While money is nice, time is the ultimate currency. If our spending habits and our continual accumulation of stuff get out of control, then we’re not only losing time, but we’re losing our money as well.
So how can we take back our time and improve our efficiency with our most precious resources? And how can we work this magic while being married with kids?
To help us answer this difficult question, I’ve invited Author Tracy McCubbin on the show today. Tracy is the CEO of dClutterfly, which is Los Angeles' premier organizing and decluttering company, and the author of Make Space for Happiness: How to Stop Attracting Clutter and Start Magnetizing the Life You Want.
Overview: Your Stuff is Costing You Time w/ Tracy McCubbin
Tracy McCubbin reviews the following:
- How our continual accumulation of stuff is costing us time
- Why parents accumulate so much stuff
- The steps we can take to declutter our spaces and our schedules
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON:
Key Takeaways
Here are my top three takeaways from my conversation with Tracy McCubbin.
Stuff Takes Up Time
The more stuff we have in our lives, the more time it takes to manage it, store it, update it, maintain it and so much more.
As an example, I upgraded my iPhone recently. While it didn’t take up a lot of extra space, it took up A LOT of extra time.
- Time to move all my photos over to the cloud
- Time to move the apps, contacts, etc over to the new phone
- And time to transfer my old phone into a useable phone for someone else
And honestly, that kind of jacked up my whole week! I was looking for this new phone to be a time saver over the long term, but in the short term, it was a time suck.
Think about that with the potentially dozens of things we buy every month. Time draining from your life to take care of, update and maintain stuff.
We Expand To Meet The Space We Have
I loved when Tracy said that we expand to meet the space we have. It's so true!
This hits home as my “Biggering” bug has taken over lately.
- “I’d really like a bigger office”
- “Oh! I’d like a bigger garage”
- “Well, our kids could really have some bigger rooms”
No Andy, No!! If you got a bigger house, you’d probably just fill it up with more STUFF! And then that stuff will take more of your time and you’ll have less time to do the things that matter in your life.
Instead, we’re going to continue to declutter and minimize to enjoy the space we have.
Family Wealth and Happiness Takes a Village
As parents, this anti-accumulation of stuff needs to start with us. If we want our kids to enjoy the things they have and not clutter up their rooms, we need to show them how by modeling that type of behavior.
Declutter with them. Return things you don’t need. Give away stuff that doesn’t serve you anymore.
And do this with your kids.
Also, help out other families by not adding more stuff into their homes. You heard Tracy’s PSA on little tiny toys at birthday parties. The madness needs to stop!
In all seriousness, if we want to see some change in our consumeristic society, let’s be the change we want to see.
Guest Bio – Tracy McCubbin
Tracy McCubbin is an entrepreneur, CEO, and the author of Making Space, Clutter Free: The Last Book On Decluttering You'll Ever Need (June 4th, 2019) and the newly launched book, Make Space for Happiness: How to Stop Attracting Clutter and Start Magnetizing the Life You Want (Sourcebooks, October 4th, 2022).
She has always referred to herself as “Obsessive Compulsive Delightful,” but who knew she could turn that trait into a booming business? While working for a prominent television director in Los Angeles, Tracy discovered she could see through any mess and clearly envision a clutter-free space. Coupled with keen time-management and organizational skills, Tracy soon found more and more people were asking her for help. Before she knew it, dClutterfly was born.
Over fifteen years and thousands of clients later, dClutterfly is currently Los Angeles' premier organizing and decluttering company. Tracy has been interviewed for several decluttering segments, including Fox 5 Washington DC and ABC7 Los Angeles, KTLA Morning News, KCAL9 CBS Los Angeles, and Good Day Sacramento. She and her company have also been featured in top-tier publications, including Real Simple, House Beautiful, Goop, Refinery 29, and Woman's Day.
When not decluttering, she is the proud Co-Executive Director of OneKid OneWorld, a non-profit building strong educational foundations for children in impoverished communities throughout Kenya and Central America.
Tracy lives in Los Angeles and knows where her keys are.
Guest Resources
Tracy McCubbin (Website)
Make Space for Happiness (Book)
Podcast Resources:
- Make My Kid a Millionaire Course: Want to make your kid a millionaire? Learn more about my course!
- Family Wealth + Happiness Guidebook: Get the 10 steps to young family wealth and happiness for free by signing up for our bi-weekly newsletter. This 39-page PDF gives the tools, guidance and resources to achieve your own version of family financial independence.
- MKM Coaching: Looking for someone to walk alongside you on your financial independence journey? Grab your free 15-minute consultation today.
- Corporate Financial Wellness Presentation: Contact me to discuss how I can support your company's overall financial wellness.
- Recommended Resources: You won’t reach your financial goals without the right tools. Here are my suggestions!
Carpe Diem Quote:
“People first. Then money. Then things.”
– Suze Orman
What do you think of the advice from Tracy McCubbin? Do you think your stuff is costing you time?
Please let us know in the comments below.
