View Full Version : 40 Hours Decluttering Using Flylady's Timer Method - July 6 - Aug. 30
Hi All,
I'm a teacher who is on a reduced schedule for about four months a year, mid-December through mid-February and mid-June through mid-August. 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 (usually 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/)
This past winter, I stumbled a bit and didn't finish that 40 hours until last week. So I am just now starting this summer's 40 hours.
Though clutter is still an issue, over the years of focusing on decluttering, I've also discovered I need to spend time on making my home comfortable and pleasant which involves putting in time on things like repotting plants into pretty containers, picking out a nice bureau scarf and a "jewelry tree" to make the bureau in my bedroom pretty, and finding a nice tray for the containers of salt, pepper, and olive oil by my stove. I've learned that decluttering is not all it takes for me to finally enjoy my living spaces - figuring out what's pleasing aesthetically to me is super-important too - and really fun.
In any case, since I started these batches of 40 hours of decluttering in winter of 2017, I've made a lot of progress. My home isn't perfect, but it is MUCH less cluttered and MUCH more comfortable to me than it was four years ago. And recording my progress here has really helped.
I know for some people setting up a home is kind of second nature, but I've always struggled with it and always lived in cluttered, uncomfortable spaces, so these batches of 40 hours have been a real breakthrough for me.
I started this batch of 40 hours just with one hour last Friday. And then yesterday, my daughter and I spent 30 minutes going through two of her dresser drawers and making a pile of stuff to give away. Total so far: 1.5.
In any case, thanks for "listening" and for the encouragement so many of you have given me over the years.
And, as always, if anybody else wants to join in with a decluttering/homemaking goal of their own for a certain number of hours, that would be great!
iris lilies
7-6-21, 1:41pm
It is interesting OP that the 40 hour chunks work for you. It would not be a method that works for me.
I constantly think about nice surroundings, a place for things, culling things that don’t serve me, so it runs as an undercurrent in my thoughts.
Teacher Terry
7-6-21, 3:26pm
I am also like IL. It’s important to find what works for you personally.
Yes, these chunks of 40 hours work really well for me.
I WISH I was constantly thinking about how to cull and how to make my surroundings nice. I'm not. But I do think setting aside these hours to focus on that has made me a little bit more aware of how necessary it is to cull and to find a place for everything.
Teacher Terry
7-6-21, 7:23pm
When I was raising my kids I wasn’t thinking about decluttering either. I did give away all the outgrown toys and clothes. Moving was the only thing that made me get rid of stuff. After my kids were grown I started with major decluttering because I had the time.
I did 3 more hours yesterday - some on my own, and some with my daughter. We went through her sock and underwear drawers and her closet. We threw out a lot of too-small underwear and socks with holes, and I now have two big Hefty bags of clothes from the two of us to go to Goodwill.
New total: 4.5.
When I was raising my kids I wasn’t thinking about decluttering either. I did give away all the outgrown toys and clothes. Moving was the only thing that made me get rid of stuff. After my kids were grown I started with major decluttering because I had the time.
Yes, I can't manage much decluttering during the school year when I am teaching and my daughter is in school. But I really love focusing on it in the summers and winters when I have more time.
We also have a Facebook Moms group in our neighborhood which is great for handing down old clothes and toys. It's so much easier to give stuff away when I know it will be re-used.
Teacher Terry
7-7-21, 5:30pm
I was a social worker so gave all my kids clothes to clients and the toys to foster homes because the kids were hard on toys.
ejchase, congrats on your 4.5 hours! Great start for summer!
ejchase, congrats on your 4.5 hours! Great start for summer!
Thanks, mschrisgo2!
I did just an hour more today - cleaning out the car and taking it to the car wash and then returning a bunch of clothes I'd bought online.
New total: 5.5.
Today, I did some work in the upstairs hallway. There is big clutter history in that space :) :
When we moved into this house ten years ago, I was 8 1/2 months pregnant. The house has a weird floor plan, and the upstairs hallway is unusually wide and spacious. So we dumped SO many boxes of stuff that we didn't know what to do with up there. I'm sure there were at one point close to 50 boxes there. And they more or less stayed there until I started getting serious about decluttering in 2016 (yes, if if it wasn't for all of you, I would definitely qualify as a hoarder, but I've been trying to cure myself these last five years).
Long story short, I've made a lot of progress, but there are still 12 boxes in that hallway. One of my decluttering priorities for the summer is to finally get through the last of them.
