How many times have you decluttered in the past but then a year or so, or maybe more, later you find yourself back at square one. This is often the outcome when the task of decluttering is the focus and not the cause. In fact many times in the past I have decluttered only with the intention of making room for new stuff. Stuff I didn’t even realise would be my future clutter.

The thing that was different this time for me was that my focus was mainly on my intent to remain decluttered in the future. With that intent in mind it is helpful to analyse the clutter as you let it go and recognise the possible mistakes made in the past the got you into this mess in the first place.

There are numerous reasons why newly acquired stuff soon loses its appeal and becomes clutter. Making poor choices to acquire it in the first place would top the list of those reasons. However when scrutinising each piece of clutter while you declutter it slowly and deliberately you soon start to realise your purchasing errors. This is key to not making the same mistakes in the future.

Now that my home is nicely decluttered and even downsized due to my decluttering I don’t ever ~ in fact I can’t ~ allow it to become cluttered again. There isn’t much room for that. But even if there was I have discovered a little trick to staying focused on the goal of remaining decluttered and that is to save at least one decluttering task until the last that will keep you mindful of where you once were and how far you have come. For me there are two such tasks. One is the seemingly endless task of reducing my crafting supplies and the other is the goal to finally declutter and organise our photo collection.

If you have been reading here for a long time you will know that photos are one thing I have been going to get to right from the start of my decluttering mission. My husband and I have both taken small chunks out of the task in the past but there is still the bulk of it to be done.

So constantly working on reducing the craft supplies by creating and selling my the results of my labour of love and by knowing those photos are still there to be worked on when I am not so busy keeps my mind continually on decluttering to a certain extent. And while that is still my focus it is natural that I remain fully aware of keeping a check on what purchases I make, being sure to scrutinise each possible purchase and making a decision to buy or not to buy based on the likelihood of whether the item may just end up as future clutter. Of course, allow my catalogue of experience of past mistakes to be my guide.

So to cut a long story short…

• Analyse you clutter in order to recognise purchase mistakes
• Save one long fiddly task to string out at the end of the bulk of your decluttering to keep your mind focused your new uncluttered lifestyle.
• Scrutinise possible purchases to save you from making bad choices that would help put you back to square one.

Today’s Mini Mission

 Declutter a hobby related item.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t be tempted to bring home those hotel toiletries, the ratio of plastic to product is a poor eco choice.

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/request from Shirley via email last week.

I would like to comment on your trip and carry on luggage only. Do you think you could tell us just how you managed this especially for six weeks and I presume different climates?

Surely you had a jacket and jumper which are very bulky and how many pairs of shoes which also take up a lot of space. I have never commented be fore but do enjoy reading your messages and they do help me, so thank you. Regards Shirley…

Of course packing for travel will vary depending on when, where and how one travels. My husband and I usually travel to other modernised countries which makes packing easy. For two reasons, because we don’t have to sleep rough and there is nearly always a laundry service of some sort nearby. This means we don’t have to carry sleeping gear and we only need to pack enough to get us by for about five days. Of course that will vary due to the seasons.

The bonus is that if the weather is cold one can get more days out of the same clothes, where as if it is hot one needs to change more often due to sweating. Therefore in the winter month, even though the clothes are bulkier you potentially need fewer of them.

If we travel in warm climate I take something like this…

• about 5 short sleeve tops (combo of t-shirts and lightweight travel blouses)
• usually capri pants x 2 maybe 3
• maybe also a pair of shorts
• and wear 1 long, lightweight, comfortable pair of travel pants for the flights
• 1 light jacket
• 1 light summer dress
• my Keen shoes that are a Mary-Jane style (open enough to be cool while closed enough to be practical in all situations). Yes that is the only shoes I take, or should I say wear
• 7 pair of underpants
• 2 bras
• 1 set of pyjamas
• 2 pair of light socks
• Perhaps my swimmers
• For toiletries we share deodorant (solid), *shampoo, toothpaste, *sunscreen and a brush. I take a little make-up (very little) and a very small perfume atomiser. We also take any prescription medications, pain meds and a very small first aid kit. We also pack cotton buds (Qtips) and a very small sewing kit. All of this fits into one toiletries bag that hangs from a hook.
• *means we acquire them on arrival. We do not carry them on the long haul flight.

