From Clutter to Clarity with David Hall

Hello and welcome to Shedding the Bitch Radio, where you can discuss, debate, and get advice on how to discover and shed the bitches of fear, insecurity, self-doubt, and negative mindsets so you can realize your dreams and life purpose and create and accelerate the riches you want in life. Join us here live every Tuesday at noon Eastern and dialogue with us at 818-572-2910. You can also chat with us at blogtalkradio.com/sheddingthebitch or share your stories on our website at sheddingthebitch.com. Whatever Whatever the bitch is that's holding you back from living your life to the fullest, it's not worth giving up the riches in life that you deserve. So call in now and let Bernadette Boas know what's holding you back.

818-572-2910. Good day, good day, good day everyone, and welcome, welcome, welcome to Shedding the Bitch Radio. And yes indeed, I am Bernadette Boas. Thank you so much for joining us. We're gonna have a great discussion about how you can move from clutter to clarity. And we're gonna get your house in order with David Hall.

Good morning.

Good morning. How are you?

I'm doing great.

How are you? Awesome. What part of South Florida are you in?

I am currently in Wellington, Florida. Beautiful horseback riding country.

Oh, okay. What, what part? I used to live in Boca, Boca Raton.

Oh, well, that's where I live, but I'm at a client's house right now. And Wellington is about 30 minutes north, pretty close to West Palm Beach.

Oh, wow.

Wow.

I haven't— I mean, I don't know if that's a new town or not. I've never heard of it. Wow, that's, that's awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, I absolutely love this subject. And I think getting into the new year, you know, the further and further we get into it, we all of a sudden start getting all that clutter. Causing chaos in our lives. So how did you get into this? Let me, you know, ask you that first. What was your background and what kind of made you get into this? And I— you did mention that you just seem to have a knack, but what made you really want to focus here?

Sure. Well, thanks, Bernadette, for having me on your, on your podcast, and, and I'm just delighted to share the gifts that I have, the tips that I have with our listeners and I got started doing this about 15 years ago, and I found that I have a knack. When my family and friends invited me over, there was an underlying reason, not only to have a good time and engage, but, "Listen, while you're here, could you just check out my closet? It needs a little arranging." My sister in New York would always say, "Listen, Dave, when you come to New York, can you take a look at the garage and see if there's anything you can do to kind of straighten things out?" And of course, I was a sucker because I knew I liked doing it. They knew I liked doing it. So I went ahead and I guess did in-the-field training for a number of years.

Sorry, I was about to have 3 dogs starting to bark. So I put myself on mute to see if I can calm them down.

I love dogs.

Yeah, well, yes, I do too. And you're about— I think you're about to hear them in a couple of seconds. Um, they all of a sudden decide to just all jump up all at once. Um, well, I think that's fascinating, um, simply because of the fact that, uh, you know, people like to live in their mess sometimes, and they don't realize— they don't realize the impact that it's having, uh, you know, somewhat on their— on their sanity, on their health. Mental, physical, emotional. Would you agree with that?

I would agree with that. And it is kind of unconscious until it reaches a conscious level. And that's when I get that 911 call. My mom's living in squalor and living in a pile of hoarded newspapers and old, old mail that I haven't looked at in 5 years. It's at the point of a critical mass where I step in and I say, let's, let's take a look at what's going on. But you're quite right in the the knowledge that when we have physical clutter, it impacts us psychologically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. So when I come in to do a project, I'm really doing some physical movement of space, energy, and things, knowing full well that this is going to enliven, embolden, and otherwise spur on the, the client to bigger and better things. They'll no longer be distracted. Right, right.

Well, and it's true because I can remember back, I'm one of 12 children.

Wow. Which order are you in?

Huh?

Which order are you?

I'm 8th.

Wow, that's a big family.

Yeah, so you can imagine the need for my mother to ensure that there isn't 12 kids' worth of junk all over the place. So we're all kind of like claustrophobic. We don't like a lot of stuff around us. And I'll just real quick, I'll just mention on this point to hit it home for our listeners and viewers is when I was a buyer in my early 20s, the vendors would come in and just start throwing stuff on. And I did lingerie, so it was all small stuff. And they'd start throwing it all over my desk and up on my— and I'm just like, whoa, it immediately triggered. It immediately triggered like this sense of claustrophobic and I'm losing control. You know, so I find it fascinating when individuals like yourself, you know, kind of work on that mental, emotional, you know, spiritual part of it as much as it's the tangible, you know, part of it.

