onebyone, great job in the kitchen! Despite your feeling "stuck" you accomplished a decluttering project which moves you forward. I know the avoidance thing....is there any way to come up with some small tasks which you could accomplish before gaming/surfing? I find that doing small things sometimes help...like just cleaning out a small drawer.
I'm getting ready to travel later today. I know today, that I can always choose to walk away without doing much but today I choose to take steps to move forward.
I have had old Carpenter's songs rolling around in my head. I now have the technology to record vinyl to CD. Two years ago I would have had to search through massive boxes of albums....today I went to the "C's" and found the 4 albums we have...one is recording now. credit. (ps-finding myself whistling....music really helps my mood) Finding myself at the "Top of The World"
I made a list last night of things I need to bring with. I've already cleaned up in the kitchen and set my smoothie stuff out. Work clothes are in the dryer. I've made the decision to move my bike over the hill for the winter. It has nice indoor storage there. Here it will have to stay in my dining room. credit for taking care of my precious bike AND conscienciously deciding NOT to have it sit in my dining room all winter...just for a few rides.
Hope you all don't mind if I jump in with you. I have been working on serious decluttering for a couple of months and I'm finally starting to see some progress. My partner died last April and I've spent the last few months organizing and reorganizing all the stuff she accumulated. Loved her dearly but the woman was a serious gadget fiend and pack rat. She was an avid photographer and musician, two things I will never be, and had every piece of equipment imaginable. For months the biggest room in my little 4 room apartment was filled with semi-organized piles of equipment. Now I want that room back to set-up winter fitness equipment!
My big goal - to go through everything including the storage room stuff and move things to new homes in time for a late spring move to another space. I want to put my garden in at my new home.
recent accomplishments - the Prius is gone, all the large photography equipment is gone to a photographer friend who lost her equipment in a flood, the least valuable instrument has been sold. I've also sent lots of things to either the thrift store or, when needed, to the dumpster. I have a very hard time throwing anything out, always have, so that is an accomplishment. I keep reminding myself that it's like the food no one else eats, doesn't mean I need to store/eat it.
I am working on baby steps. When I look at all the stuff I get overwhelmed and frozen, when I look at small pieces I can get things done. This is a busy week so my goal for each day through Saturday is to pack one small box with either books for the used book store or other thrift store items.
Hi Cyndi! to our lil' group! We do great with baby steps here. You've been moving forward (in more ways than one) and it will be nice to share here in your journey forward.
Welcome, CyndiM! Sorry for the loss of your partner. That adds a whole emotional element to the decluttering process. Good for you for tackling it now. I've known people who took several years to get the job done and the accumulation of stuff ultimately dragged them down more than the mourning process.
Lexxiss: Lists help me, too. Also music. Cool that you can get your vinyl onto CD.
onebyone: I'll echo Lexxis a bit. I've made progress sometimes by alternating a task on the to do list with doing something fun on the internet. Sometimes I've made quite of progress that way on days when my default choice would be little or nothing. It feels like a trick but it works for me -- using my current internet obsession as a reward for doing the less fun things.
For me, I'm out of town so no decluttering. Well, a surprising amount of work goes into trying to eat some healthy food in the hotel room which isn't set up for food preparation. I'm staying on top of that.
What I'm noticing is that I'm still doing a ton of stuff on the internet -- the same sort of thing I would do at home. Because I can. But I wonder if "vacation" should mean doing different stuff with my down time. I brought a bunch of books and haven't looked at them at all. I'm also observing that spending so much time on the internet is why I'm having a hard time getting to my decluttering projects and other important things. Just an observation for the moment. There are some very good reasons for what I do on the internet but it's pretty obvious to me while I'm on vacation how much of my day it takes.
sometimes the universe answers with something you DO want to hear
Hi
So last night I get a phonecall from out of the blue. The diabetic asociation is doing a collection run next Monday. They wanted to know if I would have something to donate? Household goods, bedding, clothing etc. They'll be by around 8am Monday to pick up. And, as added incentive, if I donate 3 large bags worth my name gets entered in a draw for a vacation for 4 to sunny Florida! This call came a few hours after I posted on facebook that I wnated to "win a vacation" somewhere.
?
The universe is really something sometimes.
CyndiM We look forward to supporting you in your decluttering goals.
onebyone, just amazing! Could your DH donate 3 bags, too? What an incentive! I'm glad you're feeling better today!
gardenerjoy, I found that when I really made myself a commitment to a home routine which included decluttering, keeping things tidy and keeping lists (which I love crossing off) that I was able to pull away from the net. I have the big list right by my computer so when I'm surfing I'm always aware that my list exists.
We made it to the other house and when I came in I was able to immediately notice (especially in my office) that my home was lighter...less stuff. I was also able to glance around at more "things" that I just don't need anymore.
