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Post by eatingbonbons on Jul 2, 2012 20:21:59 GMT -5
Preparation, Getting Unstuck pp. 1-5 I'm going to list some of the things she mentions that I see in myself: I need to make a change, and shake things up a bit. I feel like I'm not I'm going to be able to get this house decluttered/cleaned and orderly. I need to release my attachments to things I need clarity in making decisions I'm feeling weighed-down by all of the clutter in my house. Anyone else have any comment/thoughts? Responding in kind - some of the things Morgenstern mentions that I see in myself:- It is difficult for me to prioritize activities.
- It is difficult for me to prioritize objects.
- I often have an all-or-nothing approach.
- I struggle with releasing clutter that is not obviously trash.
- In spite of having confidence I still deal with self-doubt.
- Sometimes 'analysis paralysis' gets in my way.
- I often feel overwhelmed with too many options.
- I do best when I have something to focus my energy on - a project, a goal.
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Post by seashell on Jul 2, 2012 22:23:54 GMT -5
I checked online to see if our library has the book. They have one titled "When Organizing Isn't Enough: SHED Your Stuff: Change Your Life." Wondering if it is the same book.
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Post by yrwelcome on Jul 2, 2012 23:19:22 GMT -5
Hi Seashell- My copy of the book says that it was originally published as "When Organizing isn't Enough". Sounds like its the same book
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Post by seashell on Jul 3, 2012 9:28:15 GMT -5
Good. Thanks, yrwelcome. I'll stop by and get it from the library.
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Post by missjean on Jul 3, 2012 16:05:22 GMT -5
I noted that my reason for wanting to SHED is internal "a desire for improved relationships with others, oneself, and the world" (p. 10), Kindle edition. No one and nothing is forcing me to change. I took the quiz online and got the following results: - SEPARATE: Everything seems to have equal importance to my identity, so identifying true "treasure" is hard.
- HEAVE: I can release the most obvious forms of clutter. Similar to the previous, I need to work on letting go of the "good stuff" that isn't good for me.
- EMBRACE: This is a huge trouble area for me. I was shocked to read this diagnosis because it is spot on: "You never really had a chance to develop a clear sense of yourself growing up. You consented to other people's expectations and allowed societal norms to guide your decisions. You got good grades, went to a choice college and pursued a profession that others prescribed." This is so true. I decided to double major because I wanted to pursue a fine arts degree, but my mother dropped the hammer on that idea. Even after changing careers, I'm in one of my family's preferred professions. I like it, but it's not what I wanted.
- I'm most worried that DRIVE is a trouble area because it indicates that even when physical obstacles are removed, I will still have the tendency to feel paralyzed.
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Post by missjean on Jul 5, 2012 17:30:17 GMT -5
I jumped into Chapter 1 and came up with a theme: VENTURE. By definition, it's to proceed without knowing the outcome or to take a risk in expectation of gain.
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Post by Ally on Jul 5, 2012 20:19:47 GMT -5
I've been away for a few days, and plan to come back and post some more about chapter 1 on Friday or Saturday. This book is making me realize that I have begun to change already, and I wonder what I would have thought if I had read the opening pages of the book 2 or 3 years ago. Two years ago, I didn't think I had too much stuff. I thought I just had to organize and containerize everything I had. Over the past 2 years, I've gradually begun to realize how much stuff I have and how attached I am to it. If you had told me I was materialistic a couple of years ago, I would have denied it. Now I know I am, but in a different way than I would have defined it before. I never needed to buy the biggest and best or the most expensive, (that was DH). I was a bargain shopper. If I saw something that I thought was an unbelievable good deal, and it was something that I thought might be useful to someone someday, I'd buy it. Now my house is full of 30 years worth of stuff that I bought because I might need it, or know someone who might need it... And of course my creative side. I would also buy items for my next project, the curtains I never made, the little girls dressed and lab coats I never made. (Yes I did make some dresses, so it was not all wasted.) I'll be back to post again in a day or two. P.S. I was at a relative's house yesterday. My Aunt and Uncle passed away last year and left a house, loaded to the gills with stuff. I was offered several items, I did take yardstick that was from my grandfather's hardware store. The store closed about 45 years ago. I want to mount the yardstick somewhere in my house. I DID GIVE 3 items away to my sister's kids though, so out with 3 in with 1. Not too bad.
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Post by missjean on Jul 7, 2012 9:21:02 GMT -5
Ally, interesting thoughts about where you've been. And it's cool how little you took from the estate.
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Post by missjean on Jul 7, 2012 9:23:25 GMT -5
I've had the book for a few weeks now and I didn't want to get too ahead of everyone here, but I thought I'd share this Chapter 3 insight with you. it's about Point of entry.
I thought POINT OF ENTRY sounded like what we would a "hotspot" or a "doom room" (LOVE that term!) or the like. But Morgenstern writes it could also be bad habit, a commitment we wish we didn't have, etc.
It sounds extremely negative, but she flips it around. She describes it as "a doorway to opportunity and insight..."
She writes, "First, you will locate the opportunities to free up space and energy.... Second, you will pick the best point of entry to start your SHED. You will (also have) a whole list of additional points of entry you can select from as you continue your SHED." - Morgenstern, Julie (2011-01-11). SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life (pp. 40-41). Simon & Schuster, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
I hadn't thought of my office as anything but a giant pain. But this week I made more progress than I have in a year. It's amazing.
Also, I'm done playing Solitaire and other games - cold turkey! I hadn't realized how much time I was spending on time-wasters. While waiting for other people, I can read or write or other more productive things. I should have realized this sooner, as one of my dearest friends has been crocheting in her spare time and had a plethora of useful items after only a few months.
