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Tanya: All right. Welcome to the momentum. Podcast. Julie.

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Tanya: Thank you so much for coming on.

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Julie Coraccio: I'm excited to chat today. Thanks for having me.

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Tanya: Me, too. This conversation is so needed by myself. And I know many others as when this podcast will be airing, it's gonna be January. So it's a month of New Year's resolutions, and I'm sure many of us are trying to get organized and

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Tanya: the clutter and that is your specialty, so can you start by introducing yourself to the audience.

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Julie Coraccio: Sure. So I'm Julie Caraccio. I have been in business since 2,009, and I support people in decluttering not only their home but their lives, I view, clutter very holistically, because it's more than just the physical stuff. And so I want people to understand that and see the bigger picture of clutter. And so I also encourage people to become more mindful and aware during the decluttering process. I am currently in Wheeling, West Virginia

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Julie Coraccio: wasn't part of the plan. Woman plans and the universe, and God laughs. So I'm back where I started, and I just get really passionate about supporting people and decluttering their homes and their lives.

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Tanya: Okay? And then just kind of off topic here. But what? So where are you originally from? Are you not from there West Virginia.

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Julie Coraccio: I am from Wheeling, West Virginia, and I left when I was 18, to go to college, lived in Vermont, Maine, Los Angeles, Raleigh, and then my mom got sick, and so I said to my husband, Hey, how you feel about this? And he was because he's awesome, said, Let's go back and help. So you know, I'm a little bit older than you, and so I think, as you get older in life, it's my entire family extended. Family is here. So it's it's nice.

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Tanya: Oh, that's so nice! Well, my whole extended family is in Boston, and I'm in Indiana, so

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Tanya: I think that's so, and I always want to go back to my roots and like back to my family like end up there.

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Tanya: But so I'm happy for you that you ended up back there.

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Julie Coraccio: Thank you.

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Tanya: Yeah. But anyway, what inspired you to become a professional organizer and focus on helping people clear, clutter in all areas of their lives.

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Julie Coraccio: So I had moved from Los Angeles to Raleigh, North Carolina, and I had a

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Julie Coraccio: telecommute job for a while, and then I lucked out that literally was about to implode. And so I was like, got another job. My background had been in fundraising Director of Development, and I got a job as a director of the Development, and within 2 weeks I was like, what have I done? This place is crazy. And so I was like, Hmm, I need to have an exit, but I don't just want to quit.

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Julie Coraccio: I don't want to just get another job. So I was like, what could I do and be my own boss, but I have to be able to pay the bills. I was single at the time. I have to make a difference in people's lives that's really important to me and and support myself. And I was like, you know what I'm going to be a professional organizer and help people to clutter, and people are like, you're nuts. It's crazy. What are you doing? But I will never forget if for any of you listening out there.

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Julie Coraccio: I'm a huge fan of women opening up their own businesses. There's a resource called Score.

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Julie Coraccio: which are retired people, and so, for instance, I got advice on marketing. But I'll never forget. I had these 2 old guys who were helping me to set up the business, and they said, You want to do what

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Julie Coraccio: what people do that really like they just couldn't even grasp. And this was 15 years ago that someone would do that. And so that kind of led me down that road so like, I want to make a difference. I want to help people. What is it that I can do with my skill? Set.

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Tanya: Yeah, I love that. So have you always been? Are you just like, naturally organized and naturally like de good, with decluttering.

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Julie Coraccio: I would say I'm naturally organized. And so before I even did this, people say, Hey, can you come? Help me like, when I was living in Los Angeles, and I'll just share this is, I just want to share this really quickly, because this to me, is the power of decluttering. So I'm helping my bff. And I was like, Yeah, I'll come over.

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Julie Coraccio: And I was like, you know what your apartment is in pretty good shape, I said, except for this one long wall. So she had a garage apartment. So when you walked in, it was the longest part of the apartment. I said, you have junk up here what's going on? So we started to talk.

