Organizing and Decluttering Tips [Video]

I had the opportunity to be a guest on a television talk show a few years ago to share decluttering and organizing tips.  The show is called Kitty Talk, and it’s a weekly Canadian talk show for South Asian women. It was a stretch for me, but it was really exciting!

Check out the video below for some of my favourite decluttering and organizing tips. [Scroll down to the video if you want to skip over the story leading up to it.]

Note: this is an update from a previous post – my kids were younger at the time and I was less experienced as an organizer. But the tips I shared are still my favourites!

A Little Background on my TV Appearance

The whole thing happened quite quickly. I got an email from a fellow professional organizer who had been contacted by a producer from Rogers Television.  My colleague didn’t want to appear on the talk show and wondered if I would be interested.

After a few minutes of freaking out, I figured I’d say yes and see what happened.

At the time I thought it was a small local community cable TV show so how bad could that be if they did say yes, right?!

And, as a family, we’d decided our word of the year that year was “Yes”.  Little did I know what that would entail for me!

Within minutes, the producer contacted me to confirm I’d be available for the taping… it was a go!

Yikes!

The next 2 days were filled with preparations for my TV appearance:

• I researched everything I could about the show – turns out it’s not just a small little local show, it’s national…yikes! I was hoping to watch some old episodes online so I could get to know the hosts, but at that point the show was fairly new and I couldn’t find any.
• I found out what they were expecting of me – 2 segments, 6 1/2 minutes each, 1 on the couches talking about tips, and 1 at the counter sharing products 
• I asked fellow organizers what common challenges their South Asian female clients face, so I can ensure what I talked about would meet their needs
• I figured out what I’d like to talk about – the producer had a few suggestions and I fleshed those out a bit with tips and then submitted 3 questions for the hosts to ask
• I decided which products I’d demonstrate, shopped for items I wanted to highlight, and my kids helped me choose some of their toys to bring along (you should have seen all the stuff all around my home!)
• I practiced what I wanted to say
• I got a haircut
• I planned what I would wear
• And I panicked in between all of that!

On the day of the show I got myself ready, packed everything into my car, and made my way to the studio.

I was really starting to think this was a crazy idea. And I was a big ole’ bucket of nerves!

Thankfully, I had tons of support.  So many of my organizing colleagues were really helpful!  Those who had done TV appearances before shared tips with me.  Many wished me luck and told me they thought I’d do a great job.  Friends and family sent encouraging emails and texts, saying they were praying for me.  My kids were over the moon excited when they heard I was going to be on TV… they thought I’d be changing careers and becoming a movie star now LOL.  I think I’ll stick with organizing 🙂

And of course my hubby… who’s always my biggest cheerleader.  He gave me advice, listened to me rehearse, and kept telling me how proud he was of me for doing this.

So, armed with notes, bins full of products, and the support of nearly everyone I know, I marched my way into the studio, with as much confidence as I could muster 🙂

At the Studio to Record the Show

From the moment I arrived at the studio, everything was a blur.  My organizing products were taken into the studio and I was whisked into make-up.  Holy wow… I’ve never had so much make-up on in my life!  Here’s a picture my hubby took of me when I got home… I felt like a clown LOL!

After make-up it was time to get my microphone on and then I met the hosts on the set.  We had about a minute to chat and they asked me what I wanted to talk about.  Guess they didn’t get the 3 questions I’d sent in.  I didn’t have time to panic about that though.  I gave them a few general topics and then we were ready to record!

Then things really were a blur.  I was flying by the seat of my pants through the whole first segment.  I responded to their questions and tried to tie in the things I’d planned to talk about the best I could.  And before I knew it, they were wrapping up the segment.  What?!  How did 6 1/2 minutes go that quickly??

I felt pretty good about it though.  And I was definitely glad I’d planned as much as I did in advance, because it gave me confidence to fly by the seat of my pants.

Then I had a couple of minutes to set up my “props” at the counter before we started recording the 2nd segment.  I scrapped a couple of things, because I knew this segment was going to feel even shorter than the first.

Before we started, the studio took a quick picture of us with all the products.

I’d hoped to have some way to hang an over-the-door shoe organizer, so I could pop all kinds of different items in and out, to show a variety of ways they can be used to maximize vertical space in our homes.  But they weren’t able to set anything up for it, so one of the hosts held it up.

And then we taped the organizing products segment.  It was another blur and time flew by.  But I actually enjoyed this segment and tried to just have fun with it.

And then I was done!  I was only at the studio for about an hour.  I was happy that it went as well as I felt it did, and I was definitely relieved that it was over.

When my kids came home they were eager to hear all about it.  But the funny thing was, they couldn’t stop staring at my face.  I had so much make-up on they nearly didn’t recognize me!  More talk about being a movie star… still think I’ll stick with organizing 🙂

Without any Further Ado… Here’s the Video!

OK, here are my organizing and decluttering tips, as shared on Kitty Talk!

It was an exciting day around here when we watched the show on TV.  My kids not only thought I was famous… but so were their stuffed animals and toys LOL!

And yes… I checked… those 6 1/2 minutes really were 6 1/2 minutes… despite how quickly they flew by at the taping!

Helpful Links

Here are the products I showed or mentioned in the video (affiliate links):

• Baskets
• Over-the-door shoe organizer
• Little black dress jewelry organizer
• Double tier turntable / lazy susan
• Toy organizer bins
• My label maker
• Mason jars (I hadn’t planned to talk about them but hey why not?!)
• File bin
• Hanging files
• Clear plastic shoe boxes

And here are some of my blog posts where you can see these products in action:

• Printable decluttering signs
• Organizing stuffed animals and toys using a shoe organizer
• Organizing a linen closet with a shoe organizer
• Kitchen command center – organizing kids’ schoolwork files
• Organizing kids’ toys
• Organizing a pantry with plastic shoe boxes
• Organizing a freezer with plastic bins
• Organizing a fridge with plastic bins

I’m really happy with how the show turned out and it was a really great learning experience.  I’m definitely glad I stretched beyond my comfort zone and said yes to this!  It was a wonderful opportunity.  And I hope the tips help some people declutter and organize their homes!

Which tip do you think will help you get organized the most?

If you need help decluttering, contact me for in-person organizing services in the Mississauga area, or virtual organizing services anywhere else.

Happy organizing!