Decluttering is all about change.

• Changing the way you think about stuff: It isn’t important. It can trigger memories but doesn’t contain them. It usually becomes clutter eventually no matter how excited you were at acquiring it in the first place. It doesn’t raise peoples’ opinions of you. It doesn’t make you happy in the long term. You have to work to acquire it, which may rob you of precious time spent taking care of those and that which are actually important to you. 
• Changing long formed ideas and habits: You are not obliged to keep stuff no matter how it was acquired ~ gifts, heirlooms, rewards, awards, prises, souvenirs… . You are also not obliged to accept stuff ~ gifts, freebies, special offers… . You can express your wishes, ahead of time, to those close to you that you would rather not receive gifts and learn to say no when people offer you other things that you don’t need. It is OK to say no politely.
• Changing your shopping habits: Replacing what you are decluttering will put you back to square one in no time. I have found that resisting the temptation to purchase things that aren’t necessary can soon become a habit that requires no effort or cause any disappointment.
• Changing your mind about what need is: Chances are most of that stuff you are afraid to get rid of, in case you need it one day, was never really needed in the first place and probably never will. Don’t be confused between need and want.

If you aren’t prepared to change, then the chances are, your attempt to declutter will fail or your decluttering will be a never ending process. All these changes can be made gradually, you don’t have to go cold turkey or become a new person overnight. The changes in me during my decluttering process have been gradual and painless. Remembering all the while that these are all changes for the better makes it easier.

Are you ready to change? Have you noticed the changes in yourself already? Tell us about it.

Oh I forgot to mention. The result of all these changes can be a beautiful, wonderful, simplifying, economical, time saving and liberating thing.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter some garden related items. Tools you don’t use, empty plant pots, bits of wood or wire that are rotting or rusted, seeds you are never going to plant… .

Eco Tip for the Day

Try changing your usual wash cycles to ones a little shorter and more economical. You might be surprised that your clothes come out just as clean.

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

Some of the first items I decluttered

In order to write this post today I took a look back to Day 64 of my declutter mission. This was the day that I first began to blog about my resolution to declutter 365 things. Since then I have often written that the simplest way to begin decluttering is to start with the easy things. Looking back on the photos and list of items I had decluttered prior to blogging proves that this is exactly what I did.

Many of these items had never been used, hadn’t been used for a long time, I didn’t like for one reason or another or I had too many of. The items came from places all over the house, from drawers, closets, cupboards, cabinets, open shelves and even the garage. I dare say to begin with I would not have been able to tell by looking around that I had even decluttered much, but that did not deter me. I knew the stuff was gone and that was all that mattered.

I then looked a little further along in my photo archives and found that I continued on in this way for quite a while until I added a degree of difficulty by beginning to sell on ebay. Then it seems I began my first use-it-up challenges with toiletries, pantry and craft items. Next larger items, from outside, that required dismantling began to appear in the photo archives. Then obligation items began to show up, things given to us by friends and family that we no longer wanted. And by now my husband was well and truly involved in the decluttering effort.

By this point furniture began to be decluttered, furniture that was finally emptied and no longer required. This was all before day 200. It was easy to see from the following photos that I was really becoming ruthless. Sentimental items were heading out the door, as were useful items from my kitchen that I had decided I had too many of. Items that at the start I wouldn’t have thought I would declutter were also now fair game.

I won’t bore you with over two more years of my decluttered inventory. However I do hope that you can see the point of this post by now. Choosing the easy things first really is the less painful way to enter into this hopefully life changing mission. No matter how many things you have or how attached you are to some of them, if you begin with the easy stuff you will make a difference. You may not notice the difference at first but it will become obvious soon enough. Just be grateful that you are making progress and that it isn’t so hard.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter A Guilt item. Something you feel guilty about acquiring in the first place.

Eco Tip for the Day

Think twice about buying anything that you don’t need. Whether your use for it will last, whether it is just a novelty or whether it even adds anything to your life.

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

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Cindy

My in-laws have recently visited us, and like a light bulb coming on over my head, I realized that my in-laws are living like minimalists.

