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Post by dtesposito on Nov 6, 2014 18:23:49 GMT -5
Time for another major goal! I always work best if I have a plan, I don’t always finish all I want to do, but it gives me direction and motivation. During these last two months of the year I want to finally get the last of the cluttery looking areas out of my apartment.
I’ve gotten a lot done the last year or so, and although my books are still a challenge, they’re more “under control” than previously. My daily goal for a while now has been to try to get every room at a point where it’s “good enough”, meaning that it’s not drop-dead embarrassingly messy if someone should come in and see it. I don’t succeed every day, but I’ve reached a point where more often than not, more than half the rooms are at this point. That doesn’t sound very impressive, but compared to previous years it’s a big deal.
Cleaning is the hardest thing for me, even harder than de-hoarding has been, and in thinking about it lately I clearly see how the clutter makes the cleaning so much harder. And although my rooms are way better than they were, most of them still have some amount of excess that I would like to get out of here. Cleaning is still difficult, and will continue to be as long as I have the pockets of stuff that shouldn’t be here.
So, my goal for the end of the year is to work on the excess that still exists. I know I won’t be able to get it all out, because much of it is still books, and the books I sell just have to stay here until they sell or until I decide that they are no longer saleable. Plus, I have more of my own books than most other people do, but that’s okay with me—I’ve done a lot of purging of books during the last two years and am almost satisfied with how many remain as keepers. I’m not imagining that my place will look marvelous after this goal, especially when I consider the issue of things that need repair/painting etc. But since I now know what “good enough” looks like and can keep that level with more success, I want to go to the next level.
If I succeed with what I want to do, although I will still have an excess of books around, what I’m keeping will be as neat as possible, everything will be in designated storage and cleaning should become a lot easier. The actual clutter level in most of the rooms will no longer be at all embarrassing should someone see it. I’m assuming cleaning will follow, or at least—with the major clutter gone, I can no longer use it as an excuse not to clean!
This is another scary goal, I get anxious thinking about it, because it’s not going to easy. But I usually know by that feeling that it’s a good goal even though it’s going to be difficult.
If you haven’t already planned what you’d like to do for the rest of the year, I hope you’ll come up with a goal and join in!
Diane
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Post by dtesposito on Nov 6, 2014 18:37:53 GMT -5
My timing: there are approximately 8 weeks left until the end of the year. I divided the 12 rooms/areas that I work with by how messy they are, and came up with 4 categories: Almost no clutter: Bathroom, Sunporch, Hallway Moderate clutter: Kitchen, Entryway, Pantry, Main Desk, Computer Desk Lots of clutter: Second bedroom, Living Room, Dining Room (the last two have mostly book clutter, except for the perpetually messy DR table) Too much clutter to clear in 8 weeks because it's the dumping ground for things I want to have out of site: Bedroom So, I hope to spend a week on the first category, 3 weeks on the second, 3 weeks on the third, and the last week on the bedroom, getting as much done as I can in there, even though I know that last room won't be anywhere near finished--just hope to have it better looking. I'll probably start on one of the middle categories instead of the easiest or hardest. Now I need to figure out how to let go of things that I haven't been able to on all my previous decluttering rounds! Diane
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Post by Chris on Nov 6, 2014 19:11:44 GMT -5
This is a great idea for a thread Diane!!! I have one major goal = which is to get rid of the huge dining table and 7 chairs! Maybe posting ideas and progress here will help. So far, we have gotten the legs off it and leaned it along the wall in the room where it is (dining room) and each weekend it has rained so I have not had luck carrying it out to sell or give away. It was free to us along with a side table/secretary which I am keeping and using. It was a mistake to take the table and chairs because it was/is way oversized for our old 1940s style home which has small rooms. We finally agreed to get rid of it - husband was reluctant. But we have a table in place in there which is much more to scale and will work. So, he has agreed that we will do something with it -- often changing from the idea of "letting" me sell it to maybe considering putting a "free" sign on it -- and he even suggested another idea which would involve having to take it in our truck. I don't care, as long as we get it gone! I guess what my goal is is this: to keep alert to a day when conditions are right to put it outside, and keep gently in a non-nagging sort of way, moving us forward. Already, since we agreed to get rid of it now he finished the floor in there so things are looking up! Now to get rid of all that bulk BEFORE this year ends. That's my main goal. Diane -- I know you an accomplish your goals! You've worked really hard very consistently for a long time now!!!!! Cleaning is so much easier no matter the condition of the home (believe me I know) when there is less excess "stuff". It's going to be a lot easier for you!!!!! Good luck and I will try to remember to get back here to this thread and participate. There are likely more goals I need to set as well.