For cooler/combination weather…

• 2 t-shirts, 3 long sleeve t-shirts
• 1 pair of capris, 2 long pants and a pair of tights. Maybe also a pair of track pants if expecting enough cold weather)
• 1 light jacket and one lightweight quilted jacket (the puffy type that is very warm but packs down to nothing and weighs very little).
• 1 lightweight fleece sweater.
• I wear ankle high lightweight and very comfortable boots and may bring sandals in my carry on if we are likely to encounter warmer weather.
• 7 pair of underpants
• 2 bras
• Maybe a scarf. (I took a cotton scarf on my last trip and used it as a sarong skirt in Hawaii and never actually worn it as a scarf in Seattle as I intended.
• 1 set of pyjamas
• 3 pair of thicker socks
• The same toiletries as mentioned above.

We have only been on one trip that required extra cold weather clothing (London at Christmas). Packing wasn’t that different to the combo weather. We took warmer coats but worn them on to the plane so they weren’t included in the baggage allowance. In the winter months clothes can easily be layered for extra warmth.

You will have noticed the word lightweight used a lot when it comes my list of clothing. These clothes are often a little more expensive to buy but well worth the cost. We generally get these at sale prices because we are usually coming out of the season we are traveling to so they are end of season sell-offs. One of the best features about these clothes is that they wash out easily, and once rung out by rolling them up in a towel, they dry very quickly. They usually have very handy pockets as well. And in case you are wondering ~ yes we use them even when not travelling.

We also always take a lightweight bag for carrying the laundry to the laundromat. A microfibre cloth for various reasons that usually lives in the day bag. And a lightweight fold up shopping bag that also resides in the lightweight day bag. I carry the day bag and my husband carries the camera bag.

You may be wondering about technology. When we travel together my husband takes his iPad but I just use my smart phone. On shorter trips, say to visit family, I will take by laptop.

Forgive me if I have forgotten anything on these lists, I did my best to keep them as accurate as memory would allow. If when all the essentials are packed there is still room and weight allowance for some extra stuff I may add a thing or two for convenience. However it is never convenient to carry a heavy backpack so I am very selective.

The photos below are from a trip in the last couple of years. I am not sure where to but it was obviously a short trip with warm to cool combo weather (Perhaps Spring or Autumn in Melbourne). I can tell because of the small amount and variety of clothing. Picture no.1 is of my travel outfit. 2 & 3 are my lightweight jacket that folds into its own pocket. 4 is my pile of clothes. 5 is my clothes with the backpack that has travelled with me on every trip for the last, at least, 12 years. 6 are the packing cubes that keep everything organised in my backpack. 7 is my day bag. 8 is what were our laundry vacuum bags,  a microfibre cloth and small ziplock bag. And last but not least are my Keen Mary-Jane shoes that have traipsed many a mile with me.

Today’s Mini Mission

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

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

Last week Kayote left a comment on my Righteousness post where she explains how difficult it is for her to find time to declutter. I have to admit I do sympathise living a double income, one child, family life. It is no doubt hard work and downtime is a priority in order to recharge.

But the good news is that decluttering doesn’t have to require much effort at all if you approach it in the right manner. And I am going to try to help with that in this post today. There is nothing new in this post that I haven’t mentioned before but as I always say “Reating the same things in a different manner can bring the breakthrough that people are searching for.”. I know this because I have witnessed it time and time again here at 365 Less Things.

But which comes first the chicken or the egg? Strange question to begin with I know, but that is because I am not sure which order is the right one to arrange my advice in. Will beginning with the practical advice help with the mindset change or will the advice on changing your mindset help one to see how easy the physical side of the task can be?

In this case, although the practical tips are a longer list I will begin with them first because they might clear the path to that change of mindset. So here goes.