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Julie Coraccio: and I said, Oh, you're putting a barrier up because your crazy neighbor is on that side. And so you are literally

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Julie Coraccio: trying to create a physical

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Julie Coraccio: separation from you and the crazy neighbor. And once we articulated that and talked about it and figured out she was able to declutter.

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Tanya: Interesting.

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Julie Coraccio: And what is the deeper thing going on here? And so that's why I get all excited because it can have such a huge impact. And so I had done that. And people say, Oh, you know, you're kind of organized. You're kind of uptight. Come up and help me. And so I was doing it prior to making a career out of it.

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Tanya: Okay, cool. And I want to talk about next, what role decluttering plays in creating a more peaceful and functional environment, specifically, maybe for families, since this is kind of like a family

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Tanya: show.

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Julie Coraccio: It's huge. So I want people to remember everything is energy. And so an example, if that's might be too weird for some people, you heard that expression? The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife right that.

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Tanya: That's what I'm.

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Julie Coraccio: Talking about like the feel. So if your space

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Julie Coraccio: doesn't feel good, you don't want to be there. If it feels, you know, clutter is stuck literally stuck stagnant energy. So if you're like, I'm trying to create

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Julie Coraccio: a study area for my kids so that they can be successful. But it's jam full of stuff. They're not going to be able to think clearly. It's not going to be a conducive environment, you know things to ask yourself, have you dropped off the kids late because you couldn't find your keys in the.

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Tanya: Oh, yeah, right?

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Julie Coraccio: Or have you paid your bills late because you can't find the checkbook or your desk is so disorganized. So when you declutter, and when you organize, it brings you peace of mind. It helps you save time. It helps you save money. I mean, there are tangible benefits. I also want to share one. Stat, because I'm a stat girl. 80% of our medical expenditures. Expenditures are related to stress.

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Tanya: And clutter creates stress.

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Julie Coraccio: And so what I would say to people is, what is

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Julie Coraccio: what are costing you? Is it time, money, frustration? You're arguing with your spouse or kids. And I mentioned earlier when we were talking, I want people to see the bigger picture of Clutter. So, for instance, a messy desk isn't just a messy desk. It's a roadblock to that promotion you want, or it's preventing you from writing that next great American novel or the stuff closet is a barrier to a peaceful relationship. So it's not just about the stuff. See that bigger picture.

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Tanya: Yeah. And isn't it? And I've heard it said before, where, like, your outer environment is really just a physical manifestation of your inner environment.

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Julie Coraccio: A 1,000%. The inner affects the outer and vice versa. So as you start to maybe have less anxiety, mental clutter that's going to help you be able to clear your physical space as you deal with your emotional issues. It's going to help with the physical space as you clear your physical space that's going to help with mental clarity. It's all related. It's all interwoven.

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Tanya: Yeah, I totally believe in that.

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Tanya: And then, you know, since well, right now it's like just before Christmas. But when this airs Christmas will be over. So I want to talk about the holidays.

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Julie Coraccio: Which.

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Tanya: All like I'm already like gearing up for the anxiety that I'm gonna feel like I feel every Christmas more like my kids are 7, 5 and 2,

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Tanya: and just like all that.

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Julie Coraccio: It's overwhelming.

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Tanya: It's so overwhelming. So where should we start when it comes to like post holiday decluttering.

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Julie Coraccio: I would say, decorations are probably one of the biggest areas that you have and what I would say if someone listening. You're like, you know what? I can't do this in January. Okay. But then this advice is going to apply when you go to put out the Christmas decorations at the end of the next Christmas, or whatever. So really

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Julie Coraccio: get a visual of what you have, and so gather all of your

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Julie Coraccio: we'll talk about Christmas. So maybe it's Christmas stockings. Maybe it's your wreath or whatever, but really get it all in one space, because if we have it, say, if we have some in the garage. We have some in the attic. Maybe there's some in the shed. We really don't have an idea of how much we have until we can get it in one space, right? And so the other reason for that is okay. You put every all your Christmas decorations together. Then you can sort like, okay.

