I received a comment from Michelle yesterday in response to the day’s mini mission ~ Declutter a sentimental item that doesn’t bring much in the way of happy memories. Michelle took on this challenge and then some. the conclusion she came to during this task was very insightful. So much so that I wanted to share it with you all. Here is what she had to say…

Michelle ~ “I guess this would go for both Monday and Saturday. I have mentioned before that I collect (maybe USED to collect??) vintage brooches. I have somewhere along the lines of 75-90 regular ones and then about 45 Christmas brooches. Yesterday I pulled out all of them and emotionally distanced myself from them. I quickly handled each one and the questions were, do I like this? Do I wear this? 5 were gifts from gal friends and 8 were gifts from my mom. Only 1 had I bought. Of the Christmas pins, 8 of them I decided need to go. That’s 22 pins. Good grief. I also tossed in two vintage necklaces.

What I got from this exercise is that if we put away the emotions, the decision becomes so much easier. There was a really neat result from this: Now when I look in my jewelry box, I love everything I see. I don’t get frustrated pawing through the junk to get to the good. It’s all good. And quicker to get ready. This could be true for the closet too. If you love everything in there, then the frustration goes away.

It’s really neat the way that with less things and having only things you love around you, a feeling of contentment grows. I probably won’t add to the pin collection. I have plenty. “

It never ceases to amaze me how many ways there are of saying the same thing and Michelle achieved that with her comment ~ “…if we put away the emotions, the decision becomes so much easier.” and it is so true. Focus on the desire to minimise your possessions and don’t allow emotions of silly sentiment, obligation and aspiration get in your way and you will soon find that there are many things you are keeping that you have no love or need for. Let these things go and you will find space opening up all around your home.

Michelle followed her comment up with more detail. You can read it here.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something left in your home by someone else.

Eco Tip for the Day

Cooking oats for breakfast soak them in water overnight. This will cut down on the cooking time thus saving power.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

Another week another set of mini missions. Now what can we work on this week? Let s try some things that readers were working on last week? Let’s see if you can remember a few and you can in turn check if your have similar items to unburden yourself of.

Monday – Declutter a sentimental item that doesn’t bring much in the way of happy memories.

Tuesday – Declutter something left in your home by someone else.

Wednesday – Declutter a seasonal item that you haven’t used yet this season.

Thursday – Declutter something from your attic, garage or basement.

Friday – Declutter an inherited item that you never really wanted.

Saturday – Declutter a few pieces of jewellery that you no longer find the desire to adorn yourself with.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

The best way I know of to avoid decluttering regrets is to not let go until you are truly ready. This advice may seem counterproductive to reducing ones belongings, but trust me it isn’t. That is because there is usually something else that you are prepared to part with instead. Making hasty decisions can be the cause of those later regrets. And regrets in turn can put you off decluttering, so they are best avoided.

Just like I said in yesterday’s post, there are things you don’t question keeping, there are things you don’t question letting go and the things in between are the ones to pass over for now until you are ready. Sure ask the question every time you encounter them but if the answer is to, as Lena commented in an email yesterday, not to decide then a decision is actually made.

Lena’s words “…not deciding is deciding. If I decide to “decide later”, I made the decision to keep it for longer.

To stay on track in the meantime set your short term goal, for example a thing a day, and stick to that. Find something you are happy to part with now and decide to decide on the other things later.

That sounds like a lot of double Dutch but I am sure you know what I mean. I am still parting with items that I passed over again and again. Now I am ready to let them go but a lot of stuff has left my house in the meantime and I have no regrets about any of them.

However if you keep bringing things in and can’t let go of anything, no matter how much advice you read, then it is time to seek professional help.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter five small makeup items that you don’t really like.

Eco Tip for the Day

Buy secondhand rather than new where possible. This tip is usually easier on your wallet as well. That is the beauty of taking care of the environment. Many of the actions you can take will also save you money.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

“…the answer is invariably in the question.”  This is part of a quote from a wise man. That man is Billy Connolly and the quote is from the same book I mentioned yesterday. So, how does this relate to decluttering? Well I am about to give my thoughts on that.

In the Guides section of my blog you will find my Declutter Decision Making Guide. It is packed with questions to ask of yourself when deciding whether you should declutter an item. However this quote from Billy Connolly got me thinking ~ (Wise words from worldly people often have me applying their wisdom to the subject of decluttering). My thought was this, that the answer is indeed in the question, that is, if you are even bothering to ask the question you already have the answer.