Decluttering can take but seconds in your day when you can learn to think outside the box. What you have to realise is how effortless the physical side of decluttering can be by simply plucking an object out of its place in your home while performing your other day to day tasks. Here are some examples…

• While applying your make-up chose one item in your make-up kit to declutter that you rarely use.
• While accessorising your outfit for the day choose one item among your accessories to declutter.
• While folding your wash loads for the week declutter any items that don’t fit nicely, have become ratty or you know are excess to your needs.
• Make a point of trying to cycle through your entire selection of clothing and linen to determine which items are your least favourite and let them go as they appear.
• When playing with your child/children identify one toy item that they don’t seem to choose to play with anymore or is broken and declutter it.
• When preparing the family meal identify a cooking tool that you rarely use and let it go.
• When arranging a meal plan for the week include a recipe to use up unpopular herbs or spices and then don’t replace them.
• When you have read a book or magazine that you are unlikely to refer back to (and be completely honest about this) allocate it immediately to the recycling bin or donation box.
• When choosing a book to read from your own collection decluttering one that you happen upon that you would happily live without.
• While taking time out to relax take just a moment to scan the room you are in and see if you can spy an item you don’t care enough to keep. When you get up to perform your next task take a moment to deliver that item to your transition point.
• Each day for a ware a different pair of shoes. Declutter any that are uncomfortable or shabby.
• If you indulge in a hobby or craft, spy items, as you use your stash, that don’t appeal to you so much either declutter it or get inventive about using it up in a current project.
• When putting out fresh linen for the week make a point of using a different set every week until you have tried them all. If you have an abundance declutter the least liked items.
• When filing a piece of paperwork remove the oldest similar item and shred it.
• When you buy something new that requires a manual declutter and recycle at least one manual for items you know longer own.
• When you get up in the ad time to use the bathroom take a quick peak in the cabinet and see if there is something you can spy that you no longer wish to keep. Declutter it.

That is numerous ways to find something to declutter without making much effort. As you can see from the list all of these tasks involve acting upon what you are simply observing. We often spy things in our everyday lives that are less than favourable to us. The only extra effort we have to make is transferring these items to our donation box, the trash or our recycling bin. How hard is that?

So by now I hope you have figured out for yourself how the change of mindset comes into it. And that is ~ Simply change how you see the task of decluttering. It barely even has to be a task or take any time. So stop seeing it as a chore. The whole idea of decluttering a thing a day for me was to turn the mammoth decluttering task, I thought I had in front of me, into a thing of minimum effort. Once I had decluttering the first item it almost became a game to me as to how easy it would be to identify the next item. So make a game of it not a painful task and you may even start looking forward to it rather than dreading it.

It is all in the mind. Trust me.

Today’s Mini Mission

 Use up something “precious” in your craft or hobby supplies that you have been saving for a special project that hasn’t eventuated for years. Every moment is special in life so now is as good a time as any to use it.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

Not all clothing items need washing after one use. So extend the use of any items of clothing you can to ensure less washing, which means less water and detergent wastage.

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

Do you have trouble with procrastination? Is “later” always the perfect time to do something? Are you stressed, missing deadlines, and constantly playing catch-up? Well…..hello! It’s so nice to meet a kindred spirit! Procrastination has always been one of my worst habits. But I recently finished an online course in “Learning How to Learn” (www.coursera.org) that has taught me something new about procrastination.
Brain researchers have discovered that when we dread doing an activity, the thought registers in the same physical area of our brain where pain registers. So naturally, we do the same thing we do when confronted with pain – we attempt to avoid it. However, the minute we refocus or re-frame our thinking by looking at the first step needed to successfully tackle a project — well, then the thought moves out of the area where pain registers and into an area I call the “getting things done” area. More focus – without the pain association! This has been such a tremendous help to me.
Now, instead of looking at years of files that need to be sorted and thinking, “I’ll get to that first thing tomorrow,” I focus on what my beginning step should be to get the job started. In this case, my beginning step included:
• using a filing crate and creating categories for the files I want to keep
• purchasing a shredder
• making a commitment to go through at least 5 files a day.
This has really jump-started my file de-cluttering process. I usually end up purging and sorting more than 5 files, but if not, I still pat myself on the back for the progress I am making.
Another helpful tip is to use a timer. Our brains tend to function better if we alternate 20-25 minutes of focused activity with a 5 minute break. The key is set your timer for both the activity time and the break time, so your breaks don’t end up getting you side tracked. (Can you tell I am speaking from experience?!) If possible, try to walk during some of your breaks, even if it is just walking in place for those few minutes. The process of moving first your right foot, and then your left (or left and then right!), activates the connection between your right and left brain sections. This helps you think more creatively and effectively.
Re-focusing my thinking on the process instead of the end result has helped me so much. I hope it helps someone else, too!
Jackie
P.S. The “Learning How to Learn” course is being offered again by Coursera. It is free and worth checking out. The course began on October 3, but you can jump in at any time during the four week course. Here is the link: https://www.coursera.org/course/learning