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Julie Coraccio: I have decorations. I have things for the outdoors. And then once you do that, then you can declutter and say, Oh, wow! I didn't realize I had 500 ornaments. I think there's some of these that I can let go of right, and so decorations is where I'd start, and as you're decluttering, I would ask yourself, Wow, you know. Can I maybe get

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Julie Coraccio: some pine cones from outside and create like a little natural decoration, instead of buying something else, or that allows me to let that go right. And so, thinking ahead like, what are the things that I can do now, I'm all about doing things once and doing them right. So if you get that visual, you've divided everything into categories, you've come up with what you're going to let go. Do you want to

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Julie Coraccio: donate it? Do you want to pack it up and say, in April I'm going to have a garage sale right? So we don't have to create extra work. We have that box here. Boom! I'm going to have this for a garage sale, and then, once you have figured that out, you pack back everything you have, and you want to make sure you label it.

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Julie Coraccio: And I'm also a fan of having a master inventory. So you just know. Oh, my, gosh, okay, a, this is where this is. And B, this is how much stuff I have. Right? I think again, it's important to realize, so that maybe you can say, Oh, like I knew someone I didn't realize this was a thing.

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Julie Coraccio: but apparently some designers come out with a new Christmas holiday ornament every year. And so someone would want to collect that. And maybe you can say, Wow, you know what I have 10 of these ornaments. I don't think I need to get another one this year, so be aware of decorations. The other thing are cards.

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Julie Coraccio: I have had people.

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Julie Coraccio: boxes and boxes of cards, and going through. I was like, do you even know who this person is? And no? Okay. Well, then, you know what

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Julie Coraccio: we can let that go. So.

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Tanya: Yeah.

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Julie Coraccio: I want to say something, too. I don't believe I don't should say I don't believe

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Julie Coraccio: minimalism is not for everyone, and so don't beat yourself up. You know we see Instagram, and how we should be, and how we look, you know. So let that go. But what is important is to be discerning. Do you need all those cards right?

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Tanya: Because can we just let some of those go if you don't remember who the person is, or.

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Julie Coraccio: You no longer have, you'd be surprised. Things people keep. They don't have a happy relationship with that person. Well, then, let it go. Recycle the card right? Everything's energy. So if you're holding on to those relationships that aren't positive.

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Julie Coraccio: let them go. The other big thing, I would say is is going through your gifts. So say you are a clothes person, and you got a bunch of new clothes

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Julie Coraccio: for Christmas for the holidays. Then go through your closet right and have that room. You know we talk about energy and space. If everything's so packed in, you can't invite what you desire into your life right? Because it's that stuck stagnant energy. And if you know you want more peace of mind, or you want to have time to work on your creative pursuits. Clutter prevents you from that. I also encourage you, and I got in trouble when I lived in the South for sharing this. But regift.

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Julie Coraccio: if there are things that you don't like, you know. I have a re gift shelf, and I label who gave it to me. So I make sure.

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Tanya: Yeah, so you don't give it back to that person.

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Julie Coraccio: To that person or in that friends group, right? Maybe you're all hanging out. And then your friend Sally wears a scarf, and you're like Sue's like. Hmm! That looks familiar right? But I'm a fan of.

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Tanya: View.

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Julie Coraccio: And especially if things are new, and you're not going to use them. Donate it to charity. So many

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Julie Coraccio: these days have auctions, and now is a great time after the holidays to declutter with the kids. Right? It's so important that we instill these

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Julie Coraccio: decluttering and organizing skills as children because you were just going to help them be a successful adult. I work with people who never learn these skills right and are challenged to let things go. So when they you'd see. Oh, you know, I got all these new books then, hey? I can let some of my books, or I can let some of my stuffed animals, or I can let some of my toys go. And another thing that helps when

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Julie Coraccio: a child, some kids are great, like, yeah, let it go? If the child is, maybe it's a little more difficult. Then have them find a charity that they're passionate about. Hey? You know what if we let go of these blankets, then we can give them the animal shelter.

