View Full Version : Setting a Decluttering Goal in Units of Time Using Flylady's Timer Method - Dec. 2017
Hi All,
I'm a teacher who is on a reduced schedule for about two months mid-December through mid-February and mid-June through mid-July. I also have a REALLY cluttered home. In the past, I've had some success with setting myself a goal of doing a certain number of hours of decluttering during my periods of reduced work. I set one overall goal (last winter and summer, it was 40 hours), then chip away at it in smaller increments of time. Some days I aim for an hour; others for four hours (with breaks!). I basically use flylady's timer method described here, but with longer periods of time than 15 minutes:
http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-sta...ng-15-minutes/ (http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/flying-lessons/decluttering-15-minutes/)
It's also helped me a lot to keep track of progress towards my goal here, so here I am setting a new one: to complete 40 hours of decluttering in my house by Tuesday, February 19 when my regular work schedule resumes.
If anybody else wants to join in with a decluttering goal of their own for a certain number of hours, I would love company!
Teacher Terry
12-21-17, 2:26pm
I did this after retiring but I did it in huge chunks such as 6-8 hours/day. It allowed me to make huge progress that I could quickly see. To maintain I try to take out an item for everyone I bring in. I don't shop much at all anymore which has helped. Now when a charity wants donations I have to work at it to get a box for them. YOu will get there. Good luck:))
ejchase, when are you starting? Will you check in daily or how would you/others report and be helpful? I have a "sewing room/woman cave" I really need to tackle. It's becoming a high anxiety area for me since we cleaned out my mom's home when she died. I took a good bit of her sewing materials. Bags and piles here and there, and not only her stuff, but the unfinished projects of my own!
ETA: I have procrastinated on organizing this room for some time...I think I might be successful if I take on a schedule plan like 15 min. increments several times per night or something like that weekdays, then longer periods on the weekends (I have a f/t job).
iris lilies
12-21-17, 2:49pm
I am decluttering things, difficult things. If you think books are hard, what about old letters. So I made progress with 90% of them, reading and burning them, but could not destroy 8 of them.
Also I attacked an old “collection” for which I no longer have sentimental attachment, and since I ascertained that items are of little to no value, I chucked most of them and put the rest into use.
A good 200 items left my house over tha past two days. I greatly cleared out my trunk of “sentiment” and am keeping a few clothing items, things from my babyhood and childhood, and family genealogy documents and a few things from my parents.
Teacher Terry
12-21-17, 3:12pm
IL: you are making great progress. I actually started 10 years before retiring and decluttered in spurts. However, being retired makes it much easier as you have so many more hours to do it. A few times we had the Salvation Army send a truck to our house. I have helped a few friends declutter their homes too. It was fun. It is also funny to see the type of junk that people actually keep. It is good to laugh at ourselves sometimes. It's funny that we spend a lifetime accumulating and then years getting rid of stuff. I wish I had some of the $ that I have wasted on things.
Williamsmith
12-21-17, 4:20pm
Before I sold my house, I spent five years decluttering. My wife used to leave the house and tell me no to to be so ruthless with my throwing away things. Finally, she looked around and said, You’ve done a good job, there’s not much left.” I’m staring to feel cluttered again. The other day she was looking for a combo radio/cd player. She asked me where it went. I said, “Um...it’s got to be around here somewhere.” I think I threw it away!
Before I sold my house, I spent five years decluttering. My wife used to leave the house and tell me no to to be so ruthless with my throwing away things. Finally, she looked around and said, You’ve done a good job, there’s not much left.” I’m staring to feel cluttered again. The other day she was looking for a combo radio/cd player. She asked me where it went. I said, “Um...it’s got to be around here somewhere.” I think I threw it away!
Your story reminds me of my mom's long regretted tossing of my John Lennon doll from the 60s. She used to "clean" our rooms while we were at school.
rosarugosa
12-21-17, 7:27pm
Me, mom, & sister all worked on getting rid of and organizing stuff this week. Tues, DS and I worked on my basement; Weds, the two of us helped Mom with her crap; and today, DS and I spent the morning in her condo and the afternoon in my cellar again. A family affair! Many donations to Savers and a lot of stuff in the trash.
We have reached the stage of life where we don't buy each other stuff for the holidays, we get together and help each other get rid of stuff!
I cleaned out the freezer, tossing out stockpiled soybeans someone gave me that I do not like. I will tackle bigger projects once there is room in the trash. The aluminum siding is gone but I still have lots of old insulation and other items piled up to go out.
Teacher Terry, thanks so much for your encouragement. It *is* hard for me to believe I will EVER be completely decluttered, but just committing to 40 hours at a time when I'm on a reduced work schedule gives me a nice, finite goal to work towards, and I have made some good progress the last two times I've done this.