Absolutely. Well, I have an interesting client story to share with our viewers and listeners right now. I worked for a young mom working mom, married, 4 children, all under the age of 10.

Oh, geez.

And when I took the tour of her home, this is pre-COVID, so I took the tour of her home and we ended up in the master bedroom. And I said, "What's that?" And it was a pile of laundry on her king-size bed that must have been 6 or 7 feet tall. And I said, "What in the world is that?" She said, that's our clean laundry. We haven't had a chance to separate it and fold it. I said, may I ask you a personal question? She said, sure. I said, where do you sleep? She said, oh, I just moved the entire mountain of clothing over a foot. I said, let me ask you another personal question. Where does your husband sleep? She said, oh, he just moves the entire pile over. I said, I'm amazed you have 4 children. So I said, well, how do you normally do the laundry? She said, well, I'll get around to it. But you know, we're a busy household, right? I have an idea. And I made it up on the spot, something that I'm pretty good at, which is working with the client where they are. It's not just that there's rigid rules and yeses and nos about decluttering, organizing, and then ultimately feng shui and making your home beautiful, right? So in this particular case, I said, Bring the kids into the bedroom. And all the kids were there, and they were so happy to see some guy that was like paying attention to them and not scolding them. I said, each kid, are you ready for a project to have fun? And they said, yes. And mom said, whatever. And she stood off to the side. I said, everybody on the bed. And the bed was, of course, a mountain of clothing. I said, don't do it yet, but on the count of 3, when I say 3, I want you to pick up your clothes and throw them into the corner. You Jimmy in this corner, you Sally in that corner, and so forth. And I just went to town. And the kids were so excited. And I actually did like a theme song— da-da-dun dun duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-wah wah! So I counted to 3, one, two, three, and you never saw kids have so much fun moving clothes so quickly throwing into their designated corners. And in 2 minutes we got, I don't know if it was a year's worth of laundry but it was a 6-foot pile mound of laundry. In 2 minutes, the bed was clear. Each kid had their corner. They're laughing. They're excited. Mom is in the corner going, oh my God, I can't believe what you just did. And each kid proudly grabbed their pile of clean laundry. And I said, now go into your room, kids. Put your laundry wherever you want. I'll see you later. Mom and I have some work to do. In 2 minutes. So it's fun. I mean, I have fun doing exercises, projects, and Again, it is a sensitive thing because people have so much stuff. Bernadette, I call it TMS. You know what TMS stands for?

Too much stuff.

Yes. Too much stuff.

Yeah, I love it. Love it.

And so I know that we all suffer from this malady. If I can do a little bit of pleasure and bring some order and sense to people's homes and offices, well, then I've had a good day.

Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. Awesome. But I have to admit though, when it does come time to where you just absolutely can't, you can't function anymore, then it just feels so overwhelming and suffocating, you know, around like, where do I start? How do I like get organized around, especially if, you know, you're in a decent size space. And there's a lot of rooms. There's not just 1 or 2 or 3, there's like a lot of rooms. What do you suggest to people to kind of really, you know, kind of get themselves organized and prepared to take— tackle this thing?

So, so that's a great question. Uh, each, each, uh, project is a little bit different. Sometimes people are downsizing and moving and we go through everything in the house. Doesn't matter how many rooms or how many closets or how many cabinets. Other people see a worry spot like a garage or a kitchen pantry or the master bedroom. And so we take on each room in its own way. Now, I've created what I call the SMART system. It's a proprietary blend of S-M-A-R-T, which stands for SMART, and each letter is an acronym that gives us a reminder of how to do clutter clearing in such a way that it becomes a little bit more joyful, less drudgery, less heavy, and the end result is rather spectacular. Shall I go through the letters of the alphabet?

Absolutely.

