View Full Version : 40 Hours Decluttering Using Flylady's Timer Method - Dec. 4, 2023 - Feb. 29, 2024
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:
https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/flying-lessons/decluttering-15-minutes/
This year, my regular schedule has changed. I wasn't able to do 40 hours last summer, but I am on a reduced work schedule now through May. I have had a lot of health issues this fall, though, so haven't been able to start a new batch of 40 hours until now.
Though clutter is still an issue, over the years of focusing on getting rid of it, 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. So I'm giving myself credit for time spent on those kinds of activities too.
Also, this year, I have some big home improvement projects to do: getting the exterior of my house repainted and getting my front and back yards landscaped, so any time spent on all the logistics around that I'm going to give myself credit for here too.
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 six (!!) 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.
In any case, thanks for "listening" and for the encouragement so many of you have given me over the years. Your support has kept me going and made a tremendous difference in my life and I think in my daughter's too.
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
12-4-23, 9:25pm
That is a great report, I’m so happy to hear it! And I so agree that making little areas of your house pretty is important.
I will spend hours figuring out which knobs to buy for my bathroom cabinet. Hours! Car in five minutes. This car is my daily driver. It’s not pretty and I don’t think about it before buying it.
frugal-one
12-5-23, 5:12am
Happy that you have found a system that works for you ejchase!
I hate decorating. Once I get a space decorated, I don’t change it. I don’t just hang things on the wall nillywilly but try to coordinate a room. I hate spending hours looking for just the right thing. As mentioned in previous posts, I have recently moved and am redecorating the place. I am down to redecorating the 2nd bath. Wallpaper has been removed, room has been repainted and new medicine cabinet has been installed. New towel bars are not yet up and undecided on wall decor. My goal was to be done with it all by the end of November. The new furniture for the living room will not be delivered until mid-month and , hopefully, it will look ok? I can’t wait for this to be over and I can get back to my life. It is stressful to me to have the place in disarray. People have said “you have plenty of time”. I want it done now. One of us could die tomorrow and the other would be stuck having to finish on their own. It is staggering how many things DH has had to put together or fix. I did the ordering or locating and he assembled. I know I would have had to hire someone and he would have had trouble deciding on what was needed. I am thankful to be near fruition! I know he is too!
Congratulations EJ and Frugal one. EJ you have made so much progress that is its great to be able to take time to do some "pretty" spots. I try to keep the spaces in my line of vision when I'm sitting neat and attractive. Clear is the first step. We haven't had to redecorate since we had the interior painted 9 years ago (and I just had the rooms all painted the same color they were)But, I did remove LOTS of stuff that I thought at one time was necessary. Turns out, they're not. I then selectively put back pictures that we missed (it was all up in the attic in boxes...leftovers are still up there, but that's another job.) China closets were emptied and I only put back a few items that my husband or I loved. I find some things are creeping back in, but I am pleased with the feel of a less full house.
frugal-one
12-5-23, 4:05pm
Congrats to you too nswef!! I like the minimalistic look as well. It is easier to maintain and clean IMO!
Thanks for the encouragment, everyone, and the company!
I did my first hour today, just walking around and dealing with the most visible clutter. It's amazing the difference one hour can make.
iris lilies
12-8-23, 12:15pm
Congrats to you too nswef!! I like the minimalistic look as well. It is easier to maintain and clean IMO!
Yes, much easier to clean.
Back when our Hermann house was just a weekend house I didn't mind cleaning it because we hardly had any “stuff” and also we had no damn carpet. The floors in Hermann were a mismatch batch of hard surfaces but they were easy to clean.
I did 90 more minutes today, focusing mostly on the dining room table which has become a "hot spot" and a real source of shame when it gets cluttered. Now it is cleared off, and I feel so much better.