KayLR, I started today! I only did one hour, but it's nice to have begun. Just reporting here as I complete the hours really helps me - it's just the right amount of "peer pressure." Good luck with your sewing room. I have found that the timer really helps me deal with the feeling of being overwhelmed. When I'm looking at big piles in a particular room, I just say to myself, "Just give this four hours and see where you are then." And then I break that up into little increments of time with the timer. Maybe give the sewing room 5 hours and see where that gets you?
Iris Lilies, Yppej, and williamsmith: it sounds like you have all made incredible progress!
KayLR: I've decided the occasional regret about the loss of a tossed item is inevitable, but the cost of spending a lifetime feeling stressed about being surrounded by clutter is too damn high.
rosagugosa: That sounds like such healthy family support!
One hour down! 39 to go!
I try to do one "givebackbox" a day, rain-or-shine. givebackbox.com
Sometimes this takes 5 minutes, sometimes quite a bit longer, depends on what archeological layer I am excavating.
iris lilies
12-22-17, 11:16am
Before I sold my house, I spent five years decluttering. My wife used to leave the house and tell me no to to be so ruthless with my throwing away things. Finally, she looked around and said, You’ve done a good job, there’s not much left.” I’m staring to feel cluttered again. The other day she was looking for a combo radio/cd player. She asked me where it went. I said, “Um...it’s got to be around here somewhere.” I think I threw it away!
We use those old boom boxes to listen to radio. We have three of them, used at multiple properties. They get dirty and sometimes full of water when I accidently spray them or leave out in rain. :0!
I keep thinking I need to transfer to an IPod sort of thingie, but I dont like the idea of gardening with one, bending over and etc with that thing attached to my waist, cord to ear, etc. There is freedom of movement in listening to radio broadcast over air.
We use those old boom boxes to listen to radio. We have three of them, used at multiple properties. They get dirty and sometimes full of water when I accidently spray them or leave out in rain. :0!
I keep thinking I need to transfer to an IPod sort of thingie, but I dont like the idea of gardening with one, bending over and etc with that thing attached to my waist, cord to ear, etc. There is freedom of movement in listening to radio broadcast over air.
IL,those boom boxes also work when covered with paint splatters!
I try to do one "givebackbox" a day, rain-or-shine. givebackbox.com
Sometimes this takes 5 minutes, sometimes quite a bit longer, depends on what archeological layer I am excavating.
Thanks for reminding me of this--just got two boxes together and printed off labels--this is wonderful!
Givebackbox.com is a great resource I didn't know about - thanks, Bae.
I did another hour yesterday, so new total is 2.
This morning I put the last of the old insulation in trash bags.
2 more hours today, so new total is 4.
happystuff
12-24-17, 9:16am
Because my "free" time can be so sporadic, I tend to declutter by "project". The last one was the 9 photo boxes. It took a year, but I finally completed the scanning of all the photos!!! I've tried to pass some of them on to folks to enjoy when I could. Plan to use as many of the empty boxes to store Christmas/holiday decorations, etc. in. I like the timer idea, though, and may try 15 minutes or so at night before bed.
rosarugosa
12-24-17, 10:25am
Good work, EJ on making time for this even so close to the holiday!
Got rid of some old gift bags and wrapping.
I actually had the whole morning to myself before my daughter comes home and we go to meet my family, so I did two more hours this morning. A lot of this was moving clutter to one centralized spot (the guest bedroom), but I'm counting it anyway because I threw out quite a lot in the process and getting the clutter to a few consolidated places is sort of the first step in going through it.
Now the whole downstairs and two of the three bedrooms are what I can "surface clean" - not perfect, but tidy. After the clutter was out of the way, I vacuumed and swept and dusted surfaces and man, it's a wonder what that does for my mood. Best possible Christmas present I could have given myself and my daughter: an orderly home. That just seems to be a lesson I need to learn over and over again.
I also took some time yesterday to clean out the car and take it to the car wash. We are leaving on a long car trip today, and it's also a good feeling to be in a clean car.
New total: 6.
rosarugosa
12-30-17, 11:25am
Over the past week, I've cleaned out 4 clothing drawers and the medicine cabinet. Apparently this urge to declutter is common with new retirees.
Good for you on seizing the moment. I imagine I would get a lot of satisfaction throwing out work clothes.
Rosa, Retirement is when I started to work on decluttering...realized all those dresses were not necessary and many other things. Of course it is a never ending process and as I picked up new activities the clutter seemed to grow. I only regret getting rid of 2 charm bracelets...everything else I can hardly remember what it was.
iris lilies
12-30-17, 12:10pm
Good for you on seizing the moment. I imagine I would get a lot of satisfaction throwing out work clothes.
Oh hell yes! Not that my work clothes were very formal, but the week after I retired, I pitched some upper end items, ones i never realky liked.
My friend recently offered several of her decluttered jackets saying “I know you wear jackets” and I reminded her that I dont work any more and need only a summer and a fall/winter jacket.
It is amazing how few pieces of clothing I need, now that I don't care if I wear the same things over and over. I have way too many cardigan tops...just cannot seem to do without several in different weights and colors.
mschrisgo2
12-30-17, 10:49pm
Are giveback boxes just for clothing?