Absolutely. This is after hundreds of hours of actual field research. I've come up with the SMART system, and S stands for start simply. And so to answer your question, starting simply means don't take on the whole elephant. Take out one bite at a time, as they say. A kitchen cabinet. I know most people have a drawer in the kitchen where it's sundry things, little twisties, old gum, a screw that we don't know where it belongs to but we'll just put it in that drawer, a pair of scissors. So I like to start off in the kitchen catch-all drawer, I call it. And you can start anywhere in your home, but start simply. Don't take on the biggest burden or the most sensitive things first. You'll grow into that rather quickly, but you need to get momentum. So S for the SMART system stands for start simply and simply start. M, M stands for mindset. So I think it's important when we do decluttering on our own or with my help to get a mindset that's appropriate for the occasion. So first I suggest put on some nice music. Why not? We're going to be clearing out the house, clearing out the cabinets, and taking that drudgery into enlivenment or fun, let's put on some good tunes. Secondly, get your favorite beverage, whether it's tea or coffee or something a little stronger depending on the time of day you're working. Get your mind set properly. And the third element of being in the right frame of mind is to dress comfortably. Wear comfortable clothing, you know, shorts if you're going to go into the, the, the master closet and try on clothes, and just relax in a t-shirt and Relaxed clothing. So S, simply start. Start simply. M, mindset. A, A stands for action. At some point, you really have to do something. So let's take an example of a kitchen drawer that has just sundry miscellaneous things. I recommend pull out the entire drawer and dump the contents on the countertop. You may want to put down some newspaper or, you know, a dish rag or something so you don't scratch the top and get everything out out of that drawer. It's dramatic. It's supposed to be dramatic. You're forced now to take action because everything's out of the drawer. You can clean out the drawer with some cleaner, rag, a sponge, and start fresh. It's a clean slate. It's a clean canvas in which to create your ideal space. So A, A stands for action.

Love it.

R, R, once we start to see all the little things in there. We can throw out the old little nubby pencils. We can throw out pencil shavings, used toothpicks. It is so entertaining to me to see what people have in their, in their drawer space. Now, I don't want the audience to think that I'm having fun at your expense. It's just about how do you bring joy to a process that otherwise appears to be heavy laden. And that's what I do. So I say, really, do you need these 5 toothpicks? Do they have names? What are we going to do with these toothpicks? Maybe we could make something out of them. So R stands for reuse, repurpose, and recycle. And one of the number one benefits of decluttering and organizing is that you get to give things away. You get to be of service to others. So I'm not saying the old toothpicks really are going to be donated to a Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity or Veterans Association or any research for diseases and things like that. These nonprofit organizations come to your home and pick up things, old clothes, shoes, bags, etc.

Right.

So by reusing or repurposing or recycling, you're actually doing a good deed and helping somebody else's life, which has to elevate your mood because what you thought was junk, garbage, or discarded, you just didn't have value about.

Yeah.

Now you've said, oh, look at this. This is that beautiful pen that my dad gave me. Oh, I have 5,687 pens. Maybe I'm going to give this one away. And, you know, people do have a very fine pen and pencil collection.

I do. I do.

And how many people have coffee mugs with pens and pencils in them? And then you look at the bottom and you go, what is this goopy gunk? Yeah, guilty, guilty, guilty. No problem. We have a professional on staff that can help you 24/7. So we've gone through S for Simply Start, Start Simply, M for Mindset, A for action, R for reuse, repurpose, recycle. And do you think T has some special meaning? I'm here to tell you. T stands for the results of doing a good job, and that is— ready? Transformation. Transformation occurs. You feel lighter, elevated, in control. You feel that this distraction is no longer in your front view mirror. Front view mirror, I don't even think that's a word. If that was the case, we'd all be going backwards, I suppose. The point of transformation means that you'll get a good result. You'll feel lighter. You've lifted the burden. You've taken action and you've taken some control of your circumstances and surroundings. And out of that, you can now create new ideas, new things, new energy around the house and home.

Wow, that is a smart system. That's awesome, that's awesome. Now, as you're going through this process, right, um, how are you helping? Because I just know, I'm thinking through some things in my head, uh, how do you help people decide what you know, the fact that they need to let go or that they should let go or that they must let go. And yet they're like, no, I love my 5,287 pens.