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Julie Coraccio: and they can use them for the doggies and the kitties, or if we let this go, then they'll be able to raise money to a child that's in, you know, Foster care, and that they'll be able to have something, and when kids understand that

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Julie Coraccio: their possessions are going to someone that will love them or need them or take care of them. Sometimes that's just what they need to be able to let things go.

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Tanya: Yeah, I like that idea.

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Tanya: do you have any other suggestions on how we can get our kids to voluntarily let go of items like they don't play with anymore. Like, I know, I've tried

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Tanya: takes. And maybe it's just the approach

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Tanya: that I go in with my like with my kids

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Tanya: like when I explain to them, this is going to somebody who like really needs it, like, there's a little boy or girl that doesn't have any toys or a place to live, and it's going to make them so happy. They just they're not hearing it. They just have this like attachment. They just

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Tanya: I don't know, so it's hard.

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Julie Coraccio: Then take them to the charity. That's 1 thing that I would suggest, so that they see, you know you're not just Mumbo Jumbo.

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Tanya: I know.

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Julie Coraccio: Talk about. If we have all this stuff, then you know what we're not going to be able to get new things.

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Tanya: That. Too. Yeah.

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Julie Coraccio: Run out. We're just going to run out of space right? And they.

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Tanya: Right.

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Julie Coraccio: That that's something that they'll understand. And you know I mentioned we talked about after Christmas, but birthday birthdays are a great time to purge at the end of the school year, at the beginning of the school year things weren't going to be getting new things and say, Oh, you know, in with the new and out with the old right and setting those limits. It's about setting limits. And the other thing is, it's really important to involve your kids like I've seen parents have

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Julie Coraccio: tons and tons of school memories right? And they've saved like every scrap of paper and every art project, and a lot of times. The kids are like, you know what? I don't need, that you're saving it for you. It's not for me, and so ask them what's important to you.

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Julie Coraccio: Right? What is it that you want to say? Because maybe it's something that you think looks?

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Julie Coraccio: I don't know, not presentable, not great. But the Kid really loved it right? And so you get them involved and you want them involved, because to be able to understand limits, to be able to self regulate and understand the process. Wow! If I keep getting shoes, and eventually I'll run out of room right? And for them to learn those skills to be able to let go.

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Tanya: I love that

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Tanya: and like, what are you speaking of? Like? What are some practical tips of managing the emotional attachment to certain items like maybe baby clothes or other, like sentimental gifts.

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Julie Coraccio: I'm glad you asked that because a lot of people get hung on that hung up on that our hearts.

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Julie Coraccio: our memories, are in our hearts, and they're in our head right? So if I let go of that sweater from the 1st date I had with my husband, I'm still with my well, hopefully, still with my husband. Right, but the memory is still there.

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Tanya: Because.

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Julie Coraccio: The physical item. So you know what you're having that physical item, put it behind your back, and they're still talking about the memory. You know it's gone. But look.

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Julie Coraccio: you still have it now, if they're really struggling, you can take pictures.

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Julie Coraccio: you know. So you could. Okay, you know what? And then but again, we have to remember we have digital clutter as well. So that's something that we're going to have to go through. And what I say, is curate

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Julie Coraccio: something. So, for instance, instead of a hundred stuffed animals, you have your 10 favorite. And why are these your favorite? Tell me about that? Or one thing I'm doing. My mom was a painter, and she started to. When she started to paint. She started painting in her fifties, but she made Christmas cards right? And so having a shadow box

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Julie Coraccio: with the Christmas, the 14 Christmas cards that she painted, and that's something that is something that I can hang on the wall that is celebrates instead of how much is it celebrating, or how much does it mean to you when it's been packed in a box for 20 years collecting dust. That's what I'm talking about, discernment, right? And realizing what is really important, I'm not saying, throw everything out, but

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Julie Coraccio: celebrate it, give it meaning cause. It doesn't have meaning when it's just collecting dust that makes sense.

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Tanya: So that is so true. Yes, yes.

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Tanya: And then many moms struggle with finding the time to declutter while juggling kids and household responsibilities.

