This week, we share how people react to motivational organizing and decluttering one-liners differently and why that is.
In this episode, we unpack why these catchy organizing mantras land differently for everyone, the psychology behind tidy habits, and why a single phrase can’t replace a whole system. We also revisit our 7-Step to Organizing *almost* Anything Framework and explain where this mantra actually fits in the process (spoiler: it’s the maintenance step, not the whole journey).
If you’ve ever wondered why certain organizing advice feels motivating for some and overwhelming for others, this is a refreshing, compassionate look at the nuance.
In This Episode, We Talk About:
- Why the phrase “don’t put it down, put it away” works for some but not others
- How relocating clutter creates junk drawers and catch-all rooms
- Why Assessing, Evaluating, and Maintaining matter more than speed
- How to use motivating mantras without creating more overwhelm
- The reminder that there’s no right or wrong way to be organized, just what’s right for you
Mentioned in this Episode:
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Review Transcript:
So this week I was chatting with a few friends and one of them said something that she had heard from an organizer somewhere, either online or somewhere out there, right? And she said, if you're struggling to keep things tidy, don't put it down. Put it away. And immediately another friend said, oh my gosh, yes, I live by that.
And then the other one said, yeah, no, there's no way that wouldn't work for me at all. And that right there is the basis for today's episode because these catchy organizing statements can be super motivating or super frustrating, and neither reaction is wrong. Especially here at the Organized Flamingo.
We believe that there is no one size fits. That there's no right way to be organized. So we're gonna talk about that. We're gonna do a refresher about the seven steps of organizing almost anything and about one-liners in these mantras and these what are meant to be a good feeling, motivating type of positive sentence, how it can actually backfire if you're not careful when it comes to your organizing decluttering, and downsizing journey.
Okay, so let's talk about it. Get right into it. 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. Let's talk about why some of these one liners hit people so differently. And the reason that I'm talking about it is because, you know, when I started this journey of being more open in content creation of organizing and decluttering and, um, downsizing topics, I really wanted to be careful about not putting people in these, no pun intended, these boxes.
And or that there was one solution. Because having studied this topic and being around people that are going through these motions of figuring out what to do with all their physical stuff and digital stuff as well, I could see patterns amongst some people and in situations. But that every single situation was so different that it would be really unfair to put people into these just one categories, like type of people.
I know there's quizzes out there to see what kind of organizer you are, or organized person, and what kind of method would work for you. And I think they're great. Okay. I, I am really not here to put those down. And if that has helped you in your organizing, decluttering, and downsizing journey, then even better, the more tools, the better.
Right. But I want to make you feel seen as well that if you have taken one of these quizzes have been categorized a certain way and that still didn't really work or it didn't really help you, you are not alone because these one-liners, these one size fits all, can actually backfire on you. They're not supposed to really be the, the answer to your problems.
You still need to do the work and you still need to do some heavy lifting again, no pun intended, but heavy lifting in the, in figuring out what process works for you in the life and in the lifestyle you're living right now, because who you were. Five years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, who you were when you grew up or what you were taught or not taught back then is very different than where, where and when you are doing the the work now.
I really wanted to be careful and be compassionate and understand that not everybody is on one journey, and so I never really wanted to have this like one liner or this like, you know, jump on trends because I just knew how sensitive of a topic that could be and how dangerous it could be to put people into these one categor.
I also know how powerful some of these one-liners can be to you, to people, to myself. Okay. So I'm gonna talk about that as well in the process. How I've kind of worked through that as well as an example, because I think it could be helpful to you. You know, organizing is a learned skill. It's not a personality trait.
And that is rooted in psychology. So organization is not something that you're born with. Uh, it will come from practice, repetition, environmental cues, and learned routines. We have a whole episode on that with some of the studies and whatnot. And what, what was found, my own observations. I have seen that.
So when someone hears that phrase, like the one I shared, you know, for this episode, don't put it down, put it away. The reaction they have, the person has is based on their learned habits, their systems, their stress levels, their tendencies that um, they have learned, especially if you're neurodivergent, family modeling culture and emotional bandwidth.