As I work on overall decluttering, I'm also thinking about what daily habits to prioritize - in other words, when I don't have time to do a lot, what spaces should I focus on, even just for a bit, daily? I think my answer is my bedroom (making my bed in the morning and hanging up any clothes lying around), the bathroom (giving it a quick one-minute swish and swipe once I've put my contacts in in the morning), the kitchen (do the dishes and keep surfaces clean), and the dining room table (clear off paper and other stuff that accumulates there). Even though that seems like a long list, if I do those things daily, tidying them doesn't take long at all, and having them tidy does wonders for my mental health and the overall feel of the house. And just having a list in my head of the most important spaces to focus on is helpful. Instead of thinking, "Ah! My house is a mess! It's too overwhelming for me to think about!" I can think, "Clean these 4 spaces, and if that's all you can do today, that's fine." That's a big shift for me.
Total so far: 2.5 hours.
I managed to do an hour more today. New total: 3.5.
I've been away for the holidays but just came back and did 2 hours today. New total 5.5.
Thanks, nswef!
Another hour today. We have a houseguest, and it's inspiring me to deal with a lot of the most visible clutter. New total: 6.5.
1.5 hours last Thursday, .5 hours on Monday. New total: 8.5.
An hour this morning clearing clutter so the housekeeper could clean. New total: 9.5.
I've been dilly dallying a bit on this batch of 40 hours, but I finally sat down and made a list of priorities, and first on the list is the kitchen. Though I've weeded out some unneeded kitchen items over the years, I've never really put in a lot of decluttering time in the kitchen, but lately, it's been bad - the panty has been so full that it's been hard to find space for groceries, and I suspected there was a lot of expired stuff in the fridge. So I spent an hour today and managed to declutter the fridge, freezer, and pantry and found a lot of stuff to toss, which was very satisfying.
Still to do: the back-up food storage shelves in the laundry room just off the kitchen where I hope to make space for a toaster oven, the cupboards under the kitchen island, the top of the kitchen island, and the spice and tea cupboards.
New total: 10.5.
I only did 1.5 hours today, but it was on a noticeable hot spot. I'd let a bunch of boxes (various deliveries, Christmas presents I hadn't figured out where to put) clutter up the floor on one side of dining room. It's not all completely gone, but I took care of about 70% of it. New total: 12.
iris lilies
2-3-24, 8:43pm
I only did 1.5 hours today, but it was on a noticeable hot spot. I'd let a bunch of boxes (various deliveries, Christmas presents I hadn't figured out where to put) clutter up the floor on one side of dining room. It's not all completely gone, but I took care of about 70% of it. New total: 12.
Keep in mind that Christmas presents you didn’t ask for and for which you have a hard time deciding where they go, may go to the donation pile or worse.
I used to immediately sort presents I got during Holiday Hell into piles: keep, Goodwill, and landfill.
signed Iris, ruthless declutterer
Keep in mind that Christmas presents you didn’t ask for and for which you have a hard time deciding where they go, may go to the donation pile or worse.
I used to immediately sort presents I got during Holiday Hell into piles: keep, Goodwill, and landfill.
signed Iris, ruthless declutterer
This is a good point. Mostly, we do okay in our family - we ask for specific gift requests from each other so we avoid giving a lot of unwanted stuff and often give each other gift cards (I got a few Starbucks cards this season, which I will definitely use). But I did get one gift which I am admittedly keeping at this point only for sentimental reasons. It may end up in the donation pile in a couple years, but I can't quite manage it yet.
Just a baby step today: 1/2 hour starting to organize and declutter the shelves in my laundry room, 2-3 shelves of which I'm setting up with overflow from my pantry which is very small. I got a three-tiered can organizer shelf so that now I can see what canned items I have at a glance (and discovered I have NINE cans of chickpeas!) and have ordered a compact toaster oven to go on one of the shelves since we are forever toasting small items in the oven which is a total waste of energy. More to do, but it was satisfying.
New total: 12.5.
I'm trying to make a big push this weekend, so did 4 hours today.
