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Post by missjean on Jul 23, 2009 14:45:23 GMT -5
I have a question. Right now, I'm taking a break after two days of the Big Purge. My house looks bad because I emptied the closets and cupboards. However, I can tell that there's less stuff here. I gave a lot of things to a charity rummage sale. Normally, I would shove everything back into cupboards (and boxes). But I'm trying to get a new definition of "normal".  So here's my question: Should I put things away one room at a time, or should I concentrate on a class of objects to put away? I'm actually kind of stunned right now, trying to figure it out.  And no, it's not shock. If I were in shock, I wouldn't feel the egg-sized lump where my arm met a bookcase.  |
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Post by moggyfan on Jul 23, 2009 14:57:54 GMT -5
Unless for some reason you MUST get it all put away immediately, this is what I'd do:
Devote some time to evaluating your possessions--did you truly keep only what you love and use? If you still have too much, cull through it a bit more.
Then, decide where each category of thing should "live" based on where it gets used and how much space is available.
Then I'd move the things into the room they belong in now.
Then I'd clean the cabinets, closets--dust, vacuum, whatever--go crazy!
Then, I would start putting things away, room by room.
Woo-hoo! You've done lots to get to this point!
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Post by autumn on Jul 23, 2009 16:04:25 GMT -5
Thats a tough call. I mean if you have shoes or games in various closets in various rooms, you might want them all in a pile to cull the herd. I would do it that way WHILE still doing one room at a time. Make a staging area so to speak and only put what you are keeping back into that room. Wow! You are at a great place and have done so much!
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Post by zinnia on Jul 23, 2009 17:26:58 GMT -5
 Congratulations on your progress!
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Post by missjean on Jul 23, 2009 19:51:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the support and the advice. No, I don't have to put everything away right now - but I'm going out of town for 4 days next week, so I'll need to have everything squared away Monday or Tuesday.
A staging area sounds good, actually. My office is already kind of like that. I have boxes with various kinds of media, since I'm culling DVDs and books for the library. If I can get the books out tomorrow morning, I could make it my staging area for other things, too.
Thanks again!!
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Post by gottaproblem on Jul 23, 2009 22:34:03 GMT -5
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Post by puppybox on Jul 24, 2009 11:10:22 GMT -5
my experience with staging areas is that the project stops there indefinitely, or way too long, and often the staging area is required for soemthing, and the stuff is mixed up again.
keep this in mind as you put stuff back into closets, etc: "storage" space is for retrieval purposes, not for storing things. best to think of it as retrieval area.
this helped me a lot as I really thought that when you get a new thing, you put the old one in the closet for just in case. forever. jsut inc ase u might fix it, jsut in case it comes back into fashion, just in case someone else wants it, jsut in case you have fond memories and want to look at it, etc. nowmy realy small closet has off season clothes, the few odd things that need hanging. a suitcase and just 1 box of "good navajo blankets to be hung up someday, though not appropriate for current space" (I used to have a million boxes of stuff like this). and there is still room to put my laudry hamper on the floor so its out of the room's floor space.
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Post by Lucky Laura Loving Life on Jul 24, 2009 15:12:48 GMT -5
Dear MissJean,   I have found that if things really, Really,REALLY have a proper home. ie:silver in the silverware drawer etc.... I will remember where it belongs and be much more likely to put them away promptly,it seems much less bother because I don't have to think about it and with my ADD being so bad the lack of decisions helps me greatly. The trick for me is deciding on some things where the proper home is and then reinforcing it till I can remember the home for said item.I am sure you will figure out what's best for your style,good luck! Love,Laura  |
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Post by yearning4order on Jul 25, 2009 2:57:28 GMT -5
keep this in mind as you put stuff back into closets, etc: "storage" space is for retrieval purposes, not for storing things. best to think of it as retrieval area. er...what is the difference? (Genuine question, I really don't know.) I'm worried because have that whole staging area thing happening in my room right now, but I'm not sure I could have done it any other way. Er actually I'm pretty sure I couldn't, there was no floor to start with, and I couldn't easily get to the closet or open the dresser drawers. |
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Post by chakraverte on Jul 26, 2009 3:17:43 GMT -5
missjean -- Congrats on the big purge! For me, catagorizing is easier. That way, I don't have to think about "where is the 'perfect' place for this?" I just think is it paperwork? shoes? clothes? health and beauty?. Once I sort out that stuff, and find homes for them, (or at least have them contained) it makes it easier. Also, that is how I realized that the reason that I wasn't putting away a bunch of my dishes and cups was that when I went to get a cup out, I'd realize it was chipped/broken and not want to use it. I'd fix it...later. Once I saw that I had x # of cups...and so many were ok, and so many were chipped...it made it easier. I like looking for one particular thing, because then I can say...ok, I have x# of duplicates. How many is reasonable to have? And then I get rid of the rest. yearning4order: I think the difference between "storage" and "retrieval" is that when you are thinking of "retrieval" you know that you are going to get it again...soon. So, you make sure that everything can go in and out easily. It means that you make sure that if you want something on the bottom corner, you'd be able to get to it quickly. It took me a lot of practice -- and a LOT of purging before I got to that state.
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Post by missjean on Jul 27, 2009 23:15:18 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice. I SORT of understand the difference between storage and retrieval, because I've had (ex) boyfriends store things in my place until I forced them to take it (or I got fed up and gave it away).
I'm kind of like Yearning4Order: I need a staging room for the second part of the Purge, since I have things like books in every room at this point. In order to figure out what to keep, I need to see them at one time.
And there's another reason: If I can't get everything organized by next Thursday, I want to have a single room that I can close off from guests. (I may even lock the door!) At the same time, I can't keep it as storage forever because it's the office/music/writing room. I need to use it!
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