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Post by dayeanu on Mar 12, 2012 10:35:08 GMT -5
Less stuff does not automatically lead to the cleanliness and order you seek, but having way too much stuff guarantees you won't be able to have it. Getting rid of the excess gives you the potential. It's so much easier to keep your place clean when tidying up doesn't feel like working one of those sliding-number puzzles. I think this is the best way I've ever heard it expressed ever! I have to agree!
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Post by Freedom on Mar 16, 2012 16:48:46 GMT -5
Yes!
I think our great-grandparents' generation were right when they insisted on "a place for everything, and everything in its place."
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Post by messymommy on Mar 16, 2012 18:52:48 GMT -5
Yes. Definitely yes in my experience. Less stuff means that it is easier to keep up with and also, messes and objects out of place are much easier to see (and thus deal with) when they aren't hidden in a landscape of clutter. Messes that are seen and tended to promptly are less likely to do damage or become permanent stains. Items that are not hidden in the mess are less likely to get ruined or lost. Everything becomes easier to deal with when you have space to do it in.
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Post by dayeanu on Mar 16, 2012 21:06:20 GMT -5
It's rather amazing to me that it is just now really sinking in that getting rid of stuff IS the first, and necessary, step. I guess as a hoarder, I always want to keep it all, clean and neatly sorted away - sort of like a store!
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Post by messymommy on Mar 16, 2012 22:20:31 GMT -5
Oh, I hear you, dayeanu. I like to be surrounded by my treasures, too. Plus I seem to be able to form a sentimental attachment to a toilet plunger! But it has been a huge awakening to see that less really is more. I never believed that - more is more, right? But open space and a few, truly treasured items is so wonderful. It helped me to purge when I looked at each item and wondered if others would actually use it and thus honor it more than I was by letting it languish in a pile of clutter. If the answer was yes, I gave it to friends or donated it. If the answer was no, I really evaluated whether or not I treasured the item or the memories associated with it. Surprisingly, it was the memories more often than not. I took pictures and tossed all but the most meaningful to me. It was soooo painful and yet, I love my home more now than ever. It's a place to enjoy my life rather than drown me in guilt. I started with one room. The idea of purging my entire house was too painful to even consider so I told myself only one room. When that was done if it was killing me with regret, I would stop. Believe me, it hurt but I was ruthless. The end result was a clean, spacious bedroom that I found myself walking into every chance I got just to soak up the beautiful peace! I started on a second room almost immediately and haven't looked back. Maybe you could try one room?
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Post by Bizzy on Mar 17, 2012 16:14:04 GMT -5
well I am moving soon and have purged and packed my kitchen - leaving just a few things for us to use in the interim. and I still find my kitchen a mess because I have bad habits! My new place has a dishwasher and much more cupboard space. i first thought- Oh good - a place for things! But after the last week- i am thinking- you will make a mess no matter what- if you don't get into a routine of keeping things up.. I have been blaming some of my mess on too much stuff and really-- it is my habits that contribute at least as much of my too much stuff. I am becoming aware of something that i didn't think of before. Sloth--- is one of my issues. Plain and simple. I gave up long ago for many reasons and instead of sloth being something that was temp-- it has become habit. Changing the way I do things, think about things-- and committing to it-- is what is going to make the difference. I had a friend once say-- if you have an old beat up car- and you don't take care of it and keep it clean--then even if you get a wonderful car- you will not take care of it... how wise she was! i have a lot of changing to do. thanks for the insight. Bizzy
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Post by dayeanu on Mar 17, 2012 19:04:39 GMT -5
Oh, I hear you, dayeanu. I like to be surrounded by my treasures, too. Plus I seem to be able to form a sentimental attachment to a toilet plunger!
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Post by ClutterBlind on Jul 19, 2012 15:07:15 GMT -5
Wow, great gems on this thread. Thanks everyone!