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Tanya: So how can they fit this into their busy schedules?

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Julie Coraccio: I say, create a habit, and so write it down. 1st of all, you whether you have a planner, you have an app because a lot of times. Oh, I'm going to declutter, but I never write it down as a to do 10 min a day equals just over 60 h in a year you can get a lot of decluttering done in 60 h in a year.

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Tanya: If you can't do.

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Julie Coraccio: It during the week. Then you give me an hour, 70 min on the weekend. I'm pretty easy. I'm going to be flexible and give you that option right? And then what I say to people I can't tell. I don't time. How much time have you spent on social media? And when I work with people and trying to get better time management. I have them track their time for 2 weeks, and there's always one thing. Oh, my gosh.

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Julie Coraccio: I had no idea I was spending 3 HA day on Facebook, right? Because I'm just scrolling kind of being mindless. Don't have to be Facebook. It can be

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Julie Coraccio: video games. It can be watching TV. It can be a time in a draining relationship with the person that calls you wants to complain for an hour instead of cutting them off. After 10 min you let it drag on.

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Tanya: Respond.

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Julie Coraccio: Right.

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Tanya: Tilt. Stupid. Text. Right? Yeah.

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Julie Coraccio: And then finding out if you need to get help right.

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Julie Coraccio: there's no shame in getting help, and I think that we especially mothers. Oh, we have to do everything we have to do it all, and that's not true, and ask for help. But again, like as we've been talking about children and get your husband. Get your spouse, get your partner involved. This shouldn't all fall to one person, you know my husband. I laugh.

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Julie Coraccio: He! I told the story when we were 1st married. He's a tool guy. He can fix anything, and he was painting, and he needed some tool to smooth it out and couldn't find it, because I'm like, I'm not going to organize. That's your stuff. And until you ask me.

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Julie Coraccio: and he couldn't find it and got frustrated, and then was like, can we do this? So that's how we started organizing the tools I stink at. My husband is a mutant. He knows how to fold a fitted sheet perfectly. They taught him that in the army I let him do that. So divvy up responsibilities and then

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Julie Coraccio: create rules. I think, with kids age appropriate. You need to give them more, little more leeway in their rooms. But we should have rules for the family room, the kitchen, the TV room. Wherever it is, we all spend time together right? And it's something that we do as a family.

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Tanya: Okay, rules like, do you have any examples?

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Julie Coraccio: Of.

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Tanya: Of rules, for, like shared.

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Julie Coraccio: Sure. Okay, like, we're gonna clean everything up at the end of the day, or we clean everything up on Saturday morning. No dirty dishes in the TV room. You know, we we find home like a place to put the remotes or the DVD. Or we don't know if there's any Dvds anymore. You know things of that nature.

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Tanya: Okay, great and then can you share your top? 3 strategies for maintaining a clutter free home after, like the initial decluttering process.

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Julie Coraccio: Sure. And I want to tell everyone once you do that initial decluttering, it's super easy, I promise, if you take the time to go through everything so regular. Maintenance is really important.

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Julie Coraccio: And again, and you know it's like what I say. Little habits like tidying up at your desk at the end of the day or tidying all the kids toys. And again, we're going to bring them into that process because we want to build these habits so regular maintenance, like once a big decluttering is done, then at some point the next year you should be going through everything, or if you don't, so, for instance, my filings a good example. I don't go through filing every year. I go through filing every other year.

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Julie Coraccio: right? So you might have a couple of things like that. But you're still doing a regular maintenance on it.

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Julie Coraccio: Know what I call your clutter kryptonite, and what I mean by that is.

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Julie Coraccio: where do you get weak in the knees like for me? It's beauty sample. Oh.

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Julie Coraccio: I can lose 10 pounds. Bring it over. Oh, wrinkle free! Come on! But then I noticed, oh, I'm like, you're not using these. And it's kind of getting junky. And that's a waste of of stuff. So I know. Okay, be aware of that, do I'm really going to need that face cream and try it. And the other thing I love leopard print right? I'm like I have.