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Post by dtesposito on Nov 6, 2014 19:42:45 GMT -5
Chris, thank you! I really hope the time will be right to get the table out--I imagine it's beyond frustrating to have a giant piece of furniture in the house serving no useful purpose, and someone else doesn't want to get rid of it. If he wants to donate it to some specific place and would feel better about it, that would be great. I know the feeling of wanting things to go to just the right place! I know this is the time of year when many people have goals of getting their homes ready for the holidays, and there's a whole forum for that--but maybe there are some other folks like me who don't do holiday entertaining, and just want to make a good decluttering goal so they can end the year with a little more space than they had before! Diane
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Post by hollyhock on Nov 6, 2014 22:46:46 GMT -5
dtesposito - I think this is a great idea. I don't know if I am over-shooting here - but I will try to do this. I am moving in 11 days. Nov 17. I had planned to have my Christmas stuff down in the storage locker at the new place - but with Christmas coming so soon, I think I will just have it all put into my apartment - lots of extras will go in the second bedroom (library). I want to be easily ready for Christmas but to unpack smoothly too, and make reasonable decisions about where stuff will go. So my goal is that by year's end, Dec 31, I want to have my everyday stuff unpacked, and my storage in my apartment and the storage locker all decided. I would also like to have a weekly cleaning routine in place. And because my circumstances will then be very different, I want my bills all paid off and a bill paying plan in place as part of my weekly routine. I will have about 6 weeks after moving to do this.
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Post by lesaulerouge on Nov 7, 2014 2:48:02 GMT -5
Ok, time to give my bedroom some tlc, again. It gets worked on, and gets tidier and more organised, but it never lasts.
The main areas:
Sewing wall. I have all my sewing stuff in our room too, I have a big table with two machines, lots of boxes of notions, all labelled, most on shelves. But there are other craft things in an old hifi cupboard, and an old wooden sewing box at was dh's grandmothers, currently empty, a metal sea trunk of unlikely to be used fabric and patterns, I could declutter some maybe but am scared of getting rid of stuff I may want someday... And I get paid for pattern translation with fabric. So I have seriously ridiculous amounts of the stuff in plastic boxes which now no longer all fit in the shelves. I prefer to sew mainly knits now, and I mainly get paid in wovens so I buy more knits when I see them (our fabric shop sells a lot of roll ends and cheaper cuts, but doesn't always have what I want on the roll, so these days I buy the cheap bits I like as and when I see them) and that isn't helping!
My side of the bed:
Medical box and spare meds live here, boxes of clothes for dd to grow into, clothes I am wearing. I used to have nails up to hang dressing gown, onesie, and two towels. Dh just replaced them with hooks but although it looks like 4 hooks they are useless really because they are 2 back to back, meaning that as my dressing gown and either one or two towels are wet every morning I now have fewer hooks than before and more 'floor' stuff because nothing will dry if I use two hooks together. I have an old school desk with two lift up lids. The stuff inside has been sorted and decluttered, but I could probably do more because it is all keep but never use stuff iyswim.
Dh's side of the bed/room entrance:
Once again I am up against dh because there are boxes of stuff his side that I cannot sort, but that he doesn't make time to sort. I have whittled them down as much as possible, but can do no more. We redid one wall in our room at the start of the year - new plaster, wall lights, plug sockets, painted plain white. Since then the stuff that should be on his chest of drawers (3 baskets of assorted and non sorted tat) are on the floor - because I assumed that this might make his sort them out - and he has just continued to dump new stuff on top of the chest of drawers. There is also still a box of tools, finishing off bits and pieces etc left over from when he did the renovations to the wall.
