:welcome2: Exhale15! Great that you found us. I certainly relate to your final 20% AND your last few steps to goal. Seems that's where I'm at, too.

onebyone, great job doing your dishes AND putting them away! How does it feel??

I encountered some frustration yesterday which has some relationship to my organizational/clutter issues....compounded by our having 2 houses 120 miles apart. I bought a camera May 6 at Target to take to Alaska. I decided to return it, as I went through 3 sets of batteries for 147 pictures. When I was here and couldn't find the receipt I thought it was there. When I got there, I couldn't find it either, so it must be here. I found out that Target would return without the receipt because I charged it. I tried yesterday and now it's past the 45 days for electronics returns. Their policy at customer services says 90 days for returns and they told me the 45 days is "on your receipt". Arg....they said talk to Canon but I belive they will tell me I "need my receipt". I am really bummed. I'm sure I did not throw it out but feel like my system has failed me.

I guess I will put the camera in my closet in a bag and keep organizing. It's only $161.00 and the camera "does" work. Perhaps the receipt will be found before the 1 yr warranty is up.

Good news is that I did bring a box of stuff back over with me which is designated to the thrift store. I left it in the car last night and will drop it off as soon as my schedule permits. credit for that.

I will work on one project tonight after work.

Ok, I found the receipt in a drawer downstairs. What I also found was a bag of stuff which I had cleaned off the dining room table when we moved the bed cownstairs for DH.

I recognize from the items in the bag that I need to make some decisions regarding some items I just can't seem to get rid of....small yet annoying me. I brought the contents of the bag us to my office to deal with tonight. credit.

Good morning!

Onebyone, the room was a funny-looking (by my standards today) beige. It is now a beautiful bright yellow with crisp white trim. So happy in it :)

Today I'm off to the Container store to get a couple of those wide plastic framed storage things for clothes - one will be for clothes and one for dvds and misc that I'm not ready to scrap but they're all over the place.

So glad I found this group :)
Have a great weekend.

Good morning all! Welcome to Exhale!

I had a very busy week with teaching class and an all day consulting job on Thursday. I did get my dining room cleaned and another bag to goodwill.

I only had a short time on Tuesday to get something done so I found my returns bag and made a list and route of returns. I went to one store and only had the receipt from another purchase from same store but it was out of state store.... Frustrated! So I can relate Lexxis. They told me that I could only get about half the credit, I said take it anyway, I waited way to long to take these things back. My fault, my procrastination. I did get in 2 more return stops before heading to work. I give myself credit for that.

I will be on vacation with my family at our cabin for a week. Lots of cooking and organizing. I have my walking clothes for daily walks or bike rides and had a long list of optional foods so I don't go overboard with holiday eating. I give myself credit for having a plan. Will check in mid week as I am thinking on some ideas for new goals.
I am going to do an Art collage of what gifts that I want to give myself. I know that a clean declutter organized space is on my heart as well as letting go of these extra pounds and having a consistent plan that works. I will let the process work itself to see what comes forth.

Wishing you all a safe holiday! Keep it light:)

Congratulations to everyone posting here. This is such an inspiring thread.
I got a 9 cube book shelf. I can't believe what a difference it made in the living room. DS put his stuff in there but it cleared the room of clutter so this works well for me.
Exhale- Welcome.

Onebyone- Thanks for the info about posting pictures. I am charging the batteries for my camera and then I should be good to go.
I can't believe how much better I feel with that clutter gone. I only have 4 more rooms to do.

Lexi- Good luck with the bag and contents. While I was clearing through clutter I saw some Tic Tacs, the candy, I bought about a month ago for my DS. He just has them lying around but for some reason I felt he needed to keep them. I thought how can I be emotionally attached to TicTacs. I realized it isn't the tictacs, it is my son's reaction to me throwing them out. He doesn't care if I do. Beck strategies are making me learn so much about myself.
Rachel- way to go with all your progress. Enjoy your vacation with your family.
Have a great night all.