I’ve talked about my in-laws here before from a different perspective – as owners of several storage units. While they live in California, the majority of their stuff lives in storage, in Texas. Each time they visit my family, they also make a couple trips to the storage units.  Over time, they have reduced what is being stored there, and last year, they arranged a Salvation Army to truck take away a large amount of stuff, including furniture. Nonetheless, they still have an entire storage unit here, and my mother-in-law has told me firmly “That’s what we want to keep.” Truly, I have no idea what’s there except for their china, and I only know this because she and I have the same china pattern, and she’s given me a few of her pieces.

In addition, they have a storage unit in California near where they live. This unit contains the furniture, electronics, and household items that they were using in their most recent home.

Two storage units? How can they be living like minimalists, you might ask? Well, while their stuff is living in storage, they’re living with a bare minimum of possessions.

They sold their house, which they primarily purchased as a fixer upper / flip and are happily living in a Residence Inn, a long-stay hotel. Because they like to buy and sell houses, travel, and not plan very far in advance, the Residence Inn fits their lifestyle beautifully, and they are happy there.

The two of them live in a one bedroom apartment. Breakfast is provided every day, I believe, and dinner is provided four days of the week. They have a two burner cooktop, a microwave, and a refrigerator. None of the furnishings, linens, etc. belong to them.

When they want to travel, which they do frequently, they pack up all their personal items, load them into their (one) car, and check out of the Residence Inn. They drive the car to a storage unit that they have in California and park it inside, with their stuff still in the trunk. From there, they take a taxi to the airport, and they’re on their way. If it’s a driving trip, they unload the car and drive off.  Literally, they are able to pack everything they live with into a vehicle, make a single trip, and be finished. When they return back to California, they reverse the process.

It’s the perfect solution for a couple who wants to be footloose and fancy free and can live without being surrounded by their own stuff. Could you live like my in-laws?

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something because it is an eyesore in your home, or perhaps always was. Maybe some sort of junk in the back yard, an ugly décor item that someone else gave you but you never liked or a fixture in the home that has become ratty or faded.

Eco Tip for the Day

Instigate a weekly old fashioned board game night for the family. Turn of the televisions, the computers, the DS, the PSP, the XBox and the PS3, get everyone in the same room, turn out all the other lights and save a little power for a couple of hours a week.

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

Have you ever felt you need to make changes in your life, whether that be adding something healthy in, or stop doing something that isn’t good for you. Have you ever decided those changes are too hard to make and give up before you begin. Well, just like our small steady steps in decluttering you can also utilise this approach with other good habits you would like to implement.

I am using the 365 approach to cut back on the amount of coffee I drink. My goal is to only drink coffee outside of the house which of course isn’t everyday. I started out by not drinking coffee at home after 4pm for a while. Then I stopped imbibing from midday onwards. At this point I don’t have coffee at home unless I have had it by 10:30, the next step will be breakfast only and after that not at all. Much easier than cold turkey don’t you think.

The same method can be used to give up soda drinks (soft-drinks, pop whatever you call it), processed food, fatty foods, sugar laden treats, fast food, simple carbohydrates in general… whatever you feel is not contributing to your good health, the way you feel or the way you feel about how you look.

You can also reduce the portion size of these treats to begin with rather than, or as well as, reducing the number of times a day you usually imbibe. Cutting back is cutting back no matter which way you go about it. By continuing to reduce you will eventually find you no longer feel such strong cravings for these things in your life. And the joy of feeling so much better about yourself is the extra payoff to encourage you to stay strong.

Also, you may think you need to add a little exercise into your daily routine. You are reminded every time you are confronted with a set of stairs that your fitness could stand some improvement. The mistake a lot of people make is to think they have to do at least an hour of exercise three times a week for it to be of any benefit. They also think this requires expensive equipment or gym fees to accomplish. Approaching it in this fashion is fine if you think you can manage it but if the thought of that is keeping you immobile then once again the small steady steps approach might be the best to get you started. If you can manage to find ten minutes a day at first to go for a brisk walk then that is better than nothing.

You can also choose to take the stairs instead of the lift. Take the parking spot the furthest from the shopping centre entrance (quite often this is actually quicker and saves gas in your car). If it is a rainy day I will often climb my internal stairs twice per trip. That is if I am going up for some reason, I go up, I come down, and then I go up again, do what I have to do and then do the same in reverse on the return trip. It is great exercise and because it is done in short bursts and although I raise my heart rate, which is good, I don’t raise a sweat, therefore not needing a shower at the end of my exercise. Do this a few more times and I have added quite a bit of aerobic exercise to my day. It may not sound like much but the idea is to build on this as you start to feel fitter and keener.