I got through 2 boxes today. It was hard because a lot of what is left is still there because it's stuff that's hard for me to make decisions about: old cards and letters from loved ones who have passed away, lots of photos, things I just don't know what to do with. I'm trying to remind myself not to be a perfectionist and just find places for the things I can't get rid of yet. I just have to keep going forward as best I can.
But I did manage to find 2 grocery bags of stuff to recycle (a drop in the bucket, but still).
I'm remembering now when I started these batches of 40 hours in 2016, I was focused on that space, and 90% of what I was getting rid of was paper. In recent years, though, as I've made some progress, I've been getting rid of things like clothes, books, and my daughter's toys. But I guess while I'm focused on finishing up the hallway, it's back to paper!
New total: 7.5.
I actually did an hour more and got through a third box - though I do have a big pile of stuff in the guestroom from the boxes I went through of stuff I need to keep and need to find a place for.
But I also recycled a bunch of paper and found some other things to give away.
New total: 8.5.
rosarugosa
7-14-21, 5:33am
It sounds like you are making good progress on the boxes if you started with 50!
It sounds like you are making good progress on the boxes if you started with 50!
Yes!
I did another hour today. Again, I got rid of what was easy to get rid of, put away what was easy to put away, and gathered some things to give to my Buy Nothing Group and Goodwill, but I have a pile of stuff I need to keep for one reason or another and need to make decisions about where to put. It's not a perfect system, but it allows me to maintain a certain amount of momentum, which I need.
I think I'm down to about 5 boxes in the hallway that I still need to go through. I can't BELIEVE some of the stuff I've held on to, and it really feels good to finally be letting go of so much!
It also really helps to post stuff on the Buy Nothing Facebook page. It really motivates me to get stuff out the door.
New total: 9.5.
Teacher Terry
7-14-21, 11:34pm
Wow 5 boxes down from 50 is great!
EJ you are my inspiration!!! It's hot out, so I think I will tackle the dining room....one drawer at a time so the table doesn't get filled with "stuff I need to access". If I clear a drawer, I can put "stuff I need to access" in there! Bravo to you on reducing those boxes!! Maybe you can move a pretty dresser in that space when the boxes are gone.
Thanks, everybody, for your encouragement!
Go, nswef! Good luck with those drawers!
I did another hour yesterday. New total: 10.5.
I did another 30 minutes yesterday. New total: 11.
And another 30 minutes on Sunday - new total: 11.5.
Another hour today. New total: 12.5.
mschrisgo2
7-20-21, 9:46pm
Great progress, ejchase!
Another hour today - 13.5.
Great progress, ejchase!
Thank you!
An update on the hallway, both good news and not-so-good news: I *did* manage to go through the last five boxes, which was great because I was able to get rid of a lot - old bills and junk mail (Why was I keeping those?!). But in order to maintain the momentum, I just put the stuff I need to file or find a home for in stacks which are now back in boxes because tomorrow, I have a handyman coming to move my daughter's room from our smallest bedroom to our bigger guest bedroom, and Sunday, we leave for a two-week vacation.
So basically, I reduced 12 boxes to about 3 which I will have to deal with in August. Not the clear victory I was hoping for yet, but some progress!
rosarugosa
7-22-21, 6:48am
I think every reduction in the number of boxes is a victory!
Teacher Terry
7-22-21, 12:14pm
I agree with Rosa:)).
Thanks, rosarugosa and Teacher Terry!
Yesterday, I spent most of the day with our handyman who helped me move my daughter's stuff into our guest bedroom which was bigger than her room. She was at her dad's but had requested this move last fall when our handyman was quarantining and couldn't help out. It was so good to finally do the move, and her new room looks SO nice! I had let her pick out new sheets and a duvet cover and new curtains a few weeks ago, so it really feels like a special new space. I feel guilty a lot of the time by how my clutter issues affect her, so it was enormously gratifying to have this project turn out so well (so far!). I sent her a video of it, and her dad said she loved it.
The handyman will come back in late August, which is great because now I have to figure out how to turn my daughter's teeny old bedroom into a nice office/guestroom, and I will probably need him to help me with some of that. Also, we still need a desk for my daughter's room and pictures hung in both rooms. But it's fun to figure these things out. I'm not sure I would have said that a decade ago, but I am starting to see how rearranging a home can be enjoyable!
