Doodle

This post is based on  a reply I gave to Moni a few months ago, but I think we all get overwhelmed by paperwork so it is  a subject worth revisiting.

The best way to handle paperwork is to have a system that means you touch that piece of paper a minimum number of times. Don’t have a complicated system: keep it simple.

I open post straight away, standing by the recycled box in the kitchen. Empty envelopes and bumpf goes straight in it. The rest then gets taken upstairs to our study on the next trip. One of 3 things then happens:

1) Anything that doesn’t need action gets dropped into its designated labelled filing box:

a)Income and tax related

b)Household maintenance & Household utilities and bills

c)Car related: taxing/repairs/ resident parking/insurance

d)Medical stuff

e)Receipts

f)Instruction manuals

Most paperwork comes in category a and b and these are just boxes I can drop things into really easily – no need to get a file out and hole punch etc.

This isn’t  an actual photo of my box file but something I found on Pinterest – but it shows a simple easy to file and retrieve system.

2) If it needs action I try and do it straight away. If I don’t have time then or it doesn’t need doing until a specific date, I make a note of it in my diary to do and then drop it into its relevant filing box. This includes any phone calls.

3) It gets shredded. We have an attractive basket for stuff that needs shredding: stuff gets chucked in to there until it reaches the top and then I have a mass shredding session every 2 months or so.

To cut down on paperwork I pay all regular bills by ddm and have gone paperless with banking statements and utility bills. When a new invoice arrives that replaces a previous one, the old one gets thrown out.

At the end of each financial year, once I have made my tax return, all related paperwork goes into a large envelope with the year written on it and it gets stored in the attic. In the UK we have to keep this info for 7 years, so when a new one goes in, an old one from 7 years previously can get chucked.

Some people store all  paperwork on an online storage facility; I don’t, but the option is there.

This system works for me and I feel in control and easy to stay that way.

What are your difficult paper work areas and how do you think you could improve them? Have you developed any systems that work well for you you’d like to share?

Today’s Mini Mission

 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.

 

 

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

I have two telescopic tension rods, the kind you wedge between two hard surfaces to hang curtains from. The reason I still have them, even though I haven’t used them since returning to Australia from the USA, is that they might come in handy one day. The excuse for falling into this old trap is that I don’t think they are sold here in Australia which would make them nigh on impossible if not too expensive to replace should I find a use for them.

Now how is that for a lot of rubbish. Oh, I admit to both that I do have these things for such a ridiculous reason.  I don’t even like curtains, they harbour dust and look so old fashioned. So you know what I did today? I took them down and put them in the trunk of my car to donate to a white elephant fundraising sale for a worthy charity.

So what was behind my sudden grip on reality? Living in our smaller home bring everything in it into question ~ Are they clutter or are they loved or useful to me. Yes I love their clever design and yes they are useful, but to me no. Since moving in to our new home old interests, never gone, have come back to the fore and I need space to arrange the ingredients for them. Therefore any excess is getting in the way of that. Even some of the less used tools on my craft are heading out the door to make the space more functional.

I guess what I am saying here is that one of the keys to decluttering is deciding what is more important ~ Making the space for the life you want to live or dwelling on past useful and/or loved objects. I have no room for such objects and even if I did I find my space more functional when all the excess is out of the way.

Are you clinging on to things because you are somehow attached to them even though you don’t love them or use them. If so, they are clutter and it is about time you let them go. No reasons no excuses.

Today’s Mini Mission

If you have more towels than necessary declutter a few. They take years to wear out so you won’t be leaving yourself short. Donate good ones to a thrift shop and shabby ones to an animal shelter or the like.

Eco Tip for the Day

Use the dishwasher and washing machine during off-peak hours in order to cut down the strain on power infrastructure. This will delay the necessity for expensive polluting upgrades and will save you money to boot. 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

I received the following comment from Kimberley to one of last week’s posts ~ Who Are You Now.

Kinberley wrote: “Your post should be titled, “Isn’t this how clutter begins?” 
We move from one phase of our life to another. We don’t or won’t let go of what used to serve us while at the same time adding things that now do. It’s as simple as doing the math.”

This is so true. The reason much of our clutter builds up is because life moves on for us. The problem with that is that life moves on but we don’t move on the resulting items that become clutter. We understandably hold on to things for a while just in case we revert to our previous life and then after a while we neglect to let go. Sometimes we pass through several stages of life not cleaning up after the last, and in the end we have a house full of unused stuff.

