I’ve always been one to go to YouTube for tutorials: how to do a certain crochet stitch correctly, how to style my curly hair, how to… you get it. Anything I needed visual assistance with. Once in awhile I would get sucked down the YouTube rabbit hole of recommendations but not very often. That all changed when I found one of my favorite organizing authors on YouTube. I got pulled down into the decluttering/organizing/cleaning abyss. Once in awhile checking out YouTube is a little bit of a time suck, but often? I get a huge burst of motivation to get stuff done. Sometimes I get new ideas. Other times I just like to sit and listen. But I’ve also started using these inspirational ladies as my cleaning/organizing buddies. If I’m not excited to clean something? Put a YouTube video on, and now I’m cleaning “with” someone encouraging. If I have to delve into the Room of Shame and make some serious progress? Here’s a YouTube “friend” to help motivate me through the process! So today I want to share 5 of my favorites and why they’re at the top of my list.
ClutterBug
You may know Cas Aarssen from her books on organizing or maybe from her show on HGTV: Hot Mess House. I first discovered her through her book The Clutter Connection. Her breakdown of organizing types blew my mind. I mean, I read her book and thought, this woman is a genius. I happen to be a pretty typical organizer (Hello, I’m a Cricket), but reading about her clutterbug types really helped me understand how other people may prefer to organize (like my husband and my kids). Finding better ways to make our house work for us and not trying to replicate the beautiful organization I saw on Pinterest was a big shift for me. While I highly recommend The Clutter Connection, I also really enjoy organizing my things with Cas in the background. She has great energy, good tips, and a very relatable personality and story.
Dana K White
Here is another name that you may know from popular decluttering books. I first “met” Dana K White through her book How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind. This was another book that really spoke to me and shifted my ways of thinking about my home and all of my stuff. When I found her on YouTube, I discovered that she was really nice to declutter with, because she’s so normal! She doesn’t hide her mess, she’s honest about her decluttering journey, and she talks you through her methods all the time. Dana has lots of Q & A videos on so many different topics: how to deal with sentimental items, how to handle your craft stuff, how to deal with stuff that isn’t yours to declutter, etc. She doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but she gives straightforward advice in an understanding way.
The Minimal Mom
Now here is someone that I wasn’t sure would resonate with me. The word “minimal” made me think she was not going to be relatable for me. I would say I have lofty goals of being minimal, but in all honesty, I’m not sure I’ll ever really get there! After watching a few of Dawn’s videos, I realized that the minimal aspect of her videos was not necessarily the main message. I mean, she’s a mom of four kids: she’s battling the cleaning/organizing beast on the daily! Dawn is very down-to-earth and relatable; while she chooses to be very minimal in most areas, she’s never forcing it on her audience. She is someone I like to listen to when I need that extra push to get rid of something or significantly declutter a space. I appreciate that Dawn is encouraging but never overbearing, and she’s always got a smile on her face.
But First, Coffee
She had me at coffee. Not really, but Kallie Branciforte is like that first cup of coffee in the morning: she wakes you up, gets down to business, and gets stuff done. I think she first got me hooked because she’s a mom of young kids. My boys are older than her littles, but I could instantly relate to the “how do I do it all” aspect of her videos. I find that Kallie is another person who gives me that push to get things done. She’s very energetic, motivated, and… key word here… relatable. While she covers a range of topics, I gravitate toward her videos on decluttering, organizing small spaces, and getting the most out of your days/time management.
Honeyjubu
My most recent YouTube find has been Honeyjubu, a housewife in South Korea. This one is pretty different from the other YouTubers: she doesn’t show her face, she doesn’t speak, and she doesn’t really give much advice. So why do I watch? It’s refreshing to see someone wholly embracing her role: she seems to truly enjoy caring for her home and her family. I’ve never gotten the feeling that she sees her cleaning and cooking as chores. Watching her clean is relaxing. Seeing the care she puts into her cooking and food presentation makes you look at meals in a completely different light. I feel like watching Honeyjubu go about her days, her routines, and her joyful moments gives me a hearty dose of gratitude for my life and motivates me to want to take more time and care with the things I “have” to do every day.
I realize that all of these recommendations are very “homemaker”-centric, but these ladies of YouTube have given me a lot of encouragement, motivation, and so much food for thought. Even if you’re not living the stay-at-home-mom lifestyle, I think we all have those “tricky spots” in our homes (clearing out the clutter, getting into a good daily routine, needing help organizing, learning how to clean things) that these content creators could really help with. Hope you enjoy checking some or all of them out!
On An Even Kiel 