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Julie Coraccio: I don't need a ton of it, and I know what style looks good on me, so I'll see something, maybe a clothes, and I just want to touch it and be tactile, and I can say, Oh, isn't that groovy? Isn't that beautiful? I can touch it and move on and not buy it and bring it home. So maybe it's shoes. Maybe it's kids toys right, but know where that clutter kryptonite is, where you get weak in the knees, and it's hard for you. Maybe it's the 10 for 10 that Kroger does. And you know you have this huge pantry with food. You're never going to be able to eat. So if you know where your weakness is.

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Julie Coraccio: you can have a plan to prevent it. And the other thing, as I mentioned earlier, get everyone involved.

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Julie Coraccio: I see a lot of times that it falls primarily to the woman of the home, and that shouldn't be that way. And again, we want to teach kids these skills. And if you're you know, we talked about earlier, remember what clutter is costing you

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Julie Coraccio: and what you'll gain when you declutter when you're just like, Oh, I'm not feeling it. Oh, but you know what if I tidy my desk right now? I'm going to wake or come in the next morning to a desk, or if I put all the kids toys away tonight, I'm not going to trip in the middle of the night. If my child calls me because they're not feeling well. Remember that, and that can support you.

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Tanya: Right. And it just feels so I mean, sometimes.

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Tanya: I mean it. It really just depends like how you're feeling, where you're at, what what's going on in your life? Because there are some nights where it's just like you do what you can right.

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Julie Coraccio: Absolutely, right.

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Tanya: The mom like, if somebody's if the whole house is sick or you're you're sick, whatever.

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Tanya: But for the most part, like on any like regular day. Just remember how it it feels so good when you wake up in the morning, and the house is just like things are put away.

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Julie Coraccio: And if you develop those habits.

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Julie Coraccio: and they found, if we do routines at the same time, the same day we tend to do them more. I read that in a study. So, and I think you're great. You absolutely have to give yourself Grace, but if you have those regular haven I'll share a personal story. So I was commuting from Raleigh, North Carolina, to West Virginia, when my mom was ill, trying to run a business trying to keep my family and household intact, not losing my mind. And so a 3rd of my time with my sick mother, and it's closest I've ever come, probably to having a nervous breakdown.

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Julie Coraccio: Then the last 9 weeks we lived with my mother. We moved into this place. They lied. There was flooding the day that we moved. So I had a moldy basement. I had to deal with it. Just we're remodeling like they're they're just like, Oh, yeah, these stairs. The basement might collapse. So it's as I said, the most expensive stairs. So I've had to deal with this way, right? So life happens. So I still have some of my mother's things to go through, but I was like, you know what. When the house is done, I will go through them.

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Tanya: Keep on!

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Julie Coraccio: Top of everything else. But prior to that I had 2 rounds of downsizing.

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Julie Coraccio: so that makes it easier. So when I had my mom's stuff, and I had the space for it, and then I can go through it when I'm in the frame of mind. And I just said myself, you know I'm giving myself Grace.

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Julie Coraccio: I you know, I just about, physically and mentally and emotionally, was was lost. But because of everything I'd done prior and continue to do. Then it was okay. And so do.

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Tanya: It was easier for you to deal with.

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Julie Coraccio: Absolutely easier.

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Tanya: Invention. Yeah, like, being prepared for.

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Julie Coraccio: Exactly, exactly.

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Tanya: What might come, and making it easier on your future self.

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Julie Coraccio: Yes.

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Tanya: So then how does mental and emotional clutter impact our physical clutter? And what can we do to address this.

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Julie Coraccio: Right now, you and I, Prior, we're talking about inner and outer clutter, and how that affects everything like, for instance, depression caused clutter and clutter can cause depression right? So you can get caught in that cycle if you're jealous, right? I, you know, hate social media. I think it just drives me like.

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Tanya: Instagram.

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Julie Coraccio: Like, just make me Barf. It's not realistic. So.

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Tanya: Agreed.