Even things that are, in moderation, fine for you can actually become bad when overindulged in. You have found this out through how your shopping habits contributed to your clutter issues which in turn affected your peace of mind. So imagine how bad for you things are that weren’t even good for you in the first place. It is in your best interest to at least try to improve personal habits whether for health reasons, energy levels, for your own mental well being or perhaps to improve an external appearance that you aren’t happy with about yourself.

We have discussed before that resistance to old habits can be well established by 21 days so why not give it a try. What have you got to lose except maybe potential heart disease, insomnia, gout, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, skin problems, bowel issues, tooth decay… and even a few pounds if that is your goal.

Today’s Mini Mission

Consider decluttering your second television or the third one if you have that many. Let’s face it how much time do we really need to waste sitting around watching TV or videos.

Eco Tip for the Day

Taking care of yourself can mean consuming less, consuming fresh and consuming natural all of these things are better for the environment as well as you.

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

Once clutter has built up in ones home there is no doubt that it is going to take some effort to expel it all. This task can appear  monstrous, frighteningly so,  which is likely to set off the fight or flight reflex in our minds.

Most people have either one tendency or the other, fight or flight. If their natural reflex is to fight then they will likely just knuckle down and get on with the task. The most distasteful outcome facing these kinds of people is being beaten, so watch out clutter, here they come. However, there is a chance that, approaching this task in an easy come easy go manner will not be very thought provoking and it is likely that, these brave folks may be back to square one soon enough. So don’t feel bad if you are not the fighting kind. I used to fight my clutter but it always used to return for a rematch.

Then their are the people who tend mostly towards the flight reflex. In this case they can’t very well run from the clutter so instead decide to just try to ignore it rather than confront it. Naturally this option will be totally unproductive unlike the attack mode which at least for a while will yield the desired result. It is also highly possible that the clutter situation will only get worse while these folk drown their sorrows by buying more stuff, only making the situation worse.

But never fear there is a third alternative. It is kind of like the one a stage performer might deploy to alleviate stage fright. In this case though we aren’t going to pretend our clutter is naked, that won’t work. 😉 But we can convince ourselves that it isn’t as scary as it might originally appear. Lets face it, you are the one who fed that big scary clutter monster so you can slowly starve it to death as well. Firstly you stop feeding it and then you quit looking at it as one big scary thing but instead as small individual battles that you can fight and win. Then one day you will realise that the big scary clutter monster has shrunk in size to something not quite so foreboding. No longer appearing that it might swallow you whole.

A similar defence can be used against those occasional frightening individual items that the thought of dealing with fills you with dread. Items like that thing your mother gave you that you don’t want, you never liked, but you are afraid to get rid of for the fear of upsetting her. Don’t beat the object up to be something it isn’t. It is just an object. You don’t like it, you don’t want it, it now instills fear in you. Is that the sort of object that any sane person would allow to linger in what should be their tranquil living space? No of course it isn’t. In this case the monster is either your mother or your own mind playing tricks on you. Either way the goal is a tranquil home and this object is not contributing to that. Worse still it is having the opposite effect. Take your chances and let it go.

So as you can see clutter doesn’t have to be scary. A tweak of your mindset can make all the difference. I am not going to pretend this is as simple as I make it sound. Perhaps a revolt against ones default setting would be more accurate, but if that’s what it takes then it is worth the fight.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter and reshuffle a drawer that is such a shambles you can never find what you need in it. Junk drawers are not a necessity, in fact they can be a nuisance.