Well, it's taken me a while to get back to this goal, but I did one more hour on Friday and another hour today, so my new total is 8.
At this stage, it's hard to get motivated - especially because the house is in such bad shape that I don't see much progress after a couple of hours of work - but I know if I stick to it, I will gain momentum.
Congrats to the rest of you for making progress on your own efforts.
EJ, good for you doing 2 more hours!
It's taken me a while to get with it, but I have been mindfully trying to do 15 minutes of decluttering in spurts. One night I just did my undies drawer! Another, my sock drawer. I cleaned my closet of two garbage bags of clothing I haven't worn for a year or longer.
Well this weekend i finally attacked the woman-cave (sewing room). Saturday I decluttered and found places for all the things I'd brought from my mom's. (some went into the trash) Then yesterday, a bit more organizing and complete vacuuming! It looks great and I'm ready to finish two projects.
My husband seemed to be channeling my energy (although he's home all the time and could do this any day, he didn't until I was busy) and decluttered and reorganized the kitchen drawers and cupboards--with my blessing. He does most of the cooking anyway. Some items we rarely use went in a clear tub and out in the garage where I can retrieve anything I might need whenever.
Feels great---mostly I just needed a rainy day AFTER holidays.
I ran across 3 prior season Christmas cards from cousins and threw them out. I barely know these people. So I think old photo cards and pictures may be my next decluttering project.
Trash was not picked up today, maybe because the street is too icy or they could be behind from last week's storm. I lost one week from being on vacation and am eager to get rid of the rest of the old insulation so I can start tossing additional items.
Good work, KayLR and Yppej.
Yppej, I can relate about trash pick-up issues. When I'm on a good roll with decluttering, I sometimes fill up my recycling bin and have to ask neighbors if I can put some stuff in theirs. They always laugh about it like it's so cute that I'm in a housekeeping frenzy - little do they know about the monstrous piles I'm tackling! :)
I did two more hours today, so my new total is 10. Feeling overwhelmed by how much there is to do so am starting with the mantra, "Do what's easy." So I decluttered the fridge and one shelf of the pantry and started to deal with the upstairs hallway which is where my stuff collects when I backslide. I'll take a "before" picture of it and the guest bedroom tomorrow because they are the two spaces that are really totally unpresentable and thus are my highest priority, I think.
Thanks to you all for your encouragement and your companionship on this decluttering journey!
I did two more hours today, so my new total is 12.
I always forget how hard it is at this stage, the beginning. I'm so overwhelmed by how much clutter I've let accumulate that it's hard to know where to begin, and all I think is, "Forty hours isn't going to be enough to get through all of this."
And 40 hours definitely *isn't* going to be enough to declutter the whole house, but it will be another 3 steps forward in this whole "3 steps forward, 2 steps backward" process. And I do think every time I devote 40 hours to it, I make some permanent changes (find "homes" for things that didn't have homes before, get a LOT of stuff out of the house entirely). There is no doubt that certain parts of my house - such as, my bedroom, which I spent a lot of time on over the summer - look MUCH better than they did a year ago.
So. Onward.
rosarugosa
1-10-18, 9:55am
ejchase: So you are definitely making progress!
In my house, I bumped into a stash of slips. That's a downside to being "a place for everything person," you can neatly have a bunch of unnecessary stuff lurking that is no longer needed. I wear pants almost all of the time and can't remember the last time I wore a slip, so most of them are now in the discard collection. There are a few which will get closer scrutiny, but most of those will probably end up joining their kin.
Rosarugosa, thanks for the encouragement.
And I look forward to the day when "decluttering" in my house means finding one category of things neatly stored where they belong and then realizing I can get rid of or reduce those things anyway. That seems like a sign of true sanity. :) That happens occasionally in my house - yesterday, I weeded out some old cloth napkins and tablecloths from a stash of them all stored together - but mostly, I'm just going through piles of unsorted stuff.
But back to it.
Had a big revelation today after putting in a couple of hours decluttering. THIS IS A LONG POST WHICH YOU SHOULD FEEL FREE TO SKIP. IT JUST HELPED ME SO MUCH TO WRITE IT.
Last winter when I was also prioritizing 40 hours of decluttering during my reduced work time, I successfully decluttered the upstairs hallway where I had let a lot of junk collect, and it looked beautiful. Then it occurred to me I might have a few more boxes of clutter from my move into my current house six years before still out in the storage shed in the back yard. Well, it turned out that there were something like 16 boxes of clutter from that move still out in the storage shed, and I brought them all into the house to deal with them, thus immediately filling the upstairs hallway back up with unsightly clutter before I could even enjoy the fruits of my previous labor.
Well, it's been a year now, and I've reduced those 16 boxes of clutter to somewhere between 4-7, but I'm still overwhelmed by them and everything else I want to do to finally make my home a space I feel good in and that I'm proud of.
