June Clutter Control, 2015

[Harriet]

"Each morning see some task begin,
Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night’s repose."
– Longfellow "(The Village Blacksmith).

Each morning, do you try to already have a clue which spot or area you will organize or declutter that day?

Although priorities may change for each day, and some days contain so much change they will barely allow much time for the house, clutter seems to be the constant nag! It's going to be with us, so we might as well acknowledge it and decide for ourselves what we're working on next!

Let's not let the clutter decide, just because it starts to take over somewhere! The clutter is NOT in charge.

[Harriet]

If you’d like some partners while working:

Some of us like to use decluttering as a preceding step that can (literally) make cleaning a glide instead of a stumble. We go along with the Focus Cleaning Schedule (that link will take you to the Cleaning calendar in the Cleaning Forum, where you can also post your cleaning thoughts in the monthly threads there) and we place decluttering of each of those rooms in the week AHEAD of their Focus.

So you’ll find some June declutter partners in these rooms and areas:

Week of June 1 – Porch/entry decluttering (Clean up in the Dining Room!)

Round Three of the 2015 Focus Cleaning Schedule Begins! (can you believe it? )

Week of June 8 – Bedrooms decluttering (Clean up the porch and entry!)
Week of Jun 15 – Bathrooms decluttering (Clean up the Bedrooms!)
Week of Jun 22 – Office or other area decluttering (Clean in the Bathrooms!)
Week of Jun 29 - Closets decluttering (Clean in the Office or other area!)

Always substitute a different Focus area whenever it will match your home’s needs best.

[Twins' Mom]

Thank you for posting and keeping us on track, Harriet. I hope to join you guys in some decluttering this month!

[ellyphant]

Will donate a nightstand as I have another small table that works better.

[Nancy]

Today I decluttered potting continers to be reused by a gardening club. And got the empty grocery store sacks out of here today as well.

[blessedw2]

thank you too d harriet.. ditto what d twins said.

also I am so happy for all ... I keep on thinking what my home would be like if I hadn't got rid of everything over the years and the effects on my home and mostly my family

[Harmony]

I like reading what others are doing, even if I don't have anything much to get rid of. Ongoing deposits into the recycling bin keeps things at a minimum around here. After my big purge last month, I find things much neater. Garage seems to be the one place I can't make much progress, but that's because there is a lot of DH's stuff out there. His shop is so full it overflows into mine. Last week when DD was here she said she noticed it all and how organized everything is. Both of us get anxiety from too much clutter.

[BookSaver]

I have made some progress on stored boxes in my office and I see empty space.

However,
<-- my face going through a box I started last night and finished this morning.
<-- why did I keep any of these papers?
<-- old catalogs, parts of magazines, junk mail ... ?
As I finished the box this morning, my deduction is that the whole box was supposed to have been recycled. Why was it stuck way back under my desk instead of taken out to the curb? Maybe we were in the middle of a blizzard and I couldn't get out of the house? Maybe it was while my shoulder was injured and I couldn't lift the box? Maybe I tried to take the box out but there was a cat sitting in it?
Whatever it's all going out to the bin in the garage after I s2s.

Making plans for long blocks of time for major decluttering in July...

[Harriet]

Good job BookSaver on seeing the big picture. Sounds like a plan! There have been times that even a "marathon session" was beneficial for me, so I certainly get the idea of big blocks of time when needed.

Harmony, that's so nice your dd noticed.