So there wasn't much decluttering involved in this move, but it definitely counts as time spent making our home nicer, so I think I'll count 3 of the hours I spent on it yesterday. Then I also spent 2 more hours this morning decluttering before the housekeeper came so that spaces were clear for her. So my new total is 18.5.
Teacher Terry
7-23-21, 4:36pm
Your daughter will enjoy her new room!!
Your daughter will enjoy her new room!!
She LOVES it! It's so gratifying to see!
We were away for a couple of weeks, and now I'm just starting to get back to the decluttering. I did just one hour today. New total: 19.5.
1.5 more today. New total: 21.
Still putt-putting along. Another hour today. New total: 22.
30 more minutes today: 22.5.
30 more minutes today - decluttering a bathroom cupboard. New total: 23.
Yesterday I did two more hours, so my new total is 25.
I have to do a bit of a push for the next couple of days because I told my daughter she could have a friend sleep over next weekend and our handyman is coming to put some new furniture together on Tuesday. Deadlines tend to work well for me!
I think my motto for this stage is "Neat and tidy goes a long way."
I still have boxes of clutter, but my priority at the moment is to make sure every room in our house is tidy and presentable even if there is clutter tucked away in spots. I think I always feel like I have to get clutter out of every nook and cranny before doing things like vacuuming or organizing surfaces, but then the house never feels calm and peaceful because I'm constantly in the process of spreading things out to "organize."
So for the next few days my priority is to make the house tidy and presentable and to let go of worrying about every stash of hidden clutter. I feel like there's an aspect of self-forgiveness and self-love in this decision. I can give myself and my daughter a tidy, nurturing home even if clutter is still an issue for me. I don't have to punish myself by leaving it all out everywhere.
happystuff
9-4-21, 12:44pm
Sounds like you are doing very well, ejchase! Congrats on all your progress.
Ejchase, congrats on your progress, and your new resolution!
You may be pleasantly surprised that the decluttering comes easier, once you have “neat and tidy.” It did for me.
Thanks, happystuff and mschrisgo2. Mscrhrisgo2, that's good to hear that "neat and tidy" makes the decluttering go easier. I think it's the right priority for now.
I did 1.5 more hours today, tidying and sweeping and organizing in our new guestroom - the smaller of our 3 bedrooms that was my daughter's until she moved into a bigger room a month ago. Right now, the room just holds our guinea pigs, a desk, office supplies and a printer. Over the next few months, I need to get a small rug and sofa bed for it. But today, I just organized what was there.
New total: 26.5.
I am not one for counting hours, but I do find your posts and totals motivating, ejchase. I thank you for that.
I am not one for counting hours, but I do find your posts and totals motivating, ejchase. I thank you for that.
Thanks, happystuff! I'm glad these ramblings are motivating!
I did another 2 hours today. New total: 28.5.
I had a bit of a revelation today. As I mentioned above, I decided to prioritize just making my house tidy this week instead of pulling out all my stashes of clutter and trying to deal with them. And as I was doing that, I realized a connection with my recovery from compulsive overeating a couple of decades ago.
I've always felt like my clutter issues were some kind of compulsion like overeating was - not a sign of laziness or lack of discipline or whatever but something with emotional roots.
I worked through my eating issues with a bunch of extremely helpful books that approached overeating from both psychoanalytic and behaviorist perspectives, both of which were helpful. One of the behaviorist techniques that one of the books suggested was to dress for my body the way it was (I was 50 pounds heavier then than I am now). At the time, that was kind of a revolutionary idea to me because like many people who want to lose weight, I was waiting to be thin to buy the clothes I wanted. So dressing for my body as it was then felt pretty radical, and it was very powerful. It helped me avoid putting my life on hold and helped me accept the possibility that I might stay at that weight forever. And it helped me love myself and care for myself even though I had issues with overeating.
I also learned a lot from dressing for my body the way it was then. I learned my basic body shape and what clothes looked good on it which didn't actually change all that much once I lost weight - because I was pear-shaped when I was overweight and even now that I'm thin, I'm pear-shaped, so many of the same styles still work. I learned what my taste in clothes was and what colors looked good on me. But of course, the most powerful part was just to live my life fully where I was instead of waiting for "someday" to dress how I liked.
I realized today that making it a priority to make my house tidy and aesthetically pleasing as possible as it is now (instead of feeling like I have to get rid of every bit of clutter until I focus on decorating and making it pretty) is sort of analogous to dressing nicely in my heavier body. It gives me a chance to love my house now and to discover what elements in it make me happiest and to stop putting my life on hold until all the clutter is gone.