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

I am a mother. I have two small children and, as all mothers will agree, I have been constantly aware how much our kids are brainwashed to want stuff. It is hard that even in school they do that. Recently there was a book fair at my son’s school. At the present moment we are really short of cash for extras so there is no money for spares.  And I am a big FAN of books so I don’t usually question buying a book! Anyway, along comes my 4 year old son (who can’t read) with two little slips of paper saying that he wants two books, for the “lovely” bargain of US$50. Just so you have an idea of how expensive that is here, I can buy around 6kg of red meat (prime) for a whole month with that sort of money. And if I go for white meat I can buy even more!

So, I tell him, no I am not buying any books. The next day, before he goes to school, he looks at me and demands money because they told him he could buy a book and he just had to ask me for the money. You don’t explain to a 4 year old the intrinsic ties of selling and how salespeople are really there to make you buy stuff. You just tell them: No, I have no money for books now. And that is that. 

Our children have to learn that not everything in TV is for real and that they don’t  NEED every single item they WANT. I have cable TV and they watch cartoons and there is a constant flow of advertising. From toys to cleaning products the commercial breaks are filled with advertisings of every conceivable toy on earth and all the must haves for children. My kids have a lot of toys. I have them under control now, but I always dread Christmas because it seems like a tsunami of new things will hit my house. I try to keep things under control, but grandparents and aunts and godmothers are hard to control…lol. However as I work from home I am constantly asked: Mom, can I have that? Mom, can you buy that for Christmas? Mom, I really liked that one… And so on. 

I have learned that we have to say no. Every time they ask me for a toy/plaything/whatever, I always ask them if they don’t have enough. Or what do they wish to donate to someone who has nothing, so they can have a new toy. That also teaches them the value of donation. It is inevitable that new toys will come, so the old have to go. We and they know that there are toys that are overlooked for a time and are not played with anymore. But I digress.

I always tell my children that advertisers mislead you because they want you to buy what they are selling. I was once watching a car commercial with my 6 year old and he asked me if everyone was happy because of the car, because it was a better car than ours (it actually was way better, but a lot more expensive). So I explained to him that a car, no matter how shiny or beautiful can not make a person happy. I told him that that beautiful car did the same thing as ours, but it was more expensive, because it had a few trinkets that ours did not have. Still, it was just a car. And he concluded that a car cannot make you happy. And I said that applied to toys, clothes and many things shown on TV commercial breaks. And he asked: “So they lie to us Mom?” I said: “All the time.” 

I don’t know if he will remember what I said, but I am sure to keep insisting for both my children to remember that the advertisers tell we need something, just to make us want something. 

Don’t stand idle in front of TV commercials. Criticize the product if you feel you must, tell your children that the toy is useless if you think so. (I once refused to buy a little robotic fish because it cost US$40 and it did nothing much!), make them more aware of what they are seeing. If you are not being brainwashed, chances will be they will also begin to see the misleading aspects of advertising.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter any kitchen utensils or gadgets that you don’t use often enough to warrant keeping. ~ Who isn’t on the lookout for something that can make our workload lighter. When it comes to the home the kitchen is a major source of this focus. The problem is that many of the gadgets on the market don’t live up to their promise to lighten that load. The utensils drawer ends up with three different styles of peelers, can openers, potato mashers etc and the shelves are packed with all manner of electric gadgets. I must say that some credit has to be given to anyone who still believes on home cooking rather than caving into buying, not always healthy, prepared meals, but be sceptical about the usefulness or such gadgets.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

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

A few years ago I began the task of digitising our family photos. I used a service to digitise our negatives and was making great inroads arranging our photos in year and month folders, when I ran into two problems.