I think the theme of today's decluttering was, "But I thought I just decluttered that!" I'm reorganizing some shelves in the laundry room which is just off the kitchen so that I can put a new toaster oven in there. I had done a full decluttering of the laundry room about 4-5 years ago (maybe more recent than that even), but I still found a lot of junk that needed to be thrown out or otherwise dealt with.
Then I tackled the spice cupboard in the kitchen which I also thought I went through in the last 5 years - but I still found 27 bottles of expired spices to toss!
The surfaces in the kitchen had in general been very cluttered, but now they are pretty clear. It feels very good.
New total: 16.5.
3 more hours today on the cupboards in the kitchen island and the kitchen "junk drawer," which I am hoping to just call "the drawer to the right of the sink" now.
I've included links to before and after pictures of the drawer. As you can see, it was pretty bad! Going through it, I realized I've been tossing things in there that need their own place (information booklets for various appliances, discount offers, take-out menus etc.), so I hope finding new places for those things will prevent the drawer from getting that bad again. And I obviously still need to cull more stuff from it (We don't need 30 birthday candles!), but that's a push for another day. I've hit the wall for tonight!
New total: 19.5.
Drawer before: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v5gtlN7oiYxPahIohuODLjrsL2RgPqHT/view?usp=sharing
Drawer after: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vPjySCV_IdM7HBF00bbsmh8D6R9alif9/view?usp=sharing
rosarugosa
2-11-24, 7:02am
Wow, EJ, what a difference! It must be so satisfying every time you open that drawer now!
Wow, EJ, what a difference! It must be so satisfying every time you open that drawer now!
I keep just walking in there and opening it :). EXTREMELY satisfying!
What JOY EJ!!! It also helps you see what you don't need to buy! I'm notorious for buying something , usually a small supply and then finding I have a couple already!!! Congratulations!!!
What JOY EJ!!! It also helps you see what you don't need to buy! I'm notorious for buying something , usually a small supply and then finding I have a couple already!!! Congratulations!!!
So true! We seem to have a lifetime supply of Scotch tape. :) Good to know! And thanks for the congrats.
Just 2.5 hours today going through a lot of paper and clearing off the dining room table which is a hotspot. When the table is clear, I feel SO much better. I need to make that a priority going forward.
New total: 22.
EJ Congratulations on the DR table. I continue making mine tidy every afternoon. I was able to have it set for 4 people for pizza yesterday in 2 minutes--I even had a place to put the things without having to move something else!!! So, it can be done and can be kept clear with diligence. I have to remind myself and it's so nice to sit down to write at a clear space.
iris lilies
2-13-24, 12:44pm
I work on our dining area table but I can always whisk away the papers, laptop, etc. and put them away within 10 minutes.
During my batches of 40 hours over the last 1-2 years, I've been working towards making our teeny third bedroom into a nice guestroom. The obstacles have been that it's always tempting to throw stray items in there - an extra humidifier we rarely use, a lamp I like but don't have a place for, etc. - and the fact that our guinea pigs live in there and their food and cage take up a lot of space. My general plan is to make it nice enough that when guests come, I can move the guinea pigs into my bedroom temporarily and then that room will be a pleasant place to be.
So now I've got a bit of a deadline - my nephew and his fiance are coming for just one night in ten days - so I spent 2.5 hours today tackling the extra junk in there and trying to find stuff to give away, throw out, or otherwise deal with. I managed to fill up 2 bags of paper to recycle and found 5-6 items to give away and many items that can go to other locations in the house.
One thing I've realized is that our downstairs closet has a lot of storage space in the back that is not really being used, so I may move some items down there for now. I know it's better to reduce clutter than to just move it, but I find when I move it, some reducing happens along the way, and I'm giving myself permission to do that for the moment since I don't have a lot of time. I'm hopeful that later in this 40 hours, I can get some wire shelving from Ikea to put in the back of the closet so I can use the storage space there more efficiently, and I may be able to get rid of more stuff then.
I also spent 30 minutes today tackling some hot spots, so I did 3 hours overall. New total: 25 hours.
