View Full Version : Tidying Up Daily - The Seinfeld Chain - April
Hi All,
Some of us have been using the concept of the Seinfeld Chain to support our organizing. Here's some info about it:
http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-s...ctivity-secret (http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-secret)
I've been working on 3 chains: an a.m. home routine, a 15-minute daily tidying up my office routine at work, and a p.m. home routine. I got off track recently, so just have 2 links on all three of my chains currently.
Here's a place to check in about it in April.
Chicken lady
4-1-15, 3:51pm
today was link 7 on "getting stuff out of my basement"!
I took some math manipulatives to another teacher today. she's been taking a lot of the stuff I bring in because of the ages and subjects she teaches. Today she told me she loves cleaning out my basement. A lot of the stuff is homemade, so it's nice to know it will be used and appreciated.
tomorrow will be more of a challenge because I'm not going anywhere. I'll have to find trash or recycling or something that belongs upstairs.
I got to 4 links on my p.m. home chain but fell asleep last night when I put my daughter down so didn't make it to a fifth.
In happier news, I'm up to 5 links on both my a.m. home chain and my office chain.
In my office, I'm doing 15 minutes each day and since I've been consistent this week, I now actually have time left within the fifteen minutes to get past just putting away papers from the day and clearing off the desk to start going through the longtime clutter that has been sitting there. I've had about four bags of stuff just sitting against one wall that I needed to go through, and I got through two of those. I put some stuff away and found some other things to drop off at the thrift store.
I'm hopeful that if I can maintain the 15 minutes a day at the office that I'll eventually be able to declutter the whole space that way, which would be stupendous.
Chicken lady
4-4-15, 11:40am
Wow! Great job!
I broke my chain again yesterday. I think I may need to take a short break and start again Monday or Tuesday. There is just far too much farm work that needs to be done right now. I know it doesn't usually take that much time, but it's a completely different mental space.
On the up side, the sound of the microwave is now triggering me to think " clean the kitchen."
Chicken lady
4-6-15, 7:02am
ok, back to the basement. I cleaned out a small shoebox. put some things in the goodwill box - which I don't count until I go to goodwill - the box lives in the basement, but I brought two things upstairs and put them away.
Chicken Lady, it sounds like you are being very productive!
I'm up to 7 links on my a.m. home routine (my record so far!) and 2 on my p.m. home routine chains. I have 5 links on my office chain.
Both my house and office are definitely tidier than when I started this, and that is really nice to see.
The next two days will be tricky for my home routines because my SO is out of town so I'm on duty alone with our four-year-old in the mornings, but I'm going to try.
If he's 4 would he see it as a game to help tidy up? Sing the "Clean up" song and dance?
If he's 4 would he see it as a game to help tidy up? Sing the "Clean up" song and dance?
It's a she, and at this point, she requires a lot of encouragement to participate in clean-up - unless it's her idea, in which case she can be very effective - so I ended up resorting to putting her in front of the TV for a while this morning so that I could get through the routine and also get myself showered and dressed. She normally doesn't watch TV at all at home (just at friends' houses or when she's sick), so she was ecstatic.
It is time, though, to start her on a clean-up routine of her own. I have to do some thinking about what point of the day is the best for tackling that. We do have her do things like put her shoes away and put her clothes in the hamper, but we don't have a routine yet for toy pickup.
Chicken lady
4-10-15, 6:03am
ejchase, how are you doing?
Is your daughter the type who would enjoy putting the toys to bed? Does she like order, or resist it?
yesterday I found a big box of old files in the basement. I brought them up to dh and he recycled almost all of them. The ones that were left he said he could put back in the file drawer in his desk because he has more space now that most of the bills etc are paperless.
I also found a few more things that belong to dd1.
yesterday was link #4.
Chicken Lady, it sounds like you are making a lot of progress!
I got up 9 links on my a.m. routine chain, but then various things got in the way. My evening chain got broken at around 4 links, and I haven't been able to get it started again. My dad and brother are here this weekend, and my SO is away, so I think I'm going to wait to restart the chain until Monday, when my dad will still be here, but SO will be back and my daughter will be back at school.
Even when I don't do my whole a.m. routine, I'm finding I'm still squeezing in parts of it, like getting the bed made in the morning.
Yesterday, I had to leave work early and was just on campus to teach, so I didn't do the 15 minutes in my office, but I don't think I'll count that as a break in the chain since I didn't have a chance to do it. So I'm still at about 8 links on my office chain (the calendar with all the days marked is at work), which is great. I'm really seeing a difference in my office - the clutter there is steadily dissapearing, which does wonders for my general disposition!
My daughter might enjoy putting the toys to bed. We're going to have to experiment with a few different clean-up strategies and see what works.
