This week we reflect on the small but powerful act of fixing a broken wheel on an office cart—and what it taught us about decision-making, resourcefulness, and letting go of mental clutter. We explore how these “tiny wins” can create major momentum in your organizing journey, and how to know when it’s time to fix something, repurpose it, or move on.
This is part of our ongoing Fix It or Free It series, where each month we take on a single item we've been avoiding and finally make a decision. This month? A quick 20-minute fix made a big difference—and we’re breaking down why.
In This Episode We Talk About:
- How small repairs can spark a sense of progress and empowerment
- The hidden weight of “wobbly” systems and unmade decisions
- A practical mindset shift for tackling your fix-it pile with purpose
Mentioned in This Episode:
- The Fix It or Free It challenge
- Why “just fix it” can be a powerful organizing tool
- How to assess when to repair, replace, or release an item
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Review Transcript:
Welcome back to Organized and Cherish. I'm so glad that you're here. If you're new, this is the show where we talk about the real life side of organizing and decluttering and creating spaces for what matters to you. And if you've been here for a while, welcome back, friend. Today's episode is about something simple and personal that I've been doing every month for 2025.
And even if you are listening to this beyond the year of 2025, I think you can relate. So this year I decided that I would call upon, I would call it the year of fix it. Like finally take action and fix it. And that's for my own personal journey. But I then started to realize as I was talking about it that a lot of you are on that same path where you have this fix it pile that you will get to later and then you never do.
And then instead of it creating harmony or. You know, you, you had good intent in, in that you would fix it. Instead of trying to find something new and being wasteful, now you're being wasteful because you're probably getting a double to replace what was broken and, or it's creating mental or physical clutter.
So it is doing the opposite of being helpful. And now you have this pile that you may or may not get to. So when I started to talk about my own journey, how I have this pile of things, of things that I needed to fix, many of you related to it. So I thought, let's make it a like, let's make it a theme. Let's do this together.
So every month in this year, as of right now, I mean, I could go forward, I could take it, you know, beyond this year. But for this year, I'm choosing one thing every month that I will either finally fix or let it go free it. So it's a fix it or free it series. It's all about action taking. And this month for April, I decided to pick an item from my furniture pile.
So in January we did, I fixed the straps of my bag, my work bag, finally, that it's just been sitting there and I'd been wanting to buy a new work bag, but not really because I loved this one that I had. It was really just because it was broken. So finally bought new ones. Some leather were sturdy, leather type ones, and I've been using them ever since.
I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. So that's January. So anyway, going forward, and then I have one for February, March as well, and you can listen to those podcast episodes. So then in April, because I had done, I did an article of clothing in February. I turned an old dress into a skirt that I would actually wear.
I. So I took it to the seamstress, to the tailor, and in March I cleared out the items that I knew that I was not going to fix because now I had been doing this for two months. I had already taken some, some stuff in. So I had the energy, like the good energy, like the energy that you need to let to finally let go of stuff.
So I let go of a lot of the stuff in that pile. So I decluttered that fix it or free it box. That was March, and in April I decided to do a furniture piece. So that's what we're gonna talk about today. All right, so we're doing, we're fixing the wheel on my cart, so here we go.
Welcome to the Organized and Cherish podcast with the Organized Flamingo. I am your host Stephanie, your compassionate and deficient professional organizer. Whether you are part of the sandwich generation helping a loved one declutter, or just trying to simplify life, this is the place for you. Together we will tackle those overwhelming piles of stuff, uncover purpose in what we keep, and let go with dignity and care, because it's not just about throwing everything away, it's about respecting memories and simplifying life.
Sound like a plan? Let's jump in and get organized. What is this cartwheel? So I'm not talking about the gymnastics type of cartwheel. It's the wheel on a cart that I have in my office. It's a utility cart slash like craft cart. Metal, it's white. I'm sure you've seen it. Nowadays it's a little bit more popular nowadays.
It's like not super big for the garage or anything, but it's sturdy enough, so it's like that metal, and I love it. I've had it for years. I mean, and at this point I probably have had it for like seven years, but one of the wheels broke. It was, I'm actually surprised that it lasted this long. But I have been hobbling along, no pun intended, for like two years.
It got stuck in a piece of the carpet, like one of those strings that come off the carpet, and then it got stuck and it ripped and it broke the, it like shattered the plastic. Very sturdy string apparently, so it broke, threw it away. In the meantime, I put some small books to have it be even right with to the other wheels, but that meant that I could not wheel it around.