I've been struggling with my clutter issues my whole life, and they are a huge source of shame and embarrassment to me, and I've really been wrestling with trying to understand why dealing with "stuff" - which some people seem so naturally good at - is so difficult for me. I know there's something a little compulsive about it, and that that it's a little bit like an addiction for me and also kind of a way I push people away (e.g. "I can't invite that person over because they can't see my messy house."). As I've tried to figure this out, I've thought a lot about a problem I had with compulsive overeating from about age 14 to about age 24, which I successfully worked through with the help of a lot of good books and a lot of therapy and journal writing.
Like keeping my home cluttered, overeating was something that I, consciously or unconsciously, perceived as keeping people (men, especially, I guess, because I weighed about 30-40 pounds more then than I do now) away. The method that worked for me in working through my overeating issues was giving up dieting and just focusing on waiting until I was truly physically hungry to eat and stopping eating when I was full (there was more to the method I used, but that's a quick summary of it). But one thing also that was really important was that one of the books I read said that it was really important for me to figure out how to accept and love my body the way it was. The idea was that I shouldn't let my eating issues hold my life hostage, but that I should do everything I could to enjoy my body as its current size, including finding clothes that fit me and complemented it and exercising and doing other things that helped me enjoy it. This piece of advice made me realize I'd been sort of punishing myself for being heavy by telling myself I couldn't buy pretty clothes - or feel good about my body in any way - until I lost weight.
Well today I kind of realized I was doing the same thing with my decluttering. I've sort of taken the stance that I have to get through every piece of clutter in my house before I'm allowed to focus on decorating the house and making it a place that "sparks joy" for me. And frankly going through these boxes of clutter is extremely hard emotional work for me. It's not just tedious. It's extremely emotionally exhausting.
And I realized the decluttering version of buying clothes that fit me at my current size is for me to focus less on getting rid of every single piece of clutter in the house and to focus more - and prioritizing more - the steps I could take in these next 25 or so hours to make my home a space that I feel good in and proud of.
And I'm realizing what that might mean is that I decide to pack up the remaining 4-7 boxes of clutter, label them clearly (e.g. "clutter from move in 2011 to go through" or "materials from old writing groups" or whatever), and put them back in the storage shed for now so that I can enjoy my upstairs hallway instead of feeling guilty every damn time I walk through it. And then I think I want to focus more on going room by room and doing what I need to do in each room to make it "spark joy" for me, my daughter, and our guests. I want to buy a pretty shower curtain for the upstairs bathroom to replace the stained one currently there, frame some pictures of family and friends that remind me and my daughter of all the love we are lucky enough to have in our lives, and do some other rearranging and redecorating that I think will help me enjoy my house more. I actually think if I just allowed myself to pack up those 4-7 boxes it would sort of "clear the way" for me to figure out what I need to do to love my house instead of feeling ashamed of it. And then I can tackle those 4-7 boxes one by one when I can without punishing myself for them.
And because the last couple of days of decluttering have been so difficult and painful, tomorrow, I'm just going to do the easy stuff: take 3-5 boxes of stuff that belong in my office at work to my office at work so they're not taking up space here; take a load of stuff to Goodwill; return a bunch of clothes I bought that need to be returned; put the Christmas decorations and some of the boxes of clutter in the storage shed. I've already figured out where, on Saturday, I can drop off an old printer and an old computer that have been cluttering up one corner of the hallway. Then I'll figure out next steps for focusing on these new priorities which could be best summed up as "figuring out how to love my house." I know those next steps will still involve some decluttering, but I think it will be healthier and more healing for me to focus more on loving and enjoying my house than on beating myself up for what's not perfect in it.
If you read all this, thanks for "listening." It was very helpful to write all this out. I did 3.5 hours today, so my new total is 15.5.
Ultralight
1-10-18, 10:26pm
Had a big revelation today after putting in a couple of hours decluttering. THIS IS A LONG POST WHICH YOU SHOULD FEEL FREE TO SKIP. IT JUST HELPED ME SO MUCH TO WRITE IT.
Last winter when I was also prioritizing 40 hours of decluttering during my reduced work time, I successfully decluttered the upstairs hallway where I had let a lot of junk collect, and it looked beautiful. Then it occurred to me I might have a few more boxes of clutter from my move into my current house six years before still out in the storage shed in the back yard. Well, it turned out that there were something like 16 boxes of clutter from that move still out in the storage shed, and I brought them all into the house to deal with them, thus immediately filling the upstairs hallway back up with unsightly clutter before I could even enjoy the fruits of my previous labor.
Well, it's been a year now, and I've reduced those 16 boxes of clutter to somewhere between 4-7, but I'm still overwhelmed by them and everything else I want to do to finally make my home a space I feel good in and that I'm proud of.