Linen press top:
Books that people have kent me, which tbh I am unlikely to read. Nought to try and give those back and get them out of the room. Loads of picture frames we asked for and were given many Christmases ago to make a photo wall on the landing, all still empty. Drawers of jewellery and make-up, in need of a declutter and sort out.
Wardrobe top:
School resources, we have to supply everything so I buy when I see on offer and keep until needed. Swimming clothes and towels. Vanity case, empty for when we go away. Box of ornaments, maybe, treasures? Not sure.
So, how best to work on this one? Think I will go for a number of half hour slots again. Off to make a ticker!
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Post by cando on Nov 7, 2014 12:47:04 GMT -5
wishing you all the best of luck, here! I love the Workalong thread you did for the during the week this week, Diane. I hope you will be doing more of those. It was very helpful to me and I got a lot done. CD
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Post by def6 on Nov 7, 2014 16:32:07 GMT -5
I have a huge goal that I need to get done before Christmas; I need to go through drawers , cabinets,and closets to straighten and declutter. I'll start now with under the kitchen sink.
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Post by dtesposito on Nov 7, 2014 20:24:29 GMT -5
Oh I'm so happy to see other people here! Def6, I will also be going through some closets and storage spaces prior to doing my decluttering, to see if there's any storage room I can free up. I've gone through all of the spaces not too long ago, but I keep hoping that I'll find additional things that I can let go. Are the closets, etc. that you're going through ones that you've recently worked on, or are they going to be a huge job with the discovery of lots of stuff you didn't remember you had? Lesaulerouge, you must have a huge bedroom to have all that furniture in it. I know that fabric is hard to let go of because it has so much potential. Even I have a couple of drawers of fabric, and I don't know how to sew anything except catnip pillows for the cats! What do you mean by pattern translation? Hollyhock, I think your goal is doable, depending on how much time you have at home. It's easy once you're settled into a new place to just relax and think you have forever to get unpacked, and then a year later your stuff is still in boxes! So it's good to try for a timeline. Cando, it seems like people are comfortable with the two work-along threads a week so hopefully whoever is first on the scene on Fridays and Mondays will start a new thread. I'll try to watch for them too, if I come online on those days and they haven't been started yet. As I said above, my first step in my decluttering is going to be checking out my storage to see if I can squeeze out any additional space anywhere, hopefully I can finish this job by the end of the weekend. I know that in my room decluttering I'm going to hit a couple of problem areas where I won't be able to get rid of stuff and will need another place to put it. That means something in the closets/cabinets will have to go to make room. I will try to get a start tonight, on a dresser near my front door. Onward! Diane
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Post by lesaulerouge on Nov 8, 2014 2:32:49 GMT -5
Hi Diane,
Yes, huge room. It has a big bed (Euroean King sized, but I know names are different everywhere), blanket box, 2 chests of drawers, 1 big old one and another that isn't small, a linen press, 3 door wardrobe, hifi cupboard, big trestle table, shelves, school desk, pile of plastic storage boxes, metal sea chest, sewing box, a small cast iron enameled Art Deco stove (decorative, in theory, if it wasn't covered in stuff) and boxes of dh's stuff, and room to move around!
And we live in France, I am English but I do speak French, so I translate a range of sewing patterns that are written in French into English. She pays me with the patterns and fabric, an arrangement which has gone on for a couple of years now and which we both seem happy with.
My fabric has got out of hand again, so today I want to put it back into its boxes, in the 'right' boxes, and try to get those boxes all on shelves or the sea chest as much as possible. I have all this stuff so I think of a pattern, think 'oh yes, those 2 or 3 patterns would be good for that pattern', and I get them out to show dd, then I don't have/make the time to make it, but now the fabric has escaped its box and is once again loose and untidy...
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Post by razy on Nov 8, 2014 4:07:30 GMT -5
I have had an on-going goal for more than 2 years and that is to buy a house. As much as it is an exciting thing to look forward to, the gloss sort of wore off about 3 months into the search. Right now we are running out of energy for the search, we look at properties on line every day but we haven't actually been to an open home in weeks. I don't think people take us seriously any more. We have stopped getting phone calls from agents and no one asks us about it any more. Money is not the problem, we have more than enough for a good deposit and the bank is good to go. We just have not found a place we like. In the 2 years plus we have been looking we have only put in an offer on 1. It was a tender situation and we came 2nd.
