I am sure everyone has noticed how slack I have been, in recent times, with consistently posting here at 365 Less Things. After completing my mission to declutter over four years ago I have found it harder and harder to be enthusiastic about writing articles on the subject. This is mainly because, when not being focused passionately on the task of minimising it is hard to maintain the enthusiasm to write about it even though I still fervently believe in this way of living. I have attempted to make the task easier by switching the focus to daily mini missions but I still have a habit of missing days and even weeks of posts. I apologise for this to all my readers, whether you are an avid reader, one who drops in occasionally for inspiration or a new reader to my site who requires more inspiration than other to help stay focused on the task.
That being said, I am about to embark on a lengthy overseas vacation and have decided to take a sabbatical from the blog for the next six month is which time I will decide what I want to do with the site. In the meantime there are so many years of enthusiastic writing that any person, looking form inspiration, can read through at their leisure. The information never gets old and will remain relevant for years to come. And there are years of mini missions that one can also refer to.
So in closing I would just like to thank all my readers who have come and gone or remained a partner in my journey over the last eight years. I am eternally grateful for your company, your support, your enthusiasm and your contributions. I will sign off for now with gratitude.
Kind regards
Colleen
Hi Colleen, I hope you have a wonderful and safe adventure!
Yours is still my favorite blog ever 🙂 I’ve had a lot of laughs here and a lot of inspiration. I wish I could say I was close to my ‘goal’ but alas, no. Our daughter is set to take her nursing boards this month, so hopefully she will pass them and be on her way to getting a job in nursing… leading to her being able to move out (and take her stuff with her) 🙂
If you feel that you can keep the blog running when you return, it would be nice to have a way for your ‘regulars’ to make updates about their progress even if you are not posting. (I do go back & read the archives and the comments). I’m wondering if there would be a way to have this comment section always available for that purpose? 🙂 That way, us 365-ers could share with each other at least 🙂 Maybe you could run it by your IT guy LOL (if you agree)
Have tons of fun! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thank you Peggy and good luck. I hope your daughter is successful in her studies and soon has a good job and can reclaim her independence.
And don’t worry, I do not plan on shutting the blog down. It can remain here to help those who come seeking guidance with there goal to declutter.
Hi Colleen,
I hope you have been having good travels and that you and your family are safe and healthy 🙂 Our daughter moved out at the end of August 2018! She took all her crap, I mean stuff, with her! My house echoes!!! I have been doing several scrubbing jobs because my home hasn’t been clean for 4 years (too cluttered to clean). I have also been doing small decluttering jobs, some of which are getting rid of to do items on my list by… ahem… actually doing them LOL.
Recently, I took 2 courses I need for my professional credentials, renewed my liability insurance and my national board certification (massage), took CPR (also needed), took a sentimental video tape to the place that converts them to DVD, sent the check to renew my husbands car registration… These things have all been nagging at me and now they are in process 🙂
Our married daughter and her husband came to visit after the other daughter moved out. I had scrubbed and sanitized the room they were to stay in, then lined up stuff along one wall for them to go through and decide on. The room was otherwise empty! Some of the stuff was food related that I bought for them, some was stuff she left when she got married, some was stuff from our household. To my knowledge, they took everything but a couple of pillows although I said they could just take what they wanted 🙂 I also offered them any plastic storage bins or cardboard boxes from my giant stash on the back porch. This pile will be decluttered when I determine that we are “done” decluttering our home and so not need them. They took a little from the pile.
I am breathing again now 🙂
Have a fun, safe, vacation. Maybe you can give us some occasional updates on what you are doing while you are gone. Will miss you.
Thanks Deb J, my loyal and wonderful reader. You can personally follow my adventures on Facebook, but for others I may be inspired to right the odd blog by things I encounter on my travels so keep an eye out.
I really enjoy your blog posts, even if they’re irregular. They keep the inspiration and motivation I need to keep plodding along with my own decluttering and pursuit of minimalism.
When you return from your holiday, a monthly update on your life, your thoughts, your next goal or even a link to an article that you find helpful, would be great, if you decide to maintain the blog.
Have a fantastic trip. 🙂
Thank you Jane. Having a mission can give life meaning as well as achieve something worthwhile so keep up your decluttering and when that is done find another goal to achieve.
A monthly post sounds very doable, we shall see.
Thank you for explaining your absence. Your tips have been very useful to me in my clutter clearing endeavour. It’s an ongoing and life-long process.
Have a wonderful trip away!
Thank you Sandra. You are right about life-long process. Keeping the inward flow to a minimum is the best way to also keep the work to a minimum.
Colleen – have a lovely holiday. I have found the 365 community to be very supportive and inspiring. I have been referring others who are starting their decluttering journey to your blog. They hav found inspiration. Whatever you decide to do, the community will support you.
Thank you Idgy, you have been with me on the journey for quite a while and I have appreciated your presence, your contributions and support over the years. Happy decluttering to you.
Colleen, enjoy your vacation! I found you when I was facing a massive downsizing nightmare and you and your whole community helped me a lot.
Unfortunately, I don’t learn and am now reverting to old, bad habits. I will be puttering through the archives to get back on track. I wish I had your willpower to stick to better path.
Hi Joan, giving up something can only be achieved if you desire the new good habit more than the old bad one. Breaking the dependence on needing the stuff around or acquiring stuff is likely what you need to work on first. I hope you work out the trigger that will finally free you.
