I just finished the last of my sales events and starting tomorrow the bulk of my time is now my own until mid May when the farmers' markets begin again.
My new job will be updating my blog, which will be a regular Sunday thing, and then the week, from Tuesday to Friday, spent at the studio, with Mondays spent at home working on "market things" ie. my truly commercial work. But, I can't totally implement this plan until mid Dec. as I need to be in the studio this week to meet a deadline and then next week for making the mosaic sign for the guild.
Organization for me involves finding a system that works for me to get my work done. I usually "binge work" but would like to do things a different way now. I am getting too old to put syelf through that tense grind any more. Plus I dont get as much done as I think I do and thenI end up doing a half-assd job because I procrastinated and left it to the end. I do this behaviour everywhere in my life, including cleaning up. I look forward to reporting back at this time next year that things have truly changed.
I decluttered my bedroom today, only to find my unread copy of The Beck Diet and the companion workbook. I joined the main thread a few minutes ago, but was really pleased to find this thread too. Thank you for starting this! It's just what I needed!
My goal is to complete cleaning my bedroom tomorrow (closet and drawers left). After that, since I moved my office to the kitchen area, I really need to organize that. By New Year's Eve, I want my whole house decluttered. I don't plan to entertain anyone this year. I want to enjoy the fruit of my labor for myself for a few weeks!
Georgia and aka8921! Glad you found us and are already making progress forward!
I'm feeling blessed this morning. I have a trip East to the Denver airport this morning (2 hr RT) then 2 hours West to our home away from home. As I was walking up the staircase observing my new carpet I just kept repeating...so grateful so grateful. Without my continuing decluttering efforts I'd still be looking at the old stuff.
I'm so calm this morning and have recognized it's because I'm organized and packing has been a breeze. Even with the airport trip I'm going to be able to leave my home clean which will be so nice upon my return. I packed the laptop which has all my addresses on it and will make one project this coming week to get all the addresses on the laptop I currently leave there. I'm also going to get the family goodies made and shipped off (thus needing the addresses).
I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get the new wallpaper border up but it will be sitting waiting for me when I get back. Nothing was "lost" this morning. I'm so grateful.
Tomorrow is my first full working day in my new studio. I have decided to relocate my microwave cart with my printer to the studio and then get a new wireless printer for home. I wanted it the other way around but this makes more sense.
Moving the microwave cart opens up the entry from the kitchen to the dining room and so will facilitate easier access to get that space in shape. It had been a planned workspace that just has never worked for me and thankfully I have found a place to work so it can go back to being a dining room. Maybe we'll actually dine in it. !
At the studio I am unwrapping my canvases and then re-wrapping them and storing them. All good stuff. I plan to being two paintigns that should have been done a month ago. And I have a deadline already for some prints so I need to get it in gear.
onebyone, best wishes as you spend your first full day in your studio!
We traveled yesterday and I was greeted by wonderful "stuff" which I had forgotten.
~fridge was clean inside
~recycle shed was empty
~kitchen floor was clean
~everything was put away.
Moments like that remind me why I keep forging ahead.
This morning I had my addresses project in mind with my two computers. Instead of diving right in then being rushed later I followed FL's lead...got dressed first, picked up current clutter and unpacked....made our morning smoothies. Then I started on the project, which still perplexes me. I guess I need a flashdrive. Project to resume later. (PS have two flashdrives on the other side...reminded myself that if they were in my bank bag which I always travel with I'd have one now.) This one will go there.
I "treated" myself yesterday. I have a new iphone which needs a cover...was not going to spend extra $$ on the one I wanted. Yesterday I just went and bought the one I wanted and it works just great. It's the defender which also has a removable clip for a bag.
As I work to get rid of stuff I don't need and learn how to not continue to bring back in the stuff I don't need;
I need to let myself "get" what I do need.
I thought long and hard before this purchase and feel good about it.
I thought long and hard before this purchase and feel good about it.
congrats! that is how new stuff will be managed by you from now on thoughtful purchases. And yay to the wonderful surprises that you were met by, nice!
I am not sure if I can report on anything current, except maybe that I got up early to make sure I had time to maintain the kitchen (gather recyclables, put things away that *ahem* others don't seem to and got it done in the time to brew a pot of coffee.
Oh also attempting to keep bathroom floor clean by taking a dampened paper towel and just bending down and 'swiffing' it by hand at least once a day. (small bathroom and we only have the one)
I realized I have just 20 days until our son comes home so that is my motivation to prod the living room project ahead! I have tomorrow off so I will scout for acceptable used chairs (a nice big Goodwill) or visit a furniture showroom. These destinations are 50 miles from me so it is a real planned excursion.