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Julie Coraccio: If you're on that Instagram scroll or that Facebook scroll, you might become jealous. And that might make you more buy stuff. So that's going to create physical clutter, right awareness plus action equals change. So if I'm aware

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Julie Coraccio: that I get jealous, then the action I can take is to get off social media, or to block those people or to unfollow them, to make my life easier. You know, if you have clutter in the bedroom that might be causing your insomnia. They have done studies that clutter prevents you from exercising for

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Julie Coraccio: taking your meds. It can really really affect your health and many levels. And you know we talked about when you work on one. When you clear your desk, you're going to release mental clutter.

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Julie Coraccio: And what I encourage people to do is be like an archaeologist. Be curious, don't judge yourself. Don't go down that rabbit hole of. I'm such a bad mom, and I'm a bad wife, and why can't I have a home that looks? No, because when.

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Tanya: We do?

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Julie Coraccio: That's taking away from the problem that's taking away from action that we can do to prevent that. And so

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Julie Coraccio: take the time to ask yourself what is causing my mental clutter? Am I stressed out because I'm worried about my kid in school? Okay? Well, what action steps, awareness plus action equals change. I can make an appointment with a teacher. If that doesn't help. I'm making an appointment with the principal. I'm going to ask my my mom's group. Has anyone else's child

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Julie Coraccio: struggled with this or that, and then maybe they can give me advice on everything. Right? So we have that plan. And then our worry is going to decrease when we say, Oh, there are some steps that I can take, you know. If you know coffee keeps you up at night.

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Julie Coraccio: then don't have it past 11 or noon, or whatever. It is right, and becoming aware of that, and knowing what action that you can take.

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Tanya: Hmm!

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Tanya: While back.

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Tanya: And then what are some small daily habits we can implement to keep clutter from piling up throughout the year.

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Julie Coraccio: So put everything where it belongs at the end of the day. So simple principles, everything has a home right. If I know that the art supplies for the kids are in our Rec room or TV room, and that one bin. Then when I go to look for it, mom said, mommy, I got this project I have to do boom. It's in the art bin righty the desk.

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Tanya: Yeah.

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Julie Coraccio: Right or when or wherever you pay bills. I want to remind people a lot of stuff

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Julie Coraccio: after we do. Initial decluttering and organizing can be done in 10 min or less. It really can.

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Julie Coraccio: And I'm gonna encourage you. You know, you could probably declutter your yeah. Maybe a purse depending how big it is, but you know what you could probably almost get done, even if you have a big purse decluttering in that. So have that perspective. Oh, not going to take hours. No, it's not really. Sit down and do it. I had the other day. I'm organizing all my bills or not. My bills, my

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Julie Coraccio: receipts for taxes, and I had put it out. So we've got this remodeling going on. I'm like, Shoot me. So I had moved all the receipts and a long story. Well, anyway, I'd moved receipts to the TV room, and the panel I had to do was organize them.

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Julie Coraccio: and I was like. And then I was like, Okay, it's Thursday night football. I'm going to sit my butt down, and I'm going to organize the receipts because the steelers weren't paying, so I didn't have to pay full attention and yell at the TV. So I was like, Okay, and you know what? I laughed when I was done. I'm like it probably took you maybe 20 min because of all the categories. So be realistic with that.

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Tanya: I know.

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Tanya: Always make it so much harder in our heads.

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Julie Coraccio: Yes, right? Right? So just take that 1st step. Yeah. The other thing is, I've mentioned about the clutter kryptonite. So again, just increase your awareness. Know where you are likely to fall. Oh, my text! Oh, my gosh! I'm at the Mall! Oh, these new shoes! Come on, Sarah, talk me off the ledge. I know I don't need them, but I need a girlfriend telling me to back off and don't buy them. So we increase our awareness and then stopping it before it starts right.

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Julie Coraccio: Whether that's getting off junk, mail list or unsubscribing, or, you know, getting off Amazon. I think one of the biggest things we can do is our Amazon dependency

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Julie Coraccio: is insane and absolutely stopping that. 1st of all, as a small business owner, I'm going to say that as from a political standpoint for me, I'm saying that, and and I get it. And so I want to talk just a moment about the and and it's we talked about giving ourselves Grace.