I finished my bookcase on the last day of the month just like I stated in my goal. It never would have happened if I hadn't set a goal. Besides reorganizing, I cleared out enough space that I was able to bring some books up from the kitchen bookshelves. That will give us a leg up when it's time to reorganize those shelves.

I don't know that it looks that much better, but it definitely feels more organized.

So, next up is the northwest corner of my study. I don't have much of a vision for it, but it needs to be much less densely packed than this because things disappear in there forever. It's where projects go to die.

I'll aim for a little progress every day with a goal of completing it by the end of July.

small victory
 

Hi!

So at the market today I got to experience what it is like to be organized and to know where stuff is. I had already packed up my stuff when the market manager came by.
"Oh, I suppose it's too late to ask you to get out your cards for me? I wanted to buy a couple for birthdays this week."
"Oh no. They're right here."

And *presto*I lifted the lid on one of my two rubbermaid bins and because I bought special bright green plastic bucket-like bins for them there they all were, easy to find, and she chose two and paid me and I closed the lid on it.

In the past some cards would have been in this bag, or that bag, or scattered and not neatly together. I hadn't consciously organized my market stock so the bins wouldn't be filled with clutter, but I do recall wanting to "streamline" and sorting/tossing things out of those bins. They were empty when I set them up for the season and have remained in pretty good condition 8 weeks in.

I credit my heightened awareness concerning all things clutter for this small victory today.

Credit as well for unloading the car today, right after I got home from the market. We drove around all week with my market display in the car last week. I wasn't thrilled about that, even though it was great last night/this morning for packing the rest of my stuff in.

No decluttering on the agenda for today.

You guys are all doing so great!:bravo:

Happy July 1st De-clutters :)
Our month of liberation from that which bogs us down:strong:

I wrote out a list of things I want done by the end of the year. Some have to do with de-cluttering. For this month I have the coat closet. I may do some other things, but that closet's gotta get done. So it's perfect.

One of the organizational items I bought yesterday is a cube file for dvds. It's a beautiful little clear box with a top that holds 120 dvds in multi-colored sleeves. Now it holds my dvds & I threw out a huge bag of empty boxes. Huge improvement. Very pleased. I also went through some vacation photos that I've had in a album for the longest time.

Boy, that corner is really densely packed. I decided I wanted to see if the file carts really "fit" there. In putting them where I want them, I discovered an unused shelf thingy hiding under all the mess. I've now repurposed that to the top of my bookcase. The file carts fit side-by-side next to the desk and I think they'll work.

I'm calling that done for Day 1 of the clear the corner project.

outdoors too.
 

Hi

I decluttered my garden of some weeds this morning. The dishes are gathered up but not done. I really don't want to do them. I'm tired of doing them everyday *whine*
Oh well.
I'll have twice as many tomorrow if I don't do them today.

That was about it for my decluttering today. It just wasn't on my radar. Tomorrow I will re-group. I need a plan for the month like many of you are doing.

Thanks for the inspiration.

I got rid of three large bundles of flattened boxes saved from our move/shuffle of last year. Since we paid like $4 per box, I hated to just put them in the recycle bin. Finally, my DS needed them and is delighted to get them for FREE.

It's a challenge for me that I think all my clutter needs to find such a happy reception. So Yay for succeeding with this one stash. Ouch for reinforcing me naive belief that everything I no longer need will be someone's treasure.

Good morning all!

Was greeted by a clean sink this morning and that was so nice. Also, the dvds are in their proper place in the pretty colorful box.

It's a challenge for me that I think all my clutter needs to find such a happy reception. So Yay for succeeding with this one stash. Ouch for reinforcing me naive belief that everything I no longer need will be someone's treasure.

BillBlueEyes, I was like that for the longest time. Then what happened several years ago is that a friend of mine passed away. He had lots of things in his home that he never wanted to throw out, because they were his things, and when I visited him, there were lots of things, but my friend was there, too, and it was part of the visit. After he passed, it just looked like so much junk.