Let me give you an example. Lets say that my utensils drawer is over full and I decide some things have to go. Do I take out my spatula and ask “Do I use this often enough to justify keeping it?”. No I don’t, I know without question that I use it all the time and have no intension to declutter it. However as I scan the drawer I can see several items that do raise this very question. Inevitably the answer is in asking the question in the first place and the answer is no.

The same result can be found found when asking…

• Do I love this enough to spend time dusting it every week?
• Is the sentimental attachment to this item strong enough…?
• Have I used this in the last three months?
• Am I ever likely to make something from this fabric?

… and the list could go on. If you are asking the question then the answer, at best, is borderline, but in a quest for simplicity, space and downsizing the answer is usually no.

A good circumstance to apply this theory is when you have too much/many of something. Say you want to downsize a collection, reduce hobby supplies, limit the space your books are to fit into…

First set aside all the items there is absolutely no question of you decluttering. Then separate the remainder into two piles. Pile one for the maybes that you feel the need to ask the question of. And one for the can-goes for the items there really isn’t any need of asking the question. Then you can make your choices of the remaining selection depending on what space you have left to fit them into.

So next time you find yourself asking the question, do I need, treasure, care to maintain or love this thing, and the answer is probably at least “not really”. Then allow your space goal to assist you to the final answer to keep it or let it go.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter five small long time unused items in your mending kit.

Eco Tip for the Day

Schedule at least an hour of family time each night. That way you will all be in the one room using one light source instead of scattered all of the house using electricity like it’s going out of fashion.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

“Either you’re growing or you’re decaying, there is no middle ground. If you’re standing still you’re decaying.

“What do I know that is absolutely, incontrovertibly true?” I sat there for about an hour and a half and all I could come up with is that everything changes. That’s all I know with any certainty. It’s all going to change, and flowing within change keeps us flexible and helps to develop a sense of humour about everything.” ~ Alen Arkin from Wisdom (Life) by Andrew Zuckerman.

What Alen Arkin says here is true, and one thing that occurs with change are different needs/wants. In my case change has caused me to want less things but in times past it had the opposite effect. And I am sure all you, my readers, have experienced something similar. That is why I write my blog and that is why you are here reading it.

As I have said in many ways before, that in order to remain uncluttered after these times of change we need to declutter those items that become redundant.

And as for that sense of humour he mentions ~ During these times of change we sometimes need to utilise our sense of humour in order to forgive ourselves for unwise purchases that we encounter during the decluttering process. Items we rushed into acquiring during a previous time of change that ended up not being used very much. Laugh at yourself, learn from the situation so you don’t fall into this trap again, declutter the offending item and move on.

Also, decluttering in order to reduce permanently and not just to make room for new stuff, is a major change in itself. Embrace this change with enthusiasm and pride. Living with less isn’t just about letting go, it is about simplifying and, as a result, is kind on the environment. And who can’t do with a little simplification in their lives while at the same time creating a cleaner world.

So don’t view this process as a chore, consider it a path to a better you and enjoy the journey.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter five small long time unused items in your kitchen.

Eco Tip for the Day

Return hangers back to the dry cleaners. Every little thing helps!

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

This week I thought you might like to have some mini missions that fit with Sanna’s mission of getting rid of 20 little items a day. Getting rid of these may seem not to make much of a visual difference to your home, but you might be surprised how getting rid of small things can make a big difference. Getting rid of lots of little stuff can make finding more important stuff much easier. Drawers, shelves, handbags, cabinets, boxes and baskets are all designed to keep little things together, but when they are jam packed things can get messy. And then there is the overflow. Anyway, lets see if we can find at least five little things per day to declutter this week. And if you don’t have any of the items I mention then see if you can come up with some categories of your own that you

Monday – Declutter five small excess stationary items.

Tuesday – Declutter five small long time unused items in your kitchen.

Wednesday - Declutter five small long time unused items in your mending kit.

Thursday – Declutter five small makeup items that you don’t really like.

Friday – Declutter five “I might need” items from your handbag. This makes finding your keys, mallet wallet and cell phone a lot easier.

Saturday – Declutter five pieces of jewellery that you often pass over.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

Buy local produce where possible as this cuts down on fuel required to transport products from further away.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Hello everyone!

Colleen asked me to write a little update, so here it is. My challenge was to declutter 20 things a day for three weeks and possibly longer if I realized that there was still a lot more to go.

