you the volume of what you're working with before you spend a penny on furniture Test-driving a rehome before you commit to it Ditching the rose-tinted glasses on storage solutions that haven't arrived yet Where else this method works beyond the living room sideboard Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Waiting Game 02:50 Understanding the Bottleneck Effect 05:46 The Placeholder Method Explained 08:51 Testing the Placeholder: Real Feedback 11:30 Applying the Placeholder Method in Various Spaces 14:37 Encouragement and Community Engagement Come and tell me where your bottleneck is. I genuinely want to know. Find me on Instagram or come into the Untangled Life community and let's talk about it. Resources DeclutterCon Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary When did you last tell someone in real life what your home actually looks like? Not a partner, not someone you live with. A friend. A colleague. Someone you chose to tell? For most of us, the honest answer is never. In this episode Heather gets personal about the thing that makes decluttering so much harder than it needs to be. Not the stuff itself, but the secrecy, the shame, and the exhaustion of carrying it alone. She talks about what she has witnessed happen in rooms full of people who finally found others who get it, the friendships that have formed, the homes that have changed, and why shame cannot survive in community. This is also the episode where Heather shares why DeclutterCon exists, and it is not because the world needed another event. In this episode: Why so many people have never once spoken out loud about the reality of their home The connection between isolation, shame, and being stuck What actually happens when people stop doing this alone Real outcomes from Heather's in-person Untangled events Why community is the shift that changes everything Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Struggles of Clutter 02:40 The Emotional Toll of Clutter and Isolation 05:55 The Power of Community and Shared Experiences 08:39 Creating Safe Spaces for Connection 11:27 The Vision Behind DeclutterCon 14:11 Invitation to Join the Untangled Community Links: Book your DeclutterCon ticket Join the Untangled Life membership waitlist Find Heather on Instagram: @untangledbytingle Website: DeclutterCon Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary If you've hit a wall with your decluttering and you're starting to get annoyed at yourself at your lack of progress, this episode is for you. Heather unpacks why lack of progress usually has nothing to do with laziness, and everything to do with what else is going on in your life. From the aftermath of a heatwave to the stress of everyday life quietly draining your energy, there are so many reasons why progress slows down. And then there's the middle bit: that slog that feels like it goes on forever before the end suddenly appears. In this episode Heather covers: Why your energy is probably being used up elsewhere without you even realising The middle bit of a project and why it feels so hard Why microcategories are your best friend when you're running low on capacity How to track your discards so you can actually see your progress Matching your plan to the energy you really have, not the energy you think you should have Why rest is not optional, and why giving yourself permission to stop is part of the process Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Decluttering Frustration and Human Limits 00:27 You Are Not Lazy: Understanding Energy Limits 01:25 External Stressors Impact Decluttering Capacity 02:17 The Effect of Heat and Stress on Functioning 02:45 Life Overloads and Limited Energy for Optional Tasks 03:12 Middle-Project Slumps and Motivation Loss 04:09 The Importance of Micro Categories 06:21 Monitoring Discards to Track Progress 07:12 Reviewing and Adjusting Your Decluttering Plan 08:36 Rest Is Part of the Process 09:31 Upcoming DeclutterCon Event in Sheffield Mentioned in this episode: DeclutterCon 2026, Saturday 10th October, Sheffield. Tickets available now at www.decluttercon.co.uk use code earlybird26 for a discount (for the first 20tickets sold or by the 30th June 2026, whichever comes first) Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary You can see the potential in it. You know someone out there would love it, fix it up, give it a new life. So into the charity bag it goes — because that feels like the kindest thing to do. But what if that well-meaning donation is actually creating a problem for the very charities you want to support? In this episode, Heather talks about wishcycling — the habit of donating items in the hope that someone else will do the rescuing — and what to do instead when something isn't quite charity-ready. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Wish Cycling 02:52 Understanding Wish Cycling and Its Impact 05:33 Options for Responsible Decluttering 08:47 Finding Better Exits for Unwanted Items Resources Olio App Decluttering Untangled Facebook Community Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary If clutter is causing tension in your home, you are not alone. Whether it's a partner, spouse, housemate or family member, living with someone who has a different relationship with stuff than you do is genuinely hard, and the resentment that builds on both sides can start to feel impossible to navigate. In this episode, Heather Tingle draws on a decade of working in clients' homes, as well as her own personal experience, to talk honestly about what actually happens when one person is overwhelmed by the clutter and the other is overwhelmed by the pressure to let it go. This is not a one-sided conversation. Heather talks about why blame never helps, why the person with the clutter is not broken or lazy, and why the person feeling resentful is not wrong to feel the way they do either. You will come away with practical strategies including how to have the conversation before any decluttering starts, why proper decluttering looks messier before it gets better, how to get the other person genuinely involved without it becoming a battle, and how to find a shared finish line that works for both of you. Because the goal is not for one person to win. It is for the home to feel livable for everyone who lives in it. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Decluttering Challenges 02:56 Understanding Resentment in Shared Spaces 05:36 The Importance of Communication 08:17 Navigating the Decluttering Process 11:13 Involving Others in the Decluttering Journey 14:29 Creating a Collaborative Environment 17:01 Establishing Practical Solutions 20:06 Celebrating Progress Together 22:48 Conclusion and Encouragement courses.untangledbytingle.com Getting Started and Zoning Workshop Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary Heather Tingle shares practical strategies for coping with the overwhelming feeling of hating your own home. She discusses how to create pockets of calm, enjoy your space now, and find small ways to improve your environment despite ongoing decluttering efforts. Chapters 00:00 Coping with Home Discomfort 06:06 Strategies for Creating a Comfortable Space 09:45 Finding Joy Outside Your Home 11:36 Creating Pockets of Niceness 15:45 Enjoying Your Space Now 18:33 Call to Action: Reclaim Your Home Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

Send me a text message about this podcast Summary In this episode, Heather Tingle tackles the clutter of DIY hardware bits in your junk drawer. Learn how to organise, declutter, and decide what to keep or let go of, making space and reducing stress. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to DIY Clutter 02:48 Identifying and Managing Spare Parts 05:34 The Guilt of Unidentified Items 08:56 Practical Tips for Organizing DIY Supplies 11:48 Conclusion and Encouragement Resources Episode 104 on dealing with miscellaneous bits Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.