Something clicked for me, and I realized that the importance of things lie with the person who has them. That's the importance - their usefulness. Otherwise our things can get to own us. I realize that not everything I want to get rid of is going to be cherished by someone else. I call for the local charity to pick up some things and they are picky about what they take. They don't want to drive over for clothes, and the furniture has to be described to a 'T' and meet their requirements. Yesterday, I left some dvds out in the bin in my building's trash room. They were still there when I took out the evening trash. I know people saw them, but they didn't want them...that's just how it is...

Sometimes we just have to take a 'loss' and realize that some of the things we have - have bought, made, etc. are no longer important to us and maybe not really important to anyone. What is important, though, is that our homes and spaces are beautiful and clutter free. So, I've been just taking the loss, but I feel I've gained so much in doing so.

:cheer: to all of us!

onebyone, yay for keeping those dishes done! Congrats, too, on such a great feeling when you could find your cards at the farmers market!

gardenerjoy, love your pics of the completed project as well as the new one!

Exhale15, boy did you hit the nail on the head with your observations! It's great to remember that as I go through more stuff! I am not my stuff AND if something happens to me next week I'd prefer that I had the opportunity to organize/pitch/donate MY stuff instead of someone else doing it for me.
....brings up a story....when I was in Alaska in May, I was taking stuff to the dump. When I got there I saw a friend (the town recycler). He said, "Hey Deb, come on there's a bunch of great stuff here!" I joined in with several others, and took away a plate with a sunflower on it. Ends up, a guy had passed away and the next of kin just scooped everything in the entire house up and sent it to the landfill.
REALITY: I do like recycling and finding another home for my stuff. The next in line will probably not have such a great interest in repurposing. I WILL DO IT SOONER VS LATER

Helping Rachel, have a fun vaca! Glad you got your dining room finished before you left. It will be clean upon your arrival home!

Ann (Newlifestyle), great job getting the new cubby! Interesting observation about the tic tacs. Funny, I have some floating around in my office. I will throw them away the next time I see them.

BBE, great that you found a home for more boxes. How many more do you have?

Me, did some more work in my office this weekend. Found thrift store stuff that went to my car. I have several piles of fabric that will go that way, too. *credit* I had some really nice swimsuit fabric that I'll never use. It will go, along with the old swimsuits I was going to use for patterns.

I did empty the contents of the stash bag I found. The next small project is a cardboard box in the living room with the contents of a beautiful wood chest that DH built that we gave to his DD. All that stuff needs another place until he builds another chest. As I look around my living room right now, I see several items that could find a more permanent spot. I'll move them now.

ETA-One item in my stashed bag was 30 or so packages of seeds...flowers...veggies, etc. Some old and opened others newer and unopened. I keep saving them for "planting". REALITY: I sowed some of the flower seeds in Spring and nothing came up. REALITY: If I have a garden next year I will buy new seeds. OK, I opened every package and dumped all the seeds in a plastic bag. I recycled envelopes and took all the seeds up and sowed them on the hill above my Grandmothers. Probably nothing will come up but I gave them the best chance.
My gift to myself: I can quit moving this bag again and again and again and again....I remembered that there were more seeds in a drawer. I went and got them, too. All gone.

I took another baby step in the corner -- emptied a basket that should be in one of the file carts. I'll have to empty another basket in order for that basket to fit, but it will help that this basket is empty when I get to that. :dizzy:

Lexxiss: great job with the seeds -- I love how creative that is to just go sow them and see what happens. I throw mine in the compost pile. So far, my compost hasn't spontaneously erupted in tomatoes or zinnias!

Exhale15: a primary motivator for keeping my house in order is that I was the one who emptied my parents' house. My mother was a tidy housekeeper, but unbeknownst to us until she died, she was a pack rat -- it was just all neatly packed away in every closet, shelf, and in the basement. I found the canceled check stubs for every check they ever wrote! As Lexxiss wrote, I want to take care of my own stuff as much as possible.

BillBlueEyes: woohoo for a happy home for the boxes!

onebyone: yay for garden decluttering!

gardenerjoy, I've been taking baby steps, too. Each baby step moves me forward. Despite busy days, I've managed to get two boxes readied for exiting the house in my office. I've also cleaned out the box I said I would downstairs.