One, my external hard drive was knocked off the desk by the cat and all was lost. Fortunately my brother-in-law had copied about 3/4 onto his computer while preparing a digital photo frame for the grandparents but I have the tedious task of working out just what is missing.

The second problem is that around that time my decluttering unearthed two shoe boxes worth of photos that could be duplicates, copies given by friends, ones removed from the original photo albums and even envelopes of photos obviously unopened after being developed.

At the time the project was interrupted and I decided to focus my attention on my decluttering over the household rather than a storage bin filled with photo boxes, negatives, CD’s, albums etc.

Over the last two years this storage bin has been relocated around the house a number of times, awaiting a time when I could re-visit this project uninterrupted. I’m not entirely sure that time is now, but I do know that the storage bin is now sitting in my garage beside my computer desk.

I’m confident that when I re-begin this project I will be thorough and eventually we will have all the photos sorted and a digital set for safe keeping but in the meantime it really is a disorganised muddle.

What I am not so sure about is what happens to the originals – I don’t think I want them destroyed. But on the other hand I don’t want a library of albums either and I am not keen on scrap booking or decoupage. I’m confident my teenagers won’t want their baby and childhood photos displayed around the house. I am also a bit cautious of relying solely on technology.

Now that the negatives have been digitised onto CD’s, can the negatives be hiffed?

Our photos include a few copies of great grandparents and the odd great great grand parent, I am thinking of having those made into a photo book so information can be saved for future generations. However the bulk of our photos are of our children up until the advent of the digital camera.

I am interested in knowing if any 365ers have tackled a similar project and what gems of wisdom they could share with me or any clever advancements in technology that could help.

Today’s Mini Mission

Grab a file of paper that needs sorting and take care of that while watching television. You could also use this time to sort printed photos.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Yesterday in one of my paragraphs I wrote these words regarding stuff ~ …acquiring it, for most people, is much more fun than having to deal with the task of getting rid of it. However with the right attitude the decluttering can be far more rewarding than the acquisition of the items in the first place. ~ Which brought to mind my friend in Sydney who I helped declutter recently. Now there is a lady who had the right attitude.

She had acquired so much stuff over a long period of time. We had also discussed her starting to declutter well before she suddenly had to move. Yet she had done nothing about it. Then her hand was forced and all hell broke loose, luckily I was available to come to the rescue. But that aside, I was pleasantly surprised at just how open minded my friend was to decluttering.

Now you have read most of the story here, here and here but I feel inclined to elaborate further as a result of Wednesday’s post. When I went to help my friend I imagined that she would be reluctant to get rid of a lot of stuff and I could see us packing most of it up and moving it to her new place. I thought this especially about the sentimental items she had, and there were a lot of them. You see she is a very sentimental person and therefore, much of what I would consider just stuff, she attaches significance too. I don’t know what makes some people like this and others not but I often wish I could rescue those that do from the heartache of sentimentality. Mind you a lot of sentimentality is born of heartache in the first place but that is a whole other post to consider writing.

Anyway, my friend had the right attitude. She had decided that enough was enough and she didn’t want to continue living that way. So much stuff, the usually kind of clutter, sentimental stuff, aspirational stuff and simply excess stuff, when out the door in droves. This, as you can imagine pleased me no end. We made such great progress that first weekend and that is why I was happy to go back and help her the next week. While I was there on the second visit she was at work both of the full days that I was there and in the evenings she was tired and reluctant to make an effort with the decluttering. Understandable but a little disconcerting for me nonetheless. I felt it didn’t bode well for the future where I would leave her to carry on with the task alone.

Well once again I was proved wrong. The last night I was there was the eve of a day off for her and I was about to leave the next day. I insisted that she had to make decisions on what was to be decluttered among all of the items I had set aside in her living room. It took us until nearly midnight but she, without complaint, ploughed through every single item. Worn out we went to bed to rest ahead of a race to the temporary finish line the next morning before I had to depart. And wow what progress we made. The place was looking really good by the time I left.

