Own Your Space: A Beck Summer De-cluttering Thread
 

Hello Becksters!

I am issuing a challenge to clean out that space, clear up that mess, prettify that room, re-arrange that tired space, and just tend to our environment as Beck suggests. No job too big or too small. Tackle the thing you've been putting off. I can guarantee it's taking up too much mental space and weighing us down.

what I want first
 

Hi Becksters:

Ok here's my first big summer goal: declutter and re-organize my home studio.
My *wish* is to have a space I feel comfortable working in. It's not like that right now and I actually avoid using this space and instead just stuff stuff into it, making the whole thing even worse and even mor depressing.

Tentative completion date: July 1st 2012.

So, I need to chunk this task down and come back here to tick the boxes off as I progress

1. get things off the floor credit 1/2 way finished
   a) all bags: sort through them
   b) all boxes: sort through them
   c) group like things together in the same place
   
2. go through my 3 shelving units drawer by drawer
   a) sort drawer by drawer
   b) gather like things together
   c) label drawers
   
3. re-organize cubby shelf unit into 2 sections
   Top two shelves: my special art pieces, special books and materials, things I love. I want to look at this shelf unit and just smile all the time.
   Bottom two sheves can hold supplies cause I can't readily see into it anyway.
4. re-organize storage pantry
   like things together
   things that are fragile and/or things I don't want the cats getting into or on

I will probably jump around in this list doing a bit of this a bit of that until it's done. It doesn't matter how I do it. I just need to do it.

BY FRIDAY re-organize the bathroom/linen closet DONE. I need to sort and get rid/give away old linens: towels, blankets, and sheets.

Basement here I come!
 

Thanks for starting this up, onebyone! I want you to know I'm really grateful to have found one of your threads several years ago...leading me to Beck Diet Solution. I have made alot of progress since then and I still have more goals to achieve.

Since I first started making a connection in my brain regarding the condition of my environment and my ability to lose weight and keep it off I have accomplished my first goal which was to get my living space to a condition which is easier to manage. I have found that I am far less stressed on a daily basis and my biggest change is in my ability to "find" things. I used to go crazy trying to find an item I knew I "had".

Last night I was thinking about a "goal" for Owning My Space....then I had to go to the basement for something....voila....the hider of all things, my basement. I am going to start there this time. One step at a time. One item at a time.

First two:
1. Two bags of clothes which came out of a suitcase of my sisters from college years....via my moms garage. :rollpin: I will sort first, then wash and fold and take to the thrift store. Time frame: by tomorrow afternoon.

2. One file folder sitting on top of a filing cabinet which is marked "computer" and contains old discs. Time frame: today after work.

I'm going to take a note pad down and make a list of mini-projects.

I'm in!

Having just returned from a trip, I have some immediate space problems that I want to clear before I can even think about longer term ones.

• 4 baskets of clean clothes to put away DONE
• 1 basket of dirty clothes for the dry cleaner
• Unpack the toiletries kit
• Unpack the red bag
• Unpack the black bag
• Put all luggage away

My goal is to complete all of that this week.

Update: linen closet
 

Hi!

CREDIT Today I took everything off the bottom three shelves of the linen closet. The other shelves are not about the linens. Then I washed every towel I could find. I've folded them and put them away into the closet. I had two boxes in there and just took them out. I consider it done.

Next task: washing all sheets and such that are lying around. 3/4 Done including 1 extra load of clothes

Also: cleaning up all around the futon/couch; basically this is the wall with the picture window in it. Anything along that wall will be dealt with.


I've crafted a basic rule for the house; DH adhered last night so if I stay the course this could be a permanent change: no going to bed with dishes in the sink.
And for my art progress, *I*cannot go to bed without choosing and changing the image that I want to represent the day that is about to pass. I need to get working on my daily printmaking project. I pretty much stopped making prints when I came back from Key West, and I am not happy about it do time o change it.

Thanks Lexxiss and Gardenerjoy for joining me :)

Hi!

Great job onebyone and gardenerjoy!

I went to the basement:
~hauled the bags of clothes and computer files up
~made a list of 19 tasks to do down there

I sorted one bag of clothes and went completed the computer file. Tomorrow I'll go through the second bag and finalize (thrift stuff to thrift store and trash to trash).

I'll check out my list and come up with several more tasks tomorrow.