Chicken lady
4-11-15, 9:33pm
I like how even when I don't quite make it on this I still feel like I have a sense of progress from all the little chains:
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
― Samuel Beckett (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1433597.Samuel_Beckett), Worstward Ho (https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/805860)
dd1 came by for dinner tonight and took some of her stuff I found in the basement. And told me to get rid of the rest.
Chicken lady
4-14-15, 7:03am
I broke my chain again. I'm at a point where I just go down and stare and think "there is nothing else I can do here. There is nothing I can let go, there is nowhere to put anything, the job is hopeless..."
But I have been here before. My basement is divided into two sides by the stairs, and once apon a time both sides were over my head and nearly impenetrable, and I was sure it was hopeless. At the moment one side has two neat storage racks, my pantry closets, an extra fridge for eggs and milk, a deep freezer, a couple of chairs and a little table, an exercise bike [yes, i ride it] and what would be a lot of open floor space if I hadn't spread out all the picture frames. I just need a new point of attack.
Somewhere down there is something I can get rid of or put away upstairs - I just need to go find it.
Hi there
I have been following this post and posted last month that I had started 1 link for a morning routine and 30 min a day of crafting.
The morning routine in now so entrenched that I don't feel the need to have it as a link but the crafting one is rarely getting done so I have dropped it for now.
As of yesterday I started three links with 30 min. of deep cleaning, 30 minutes of decluttering (that includes posting things for sale)
and 30 min of exercise. So far so good, both days I did all 3......
Will keep you up todate.
Chicken lady
4-15-15, 5:59am
yay danna!
Yesterday I got one link again. I found some science models to take to the other teacher today, and a book to put away upstairs, and some books for goodwill.
I was tempted to leave the models in the basement until this morning so they could be my second link, because I had already put the book away. But I didn't, I put them straight in the car.
Congrats, danna and Chicken lady on your progress!
I'm afraid I'm out of commission this week. My dad's here visiting and while I've been able to squeeze in some excercise and other "downtime," getting through either of my routines has been challenging.
He leaves tomorrow but then we are headed out of town for the weekend, so I will restart everything on Monday.
I am doing little pieces of my routines - making the bed, doing a "swish and swipe" in the bathroom, doing 10 minutes of tidying up whenever I can, but nothing consistently enough to make a chain.
In any case, it's so great to have other people working on chains too!
All three links today plus some extra....sometimes I just need to get myself moving....lol
Of course the sun finally shining isn't hard to take either.
Chicken lady
4-16-15, 7:44am
I did link #3 this morning. Only two little boxes to recycle, but I found them during a reorganization that netted me an empty 18 gallon bin. I love it when the previous work suddenly becomes visible!
sunny days are hard for me to work in the house - there is always so much to be done outside! today it's raining though.
April15 Day 3 of my 3 links a day
I did them all but, I am counting the extra 30 min I spent in the yard as exercise I think that is fair
because it sure felt like exercise after the long winter....lol I think I will be sore tomorrow.
Chicken lady
4-18-15, 7:11am
yard work is exercise! working outside is most of the exercise I get.
Yesterday I removed a desk. This is why I don't worry about counting a couple of boxes or a notebook or whatever - as long as I keep working, things average out.
I'm going to have to put some things into the basement because we are emptying ds's room. I'm just going to ignore that because most of them will go back when the room is finished. and even if some things don't go back, other things will go that are more functional - I already have picked out the basement bookshelf I'm getting rid of after we finish the built-ins.
Chicken lady
4-19-15, 4:01pm
I'm not sure where I am on links. I haven't taken anything out of the basement today unless you count carrying the goodwill pile up to the living room. Also I put all my sewing stuff back in the basement plus ds's lamp, night stand, and bed. ds's stuff isn't a big deal, but I counted the sewing stuff on the two days I moved it out.
Chicken lady
4-20-15, 7:18am
sorry to post so much in a row.
My dd1 came by last night for dinner and I found some awards that belonged to her in the basement (which she put straight in my trash can.) That was incredibly hard for me but I am trying to use it as a step in my practice of letting go.
So I am calling that my link for yesterday and keeping my chain intact even though I put the sewing back - it's the working at it every day part that is important and leads to progress. And I'm starting to realize the the most important progress is in me, not the basement. I can empty the basement completely, but unless something changes in me, it will just get full again.
Chicken lady
4-21-15, 7:41am
ejchase, are you working on this again or still dealing with routine disrupters?
danna?
I did my 8th link this morning - 4 books up to the goodwill pile which is now in my livingroom. Later I'm going to list everything for taxes and put it in the car to drop off tomorrow.
So I am calling that my link for yesterday and keeping my chain intact even though I put the sewing back - it's the working at it every day part that is important and leads to progress. And I'm starting to realize the the most important progress is in me, not the basement. I can empty the basement completely, but unless something changes in me, it will just get full again.