As I was packing upstairs, I had that "moment of clarity" where I reaffirmed I that I must continue to be vigilant about bringing "stuff" in. When I restrict what is coming in and persist in taking out then I make progress forward.

Happy 4th of July. I'm going to work.

Happy 4th of July :carrot:

Little-by-little is key, especially for daunting tasks. I used to try to take a weekend day to get something 'done'. I basically wore out. Now, I look at a section or a little project - even 15 minutes' worth, and it happens, and that makes the next bit easier...I've also come to see that neat/uncluttered spaces are brighter, the energy moves about and there's light reflected by the surfaces... it's nice :)

Have a great day everybody :)

Exhale15, yes, "little by little" is key for me, too! I love the feel of my spaces after I work on them.

Today is a day off, technically, but I have to take mom and DH to medical appts. I got up early and decided to "just do" one of the top projects on my procrastination list.

~I took all the receipts from our Alaska trip (business) and sorted, pitched, tallyed and made the master list for our taxes next April. When I had the final product in hand I almost put it in a "pending" file I have because I don't yet have my 2012 Tax File. I do now. It was just easier to totally complete it.

After I finished, I put a few more things in the thrift store box. Several items were thrift store/yard sale purchases. :rollpin: A pair of pants I'll never wear and a CD collection of Garth Brooks. I almost pulled it back out but if I haven't listened to it in 2 years I probably wont.

I tried to call about the infamous camera return but they don't open for another 90 min. I'm going to take a bike ride and try again when I return.

After a week of baby steps in my office it's starting to look pretty good.

Good morning all :coffee2:

:cheer2: Lexxiss :cheer2:

Today, I'm going to visit my coat closet :dizzy:

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning,
I was missing in action as my computer had a virus and I had to clear that up.
Thanks again for all the inspiration here. I find that just doing a bit at a time makes it all worthwhile. I am off to work soon, I will post later.
Have a great day everyone.

I skipped a couple of days. I decided the resistance was due to a lack of vision so I scribbled a plan today. And emptied a box. So back to my baby steps. There's still a lot of month left for me to finish this project.

Got some of the closet done, probably need about an hour straight to finish it, more a matter of straightening up and trying on some clothes that came back from the dry cleaners a while ago to see if they still fit :)

Doesn't seem like there's that much to do, maybe because I'm more comfortable with tossing what I don't need. I'm so close to the finish line....

Have a great evening all.....

gardenerjoy I'm really feeling resistance. The two chairs I moved into the living room are full of stuff. I see: plastic bags, packsack, carrybag, books (always with the books!) clothes, and under it another bag that's for the market booth. The sink is still, mostly, clean, but the counter was AWFUL. I am completely thrown now that DH is home for his holidays.

And I have no idea whatsoever what's happened in the bedroom to our laundry. OMG it's like two mountains on either side of the entrance to the room! There are too many clothes here. I just cannot release some old t-shirts, like DH wore them when we first met t-shirts.I once saw a quilt made up of the fronts of old t-shirts, but I don't quilt and haven't even sewn for years. Like I'll fit that in too.

That paragraph is EXACTLY what I go through. I identify a problem (mountains of clothes cluttering the floor space) and then I skip to a detail that stumps me (old tshirts I am sentimentally attached to). In between these two things is a lot of stuff I do know what to do with: clothes that don't fit, I don't like, are too used up, just need to be washed. Lot's to do before I get to the tshirts that are, actually, IN A DRAWER. Ugh. A major problem is the mis-use of the bedroom closet. I shoved a giant moving box in there when we moved in, then piled more boxes in there and all the space was taken and so we can't actually hang anything up, except minimally. It's just a very poorly used closet. If I was allowed I'd install a closet organizing system but my landord would freak out. I keep thinking about getting a small set of drawers to shove in there. Is that crazy??

I'm going to make a list, again, of what to do. I always always always have to start there.

Great work you guys.

:cheer: :cheer: baby steps everyone!

Yesterday was sucked up with DH and mom's medical appointments and there was no time or energy when we returned for me to do much more than unpack perishables and fix OP dinner. credit for that.