Emotions: calm
Food: on plan

can't see the forest for the trees
 

Becksters :carrot:

I woke up this morning thinking this: I love that chair. It makes me feel like a Queen when I sit in it. Why don't I move that chair into my studio space and see if it works there for me?

I have this chair I bought from my friend when she had an antique chinese furniture store. It's an ox-bow design with carved antelope or deer on the back part. My friend said it is a scholar's chair and was found in the country side, taken during the cultural revolution and used as ordinary kitchen furniture which is the perfect explanation for the very perfectly round burn ring in the seat--which I LOVE. I love everything about this chair including how it feels to sit in it. I feel like royalty in that wooden chair. It took me months and months to pay it off but I did.

This chair always has crap on it. I've never really used it as part of my everyday life. I always just remember how great it is, never experience it. Right now I can see it has a layer of library books, and a laundry basket on top of that, full of I'm not sure what, (it ain't laundry), and then two flat boxes each with one flat-ish ceramic object I made, and then a sheet of linoleum to carve and a jar of gesso and a dollar store bag of something on top of that.

I never actually put my butt into this chair to enjoy it.
I'm changing that today. CREDITS GALORE & THE PROOF! I've attached 3 jpgs: #1 shows my clean floor behind my desk/table then #2 this is my Throne on the clean floor and #3 this is where I'll be sitting as I *start* my writing career today.

So from yesterday's list I am doing these things today:

1. clearing the floor space behind my work table=going through bags and boxes and putting them away Done.
2. clearing off my special chair=putting the stuff on the chair away Done.
3. switching the existing chairs by my table with the Throne Done.
4. clearing the floor spaces by the front picture window=sorting/throwing out/putting away
5. doing an "all sheets" laundry Done. another load remains for another day

My daily tasks to keep me happy and moving forward in my life include:

1. no dishes in the sink overight done
2. choose my picture of the day, do the photoshop on it so it is ready to be carved in lino when I am ready for that done
3. do the first writing exercise in my Write Brain book of 366 days of (10 minute daily) writing exercises and I am going to be seated at my "Throne" for this task. That will be my true reward for the work of today.done

Yay, onebyone! Love the photos. That's a great chair!

Great start on the basement, Lexxiss!

I wasn't willing to go to bed tonight until I made progress on my list, too.

• 4 baskets of clean clothes to put away DONE
• 1 basket of dirty clothes for the dry cleaner DONE
• Unpack the toiletries kit DONE
• Unpack the red bag DONE
• Unpack the black bag DONE
• Put all luggage away

progress not perfection
 

Gardenerjoy Way to go getting through that to-do list. Great job!

Lexxiss how's the basement doing? I remember my basement. It was a like a brooding thing. I sure don't miss it, even when I moan about my lack of space! It was such a catch all for me, and probably for the whole world and for everyone who has a basement. Is yours a finished or unfinished basement?

Since it's Friday my focus is turning to the farmers' market tomorrow. I have put off/promised a client some rough sketches for a commission and I've been putting it off, which is what happens when you don't give me a deadline. So I need to print off some background images to work on top off ie. the pictures I took of his fence--which is the space we are making things for.
This is task #1 or today.

I also need to make 1 phonecall DONE and drive to one bank DONEand return library books DONEand pick up those on hold DONE and on my way also to stop in and make dr. appt's for DH and me.

Busy day.

More like a "de-clutter your life" day than my environment :lol:

tgif.

Great job, onebyone and gardenerjoy!

I got sidetracked with yesterday's medical emergency but here's the perfect use of BDS here-Get Back on Track immediately!

What happened in the meantime was that now I have new messes in the house which take 1st priority BUT I will still finish the clothing project TODAY! DONE I will also pick one more basement task which IS doable TODAY. DONE

Today I have already reclaimed our vehicle....all trash and junk are out, sheets and blankets are out (DH's travel bedding) and in a pile to be washed TODAY.DONE I have several bags of clutter I brought in to sort through TODAY. DONE

Today's tasks also include:
~redoing refrigerator and cupboards and dealing with foods DH can no longer eat.REFRIG DONE
~unpacking from yesterday's trip (I thought DH was going to be hospitalized)DONE

I have a written plan! (Yay Beck)

Statement of fact: I know I will feel calmer when these tasks reach completion.
onebyone, I love your chair! What a perfect example of reclaiming your space! You had a beautiful chair which you loved and it was piled with stuff. Now you can use it for it's intended purpose.

