FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

You'll be doing it completely different to your previous attempts.

The Clutter Clearing Journey was discovered by a former Clutterholic and borderline Hoarder who used it to deal with her own clutter.

She's been sharing it with other clutterholics and hoarders who want to become Clutter Free FOREVER just like her ever since.

So it's proven to work LONG TERM.

Imagine clearing your clutter FOREVER....

This time you'll be:

• Taking it slow. No more blitz's or trying to clear it fast. Your clutter didn't appear over night, in a day, a week or month so it's unrealistic to think you can clear it that fast.
• You'll be breaking the habits you've got that caused the clutter and creating new habits so that you can make sure the clutter never grows back.
• There are 7 steps in your Journey. Each step takes at least 10 weeks to complete. We don't start working on your clutter until Step 2 because we spend the first step learning about you, your home and your clutter. I bet you've never done that before?!
• You'll learn how to make SAFE decisions that are right for YOU in Step 3 of your Journey. No more waiting for someone else to tell you what you 'should' do and making judgments on you, your belongings and your lifestyle.
• You'll be working towards a goal that is meaningful to YOU. No show home. No immaculate, zen-like home. A comfortable home that is comfortable to live in and reflects YOU.
• You'll have more than keep, chuck, charity as choices. You'll have 7 action focused categories about what to do with your clutter.

One of the most important things about the Clutter Clearing Journey is that you go at a pace that is comfortable for YOU.

As you work through the 7 Steps the amount of time will slowly increase as you get on to 'doing the doing'.

Ideally when you start with Step 1 you will be able to treat it like part-time course and set aside one hour twice a week; 1 hours to watch and understand the theory videos, 1 hour to watch and do the exercise videos.

When you move onto Step 2 ideally you'll be able to set aside 1 hour a day, 5 days a week to do a short Clutter Clearing Session or watch the weekly theory videos.

The important thing is to fit our Clutter Clearing into our normal lives, and you'll never be doing more than 2 hours a day for a maximum of 5 days a week because Clare won't let you!

From as little as £97 / $127 month.

That's the equivalent of £3 / $4 a day.

For this you get:

• Access to the online videos
• Access to the weekly LIVE Online Social Gathering on a Monday
• Access to the weekly LIVE Q&A on a Friday

Yes.

We take our Clutter Clearing Journey VERY slowly, building up our knowledge and understanding before we start working on the actual clutter.

You go at a pace that YOU are comfortable with, you are in control of the speed of your Journey at all times.

We don't start working on actual clutter until Step 2 (e-mail, computer and paperwork clutter) so if by the end of Step 1 you feel your anxiety levels increasing or your depression worsening, then I encourage you to seek emotional support from a counselor or therapist at that point.

if you're kind to yourself and get the right support in place BEFORE you start your Clutter Clearing Journey.

​Everyone on the Journey struggles with impatience (!), but it's important we take it slowly precisely because even if you don't suffer from a pre-existing issue, going through your belongings that you may not have seen for years can cause anxiety / depression.

​Lots of Journey members have - or do - struggle with the following:​

• Anxiety

• Social Anxiety

• Low self-esteem

• Depression – either long term, severe or periodic bouts

• Weight issues / obesity

• Schizophrenia

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

• PTSD

• Extreme Overwhelm

• Isolation

• Parental relationship issues – either past or current - particularly with their relationship with their mother

• Relationship issues – either past or current

So if you struggle with any of these, know you're perfectly normal.

Everyone who starts their 7 Step Clutter Clearing Journey gets access to:

• Weekly LIVE Online Social Gathering in which people on their Journey, taking a one day workshop or a short course can meet and share their successes, challenges and set themselves some goals to work towards each week
• Weekly LIVE Online Q&A  for Journey Members in which Clare answers any questions that people may have had about the theory or exercise videos they've watched that week.
• Clare's Private VIP Circle Group in Facebook. You'll get access to this group where you can share successes and challenges with other Clutter Clearing Members who know and understand the significance of what you share. So you'll never be far away from meaningful, non-judgmental support and understanding!

Depending on which level of Journey Membership you have, you can also get a monthly or fortnightly private 1-2-1 call with Clare if you would like to have regular private advice and support with her.

Don't be too hard on them.

If they haven't had a clutter challenge themselves it's very hard for people to understand how difficult it is to deal with it.

They do care - people only get frustrated with us if they care - and they're probably not supportive because they know you want to clear it and they don't want you to fail again​

You can get support while you're on the programme either by joining a support group (in person or online), doing your weekly classes by joining Clare in her home in the UK, or having private 1-2-1 help and support from Clare on the telephone or skype when you do your weekly classes.

Your well meaning friends and family can always support you by taking things that YOU decide are going to charity shops, recycling or landfill, or even just by inviting you round for dinner after you've had a Clutter Clearing day so you don't have to cook.