It would be fair to use the expression “Ye of little faith.” to describe me at this point because I still wasn’t sure how long the decluttering determination would last once I walked away. I had warned promised her I would send a weekly mission for her to tackle for some time. I decided to give her a little break from my nagging for the first couple of weeks in order for her to recover from the two weeks of mayhem but then the missions began. I called her on the second week to see if she had done much since I had left and she had done of few tasks without any interference from me. However, being the hard task master that I am, I felt she could have done more and once again had doubts that she was slacking.

Anyway I am nothing if not hopeful and I set her a reasonable simple task for the next week. And I was pleasantly surprised, she not only accomplished that task but she also took on a couple of other decluttering projects of her own. One included decluttering a piece of furniture to a teacher friend of hers. I think she got great satisfaction from not only liberating some space but especially from helping her friend and realising the benefits of her actions for the young students.

At this point I realised my lack of faith was unwarranted. So with cheer in my heart I set the next weeks mission. To go through her vast collection of scarves and declutter any that she didn’t want to waste space on. As it turned out the mission was unnecessary because she had already decluttered all but two of them on our first weekend together. I knew she had decluttered some but I didn’t realise she had done such a thorough job. I was a little taken aback when she told be this when I was talking to her at the start of the next week, thinking that I had all but given her the week off. But my renewed faith lead me to ask if she had done any other decluttering since the task I set was so easy. As it turned out she had decluttered and reorganised her utensils drawer in the kitchen. She also informed me that she managed this while working her usual day job and also working on her days off doing babysitting. I naturally gave her a big attagirl for her efforts and then we discussed what she might do this week.

We also talked about how good she felt about getting rid of more stuff and about how many people she has helped by giving away her stuff to them. There is the thrift shop, her teacher friend, a lady she met on the bus and a friend of a friend who are in to  cross-stitch, a group of little ones that she engaged in a craft afternoon with using her excess craft supplies. And of course there is me, who has been another beneficiary of her crafting materials, many of which I have already use to make cards for my art space.

So as you can see my dear friend had the right attitude. She had had enough of being cluttered and did something and continues to do something about it. She also made me promise that I would still email her weekly projects while I am overseas. I have every faith that she will do a superb job of it.

Today’s Mini Mission

Put something out on the street, in your apartment foyer or in the staff room at work with a FREE sign on it. It is always fun to see how quickly this method works.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Below I am going to share with you some advice, both of my own and quotes I have happened upon. I will then explain how these quote apply to decluttering. Although the first needs little explanation. So bear with me and don’t run away screaming after just reading the quotes.

1. “The clutter didn’t appear overnight so wishing it would just disappear overnight isn’t going to happen either.” ~ Colleen Madsen
2. “Performing the same actions will never result in a different reaction.” ~ Unknown to me. However this version is a twist on a quote from Albert Einstein ~ “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
3. “if you aren’t happy with your life, stop living it the same way.” ~ Colleen Madsen
4. “Only you can create the miracle cure.” ~ Colleen Madsen. This one is my wording of various pieces of advice given to me over the years.
5. “Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you respond to it.” – From a fortune cookie my husband received.

All of these pieces of advice are fundamentally similar. So how do they relate to decluttering?

Well the first one is obvious. Clutter builds up over time. I say that like as though it just appears like mildew in the shower or dust on your nicknacks but, of course, we play a greater part in it than that. We bring in the clutter, usually over a long period of time. And if we make no effort to keep it under control then naturally it will get out of control. Acquiring stuff is relatively easy if you have the money to pay for it. Removing it responsibly isn’t really any harder than acquiring it but, for most people, it is viewed as a big bother. As a result, once the clutter has started to irritate us, we hope it would just quietly disappear the same way it seemed to have appeared. But, of course, the difference is that acquiring it, for most people, is much more fun than having to deal with the task of getting rid of it. However with the right attitude the decluttering can be far more rewarding than the acquisition of the items in the first place. More about that tomorrow.