Before bed I was feeling very distressed because everything seemed out of place. I thought, I must have accomplished something....I decided to write a list of 10 things I accomplished on Thursday and 10 I wanted to accomplish on Friday. I felt much better after looking at written progress forward.
Thursday I accomplished:
1. Alaska trip expenses
2. hauled recycling to the recycle center
3. rode my bike (first time in ages!)
4. 3 boxes to the thrift store
5. hauled 5 gal. water jug and dog food into the house
6. sorted a stack of magazines as and dropped them off at mom's eye clinic
7. paid monthly 941 taxes
8. finished our company 2nd qtr. report for IRS
9. dumped compost
10. dealt with one sentimental item sitting in my office

Friday's list
1. put water jug onto dispenser
2. put a light by our bed (in dining room)
3. reorganize refrigerator
4. look in the freezer and pitch items which don't fit in DH's food plan
5. take finished puzzle to library
6. ride bike
7. give cat a bath
8. call Apple about my dysfunctional ipod
9. old bike
10. get to the bank

Sometimes a list really helps me!

Hi Ladies!

Just a short break from vacation. Had my weekly weigh in and was up .8. Frustrated as I have walked everyday in this 100 degree heat for one hour and skipped lots of vacation food and drink. Oh well, steady as she goes as I have lots of decisions to give myself credit for.

I cleared 3 more boxes out and one bag to trash. Chipping away and steady as she goes is my mantra for rest of weekend.

Good vibes sent your way for energy to 'Keep letting it go".

onebyone, I can totally relate! For some funny reason, your post allowed me to let go of several emotional "things". A pile of paperwork from vets regarding our dogs passing AND my pup LEXISS' favorite stuffed toy. I have the memories and don't need those items any more.

One thing that really really really helped me was to give myself permission to not deal with the emotional stuff until a later time, when I was ready. When I was looking for space I had 4 catagories;
1. trash
2. reusable
3. keeping functional
4. keeping emotional

Going into a room, such as the bedroom and performing a first sort into my 4 catagories was really helpful. By acknowledging that certain clothes were worn to the point that a thrift store was going to trash them I was able to get rid of lots of stuff immediately, freeing space.
I had lots of items that no longer fit, and since I'd made the commitment not to regain they didn't need to stay. There were also items that I knew I would "realistically" never fit into again....clothes from my 30's. My big thrift pile took a dedicated day to wash/fold and deliver. freeing space.
Then I had to make room for items I needed/wanted/ and were functional....cleaning closets and drawers.
The emotional stuff was folded and stacked, which also freed space.

I have found ways to enlist the help of my DH. This was not all my mess. He has been willing (in spurts) to help haul "trash" and "recyclable" clothing. Just this morning, I encouraged him to help me with some household stuff...he was in the mood and we made great progress.

In some respects, I think it's almost impossible to deal with the emotional stuff until there has been "freed space." Perhaps you'll find out that after you get rid of trash/recyclables that you will have space for those old t-shirts....perhaps you'll come up with a creative idea....you will not know until the time is right.

Best wishes! I'm sending you supportive thoughts! Yay for making a list!

onebyone: it's not at all crazy to put a set of drawers in a closet -- I've done that. I've even put a filing cabinet in a closet and it worked great!

I've had both in a closet, too!


I accomplished most of the items on my list of a few days ago. Some, I would not have done except for writing them on paper. I have started the process with the old bike, but it's an emotional one...will report on progress.

Since my last post I have taken more baby steps. Early this morning I was in my office looking for a box to place something I wanted to keep; some beautiful linens from the kitchenware/gourmet store I owned in Alaska. I looked at a briefcase which encased junk jewelry. I was willing to open it up AND clean it out. There were a few legitimate good items, and alot of stuff I could keep forever or let go of now. The nice earrings and charms have been put in my big jewelry box and all my old bowling pins, mismatched earrings and blah blah are gone. They went in the trash...no one else wants them and I accept that. The linens are stored nicely now.

I'm on the run, but took several minutes to put away all the above stuff AND to send off two emails to get taken off mailing lists.

Unwanted mail is clutter I don't have time to deal with. I'm grateful to get two more off my list.