Well, you know, that's, that's really the crux of the entire process. The level of resistance, I call it. How willing are you, the client, or how resistant are you, the client, willing to get in this process? And I will have to tell you, Bernadette, at the beginning of our work session, It's challenging because the client doesn't really know what a clutter clearing session looks like. I mean, really, after about 10 minutes of putting them at ease, having the right drink in hand, whether that's coffee, tea, or otherwise, I'm establishing a rapport where we need to trust each other. And it depends again, each case by case. Some people I've worked with, anywhere from people that are fastidious but just need help organizing their home office and file system. To people that are literally hoarders. And I don't like calling names and labeling, but people in society now understand there's this thing called hoarding, which is a mental illness that reflects in physical space being completely cut off, boxes upon boxes and everything all over the place. So it depends on the level of resistance of the client and their willingness to let go. So that's step 1. As I start to gauge that, and again, it's a moving target because in the beginning Everything is suspect. Why are you throwing out that old bill from 2003? Well, because it's from 2003. Oh, you mean I don't need to have it? There's a permission conversation going on. You have permission to throw this out and no lightning bolts will hit the house and you'll be okay. You mean they're not going to ask me for this thing that says do not throw out? I have a funny— I think it's a funny thing. It's a little pet peeve. I'll get back to the subject. You know how we all have bed pillows, right? And the bed pillows, or any pillow, throw pillows, they all have that little white tag that says, "Do not discard. Do not remove this tag." Yes. So for years, for lifetimes, people don't remove that white little tag. And you know what that tag is? It's a, it's a contents tag. This pillow is made out of polyfoam insulate. And the point of not removing that is when it's brand new, They want to have that tag on there. So I go into a house and I start ripping up these tags. They come off real easily. They're usually brittle. And it's just that— and people go like this, "Ah, what are you doing? You're removing the tag that says do not remove." Cops are going to come to my door.

I know.

They expect Publishers Clearing House police or something to show up. It's so amazing what we hold on to as this is a strict piece of document. And yet other things we just go willy-nilly. Oh, there was a light back there. I drove right through it. You know, not suggesting that. So when you look around someone's home, you can see that they have different levels and qualities of what they're comfortable with. So when I have a stack— so again, start simply. If I'm doing a kitchen, we might empty out the pantry. I think the key here is empty out the space. Take the shelf to zero, clean it out, and start to put things back. When you look at expired beans from, again, 1847, you realize this either belongs in a museum or in a hazmat container. This should not be in your pantry. This stuff is expired. Nobody's looking at that. But they do keep the pillow thing. So it's, it's, it's— I was going to use the word painstaking. To the client, sometimes in the beginning, it's painstaking. Yeah, I've put receipts that I've shared with the client. Each item, I have to let them know, and I do let every client know, I will not throw anything out without your permission. There has to be a trust. It's not, hey, look, Halley's Comet. You know, that just wouldn't work for my integrity or for the client trust building. But I've thrown out receipts. I've thrown out old napkins that have been used, put it in the trash, and the client pulls it out.

Yep.

This tells me that their level of resistance is high. I need to work on this, and I need to show them that this napkin will not change their relationship with their family. Unless it has secret codes on it in which they, oh, well, I'm glad you showed me that napkin. Let's put that gently right over here.

Right.

But then we'll see 10 tons of Costco napkins right next door. So the person is over— they're not seeing. It's almost like bulimia and anorexia. The person doesn't have a real clear vision of what it is that they've been holding on to because they're so stuck in their stuff. Right, right. By the end of our, by the end of our session, release happens, permission happens. I can throw something away, maybe a sentimental art piece from my kid. The kid's now 37, in law school, and oh, by the way, doesn't live anywhere nearby, but I want to save that little button that he colored in for me in first grade. I said, that's fine, save it, but you also have a treasure trove and you're downsizing and you don't have any room in your house. Maybe we should take that button and consider it as maybe a donation item to start rather than a discard item. And then people realize, oh, I really have been holding on to lifelong dreams. And by no means do I want the audience to think I throw away people's sentimental kids' art. I have a kid. I love his art. But at some point, if it's too much TMS, too much stuff, something's got to give. And so working with that resistance level, working with that acceptance level of I can discard things and still have my identity, Yeah, that's how we get, that's how we get the pile from a mile to a smile.

I love that. I love that. From a mile to a smile. Okay, so which one, like, what project has been the most challenging? Like, give us stuff.