I've been struggling with my clutter issues my whole life, and they are a huge source of shame and embarrassment to me, and I've really been wrestling with trying to understand why dealing with "stuff" - which some people seem so naturally good at - is so difficult for me. I know there's something a little compulsive about it, and that that it's a little bit like an addiction for me and also kind of a way I push people away (e.g. "I can't invite that person over because they can't see my messy house."). As I've tried to figure this out, I've thought a lot about a problem I had with compulsive overeating from about age 14 to about age 24, which I successfully worked through with the help of a lot of good books and a lot of therapy and journal writing.
Like keeping my home cluttered, overeating was something that I, consciously or unconsciously, perceived as keeping people (men, especially, I guess, because I weighed about 30-40 pounds more then than I do now) away. The method that worked for me in working through my overeating issues was giving up dieting and just focusing on waiting until I was truly physically hungry to eat and stopping eating when I was full (there was more to the method I used, but that's a quick summary of it). But one thing also that was really important was that one of the books I read said that it was really important for me to figure out how to accept and love my body the way it was. The idea was that I shouldn't let my eating issues hold my life hostage, but that I should do everything I could to enjoy my body as its current size, including finding clothes that fit me and complemented it and exercising and doing other things that helped me enjoy it. This piece of advice made me realize I'd been sort of punishing myself for being heavy by telling myself I couldn't buy pretty clothes - or feel good about my body in any way - until I lost weight.
Well today I kind of realized I was doing the same thing with my decluttering. I've sort of taken the stance that I have to get through every piece of clutter in my house before I'm allowed to focus on decorating the house and making it a place that "sparks joy" for me. And frankly going through these boxes of clutter is extremely hard emotional work for me. It's not just tedious. It's extremely emotionally exhausting.
And I realized the decluttering version of buying clothes that fit me at my current size is for me to focus less on getting rid of every single piece of clutter in the house and to focus more - and prioritizing more - the steps I could take in these next 25 or so hours to make my home a space that I feel good in and proud of.
And I'm realizing what that might mean is that I decide to pack up the remaining 4-7 boxes of clutter, label them clearly (e.g. "clutter from move in 2011 to go through" or "materials from old writing groups" or whatever), and put them back in the storage shed for now so that I can enjoy my upstairs hallway instead of feeling guilty every damn time I walk through it. And then I think I want to focus more on going room by room and doing what I need to do in each room to make it "spark joy" for me, my daughter, and our guests. I want to buy a pretty shower curtain for the upstairs bathroom to replace the stained one currently there, frame some pictures of family and friends that remind me and my daughter of all the love we are lucky enough to have in our lives, and do some other rearranging and redecorating that I think will help me enjoy my house more. I actually think if I just allowed myself to pack up those 4-7 boxes it would sort of "clear the way" for me to figure out what I need to do to love my house instead of feeling ashamed of it. And then I can tackle those 4-7 boxes one by one when I can without punishing myself for them.
And because the last couple of days of decluttering have been so difficult and painful, tomorrow, I'm just going to do the easy stuff: take 3-5 boxes of stuff that belong in my office at work to my office at work so they're not taking up space here; take a load of stuff to Goodwill; return a bunch of clothes I bought that need to be returned; put the Christmas decorations and some of the boxes of clutter in the storage shed. I've already figured out where, on Saturday, I can drop off an old printer and an old computer that have been cluttering up one corner of the hallway. Then I'll figure out next steps for focusing on these new priorities which could be best summed up as "figuring out how to love my house." I know those next steps will still involve some decluttering, but I think it will be healthier and more healing for me to focus more on loving and enjoying my house than on beating myself up for what's not perfect in it.
If you read all this, thanks for "listening." It was very helpful to write all this out. I did 3.5 hours today, so my new total is 15.5.
Very interesting read. Thank you for sharing. Glad to know it helped you to just get on here and write!
Wow, Ultralight, I can't believe you read that whole thing! But thanks for your kind words. Being able to share my journey here with all this is really helpful and healing.
Chicken lady
1-10-18, 11:24pm
I read it too.
i think packing all the clutter back to the storage shed and creating the house you want is a great idea. You can then bring the boxes in one at a time and they will be less overwhelming. Also, you will be able to see how the stuff in the boxes fits into your vision - or doesn’t. Which may make it easier to process.
However, as a hoarder who has used the box method to “clear” my space, suggestions I would make are:
don’t bring anything new into the house (decorations, accessories, etc) until you have packed the clutter away.
look to your clutter boxes first before adding new items (want a vase here? Is there a vase in a box? Will it work?)
and do not allow yourself to increase the number of boxes after the initial pack up - box number should slowly go down, not up.
Chicken Lady, thanks so much for your support and good suggestions.
I do realize there can be a danger in putting clutter out of sight - that I might never deal with it or have things in those boxes I could use and therefore save money.
I have also been trying to replace low cost worn out items. Sparked joy is a good motivator to tackle big tasks, bit by bit. Rome wasn't cluttered in a day and it won't be uncluttered in a day. You have impressed me with your focus, and today with your balance.