As I started a few days early compared to most of you, when this post will be scheduled I will be almost two weeks in. I have by now decluttered more than 200 things around my home! I can’t really tell whether it makes a difference for the home staying tidy yet. We had to reshuffle quite a bit as we now have a guest staying here and she brought some things of her own as well.

Having her over brought on some more motivation even. She is guest at our house at the end of a year-long stay before she moves back to her home country, so she has all her momentary belongings with her. She decluttered most of her household supplies etc before coming over and really has “little” stuff, just clothes (but for all seasons), cosmetics and a couple of “beautiful things” she wants to keep. When seeing her stuff all cumulated the day she arrived, I was shocked how much she had to carry, although it was really just clothes and a couple of other things. I had to think of a comment on 365lessthings a few weeks back where someone mentioned his goal to reduce his possessions to two boxes per room. After seeing how much space so few possessions take up, I think that we do tend to underestimate the volume and amount of stuff we own. I certainly do: I didn’t count all my thread, but I got rid of 50 spools in the last days and guess that wasn’t even half of it!

When I set up this challenge, I feared that 20 things a day would be a little too much maybe and that I would run out of things to get rid of after three to four weeks. Well, I definitely know better now. Some days I had a little more time and got rid of individual items like kitchen items, empty files or greeting cards I don’t intend to send anymore, other days I was in a rush and just opened some drawer, counted up to 20 pens, spools of thread, pencils, paints, paint brushes or small hardware bits and removed them from our home. I did count most things individually, apart from a little container full of beads and sequins which I used to round up one day’s 17 items to the full 20.

The 240 things I got rid of so far really didn’t take up much space. It’s merely about a shopping bag full. However, when I think that there were 240 completely random unnecessary things around that could be decluttered in the blink of an eye, I am rather happy I took up this challenge.

So I will continue and definitely keep at it for the whole month of July! There are still random things in the hardware and craft areas and I didn’t even start going through photos, reusable shopping bags or cleaning supplies.

In the comments to last week’s post, Tracy linked to her blog where she keeps count of what she decluttered during here challenge. For some visual inspiration I share it here: http://minimalmouse.wordpress.com/

I think, she’s doing great: there’s so much that left the house already!

How are your challenges going?

Today’s Mini Mission

I will ~ Declutter something your have been telling yourself for sometime that you will declutter. Now is the time to let it go if you think that way.

Eco Tip for the Day

Decide what you need from the refrigerator before opening the door. Standing there with the door open while you think about what you want to eat just lets the cold air out. Then the fridge has to work harder and waste electricity to regain its optimal temperature level.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

The hardest part of decluttering happen in you mind. The clutter itself isn’t really the problem it is the preconceived ideas we have about what we should, could and must keep and what we think we can’t live without. If these thoughts are hindering your decluttering perhaps it is time to declutter your mind.

Question every thought about what you should, must and have room to keep even though you don’t really need or want them. And rethink what is really important to you when it comes to those items you feel you can’t let go. We are often in a tug of war over wishing we had the space or that our space was less complicated with stuff, but at the same time want to hang on to things out of habits of a lifetime.

Set your priorities, make your choice, trade off, call it what you will but your life will be enriched, not deprived, by creating a simpler, more serene living environment. Who wants to come home to a cluttered untidy home each day? Who wants to constantly feel that there are endless arduous tasks to be completed, within the home, due to the volume of stuff to maintain? Who wants to sit in permanent limbo procrastinating over what needs doing and getting nothing done?

There is nothing I hate more than reaching the end of a tiring day and seeing mess all around me, either begging to be done now or having to be dealt with tomorrow. It is a tormenting situation to be constantly feeling under pressure like this. It isn’t conducive to relaxing downtime and especially not to a good nights sleep.

So decide what is truly important to you and what isn’t. If the stuff in more important than happily live with it. But if your subconscious is constantly nagging you do simplify your possessions then perhaps it is time to do something about it. Like I told a friend this weekend ~ “Once you feel you are making progress, working on it doesn’t seem like such a chore.”. And the joy of accomplishing something is always good for one’s psychological health.

Today’s Mini Mission

 Declutter something you keep telling yourself you must keep even though you don’t want to.

Eco Tip for the Day

When boiling dried pasta, bring to the boil then turn the temperature down to low and once settled put a lid on. It will boil quicker and at a lower temperature this way thus saving electricity. When you think it is almost done turn off the heat and allow the residual heat to complete the cooking process. The same method works for rice. Rice will usually take 12 minutes to cook this way.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

This week’s missions have a new twist on some old themes. You may have to get your thinking caps on to come up with what to declutter for each one. The mission revolve around helpful and unhelpful notions that we have concerning stuff. So take a look and see if you can come up with some ideas for items you can declutter using these as a guide.

