Lots of great comments again this week and here are the five I have highlighted for your reading pleasure
This comment thread starts here by Brenda (Her first comment) but it was the wisdom in Cindy’s response about what she does with her clutter sales procedes that I wanted to share with you the most.
Read this comment from Loretta on how she is using her declutter talent to make a workplace more efficient.
This comment from Wendy B show real dedication to decluttering. She may be away from home and not able to declutter but it is still on her mind.
Judy has found inspiration from an external source to get her to do a little extra decluttering. Read about it here.
This comment from Wendy was timely because it is a preview of what you can look forward to for next week’s mini missions.
Here are the five posts/online wisdom, I have chosen to share with you this week ~
One of my readers, Donna Marie Ryan, has an online radio spot where she often talks about decluttering. Here is her talk from last week on Blogtalkradio.com ~ Use it sell it give it away throw it away
Zen Habits ~ Simple living manifesto-72 ideas to simplify your life :- This post was brought back to my attention by Christa from 72 ideas in 72 days who is blogging about attempting to following Leo Baboutas list.
I love a good “doing it green” story and this one from The Zero Waste Home ~ The French Way shows what people and countries can learn from one another.
I liked this post from miniMum ~ Outsmarting your inner hoarder
We can all do with an extra dose of this advice at time when we are struggling with getting rid of stuff. Minimalist Packrat ~ How-to-get-rid-of-stuff-when-it-terrifies-you
Today’s Declutter Item
I have three other peelers so I definitely don’t need this one. Removing it isn’t going to make much difference to the volume of stuff in my house but it all adds up in the end.
Peeler
Something I Am Grateful For Today
Spring has sprung at last and the weather is getting warmer and I am soooo grateful for that. I have dusted off the old walkin’ shoes and I am getting out there. I love my neighbourhood it is constantly changing and when I haven’t been out in it for a while the changes are plentiful. A new house here, a renovation there, some new landscaping, the odd lick of paint, new puppies in yards and the odd bit of road and gutter work completed. What is it they say ~ A change is as good as a holiday. I don’t know about that but if you can’t have one the other will suffice.
It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow
awww your peeler – I brought a spare from home to work. Makes my colleagues day (he peels and eats a carrot daily, and I occasionally have a carrot or a kiwi fruit). It’s well loved here.
As to the complaints thing – I’ve been wearing my band for about a day. It’s moved back and forth A LOT – particularly when I’m driving (or riding my scooter last night – my oh my – it’s not easy to change it over on there, but there were many infractions!) It’s not just saying something negative or complainy, but thinking negative thoughts. I’m getting very good at spotting them, or sometimes I just have a feeling I thought something negative earlier. I’m enjoying this challenge (note the choice of words!!)
Hi Snosie,
the book discourages negative thoughts but only verbal infractions count with the band changing. Thank heavens for that because I would have no chance. The thing is that the more you check yourself from saying negative things the less you find yourself thinking negative as well, or so they say. Because I spend many of my days at home alone it really makes more sense for me to work on the thoughts rather than the verbal.
Just don’t crash your scooter in the attempt to change the band over. 😆 Driving is a really problem when it comes to thinking positively. I find that if you give yourself plenty of time to get where you are going you have more patients, hurrying is both dangerous to you body and your temper.
Hi Colleen
I read your zenhabits link, and he spoke about leaving earlier and driving slower. I drive a bit at work, so I tried that earlier, and I was a little better, but still lots of negative thoughts. And my site visit, well, I was not full of good cheer! But it’s making me far more mindful and I think that is the key.
I caught myself telling the real estate agent who called that the apartment was ‘souless’ – horrid! Another band swap for repeating it!
Hi Snosie,
don’t give up mate you are doing well. You are aware and focused on the problem. It may take months to string 21 days together but just imagine how excited you will be just to get through a whole day. The there will be the two day goal. I don’t know why but this reminds me of the start of the movie love actually when Natalie swears in front of the new prime minister and then capitalises on her faux pas by doing it again and again. I laugh and laugh every time I watch that. I might have to put it on tonight while the men are out just for a laugh.
Thanks for your terrific links. Today I will get rid of a signed copy of Michael Palin’s Himalaya book. Have had it years, never read it. Came to me from an abusive ex. Good reason to toss it to the charity shop I think !
Hi Tassie Min,
as usual it is my pleasure to link to your great blog. I am sure you will be glad when everything your abusive ex gave you is out of your house. That will be a case of cleansing the home and the mind I guess.
I so enjoyed the Minimalist Packrat link (How to get rid of stuff when it terrifies you) and even more so a link from that post to this one:
http://minimalistpackrat.com/2010/10/30/legend-of-the-fuzzy-pink-bathrobe/
Educational AND entertaining!! Thanks Tanja and Colleen.
The miniMum (Outsmarting your inner hoarder) link is really good too – these are just the thoughts that I have that make giving up things so hard a lot of the time.
That’s right Jo. Clutter is mostly in your mind.
Hi all
Well I found this website to be an absolute gem.
The only problem is I have a household of junk that seems overwhelming.
It feels like it would take 365 years to get things sorted.
I’m in such a state of upheaval I don’t even know where to start – I’m paralysed into doing nothing!!!
Hi Jill,
welcome to 365 Less Things and thank you for stepping forward with your problem. Everyone here at 365 is behind you and hope you can succeed at breaking free from you stuff.
Here is my advice ~ Forget about the size of the problem and just get started. For now ignore the difficult things ie. things you might want to sell, obligation clutter and sentimental clutter. Focus instead on the things you are happy to just donate to charity or just need to be sent to the garbage. Take a thirty minute sweep through you home and collect up as many items as you can that fit the donate and throw out categories. Set the donate items aside to be dropped off and throw the trashy items in the bin. Keep doing thirty minutes a day for the week. Take quick glances in closets, drawers, under beds, in display cabinets, linen closets, laundry cupboards, bathroom cabinets to find things. At the end of the week take the donations to your chosen drop off and be rid of them. It might help to take a photo of the donation pile before you take it away to remind yourself of the progress you have made on days where you feel particularly unmotivated. Let me know at the end of the week how you got on. Just remember do not think about the size of the overall task just do thirty minutes a day.
Decluttering doesn’t have to be a chore it can just be a little something extra to do while you are already doing something in an area.
Check the kitchen drawers and cupboard when you are waiting to the toast to cook or the kettle to boil.
When choosing what to wear in the morning pull out something that you haven’t worn for a while and most likely never will.
When doing your make-up find old out of date items on make-up that should be tossed.
When changing the towels take a browse through the linen closet….
Good luck Jill and I hope I will hear from you at the end of the week.
Hi Colleen! I found that post “Outsmarting your inner hoarder”, just fantastic! I finished reading it and just said to myself: “Wow! I do that ALL the time!” You said it over and over but sometimes reading the same thing written in a different way can really make more sense and give you a lot to think about and do. By the way went to the mall today: What a nightmare!!! All those things on sale, and some were really at a good price, but I only bought the things I had there to buy. I browsed and looked and compared and thought: “It is so NOT needed, I will NOT buy!”. I had a three item list: a sneaker for my older boy a sneaker for my youngest and a top for me to exercise. And that was all that left the mall with me.
Hi Andréia,
I am glad that link was a help to you and I hope it will spur you to move forward. I am also glad that you manages to run the gauntlet at the mall and make it home with only the items you went for. Well done!