Eco Tip for the Day

Today I will share a recipe for a friendly all-purpose spray. I put this together using two recipes/ideas from a great web site called One Good Thing by Jillee. You will need…

• A 500ml Glass Jar
• Skins of a least 3 lemons (collected from previous cooking sessions)
• 250ml (1 cup) white vinegar
• The 600ml trigger spray bottle from your last all-purpose spray.
• a good squirt of dishwashing liquid (environmentally friendly of course)
• 1 cup of water

1. Put the lemon skins in the 500ml jar and top it off with the cup of vinegar.
2. Leave this to steep for a few days. This softens the vinegar smell to a nice lemon fragrance and I dare say the lemon also adds grease cutting power and more.
3. Strain the vinegar from the lemon skins and pour into the spay bottle.
4. At this point prepare your next batch of lemon vinegar reusing the same skins. I have been using the same skins for months now.
5. Add the dishwashing liquid to the the spray bottle and top off with the cup of water.
6.  Put the lid on and give it a little shake. Now it is ready to use.

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

As you all know I dole out a lot of suggestions about what to declutter. I even put forward formulas on how many is enough of anything to keep. It is no secret that I’m not a lover of gadgets that are only useful if you perform a task in large quantities and/or frequently. Dusting is certainly not my favourite pastime so nicknacks are no longer my thing. For one thing they require somewhere to be displayed which means excess furniture which takes up space and requires more dusting. Practicality is important to me while status symbols aren’t, so I don’t need fancy things on show to prove anything to anyone. That is not to say that I don’t like beautiful object of which I certainly have a few that I enjoy. And I like to have enough craft supplies on hand to be creative when I feel the urge. Not too many of course…. Therefore my decluttering goal is simply this ~ to reduce my belongings to a point that I am happy with the result.

You, on the other hand, may love your nicknacks and get joy out of dusting them for the chance to admire them up close. You might also entertain a lot so prefer to be sure you have enough of everything on hand to cater to a crowd. You could find that the finicky cleaning of kitchen gadgets is worth the time they save you during the cooking process. And when out in public you perhaps feel more comfortable smartly dressed in designer clothes and don’t wish to be seen in the same outfit on a too regular basis. You might find your home to be more homely with lots of furniture to adorn it. But crafting supplies are of no importance to you what so ever and waste no space in your home… Nonetheless your decluttering goal is the same as mine. You wish to declutter to a point where you are happy with the volume of your belongings.

Decluttering isn’t a one size fits all situation. What I require or desire could be completely different to you. However we all want to feel happy and comfortable in our own homes and that should be the only goal each of us sets.

Today’s Mini Mission

Do the same for your crockery as you did yesterday for your cutlery. If you have too much let some go. I ran out of cups one evening when friends came back for coffee and cake after being out for dinner together. The problem wasn’t that I didn’t have enough I just should have put the dishwasher on before we left.

Eco Tip for the Day

Save electricity by not turning on electrical appliances, like irons, hair straighteners etc, too long before you use them and by not leaving them on while you decide to take a break during the task.

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

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Cindy

One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. That’s a saying we’ve all heard and probably have said. I first truly appreciated the saying at the first garage sale I ever held as an adult. As we raised the garage door at 8:00 am, shoppers began ducking under the rising door, eager to be the first inside. The very first thing that sold was a men’s electric razor for $5. The next thing to sell was a rusted kitchen knife for 10 cents. That’s when I first came to believe that you really can sell anything.

But, of course, decluttering doesn’t have to be about selling, as we have discussed many times on this blog.

I think there are two things you need in order to make any trash to treasure (T2T) work. 1) a place for your “trash” to go and 2) and more importantly, a willingness to find that place.

Let’s start with the easiest examples.

Have Trash: your old clothes. Make Treasure: donate them to the thrift store. That’s how you turn clothing T2T.

Okay, duh Cindy, that’s obvious, but no one would want my XX. You think not? Let’s recall some of the tougher items I’ve decluttered.

Have Trash: 3 pounds of sour cream with about 1/2 C missing and a bottle of salad dressing with one salad’s worth missing. To make this into treasure, you are probably the biggest obstacle. Your embarrassment about offering slightly used food to others is holding you back from making this into treasure. I took a deep breath and offered these two things on my neighborhood list serve. Both had multiple people willing to take them off my hands. The person who took the sour cream just happened to be having a party that weekend and was pleased to have a base for various dips. She made a sour cream cake with the rest.

Have trash: Things which can be recycled, but it’s inconvenient. To make treasure: It’s your responsibility to dispose to things responsibly and in the best way your community demands. Batteries can be saved up and returned to the battery store, Home Depot or Lowes, and probably your community recycling center. The same with Compact Florescent Lightbulbs (except they go back to the lightbulb store, not the battery store). Try this mindset: You were perfectly willing to drive all over town to acquire these items. You should put at least this much effort into recycling them. (Or you can make battery art, like this creative soul.)