Monday – I need ~ Declutter something you think you need just in case but rarely ever use and could realistically do without.

Tuesday – I must ~ Declutter something you keep telling yourself you must keep even though you don’t want to.

Wednesday – I should ~ Declutter something you think you should own just because most people do. If you aren’t using it there is no reason why you should have it.

Thursday – I will ~ Declutter something your have been telling yourself for sometime that you will declutter. Now is the time to let it go if you think that way.

Friday – I used to ~ Declutter something you used to use but don’t anymore and is wasting space in your home.

Saturday – I haven’t ~ Declutter something you know you haven’t used in quite a while and are hanging on to for no good reason.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

Over eating causes waste. Waste of good food and inches on your waist. Do yourself and the environment a favour by cutting back.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

I received the following email from Sanna on the weekend and decided, on her request, to share it with you word for word. Hopefully Sanna will find some other 365ers who might like to join her in her quest.

Sanna: I just got so fed up with my still cluttery home and set myself a challenge for the next weeks. It would be lovely, if you would share it with your readers, as I’m secretly hoping that someone will (at least in part) join me! 😉

I’ve been busier than usual during the last few months and at the moment it’s an extremely busy time – in job, volunteer activity and home (we’re having a guest for a month soon). It’s a time that is prone to make my home look messy.

I have been decluttering for quite some time now and probably got rid of half my possessions – maybe even more. Our home looks neat and spacious when it’s all cleaned and orderly, but in busy times, it’s still a mess. In trying to conquer that problem, I lately thought a bit about my experiences during the decluttering process and stressful times. I find, there is a direct proportion of clutter and mess in my home – in that clutter will turn into mess as soon as there is lack of spare time for just sorting and cleaning for the sake of it.

So, what is clutter? I tried to find set numbers that help me define what is necessary and searched for definitions of categories of things that are per se clutter. It would have been so nice to have a definition and just declutter accordingly. Alas, to no avail. People are different from one another and so, what is clutter and what’s not is also a very personal thing. However I think, there is one component that indicates clearly if something is clutter: it’s randomness. Clutter is random, while valued possessions have their defined purpose. Whenever you don’t know for sure, how many of something you own, what the specific items look like exactly, why you have it in the first place or when you will use it next, it’s most certainly clutter in your home. All these things tend to not get put away on time, because they’re not really needed in their assigned space or maybe don’t even have one. They clutter up drawers and cupboards taking up space, so the things you actually use don’t fit back in. They prevent you from knowing where things are and have you waste your time searching (and maybe making mess when doing so). Overall, they put an uncertainty to your possessions, for you don’t know really whether you have a certain type of screw/tool/whatever at home nor where it would be.

Over the years, I got rid of lots of things I use regularly and had an overabundance of. Also I decluttered all decorative items that hadn’t been on display. However, there are still these huge, random assortments of buttons, zippers, stickers, rags, thread, screws, pens, … I did go through them from time to time as well, but many of these little things don’t take up much space, even if there are hundreds of them. That is, if you’re putting them in their space regularly. However in busy times, they are what turns my home into a mess, by cluttering tabletops and worse my mind by being out of place all the
time!

So now, I set myself a goal for the next weeks, which is to declutter 20 things a day, every day, for at least three weeks, maybe more,
until there are no more random assortments in my home, just a few selected items of each of these categories. I’m really counting every single little thing, ’cause it’s exactly those little things that drive me crazy.

I already started yesterday and here’s what I got rid of in two days:
4 greeting cards I got for my birthday 3 months back
5 CDs
1 gift bag
2 hair clips
3 brushes
18 zippers
1 piece of ribbon
1 emery board
1 jacket
1 file
2 containers
1 rag

Not that one would see the difference yet, but I’m sure it will show in a few weeks!

So who would like to join Sanna in your quest. choose your own number of things to declutter each day to kick start your decluttering in an effort to simplify the maintenance of your home. I might even give it a try myself at a 10 item per day target. My targeted area will be my craft supplies but may spread throughout the house.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter as many items as possible cluttering up your shower recess. Only keep in there what you use very regularly, as excess items get mouldy and soap scummed which can cause odours and harbour germs.

Eco Tip for the Day

Send you clutter out into the world that it may be of use to someone else. Someone who won’t have to resort to buying new.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow