An Interview With Drew Gerber
Unfollow any social media accounts that don’t enrich your life. If they make you feel ‘less’.
We live in a time of great excess. We have access to fast fashion, fast food, and fast everything. But studies show that all of our “stuff” is not making us any happier. How can we simplify and focus on what’s important? How can we let go of all the clutter and excess and find true happiness? In this interview series, we are talking to coaches, mental health experts, and authors who share insights, stories, and personal anecdotes about “How Simplifying and Decluttering Your Life Can Make Us Happier.” As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Brenda Scott.
Brenda is a Professional Home Organizer and owner of Tidy my Space. She specializes in Aging in Place for empty nesters to help them reclaim their independence by creating a safe and functional home that’s easy to maintain.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share your “backstory” with us? What was it that led you to your eventual career choice?
I retired early from Kelloggs and I’ve always had a talent and passion to help people make their homes tidy and organized but I didn’t know that I could make a living doing it. I came to realize that many people struggled with keeping an organized home because of their accumulated possessions and were overwhelmed and frustrated but I knew that by simplifying their lives, learning to live with less, they too could have a calm and easy to maintain home. I searched online for professions that used my talent and came upon Professional Home Organizers. I’ve finally found my calling and my purpose.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
I had a client that moved into a seniors’ facility but had been left to get settled in on her own. This was heart breaking because she physically couldn’t lift the many boxes or didn’t know where items should go. After a couple of days working with her, she’s now settled in, everything has a home, she knows where things belong, she can reach the essentials and her artwork is decorating her new home. She’s overjoyed that now she can finally feel at home!
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I’m working on a book that will inspire people with organizing tips and advice when they want to try DIYing first.
Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority on the topic of “How Simplifying and Decluttering Your Life Can Make You Happier”?
Over the course of my life, I’ve moved 10 times and I’ve helped my children move more than 15 times, that’s when you truly realize how much stuff you have. Do you really need everything or is it just ’there’? I live my life knowing the value of my time, spending my free time cleaning and moving piles of stuff around doesn’t make me happy. Being able to quickly put things away, being ready 100% of the time for friends or family to drop by and being able to find important documents during a crisis makes me happy and confident. Simplified doesn’t always mean bare minimal but it does mean having less excess.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main focus of our interview. We live in a time of excess. We have access to so much. But studies show that all of our “stuff” is not making us any happier. Can you articulate for our readers a few reasons why all of our possessions are not giving us happiness?
Advertising is a huge business that promises that you’ll only be happy if you buy a particular item. We trust the lies because we want to be happy with ourselves and with our homes. Trying to keep up with in-crowd, the popular group, the influencers, can be a never- ending hamster wheel because we have access to the instant gratification of online shopping where you can ‘be better’ in 1–2 business days. There’s always something ‘new and improved’ that replaces what you just bought.
Our styles, body shapes and preferences are always changing, leaving you with constant reminders of the past failures. Our possessions make us feel ‘less’ because the item didn’t work as advertised. It must be my fault because it advertises that it had lots of good ‘reviews’.
The process of returning the item can take too much work, so the item sits around and adds to the pile of stuff that go into storage or the garbage. Causing us to feel bad about the money that we just wasted.
When we buy into the lie about feeling ‘better’ ‘popular’ ‘healthier’ or the many other false promises, we expect to feel different and better but in reality we’re the same people but with something new.
When we accumulate lots of stuff, we then struggle with finding room to store it and this can lead to major expenses if we invest in off site storage units for extended periods of time or have to move into a larger home because ‘we need more room for our stuff’. It can be extremely expensive to have lots of stuff, putting stress on your bank account, relationships and leading to living paycheck to paycheck with no time or money to enjoy your life.
On a broader societal level, how do you think this excessiveness may be harming our communities and society?
Excessiveness has influenced our communities by the increasing amount of broken, poorly made items put into our garbage and filling up our landfills and oceans. Quantity has replaced Quality. Instant gratification. Being able to replace a cheap item quickly, leads consumers to not think about where their discarded item goes. The garbage person takes it — off to the store for another one! The idea of ‘fast fashion’ and convenience foods has also put a huge strain on our environment with the plastic packaging, single use wrappers and ‘disposables’. Our excessiveness and consumer greed has also been shown to have dire effects on our water systems and quality of life for nature.
The irony of struggling with happiness in modern times is glaring. In many places in the world today, we have more than ever before in history. Yet despite this, so many people are unhappy. Why is simplifying a solution? How would simplifying help people to access happiness?
Simplifying would help people to have more money and more time. If you added up the cost of items that you really don’t need, you would be shocked. You could use that to invest in your passions or making memories with your friends and family. I remind my clients “Memories made not things bought”. If you spoke to a dying person, they don’t regret not having bought something, they always regret not spending time with someone or doing something. Most people are happiest when they feel confident and in control of their lives. Leading a simplified lifestyle gives you this control.
Can you share some insights from your own experience? Where in your life have you transformed yourself from not having enough to finally experiencing enough? For example, many people feel they don’t have enough money. Yet, people define abundance differently, and often, those with the least money can feel the most abundant. Where in your health, wealth, or relationships have you transformed your life?
I’ve transformed myself by seeking professional money management advice. Knowing where my money was going helped me to know where I was wasting money and showed me that I had enough to live my life comfortably. Not knowing is crippling. Having a clear financial picture transformed me from a worried women to a person that can control and manage her money. Especially as a woman who left the banking up to others, learning how to manage my money is not gender based and it’s empowering to make important decisions for my future. I also worked hard at not comparing myself to others that I viewed as ‘having it all’. I’m in a different place, a different chapter and my story is mine. I don’t know their struggle, they may carry a massive debt to maintain that ‘perfect’ life. Living within my means is so much easier.
People, places, and things shape our lives. For example, your friends generate conversations that influence you. Where you live impacts what you eat and how you spend your time. The “things” in your life, like phones, technology, or books impact your recreation. Can you tell us a little about how people, places, and things in your own life impact your experience of “experiencing enough?”
As a Professional Home Organizer, I’ve seen what happens when people buy too much stuff and suffer emotionally and financially for it. Knowing when you have enough is a struggle for many people. Happiness doesn’t come in the next package but in yourself. Retail Therapy is a cry for help.
What advice would you give to younger people about “experiencing enough?”
I would tell them to restrict the use of any credit. This includes credit cards, ‘don’t pay until…’ and the ‘limited time only’ sales pitch. Also only buy something if you have the cash in the bank or can afford the shortest payment plan available. The idea of making payments that out live the item or add up to more than the items worth, is a bad cycle to get into. It’s extremely hard for younger people to think of their futures because NOW is their focus. I would tell them to ignore the pressure from social media and the influencers, stop spending endless hours comparing their lives with others. I would like them to know their worth is not in having ‘things’ but in who they are as a person.
This is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience and research, can you share your “five ways we can simplify and declutter our lives to make us happier?”
- Reduce or eliminate online shopping. Shopping in person allows you to try on clothes, examine an item to see if they fit properly and if the quality is there before you purchase it.
- Unfollow any social media accounts that don’t enrich your life. If they make you feel ‘less’.
- Donate or sell all items that you don’t use, love or need.
- Don’t buy in bulk if you don’t have storage for it. Shop for only what you need.
- Reduce impulse purchases by visualizing where it’ll go, what needs to go to make room for this new item, or do you already have a similar item? Give yourself a week to decide if you really need it.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would restrict credit cards from people that use it as a bank account. Younger people especially fall into the debt cycle early because they aren’t seeing the big picture. Banks tend to raise limits on credit cards causing people to purchase more and get deeper into debt. It’s a vicious cycle and one that many people never get out of, making the minimum payments for years on something that they didn’t really need but just wanted.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can find my blog on my website, where I share tips and advice for easy home organizing.
And also follow me on Instagram@tidymyspace.ca
And FaceBook@ Brenda Everett Scott
Thank you so much for these insights. This was so inspiring, and so important!
About The Interviewer: For 30 years, Drew Gerber has been inspiring those who want to change the world. Drew is the CEO of Wasabi Publicity, Inc., a full-service PR agency lauded by PR Week and Good Morning America. Wasabi Publicity, Inc. is a global marketing company that supports industry leaders, change agents, unconventional thinkers, companies and organizations that strive to make a difference. Whether it’s branding, traditional PR or social media marketing, every campaign is instilled with passion, creativity and brilliance to powerfully tell their clients’ story and amplify their intentions in the world. Schedule a free consultation at WasabiPublicity.com/Choosing-Publicity.
Brenda Scott Of ‘Tidy My Space’ On How Simplifying & Decluttering Your Life Can Make You Happier was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.