Have trash: Sentimental item you dislike. Make treasure: Again, you’re the obstacle here. You have to know that it’s not your responsibility to hang onto other people’s memories, stuff from the dead, or gifts you hate. Make treasure: As we occasionally say in our house, You gotta put your big girl pants on. Be okay with the fact that you don’t want these things. Then ask among the relatives (and don’t listen to their silly attempts to guilt-trip you into keeping the item), donate to a historical society (if appropriate), give to the thrift store, sell on EBay, donate on Craigslist or Freecycle. Recently my cousin has had great luck selling on Facebook classified ads, which I don’t know anything about. She lives in the country. Her rural location does not stop her from selling and buying used, and it shouldn’t stop you either.

Have trash: A wierd, awkward, or very one-of-a-kind item. Make treasure: These things are perfect for Freecycle or the free column on Craigslist. I have Freecycled battered used wooden fencing – twice (once it was used to make a goat pen and once it was used to make rustic mailboxes), and we let people pick through our construction dumpster for a single piece of wood they needed. A broken antique mirror frame with no mirror went to a furniture refinisher. Either he’ll fix it when he’s got time or he’ll use the pieces to fix up something else. A huge box of old cassette tapes were happily snapped up by a fellow driving a really old pick up truck – no CD player in that thing. All of our pencils that had been used until they were really short, and all the pens that worked but we didn’t like for some reason went to our daughters’ school. “Pencils of shame” we call them, because they were saved for girls who forgot to bring their pencils to class.

Have trash: Dirty, torn or stained clothing. Make treasure: Call around to your local thrift stores; it is likely that at least one of them is also in the fiber business. I had a hard time finding this information in my community, but it turns out that both the Salvation Army and Goodwill take items for fiber. I just need to label the bag clearly with “For Fiber. Do Not Sort.” and drop at any Salvation Army or Goodwill location. How easy is that? Now in addition to the bag I always have for items to donate to the thrift store, I have a bag for fiber too. Make treasure, part 2: In addition, when I converted my entire lawn to garden, I smothered the grass with layers of old clothing, sheets, and blankets that I have saved over the years. It made as good of layer as the cardboard I also used. Occasionally I dig up a button or a string of elastic from the garden from the fibers that have now decomposed.

What’s your hardest thing that you think you can’t find a good second life for? Let’s work together and see what we can come up with.

For more great tips on recycling your stuff check out 365’s Recycle Guide

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter one dust collecting ornament.

Today’s Declutter Item

I performed only one task with this mug, a task that could be performed by something else that had multiple uses. Hence this item was just wasting space in my kitchen.

Enamel Mug

Eco Tip for the Day

When doing your weekly shop put a shopping basket in your shopping cart to put your fruit and vegetables in rather than bag everything up separately in plastic bags. I have been doing this for years and only once has the checkout person given me grief about having to weigh it this way.

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

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

Cindy’s article yesterday brought up the problem of clinging on to things in the hope of recouping what they are worth. As the value of things is very subjective it isn’t always easy to put a price on such items causing a dilemma that can paralyse ones ability to get things out of the house. Regardless of the vastness of the internet it isn’t always possible to find the answers to all such questions.

At the moment I am in possession of a vintage fountain pen for which someone has made me an offer of $50 sight unseen. This quick offer ~ without even any photos to get some idea of it’s condition ~ sent off warning bells in my head. Could this thing be worth significantly more than that and would I be doing myself a disservice by accepted this hasty offer. The item is very small and not taking up much space so what does it matter that it is still in my possession while I procrastinate over it. The trouble is, it is taking up more space in my head than it is in my house. Not that I think about it often but when I do I don’t like that I am so hesitant over such a silly thing. After all it didn’t cost me anything in the first place so I would be making an easy $50.

My second experience of worth or value is my desire, at times to recoup some of the cost of items I either…

• a) … didn’t use enough to get my money’s worth out of. AKA guilt clutter.
• b) … was expensive and even though I used it a lot would still fetch a reasonable some of money.
• or c) … am not sure whether I want to keep them or not and making some money on them would tip the scales on the decision.