Oh wow, that's, that's a, that's a great question. Ah, you know what, it's funny because people have their own idea of what they're hiring me in for. First I do a free consultation, look around the house, and I assess. I see how they are about their things. I see how long they've lived in in their house. So these factors come to play. If somebody's lived in a house for 30 years, their garage is not empty. On the other hand, if somebody just moved in 4 months ago, everything is pristine and things haven't had a chance to pile up. So here in South Florida, there's a lot of senior citizens. So I tend to walk— work in homes where the children, the baby boomers might be out of state, out of the country and say, you got to help my folks out. They just are not able to go through 30 years of stuff. Right. So the most challenging thing is that today the kids of these seniors, people 65 and plus, let's say, do not have the desire or wish to take on all the old china, all the old glassware, all the stemware. You remember those boxes with stemware and all the forks and knives? Everything's beautifully organized, frankly. But the kids today are minimalizing. They don't really want the old brown furniture. They want something new and hip with clean lines. And so I find that I'm really donating a lot of things that have such value, intrinsic value to the client, but also beautiful furniture value. And then I have to just give it away to an organization that sometimes even says, "Sorry, we don't deal with wall units anymore." I go, "What? This is a $5,000 wall unit." break it up in sections. People can live in it, it's so beautiful and big. So, so one challenge is that I have to discard things I know has value, but not for the client moving into a smaller place. Or, you know, it just doesn't fit the decor anymore.

Right.

The good news is there is a receiving side. So it doesn't go into garbage, it goes into the recycling and the, you know, the Goodwill type thrift stores and places. Absolutely. But I will tell you, the most challenging case so far is that I was called by a property manager to look into a home where a woman was living by herself. And she was not rich. In fact, she was really desperate and was not doing well. I didn't know this going in, but my first visit, I wore an N95 mask. Before they were popular. So I was wearing hazmat because I was warned that this place is kind of, uh, really needs to be emptied out. The woman had to go into a hospital because her wounds weren't healing. So it gets pretty personal. I walk into the house and what I found out was, oh my gosh, she didn't have money for the plumbing. So her plumbing was off and I walked into bathrooms where there was no electricity because the electricity was turned off. There was no client. She was, she was in the hospital, but the property manager toured me around. I go, oh my goodness. The bathroom was piled to the ceiling with used toilet tissue. Used. Now, it was dried out. I was wearing hazmat material, but I had never seen that in my days of organizing and decluttering. I came back with my staff. We wore hazmat gloves and masks and goggles. We literally used a long shovel for gardening to scoop out this stuff. But here's the kicker. I got a 20-foot outside container, you know, the big metal containers that companies and stores have behind the stores, these big metal pickup containers. And I filled it up. And I, in my excitement, I called up the company. I said, we need another container. This one's full and the house has still got too much stuff. They brought a second container, 20 feet long, a garbage can 20 feet long was filled up not once, not twice, but I called them a third time and we filled up the third container and before you knew it, after 2 days of oh my gosh, we finished and emptied out this home. It was the worst. There were garbage bags filled with I don't know what in the kitchen from floor to ceiling. So this was like a hoarder, but a hoarder with— that needed a lot of disinfectant. And so we had to take breathing breaks. So that's a serious situation. And it really taught me a lot about how people are suffering. Now, this woman had a family, but they were out of the state, out of the— out of conversation. And they had no idea what squalor her— their mom was living in. So there's a good news ending. She's doing well. She's in a, uh, health-related facility. They sold the property thanks to clearing it out, and the woman is having a vibrant life. So it really does have a good ending, and I'm truly proud of what we were able to do for the property manager and for this client.

Good, because I'm telling you, you're telling that story and my heart was just sinking and sinking, and I just was visualizing this poor individual who just lost her way and just didn't have the support and the help. Oh my gosh. Thank God for you.

Oh, go on. I will tell you this. I've also discovered in my— I love this because to me it's like a laboratory of life. I never said that before, but that's what it is. It's a laboratory of life. You're going into people's personal drawers, in their bedroom, in their bathroom. In their photo albums and things that are just so personal. But what I learned is that there's two levels of organizing. There's a very wealthy person that loves to shop. And I've had these clients on and on and in general practice. They love to shop. Their closet is overrun with TMS, too much stuff.

With tags on them.

With tags on them. They got boot sales. They got purse sales. Oh, I got a wig. I got a hat. I got to get another black miniskirt. Are you kidding? Now, that's one client. So they have TMS from a retail shopping issue. Flip side, you have a more impoverished, on a limited income client. And they collect everything because anything might have value, almost like the Depression era. Saving that old toilet tissue, saving every bobby pin, saving everything, every empty shoebox, because it could be useful down the road. And I call that the just-in-case defense. Why are you holding on to that? Just in case that might come in handy, that I need 1,800 empty shoeboxes when I move, when the hurricane happens, I might need it. So just in case, and that's why I keep these things. So you have the uber wealthy shopping till they're dropping and then they don't know where to put stuff. Oh, I'm helpless. I have no control. Okay, that's one conversation. And then you have the other person that says, I've got to save this. It's— I know it's a bicycle that doesn't work, but the wheel still is my friend. And so we sit down and we talk about the wheel can be your friend, but it can roll on to another household.