So it's been stationary this entire time. Which, you know, it's not the end of the world, but once in a full moon, I definitely wanted to move it around. Or when I needed to move it around to vacuum, to clean, I would have to pick it up like it was just a whole mess. Because you know when things are hobbling along, like you set it up, set it down somewhere again, and then you have to move those folks with it.
So it was just kind of messy. I didn't love it. It was annoying and visually unappealing, but yeah, it was just one wheel. But because I'm committed to this project, I wanted to have a variety of things that I'm fixing. So not just clothing, not just accessories, not just easy things or, um, things that, you know, I, I think, I think are easy.
I wanted to challenge myself as well to fix things that are things like furniture. Like I don't really have a lot of experience in quote unquote fixing furniture. So I really wanted to challenge myself in that. So. I immediately thought of my cart because that's the one thing that's been super annoying.
The wheel itself was not the bigger, I mean it was a big deal, but I also, what happened with this wheel is that the part that gets inserted into the cart, you know, the stud, I guess, was broken in half. So I knew that I had to do a little bit more of operational work there, not just put it a new wheel. So that's why I knew it was just gonna be like more.
More work and I was dreading it and putting it off and procrastinating. Okay, but I loved this cart. It's like the perfect white. It's the perfect size for what I need. I didn't, I need to go buy another one. In my head, I just thought like, it's going to be perfect because if I can do this, I will have the brave cape, if you will, to do something else that's a little bit more challenging and build up to something else that I've been wanting to fix.
It was all about the act that it represented for me, right? Like being resourceful. Knowing when to repair versus replace, and how tiny acts of maintenance can spark huge mindset shifts in your decluttering journey. Like that's really what I advocate for and help you with. So I thought, let me just do that for myself.
Sometimes the first sign that we need to declutter or simplify isn't a giant mess, and this cart is seriously a representation of that like this. It was just a small wobble. I actually technically fixed it. Not fixed it, but it was fine because of the little books that held it up. Sometimes it's a drawer that won't shut all the way for you.
Maybe. Maybe it's a tote that keeps falling over. Maybe there's like a cart that limps along because one wheel is misaligned, right? You might just brush it off. I'll fix it later. You'll say It's not that bad. It still works, kind of, which was my case with this cart. But when we pause and pay attention to those little wobbles, they become powerful signals.
Signals that something is needing of our attention, and that's like what this was for me. Like every time I would pass by it, it was a reminder of something that was not done that was incomplete signals that maybe the system we have is no longer working for us. That's another way to look at it, right?
It's working against us because it's annoying us. These little irritations take up more mental space than we realize. That one wheel that fell off for me, it slowed me down. There were so many times where I wanted to move it around or bring it closer to me, and I didn't because of how annoying it would be to, to make that whole thing into a process.
It created resistance, which is what I see a lot with people like the rather just not do it at all. So they, it's this hurdle, it's this bump in the road and they just rather stop. They just put on a halt, a stop, and they just don't continue forward. It might even make us avoid using the thing altogether.
Like I, like I told you, for me, like there were times where I just wouldn't even use the cart at all, where it could have been so handy. Maybe even worse. It becomes a symbol of all the other unfinished things we've been tolerating. Like sometimes these things are just that reminder of procrastination and then we start getting down on our own selves.
It's a reminder of things that we don't get done that were always procrastinating. That you remember the thing from high school, from, you know, middle school, from when you were little, when your parents or teachers or friends, whoever would remind you that, oh, you never get stepped on, right. It's a reminder of the other traumas or other trigger points that you are carrying that are very heavy.
So let's stay with the wobble cart right part. And I'm going to tell you what I ended up doing ultimately and how much shorter of a time it took to fix it in, in hindsight. But let's just stick with this analogy for just a minute. And I'm going to give it some, I'm gonna give you some questions that you might be asking yourself and or that you could be asking yourself as you go through this process that are healthy and can move you forward into that actionable steps.
Some of my favorite frameworks when it comes to decluttering, especially for the things we've been holding onto, because we might fix it one day, are. Because we're not trying to throw everything that's broken. I mean, that's really the theme. And if you're listening to my podcast or if you're part of our community, or you've come into my hemisphere here, I think you will quickly realize that we don't believe in throwing everything away, min minimalism, maximalism it all, and everything in between.
There's a place for everything, and it depends on your personality. In your natural way of life. So we don't really adhere to any one particular type of trend. We accept all of them, and we let our clients, our community, our people, our listeners, tell us what they need and where they are, and we meet them there.
So you will quickly learn that about us here. Hi, cherish friends. Life can get overwhelming, especially when you're juggling caregiving, clutter and everything in between. That's why I created the Organized and Cherish weekly email. That goes out every Wednesday straight to your inbox to help you keep the momentum inspiration going with tips and reminders of our upcoming events.