Off to Veg-Fest.

Taking a break from a busy day of decluttering, organizing and throwing out. Lots of good "space" exercising.

Cleaned under bathroom cabinet and both drawers. Threw out lotions and extras that have out lived their purpose.

Cleaned under 2 bookcases in FR storage area. Put all candles together and will have to purge later. Placed several books in recycle bin. Have a box of pictures to put in albums.

Cleaned out buffet in dining room. Organized all linens and glass wear. More room was made for other dishes to fit into closed area.

Cleaned middle pantry of kitchen.

Threw out 5 grocery bags of flour, sugar, expired spices ect. Now the four drawers have a labeled home, Foil, plastic bags, Baking products, spices and paper products.

Cleaned 2 cupboard out. Not sure what to do with my cookbooks. Thinking a space for hand held mixer and kitchen gadgets might be a better location for the 3 shelves. Going to sleep on it to make a decision.

Hung up sweatshirts, coats, jackets from 2 coat hook areas. Put them in winter storage. ( I know it JULY!!!!)

Done for today. Will be cleaning, writing contents of freezer and frig, and organizing menu for the next week. Cleaning 2 refrigerators is no easy task!

Rachel, great that your food organizing for the week will be accomplished with your other tasks!

Me, work day and I slept in a bit. I unpacked groceries and took out compost last night which has already helped with my time this morning. I'm busy getting ready but I accomplished one declutter task;
~a pile of notes with addresses/phone numbers has been entered into my computer so I can pitch them.

I observed that even though my office is in "transition" that it felt much lighter this morning-probably why I could just pick up those notes and deal with them. credit.

Debbie Thanks for the encouragement. It really helped me in an earlier post, when you talked about all we already do to maintain. I have to realize unless it is a weekend day, I can't do many big projects like yesterday. It has to be detailed one thing at a time. I have trash day on Tuesday and I am looking to fill a 5 gallon trash can of extra things that have outlived their purpose around here. It shouldn't be hard.

Blessings sent to all my fellow de-clutters!

taking some credit
 

Hello

Yesterday was a real test for me. I had a friend over, inside my apartment. when she walked in she said "Oh. It looks like an artist studio." I felt happy when she said that and know it was a reference to the paintings that line the hallway right as you walk in the door. The kitchen was clear of all "food dirt" due to my maintanence of this space the past few weeks. I had only one sinkful to do to get it ready and a quick wipe took care of the counter. The floor was decent since I wet mopped it a week ago too. Maintaining this space made it feel easy to get it back into a presentable condition. It also took so little time that I was able to tackle the floor of the bathroom plus the "fixtures" if you know what I mean;) and that was done fast too since the bathroom is tiny. I didn't clean the tub, opting to draw the shower curtain instead. So long as the "organic" rooms are clean, I think it's ok for folks to come in. It felt GOOD. *credit*

I have not made my new to-do list. DH is still home on holiday. I have many art deadlines to meet as well. We may take a trip out of town to see prints made by my former printmaking teacher. His show looks incredible. I need the inspiration to keep moving forward with my prints. I also need to go jump in a lake. Really. I am dying to swim in a lake. I'd love to jump off a dock. I think, given my reality, that I will make a master list of really tiny infant-sized baby steps. Very small steps. I can do that and do the rest. It will help cement in my head that small incremental middle-of-the-road steps are more effective over the long term than the large, dramatic, all encompassing events I am so drawn to. It'll be good practice to reinforce this new slower but more consistent outlook I am trying to adopt to live a happier and ultimately more productive life.

Good job everyone... you help me to keep on keeping on!

Bye!

I've had a hard time making this a daily thing. But I made progress today, so credit for that!

Great job everyone!

Baby steps....today I will make two file folders and insert the pertinent items that have been sitting on my desk.

I also pulled out my beading kit to restring two sets of broken beads (one my very favorite).

I will do my best to finish both of these projects.

ETA-files done and one necklace restrung. DH has a project for me so I've put the second necklace and the beading kit away. My old habit would be to leave it all laid out (for days or weeks) until I finished. I don't need to do that today.