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Julie Coraccio: I can

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Julie Coraccio: stop buying less from Amazon and recognize it's not good. And Amazon was great when I lived in North Carolina, and my dad would say, I need this for your mom. Okay, I've just ordered it from Amazon. It's coming. So I was able to help my parents right away, right? It doesn't have to be an either, or it doesn't have to be black or white. But Amazon has made it. And just online shopping in general. But I would say, mostly Amazon has made it so much easier to buy things. So I'll say on.

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Tanya: Without even thinking about it.

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Julie Coraccio: Out. We're on autopilot, so stopping that that can be a huge difference.

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Tanya: Okay, awesome. And then what's 1 piece of advice you'd give to a mom who feels completely overwhelmed and doesn't know where to start.

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Julie Coraccio: Great question. So there are a couple of things you can do. Do you have an impending deadline? Right? You're getting new kitchen cabinets. So you're going to need the kitchen to clutter before you get those cabinets. And so if you have a built in deadline, then you say, Okay, like, for instance, we are getting our basement remodeled. My husband's brother is coming. They're going to do a guy's road trip in April, so I'm like, there is my built-in deadline I've got to have, because my mother's stuff is in the basement, right? So I've got it so built in deadline bam.

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Julie Coraccio: or

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Julie Coraccio: ask yourself what's driving you crazy? Right? Are you going nuts because you can't sleep in your bed because it's covered with clothes, or you're tripping over your kids toys all the time and worried. You're going to break your ankle right? What is driving you crazy?

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Julie Coraccio: Or if there's anything urgent, if you're not paying your bills on time, because your home office is full of clutter, or you're not organized. That is a 1 priority. You're losing money on that that needs to be taken care of right away. And then finally, you can ask yourself, Where do you spend the most time? If the family room is a big thing for you as a family, then make that a priority, because that helps with relationships and makes

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Julie Coraccio: everyone better and more peaceful.

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Tanya: Okay, that's great. That's great.

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Tanya: And then, lastly, where can people find you? And are there any resources you would like to share that you haven't already mentioned.

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Julie Coraccio: Sure. Thank you. Well, they can go to reawakenyourbrilliance.com. I have a shop, and I just started an Etsy shop declutter your life.

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Julie Coraccio: I'm thinking I have meditations to help clear, clutter, positive affirmations. That's all my fun kind of stuff that people think is weird, but that gets me all excited. I have audio affirmation. So a lot of good stuff there, we're getting rid of everything on the shop on the website. But if they go, I offer a free 10 steps to declutter your life right now.

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Julie Coraccio: So like mental, emotional, spiritual bam you're like, I'm overwhelmed. There you go, 10 things that you can pick from to start decluttering your life right now and home.

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Tanya: Okay. Awesome. Can you say that one more time for the audience where they your website? And then also any, if you're on social media your handles for social media as well.

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Julie Coraccio: Sure. So my website is reawaken your brilliance and there are at the top are all my links to social media. It's the same across Facebook, Instagram

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Julie Coraccio: and I'm on Youtube and my pipe. I've no longer do a podcast but I have 10 years of clear your clutter, inside and out. And then on Etsy the clutter your life.

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Tanya: Let's see. Okay? And then I'll make sure. I put all the links in the show notes, too. Okay, thank you so much, Julie, for your time. Today I'm I'm excited for everybody and myself to take all of the tools and advice that you shared with us today. Put into action and declutter our lives

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Tanya: and get rid of all of this like physical and emotional clutter. So we can just feel so much lighter and just live our best life in 2025.

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Julie Coraccio: Thank you for having me, and I just would like to leave the audience with one final thought. Remember.

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Tanya: Yes.

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Julie Coraccio: You are good enough, you are worthy, and you are loved, no matter what.

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Tanya: Oh, I love that so much. Thank you so much, Julie, you're amazing, all right, bye.