March Clutter Control

[Harriet]

Here in this monthly thread, we encourage each other to commit to 15 minutes of clutter control time per day, OR the equivalent on other schedules. We hope you'll join us.

Oh, the joy of opening a well-ordered drawer! Everything in its place, no need to rummage or curse - just go straight to what you're looking for! Doesn't that sound like heaven? And it's so easy to do! It only takes a minute to keep things well ordered, so start today, don't put it off until tomorrow, start now. Do it, dear! Try to do a drawer every month: that way you'll keep on top of clutter rather than saving it up.
- Kim Woodburn and Aggie McKenzie in their book, "How Clean Is Your House?"

Do you have spaces in your house that make you say, "Oh the joy!" because of clutter that has given way to space and order? Give yourself the gift of revealing some joyous space, and do tell your friends here about it. Let us know about your February or this-year-so-far successes, and tell us about your commitments to declutter appointments for March. Thanks to all who made the February thread so interesting.

[Harriet]

If you’d like some partners while working:

One scheduling suggestion has been a weekly room rotation together. During each current week, those who choose to will declutter in the upcoming week's Focus Cleaning room as a first step toward lovely spaces. We know cleaning is efficient if clutter is not in the way - we can almost have fun with it. But clutter can discourage or stop us if we can't find the surfaces in the first place. Decluttering is a preceding step that can (literally) make cleaning a glide instead of a stumble.

You’ll find some March declutter partners in these rooms and areas:

Week of March 2 – living room
Week of March 9 - dining room
Week of March 16 - porch, entry
Week of March 23 - bedrooms
Week of March 30 - bathrooms

Substitute a different room whenever it will match your home’s needs best, and change back and forth from this plan to your own anytime.


(mid-month celebrates completing the first 2009 round of focusing on one room/area per week!)

[blessedw2]

I am really proud of dh, I asked him if he could go through his electronic big drawer in the garage. He got rid of 20 years of things. He was suprised how many adapters he had kept from things that have been gone for 20 years. I really am proud of him. this was huge.

since I was back in the kitchen I went through almost all the cabinets and now they are streamlined.
still need to do pen drawers

[sherinjoy]

Blessed - You are doing so well with decluttering. Yes, yes, yes - my DH and electronics are inseparatable, holding on to things for years and years. And keeps buying new! I have had to put my foot down recently and had him get rid of stuff in the garage that was piling up. He still has plenty of old stuff in his computer room, which we have discussed lately too. But at least there I can just close the door and not look at it.

I am working on small hot spots around the house, decluttering as I go. It ususally is stuff that I have never found a place for, so just sits there collecting dust. Decisions are the key to decluttering for good, and not moving it around to another place.

[blessedw2]

Hi sherinjoy! I love that you are decluttering hot spots as you go. That's wonderful!
I had to laugh when I read your dh is like mine. Funny how we all have things we love to keep. under my dh's work bench is a plethera of things that he has to tackle. and the garage becomes a collection of things really fast.

wishing you a great evening

[blessedw2]

I did it, I did it!!! I have 13 antiques going to vehe farm in about an hour. including the 1900 baby buggy. I am really happy it is going to a good home I can visit any time and not only will it be part of my history but part of the history of vehe farm for future generations to see. I couldn't be happier even though it was really hard. I already donated a laundry basket of old tools so this is blessing someone else. Can't say it isn't hard, but now I feel like I am giving a gift.
kept the hoosier sellers cabinet.

http://www.vehefarmfoundation.org/

[blessedw2]

cleaned out inside bottom hutch. hung all table cloths in closet, tossed a stained table cloth, pulled donations, and put family pictures upstairs, fair amount tossed.

went straight away and made donations from hutch with very happy hellos from donation place.

[blessedw2]

our dear Nancy has been donating and cleaning out. ATTA Girl DEAR Nancy

[sherinjoy]

Hi - checking in. I worked on my desk area yesterday, and found two boxes of papers from last Fall. When my Dad was ill, and I was traveling to their home and gone for 6 weeks, all the paper that came into the house just went into boxes by the desk. I worked on sorting and tossing, and brought the piles of stashed paper down some. It was somewhat disheartening because I had been doing so well with handling paper that came into the desk area up until then, and I can't really take the time to deal with it now because I need to finish taxes first. So I have to put it back for now, and make sure I get to it later. I am accepting that progress sometimes doesn't go straight, and takes a zig-zag because of the unexpected events of life.

Glad you all are making decluttering a priority and releasing the "stuff".

[blessedw2]

thats great sherinjoy that you are working on what you need to do. sometimes handling paper can be overwhelming unless it's broken in up with mini happenings but taxes need to come first and it's great that you are focusing on that.

re: papers ... they tend to drain me and life is zig zag of events and you can't hit it all at once but maybe you can do 5 papers only at a time or do one as you pass the desk. this might help you at it helped me. I set up 2 baskets next my desk when I was dejunking all my papers.

1: had the bags (yes 2 large paper shopping bags) of papers I had to handle
2: I had a basket for filing, a bin for recycling or chopping up, and one for handling

I would pass my desk through out the day and since there wasn't too much thought envolved I would grab only one sheet, I would toss/recycle, put in file, or put in future decisions and handling.
It was easier that way and not so overwhelming. sometimes I did up to 5 but no more. within the week it had all been gone through and most were toss papers. hope that helps the stress of dealing with it.

Great work!