I also think both my eating issues and my clutter issues are a symptom of a really deep-seated fear of intimacy, a way I keep people at a distance. But when I was working through my eating issues, I reminded myself if I got thin, I could protect myself without the fat, and I have. And I think if my house is decluttered, that doesn't mean I have to let everyone "in" all of a sudden. I can still set whatever boundaries I need in relationships and with my space and my house, and I will probably be a little more protective of myself than the average person.
So ... all of this is a long-winded way of saying, I think for the next year or so, my priority is going to shift to making my house aesthetically pleasing and nurturing now and let the clutter getting weeded out a second priority. In truth, the two priorities are pretty entwined anyway. Making the upper hallway tidy today resulted in filling up a couple more wastepaper baskets with trash and putting more items in the Goodwill box.
I'm sorry if this is TMI - it just really helps to have a place to record these insights as I have them!
I actually did one more hour tonight. New total: 29.5.
And I found out the handyman is coming Wednesday not tomorrow, which gives me a little more time to create space for the furniture he is putting together (a desk for my daughter and a bookcase). We are preparing to give away three pieces of furniture, so we're still coming out with one less piece!
Ej, thank you for sharing you insight from your experiences. To figure out what is holding you back is monumental! Bravo in making the connection then sharing it with us.
Ej, thank you for sharing you insight from your experiences. To figure out what is holding you back is monumental! Bravo in making the connection then sharing it with us.
Thanks, nswef. That means a lot.
I did another hour on Wednesday clearing spaces for the handyman who was supposed to come put some furniture together for us, but he had to postpone.
He's coming today, so hopefully I can get some more cleaning and decluttering in again.
New total: 30.5.
4 hours today! New total: 34.5.
GeorgeParker
9-12-21, 12:52pm
I am not one for counting hours.I don't track total hours either. I tried it once for a few weeks and found it depressing because one week I did far fewer hours than I "should" have and another week I got bogged down in difficult boxes and worked a lot of hours with very little visual progress.
Now I just use the timer as a minimum standard. I set it for 20 minutes and work until it dings. If I'm feeling ok, I keep working for as long as I want to. But if I'm tired or struggling to make progress, the timer gives me permission to quit. The only requirement is that I have to at least try to make progress for 20 minutes.
I do the same thing in reverse too. I tend to get on the internet and fall down a rabbit hole for several hours, so I set a timer for 1 hour when I first log on. When it dings I continue what I'm doing, but I have to stop as soon as I reach a point where I can type a quick "start here" note and resume what I was doing later. I call that my "bathroom break" timer, because anything I would stop doing long enough to go pee is something I should stop doing after an hour and go back to later.
I another hour today. New total: 35.5.
mschrisgo2
9-18-21, 1:49am
Ejchase, you’re getting close to your goal! Congrats!
Thanks, mschrisgo2, yes I seem to be getting there!
Happystuff and GeorgeParker, I think we all are figuring out what works for each of us, and this method has really worked for me. I've had major clutter issues for years, and committing to declutter for 40 hours each summer and winter when I'm on a reduced work schedule has been completely transformative for me. It's allowed me to say, "Okay, I have this big problem, and I'm going to devote 40 hours to it this summer and then get on with the rest of my life." In that sense, it has given me an "enough amount," a point at which I say I have made enough effort on addressing that problem for the time being and can feel a sense of accomplishment.
I have a "no shame, no blame" philosophy about it. I am often, as I am now, finishing up my 40 hours past my initial deadline. Sometimes I go weeks without doing anything at all. But having the structure of the 40-hour goal overall has really worked.
Some of you know over the last 6 years (!!! - yes, it's been that long!) since I started doing this, one big "hotspot" has been the upstairs hallway where there were, in 2015, roughly 40 unpacked tattered cardboard boxes from when we moved in in 2011. I had a baby the month after we moved in and just left the boxes there for years. But through these batches of 40 hours, I've been chipping away at them. This summer, some of you may remember, I got the 40 down to just 4. Then other summer decluttering projects took over - like moving my daughter into a bigger bedroom and finding a way to organize my work-from-home space so that the dining room table can be easily cleared every night.
But because my new priority is making the house tidy and presentable, rather than worrying about pulling out every stash of clutter everywhere, I ordered two collapsible fabric boxes from the Container Store and put the clutter from the remaining four boxes in them for now (see picture below). Maybe I will get through that final bit of clutter up there in my next 40 hours. But for the first time in ten years, there are no cardboard boxes in the upstairs hallway! It felt good also to feel like I could buy some boxes that are nice to look at, a way of saying I don't have to constantly punish myself for having these issues.