Support doesn't always have to be specific to the actual clutter.

Absolutely.

We don't start working on the actual clutter until Step 2,so that will help ease you in gently.

I do recommend that hoarders have 2 types of support outside of the Journey:

1. A friend, neighbour, social worker - anyone who is supportive of you doing your Journey and can watch the videos and do the exercises with you. All they need to do is arrange to come and watch the online videos with you and help you turn the exercises into action. It means you will also have someone who is learning what you're learning so they understand.
2. Therapist / counsellor. If you are a hoarder you will almost certainly experience anxiety at some point on your journey and this can increase even in Step 1 when we start to look at WHY we have our Clutter Challenge.  So I recommend that hoarders start their weekly Counselling / therapy BEFORE they start their Journey so that they can get comfortable with their counselor / therapist before the challenges begin. You will need to commit to having weekly counselling / therapy for at least 18 months while you are on your Journey, therefore you are likely to have to privately fund this as state funded programmes are usually only short term.

I'm afraid not.

Putting ourselves under a time pressure for clearing our clutter increases our sense of anxiety, which reduces our ability to make clear, informed decisions, learn new habits and clear our clutter at a comfortable pace.

​If you haven't yet sold or got a date for moving, I'd strongly recommend you postpone it until you've cleared your clutter.

​Yes that may be 12 - 18 months, but as soon as you have a time pressure, you're likely to fail. If you have already sold your home or got a moving date, your only real option is to put your clutter into off-site self storage.

​BUT - and it's a big but.....

​Commit to starting the Clutter Clearing 7 Step Journey within a month of moving so that you can work on that clutter in off-site self storage, otherwise it will simply be 'out of sight, out of mind', not of the clutter causing habits will change, and you'll clutter up your new home and be back to square 1 - or worse because now it's in your home AND your self storage unit which is costing your money.

​People in this situation usually have Private 1-2-1 Support from Clare to make sure they are accountable to actually starting the Journey within a month of moving because all Clutterholics know what it's like to have good intentions but never actually follow through with the action!

Absolutely.

You'll be on this Journey for between 12 - 18 months and during that time you will have good days, bad days, good weeks, tough weeks, life getting in the way, holidays.

That's normal.

The weekly Online LIVE Social Gatherings and weekly online LIVE Q&A follow term time format to allow you - and Clare! - to have some downtime during the normal holidays.

I wouldn't recommend it.

​The Clutter Clearing 7 Step Journey is very different to anything else you'll find and will teach you concepts, principles and methods that you won't get anywhere else.

So to follow more than one programme at a time would be a conflict.

It would be confusing as to what you're learning and doing for which programme, and would zap your time and energy.

As you will learn on the Journey, one of the big challenges that clutterholics and hoarders have is that they don't focus and finish one thing at a time. Trying to do more than one programme at a time is an example of this.

​Much better to focus on one programme at a time. Finish the other programme, and if that doesn't work then start your Clutter Clearing Journey.

Yes - but let's think about other, cheaper (or free) options.

Firstly let's change the words you're using.

We're not 'getting rid' of clutter. We're letting go and passing it on. That's much kinder words to use. Getting rid of clutter sounds harsh and as if you don't care, and I'm sure you do care about the things in your clutter.

The Clutter Clearing Programme doesn't involve home visits from Clare, unless you choose to complete the programme with that option which, for most people, is prohibitively expensive.

​There are, however, lots of ways you can get help to transport clutter to it's new home.

Examples include:

• Asking friends, family or neighbours to help by taking things for you. This is a great way they can help you WITHOUT being involved in the decision making

• Many local charities will collect items for free. You just need to call them and book a collection

• Contacting your local council as they often do a bulk collection service for a small fee

• Freecycling. There are websites where you can list items for people to come and collect them if they want them. NOTE: I do not recommend this if you live alone.

• Local Freecycling. Putting unwanted items on your boundary with a sign that says 'FREE - please give a new home' is often a quick, simple and easy way to let go of things you no longer need.

• Local nurseries, schools, community organisations. Nurseries are often very happy to receive children's toys. Schools are often grateful of books for their library. Community organisations often appreciate excess food, toiletries, kitchen utensils and furniture. And they'll all come and collect from you if they want what you're giving away!

Before Covid-19 I would have said yes, I can help you get away from it.

Sadly, at the moment, I can't.

However, I can help you feel not alone or isolated.

We the weekly LIVE online Social Gatherings and the weekly LIVE online Q&A, you can meet, see and share with other Clutterholics who are on their Journey too, so not only can you stay in touch with the outside world, you can also share and support each other.

You'll also get access to my Private VIP Circle on Facebook so you can share and get support from other Journey Members in-between the LIVE sessions.