January's Dynamic Declutter

[mamapiano]

I never did get back to Harriet's links yesterday so am doing it now, or at least starting. I too am going to start the year by finishing the decluttering of my living room - 15 minutes a day till it is finished. Hopefully this won't take the whole month though, and then I will start on this room where the computer is and which is a complete disaster!

[Smile*Lee]

:*: Space for My Dreams :*:
~ literary credit to Harriet ~

January Dynamic Decluttering!
My goal is to do :15 daily.

• zone 1:
• zone 2:
• zone 3:
• zone 4:
• zone 5:

Mo ~ we're waiting on a goal!
wtg Nancy!
Hi Deb & mamap! welcome back!

Not feeling too great here, but I'm hoping to get started with this today. A plan has been massaging my brain this morning. Maybe using the Flylady circuit (once a month) for decluttering and the Focus circuit (once every two months) for detailed cleaning.

[Nancy]

Love your theme Smile*Lee!

Small table top tree is down
Non working lights are decluttered.
Creche' is down.
Cards are too.
Christmas decorations are in the basement.

Kitchen trash has been dumped!
Undies drawer has been sorted.
Coveralls decluttered and cut up for rags for h. to use during oil changes.

[Harriet]

This thread is on it's second day - and second page! We are SO going to kick some clutter in '10.

Oh, Deb, I know what you mean - piles growing roots!!! That is exactly what happens!

Hi to Motivated 1 - the goal of goaling! (smile)

Smile Lee, so 15 mins/day for 7 days in each of 4 zones (5th zone abbreviated to fit month) for decluttering - that sounds just right.

Last year I tried to keep up with monthly totals for my decluttering at my parents' house. (I just couldn't do it here at my house, too - got too complicated and I forgot my place.) I settled on measuring by the size of bags leaving the house for either trash or donation.

Here are the totals 2009:

Trash -
8 large Lawn/Leaf bags and
15 Tall Kitchen Garbage Bags

Donation -
4 Tall Kitchen Garbage Bags

I am sure I neglected to make a note of some of the work, but I'm happy with this much documentation! This would equal about 100 square feet of tightly packed stuff removed from the house, and who knows how much apace freed up by consolidation/organization. (100 square feet of bulk would be the equivalent of 3 to 4 refrigerators!)

Their guest bedroom is clear of clutter and virtually a new space for use since Jan 1, 2009. A guest (or caregiving person) could have a pleasant place to sleep there, have closet space and drawer-space there. Their dining area's clutter is about halved, and visibly from the living area it is so much better. Their spare bedroom is so much better, and visually not too bad from the hall!

I bought 2 underbed storage boxes and have filled one with momentos of my mother's teaching and tutoring days, which pares the box-count in the dining area to twelve 3x3 boxes left (is that still sad, or what). Don't know what I'll use the other underbed for yet.

So, for 2010, 12 BIG boxes to go in dining, 2 in spare bedroom, other assorted clutter in spare bedroom, general straightening of "mud room" and master bedroom.

Idea They don't use their chest freezor much any more. If I could clean that out and donate it, a long wall in the mud room would be freed to become a storage wall.

[Motivated1]

....oh...uh...I was really going to get to those goal things.....er...uh....

Actually, yesterday, I spent a few hours in my office -with only 39 various inputs to stop my progress ...
"Mom-are we going to feed the horses"
"Mom-I need to be taken to the store"
"Honey-can you help me push a car into the garage?" (This one was my personal favorite )

I did manage to get a few things filed and organized. YAY !

And a good morning to you Harriet, Piano, Nancy & Smile

So it's office time. (lurk)

[Lynlee]

Aiming to start finding space / clearing space, Success is a surface to clean.
Striving for 2 Round robins of 5 items dealt with - not stashed - from
Kitchen
Dining table
Lounge room
My bedroom

total will be 40 items daily - thats the plan.

Binday - extra item otd from each room

[jillybean]

Sounds like a good plan, Lynlee. It's such a good feeling to let the stuff go. And Binday is a reward that way.

[bittersweet]

I have GOT to get the clutter in this house under control! Plans have been made, and have fallen by the wayside - pushed aside by work schedules, family commitments, and assorted stress that always seems to pop up when I least expect it.

My basement has become the stash place since DS moved out almost two years ago. Don't know where it goes? "Put it in the basement for now." is my invariable reply. Now we can barely move down there, don't know what's down there or where it might be. I want to set up part of it as a crafting area for me, and that ain't gonna happen until things get sorted and organized and decluttered!

I'm going to spend 10 - 15 minutes a day down there...and I expect it will probably take me more than a month to get it all done.

[jillybean]

bittersweet, that's a great plan. We've had the same problem with our adult kids' stuff overtaking our storage area. I'll bet if you asked ds to spend 30 minutes going through it, he'd be willing to part with a lot of it. The stuff may not be all that important to him 2 years later. That's been my experience with my kids anyway.

[DeeClutter]

We've had the same problem with our adult kids' stuff overtaking our storage area.

Us too, Jillybean. Although I expect a lot landed in the dumpster when our house was sold in November. (DH & DD flew up north to pack up our house that we had lived in over 40 years & 5 kids later). The new owner has been fantastic and we still have to pack up our kitchen and the 26x24 (full) attic in the spring. We rented a 10x15 storage area in a nearby town, but DSs, DD & DH managed to fill 1 1/2 dumpsters with stuff. Things like rugs, paneling, stuff they just couldn't decide what to do with. I'm afraid to find out some of the things that may have gone in that dumpster.

We even had a full size John Deere tractor in the garage which DH had given to DS#2 & DGS4 last Christmas. DS#3 loaded that on a flat bed trailer and left beside DS#2's house before DS#2 even knew we had sold the house (they were on a cruise at that time). DS#2 still has a snowmobile/trailer and a trampoline at our (old) house. Thank goodness new owner is so easy to work with and he's loving the house. We were able to sell it 'as is'. Why he would want a 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathrooms, 2 living rooms when he's living alone is beyond us, but hey at least it's sold.