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Post by Layla on Jul 19, 2012 17:21:19 GMT -5
I was reading somewhere a question "Do you feel if something is empty you have to fill it all the way?" And I thought YES If a dresser drawer is empty or a shelf space isnt occupied, I needed to fill it,,,,, WHY??? ha, once I really thought about it, says WHO? Why did I have this idea that it must be that way? Whats wrong with an empty drawer or cupboard or shelf? ? I also just recently moved and totally purged most of my kitchen cabinets, for one, I lived in the same house for 12 yrs with 2 kids, so I had a lot of things and places to put them. I ended up only taking the following in the end One set of my good pots and pans (not triplets), 3 GOOD high quality cutting knives, my utensils I use the most, all my silverware, a few glass pitchers, pyrex, you know the main cooking dishes. When I got to my new house I went to Ross and bought some new drinking glasses that ALL MATCH. My dish set is a set of 6 I believe. I just have bowls, and the large and small plates. I dont need all the cups and saucers as I dont use them anyways. I dont have a huge collection of odds and ends cups anymore. I dont need serving dishes and china sets, and various appliances (only took my juicer, food processor and blender) Microwave was built in at new house. I may get a new toaster is all. I have a home with a hanging pot rack, a magnet rack for the knives to clip on and one of the racks of hooks to hang your spatulas, ladles, large spoons,etc on. So less in the drawers and cupboards now. I have lots of empty cupboards now! And I have to tell myself "Thats okay you dont have to fill them!"
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Post by Ally on Jul 19, 2012 19:18:23 GMT -5
Wow, great gems on this thread. Thanks everyone! I agree, somehow I missed it when it was new. Thanks for bumping it Cluttterblind.
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Post by ClutterBlind on Jul 19, 2012 21:01:42 GMT -5
I was reading somewhere a question "Do you feel if something is empty you have to fill it all the way?"
And I thought YES
If a dresser drawer is empty or a shelf space isnt occupied, I needed to fill it,,,,, WHY??? ha, once I really thought about it, says WHO? Why did I have this idea that it must be that way? Whats wrong with an empty drawer or cupboard or shelf?? I have the opposite problem. I get paralyzed about filling cabinets & drawers. It comes from seeing all those magazines & organizing shows where everything fits so neatly and perfectly. I felt like I had to do the same thing. That when I fill the shelves, they should be picture perfect too, in case anyone stops over and looks inside my cabinets. The problem is, once stuff finally fits in perfectly, I don't want to take anything out, try to put them back in again, or change the equation as any new items won't fit so perfectly. So, much needed items never come out to be used and stuff gets piled in FRONT of the cabinets instead. This reminds me of a thread I just bumped on this way of thinking. Apparently, I'm not the only one. "I don't use my storage space": takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=8589&page=1
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Post by Di on Jul 19, 2012 21:52:24 GMT -5
I could not get out of squalor until I purged out virtually everything. Flylady is correct on this issue.... when you have too much clutter all you can do is churn. Until you pare down and assign everything in your home a 'PLACE' you can't put everything away. The only way for me to maintain is to be in a state where everything can be PUT AWAY. Even if things aren't put away, you know that this goes here and that goes there-- it's a matter of putting things there.. not figuring out what to do with them. This being said, there is an incredible amount of "stuff" in this house, but it's a huge home and there is a place for everything. The only place that is somewhat squalorish is the garage, it's got shelves on every wall that are filled with books and other stuff, but even there everything is accessible.
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Post by lil on Jul 19, 2012 22:32:10 GMT -5
If I got ridof everything thing but the basics I'd still be left with having to wash dishes and laundry. I would still eat and accumalate trash that should go in the trash can not the counter top, table, or floor. So no getting rid of everything may not help.
Getting rid of the bulk of the items, finding homes for the things you keep, and a schedule or training will help us keep up
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 19, 2012 22:53:02 GMT -5
I gave up long ago for many reasons and instead of sloth being something that was temp-- it has become habit. Changing the way I do things, think about things-- and committing to it-- is what is going to make the difference.
I think that some of us never learned the habit of cleaning, or we learned it at one time but once we filled our places up with stuff, we completely got out of the habit, and now have to face the fact that "average" people actually do spend part of every day cleaning!
I think that you can have a squalorous home even if you don't have too much stuff--but if you DO have too much stuff, you will most likely have some squalor because the stuff makes cleaning so hard.
Diane
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