I put the luggage away, so I finished my initial list -- yay!

I'm inspired by onebyone to work on my creative space. I have this bookcase which I love, but I've never used it quite they way I imagined -- 1 cube per project. I want to do that, but first, I need to empty some cubes. I think I'll empty a cube at a time and see if I can get rid of a lot of stuff. 16 cubes. If I did two a day, I'd be done by the end of the month!

good.
 

Lexxiss first of all, what a day you had yesterday with your DH. Gout. My friend's mom got gout in her big toe and boy did she suffer. I can only image how much misery this has added to your DH's recovery. The plus side is a change in diet is required.

How have things gone today??

gardenerjoy I have a white cube thingy, my cubby I call it, just like yours. I want the top two rows to be full of inspirations things and the bottom two rows can be practical work-related stuff. Thanks for posting a visual. Great job completing your weekly tasks!

I didn't do any of my to-do de-cluttering list.
I did do my bank stuff and all that, but not the Dr. appt stuff.... procrastinating on that for sure.

I will do my No Choice daily tasks (there's that helpful BDS at work again) tonight:
-leave a clean sink
-choose a JPG image of the day
-do next writing exercise seated in my Chair.
-

onebyone, thx for asking :) DH is doing fantastic today! The gout meds had already made it possible for him to travel and get back in our house in much better condition and today (can't believe this) he got in the back seat of the car and went to Denver with us, including walking around Whole Foods.

Speaking of Denver....when I saw DH was really feeling great I suggested an outing which cut into my home time. Since I work tomorrow, I did persist and completed alot of stuff.

gardenerjoy/onebyone, I love your photos and would love to participate...not there yet! I love both of your ideas for the cubicles. I have a cubicle idea but it needs to be built into a triangular closet to house linens....

Question for you two: As I perused items in the basement I looked at one that leaves me perplexed...recycler that I am. I have a Krups stand mixer from the old days which I really like. It's upstairs and I use it all the time.. The mixer comes off the stand to use freehand which I really like. I got all these attachments which I never use...a nut grinder and a salad shredder. Thrift store is out because no one would have this mixer. My common sense says throw away and I'm having a hard time doing it. If I have not used it in 20 years it's unlikely I ever will. Dumb to keep it.

G-night must go to bed as I work early tomorrow.

Emotion:calm
Food: tired, but don't feel like eating/overeating

Some serious de-cluttering going on in this thread. Just the encouragement I need.

My goal for yesterday was to remove the stack of papers from the kitchen table and the stack from the dining room table before friends came over last night. I jumble in the same pile unread mags, a not-yet-filled prescription, and an unimportant notice from the bank that I think I should read.

I did it, tossing most stuff, saving more than needed but in a single stack small enough that I could put it on my desk. Our friends thought we lived in such a neat house, LOL. Miles to go.

Such great progress for all. I am in. This is what I need to shift into "letting go of the things I don't need".

I plan to clean 3 closets today and lose 5 lbs (concept from "clutter diet") of clutter and take to trash and goodwill.

Thanks for sharing and encouraging thru your committed action that already has been taken. I plan to connect into the momentum that is already on this thread.

Completed Closet one, organized all pillows and blankets. Sheets in one place.
Completed Closet two, organized all extra kitchen utensils in top of closet, have a full garbage bag of clothes ready for goodwill.
3/4 the way done with Closet 3#...stopping to sit and read in the sun, since it is going to hit 90 by 4pm. Will head back to it then.

Started simple.....basement is the clutter cemetery and will take me months. Will be thinking how I can chunk it out to do a little a day/week.

more de-clutterers! welcome!
 

A hearty :welcome: to billblueyes and a big :welcome3: to helping rachel

It's great you've decided to join us. We are all off to such a great start. Hooray. This cleaning up/sorting/tossing/deciding and changing our ways stuff is hard to do, so *credits* to all of us for moving into the messes of our lives.