The key to avoiding this is maintenance decluttering. That is, letting go of our stuff from past lives within a reasonable time frame from when we stopped needing the items. I make that sound easy because physically it is. All it takes is identifying this stuff and using whatever means necessary and appropriate for us to pass it on.

The problem for many these days is that, in this fast paced world, we don’t have or don’t take the time to look back and clean up after ourselves. In essence, we complicate our lives so much trying to keep pace with a world gone mad, with earning, consuming, temptation and keeping up with ridiculous ideals, that something has to give. That something is often our time, our families, our friends and of course the state of our homes.

And yet we always seem to find the time to go out and acquire the new potential clutter. So why is it that we can find that time, which, due to comparison shopping, generally takes more time yet we can’t find the time to move the old stuff on. I would like to give you some sort of easy fix solution to this issue but, as you can probably guess, there isn’t one. The reality is that if you can find the time to shop for stuff but don’t find the time to declutter stuff then you are going to end up with a cluttered home. Once you come to terms with this and begin to practice maintenance decluttering then your problem of clutter build up will be gone.

The tips I can give to manage this are…

• …to stay informed about methods of disposal ~ Thrift shops, Sharing sites like Freecycle etc, other charity donation opportunities, garage sales, auction/selling sites like ebay, recycling collection days… ~ and take advantage of them when necessary.
• …sell donate of giveaway your children’s items as they grow out of them.
• …pay attention of your stuff and notice when items are no longer being used. These are the items you shuffle to the back of cupboards, garages, attics and basements.
• …when you find yourself out shopping for something new ask yourself, what is it replacing and let the other similar item go.

Personally I prefer to only replace things when they wear out not just because I feel like something new. This tip will not only helps avoid clutter but also help accumulate savings. And financial security gives as much piece of mind as un uncluttered home.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter any toiletry products you aren’t likely to use because you tried them but didn’t like them. Shampoos, conditioners, bady wash, moisturisers etc. Perhaps donate them to a women’s or men’s shelter.

Eco Tip

Don’t waste that lovely picking liquid that comes in jars of peppers etc. Use it to add a little extra zing to your next DIY salad dressing.

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 are inspired by what I store in my bathroom. If you have more than one bathroom focus on the one with the most clutter or spread them over both. No offence ladies but it is usually the females in the house with the most bathroom clutter. Be they the mother figure or the daughters from teenage up. However all but maybe Monday’s apply to the guys as well. So lets have at it.

Monday – Go through your makeup items. Declutter any you don’t use anymore.

Tuesday – Declutter any toiletry products you aren’t likely to use because you tried them but didn’t like them. Shampoos, conditioners, bady wash, moisturisers etc. Perhaps donate them to a women’s or men’s shelter.

Wednesday – If you have more towels than necessary declutter a few. They take years to wear out so you won’t be leaving yourself short. Donate good ones to a thrift shop and shabby ones to an animal shelter or the like.

Thursday – 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.

Friday – Declutter any decor items in your bathroom that only serve to collect dust and mildew. Particularly those waxy candles attracting dust on the side of the bathtub. Artificial flower arrangements are also big dust and mildew attractors.

Saturday – Declutter any drugs or first-aid items whether stored in your bathroom or elsewhere.

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

Don’t accept free promotional products that you have no use for. Accepting these just encourages the continuation of this practice while the environment would be healthier without the manufacture of cheap throwaway or needless items like these usually are.

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

Doodle

I have done so well with de-cluttering my stuff over these last 3 years. I have got rid of a lot, and not regretted any of it. It has also taught me to think more carefully about what I bring into the house. But I still have one aspect of de-cluttering that doesn’t get any easier for me:

I am really bad at actually getting the pile of stuff I have declared can go out of the house.

I mean really bad – I defer and defer and then procrastinate some more. I’ve worked out that for me it is around fear of regret and loss, even though experience tells me I haven’t once regretted anything after it has gone. But every time I take things to the charity shop, I occasionally feel overwhelmed with irrational regret for a few days and it is that few days experience that makes me defer the final decision because I don’t enjoy living through it.

I have no idea why I feel this: I know all the theory about sentimental attachment and loss etc, but when it happens, it isn’t enjoyable.

The human mind is a complex thing is it not? Sometimes analysing why we feel how we do is good, but other times, I find it more helpful just to accept this quirk of how I am and find ways to work around it. A case of ‘feeling the fear and doing it any which way I can’.