I have several avenues for doing this but ebay is my most common method. The way ebay is structured here in Australia crrently is that there is a higher than previous selling commission but no insertion fees. This means I can list items and if they don’t sell I have not lost any money. I would rather pay a higher commission on a successful auction than pay an insertion fee on something I have made no money on. The beauty of this is that I can list the same item over and over again at no charge until it does sell. I use the three strike rule in these cases, that is if the item doesn’t sell after three attempts I admit defeat and donate it. I am nothing if not determined when it comes to recouping money. And I have to say I am OK with this

However the worst case I can think of when it comes to the value of clutter is related to a subject that is often discussed her at 365 Less Things. The subject is the clutter left behind after a loved one passes away. Especially a loved one who has more than their fair share of clutter. The sort of clutter handed down to them in the same situation plus stuff they have acquired over the years through gifts, from garage sales, flea markets and the like.  What worries me is the possibility that there may be some treasures among the endless clutter that are worth a lot of money. Treasures that could end up being sold for a couple of dollars at an estate sale or donated to charity in the haste of clearing the clutter in your time of mourning.

This scenario is bought into stark reality when one watches TV shows like Antiques Roadshow when, occasionally, people have an item valued at thousands if not ten’s of thousands of dollars that they had purchased for next to nothing from some poor unknowledgable fool’s garage sale. One would think these items are clearly worth a lot of money and you would recognise them for what they were worth at first glance but some of the oddest and sometimes ugliest things can be worth a lot of money ~ baldy old Steiff bears, ugly old damaged celluloid dolls, paintings you wouldn’t want to hang on your wall, battered old circus posters, battered old furniture etc etc. One would have to possess a vast knowledge of antiques to know what was valuable and what wasn’t.

Can you imagine seeing something you remember parting with in this situation suddenly pop up on your television screens months later valued at several thousand dollars. Personally I would rather let someone else in the family have and deal with these possession while I live in blissful ignorance of what came and went. And this is why it is important to get your clutter under control now so the loved ones you leave behind aren’t burdened with this situation. Make sure they know that of the items you chose to keep which ones are worth real monetary value so they aren’t left guessing in their time of grief.

I guess the best way to simplify all of these scenarios is to either not care or take what you can get at the time and be satisfied with that. Let what is left go to charity and don’t look back. Your piece of mind in the present is worth more than any riches, be they real or imagined.

Today’s Mini Mission

Round up all your small kitchen appliances ~ Choose one cupboard or shelf in in the kitchen for all of these appliances. I have done this in my kitchen with the exception of the toaster and kettle which are located on the bench top because they are used very regularly.

Today’s Declutter Item

Here is an item that belonged to my son that didn’t get much use. I listed it on Gum Tree once and ebay twice before it finally sold for $30. I mailed it out on Monday. I am glad that I recouped some cash for it but it sure did linger around the house for a long time from when the decision was made to declutter it until it finally sold.

Flying V Ukulele

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Two other items selling on ebay and several others with lots of watchers.

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

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

Change can be difficult, especially for people who have behaved in a certain way for years. Changing your mindset is what is needed before you even try to change anything else. So what can you do about that when it comes to decluttering.

First forgive yourself for the mistakes of the past. If you continue with the mindset of beating yourself up about past mistakes  you will likely try to soothe that pain in some way. This is where you could find yourself at the store buying something to make you feel better, sabotaging your intentions. Instead of beating yourself up pat yourself on the back for making the decision to embrace a new way of living. Start a fresh from this day onwards with the attitude of “I can do this, one thing at a time.”

Seek advice and inspiration to help you achieve your goal.  You can make the decision to change behaviour in an instant but a little knowledge will make putting your intentions into action easier. No matter what task a person takes on in life there are lessons to be learned in order to do the task well. I know myself that I find it difficult to step out of my comfort zone into a new experience unless I have some idea of how to go about doing the task I am taking on. Once a little knowledge is gained it can be applied and experience will be gained making it easier and easier as time goes on.