Chicken lady
1-11-18, 6:41am
In my case the danger was a new set of clutter and a new set of boxes, until the “storage shed” and “hall” were both full....
dying and leaving behind 8 unsorted boxes is not a horrible thing, so if they stay in the shed, it isn’t a crisis, just something you don’t want.
rosarugosa
1-11-18, 7:41am
EJ: I think this is a great insight and plan. I've been helping my mom deal with clutter for years and years (and her house is much better than it used to be). I like it when we claim a bit of ground so to speak, savor the accomplishment, hold that ground and then progress from there. For example, we cleared her kitchen table a few months ago, which was a huge accomplishment. She has a beautiful, stenciled wood table that hadn't been seen in years, and she would eat from folding TV trays even though she had the kitchen table and a large dining room table because they were both covered with stuff. So now the kitchen table is an oasis of sorts, and I admire it every time I go over. We are using an area of her house now that used to just be a pile of papers and photos. It also helps motivate me and makes me feel like we're accomplishing something!
Mom talks about being ashamed of her house and always talks about how messy it is, and that she really can't have people over. It really isn't that bad any more, in fact it is a lovely house, but somewhat disordered and cluttered. Mom has always given all her time and energy to other people, and I've wondered if the house clutter isn't a defense of sorts to keep others from moving in on her (figuratively speaking).
We have really made progress though. There was a time that you couldn't even walk through some of her rooms, and that is far from the case now.
I agree that you should embrace a strategy that lets you enjoy and celebrate your successes as you go along.
dying and leaving behind 8 unsorted boxes is not a horrible thing
Chicken Lady, this was my exact thought. And that I'd rather die with them in the storage shed while I was enjoying a clean hallway than die with them in the middle of my house preventing me from enjoying my house. But yes, ideally, I'll get to them eventually!
Part of this revelation came when I was talking to a friend who said, "I've decluttered my whole house except these two boxes that are stacked by the couch that I have to deal with." And then she went on and on about these two boxes, and I wanted to say to her, "Two boxes? Really? Stick 'em in the attic and let your kids deal with them in 30 years!" :). It made me realize that many of us struggle with clutter, but at a certain point, perfectionism is really self-defeating.
Yppej and Rosarugosa, thanks for your kind words. Rosarugosa, I identify with your mom so much, and she is so lucky to have your support with this issue. My mom had the same issue, and I was SO judgmental about it! She died 25 years ago when I was 27, so I never was mature enough to show her compassion around it. But cleaning out her very cluttered home after she died did make me realize I needed to look at my own habits and try to change them. What you are doing for your mom is so generous and kind, and I"m sure makes a huge difference in her quality of life.
Yesterday, I moved 5 boxes of stuff for my new office at work from home to that office. I also returned two pairs of boots I didn't need. I'm going to count it as 30 minutes.
And this morning I did another 30 minutes putting Christmas decorations back in the storage shed in the backyard and moving an old broken printer and several big printer cartridges out to the front porch where somebody from Freecycle is going to pick them up (yay!).
Have to prioritize other things today and possibly for much of the long weekend too, but I'll be back at it next week. New total: 16.5 hours.
I finally got back to this today and put in 3.5 hours, so my new total is 20.
I'm still feeling overwhelmed and like I'm not getting enough done, but last week, I looked back at my posts on this board from when I did 40 hours last winter and last summer, and I noticed both times I was feeling overwhelmed for at least the first 25 hours and then I started to gain some momentum and feel better after that. So I guess I have five more hours of feeling despair before I start to see progress. :)
But stuff IS moving out the door, which feels good.
Teacher Terry
1-18-18, 6:04pm
I filled my car and took it to the thrift store today. It is funny because I will think I have nothing left to declutter and then will find stuff. I am really liking having a much leaner look. Also I probably have a fourth of the clothes I used to have. I rarely shop anymore either unless something wears out. Like I ripped my comforter while making the bed so threw it away and bought another one.
Congrats, Teacher Terry, on getting a load to the thrift store.
Did an hour yesterday. New total: 21.
I had planned to make a big push today, but it turned out I only did a little push. I was productive in other areas though.
1.5 hours today, so new total is 22.5.
I made a little progress this weekend. My six-year-old and I went through all her clothes and one bookshelf in her room and came up with a bunch of stuff to give away. It's a big deal for me that I'm making time to help her develop the habit of weeding stuff out. She seems fine with getting rid of most things she's outgrown, which is such a relief. I want her to grow up with good decluttering skills!
Also, I spent a LOT of time coordinating the purchase, pick-up and set up of an Ikea dresser which I bought on Craigslist. Half my clothes have been in the guest bedroom, so I bought this dresser for my bedroom, so I could clear out the guest room dresser. Moving this new dresser in required I move out two low bookcases full of books that were in my bedroom, which took some time. I also spent some time finding a big bookcase online to put in the living room so that I can get rid of the other two bookcases.
I also spent a lot of time looking for a mirror and a picture for the guest bedroom to make it look a bit nicer.