I was dinner time, but I used my Beck skills...remembering hunger is not an emergency and decided I'd be much happier in the morning if I unpacked before dinner, so I did. credit. Tomorrow I can start right in with what I really want to do.
CyndiM, very sorry to hear about the loss of your partner. What a sad project ahead of you. But it must feel gratifying that some of that photography equipment found a good home.
Yeah to all of you who mentioned the internet. It's magic - it makes hours disappear! Never watched much TV for the same reason, but it's a lot easier for me to ignore the TV than the computer!!!
Lists -- Sometimes DH would do something on my list and I'd feel guilty crossing it off - until last week. It happened, and I decided from now on I get extra credit because I'm exercising managerial skills on the homefront!! Because delegating is hard for me.
Onebyone, good luck on winning the vacation!
Lexxis, I got into this discussion late & notice your references to two places. Don't know if you are moving or it's your parents' or if its a second home?
Gardenerjoy, eating healthy on the road is a challenge. Just back from a long weekend & 3lb gain myself! But I got everything unpacked and cleaned up immediately and feel good about that, now to get back On Plan.
Mountain Mamma, yay for getting everything put away right after your trip! Cheers, too, for getting right back OP!
I'm from Colo. but spent 23 years in Alaska. DH and I came back in 2003 to be near my mom. We took over the family home which had been rented for 20 years and my mom is a block away. Unfortunately, we hauled lots of stuff down that didn't apply.
Then we went on a 2-3 year binge where our fun time was going to thrift stores and buying cheap stuff (we had very little disgressionary cash).
In 2005 we bought a mobile home 120 miles away in an area we both really enjoy. Now I have a part time job in my moms town so we go back and forth at least twice a month. For years our "primary" residence was the mobile home now with the job and my mom just turning 91 the old Victorian is now primary.
In addition, my mom is a collector and my sis and I have been hauling stuff out of her home for years AND there are two little houses which were my grandmothers which my mom had filled full of stuff.
I have the 2 little houses 60 percent cleaned out and I have finally decided that my emotional energy is better spent on my own "homes" since my mom keeps hauling stuff back in. We also have an outbuilding in Alaska full of stuff. I went up this Spring and dealt with alot of that.
Summary: lots of "stuff" spread out all over. I have made great progress since I came upon onebyone's thread several years ago. It really helps me to keep focused here.
The day was so amazing today I took my work outside to get a good chunk of it done *credit* for working today and for pushing ahead with one of my to-do list projects. As I moved my work outdoors I was so thrilled that soon, very soon, i will be moving exactly that kind of stuff out of my place permanently into my studio. I have been procrastinating checking in with my studio landlord to see how the renovation/clean up of my space is going. I am afraid to hear bad news, which is just me and my catastrophizing, trying to get ready for something bad to happen. I sure hope this phase of stuff passes soon. It seems everywhere I turn there is some bit of bad news--but then I get some good news so. all depends on your focus sometimes.
Tomorrow's work is rustling up my craft materials to make some new jewelry items for the last (yes last!) outdoor farmers' market of the season. It's already over. I already did a cursory moving of craft things into one space so my search will be easier this time than the last time I wanted to make some stuff *credit*
Lexxiss I don't think I've ever put together how many properties and how much stuff you have actually had to manage! I'm not even adding into the mix the personalities and their challenges. Wow. You are truly my hero. ENORMOUS CREDIT to you.
Since we were going to travel today I decided I HAD to make some steps forward, even if they were small.
I:
~texted a friend who came over and p/u a boxsprings we no longer use
~took 8 magazines to our club for others to take
~got the laptop from my brother running (now I don't need to haul mine every trip)
~packed up a defunct laptop for disposal over here
~packed up a sm. TV we need here not there (for DVD's)
~took some yarn I would never use and gave it to a friend
~did some light cleaning and left the house picked up
credit
Got home: needed to bake a cake for a potluck tonight. I decided I would clean EVERYTHING UP while the cake baked. I timed it-7 minutes to get everything washed and put back in place. It makes me feel so much better than when I leave a mess for later.
I watched an program on TV last week and wrote this down because it seemed to apply to me. They were helping someone to declutter and said for her,
"Acquiring was a stress reliever."
I could relate. I have always had a hard time getting rid of stuff but my most recent acquisitions (2003-2008) were part of an ongoing shopping/thrift store "experience".
Today I can change that.
Today, LETTING GO AND JUST DOING IT can be my stress reliever.
I decided I'd get some things done this morning and post some progress. Then I thought about not doing anything....the accountability moved me forward.
All small steps towards a collective step of progress
~organized DH to finish kale chips while I;
~picked up and unpacked
~planted onion bulbs outside (off the kitchen counter!)
~got cat carrier off porch and into basement
~completed another step of christmas boxes in basement Yay!