Lexxiss I'd have a hard time tossing the nutgrinder attachment myself, mostly cause I've never seen one for a mixer. I grew up with a nutgrinder that my grandmother attached to the table to grind walnuts and (maybe?) poppyseeds for special Hungarian-once-a-year-at-xmas baked goods--so perhaps this warm fuzziness clouds my projection onto your nut grinder attachment! You can see why I have a tough time with Things. But, if you have not used it in 20 years get rid of it. I actually would drop it off at the thrift/sally ann. They will know if it's a keeper or a tosser. I'd put it in a box and pass it on and let them decide. (The salad shredder I'd have no trouble tossing btw. Sounds like vegetable carnage to me.)

helping rachel wow :carrot: way to go with the closets! Basements. I swear they are all like that. When we were moving last year I really broke it into small bits. And if it wasn't small bits I'd set a timer and walk away when it went off. I felt no guilt because I had a plan. I always, and still do, make a written list that I give myself big checkmarks on. I need all the encouragement can get.

billblueeyes Paper. It's real trouble. I am like a squirrel keeping all kinds of things: menus, flyers, art event postcards (a weakness for sure), magazines, papers to be read that are older than a week, a month, or a year, or from vacations long past, plus unopened mail (I do that a lot), stuff that I know I need to throw away but just haven't yet. That's the bulk of the clutter around the coffee table/picture window wall that I have not de-cluttered yet. It's next but I really need a system. Flylady says DO NOT WAIT deal with the paper/mail that day and in one designated space only. I think DO NOT WAIT is the key here, similar to Beck's get right back on track. *credit* for your paper-work.

gardenerjoy how's the cubby project faring?

I went to the farmers' market this morning with a stream-lined set-up. I have decided to simplify what I bring with me and even though I brought more artwork, and by taking the time to think it through and not rush so much and pack things carefully the night before, the whole booth looked better and my therefore my presence at the market was enhanced. My sales weren't all that but it's ok. It's a marathon not a sprint. I am pleased with what I am doing there.

In terms of de-cluttering, my only goal today is to put away the stuff I have packed in the car before I go to bed tonight. I found more space in the hallway against a wall to lean my market paintings for the week so this is good. The other things already have a home they just need to be brought in. I bought a floor mat for the cat food dishes today. I *credit* clean up after Their Highnesses every night now and they both push their wet food off the plate onto the floor. Neither cat has a good set of chompers so this isn't likely to change. After I cleaned the kitchen I realized this would help keep it clean. I also need a mat by the back door and a mat by the stove, maybe even something small to stand on to do those dishes. *major credit* to my DH last night who, after I mentioned I couldn't go to bed without having the sink empty, took it upon himself to make it so. Now that is real suport. He is happy I am doing this. Me too. I'm not even :mad: about it anymore! *credit moi*

Until tomorrow...

Lexxiss: It sounds like you really answered your own question. That's going to motivate me to throw away the attachments to the food processor that I haven't used -- and for even longer.

BillBlueEyes: two stacks down to one is definitely decluttering progress!

Welcome, helping_rachel! Great start on those closets!

onebyone: cool that you're seeing a benefit to a stream-lined market set-up. Good plan to get stuff in from the car on the day of the market.

I cleaned up three of the cubby holes today. I also made a map of what I want to end up with in each cubby hole. That's going to make it easier for me to clean and organize at the same time.

:welcome2: BBE and helpingrachel! As our group grows we have new ideas and support for achieving our personal goals for decluttering, which for me has a direct correlation to my relationship with healthy food habits.

I have realized a major success this morning! On my "basement list" was ~finish old canning jars. Some of you may remember that I started emptying and reclaiming over 300 (full) canning jars left when my grandmother passed away in 1976 :fr: I was a teen, away at college, and it was a responsibility my mother never addressed. I could have thrown them all in the landfill but I chose to reclaim my GM's jars. I had 6 in the basement which I couldn't get open and several days ago I decided to bring them up one by one. I have the last one sitting upside down in water waiting for the rusted lid to let loose and I am done, (at least until I go back up to the cave and see if anymore are left).

I spent the morning reclaiming my kitchen...cleaning and putting stuff away. It looks fantastic!
~I had an idea several weeks ago of putting the dehydrator on the counter for drying greens but I'm not using it now so I put it back in the cupboard.
~I had a cotton wad from a pill bottle which had been sitting there for months....either take it upstairs to the bathroom or get rid of it. It's moved upstairs.
~I was going to move a few olives from a big jar to a smaller one...upon looking they looked icky so I pitched them...
AND
~sent the jar to recycle (I don't need to save every jar)
~I'm going (RIGHT NOW) to thin out the spice cupboard. There are things I just don't use any more.

And, related, I bought 3 nice plants at the greenhouse Friday. The only bed that gets watered all the time has several hollyhocks that I will dig out. I have hundreds in my yard and I don't need to save everyone. When I get rid of something I have plenty of I make room for something I now feel I'll enjoy more.

BBE, yay for moving that paperwork!

helpingrachel, you're off to a great start! As you progress, you'll come up with a plan for the basement....one item at a time, if necessary.

gardenerjoy, yay for moving ahead with your cubby!

onebyone, kudos for the solid steps you are taking to "maintain" your new space as you forge ahead!

Emotion: excited for change
Food: planned and on track

ETA-onebyone, I have an old fashioned grinder, which was my grandmothers. I use it mainly for chokecherries. I also have a beloved Cuisinart on my kitchen counter which processes nuts for me in a very satisfying manner. In order to "use" this nut grinder, I have to pull the mixer apart and it attaches to the hand part....however, in writing this, I recognize that it is a handy little gadget for spices AND I do have space right next to the mixer. I will keep the nut attachment but get rid of the rest TODAY

Good Morning, De-cluttering, Organizing Friends.

I have a basic question to help me with time management. How do you reply to everyone to be able to see what they wrote without having to scroll up and then back over and over. Any short cut tips. I am not on a forum very often but want to get into the groove of connecting and being accountable as I join each of you becoming competent in the area of Organizing. Thanks for any tips.

It works for me to select [Post Reply] into another window. Then I quickly swap back and forth between the two windows using [CNTL]-[Tab].

Thanks billblueyes! I don't why I didn't think of this.....basic I know.

OneononeSounds like you have a good plan with the Farmer's market. I like your comment that it is a marathon not a sprint. Daily progress. I also like how you organized your first posts with a plan. I will borrow you plan and work on one for my own today. Will post it later tonight, no later than Monday am.

Lexxiss I love your insight on "Owning my Space" Taking the control back so you decide what it will be like. This made me think of being mindful of what is going in my body and what I am doing to exercise which does release stress. I also like your mantra. One step at a time, One item at a time.

I value everything has a home and like it when rooms are functional and decluttered. Gives me a sense of peace. I then take all the excess to the basement ......YIKKKES how long have I been doing that!! Will be taking committed action toward my goal of room by room, one project at a time.


Gardenerjoy I had to laugh at your first post of simply unpacking your trip suitcases. The reason is this....I went to KC last weekend with girlfriends home on Sunday. My husband flew to Japan and was home Friday and unpacked his suitcase and had all things put away and I was still tripping over my suitcase from the week before. Procrastination will get me every time.

I am grateful for like-minded -de-cluttering - organizing-becksters. Like my weight loss journey, it helps to have accountability and a place to write down daily movements toward my goals in this area.

I checked off two more cubbies today.

Lexxiss: you're making terrific progress in both the basement and the kitchen. Cool how one thing sort of leads to another.

helping_rachel: I use Notepad on my computer in a smaller window so I can have it on top while I type. Then I cut and paste the text into the posting window and apply any formatting.
Did you have fun in KC? We had a great trip there in March.

I got rid of a huge stack of cardboard packing boxes from our basement. It felt like a big deal, even though we were keeping them just waiting for a person in need to show up. They did, so I take credit.

Each space freed feels like a gift.

Hi everyone!

I spent my morning in "maintenance". It's really important for me to continue to maintain those freed up spaces on a daily or at least semi-daily basis.

I started upstairs and put away laundry AND sorted through all the mail. Keeper stuff is filed and everything else went to recycle. I am so busy right now that there is NOTHING I need to save for later. I can find anything I need on the internet.

BBL...great job everyone!

Working on de-cluttering in the present areas. A/C went out at 7pm last night and slept in 90 degree heat. Will be grateful for A/C hopefully by mid-morning. It is hot and humid.

Plan this week:
Clean Frig. and freezer organize food zones, veggies and fruit ect..

Call for quote to fix DH's mother hope chest. Take picture and email.
Make a list of returns to go out of house for errands on Friday.

Clean off Dining room table. Full of art supplies, glue sticks, magazines, several art projects. Will put away to original home in office.

Clean and organize Front living room, full of weekly files on class projects. Will organize the research books and place information in their labeled files and homes.

Purge my spice rack and pantry. This is done once a year. I need to think of what I want it to look like when done, before I start. I tend to throw more out if this happens.

Trip to Goodwill with one 5 lb bag of cloths.Done

I proudly recycled a complete run of Consumer Reports from 1999 to 2006 in the process of cleaning out two more cubbies today.

Progress not perfection
 

:cheer: to all our declutterers/organizers!

I made headway in the basement and also took a detour to our front porch. Today is trash/recycle day.
~4 or 5 cardboard boxes came from the basement, one big enough to hold this weeks recycle.
~sisters junk clothing in trash
~veggie unit and dysfunctional VHS tapes in the trash
~old worm bin up the stairs waiting for daylight...destination trash(no recycle option)
~the final canning jar lid will not come off so I will reluctantly put it in the trash. I did the best I could.

I moved to our front porch, a space "holding space" for junk from my moms house. Several items need to go to the landfill so I moved them under the big spruce tree until I have a day off. Once everything was off the porch I hosed down all the accumulated dust/spider webs and moved our chairs and table to their original spot.

None of this took much time, just the willingness to move ahead. Credit for willingness today.

Credit to you ladies for moving out the things that don't serve a purpose or function anymore in your homes.

Off to tackle the Front living Room. I will do the "act" first and then step in the value of having a clean and organized space for later this day.

Started a new 5lb trash can for donation and one for Goodwill. Goal to lose 10lbs of clutter by Friday.

helping rachel, I love your idea of losing 10 pounds of clutter! Best wishes today as you work at your goal!

After I posted, I went through my spice cabinets and merged and purged. Some stuff was no longer useful and I found other items I could consolidate. credit. My final act this morning was to haul a gigantic antique paned window down to the curb and put a free sign on it. The antique dealer wants it but never picks it up. Perhaps if I call and tell her it's going to go to the first taker she will finally complete her task.

Off to work....

ETA-The window was gone when I got home from work. My inner voice said, "it must have been valuable. I should have kept it and tried to sell it". Reality says it wouldn't even fit in my car and it had sat on the porch for two years. There is always another one. The absolute truth of the matter is that there are 3 of them in my DH's shop that are the same only bigger! It was ok to part with this one.

back to it today
 

Hi Decluttering Friends

I have *credit* managed to maintain my sink with the exception of one night but I took care of it right away in the morning. I am willing to get up and do those dishes and I did a sinkful last night but it was only ONE sinkful so it took less than 15 minutes, instead of the 6, 7 or 8 sinkfuls when we let all the dishes get dirty and then they sit there for a week or two, and then they can't be just washed easily but need soaking, and changing of water and scrubbing and I need breaks and I swear and I get discouraged that it got that bad again. So, doing a small sinkful every night is a lot less work than how I was doing it before. I'm getting used to it too so this is making it easier. it's becoming "the new normal".

I love that.

What I need to work on though, is putting those dishes away in the morning. To this end I need to go put those dishes away right now...DONE

My work space is still clear *credit* but I find I prefer working at the coffee table. O well. I have not cleaned the picture window space, which is all around the coffee table, nor have I placed the chairs I moved out of my workspace anywhere yet. they are hanging around the kitchen and this morning that bugs me, so back to finishing up what I wanted to do earlier in the week.

-clearing out area opposite picture window to place chairs into DONE
-cleaning (picking up papers/sorting/sweeping to the right and then to the left of the futon/coffee table space

-if I am *really* into it, I will tackle the small orange side table. It's a place where I just shove stuff. It can really be used a lot better than that.

Also:
-get caught up with my writing exercisesDONE
-get caught up with the daily jpgsDONE
-leave the kitchen clean tonight *clean stainless steel cat bowl*DONE

I have today and tomorrow to make clean-up progress then it's time to get ready for the market, go to market, and recuperate from the market.
I'm going to make Wed and Thurs my offical "make progress with the clean up" days. If I can move forward in those two days and even just maintain the other 5 days I am way way way ahead of where I have been.

Of course, should it not work out, I am allowed to change my plans, but I must always have some kind of plan. Without a plan I am lost.

Have a good day.

One small step: A new book caught me eye, so I requested it from the library instead of clicking [One-Click] on Amazon, even though there's a queue and I may not get it for a few months. That's one less book to decide what to do with when I'm done reading it.