Lexxiss: congrats on 20 years! We reached that milestone just about a year ago. It feels great.
I don't have much of a project right now, but I'm still absorbing the energy of this thread. I made sure that putting up the Christmas tree motivated us to take care of two projects in that room that had been sitting there for years! Woohoo!
That is great!!! (and I'm also so happy to hear that others have projects that sit for extended time that I"m not alone!!)
Holly, your progress sounds fantastic! A step forward is a step forward. I am one to always "see" what I can get done while the morning coffee is brewing. I make alot of progress from that 5 minutes when I do it every day....beats staring at the wall or the coffeepot, for that matter.
I've managed to get several small items out of the house, but that's how my progress comes...
~hand knitted washcloths that my friend uses and I don't-gone(put in my church bag since I knew I'd see her there)
~magazines I wasn't reading-Gone back to the athletic club
~magazine I save for my water aerobics instructor-Gone (I ran back inside to get it)
I threw some small items away today...seemingly insignificant BUT they do contribute to the general clutter
I put a few things in the thrift pile
I took information on handwritten notes and stored it in a master notebook then got rid of notes
Small things make a big difference when I do them day after day. Yay.
Lexxiss, I completely identify with that feeling of coming home to order. When I'm about to travel, I tear around getting the house tidied up so that I can come home to a peaceful place to land. It isn't something I achieve easily. Wishing it could remain tidy once I get there. But staying on top of everything feels obsessive too. It triggers memories of my childhood, where my mother's whole purpose for living was to have a perfect house.
I don't want to be like her in any way. She's not a pleasant person. I think that's where my proclivity for disorder was born. I am MUCH more than the state of my home. I have a career, ambitions, goals and dreams. But I seem to be stuck between keeping house and pushing forward with life. I've had a few really tough years. Lots of family drama that stressed me out. I'm happy to have survived it all and push on. I'm starting to get some clarity on where I want to go from here. And I need a peaceful and harmonious home to come home to every day.
My bedroom looks awesome today. I'm inspired to hang lined drapery to block light and sound from the street outside my windows. About to commence on my bathroom. I have a couple hours before I have to go to work. I should be able to knock it out easily.
Happy to have some accountability to you all here. You're all very inspiring!
Georgia - we do inspire each other don't we? congrats on being able to do a project before going to work! hope the drapery works out well. Yay to an awesome bedroom!
Lexxiss, yay to your projects and daily accomplishments Boy it's work isnt' it. But so gratifying.
today, I just finished knocking down THREE HOT SPOTS. And I didn't even intend to! I started out by going upstairs to change for exercise dvd. But first I stripped the bed because I have to do laundry later. Pausing, I looked at DH's side of room. Disaster. I cleaned it up months ago, and he doesn't 'keep up'. I just tackled it. Attacked his pile of clothes, decided what was clean, what wasn't, what he never wears. Pile neatly folded now; another pile neatly folded and in car to go to ReUse center. Managed his bureau so drawers close. Vacuumed his side (granted, there is a boston fern that drips dead leaves, that is not his fault)
Next..downstairs when I was taking stuff to the car, I looked at our coat/shoe area (no closet). It...looks...horrible. Always does. So I then tackled that. Pulled everything out; matched shoes/boots and tossed the singles. Took armloads of summer/motorcycle stuff coats upstairs to hang in closet. Vacuumed thoroughly. MUCH better!!
Next..when I was in kitchen dumping vacuum cleaner bag I looked hard at a trouble corner, and tackled that
three hours later, I am happy I have to do laundry now, and I do need to keep researching where we are gonna get some of our furniture. Deadline is now like 19 days
Holly, yay for just dealing with those hotspots! They all sounded like ones that would need to be done before your son arrives anyway. Nice bonus to find items to head to thrift AND to get rid of unmatched shoes/boots. I'd love to hear how you feel tomorrow morning when you get up and realize they are different.
Georgia, it was so interesting for me to read your post...very thought provoking. I come from the other side...my mom has no organizational skills and a propensity for collecting (hoarding?). I learned nothing about daily upkeep and actually have a memory (very young) of putting phone books on a chair to try and do dishes. (Thinking)....my goal is to find balance not obsession. I think with our pets that our home will never be perfect. Alot of what I do re: cleaning is because of our pets. I often question myself as to what is too much and what is too little because I don't have a healthy family history to look to.
I had a small success this morning; while working on my cleaning project I realized I was out of dish soap. *RATS* I said....I should have planned better. Oh, well, I will find something else to use....lo and behold under the sink was a brand new bottle waiting to be used. I am getting more organized.credit.
