No Keep Box! Do NOT Use this Common Decluttering Device

Dana, you really deserve an award. I have watched so many organizing, cleaning and decluttering videos… You are the only one who makes sense to me. May your success only keep growing. 🙏

"If you're putting things into a keep box, you're putting them into a procrastination station." -Dana K. White I love what you said. It completely boils it down.

I have hired organizers who have pulled everything out of a room with the typical "it always looks worse before it looks better." And then they left me with "homework" keep boxes that stayed in my hallway FOREVER. Your system is SO much simpler and it really does make things only BETTER! THANKS, Dana! Amazon says my copy of the new book comes on Tuesday. Can't wait!

As a perfectionist, using this approach freed me to actually make progress, not procrastinate forever til I could do the perfect thing. And great point at the end - containers are one thing (eg a plastic tub dedicated to kid's artworks with a dedicated location in a closet, etc), keep boxes are different - really, they are just clutter hidden in a box.

It was Dana who finally inspired me to get stuff OUT of our home and not just stuff-shift. Our basement and my craft area look SO much better!

I had a bunch of "keep boxes" stored in the rafters of my garage. My mom had boxed things up from my grandmother. After 15 years, I decided Enough Already! Luckily the stuff was not destroyed by bugs or water and was still good for giving away. My son expressed to me how grateful he was that I took care of it and didn't pass a bunch of keep boxes on to him to deal with. Dana, you make so much sense! I love you for it!

I cannot say how invaluable your point is about not making things a worse mess for those of us with limited energy or stamina. This holds me back often so I embrace your method wholeheartedly!

The kitchen is my husband's domain (Yay!) When we decluttered it, we placed what he was unsure about on a large blanket in the middle of the dining room floor. His choice was to decide by the end of the day, or live with stepping over and around those items until a decision was made. We quickly had our dining room back and, first thing the next morning, I hauled everything away before he could waffle on his decision.

Dearest Dana: A while back I recall someone asking you about when you have more than one item. I have four tape measures (5 if you include the one in my sewing box). I recently labeled one 'sage tea drawer' which is what some people call a junk drawer, but it's the kitchen drawer with rubberbands, scotch tape, scissors, etc. Sage tea was my grandfather's term. What a difference it made! By labeling the tape measure that goes in the kitchen drawer, that's where it lives -- and the pink round one I keep in my purse does not belong there. It lives in my purse for shopping. The big one is for construction projects and naturally belongs in the tool box (never in question). But here's the beauty: the yellow small one could go in my bedroom, or my desk -- but I don't need them. More, I live in a one bedroom apartment, so the distance between the kitchen, bedroom or desk is a few feet. donate forthwith. Of course, I have space for the yellow one. But the beauty is that I don't have five tape measures all banging around wondering where they belong. By labeling the one that wasn't clear, everything feel into place.

I LOVE this concept! I used your flow chart (excellent) and added a “take it there now” for the bags of donations. I did the decluttering for 30 minutes WITHOUT MY HUSBAND AROUND and then took them with me on my errands. Why? Because my husband goes through the donation bags and cross-examines me about the stuff or I leave it my trunk until I have filled it up with donations. I use black trash bags to put the donations in tied with about ten knots as a deterrent too.

The description box is so good😂😂 This part of your method has been the most influential for me, because of being able to stop at any time. I can work for short bursts, my family can interrupt me, the space isn’t going to be worse than I started. I had made me feel so much more capable!

OH MY GOSH!!! YOU ARE RIGHT!! My house is FILLED WITH KEEP BOXES THAT I WILL NEED TO GO THROUGH AGAIN!! 😫😫😫

Your strategy of "take it there now" is soooo smart! The keep box often never gets dealt with. A handy tip that I use in general is to never leave a room empty handed. There is almost always something that needs to go somewhere else!

I had back surgery just over a week ago. I found you while recovering and have gotten boxes of donations and bags of trash out of my house. Of all the decluttering tips online, I’ve never been able to get rid of more than one or two items here and there before finding you. Thank you!! My house is finally getting clean.

I think this is the key to doing it without making a bigger mess. When my energy is depleted I'm actually done. Nothing else to do

You can thank your son Reid for me watching to the end. The credits were gold this time, Reid!

Yes! Mental note: "Final destination" is sooooo freeing. "Keep box" is self-induced stress/frustration at a later date... for. the. rest. of. my. life. Make that choice TODAY and be better💗🤗 Thank you, Dana!

I totally understand your reasoning for a keep Box not being necessary. However, after 2 surgeries in the past 5 years and of course aging, I am mobility impaired. As a result, I do still use a keep box so that when I'm done decluttering an area, I can go through the Box and pick out everything for each room and only have to go to that room once vs. maybe 10 times. I have a limited amount of time that I can be on my feet and active, So I have to Find ways to cut down the amount of time I spend standing or walking. In the end, I can get more done this way.

I've been using your method this week preparing room for our new baby. Having to take things all over the house while 40 and pregnant has been exhausting, but its nice that when I've had too much I can stop and my space is cleaner. I also dont have that keep box hanging over my head of something else to get done.

I always dreaded the after math of a declutter session. The process was mentally taxing and then it was like but wait I'm not done yet. Then kids run in or animals and the box or pile was tossed aside. I'm thankful to have found your method of "take it there NOW". It first it felt like more work but then I realized it really wasn't. Thank you so much for your common sense approach to decluttering.