That is one of the reasons why we all respond to that very differently. I mean, in this conversation, you could clearly see the people that absolutely gravitated and loved that statement, like, oh my gosh, that's about to change my world. Don't put it down. Put it away. Yes. Great motto. Great mantra. And you could clearly see the other people that just found.
The, the loopholes in that statement. Well, what do you mean don't put it down? Like, you know what, if you're overwhelmed or what if you don't have a, a home for everything, which we will talk about as well. And you could just see the overwhelm, like that 1, 5, 6, 7 words, one statement, one liner, how overwhelming that felt for the others.
You know, it just, organizing and decluttering is something that hits very differently depending on where you come from and where you want to be. So these one-liners can, you know, bit a, be a hit or miss. And what I want you, hopefully, as we continue this conversation to think about and to remember, is that there is no one size fits all.
If you take anything away from this episode today, today and how you can take these types of mantras, one-liners and processes. And have them help you instead of, you know, work against you. So. And then the other reminder is that organizing and decluttering are two different actions in this conversation.
And we always talk about that actually, all of the actions decluttering, downsizing, are all very different types of actions. Putting things away usually is the process of organizing, finding what you need when you need it, kind of is being an organized person. Uh, but letting things go is, is part of the decluttering.
Right? And downsizing or downsizing is figuring out what will fit in your, in your new space. So a lot of people try to organize clutter, and that's what this one-liner made me think of, that they'll just try to organize. The stuff that they haven't thought about. So the clutter, and that never works.
That's also where these power statements backfire because you're just pushing yourself to put something away that actually shouldn't even stay in your life or in your space. And knowing the difference is really what we are hoping to achieve ultimately, so that you can make those decisions on your own and you're not just putting stuff away in the closet.
You know, creating a backlog in a junk drawer, in a catchall for a closet. Okay? So we're really trying to avoid all of that. So here's one of the reasons why a one-liner like this one goes in into the, the psychology where it feels really good. It reduces friction, right? The fewer decisions you make, like a statement like this one, do, do I put this here?
Or, you know, do I put it here or do I put it somewhere else? Like, it just, it makes it super easy. Decision fatigue is avoided. Beautiful, wonderful. Don't just pick it up, put it away. Yes, easy enough. The more likely you are to follow through because it's, it's easy that there's few decisions for you to make.
It also addresses the, I'll do it later trap, right? Because a lot of times later, almost never happens. So awesome. Yes. Put it away. Don't put it down. You know, instead of putting it down, put it away. Whichever variation you use, check, check, love it. It creates momentum and it gets you going, but it only works if two things are already true, that the item has a designated home, and that the home actually makes sense for your life.
Because if those two foundations are not there, then the put it away just means put it somewhere out of sight, which creates those junk drawers, those stuffed closets, and those mystery bins we all know too well. So this is why when immediately that phrase of don't put it down, put it away. Feels really exciting or very motivating at first.
I've, I've heard that term before and I love it. There's so many mantras that I use that get me going in the morning. So, um, side note for just a second, uh, I'm a flow journal person, so I, a flow journal, if you're not familiar, is just another word of like brain dump. Or somebody that journals and, uh, writes just a certain amount of pages or just whatever's on their mind to like clear their head.
And I especially do it in the morning. It's great, um, for me to, so that I don't have to like, you know, scroll or do anything else and just get my mind clear, get ready for the day, um, work out and do all that stuff. Great. Okay. So that's really worked well for me for a few years. I know it doesn't work for everybody, but it does for me.
Some people do it the opposite way, where they will flow journal at night to get everything out of their head. For me, that would be too overwhelming. And then I would go to sleep thinking about all, all the things that I just wrote down. So it doesn't work quite for me. Um, but whichever method you'd use, you know, it's, it's, it's very helpful.
Anyway, so back to what we're talking about. When I'm flow journaling though, I have certain mantras, certain motivation, uh, words or phrases that I have heard from. Running coaches, which, you know, I, I like to run, or if I do my Peloton workout, someone will say a motivating phrase and I write it down. And, and then I have others that just serve different purposes to get me going.