Be satisfied with your efforts no matter how big or small. Change your thinking from “only the big things count” to “everything counts”. You will have days where you declutter big items and days where you declutter small items. Every item is one more thing out of your home no matter how big or small. So long as it is a step in the right direction you have achieved something so why not celebrate that. Sometimes I get more excited about the small things because it may have taken more effort to find the right home for them or I might have sold them on ebay for a good sum of money. It isn’t always about the size of the space you are freeing up. Small items can carry burdensome obligation or aspiration so to be rid of them can make a big different.

Turn the negatives into a positives. This will come in handy when it comes to stopping the clutter coming in. Instead of seeking the old high of acquiring things get your thrills from seeing stuff leave your home. The novelty of getting new things wears of much faster than the good feeling you achieve when you take another step towards your decluttering goal. This is especially so when you start to notice how pleasant your once cluttered surroundings are becoming. And the freedom you feel when you realise you no longer have the craving to acquire stuff anymore is an added bonus.

Question your decision making. At first it is easy to slip into default mode when making decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of.  If you feel you are doing that ~ the obvious signs of this is when you find yourself choosing to keep too many things ~ stop and question your thinking. Ask yourself again why am I keeping this. Don’t let those old feeling of obligation, half hearted sentiment ,guilt or fear make you keep things you know you have no use for and /or don’t particularly love. Remind yourself of your goal and reconsider. You may end up keeping the item, and that is Ok but at least you will know you have made a rational decision.

If you keep reminding yourself of your conviction to free your life of unnecessary, unloved items you will soon find your new way of thinking has become the norm and decluttering will become second nature.

 “Most change is temporary unless there is an emotional shifting that occurs.” ~ Dr. Georgianna Donadio

Today’s Mini Mission

Thursday – Do you also have enough pots, pans, trays, baking dishes etc to cater for that family of six that have long since flown the coop. Investigate what you use regularly and get rid of the rest.

Today’s Declutter Item

Here is an item I have been considering decluttering for a while. It is useful? ~ Occasionally. Do I love it? ~ No. Do I mind if my guests eat off my everyday crockery? ~ It is good enough for me. Is it one less thing to fit into the smaller home I intend to live in one day ~ Yes. Do I need the space right now ~ No. Even after all those questions I was a little undecided so what I did was I declutter half of it. I had been a little unconventional when I bought it in the first place, buying one half maroon and the other green to match the decor of our  dining/formal lounge area. So I have kept the maroon half ~ for now.

Half of my "good" dinner set

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Good friends. I have been so fortunate in this life with the good friends I have made in every new place I have lived. For that I am truly grateful.

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

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

One of the things I love about decluttering slowly but surely is that I am not forced to make rash decision as to what should and shouldn’t be decluttered. With my goal of one item a day there is only one decision to be made each day. Some decision are made in advance and eventually the day comes where I think “That will be my declutter item on the day.” Some decisions are spur of the moment when I stumble across an item that I had missed before but am in no doubt that it can go. While other things get passed over time and time again and left until I am ready to make the final decision on. There are also things I know I want to declutter but am not ready to deal with the hassle right now and that is OK too because I am still running to schedule. One day their time will come when I have the patience and inclination to focus my full attention on them to complete the task efficiently.

There are so many things that weren’t even on may radar at the start of my declutter journey but now are easy to let go off. This is because as I continue down this path my attachment to stuff in general becomes weaker and weaker. I am more enthusiastic to unburden myself of the clutter than I am to keep it. Things had better be loved, useful and not in excessive amounts or they are out of here.

So if you have something you aren’t sure about pass it by for now and move on to something else. Being conflicted over something when there are easier fish to fry is a waste of metal energy. Later on you might look back at that item again and think, I really want this gone more than I want it here so out it can go. It is actually a good feeling when you come to these conclusions because not only are you letting go of more stuff but you have clearly graduated to a new level of detachment to material things. And that is something to be celebrated.

Today’s Mini Mission

Remove something from your yard that a neighbour might be able to see and think looks out of place or unsightly. Ask the neighbour if you aren’t sure and are game.

Today’s Declutter Item

This jewellery box was no rash decluttering decision. I had been contemplating emptying it and decluttering it for a long time. There was no hurry as there were plenty of other items to declutter in the meantime. Finally the task is done and the box is off to the thrift store. I am still finding avenues to sell some of the contents so they will filter through as declutter items in the near future.

Jewellery Box

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

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