As for the other four pieces of advice, the reality is that we create much of our own reality and we can also change that reality. The fortune cookie advice says ~”Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you respond to it.” This is no doubt true and good advice to head. However when it comes to clutter most of that is self inflicted and it is totally up to us to fix the problem. Making the most of the decluttering process, therefore, is entirely up to us. As I said in the previous paragraph, the decluttering process can be very rewarding if we allow it. The advice in 2 & 3 is much the same. Translate that to clutter and it clearly says that if you don’t like being surrounded by clutter then you have to change your ways. Wishing the clutter would go away but taking no action to remove it will continue to result in a cluttered home. And naturally, acquiring more while you sit idle wishing it would go away will only make the situation continue to get worse.

And then there is advice no. 4. Reading books and websites about clutter will not result in a miracle cure. The only thing that will fix the situation is to take action. Sure, advice, like I give here, is helpful but only if you put it into action. Much the same as going to a psychologist with depression and hoping that advice, sympathy and medication is all it takes to fix your issues. When actually the cure is mostly up to you, you have to take that advice, apply it to your life and gradually begin to instil new responses to potentially stressful situations. The cure doesn’t come overnight with one ah ha moment but gradual and rewarding.

So take my advice, let go of the clutter and train yourself to feel that relief with every little thing that goes out the door and the effort will not only be worth it but it will be less gruelling than you thought.

Today’s Mini Mission

Find an item that is past being useful to anyone and throw it in the trash.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

Share your eco tips with others around you. Let them know that it can save them money and perhaps you will recruit one more person to help save the planet. If you have an eco tip that I haven’t shared here in the past please share it with up through the comments section below.

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 hurricane method of decluttering, as Moni dubbed it, is when one rips through the house decluttering a vast amount of stuff all at once. A person’s hand is often forced into this action due to a sudden change in circumstances which makes a big declutter necessary.

A hurricane declutter was exactly what I was helping a friend with on the weekend. She had been thinking of moving but found a new place quicker than expected, and just when her best friend was leaving for an overseas vacation. She phoned me in a panic on Wednesday last week begging for my help. I quickly agreed and took a three and a half hour train and bus trip to her home on Friday. I ended up staying until 1:30pm on Sunday. This was enough time to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

At first we tackled the kitchen together, me pulling things out of the cupboards for her to wrap and pack into boxes. We decluttered items along the way. We kept it simple with a choice of keep or go. One word choices that saved time. We did not add any in-between choices of maybe or trial separation. We didn’t have time for that. It was only easy choices of let it go or keep (at least for now).  Secondary choices would have to wait until she has moved in.

Once we had enough for a trip to the new place we loaded it up and went on our way. She then dropped her friend at the airport and returned with a nice SUV (loaned from this same friend), for us to load and transfer with. Meanwhile I stayed at the new place and unloaded the boxes. Boxes were expensive and limited so we decided it was prudent to unpack as we went rather than waste more money.

After the kitchen was done my friend started on her bedroom while I got going in the craft room. Now, just to give you some perspective here, she owns way more craft supplies than I ever have, so you can imagine the monumental size of the task I had ahead of me. Fortunately we do the same sort of craft so it was easy for me to recognise what was worth keeping (at least for now) and what I needed to ask her to make decisions on. This went amazingly smoothly and she was very good at the decision making process. She even gave me her excuses for her choices. As before, we had no time for ifs, buts and maybes so there was a vast amount of stuff that made its way to the new house. Several SUV loads in fact. Which is why I am going back next week to help sort it out and to assist in more decluttering.

Meanwhile my friend was being ruthless in her bedroom. She donated no less than eight garbage bags of clothes to the thrift shop. Keeping in mind that she had no idea what thrift shop to use or what sorts of things they would accept. Luckily she quickly found one quite nearby that would take anything she had to offer. She was also ruthless at tossing out old make-up, expired toiletries and even some sentimental items. She packed as she went, keeping aside only the things she would need for the next few days.

After numerous trips to the new place we began to see that light at the end of the tunnel. And at nightfall on the Saturday we called it quits for the day and went out for a a easy dinner and some much earned rest.

To be continued…

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something a loved one gave you that you don’t need and is just collection dust. This doesn’t mean you don’t love the person just not the item.

Eco Tip for the Day

Take public transport where possible. It is better for the environment and actually more relaxing than tackling the commute yourself.

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