I'm obviously not going to finish this 40 hours by tomorrow which was my original goal, but I'm getting there.
rosarugosa
2-29-24, 6:16am
It sounds like you accomplished a lot, EJ. I think it's very nice that your guinea pigs have their own bedroom!
That's great ej! The bedroom is becoming lovely!!!
I think it's very nice that your guinea pigs have their own bedroom!
Yes - they're too noisy at night to share with my daughter or me!
Thanks, Rosa and Nswef, for the encouragement.
Today I took a few things to Goodwill, dumped off a bunch of used ink cartridges for recycling at Staples, and got two new plants - one to replace one that died and one to put in the window in the living room which is kind of a focal point. I also posted 3 items on Buy Nothing, all of which were claimed quickly.
It all took about 2 hours, but I'm going to count it as 1 since I pulled over at one point to send an email and to talk to a friend.
New total: 26.
Today, I faced the downstairs closet because, as I mentioned before, I needed to move about 3 boxes of junk and a painting I don't know where to hang (from the guestroom which I'm trying to make functional for several guests coming this month) to the back of it where there was some space. It was emotionally kind of hard because I have SO much crap in there - mostly various kinds of wrapping paper, gift bags, crepe paper, and ribbon - and I didn't have the time to really go through it and get rid of a lot of it, which I need to do. However, I was able to take a big bag of stuff to the recycling bin and also found a couple items to post on Buy Nothing. I always have to remind myself this is a three-steps-forward-and-two-steps-backward process, and that I've made a lot of progress in the last 8 years.
With that in mind, I decided I wanted to make a list of the spots in the house where there's still clutter that needs to be gone through so that I have a list of priorities for the rest of this batch of 40 hours and the next batch which I hope to complete in April through June:
1. Corner of the DR, including the blue boxes and the area around the file boxes
2. Corner of my daughter's room near the record player
3. Downstairs coat closet
4. Area by the bay windows in the LR
5. 2 boxes still in the upstairs hallway
6. Guestroom closet - the boxes in there are neatly stacked, but I still want to see if there are things I'm storing in there that I can get rid of. I don't really remember what's there!
And then I have 3 big decorating/house maintenance projects
1. get curtains (and also blinds?) for LR and DR windows
2. pick color to paint house and get it painted (!!!)
3. replace storage shed and get new shed painted in same color as house
4. get new front door to go with new exterior paint job (natural wood)
5. get front and back yards landscaped and see what care the trees need
It's a lot, but it helps to have a list. For #'s 2-5, I have put some money aside! I know those things are going to be expensive.
New total: 28.
2 more hours today dealing with different hot spots and trying to get the guest room ready for guests. New total: 30.
I did 2 more hours on Saturday and 2 more on Sunday getting ready for guests. Our guest room is now functioning and really nice! I consider that an accomplishment that has directly grown out of the support I've gotten here for these batches of 40 hours. It was such an incredibly good feeling to have my nephew and his fiance show up and to feel proud of the space they were staying in, and they were so complimentary and appreciative. I'm almost 58 years old and am just now learning the joy of hosting people in your home. For years, I only panicked at the thought of people coming to visit because my clutter issues felt so insurmountable.
Their visit was also short (only one day and night!), ao a good trial run for the 2 longer visits from an out-of-town friend and my younger sister that are coming at the end of the month. I realized I need more pictures up on the walls, a lamp for the bedside table, an extra blanket to put at the foot of the bed, and either blinds or black-out curtains for the window (the current curtains let a lot of light in). I'll post a picture or video of the room when I've taken care of those finishing touches!
New total: 34.
rosarugosa
3-12-24, 6:19am
That's great, EJ! Glad your efforts have paid off. Those finishing touches are the fun part.
ToomuchStuff
3-12-24, 7:14am
Where do you all find the house plants? I had two but they both died while I was out dealing with the surgery and first couple rounds of chemo. They were the farthest thing from my mind at the time.