Anyway, my goal is to buy a house by Christmas.
I wonder what we are doing wrong. I have been told we are looking for something that does not exist but I do not believe that. (we want a biggish house with a biggish garden) The last 3 houses we have rented have fitted that description. We are not particularly fussy apart from that, but I don't want to buy a house I don't like and I feel like that's what people want us to do. Right now I feel like I/we have a blind spot and people may have been giving us good advice but we are not hearing it. And how do I know? There is always a balancing act between maintaining some autonomy and not getting pushed around and getting reasonable advice.
Buying a house has become a reflection of worth as a person. What sort of a loser am I if I can't buy a house after all this time!
Progress towards goal today: Checked out newspapers and internet for new listings
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Post by dtesposito on Nov 8, 2014 16:20:06 GMT -5
Lesaulerouge, do you live in a rural area to have such a large house? When you said you translated the patterns, I thought it would be from English into French, and I wondered why there weren't companies that made patterns in French. Are there are lot of English speakers where you are, that's why they need the translation into English?
Razy, you certainly have an interesting end of year project! I think it's good not to compromise on the things that you think are important, otherwise you'll eventually regret your purchase. On the other hand, it depends on how badly you want to live somewhere other than where you are now. I can tell you that when I bought my condo, I only looked at about 8 or so places, and none of them grabbed me, although I could see good qualities in all of them. But when I walked into this one--even though it was run down and needed work--there was a different feeling--I immediately started imagining myself living here. My realtor told me later that during prior visits I had no expression at all on my face, but when I was looking around this apartment, I looked totally different as I went from room to room--she could tell right away that I was going to want it. But, in looking back, if I hadn't felt that way about any apartment, I guess I would have taken something that seemed okay, because I really wanted to buy something and not rent anymore. You can take an average house and make it into something that you will love. I really hope there's something out there right now that's just what you're looking for.
Diane
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Post by lesaulerouge on Nov 8, 2014 16:36:31 GMT -5
Yes rural, in a village, but mostly so big because we got carried away with what we could afford here compared with the very high house prices in England. It is far too big really, because we have expanded to fill the space...
And she sells the patterns online and obviously feels it is worth translating them, she gives me hundreds of Euros worth of patterns and fabric twice a year. They are not much like American patterns or British ones in style, but are very very popular over here. No, not many English speaking people in this bit of France, it is a quite unknown to tourists area, and tbh I have never even met the pattern designer - she lives in the South. I assume she sells to people in other countries, she now has her patterns available in Italian as well. The patterns that I buy I buy online, from Germany, Holland, the USA, I haven't bought a paper pattern in a shop in over 10 years, and being able to buy PDF patterns that you print at home has removed a lot of barriers to international pattern selling and buying.
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Post by razy on Nov 8, 2014 17:44:54 GMT -5
lesaulerouge - isn't technology amazing! I am constantly amazed by the things we can easily do at home. It's like living in a science fiction movie! Who would have thought we could chat with people all over the world in real time! dtesposito - I agree, I have had 'a feeling' about places I have rented and cars I have bought. The house we put in the offer for definitely had 'the feeling'. At the first open home I could have layen down on one of the couches and gone to sleep. When we went through the second time it seemed very intrusive having other people in 'our house'. I blew not buying a house without 'the feeling'. Luckily G feels the same way.
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Post by cando on Nov 9, 2014 6:18:37 GMT -5
Oh I'm so happy to see other people here! ... Cando, it seems like people are comfortable with the two work-along threads a week so hopefully whoever is first on the scene on Fridays and Mondays will start a new thread. I'll try to watch for them too, if I come online on those days and they haven't been started yet. ... Diane dtesposito -- Yes, I really like those 2 threads and am also so happy that they are in the General Forum, too! Thank you for starting threads for all of us. My goal for End of Year, as you already know, is to have my home good enough to invite guests in. It's been a long time since I've been able to do that. CD
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