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Post by Ally on Aug 18, 2012 7:20:58 GMT -5
I just wanted you all to know, that I haven't completely forgotten about this thread. I have had to take a break for the last couple of weeks which will likely extend into September. There is just too much busyness in my life right now.
Today I have a little time and I'd like to pick out at least 10 pieces of clothing to Heave (trash or donate) It would be great if I could do more than that! I might manage to spend sometime working in the bathroom as well.
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Post by seashell on Aug 19, 2012 8:26:47 GMT -5
Ally, I haven't forgotten, either. I'm still reading the book and working out physical treasures--there's just so much stuff, and my brain is so sure that everything is a treasure that I'm having trouble making progress.
Also, I have been reading the chapters on scheduling and realize that I have work to do in that area, as well. I will post as I work things out and finalize my physical treasure list.
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Post by yearning4order on Aug 19, 2012 14:18:47 GMT -5
This is Part 2 of a discussion of the book: SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life: A Four-Step Guide to Getting Unstuck, by Julie Morgenstern. Chapter 7, Heaving Physical Attachments Chapter 8, Heaving Time Attachments Chapter 9, Heaving Habit Attachments [/color][/quote] Wow! This is amazing. I know you all have recommended her works before, but I had forgotten about the resource. Put this on my amazon wishlist. I'm struggling with these 3 so this is great!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Aug 20, 2012 17:13:38 GMT -5
I happen to have a book here titled: Restoring Junk: What to do with a sidewalk find? A thrift store bargain? From broken clocks to battered furniture, an A to Z guide for the junk store scavenger. Fully illustrated, by Suzanne Beedell. Copyright 1970. Hmmmmm... I'm not kidding. A book with that title for a hoarder ... ... would be about as useful as a book on fine wine for an alcoholic! The cool thing is that you can see the humor in this now. You have already shed the persona that you used to be when you first acquired that book.
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Post by angelinahedgehog on Aug 23, 2012 19:04:07 GMT -5
I'm still here too.
But I wasn't last week. I was visiting relatives and making a side trip, and all in all, that's a Schedule Treasure. Have to keep that in mind when I switch my focus to Schedule/Commitments.
I hadn't finished my kitchen purge, but I think I'm heading back that way.
I hadn't gone food shopping before the trip, and when I came back, I couldn't be bothered. Fine and dandy until I ran out of coffee. And discovered that the half empty decaf coffee had no discernable aroma beyond a faint hint of caramel. And that the unopened package of coffee from years ago had a faint nutty/caramel scent, but nothing really coffee-ish. And that the tea bags weren't in much better shape.
Out they all went.
So that shelf is mostly empty, and I'll wipe it down properly, and as long as I have the stepladder out, I'll deal with the other shelves.
In the meantime, I'm dealing with the backlog of books. Slowly, but faster than before. So that's a positive.
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Post by hiding on Aug 29, 2012 23:29:52 GMT -5
I'm still here too and slowly looking through all my stuff.
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Post by missjean on Sept 1, 2012 12:55:44 GMT -5
My time treasures are becoming clearer. Today I called my bachelor brother and my parents to make weekend plans this month and October. Time with friends/family is a treasure. Working weekends are not.
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Post by seashell on Sept 3, 2012 8:26:10 GMT -5
I made an initial run through the clothes in my closet and got a large bag ready for the thrift store. It was difficult, because I wear everything in my closet; but I am realizing that, just because I wear everything doesn't mean that I need everything.
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Post by ClutterBlind on Sept 3, 2012 15:56:31 GMT -5
I made an initial run through the clothes in my closet and got a large bag ready for the thrift store. It was difficult, because I wear everything in my closet; but I am realizing that, just because I wear everything doesn't mean that I need everything. This one is a hard one for me, too. I have a LOT of tops I just wear around the house. I tend to drop food on every piece of clothing I own. I also make art, so I need clothes I can slop paint on. And I never want to be without one of those when I have the impulse to make something. I also have a set of cleaning clothes. I never wear ANY of these outside my apartment. So, there really shouldn't be any categories to these different items. Especially as I have way too many and even after a major purge several weeks ago, I still have too much. As per Morgenstern saying, "Remember a time when you didn't have all this stuff. . ." I do remember back. I was fine with less clothing. I just can't seem to get myself back there again. Even tossing half of this stuff will be way more than I remember having back then & was fine. I guess part of it is that, back then, I was planning for a time in my life when I'd have MORE. I was a poor college graduate, making ends meet. I hoped that one day I'd beyond that level of having so few items. Now, I have too much and it is causing most of the squalor as, when I finally have an impulse to clean, picking up the laundry is most of the work. Ir it needs to be done before I get to anything else. It's hard to push the vacuum or a mop with clothing piles around. Ugh!