Yeah.

I have a— I have a bike helmet because I used to cycle all the time, but then I sold my bike because I was in a situation like 7, 8 years ago that I was like, okay, I have to sell stuff. And I have boxing gloves that I used to do kickboxing, and they're in my car trunk. And every time I go in my car trunk and I don't have enough room for the other things that I have to do in today's world, I look at these things. I'm like, Bernadette, just let them go. Let them go. And I'm like, But what if? So yeah, we— yeah, just in case, just in case. So okay, what if— excuse me. You know, what if someone has a spouse, partner, kids, and they're, they're the ones causing all the craziness and the sloppiness and the clutter. And yet, You know, you're not, you know, that person's not effective in trying to get them to see, you know, kind of the trauma that this is causing, not only for that individual, but for them, you know, as well. What can you do to help them?

Well, you know that guy, John Gray, the author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus?

Sure.

So he says we're kind of wired differently. There's really two species going on. I have to tell you that the people that I get the calls from most are female. There is a much higher percentage. I've got to say maybe 80-85%. I get a call from the woman of the house who says, "My husband is a mess." And it's real easy to point the finger and say, "He's the cause of it. You got to come here and help us out." And it seems like men in general, of course we're generalizing, but men in general can live with a pile in the corner or take their clothes off and leave it on the floor. And women have a little bit more engaged fastidiousness. So it's very often that I'm working with a couple where one member of the family is completely clean and orderly and the other one is in chaos. And it can be flipped around too. So there really is no hard, fast rule. But what I do is I work with the couples together. Oftentimes people want me to work with the fastidious person and say, my husband's at work, let's get the garage emptied out. That's not, that's not going to work because it's a springboard. It's like a rubber band. If you pull it away, it's just going to come right back.

Right.

And so there is teaching involved, and there are lessons to be learned about how to keep the order and keep the clutter from coming back. Yeah. So I work with both, both players, both owners of the home. You know, a garage is a challenge because it's the place in most homes, especially here in South Florida, where everything collects. And it's usually the domain of the man. It's the man cave. Why? Because there's motor parts and engine oil and car cleaning materials. And, you know, it doesn't have to be that way. I'm just generalizing. So the garage is a great place to learn about organizing and decluttering because we all have TMS. And the big joke is that it's a car garage. So you're supposed to place your car in it. But it becomes this junkyard of old TV boxes, just in case that TV might go on the fritz and I might have to send it back to Amazon, Best Buy, or otherwise. I want to make sure I have that box forever. Or old luggage, the luggage that you got from your grandparents. It's like falling apart and decrepit, but there's room in the garage, if you don't put a car in it, to store all this stuff, or really rather just to drop it near someplace that looks like it's orderly. So to answer your question, If there's one person that's neat and fastidious and there's another person that's chaotic and doesn't care, I have to work with the person that's chaotic and doesn't care. And rather than place blame psychologically, I'm going to say, why not take ownership of your condition?

Right.

Let's take ownership of what you have. And then let's see if we can thin out the herd a little bit and kind of create what brings you joy, just like Marie Kondo and tidying up. It is about what brings us pleasure, elevates our energy and our vibrational field.

Absolutely.

What weighs us down are these things that just keep sitting around languishing, getting old and moldy, and we're not doing anything about it. Now our stuff is affecting our mood and our way of looking at life. And one last thing, Bernadette, about this subject in the garage. A lot of attached garages, when people do put their car in the garage, they come into their house from that door into, let's say, the laundry room or the kitchen or a mudroom. That door entryway is often cluttered, cluttered with chemicals like garden stuff, like pesticides, like cleaning supplies. Why? Because it's close to the kitchen in case you need to grab an extra thing of Windex or cleaner. Feng Shui-wise, door openings need to be free. They need to be free of clutter. You don't want mops and old brooms and things that can hit you in the head, you know, at the doorway area. So one of the first things I share with a client in terms of gaining a lesson about organization is let's make the openings open. Let's clear the clutter from the doorways so that you have better chi, better flow, into and out of the home. And if you get into your car every single day, you've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on your front foyer entry, beautiful chandelier, great mirror, settee, the floor is gorgeous. And yet really in life, most often people come into their home and leave their home through their dirty, cluttered garage. And this is psychologically not healthy.