~computerized an address and got rid of sticky note
~went through mail and filed/recycled
Today two items WILL go to thrift
~the old farberware chicken roaster
~a swiffer thats been on the porch for a year since I picked it up beside a dumpster
Tomorrow the Diabetes Association is coming by to pick up whatever Ii have for them. They promised that if it's 3 or more bags/boxes of stuff I am entered in a draw to go to sunny Florida! A trip for 4. I intend to win that trip for 4...
I thought i'djust go through some boxes and ik out something in them to toss out and I opened 4 boxes,one after the other and all I see is stuff to KEEP! OMG. Books I'd forgotten about. Art supplies. Pictures. Jewelery. A tshirt DH got at the comiccon in San Diego signed by the guy who played C3PO (!). I got majorly depressed and overwhelmed by every box and by my *instant* paralysis a few seconds after I opened it and looked inside. How am I ever going to deal with my boxes I wonder??? So, I decided, I alreaady have half a garbage bag full of donatables which have hung around the house a month or so (yes) and I thought I would just go through the linens and the towels and the clothes. I can do that. I have been having success getting that stuff out of the house. So now I have two full garbage bags, marked with a D for the diabetes people as they asked and in the wash there is another garbage bag's worth of clothes that I had bagged up to wash who knows when and there are maybe 3 more bags that I think I'll get to today. Out of the four bags that I will wash I know there is another full garbage bag's worth to be donated.
The bonus is my beloved oversized men's black pullover hoodie was in the bottom of the bag that's being washed right now! I love that ratty old thing. I wear it until it gets tooo toooo cold to wear it any longer.
The other bonus is I have donated my size 20 jeans that I LOATHE, but someone might love. They are already in a bag that's tied up. I didn't want to take the chance that somehow they'd re-surface in m drawers!
Even if none of this decluttering shows as it's all hidden in drawers and my cupboards I feel great about getting it out of the house.
I have no clue what to do about any of the boxes. Wow. They just make me stop short. Any advice on this?
Brainstorming for onebyone. These are truly quick thoughts and only meant to be ideas not prescriptions.
Books. Does the library have them? I own many fewer books than I used to because I decided that the library and ebooks don't take space that I don't have.
For books you keep, my husband keeps a lot in plastic storage boxes, sorted by topic. It works for him and is neat enough to make me happy.
Art supplies. Can you just haul those straight over to the new studio when it's ready?
Pictures. Are these yours or someone else's? Could some be given as Christmas gifts to friends and family? For some reason, I keep pictures for places I may someday live. I'm trying to get better about putting them up or giving them away.
Jewelry. There are all kinds of cool things for organizing jewelry. Do thrift stores have fun jewelry boxes? Maybe you could have a collection of jewelry boxes that match the size of your jewelry collection? When I moved, I was able to just move the jewelry boxes and not think much about what was inside.
More generally. Choose one box or one type of stuff and make a plan for that. Implement that plan. Repeat.
Post here, often. Post about the top thing in the box and describe what it is and why it paralyzes you -- just writing about it is a step. I'll bet just writing will help and when it doesn't, we've got your back!
Also, HUGE CREDIT for recognizing that the boxes paralyzed you and finding a project to work on that did not paralyze you. Great job on taking care of all those bags and clothes.
I'm still focusing most of my decluttering on my day off. Today I packed the last box of photography equipment and will send it to Canada tomorrow to join the other stuff. I've got just one tripod, an old film camera, and a fixable lens left to rehome. I also tackled a small box of my old photographs. I decided it was silly to keep photographs from an old relationship that I really would rather not think about (many years ago), so those all went in the recycle box. I was also able to neatly stack all the empty storage bins (hooray for me, 7 emptied bins so far!) into a corner of the storage room. This week I have nights free again so will pack one box of books or other easy to organize item each night.
Anyone have any tips about odds and ends that might go to something else? I keep finding pieces of things, power cords, etc that clearly belong to something but I don't know what. I'm afraid to toss them until I've taken care of everything because I just know I will find the thing they go to right after I throw them out. Other than putting them all together in one box does anyone have any ideas about them?
I need to get in here more than once a week so I won't ramble on so long!
Facebook garage sales have been a real find. I sold lots of outdoor equipment this summer and an old sectional sofa today. It's nice to feel like things I don't want are going to new homes.
I just got off the phone to the thrift shop, and they are picking up the furniture in my garage.. in two weeks. I really had hoped they would be able to come sooner, but I guess it does give me time to walk around the house and find other things I don't need anymore!
to our lil' group! We do great with baby steps here. You've been moving forward (in more ways than one) and it will be nice to share here in your journey forward.
sometimes the universe answers with something you DO want to hear
We look forward to supporting you in your decluttering goals.
Thursday
overwhelmed, then I moved on.