Thank you for the inspiration and motivation. Helped me after moving back to the UK and seriously downsizing. Wishing you a wonderful holiday and may you be refreshed after your blogging rest. Best wishes
Thank you Shirley, I am glad to have been help to you.
Thanks Colleen for your years of inspiration that you and the 365 Community have given me. Have a great sabbatical, and look forward to any updates that you feel inclined to share and hearing what you decide to do with the blog.
Happy Trails!
Thank you Calla, and thanks for being along on the journey.
I will miss you. I have enjoyed sharing declutter triumphs with the 365 community. You inspire me to keep reaching toward a simple life with less clutter. I am working on the “No” muscle to stop accepting stuff that I don’t want/need. I found you in 2012 when you won the “#1 Simplicity Blog” – so many memories. Have a great journey – maybe you can tell us about your journey and the rewards of a simple life.
Hi Pat, thanks for being wth me for so long and you are right, it has been a lovely community here at 365 Less Things which is why I am reluctant to let it go. I have time now to consider which way to go and I will use that time wisely.
Colleen,
I can’t thank you enough for the inspiration over the years and for your positive outlook on life in general. Your blog has not only helped me with decluttering, and reducing the urge to purchase, but I have enjoyed the supportive comments from you and your community. I will keep working on the principles you inspired, but I will miss you! Have a wonderful vacation!
Thank you June, I really appreciate your kind words.
I second everything that’s been posted above, your blog has been my favourite by far of the few I follow. Have a great trip, enjoy yourself! Love Janetta
Thank you Jeanette, it was lovely to be able to meet up with you in New Zealand last year. We will be back over there to explore further I am sure.
Looking forward to it!
thank you. happy trails.
Thank you eema.
Echoing others’ comments of support for you,
and gratitude for wonderful posts & camaraderie.
Even something occasional is a fine reminder to
keep us on track.
Thank you for all you’ve done for so many of us!!
Thank you Sumarie,It has been my pleasure to make a positive difference in a lot of lives.
I’ve been reading for awhile and will definitely miss your posts. I hope you enjoy your time off and come back refreshed. Cheers, Michelle
Thank you Michelle.
Colleen, I have read and loved your blog from the beginning (when I found it, I had to go back, but read them all). I was already decluttering and it was just so fun to read all the inspiration from you and the people who commented. I will miss you and all the people who seem to be old friends now.
Have a wonderful trip and I hope we will hear from you somewhere down the road!! Thank you for all you have given to us.
Thank you Brenda, I miss all the interactions I used to have with the readers too. I considered you all friends and still do. The blog is as much, if not more, about the readers who condptribute so much good advice and energy.
Hi Colleen
I have to join in here and say thank you for your blog. Your friendly advice and encouragement, and the support and comments of all the readers, made a huge difference for me. As a result of reading your blog my husband and I have donated literally hundreds of items and although we can still improve we are already both delighted that the burden of our material possessions has become so much smaller. You have given me important tools to resist recluttering our home and our lives.
Have a fabulous vacation and like everyone else I do hope that we will hear from you from time to time. And I still hope that one of these days we might meet up somewhere and I’ll be able to treat you to a coffee!!
Thank you for your kind words Christine. I am glad my blog has been a help to you. Where are you from so I can work out if a meet up might be possible one day.
I am reading your archives now. Wow your hubby posted – great to have a male point of view.
Why not do “meet and greets” with your travels? If you visit New York I would love to meet you.
Hi Pat, I have actually done that in London, Auckland, Rotorua, Los Angles, Austin, Tokyo and Sydney. perhaps I had better post up where I am going this trip and people can message me if they’d like to get together.
Thank you, Thank you Thank you for this blog. Your posts, guest posts and all the wonderful comments have inspired me through the years when I am decluttering. Taking a trip back through the archives can keep me going for months. I am getting ready for another mission through my house and again need the inspiration. I am very sad to see that you are losing your inspiration. Perhaps you could have new folks do guest posts? Please keep the posts out there so we can all benefit.
Wishing you the very best.
Thank you Cindee, I appreciate your kind words. We shall see how I feel once my vacation is over. I will be leaving the blog open no matter what so people seeking help can read through the archives.
Hi Colleen!
Thank you for the inspiration to declutter alongside you several years ago when you first started your blog. Since then I had a baby (now 4 years old!) so I’ve become a less regular reader but I’ve stopped by from time to time. Having significantly decluttered before my daughter arrived really made a big difference for peace of mind afterwards. To this day I still take the approach of keeping a bag in the closet for odds and ends that my family doesn’t need anymore and then donating the bag when it’s full.
So thank you for everything no matter what you decide in the future with this blog, and have a wonderful trip in the meantime!
All the best,
Kathleen
Hi Colleen, It’s been many years since I joined you and many times 365 things have left my home(s). There have been great life changes for both of us in that time as well. We were able to declutter LOTS when we made the move from country to city in 2016 but the work continues, as it always will. Thank you so much for providing the impetus to get started and stay on track.
Enjoy your travels. If western Canada is ever on your list, some see us!
Dear Colleen I wish you the best in your next chapters and adventures in your life, you have helped me tons as you have with so many others as well and you should never feel like you have anything to apologize for in any stage of all that you have provided through all this time! <3
Take care, follow joy wherever you find it and stay strong! Best of wishes from Norway <3
Well, I seem to have arrived not just late to the party, but after it is over!
One of my professors used to talk a lot about what he clled “redirected calling.” That means you hve a mission or passion for something that prepares you for the next thing. The original mission ends. And the new one begins. Wish you the best!
Thank you Jax.