All you have to do is head on over to organize and cherish.com and sign up for the email newsletter. It's free and you can sub subscribe whenever you'd like. It's my way of helping you simplify your life and respecting memories along the way. Now back to our show. So we're not trying to throw everything away that's broken.
We're just trying to be honest. And that is the key here in that mindset that I want you to shift into, be honest with yourself. So ask yourself questions like, is this worth the time and energy to fix? Is it something I actually use or want to use? Again, this is where the guilt comes in, right? Like you might.
B, wanting to fix it. Yes. And you might have the time and the resources, but do you actually like it or are you trying to fix it because your mother-in-law gave it to you and you want to honor her and or your dad. This was like his dad's and it was his favorite tool or toolbox, or his favorite shirt, and you're just trying to not make them feel bad.
Your neighbor, who was very well intended and came in and gave you all these toys from their children in, in when they were growing up, but it's not, it's too much. You don't want it, it's your child doesn't like it, you don't like it. However, whatever mix of any of those examples are, do you actually wanna use it again?
So is it worth fixing? Do I have the skills or tools to repair it or am I just keeping it? All out of guilt. We have this framework we used to talk a lot about, it's called Maps and basically, and there's a podcast episode that goes along with it. Um, but we ask you questions all about, you know, is it, do you have the money?
Do you have the, like the, the availability, the time to do it? Do you have the specialty? Like, are you even good at it? Do you, you know, all of these resources like that we would ask you. And so you can go back to that podcast episode as well. But that's what this is all, but that like is all emphasis on asking yourself those really honest questions about decluttering and organizing.
So if you're on that journey, head on over to that podcast episode. So, you know, sometimes fixing something is a great act of resourcefulness and other times. Trying to fix it is just procrastination in disguise. If you're just really trying to avoid the conversation, you're really just trying to say, I don't like this style.
I really hate it when my parents are always bringing me the stuff from when I was little, or my sister, or my brother, or my sibling is giving me stuff from when they travel and I don't even like it. And now I broke it and it used to be on display, but I don't wanna fix it because I didn't like it to begin with.
That's what I mean about procrastination. Like, are you procrastinating a decision and by you not doing something about it, by you not fixing it, it might be a way for your own self internal instincts for they're trying to just tell you, you know what? You don't want this anyway. It's not worth it anyway.
Okay. Um, but again, it we're focused on the fixing is a great act of resourcefulness, but I want you to be. If it's time to let it go, it's time to let it go, and that's okay. So let's go back to what I did with the cart though. Okay. So what did I end up doing and how long did the whole process take? So, for me, the wheel was stuck like that little peg or, you know, little stud that goes the, that goes into the hole of the bottom of a four wheeled cart.
Um, had broken, so I got some pliers. It was kind of stuck in there, so I did use some, like, I actually just ended up using some, um, cooking oil I had really quick and that did the trick. Um, I know some people will use Vaseline and then you've got all of the actual tools like WD 40 or all of the things that you could actually be using.
Make sure that it doesn't damage your furniture piece. Ask AI or chat GPT or Google, Gemini, whatever you use, and just, or a friend or a trusted friend, right? Like, just ask them what kind of oil or lubricant can you be using if something like this happens? But you do need to know your furniture piece. And that's something that I learned really quickly with this whole process, uh, that I just want to make sure that whatever I'm fixing.
If it gets damaged, how much will I care? If I will care a lot, then I do want to take it to a professional and have them do it and pay for it, and I won't mind at all because I don't want to be responsible for potentially damaging it, and also just takes a lot of time to research it. So this particular cart was not that.
Important to me. I like it a lot, but it's not the end. It would not have been the end of the world. What I thought was worst case scenario, if I end up breaking it even more or something happens and I can't put it in, then I will just take out all the other wheels and or create a new hole like right next to it or something like that.
Okay. So I was, I was prepared for it to be damaged and have to come up with a plan B. So then finally when I got that loose, so that took me about 10 minutes. Between going to go, you know, get the oil and put a, not a carpet, but a towel underneath so it wouldn't get like the, my little workbench area would not get ruined.
I did it on the floor. I brought the towel and then the oil, and I took it out. It took me about 10 minutes. Shortly after that, when I went to go get some of the tools, like the PLI type of tools, I saw that I had an extra. An extra, uh, wheel, and I went to go compare it to the other wheels, and it was a perfect match, so we had an extra wheel.