And if you are religious or of, you know, faith-based, you might have those quotes that help you. So whatever, whatever gets you going, they're great. So this is similar to this, but then if they don't have. A root to it as to like, you don't have a base or something that, that connects the, the, the purpose or the value to that mantra, to that phrase.
Then it's just an, it's just empty words that only get you more confused or don't really get you to your end goal. So that is why a lot of people feel very connected to phrases in one-liners like that on the other side. Why some of you. That don't have systems or a good like rooted system or way in this case, as we're talking about organizing and decluttering and downsizing, why you say, well, that just stresses me out because for you, putting it away means a whole nother can of worms You need to tackle.
What do you mean put it away? Put it away Where I don't have the space. Everything is already, you know, filled. Uh, and so that becomes more of a stressor. Then an actual, you know, remedy to the problem. And, but for some of you that do have those systems, like, oh, of course it makes sense. 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 up 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. This is where we get into, for us here at the Organized Flamingo, we have our own framework. It's similar to probably the most conventional ones that you have heard, but the ones that have worked for us in our community and our clients, and we call it the Seven Steps of Organizing almost anything.
It's kind of our backbone here. And so just as a quick reminder, we do have a full episode, episode number one of this entire episode of our podcast, starts with that, and then eventually we talk about each one individually. Um, so we go through each step and give it more details, um, in each, in its own episode.
Um, but as a quick recap, from order from one to seven, assess. Or have a plan, you know, assess the, the, the space, the problem that you have at hand when it comes to your space and, and physical stuff. This can actually also apply to digital organizing if you're needing to organize your digital stuff. But separate conversation here, assess, then sort, declutter, contain, designate a home, evaluate and maintain.
Within those seven steps, steps two through five can be done in any order depending on what your end game is. So for instance, step one, six, and seven always are done in those. In that order, you assess, you come up with a plan. You look at what, what you have at hand. And then six and seven is evaluate and maintain.
But the middle part, you can interchange. So for instance, for some of you who are under a time crunch, because you need to move, you know, next week you don't have the luxury of time on your side. So you need to do more of the declutter and contain more as a priority. More than the sort and designated home, because right now you're just in the declutter mode.
You just need to contain it. You need to put it in boxes, and then you can start thinking about designated a home if you have the time or sort through it if you have time. And then, so each of your, for every single one of you that is listening, you will have different goals in different timeframes. So the middle part, you can interchange and you can move around depending on how much time you have and what your end goal is.
Going back to our phrase of today's episode, don't put it down and put it away. It's really about that one, the, the final step, which is maintain. It's maintenance, not the whole process. So don't put it down, put it away. Works only, or it feels good if you have done the other steps, whatever steps you're following.
Okay? Because if you haven't even decluttered, if you haven't looked in your closets or your areas in years and months, then for you putting it away or putting something away doesn't mean much. You basically just. Put it open a drawer and just shove it in there, uh, which doesn't really get to the root of our problem.
Right? Okay. So my biggest tip here is before you start putting things away, putting away like things faster, make sure you're putting them away smarter. Okay? So if you are. Inspired by the, don't put it down, put it away, which I am and I love and I continue to use just in the back of your mind. Also, remember that before you start putting away those things, make sure that you have a plan for the items.
That you're not just shoving things in there, or if you are just shoving things in there that you have. A plan of attack that you understand that that's what you're doing, that you're accepting that that is the process that you, that's the process and the time that you have. That's the, that's the capacity you have right now.
But we will be addressing those spaces you're shoving things into, because then if you skip steps one through five, you're not really tidying. You're now just relocating the clutter from one space to another. So you just continue to add to the problem. And that's not process, right? It's just moving the problem.
Okay, so how can you use the phrase if you like it so it is actually helpful. So if this phrase helps you, I love that. That's amazing and great, so keep using it. Okay. But pair it with that right foundation that we just talked about. And here's a little few like safe for ways to use it so that you're not confusing yourself.
Because remember, you have to practice the act of organizing, letting go, decluttering, and all of that. So if you just keep telling yourself that phrase with no background to it. Your brain will just assume that. Yeah, just keep shoving it and shoving it and shoving it in that space. So we want to create some good, healthy habits and something that is you can easily sustain long term, okay?