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Post by Ally on Sept 7, 2012 18:52:53 GMT -5
I plan to put my SHEDding back into gear tomorrow. I haven't decided where I'm going to start, BUT, I know I'm going to go somewhere with a trash bag and start heaving obvious trash, then the real SHEDing can begin. I'm going to be a Sheddai Warrior!
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Post by hiding on Sept 7, 2012 21:31:25 GMT -5
I'm here and having a difficult time with the SHED method. I do think it is valuable, but perhaps not for me. I intend to finish reading the book to all cover the sections on other than stuff (time, etc.)
I don't know the treasures from the non-treasures but getting better. At least I no longer am hanging onto boxes and packaging items came it - "in case I have to ship them back". In reality that doesn't happen very often and the empty boxes take up so much room!
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Post by angelinahedgehog on Sept 7, 2012 23:11:01 GMT -5
I've been quiet for a bit, it seems.
I did the kitchen cabinets. Threw out a bunch of stuff (containers in sizes I haven't used in years, or that are too hard to get clean), and wiped down the shelves. The only things on the very top shelves are rolls of tinfoil and such, angled so they're easy to grab and put away. I'm slightly above average height for a woman, but I'm not tall - definitely not tall enough to reach the top shelves easily. Stuff needs to be right near the edge, or I can't get it, which pretty much guarantees that I won't use it.
I'm thinking of rearranging a few other things in the kitchen, and then I'll be on to the next area. The office supplies are starting to irritate me, so perhaps I'll do them next.
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Post by missjean on Sept 8, 2012 12:41:57 GMT -5
Seashell and clutterblind, I reduced my clothes twice over the summer, but I'm ready to do it again. The fewer things I have, the more I figure out what I wear, when and why. I altered a couple clothes Treasures - taking a giant fabric flower off a blouse and a removing an Adidas stripe trim from a skirt were the most drastic - and received compliments from my co-workers on my "new" wardrobe. Ally, I think you deserve PUNishment for that "Shedai" comment. Angelina, "irritate" is right. SHED has had the effect of making some of my mess unbearable. The linen closet is a case in point: I used to be happy if I could shut the door, then I thought it was fine if things were corralled, and now I want only the everyday-use items in it! BTW today I'm trying my hand at changing a light fixture. On the floor of the linen closet was a ceiling fan that my parents gave me when I first bought my house, with the intention that my father or one of my brothers would install it in the guestroom. I kept it because it truly is a Treasure - despite what TV designers say, ceiling fans are essential in some regions. When I took it out of the box last week, I found it's a small fan (the one in my bedroom is full-size). Then, as luck would have it, the light fixture in the office blew two bulbs this week! It's one of those spotlight fixtures that supposedly can be adjusted to focus light on three separate areas, but that just means everywhere else is cast in shadow. The smaller fan will work well in the office. So wish me luck.
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Post by seashell on Sept 18, 2012 7:36:28 GMT -5
Missjeanclean, how is it going with reducing your clothing more, and with installing the smaller ceiling fan?
I am in a Bible study, and interestingly, in the first lesson, the leader was talking about treasures. She defined treasures as "things we would defend to the end." I could clear my apartment out on that one. I know what she meant: she was thinking in broader terms, like our families. I think that I will keep some things that I wouldn't defend. Some things are necessities, and some things just bring us joy, but that sentence has made me realize how unimportant so much of what I have really is.
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Post by Ally on Sept 19, 2012 6:46:54 GMT -5
Miss Jean, How did the fan/light installation go? I have done such work, and find having a second pair of hands essential.
Seashell, That definition of treasure is a good one. We would keep treasures and things that we are actually using on a regular basis. I bought a couple microwave steamers, probably about 7-10 years ago. I did use them frequently at first, but have not used them in a couple of years now. They are taking up valuable space in my smalll kitchen and need to go, but I know I've cleaned out my cabinets a few times and they kept ending up back on the shelves. Thanks for the insight.
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