Have three sets of readers, a bunch of new butter spreaders that are unserrated, bunch of drawer pulls, silverware, two new cans of Edge gel that I have tried to give to 5 guys, with no luck. My pile is growing, but slowly as I am tired from work and go home and sort and clean. Getting there but slowly, still quicker then before the surgery when I would just sit and sleep.
Too much stuff, Wishing you continued progress and health. Baby steps work. Ask EJ who now has a functional and welcoming guest room. That is awesome to have a feeling of enjoying company, rather than feeling "less than" for it not being "ready". Bravo to you both. Here I have 5 grocery bags in the trunk of the care for Goodwill, and while I was out yesterday my husband culled 5 pairs of pants/jeans! A first for him in a LONG time!
TooMuchStuff, it does sound like you are dealing with a LOT. Be kind to yourself. I buy houseplants at nurseries or Trader Joe's and I lose a few every year because I'm still figuring out a watering routine that works for me. But I replace the ones that die and try again.
And yes, nswef is right, I'm a believer in baby steps and "no shame, no blame." Do what you can when you can and don't beat yourself up about it when you have a setback. That's not just my opinion, either - research on building habits says not beating yourself up when you backslide is key. I've been decluttering my house for 8 years, and it's ten times better than it used to be, but there's still work to be done. Nevertheless, I'm enjoying my home more than I ever thought I would.
One other mantra that has kept me going is the reminder that it's sometimes "three steps forward, two steps back." When I'm doing these batches of 40 hours, I make progress, but when I get busy, sometimes clutter accumulates again. I'm still making progress overall because I'm building systems, determining where things should go, and getting much better at recycling junk mail and reducing the amount of things that come into the house, but I have to forgive myself when I have slips. It's going to be a lifelong process for me, but working on it as I have with the incredible support I've gotten here has dramatically improved my quality of life.
Rosarugosa, thanks, as always, for your encouragement, and yay, nswef, on getting all that stuff out the door!
ToomuchStuff
3-12-24, 1:32pm
I only feel bad because if I wasn't tired all the time last year, I would have been so much further ahead. I thought the tired was my give a sh***r going out from the incompetent owner saying he was going to do one thing, then not, or doing the opposite.
In the last week, barring one day of full exhaustion, I have done MONTHS worth of work, by just doing a room at a time. Yes I do have some piles (paperwork I need to put in the file cabinet, that is currently too heavy for me to move into the house, and LOTS of bedding. (late coworker had weird ways of storing it, pulled all out, been laundering and getting tubs to put them under the bed, as she kept the sheets separatefrom the pillow cases for some reason).
Turned the pantry, back into a pantry and put all my bath towels and her tons of cleaning towels in it (FULL). Going to build an above the toilet cabinet for medicine, etc, that she used the pantry for. (claimed she cleaned out the medicine cabinet when Steve died, she didn't realize there was actually a small medicine cabinet, with stuff that expired three years before Steve).
Laundry and kitchen are today's projects.
Wow, ToomuchStuff, it sounds like you are accomplishing a LOT! Congratulations!
happystuff
3-18-24, 9:37am
That's a lot accomplished, ToomuchStuff - congrats!
The tools (and hence, the 1st closet) have been culled, put back into a new tool box, and put away. Now to start on the 2nd smaller closet. LOL
ToomuchStuff
3-18-24, 5:24pm
Did more work this weekend. Mom wanted me to come over early, after work for a blue haired dinner out (4pm dinner), I need my hour nap after work before getting back on the house stuff.
Been cleaning the kitchen and finally cleaned out the "junk drawer" which was "Angie's drawer", started to throw 99% of everything out, until I found and checked a gift card in there (she sometimes used them as plastic razor blades). Was unused from a local steak place, saving for my birthday.