A couple of times, with stuff I need to go and I want to go but I seem choked over the final parting, I have either:

• asked a friend to take it for me. That’s quite a good tactic. Don’t ask me why that is easier, but I have discovered it is, so I use it!
• arranged collection by a charity that particularly touches me (in this case, our local Hospice), that helps me let go when I know they really need the money.
• Taken the one thing out of the pile my feelings seemed to be focussed on and got rid of the rest with no problem.

Ultimately , at some point, having the stuff hang around for (sometimes) months eventually tips the balance and I get desperate just to see the back of it and that overcomes the other feelings.

I’m not asking for help or suggestions, lol, this is how I am and how I deal with it effectively.

I am just sharing some self awareness of what I find difficult in case it helps anyone else reading who thinks we all find it easy.

At the end of the day, although I have found this at times difficult, I have let go of two thirds of my own possessions in the last 3-4 years.  I love lightning the load. And sometimes I briefly remember some of the things I got rid of that took me months and feel great that they are gone and out of my life.

 

What do you find most difficult and what strategies can/do you use to combat this?

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter anything with words on. Book, magazine, T-shirt, old bill…

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t leave lights on in unoccupied rooms even if you are only vacating them for a few minutes.

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

Does your clutter say more about the person you aren’t than the person you are. Or perhaps the person you were, rather than the person you are now.

Lets take “the person you aren’t v. the person you are first.

Do you have outfits in your wardrobe that are the latest fashion but don’t really suit your taste or your body for that matter? Are there also pretty but uncomfortable shoes in there that you avoid using and when you do it is torture. Do you have ingredients in your pantry, shelves of dusty cookbooks or files of unused recipe clippings, and a kitchen full of rarely used utensils, pans and gadgets? Do you have craft supplies for a hobby that you loved the outcome of but have no aptitude to participate in? Do you have pretty, cups, plates and dishes in a china cabinet for fancy dinner parties that you never host?

I could go on and on with other examples but I think you get the idea. Can you see yourself in one of these examples or, after reading them, can come up with other forms of aspiration clutter around your house. If so, ask yourself, “Am I that person or do I only wish I was because it represents someone else’s ideal?” Make a better fist of trying this persona on for size by participating for a while. Long enough to come to a conclusion. Or give it up and be the unique person you really are with your own assets and lovable characteristics.

Question two ~ Does your clutter say more about the person you were rather than the person you are now.

Are there sporting items idle in your home from back in the day when you participated in that sport? Perhaps equipment that you keep telling yourself you might use again someday. Do you have half a closet of clothes that used to fit you and hope will again someday? Do you have old ingredients in your pantry for dishes you can no longer eat because of digestive sensitivities. Do you have a room or closet dedicated to toys and children’s clothes from back in the day when your children weren’t grown and left home. Do you have shelves of books you used to have the time to read once upon a time but now you don’t.

Once again there are more and more examples that I could come up with. I am sure each of us have at least one example of this kind of clutter that we just haven’t got around to disposing of. Then there is the case of not admitting to ourself that we have moved past that phase and are unlikely to ever return.

Take a look around your home and see if you can find examples of these kinds of clutter. I have two drawers full of beading supplies that I doubt I am ever likely to return to. I use the findings to repair broken jewellery for the thrift shop I volunteer at, but aside from that I haven’t actually used any of it for ages. At the very least I need to reduce these supplies, at the most I should let go of nearly all of it except what I really do use. I’ve decided to use some of it for a craft project I have in mind but after that I think I will find an outlet to dispose of what’s left. In fact I have an idea in mind.

Can you be honest with yourself about your aspiration, or past life, clutter? Let us know if you identified any and what you are going to do about it.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a tool of some sort. Be it craft, kitchen or garage.

Eco Tip for the Day

Challenge yourself to put every piece of recyclable material in the recycling bin no matter how small.. It is easy to be blasé about small pieces of paper or plastic but so long as they can be recycled they are best kept out of landfill.

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.

Monday – Declutter a piece of memorabilia. Something that doesn’t mean as much to you now as it once did.

Tuesday – Declutter a tool of some sort. Be it craft, kitchen or garage.

Wednesday – Declutter anything with words on. Book, magazine, T-shirt, old bill…

Thursday – Declutter a use-it-up item that you just aren’t using up regardless of good intentions to do so.

Friday – Trim back something, either by quantity or size, that is taking up more room than you’d like. Yesterday I tripped down some wallpaper samples that I intend to use for card making. They were large and awkward but now they fit in with the rest of my papers.

Saturday – Do a task that will result in something leaving your house. Last week I finished edging some material for a friend which I will give back when I see her next. I also sold one of the items I listed on ebay. And I finally delivered an old broken sewing machine to a man who refurbishes them.

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