Thank youto all of you. After reading this thread and seeing a few ideas I am inspired. My son brought two bags of school stuff home yesterday and I sat down with him and went through it and there were only three things he wanted to keep and that was his three drawings that he brought home. I will go buy a frame for them and put them up so we can enjoy them. Tonight I am going to buy a book shelf for the living room. We kept all books in the basement rec room or in our bedrooms and only read there. Slowly books are creeping to the living room so I think a place for them would make it seem less cluttered. I cleared off the kitchen counter. I have so much paper there. Important things of course...lol. Most of it went to recycling, the important ones went to the filing cabinet. As I look around it seems daunting to me. After reading here, I am convinced baby steps will work.
Thanks again to you all.
Oh yes, can someone tell me how to post pictures then I can post some.
Thanks.
Ann

Bill that is great to decrease clutter by getting a book from the library rather than purchasing it. At least it has a spot to be returned too....yeah you.

Oh Bill! I need to learn that skill, I love me some books!

:welcome2: Ann(Newlifestyle), I was going to suggest on the other thread that it is very simple to start and I see you have taken the first step on your own. My sense is that you create the plan that works for you. It will evolve over time, too.

DH was ready to get out the door this morning. I decided that I needed to pick up before we left, and I did just that. I left with a clean kitchen to return home to. credit. I also took a moment to reflect on my basement list and remembered I had a bag of recyclables which needed to come over here. They are out of the basement now. It was a busy day and I made a kitchen mess before the picnic but it's put away now. I'll feel so much better in the morning.

Goodnight!

plans
 

Hello Declutterers

:welcome: Newlifestyle to this thread!! What a great beginning you've made. It's great we can inspire each other. This is truly something I can't do alone. It helps me so much to know others are out there struggling with messes and piles of stuff just like I do and even better to hear that people are dealing with it and solving their clutter issues. I am glad you have joined us. I really see the time I have wasted worrying over my messy place as time I don't want to waste anymore. My goal is to be able to open the door to the landlord at anytime and not worry about any comments about my mess or a dirty floor or whatever. I think this is such a waste of my time and energy now--so much so that I am willing to do dishes for pete's sake. I must be fed up and ready for change. Beck is great when you are ready for change.

*credit* for getting rid of the pile of stuff across from the futon and I have placed the wayward chairs there and they look wrong - I am contemplating letting them go, maybe, not sure-actually I think I am hanging onto them because they were a friend of mine's and now we are out of touch and if I keep the chairs I am still, somehow, magically, in touch or reminded of her. This is not a reason to keep chairs. This is a reason to keep photos, or letters, or emails.

I am not putting away my dishes right after I wash them. I need to get myself to put them away too. So far though I am still revelling in the "OMG I've washed the dishes AGAIN feeling. I have gone to bed with dirty dinner dishes left in the kitchen but upon waking I put the dishes away and wash the new ones so they aren't piling up. This may be what I end up doing: 80% they are done before bed-20% done in the morning. So long as they don't go 2 days I think I can accept this as good enough. I'll see.

Newlifestyle to post images: when you are writing in the editor, (the "advanced editor") just scroll down the page, past the "Submit reply" and "Preview post" buttons and you'll see the next section is "Additional Options" and within this section you will see something that says Attach Files
Valid file extensions: bmp doc gif jpe jpeg jpg pdf png psd tif tiff txt
and then a button that says MANAGE ATTACHMENTS on it. Click the button and it will give you file options/file size options and etc. That's how you attach images to a post.

day before Saturday
 

Hi

I had to go out early to get kitty food this morning and when I got back with more than kitty food I was :mad: annoyed that the counter was too full to receive my groceries.

*phooey*

This was the direct result of NOT doing my dishes last night and not putting away the dishes I did yesterday. I've been busy with work stuff but now I have time to deal with the dishes. It's probably a 20min job at most. done

I am also going to commit to gathering up the random recycling around here that needs to be tossed. done

Time to make dinner. Back later.

Oh, this is excellent for me. I'd say I'm 80% done with cleaning out what I don't need, but, as with weight, the last bits are the most difficult. 2 bedroom closets, 2 foyer closets and misc 'stuff' in the living room. I've painted the bedroom and this makes me so happy that I want to get to 100%!:carrot:

Keep Going!
 

:welcome3: Exhale15 Thanks for posting. 80% done really deserves a reward, or two. Excellent.

There really is nothing like painting walls to make you feel that fresh start. What colour were the walls and what colour are they now?

As for me just reporting in that I did all the dishes tonight and they are put away. I have to gather my market stuff up and finish packing the car for the very early morning so I'll sign off.

TGIF.