I've noticed that just the act of decluttering makes me much more discriminating about what I acquire. A couple of summers ago I decluttered my clothes before going shopping for new ones. I came home with just two or three things to replace worn-out ones because I was so much more aware that a) I had quite a lot already that I liked and wore and b) I knew exactly what kinds of clothes I had bought in the past that I wore alot and what kind I never wore.
I also have noticed I'm much better at letting go of stuff now because I've learned that most of my stuff is entirely replaceable (e.g. books still in print).
Thanks for keeping all this going, Chicken Lady.
I'm in the midst of link #2 for my morning routine, around link #10 in my office tidying chain, hoping to restart my evening routine chain tonight!
Chicken lady
4-24-15, 7:39am
I agree with the being more careful about acquiring. I dropped stuff off at the thrift store wednesday and went in to look and didn't find anything I wanted.
I am keeping the chain going, but I am currently nibbling on small items again. this morning - link 11! It was a couple of paperback books. but books are very hard for me. One of my goals is to eliminate a net of 6 linear feet of books from shelves by August. That's over 2" per shelf and my cookbooks - which are the easy ones - are not on shelves.
If I do that, I think I will be able to get rid of the shelf I don't like AND actually shelve the books I keep from the bins after we do the built-ins in ds's room.
I'm working on the kids books. I've kept far too many of them. I'm asking myself "If you have a grandchild, and this turns out to be a favorite book, will you be willing to read it several times a day for a week? Or will you think 'oh no, not again!'?" Honestly I should just keep the ones that I look at and think "I loved this book!" but I'm not there yet.
Chicken lady
4-26-15, 10:26am
Then yesterday I broke the chain. I think 11 links is my record. It's hard to keep at it on the weekends, my schedule is so different when dh doesn't go to work.
I'm working on the kids books. I've kept far too many of them. I'm asking myself "If you have a grandchild, and this turns out to be a favorite book, will you be willing to read it several times a day for a week? Or will you think 'oh no, not again!'?" Honestly I should just keep the ones that I look at and think "I loved this book!" but I'm not there yet.
that is a great way to choose children's books! i have some that i just love, and a lot i think i shouldn't get rid of. i sold about 300 books to a friend who is a first year teacher for $75. All leveled and labeled.
i don't know about the chain thing but i have been packing and moving baby steps, and i got rid of almost 3 boxes of old paperwork this week. As i pack the kitchen i am weeding out things, but y new kitchen is so nice and with lots of cabinets i don't really need to. At least everything will be IN a cabinet. with cats i have to wash the pots and pans before i use them most times.
Then yesterday I broke the chain. I think 11 links is my record. It's hard to keep at it on the weekends, my schedule is so different when dh doesn't go to work.
I've been breaking my chains left and right, but I think I've built a link about half the days this month, and it shows in the general increased tidiness of my home and office.
Chicken Lady, you could always set a rule that you don't have to build links on weekends - it sounds like that might be more realistic for you - so your chain is just a during-the-week activity. That's what I do with my office routine chain.
I think 11 is about my record too. Right now, I'm back to #1 on all my chains!
Chicken lady
4-27-15, 7:59am
I have thought about it, but I really think the "every day" part is important.
I have started counting things from both sides of the basement, not just the side that will need to be cleared because the other side has designated storage that things from the cleared side can move into. I'm also counting things that get added to the goodwill pile even though it is still in the basement. Otherwise I am limited to trash, recycling, and things that I just move but keep. There is very little left that will end up trash or recycling I think.
yesterday I used a few things to put together a birthday gift so I'm calling that link 1, and today I worked on the books again - 2.
I'm at 3 for my morning at home chain and 2 for my office chain. Haven't managed to get back to my evening chain yet.
Still loving making the links. Sort of grounds me at the beginning of the day at home.
Chicken lady
5-1-15, 6:33am
I have lost my grip on everything. my chicks came in the mail and I keep getting called to sub. yesterday I went to a sale and bought new towels because even though we have too many towels, they are all getting ratty and need to go out to the barn pile. now I have a stack of towels on my kitchen table.
I need to buy food. I have one kid coming home from college in a week and the other in two weeks. I have two goats due to kid this month. I'm watching a 6 y.o. all day tomorrow, I need to get the garden in. the kid who comes home in a week has a bed burried in dolls that need to be boxed up for a while. I have evaluations on all my students due in three weeks.
I will post if i work on the basement, but the thought of getting a chain going in May is daunting.
Okay, Chicken Lady, do what you need to do!
I'm a collapsing a bit on my routines too, but still going to work on the chains in May.
Chicken Lady, Relax, you have done so much and you have a plate full of things to do. Seems as if just keeping your head on will be a chain going this month...Did I keep my head on? Yes, today, that's one link!
Chicken lady
5-1-15, 7:15pm
Lol!
Today I went to work without my lunch or my student folders, so I don't think I get my "keeping my head on" link. Maybe tomorrow.
Oops, but you did get to work!
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