Obviously only some of this was decluttering, but it's all stuff that's going to eventually make the house nicer. I'll give myself 1 hour of credit for it, so new total is 23.5.
Have you ever heard of Unf*ck Your Habitat? I think it's on Tumblr. You do what's called a 20/10--work for 20 minutes, then take a 20 minute break. And so on.
I haven't done it much, but when I did it made a big difference.
ejchase, I too have trouble with feeling overwhelmed. Everywhere I look, there's clutter. Sometimes I don't know what to do with items. Regarding that issue, there's a blog called "A Slob Comes Clean" and she has a couple of Rules for Decluttering that make a lot of sense:
If I needed this item, where would I look for it? (take it there)
If I needed this item, would it ever occur to me that I already have one? (If not, get rid of it because I’d just buy a new one if I needed it.)
Unlike some other advice, this really whittles it down to the basics.
Good luck (to all of us!).
Frugalone, thanks for those tips - I will check out those resources too.
Today, I put in 3.5 hours. Unfortunately, a lot of my time on the house the last few days has been less on decluttering and more on moving stuff around (bags and boxes of books mostly) to clear the way for rearranging a bunch of furniture: getting rid of two short bookcases upstairs and moving in one big one downstairs. I have a handyman coming on Thursday to help me move stuff around, and I'm still trying to figure out where I want everything to go. In the end, I think I'll be moving around 9 pieces of furniture to different spots and moving some pictures too. It's a little anxiety provoking because I'm worried I'll decide to move something and then decide I don't like it there, but I have to remind myself all of this is a process and I'll learn from it no matter what I do. I've been measuring everything and really thinking about it, though, and I think the basic plan is good.
New total is 27.
I did another hour and a half today.
The big exciting task I've been working on is transforming our middle bedroom from a junk room into the guest bedroom I've wanted it to be. I've probably got about an hour more of decluttering in there and then I have to hang two pictures and a mirror and buy some extra pillows for the bed, but it's getting there. One corner of it has just been a mound of clutter for the last eighteen months or so, so it was really exciting today when I tackled that corner and was able to see the floor and thus, the light at the end of the tunnel after only about 90 minutes.
My big motivation is the imminent arrival of a house guest in late February. I have to keep reminding myself that the house won't be perfect for her, but I do think things will be a lot better. Still lots to do this week though.
New total: 28.5.
iris lilies
2-5-18, 12:01pm
A ceramic sculpture
I use in floral arrangements fell to the floor and crashed. Rather than be sad,
I was happy that a space opened up on the shelf.
I have joined a local Ikebana group and am accumulating objects for that floral design hobby. Fortunately, I think this group is less stuff-intensive than National Garden club designing, it is about the plant material.
iris lilies
2-5-18, 12:02pm
Ejchase, if you can get an entire room out of a decluttering effort, that is a great thing. Beware guest rooms, though, they do tend to accumulate junk.
Ejchase, if you can get an entire room out of a decluttering effort, that is a great thing. Beware guest rooms, though, they do tend to accumulate junk.
Yes, I know it will be hard to maintain the cleanliness of this room, but it does help to know guests are expected - very motivating! Also, I've bought some new furniture for other rooms to store the stuff that was crammed into the guest room, so part of what I'm learning from this experience is that I needed more storage elsewhere. AND I'm getting rid of a lot too.
Four more hours today.
I'd had this idea that I would tackle ALL my clothes today, but it actually took me four hours just to deal with the stuff hanging in the closet, which felt a little discouraging. There is no doubt in my mind that I could give away half of my clothes and still have plenty to wear, but I was just having trouble letting go today. Part of the problem is that I just don't like my winter wardrobe all that much, and I don't really have any kind of "vision" for what sorts of things I'd like to wear instead, so it was hard to toss much. Nevertheless, I have bought some things recently that I like and think I will wear, and going through everything today helped me see how much I have (PLENTY of decent dress pants for work that fit, for example) which may help me spend less. It's always so discouraging when a decluttering project takes twice as long as expected (as today's did), but I did, in the end, manage to find 7 things with holes in them for the trash and 19 pieces to give away, so that's something. I also discovered I have no need for any wire hangers in my house at this point because I have a zillion wooden and plastic ones, and I googled how to dispose of them and found out many dry cleaners will take them - and my local one did.
Also, I discovered I needed a new shoe rack, and managed to organize the shoes that were there so that the floor of the closet is completely clear, which is nice. And I ordered three new pants hangers because I realized I needed those too. Getting rid of all the wire hangers and the few things I gave away did free up a lot of space.
What I am saying to reassure myself is that what I did today was a layer of decluttering, only a thin layer, but it counts. Maybe just going through everything once will help me get clearer about my wardrobe issues so that next time I can do a real purge.
New total: 32.5.