Progress not perfection! Sounds like everyone is doing their daily duties to chip away at the clutter/to do piles.

I only finished one frig last night. As I was standing over the frig it started to leak water. I had talked with my husband and let him know that I thought it might have been leaking as the wood floor is bowed beneath it. So it is 18 years old and I may be shopping for a new one. Still thinking on what may be causing the leak and what is the cost to fix it.

Planning on filling a 5 gallon trash can of excess today for trash day.
Planning on finishing the freezer and second frig in the basement.
Planning on cleaning out my car, decluttering that area and washing.

I think that I'm resisting the clean-up of the corner in my office because of the file carts. I love my file carts. Fifteen years ago, when I was running a publishing business, they turned me from a total mess into a sane, organized, and productive person.

But a lot has changed in fifteen years. I have files in my file carts, but I look through them rarely, if at all. The file carts worked best when they held material that I needed daily. I put files in my file carts hoping that will prompt me to look at it daily but it doesn't work and hasn't worked in years.

The downside of file carts is that they are a visual clutter. It's one thing when it's a clutter of daily used items, quite another when it adds to the visual clutter of a room without adding to the functionality.

I want my study to feel more peaceful and the file carts are distracting from that.

There are alternatives.

A lot of the kind of things I put in my file carts -- ideas for gardens and house decor and travel -- are probably best handled online now, by Pinterest or Evernote.

The few things that I want in physical form could, perhaps, be better stored in file boxes. I'm thinking of Debbie's thing this morning of putting the beading kit away instead of leaving it out. If these sorts of files are going to be around to represent projects that I someday want to work on, they can at least be stored neatly away in boxes.

So, that's my baby step for today: entertain the idea that I no longer need my file carts.

GardenerJoy:

Sounds like some good thought is going into a new way of accessing and storing information. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts thru this forum. It gives me some ideas for my office area.

Hope you find the right solution and continue to challenge what is not working anymore.

Hi all, you are all doing so great. I am very busy with work. I usually work a few days a week but have now been working much more. I think they need to hire more people. I find I am not getting time to get organized. Maybe a bit of an excuse. I want to spend time with my son once I get home. I need to find a balance here.
Have a great night.
Ann

DH is having a hard day. While he rested on the couch this morning I started to sort through my cookbook collection. I want to make room for some new material more pertinent to our current and healthier way of eating. Upon first glance, I felt I wanted to keep them all. After I put the first one in my purge spot many others came much easier. I even found I had two of a certain reference book. I kept the newer one. I think I have 11 or 12 books ready for a new life somewhere else. credit.

gardenerjoy, your comment regarding the files not applying so much to your current lifestyle was what helped me to move to my cookbook collection. Thx.

ETA-22 books!:cp:

Good Morning Declutters/Organizing Spacers,

Finished the task of cleaning and scrubbing out both refrigerators. Can you just say gross. When I decide to do it, it usually is long overdue.

Filled a 5 gallon trash can of "I think I will keep it, It might have some use some day stuff." Trash day today and it feels a lot lighter around here.

I am still thinking on my car as rain is coming in Thursday and Friday. I have 2 all day work projects and will be gone both days.
Planning on maintaining the rest of the week and I will have to see what new projects this weekend may bring.

Yesterday as I was heading out the door to go to work, I took a magic marker and wrote on a piece of paper;

"Making space to live the life I want to live as a thin person."

It was a feeling at the moment about why I am putting continual effort into my present time space to declutter/organize/maintain.

I finally registered my VitaMix which I bought on May 9 and also acknowledged that;

"Procrastination is a part of my clutter/organizational issue".

I took baby steps again today.
~broken weed whacker out of basement and into back of car
~inflated tires on for sale bike and rode good bike to the store for "for sale" sign.
~brought styro-cooler out of basement

Tomorrow the carpet lady is coming to measure for carpet. I could have done that months ago. (procrastination) I stopped at the paint store to get color swatches and am going to really try to push through and finish this project, left hanging since I refinished the downstairs floor in March??

I will commit to moving out cookbooks, bike and cooler tomorrow.