Today, I attacked a big project; totally cleaning the kitchen BEFORE I make the brittle that I send to all my family every year. I have concern about pet hair and our furnace duct in the kitchen blows everything high and low. Most of my pots/pans are on open shelving which adds to the dust/hair factor. It took several hours and I still have two more shelves (and under/behind) the stove. I will do them tomorrow morning.
*credit*
~I found 4-5 items to thrift
~I found several food items to send to our food bank
~I found several canned items that are outdated AND we no longer use....to the compost.
Lexxiss, when I got up and around today and saw the cleaned spots, it was like YEAH BABY!
Congrats on your total kitchen cleaning! that is big. I understand the concerns about wanting your Christmas goodie gift to be dog hair free Our dog doesn't like to go in the kitchen but that sure doesn't keep his fur from tumbleweeding in. What kind of brittle, like a nut brittle/toffee? Yum.
And congrats on finding the new bottle of dish soap ready for use, and for your continued daily work.
Georgia, that was interesting to read also! And Lexxiss, yes how would we know what level of 'normalcy' we have. Perhaps our only comparision would be to other homes but when we're kids, is that something we really notice? I know I can not recall how friend's homes' were cleanliness-wise, I just remember if I had fun there and if their parents were 'nice' or 'scary'.
I am sure our childhood home was kept clean and neat, but I have no idea how often or what kind of schedule the cleaning was done.
Soon I am heading out to *try* to find chairs and area rugs. 50 miles one way so it's a big day. I hope to at least even be able to fit an overstuffed type chair in the back of my Subie Forester. Both DH and son promised to find me ratcheting straps to take but they did not remember and they are gone for the day .
On the way though I will stop at the Re Use center and drop off what I have in the back of the Forester - *credit!
Me, feeling blah but took some steps forward anyway. The alternative is feeling blah and doing nothing.
I have a bottom shelf of a bookcase w/misc cr*p. I cleaned it out...mostly pitching. Also cleaned out a little corner nearby pitching some small items I just don't need anymore. I went through old cd's; (one emotional-pics of my deceased pup and I in pet therapy). I was able to get rid of at least 6 and marked w/pen the one with pics from the Grand Canyon. I sent it to the box going back over because theroetically I should save a few pics off of it and get rid of the rest. It's not a project for now.
So this morning's job doesn't really free up physical space but every step moves me forward.
Me, feeling blah but took some steps forward anyway. The alternative is feeling blah and doing nothing..
how true!! we need to remember that. Congrats on clearing of the shelf
Yes I had good luck yesterday! I don't mind buying second hand as long as it seems clean and smells clean. First I got a stuffed-type chair from Goodwill for $7.99, a new area rug from there, then a cute overstuffed chair at a second hand shop for $5. Came home and moved things around and oh my gosh..
now I'm looking at the other side of the living room, which previously had that large entertainment center, two low bookshelves that obscured part of the window, cafe curtains, and a cluttered corner. Now it has freshly painted walls, the stuffed chair, corner table/lamp, low padded bench (storage and informal sitting for 2) under the window; a nice wooden caned seat chair from my grandma, and one of the low bookcases but turned perpendicular so it creates a sense of separate area, and the new little area rug.Oh and long sheers which visually just look so much better. I love it and I'm so proud of myself, and I know I'll get praise here, because it's sure sparse at home
The old stuffed chair is stuffed into the back of my Forester and I will drop it off at the dump (no re-use for this thing) on my way to work.
and for tomorrow
Georgia and aka8921! Glad you found us and are already making progress forward!
ditto
that is how new stuff will be managed by you from now on 
thoughtful purchases. And yay to the wonderful surprises that you were met by, nice!
and got it done in the time to brew a pot of coffee. 
Boy it's work isnt' it. But so gratifying. 
I started out by going upstairs to change for exercise dvd. But first I stripped the bed because I have to do laundry later. Pausing, I looked at DH's side of room. Disaster. I cleaned it up months ago, and he doesn't 'keep up'. I just tackled it. Attacked his pile of clothes, decided what was clean, what wasn't, what he never wears. Pile neatly folded now; another pile neatly folded and in car to go to ReUse center. Managed his bureau so drawers close. Vacuumed his side (granted, there is a boston fern that drips dead leaves, that is not his fault)
Our dog doesn't like to go in the kitchen but that sure doesn't keep his fur from tumbleweeding in. What kind of brittle, like a nut brittle/toffee? Yum. 
and I'm so proud of myself, and I know I'll get praise here, because it's sure sparse at home 