Getting a pile of stuff to donate, lots of trash,
On the other hand, I have been having more packages delivered (things to make life easier), shower wand and bar for days I am expecting to feel longer from side effects, EZ moves 4' slides (to move furniture around the house, when no help). Had some years back, loaned them out though, several times and eventually they were left in someones truck in the sun, which they don't like)
So it feels like I am both decluttering, and future cluttering:laff:
But I am trying to work smarter, and once I am done with stuff, I can sell, donate, move along, etc.
ToomuchStuff
3-19-24, 10:20pm
Future cluttering!! Ha!
Not sure what else you would call getting tools to make life easier, since I don't know how long I will actually use them.
rosarugosa
3-20-24, 4:47am
Not sure what else you would call getting tools to make life easier, since I don't know how long I will actually use them.
Hopefully you won't need them for long, but if they make life easier while you are recovering, then they are a worthwhile investment!
Yes, anything that makes life easier is worth the space.
ToomuchStuff
3-20-24, 5:47pm
I learned about them years ago, when one man moved our 2000lbs mixer into the restaurant with them. I moved Derek Thomas's old stereo cabinet/armoire with them, that I am using as a pantry. Still have to move the bedroom dresser.
They are 4' long by 6.5" wide.
After the last houseguest left, I took a little break from decluttering, but now I'm ready to be back at it. I put in 1.5 hours today. New total: 35.5.
Some of you may remember that when I started all these batches of 40 hours years ago (2016, I think!), I had 50 boxes of clutter in my upstairs hallway. All but 2 of those are gone now, but I have backslid a bit and now have about 4 in my dining room, and about 3 in another room upstairs. Today I spent 1.5 hours tackling the ones in the dining room. I think I've figured out one of the problems that led to the recent accumulation, so I am setting up a new system to prevent more backsliding. I realized I need a small file cabinet rather than file boxes. What happens with the boxes is I stack things on top of them when I can't file paper immediately and then I have to move the stack on top to file anything, so I just keep adding to the stack. If I have a file cabinet, it will be easier to file things as they come in even if there's a stack of paper on top of the cabinet. I think I'll also allow myself one "overflow" box beside the cabinet for the stack that sometimes accumulates when I don't have time to file right away.
New total: 37 hours.
EJ: I think it's very useful to have a place for things that are waiting to be filed. My filing cabinet is in the cellar, and I certainly don't run down there every time I have a piece of something that needs to be filed away. My "system" is in this small desk drawer. On the left is an old napkin holder, and those are items waiting to be filed. When it gets to be a bit tight, then filing must be done! In the front are receipts to be held for just a short time and discarded, like grocery and gas receipts. Those also tend to get weeded as space gets tight. It isn't anything fancy, but it works for me. I definitely think you are on the right track developing systems to stay organized; I think that gets to the root cause of the matter. Not pictured but also important parts of keeping the paper monster under control: I have a folder of items to be shredded like credit card offers and such, and I have a letter holder on my desk with items needing attention such as bills to be paid.
5842
ej and rosa, I too have had to find a way to control the "stack up until later" syndrome. On thing fly lady said that stuck with me was to clean an area to hold decluttered items...she cleared out a box under her bed so she could put cords and charges in there..what I did to keep my calendar visible on the computer desk and the dining room table clear, was to clear out an old stereo cabinet and use it for files waiting to be used.. I clear my workspace every night and put them neatly away...now I still need to get rid of things but I'm attending to "that pile" daily to be sure my calendar is visible. I love being able to clear both the dining room table and my computer desk top in 5 minutes AND have a place to put it!!!!
Rosa and nswef: Thank you for this information! It is SO helpful! I actually almost started a thread about this issue: how do organized people handle clutter when they don't have time to deal put it where it goes immediately?
I did 2 hours last week preparing for houseguests and 1 hour on Saturday, so I have finished this 40 hours - YAY! I am starting another batch immediately since I also did an hour this morning.
Thanks, as always, for your support!
rosarugosa
5-21-24, 6:11am
Congratulations on another 40 hours completed, EJ!
Congratulations on another 40 hours completed, EJ!
Thank you, Rosa!
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