Woo-hoo. My thought was, let me see, let me get this cleared out first. Let me see how big this wheel needs to be, the peg or the hole so I can order the right one, but I ended up having one anyways. It fit, and that was it. So apparently my fix was way easier than I thought it was going to be. That took another 10 minutes between when I found it and making sure that like it fit and going to go get it and all that.
So it was about 20 minutes in at this point, and by the way, I am keeping track and notes of my time so that I can come share it with you. All right? So sometimes I'm a little bit off by like a minute or two, but I wanna give you accurate. Reliable, like time, um, how much a task took so that you can either be inspired or get an idea of what, how long things take.
Okay. So at this point, I'm 20 minutes in and in into the project I was able to put it in. It was fine and it worked and that was it. So the end 20 minutes, it was probably a total of 30 minutes between. What I did not count is, you know, the cleanup process. Like once I put it in it kinda like some dirt came out and then I had to go vacuum in and clean it.
You know, the cleanup process, like the whole process took about 30 minutes and that was it. That was it. And then I was done, and it had been two years, two years of me looking at this, this super annoying wobble, procrastination, a symbol of me not taking action. Okay. Um, and it took me 20 minutes. So let's talk about when we do fix something intentionally and how meaningful it can be.
Just like right now, you probably can hear it in my voice. How relieved. I am to have finally done this, to not have it be a burden in my mental to-do list. It just feels so good. And when you're doing it intentionally, it's that meaningful. I mean, the, some of the powerful things that come out of these processes are, are comments like, this is worth my time.
This is still useful. Yay. I don't have to buy another one. I'm actively taking care of what I own. Like that is really meaningful. It's a vote for usefulness. So a small repair can often ripple into bigger sense of control. You realize that you can take care of things, you can make small changes, and I can finish things I've been putting off quickly.
It shifts into I can't, statements like the, oh, I can do this. Oh, these small steps that I'm taking, they will pay off. I will see the results. And even more when you fix things, it can be a bonding moment, especially when you're helping a loved one declutter. Um, this is for your own stuff that we talk about because in today's episode, it's only about my own personal stuff, but what I have seen is when people do fix it with someone else, they're not just tossing things.
You know, don't just turn it away. You're basically saying. To them, it's, let's see if this has some life left in it before we decide, like you're giving them the ability to decide for themselves. You're, you're doing something that respects their stuff and their space and they actually might come back.
You will be surprised. I work with so many people that ultimately say, you know what, nah. All they wanted do to do and to be, is to be heard. And to be respected because this is their heart earned money or time that they devoted to acquiring these things. Okay? So sometimes it's just being that compassionate, respectful self that will move the needle forward.
I mean, it's, it's just mindful and it's efficient as well at the end of the day. Okay, so let's talk about the, that fix it box going forward. So I haven't decided it's already mid May. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with May, but I am trying to do and fix different things. So I think I'm gonna do a jewelry item for the next month, but I will break, come back in about four weeks or so, 3, 4, 5 weeks Within that timeframe, give you an update on the jewelry piece that I either decided to fix.
I decided to go get it fixed and or decided to throw it away. Okay. Or just donate it or let it go, or don't, um, donate it and, and just let it go. Okay? So before we close off for the week. If this is something that you are inspired to do, you can start now. You don't have to start in January like I did. You don't have to start like the brand new 2025 challenge.
You can start it at any time. Every month, like one thing a month has worked really well for me just because of timing. Because sometimes there's things like when I redid the dress, I had to take it to the seamstress, to the Taylor, and it wasn't going to be ready for another three weeks, and so I didn't want to feel like I didn't get anything done, like I didn't want to feel like I was behind.
I, it felt like a month was good enough time to get pricing, to get, go, get quotes if that is part of the agenda. And if I did it much quicker, then I would feel really accomplished. One thing a month seems to work really well. So before we go, if this is something that you'd like to do, start now. You don't have to wait until January 1st and share it with us so we can cheer you on.
It can be anything in that fix it pile. I would suggest that you start with something either small and or inexpensive that you think will be inexpensive. You might find out that it's not, but let's start with something small that so you can get. You know, the more of the getting used to picking something and actually doing something about it, and then we can move to the bigger items.
So pick one thing, give it your attention, and you might just be surprised how much lighter you feel, not because everything is perfect, but because you chose progress over procrastination, because that's what organizing is really about. Until next week, happy organizing. Thank you for listening to the Organized and Cherish podcast with the Organized Flamingo.
If you enjoy today's episode, I'd be so grateful if you left a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps others discover our show. For full show notes, resources, and more organizing inspiration, visit www.theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast. Until next time, happy organizing.
