Good Morning declutterers!
First off...
Tami (helping rachel), Congrats! Your office looks (and feels) spectacular! What an accomplishment to carry through. PS-I acknowledged after looking at your pictures and after processing some things you had said-that my office, too, ends up being a kind of dumping ground and I acknowledge that my office is where I also get lots of things done. I believe it will continue to be a high maintenance room.
both
Ann(Newlifestyle) and
Julia! Please share your progress..frustrations...anything you wish right here.
Julia, you said, "My house is a horrible mess of stuff, stuff and more stuff. I KNOW I'd feel better about everything if it was orderly." I have a question...do you have too much stuff? Do you have things you no longer want or use? Or, is your horrible mess of stuff, stuff and more stuff all stuff you want to keep and wish it were orderly?
Things to think about....
The reason I ask is that I've been with this process for multiple years now. I came to the Beck forum originally because I saw
onebyone's decluttering thread several years ago. I had already decided I wanted to declutter and was often both discouraged and perplexed. In MY process I have found that it is much easier to declutter the items you don't want before you try and organize the things you want to keep. Letting go first frees up space both emotionally and physically and makes the organizing process a bit smaller.
The 1-2-3 which
Tami (helping rachel) mentioned was not entirely my creation. The website, Flylady, helped get me started in that direction. She has daily/weekly tasks/chores but I have found it's much easier to work with the support system I have here.
My 1-2-3 is an everyday thing. It helps me establish routine. Whether dieting or decluttering I believe that routine is very helpful.
My 1-2-3 daily is:
1. deal with some old clutter (pitch/thrift/recycle
2. deal with my current clutter (mail/laundry/stuff I leave out instead of putting away)
3. I clean something.
Today:
1. old clutter-find 5 items to pitch or recycle and continue on my old photo project
2. current clutter-picked up around house, took down christmas tree and put it all away in basement
3. clean-I cleaned both down my basement stairs and in the space underneath them before I restored the christmas tree.
My suggestion for getting started with a routine was a simple 1-2-3
1. Pick one item in your home to put in its regular or new place
2. Pick one item in your home to put in a bag to let go of
3. Pick one item in your home to throw out.
This could take less than 5 minutes and would get you on a plan of daily progress which would add up.
one week-14 items gone and 7 organized
two weeks-28 items gone and 14 organized
Anyway, I love hearing from everyone. I'm off to walmart to scan photos will check in later.