Hello everyone!

How are your challenges going?

My original 3-week’s challenge has ended, but I will keep going for another week as it has only now begun to get a little harder and I’d like to find some more hidden clutter to get rid of. The pace is getting a little challenging meanwhile, but I will do it for the rest of July!

For me, it has been a success so far. I kept decluttering my 20 things a day and even got rid of some more (all together another week’s worth). Mostly sewing supplies, photos, paper and office supplies had to go, but I also got rid of the odd item of clothing, dishware and a couple of books.

Meanwhile, the difference is visible. I could fit some more stuff (wool stack, photos,…) into our cabinet in the living room and alongside with the other decluttering opened up quite some space in our storage/laundry room that way.

Most things I got rid of weren’t valuable at all and I made excessive use of a cardboard box with a “for free” sign on the sidewalk. Pens, pencils, jewel cases, file binders and other doodads found a new home that way. Most of my sewing supplies went to a friend who will make good use of them and a couple of other items went to the charity shop. A couple of broken things went straight to the bin. Despite my frequent decluttering, all the stuff was not only drawn from their hiding places but actually also sent on its way to a new home.

I feel really great about having done this challenge (although I’m not quite done as I mentioned! 😉 ). My home is not perfect now, especially as I have to sort through my paper work and also give my computer a good declutter. But – and it’s a big “but” – the clutter spreading in the apartment has really slowed down. Things don’t spill as easily from drawers or cupboards, I got rid of almost all underused items that have been here as a back up of my favourites and only cought dust (e.g. my second hair brush) and I’m down to much more reasonable numbers of “use it up” supplies.

I think, it’s astonishing quite how many items I could so easily let go. After all, I have been decluttering for years and most of the items I got rid of in the last weeks have been there from the very start. More than 500 completely unnecessary items went and to see how relatively small the impact was nonetheless made me realize just how many items must be around still. So, no matter that we are just living in an apartment and probably own less than many other people, there was still a whole lot of stuff I can’t even remember the minute I got rid of it. So, I will continue in this pace for July and after that continue decluttering on a daily basis, though one item will be fine as well. The new state of the apartment feels so much better than before and I think strapping another 500 or so items will do only good!

Today’s Mini Mission

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

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

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

“…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

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

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

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

Here is a great comment from Kimberley that I didn’t want anyone to miss…

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter some paper clutter ~ magazines, paperwork, old tax papers, expired warranties…

Eco Tip for the Day

Organise your weekly menu prior to grocery shopping. This will help avoid extra trips in the car to the store.

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

Doodle

I found myself making the most of my day alone today by turning the living room upside down into a state of complete chaos and back again with 5 minutes to spare so my husband came home to calm and order.  😀

There was a purpose to it of course. It started by my finally admitting my gorgeous red chenille chair seems to be now causing me back problems. So I have swopped it  position with the small very upright sofa for a few days to see if that solves the back issue and proves I’m right (oh, how I want to be wrong!)

The sofa takes up more space, so there is no room for my set of drawers I use as a side table and I needed to find something else within the home that could do the job instead.

Somehow, this led to emptying 7 feet of bookshelves, completely emptying my craft storage cupboard and putting together a flat pack storage cupboard all at the same time/not finishing one job before starting another. Basically, every time I thought – “that could go there and that could go there”, I had to create the space before I could move anything. So within an hour, the floor was covered with books and craft pieces and various shelves and cabinets were in a state of undress.

This is a great example of how not to de-clutter/re organise if you are likely to feel overwhelmed! How I handled that was to give myself regular breaks and bring my focus back to completing one area at a time. Most importantly, I was in the mood to tackle a bigger job and to get rid of stuff and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I’ll talk about the results of the craft cupboard and bookshelves in my next post.

The flat pack storage cupboard, I bought 8 months ago. I realised instantly it was a mistake and have never been able to face putting together in order to sell it on at a loss. Well this afternoon I finally did it, and it confirmed itself as a bad purchase as not only is it too big for where I though it might go originally it doesn’t work as a replacement side table. I also can’t find room for it anywhere else in our small house. I’ve tried every possible place as I rather like it.

Finally I asked myself a key question: “would I buy it now?” Always a good question to ask yourself if trying to decide whether to keep something or not.

The answer, ‘no’ is a good clue to the fact it needs to go.

So the cupboard is now online to sell. For much less than I paid for it of course, but 8 months has softened the blow. And hanging on to it unused and in the way will not bring my money back either.

Do you have anything you keep trying to find a use for that you wouldn’t buy now? Is this a sign it needs to go?

Today’s Mini Mission

Put away an item out of place in your home then declutter an item in the place that you just rehoused the other item.

 

Doodle may not have had a photo of her upheaval but here is an old one of mine during some manic craft room decluttering and reorganising.