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.

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.

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. 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.

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

Becksters

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

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

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!

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.