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Post by Ally on Jul 7, 2012 14:33:26 GMT -5
Miss Jean, thanks for sharing. I have reread chapter 1. One section is called "SHED Is Not a De-cluttering Crusade" This confused me a little because she said it wasn't about organising either. I read it a few times and I think I understand now is that you shouldn't throw anything away because you feel coerced to. The reason to get rid of something is because you want to, because it's something you aren't using and you know it will free up space. It's a different way of looking at things. SHED attempts to put a positive spin on things. It attempts to change your mindset about how you view things.
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Post by Ally on Jul 7, 2012 15:08:39 GMT -5
I jumped into Chapter 1 2 and came up with a theme: VENTURE. By definition, it's to proceed without knowing the outcome or to take a risk in expectation of gain. Wow, Miss Jean, I like that, I'd almost like to steal it. I have been working through Chapter 2 and having some trouble coming up with a universal theme. I know the past 20 years of my life have revolved around raising my daughter. She's gone now. My house in in shambles with goat trails and piles of junk all over the place. I have made slow progress over the past 2 years. Some ideas I have for themes: Simplify: Eliminate unnecessary items from my life. Creativity: Sew, knit, quilt, craft, art. Education: Pursuing the degree I never finished I just looked at her list of suggestions and "Creating a nurturing home" is close to what I want, but I'd like to change the word nurturing into something else. After brainstorming some more I came up with: Creating Serenity, or Seeking serenity. Creating a serene, peaceful environment, free of excess clutter. I put it in my signature to remind myself. This does not touch on my interest in going back to school, but it does touch on getting my house decluttered, and creating an oasis in which I can work creatively. Miss Jean, I started a new thread for "Part 1: Separate the Treasures" takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=18659
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Post by missjean on Jul 7, 2012 17:43:00 GMT -5
I jumped into Chapter 1 2 and came up with a theme: VENTURE. By definition, it's to proceed without knowing the outcome or to take a risk in expectation of gain. Wow, Miss Jean, I like that, I'd almost like to steal it. It isn't stealing; it's sharing. I quite like your "Creating serenity." It's a good starting point, and Morgenstern did say you could change it as you go, so when you success in building your little Fortress of Serenity...
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Post by angelinahedgehog on Jul 8, 2012 20:11:46 GMT -5
I have been rereading the SHED book, so I'd love to join in on this RAL. I bought the book several years ago, and started working through it. I managed to clear out some areas, but then I stalled, and now I'd love to get back into it. My initial theme was "loosen up", and while I think that was a good one for me then (and still appropriate now), I'm also looking at other things. I think that when I got sidetracked, my unspoken theme was "don't rock the boat". Between changes on a large scale and on a personal scale, I was more focused on staying afloat than in sailing to new waters. Now I look around and see that I'm afloat and in no immediate danger of sinking. This is excellent. And what's even better is that I'm aware of it. I'm afloat. And I'm sort of drifting. Moving forward a bit, but without a whole lot of intent and direction. It seems time for another transition. "Loosen up" still works as a theme, but I'm now seeing a specific dimension to it. A hoe applied to packed earth in the spring. The soil, loosened up. Seeds or seedlings planted. And then... Growth. Color. Creativity. So perhaps I still need to prepare some areas, and loosen them up, but that's so I can cultivate creativity. "Cultivating my creativity": that's the theme I'm going to try on for size. -------------- Okay, I just reread the section on picking a point of entry. (For those who don't know me, I've been maintenance for several years. Most physical areas on my list are pretty well organized, and at least one of the areas on my list is pretty close to perfectly organized. It's just stagnant, and I'm not sure how to make it unstagnant.) I have several possibilities, in several areas. Area | Point of Entry | Size | Percent Obsolete | Level of Attachment | Physical | Clothes closet | Medium | 40% | Easy to So-so | Physical | Books (aside from The Collection) | Large | 50% | So-so to Hard | Physical | Books (The Collection) | Large | 0%. Or 100%. It's a little hard to tell. | MINEMINEMINE! | Physical | Photos | Medium | >50% (just from weeding out duplicates) | So-so to Hard | Physical | File cabinets | Medium | 10% (possibly another 10% for things related to The Book Collection) | Easy to MINEMINEMINE! | Physical | DVDs/Videos | Small | 90% | TBD | Physical | Kitchen supplies | Medium | 50% | Hard | Schedule | To-dos connected with The Collection | Large (except I'm not doing them, so they're small, except they're still hanging over my head, so they're large) | 0%. Or 100%. | MINEMINEMINE! | Schedule | To-dos connected with Other Hobby | Medium/Large | 20% | So-so | Habit | Mindless Escapes | Medium | 50% | So-so | Habit | Procrastination | Large | 50% | So-so | Habit | Perfectionism | Large | 80% | Hard |
There may be other areas found as I go on, but I think that's enough to start with!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jul 8, 2012 22:01:52 GMT -5
After brainstorming some more I came up with: Creating Serenity, or Seeking serenity. Creating a serene, peaceful environment, free of excess clutter. I put it in my signature to remind myself. And I put it in my username to remind myself (my original username was SeekingSerenity) I later added the courage part because I needed that. Both things together in my name -- really did help me as a theme. I don't have the SHED book, but I might consider getting it at some point. I will contemplate a new theme. (But I won't make my name any longer, ). -
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Post by Ally on Jul 9, 2012 4:47:42 GMT -5
AH, I am really impressed with your table, and the thought you've put into this. I decided not to make a table right now, because I think it's quite pointless in my present situation.
Mine would be something liKe: Area: Physical Point of Entry: Every room in this house, except DH's room and master bath. Those would be his responsibility. Size: Ginourmous Percent Obsolete: 90% Level of Attachment: Varies from easy to very hard.
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