Making Space for a Better Life: A Conversation With Decluttering Expert April Tandy

Epoch Times

20-05-2025

April Tandy helps people transform their lives by decluttering their spaces. Her inspiring
"The Mindful Art of Space Making" by April Tandy.
Courtesy of April Tandy Scott
The Epoch Times:
What was your life like before you became a decluttering expert, and what led you to create the Space Maker Method?
April Tandy:
I was moving a lot—and by a lot I mean about 20 times in 20 years. Half of which was time spent living the expat life in different countries. Both moving and creating a home in various parts of the world helped me identify quickly what was important to my life and what was just unnecessary baggage. Especially in the years spent moving in only two suitcases, I had to learn quickly that I couldn't fit it all. If I wanted to bring the cowhide rug (**not real cowhide), I'd have to make space for it, which meant something else had to go. It was a one rug at the expense of one pair of shoes and a jacket kind of thing. While to many others this was absolutely ridiculous, I knew without a doubt that the rug made me infinitely more happy to have in my life than those clothing pieces ever did. And sure enough, I used that rug for three more years in my studio apartment. #WorthIt
All of these moves helped me learn how to live intentionally in my home, but it all came together when I started what I thought would be an interior design side hustle back in 2020.
Design has always been a passion of mine, but when I first started working with clients in 2020, I quickly learned that it wasn't a design problem that my clients had; it was a clutter problem. The common thread between all of my initial clients was that they had too much stuff and the bandaid fix they gave it was to redecorate and buy more things. From this moment on, clutter became my primary focus.
The Epoch Times:
It is common for clutter to get out of hand. Why do you believe so many people struggle with clutter?
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Ms. Tandy:
For many of my clients, life just happened—like the heavy parts of life that can turn your world upside down. The loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, a long-term illness or an unfortunate health diagnosis, having a family member move out or move back in. Big life changes like this can easily throw a home into disorder. And once that happens, it's easy for the disorder to spiral.
The Epoch Times:
You've helped so many tackle their clutter. What benefits do your clients commonly experience once the clutter is gone?
Ms. Tandy:
Making space for what you love is different for everyone. Some of my clients are able to finally resume their favorite hobbies like cooking, sewing, or exercising. Some delight in hosting friends and family for the first time in years. The common thread is that everyone feels lighter and more optimistic about the future.
Once clutter is cleared, the space can be used for gathering together and deepening relationships.
August de Richelieu/Pexels
The Epoch Times:
You call your strategy the Space Maker Method. What steps do you take your clients through to overcome their clutter?
Ms. Tandy:
My method is purposefully simple. I tell my clients that their decluttering/organizing journey will have three stages: the Before, the During, and the After.
In the Before, we do the mental work that is necessary but often overlooked. This includes things like intentionally walking through your home to take stock of your clutter, asking questions to understand why things are the way they are, and articulating your personal motivation for change.
The During is when we focus only on decluttering. Distraction is the enemy here and focus is the goal. It's normal for things to get worse before they get better. I call this the 'messy middle'; it's real life but you don't see this part on TV. This is when your house gets turned upside-down and we sort through every closet and corner. We don't let ourselves get preoccupied with organization or design, and we certainly don't buy any new organizers or decor! We focus on thinning down and making space. We keep pressing forward.
The After is the fun part. Your home looks nothing like it did before. Now we get to use items that we uncovered in the During (like family heirlooms you've always wanted to display or bags/baskets/organizers that can be put to practical use). We start to experiment with new organizational systems with a focus on making daily life easy and enjoyable for everyone who lives there.
The Epoch Times:
What is the most challenging part of decluttering for most people?
Ms. Tandy:
First, I'd say knowing 'where to start' and, secondly, 'how to keep going after you start.' When my clients contact me they are so overwhelmed by their clutter that they can't figure out where to start. The piles are too big and the idea of starting is just too much. They're very much resigned to the fact that things will never get better. And even when they do start, they usually throw in the towel shortly after because they don't have a clear plan for progress. And when you're lacking motivation, literally anything in the world sounds more fun than decluttering.
A small task can be the catalyst for long-term change.
Prostock-studio/Shutterstock
The Epoch Times:
How do you recommend people stave off falling back into old habits and generating more clutter after going through your process?
Ms. Tandy:
In my book, I mention two key factors for long-term success. The first is establishing a pattern of routine maintenance that is easy for you to achieve on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis. The second is personal change. Along your decluttering journey, you will come to understand yourself and your home much better than you did before. You'll come face-to-face with the trends and habits that led your home to get out of control, and you'll also be more sensitive to the build-up of clutter now that your home feels clean and spacious. It's up to you to be aware of your clutter-causing behaviors, and to make the adjustments necessary to continue to enjoy your clutter-free home happily ever after!
The Epoch Times:
How can parents teach their children to take care of their spaces and live without clutter?
Ms. Tandy:
Leading by example is always a good place to start. Children are like sponges and absorb what they see and what their parents do. If the living room and kitchen are cluttered and chaotic, they'll most likely keep their space chaotic as well.
When parents lead by example, even young children can learn to maintain an organized, creative space.
Maria Evseyeva/Shutterstock
In one English home that I recently worked in, my client wanted to focus on her home office and bedroom. Unsurprisingly, her young son's room was equally as overwhelming. Over our week together I kept getting updates about what her son thought of our decluttering progress. Long story short, her son noticed the positive changes in the home and felt personally motivated to contribute. One evening he even went as far to declutter and organize his room on his own accord and then asked his mom if they could do the downstairs as well.
Months later, I'm told that his room is still just as organized and he spends a lot of time being creative in his space (something he never did when it was cluttered).
Decluttering makes a room look a lot better, but the real transformation is how people feel in the space.
Nastyaofly/Shutterstock
The Epoch Times:
What has surprised you most about helping people declutter their homes?
Ms. Tandy:
How life-changing the process of decluttering really is. It's amazing to see the ripple effects in my clients' lives once they start clearing space in their home and in their mind. I've seen my clients heal their relationships, change their careers, grow their businesses, move to new cities because they felt free enough to do so, and make all sorts of life-changing improvements. What starts as a small act of making space in the home often snowballs into huge changes and life improvements.
The Epoch Times:
For anyone reading this who feels overwhelmed by their clutter—what's the first step you'd recommend they take?
Ms. Tandy:
Start with a Quick Win. This is a small task that you can achieve today to help make progress on your declutter journey. While a small task may seem small and inconsequential in the moment, over time the compounding effect of Quick Wins is what will build your motivation and strengthen your declutter muscles. It's also going to get you started and getting started is half the battle.
The Epoch Times:
What motivates you to continue this work?
Ms. Tandy:
Seeing the realized potential in my clients' homes and seeing the deep impact it has in their lives is what keeps me going. I can't tell you how many times I've cried while rewatching and editing the homes we've shared on our Youtube channel. These are real people who have real struggles and I know that I can help change their lives by changing their homes. This is what keeps me going.
I currently have an application form so that anyone in the world can apply for help from the Space Maker Method. I receive new applications every week from people who are hurting, people who feel stuck and hopeless in their homes, and people who need a fresh start. But of course I can only visit so many homes per year.
My life right now is one of constant travel from one project to the next, with periods of home time in-between when I edit YouTube videos and prepare for the next trip. My dream is to keep growing the Space Maker Method business, which will allow me to hire more help, help more people, and share more inspirational stories of lives and homes being transformed around the world.