When I finished tidying the hallway, it was a little anticlimactic. Some of the furniture up there is pretty ugly, and I don't yet have what's there arranged quite right yet. I need to frame some new pictures, find some other ways to "spark joy" in that space.
But now, every time I walk through the hallway, I get a little lift. For ten years, I've been so embarassed and ashamed when people saw that hallway and so overwhelmed every time I looked at it, and now it's completely presentable. That is a huge emotional milestone for me, and I couldn't have done it without all the support from all of you here, so thank you.
Many times over these years, I've thought, "Am I really getting anywhere? Am I just moving clutter around without ever really making progress?" But now that the upstairs hallway is tidy, and other rooms in the house are much less cluttered, I can see that I have definitely reduced the amount of stuff we have in our house and have designated places for things I didn't have places for before and systems set up for dealing with items I didn't have before.
There is more to do, but I wanted to share this happy moment with all of you.3984
happystuff
9-19-21, 1:00pm
I think it is fabulous that you have found what works for you, ejchase! And that you are sticking with it. While your method wouldn't work for me at this point in time, the fact that you are sharing your progress and efforts is VERY motivating for me - and I, again, thank you for that!
mschrisgo2
9-20-21, 1:24am
Ejchase, Huge Congratulations on your tidy hallway!
and I love the fabric boxes, perfectly opposite of cardboard boxes. Enjoy!
GeorgeParker
9-20-21, 1:43am
I think it is fabulous that you have found what works for you, ejchase! And that you are sticking with it.Indeed it is. What works or doesn't work for any specific person is based on a huge number of factors and preferences, but the most important part of any decluttering plan is sticking to it. Your progress is great news.
rosarugosa
9-20-21, 5:21am
Congratulations on getting the hallway cleared, EJ! Those fabric boxes look great; who would think clutter lurks within something so attractive?
Teacher Terry
9-20-21, 9:26am
It looks very nice! Your progress has been incredible. We all are different so our methods are too but the end goal is the same.
iris lilies
9-21-21, 9:19am
Echase, thqnks for sharing photos of your hallway, clean and neat looking now! Great job!
Enjoy What a marvel an accomplishment! That it makes you smile as you move through is wonderful.
Thanks, nswef and iris lilies!
catherine
9-24-21, 10:11pm
Wow, your hallway is beautiful!
Thanks, Catherine!
Work has been busy for the last 6 weeks and will be even busier for the next 10 weeks, but I want to get this 40 hours completed.
I did do 30 minutes on Friday. New total: 36.
I did another hour yesterday inspired by a friend coming to dinner. A deadline helps!
New total: 37.
I FINALLY finished these 40 hours tonight! I spent 3 hours on the downstairs coat closet!
It was a bit of an odyssey. There's a lot of crap in there (wrapping paper, ribbon, and bubble wrap especially) that needs to be better organized. I'm thinking I probably need to buy some low freestanding shelves to use the space more efficiently. But my main motivation was to clear out enough stuff so that I could store some things in there that I didn't have another place for, and that goal was achieved. One thing that I've learned from all these years of decluttering is to not be too much of a perfectionist. With a big job like cleaning out a huge closet, sometimes I just have to let myself do a fairly brisk "pass-through." Hopefully, this January when I'm not teaching, I can do a more thorough job.
I also found about 20 things to give away to Goodwill, the Buy Nothing Group, and my ex (he moved out 6 years ago, but I'm still finding stuff of his!).
Many thanks to all of you who have supported me through these 40 hours. I think I'm starting a new batch of hours immediately because I'm going to be doing more decluttering tonight and tomorrow.
rosarugosa
11-12-21, 6:27am
Congratulations, EJ!
happystuff
11-12-21, 10:31am
Good job, ejchase! For me, closets are a pain to deal with but nice when they are done. Congrats!
Bravo, EJ!!! Every time you open that closet you will smile!
lmerullo
11-12-21, 12:09pm
Good work, ej. Please start another, as I'm very motivated by your success. I've begun my own declutter journey. Looking for positive outcomes,.and your is!
Bravo, EJ!!! Every time you open that closet you will smile!
Actually, I kept opening the door to it last night just to see how much better it is. :) I swear, when I finally get around to doing it, decluttering is the best antidepressant for me. I feel so energized by it!
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