So that your brain can start associating the actions with a way that actually works for you. So, um, why are you trying to tidy? Come up with, start with a goal. Like it's just kind of associate that with, okay, yes, don't put it down. Put it away. But what is my goal again? What, what matters most? What season of life on my end?
Ask yourself those kinds of questions with that mantra, with that one-liner. Make sure that everything has a home. It's going to be really important part of any of your one-liners that you use, or motivating statements that you hear out there, any of them. Okay. If something doesn't have a home yet, don't force it.
It's a decluttering decision. It's not a tidying moment. So if it doesn't have a home, ask yourself why. Is it because you don't like it? You don't use it? Um, let's, let's explore that a little bit. And if you start to find out that you know what, it's actually just because I, I, I don't know, I just didn't have a home for it, then let's go ahead and create one.
But you, you ask yourself that question and you start creating those habits to ask yourself those questions. Okay. And then use, put it away only for your everyday essentials. I would say that a statement like these, or any of those one-liners or clips, you know, those uh uh, media clips or reels or videos, clips that you hear out there, they're great.
There's like a trailer to a movie, right? It gets you interested in the topic, in what you're about to engage in, but it doesn't get to the entire storyline. Put it away only for those kind of everyday things, not for items that you haven't sorted yet. Like if you haven't even really, you know, explored that whole section.
And I'm talking about, um, this is really relevant in books. I'll give you an exact, uh, example. Um, like books is a big one. You found a book, you know, is out of place, especially like, let's say your kids' books or whatever, they're out of place. Um, and you just go put it away. But if you haven't gone through the books in a long time, all you're doing is adding more clutter like we talked about, right?
So I would apply it to things that you have already found a home to. So if the books already have a home in your li like you have a home library, a kids' library, or where kids go, or kids' books go, then that's, its home. Like you've already sorted through all that. You're not just randomly putting things to avoid the decision about the item.
We won't, don't want to keep pushing decisions away. That's a different topic. That's why storage rooms exists, which we have an entire series about that. I also have some really exciting news about storage rooms. Uh, but I will pass that on in, in a future episode two, like the next, like episode or two.
Okay? So you won't have to wait too long. But that's why those things exist, like storage rooms or storage areas, right? Those are for later decisions as far as your everyday home. We don't want to just move things around and move decisions around all the time. It just creates chaos long-term. So another way that you can use this one-liner, uh, something, you can kind of say something like, these power phrases are designed to spark momentum in me, not to give me full organizing systems.
So maybe this isn't like a a one-liner. I know that's not easy to remember, but remember that we talked about this, like these are power phrases to spark the momentum, but to not give you the full organizing system, you still need to do the work for that piece. And as motivation hits, then it will be feel lighter.
It might not be easier because I can't promise you easy work, uh, here, but it, it, it'll feel lighter. It might even feel, maybe even fun, dare I say. But it's better than fighting it and fighting it and, and not even finding that momentum, right? So we're trying to, uh, we're trying to at least connect that piece of momentum to the action.
So if you do want a refresher of the seven steps to organizing almost anything framework, you can go back to those earlier episodes. I will put them in the show notes as well, where I will, I break down each step, uh, because I know we didn't talk about it in lengthier, but they are a backbone of what we talk about.
It's not like a, a one cure all this, like do these seven steps and it, it organizes everything, which is why I added the, almost anything, just a fun fact. Like a side note, I have, um, a couple of different coaches and all of them said, why are you using the word almost? It's almost, it's a filler word. And I said, I get that.
I get it. But I don't wanna make promises just for the sake of marketing, just so for the sake that it. It reads and it looks good on paper, like seven steps of organizing every, everything. It just feels flashy. Like I don't, we don't work that way. Um, it, it works for most things and most people if you kind of follow this, but this will also lead to your own ideas and your own systems, and that's what we're going for.
So it's a good foundation that lets you, lets you make these one-liners actually work for your home and your brain and your seasonal life and to get that going and for it to actually stick. Alright, well with that being said, we will see you in the next couple weeks. I have some exciting news about what's coming in 2026 and furthermore, so I'm so excited to talk to you then.
Until next time, 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.