Yeah.

Thank you. I rest my case, Your Honor.

That's hysterical. Okay, so I have to ask, because there has to be an element where you bring your humor into all this, because you're a funny guy. So like, where does your humor play in, you know, being able to help your clients?

Well, that's, that's— I appreciate you asking the question. I think there's a lot of organizers out there and a lot of declutterers and feng shui designers that are doing the right thing. But I bring in a breath of fresh air. I literally open up the windows if it's a dark house. I have to, I have to keep my humor in check. Again, the number one thing is to build trust with the client that they've called the right person at the right time for the right job, right? After we establish rapport, and after we realize this is going to be a little lighter-hearted than this heavy drudgery that you anticipated, it starts to open up. I'm in constant communication with the client. I never clear clutter without the client physically in my presence. They need to see what I'm doing. They need to direct me to what's being donated versus discarded. And they really need to be part of the process. It's their stuff. How would I assume to know what's valuable to them and what's not? Sure. I walked into one home. It was wall-to-wall books. This person was an art teacher. And I tell my clients, I operate under HIPAA laws, just like a doctor or a lawyer. Whatever I see, financial paperwork, gross things in the toilet, whatever it is, I don't share names and photographs of that person. So I have to, again, establish trust before I get into comical whimsical. But when we start to build that trust and we start pulling out these weird things like seaweed underwear or I don't know what was under that pile of clothing, but it really, it has an odor. It needs to go away. And the client then realizes this is just a bunch of stagnant my feelings just by being stuff. But stuff has energy, let's face it. So the brevity comes out once the trust is established because this, again, is a very delicate subject. It's a very delicate matter of a person really being out of control. Yeah. It could be a room or it could be the entire house, but they just have TMS. Too much stuff.

All right, well, that's awesome. Okay, so, um, now I had asked you as we were preparing for, for this, um, if there was any, anything in particular, you know, like an offering, or is there something on your website? Is there some, like, something that, you know, a giveaway or something that you're doing, a promotion you're doing? Could you share with us what, what you might be able to lead our listeners and viewers toward?

I'd be happy to. And I'm glad you, uh, you offered a freebie from, from me to you and to everybody watching and listening today. Um, so feng shui, it's the art of energy. And, uh, there's something called the bagua, which is a map, a grid. And I'm making a gift of my bagua for 9 areas of the home. So as you walk into a house, the top left area has to do with wealth. So it's good to have things that relate to wealth, like a green plant, like money, like growth. The top right is relationships. So you want to have something in the top right corner. When I say top right, the bagua is a diagram like this. Okay, so anybody who goes to my website, A+ Clutter Clearing, will receive this as a, as the download. And it's great to have, uh, attached to the side of your refrigerator or someplace safe. And you can always see where can I maximize the energy of that space in the room and in my home to get the result I want. So real quickly, the different areas are wealth, fame and reputation, relationships, a family center, health, children and creativity, knowledge, career, and helping others. So can you imagine that your rooms now have an intention, that you've designed your space with a willingness to optimize your life? I know it sounds a little woo-woo, but I'm a little woo-woo myself.

I am too.

Oh, good. I know, I knew there was a connection.

That is awesome. And I'm sitting here, I, I, that's cool. Okay, and I want to remind everybody again, it's— I'm sorry, I have it in front of me— APlusClutterClearing.com. APlusClutterClearing.com. And yeah, because I was processing, I'm very visual, so I look up a lot. But because I live in a very small— my cottage house on my, you know, from my main house, I have a cottage house, and that's where I live. And it's a very small 450-square-foot space. And so, you know, talk about needing to keep it minimal, minimal, minimal. But I'm sitting here going, 9, there's 9 spots in this, you know, in this place. But I'm gonna, I'm downloading it. And I'm going to take a look at it today.

Just all you have to do is on the contact page, write in your email and your name and your phone number, and then I will send it off to you posthaste, quite quickly, as a matter of fact. Cool.

That is so cool. Okay, so do you have any one last big tip suggestion, advice for our listeners and our viewers when it comes to really understanding they can go from clutter to clarity, both literally and then mentally, emotionally, you know, spiritually and whatnot by just looking at their stuff.

