Here’s the final installment from Jill Farris on Decluttering. I don’t know about you, but my house is already looking a ton better! I can’t wait to see what’s next:
Continue to go room by room getting rid of thirty-one items a day. Don’t be dismayed if it seems like there is still a lot to do even though you are discarding huge amounts of stuff. Some of us have layers of items to remove!
Once you have the obvious areas of the room de-cluttered, then you can begin with the hidden sources of frustration. For example, I got the floor, book baskets and bookshelves in our bedroom culled of clutter but the desk caused me the greatest amount of frustration because I couldn’t find needed bills in a timely fashion. Cleaning out the rest of the room freed me up to focus on the all-so-important desk!
There are several things I have noticed as I’ve moved around the room and my brain needs to think about them to prevent future clutter.
1) I had at least three copies of the same bill because I knew I couldn’t pay them on time and avoided looking at them (note to self, open the envelopes and file immediately and toss the late notices in the trash).
2) I have too many books. I have boxes of books in the garage but I don’t remember what I have (note to self, if I want to reread a good book I will be able to find it again. I don’t have to OWN all my favorites).
3) The ironing board and iron take up too much space and should not be left out constantly in our room (note to self, either use the little hand- held steamer that my thoughtful oldest son gave me for Christmas or iron clothes on one or two days and put them away).
4) Because I like reading at night I end up with a pile of books and papers near the bed (note to self, get a night stand and a basket to put near the bed to contain clutter).
5) Put a trash can in this room. Why have I never kept a trash can near the desk-I generate lots of trash there? (Note to self…I hate plastic trash cans like the one we have in the bathroom-maybe I can find a prettier basket to use and get over this trash can avoidance phobia!).
It’s time to get back to the regular schedule of the day. As I walk out of my less cluttered bedroom I stop for one more glance around the room. I know the rest of our house will assail me with clutter and projects but I tell myself that I will get to it all eventually 31 items at a time because de-cluttering starts in our brain and my brain has decided it likes a neater, more peaceful house!
I love it that you are so transparently admitting that you are a work in progress. I, too, write about organizing and there are times that I wonder if I have the right to do it. Some days I look like a champ, other times well…please don’t just drop in. LOL!
Decluttering, organizing and learning to stay organized are a life-long process, aren’t they? We need to enjoy the journey.
Love this post! Keep it up!
Sinea
Thank you Sinea! I certainly am a work in progress and I have my ups and downs but it’s important to realize that we are all affected by the kind of environment we live in and it’s worth the effort it takes to gain control! I enjoyed your post too!
Jill Farris