Iris Lilies, I'm glad you were able to be philosophical about the loss of your ceramic sculpture and glad you have a new less stuff-intensive pursuit!
mschrisgo2
2-5-18, 11:24pm
Great job on your closet ejchase! I had a similar experience with mine about a year and a half ago- discovered I really didn't need any more clothes!
But since then I have retired, and worn out some clothes, and its almost spring... about time to dig into my closet again.
Great job on your closet ejchase! I had a similar experience with mine about a year and a half ago- discovered I really didn't need any more clothes!
But since then I have retired, and worn out some clothes, and its almost spring... about time to dig into my closet again.
Yes, it's taken me to middle age to realize if I go through my closet and dressers to weed out stuff before buying new clothes, I find that I don't end up buying much. I need to develop the same habit in the kitchen - go through cupboards, fridge and freezer weekly before doing food shopping - there is always food that needs to be used up!
So I've spent a lot of time this week doing things *related* to decluttering, like returning stuff to stores and donating items but have been avoiding really going through stuff at home. But last night I made a list of the remaining "pockets" of clutter in the house and made estimates of about how many hours it would take to get through each. It added up to about 12 hours. And this morning I spent an hour on one of them and made a little dent.
The housekeeper came yesterday, so I can see more clearly what's left to do. It always feels endless - like I will NEVER, even for a moment, have a decluttered house, but I know rationally that's not true. Just need to stick with it.
New total: 33.5.
early morning
2-10-18, 11:39pm
WTG, ejchase! I don't post here much but I read, and you are really inspiring! Some days I feel like I'm knee-deep in clutter - ah - INVENTORY, lol. Today DD and I both felt really blah so we spent the day decluttering jewelry. She has fixed quite a few nice pieces that are now sale-able. I have a jewelry box in which I can now see what I have. Other results: a small shoe-box of pieces ready to be priced for our shop, four necklaces of vintage beads sorted to restring, and all my silver charms in one spot, ready to be put on my charm necklace (when I find one, lol). The earrings I kept are paired up, the chains still in the box are untangled, and my keepsake jewelry that I don't wear is all in the same drawer. :)
Thanks, early morning, for your kind words, and great job on your jewelry. I love the fact that you and your DD reacted to feeling "blah" by decluttering - such a healthy way to deal with that!
I made a big push yesterday - 4 hours. I have houseguests coming this weekend so am trying to focus on just making the house presentable at this point but still am finding stuff to get rid of. One of the big projects I've been prioritizing has been turning our spare bedroom into an actual guest room. I've cleared out a pile of clutter from it, bought pictures and a mirror for the walls and figured out nice linens for it. But the handyman who was supposed to come and help me hang the pictures and fix the bed (two slats keep falling out) has postponed twice, so it's not quite finished yet. At this point, he's supposed to come tomorrow; my first guest arrives Thursday! Fingers crossed!
New total: 37.5.
Hi All,
I finally finished my 40 hours last week, just before my houseguests came. The handyman showed up and hung the mirror and pictures in the guest room, fixed the slats that had fallen out of the bed, put together a new bookcase and cabinet and shoe rack I'd bought, moved some furniture, then moved some of it back after I'd decided some of the new locations didn't work :). He was, in short, a great help and very understanding about me changing some of my plans at the last minute. And I scrambled around and tidied up everywhere.
I'd say the big accomplishment of this big 40-hour push was that I now have an actual guest room, and it is LOVELY, exactly what I wanted. Of course, my six-year-old couldn't resist telling our houseguests what a shambles it had been before their arrival, but ah well. :) My clutter issues are no big secret.
My daughter and I also went through her clothes and books and gave a bunch away, so her room is pretty decluttered but also nicely decorated and warm with a lot of books and toys and CDs that she likes.
However, I completed the 40 hours when I wasn't at a great stopping point with the hall and my bedroom. Both have some clutter and some boxes that I need to move around to make those spaces a bit more presentable until I can make another push in the summer. So I'm going to start another thread committing to 10 more hours to sort of tie up those loose ends.
But thanks to all of you who have encouraged me on this project. This is the third set of 40 hours I've done in the last 18 months, and I really think it's making a big difference in my house, so your support is a big gift to me and my family!
Nice work, EJ! My Mom recently decluttered a room in record time for a short notice houseguest - those guests seem to work wonders! :)
Yup, rosarugosa, deadlines really help!
early morning
3-3-18, 9:11pm
That's great, ej! I hope you all have a great visit. Guests really can spur one on, for sure! When I was younger, that was one of my go-to housekeeping strategies for making us clean things up (I seem to suffer from minor depression that puts my butt in a chair feeling exhausted from just THINKING about all the things I need to do). Invite company! Invite the inlaws! THAT was a motivator for sure! Pride seemed to be my best way to overcome my attitude, lol. My last big housecleaning (wash the blinds and all the windows, wax all the floors, paint the flaking ceilings, etc) was when DH's Aunt came to visit from Cape Cod, about 6 years ago. Now, I can't think of anyone who would come who would care about any of that. Which is good, and bad. . .
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