Sure, there's two thoughts. One is, first of all, when you start to think of others and being of service, it's easier to release yourself of all the things you have. Take a look at a master closet where you have so many outfits and so many shoes and purses. We have so much stuff. We're in an abundant consumer market. So we're, we're programmed and wired to collect and, oh, a BOGO, buy one, get one. Oh, then I'm going to get two. I didn't want two. I didn't even want one. But look, it's a sale. So think of others before you actually declutter. And as you have that mindset of, I'm going to donate whatever it is, 3 outfits, 5 outfits, 10,000 outfits— people have a lot of stuff in their closet— that's a good mindset just to have some freedom of this stuff that we collect that we hold so dear.

Yeah.

So that's one tip. The other tip, and I learned this from a Navy Admiral, he's famous on YouTube and TED Talks, I think it's McCafferty, Admiral McCafferty. He said, if there's one thing you should know, both in the military and at home, it's start each day by, you've probably heard this, make your bed. Make your bed. What does that do? When you make your bed, you're actually setting yourself up for success. You've taken action. You've made the bed look a little cleaner, a little neater, and that starts you off with momentum. You've now made your bed, clean as a whistle. You go on to the next thing, going to the kitchen and making a cup of coffee, let's say. Doing things with integrity and purpose, being aware of what your surroundings are and how you take on your day. But if you make your bed in the morning, you know at the end of the day, no matter how the day went, you've got that bed handled and you're gonna have nice sheets underneath and pillows all propped up and you're you're ending the day with success. So that's, that's that pearl of wisdom.

Simple but powerful.

It is.

It's simple, simple, simple, powerful. The S of his SMART system, everybody.

I like your thinking.

I always like to kind of call back, do a callback to something.

Very S. S stands for smooth.

Yeah, there you go. There you go. Oh my gosh, I so appreciate it, David. This has been absolutely wonderful. And I just want to mention for everybody, David Hall, A+ Clutter Clearing Services. Go to aplusclutterclearing.com to get his nice gift of his feng shui 9— 9.

It's a map.

It's a map. And, and then also look for him on Twitter at Harpo Hall, which is so appropriate. Harpo Hall. On, on Twitter. And of course, he's on LinkedIn as well. A+ Clutter Clearing Services. Now, obviously, I didn't even ask where you're— oh, South Florida in Wellington. So obviously, you do in-house, you know, on-site. Do you do anything virtually?

Yes, I do. You know, as, as the COVID hit back in late February, early March, instantly I said, well, how is this going to impact my clients? How's it going to impact my business in going into people's home spaces? And I immediately adapted to what could I do virtually and started promoting myself on social media with virtual organizing and decluttering. And I've had clients from all over the country. They set up their iPad on a tripod. That sounds funny for some reason. iPad on a tripod. They set it up and we go through the pantry. And they go, what should I do with this? And I say, let's start at the top left shelf. Let's empty everything off of there. Let's see what it is. Oh, OK, I see what it is. And let's clear the shelf off. And let's put, instead of 5 of these little trinkets, let's put your favorite 3.

Right.

I give them a challenge. You know, they're involved. Our clients are involved. Now, it takes a lot longer, so my charging rate is lower because I'm not physically doing the lifting and maneuvering. And it's— You've got to believe in the COVID times when people are home in their sweats, Netflix binging, and oh, by the way, doing life, teaching their kids at home, trying to run a home office. Clutter Clearing is more popular than ever.

I bet. Okay, so all that information as well is on your, your website.

Absolutely.

Aplusclutterclearing.com. Aplusclutterclearing.com. Awesome, awesome, awesome. This was a lot of fun.

I'm glad.

A subject that can be very sensitive for people, so I so appreciate it. And it's a great subject to have right now as we're working our way into the year and, and wanting to stay as focused and clear and energized as possible. So I appreciate it. Thank you so much.

My pleasure. Thank you so much. I can't wait to see the reaction to our, to our viewers and listeners all around the world. And, uh, I thank you for the invitation to join you today.

Oh, you're, you're very welcome. You're very welcome. And for everyone else, again, last one, A+ClutterClearing.com. Check David Hall out and figure out how he can help you just kind of go from clutter to clarity. And then come back next Tuesday at noon Eastern time for another episode of Shedding the Bitch Radio. I appreciate it, everybody. Have a beautiful, prosperous, and rich week. Take care.

Amen.

Thank you for listening to Shedding the Bitch Radio with Bernadette Boas. Join Bernadette every Tuesday at noon Eastern as she helps you shift your bitches to riches. And the dialogue is always going on at sheddingthebitch.com. See you next week.