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“I’ve interviewed some kids for these books and they say they’re overwhelmed. They don’t even know where their toys are and what to play with because they have so much,” Stoller says.

Stoller says there has definitely been an increased demand for professional organizers since Kondo’s series launched, but she says there’s no point getting a professional in if you’re not going to change your buying habits:

“You have to change your mindset going forward. That’s the key.”

Photo by JANIS NICOLAY / PNG

One area of our lives that is becoming increasingly cluttered but has often been left out of the spotlight is our digital devices, Stoller says.

“You can have a perfectly decluttered house and then you go to your computer and you can’t find anything,” she says.

This is another form of mental clutter, she says, and can be just a debilitating as any overcrowded room in your home.

“Our minds are so cluttered with social media from our inboxes, and our computers are now becoming a cluttered mess,” she says.

The Marie Kondo approach to decluttering advises people to pick up an item and ask whether it “sparks joy”; if it doesn’t, we’re to thank it for its service and get rid of it. Stoller says this doesn’t appeal to everyone, with some people are wanting a more practical, perhaps rapid-fire approach to clearing out.

If you’re wanting your decluttering habits to stick, don’t try and tackle your whole house; you’ll just get overwhelmed and give up, Stoller says. Ten minutes a day will do it, she says. Like Kondo, Stoller recommends you choose a category to organize, instead of a room, such as clothes or books.

Decluttering tools, like baskets labelled “donate” and “sell” (which Stoller is selling through her website come fall) that you can keep in your closet are helpful if you’re wanting to cement new habits, she says.

“They’re pretty fabric baskets and seeing them everyday will encourage you to use them every day.”