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Post by def6 on Sept 13, 2021 10:23:24 GMT -5
After being a member here for over a decade, I am happy to say that I keep a cleared-out kitchen sink BetsyMarie Here's to lasting changes! I will now take 5 and fill up my bag of stuff from the laundry room to declutter.
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Post by mouseanne on Sept 13, 2021 10:37:16 GMT -5
I generally only get things done on weekends. 1st weekend, mini vaca with my child and grands. 2nd weekend, sore throat, got nothing but brainless sewing done, not even laundry. Odd cleanie moments happen here, too. Last week, I opened the shredder to toss in a handful of wire notebook torn edges. It spewed. O, look, someone got out the vacuum and sucked it all up. Hm, was that mouseanne I saw out a the corner of my eye?
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Post by BetsyMarie on Sept 13, 2021 18:40:12 GMT -5
Tomorrow is the 5th (or is it the 6th day?) of my mini challenge, and during this time, I nearly filled six 32 gallon trash cans with green waste. Very good. Tomorrow is pickup.
I'm going to come up with another Sept Mini Challenge, but I'm tired now, and am not sure what yet.
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Post by Jannie on Sept 14, 2021 16:09:48 GMT -5
This time of year I always feel enthusiastic about starting over in my de-hoarding/decluttering/ cleaning efforts. Back to school , the coming holidays, my own birthday in November all seem like natural markers. I recently started cleaning in my bedroom. So far, I have cleaned out my two drawers of underwear and socks, and I found a missing framed photograph of my late much-loved husband. I put it back on display, it brings me great joy to see his face.
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Post by goldenthreads on Sept 14, 2021 17:35:58 GMT -5
This time of year I always feel enthusiastic about starting over in my de-hoarding/decluttering/ cleaning efforts. Back to school , the coming holidays, my own birthday in November all seem like natural markers. I recently started cleaning in my bedroom. So far, I have cleaned out my two drawers of underwear and socks, and I found a missing framed photograph of my late much-loved husband. I put it back on display, it brings me great joy to see his face. That picture's a treasure. What a lovely discovery. That's an interesting approach. You make it sound as if the seasonal aspect happens naturally with you, but I bet many of us could choose to make similar associations in a deliberate way. Thanks for the idea.
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Post by def6 on Sept 17, 2021 9:08:22 GMT -5
I am still committed daily to decluttering 1 bag from my laundry room from past "fill up a large bag and then hide it" stash n dash efforts. "'Someone's coming over so clear off all flat surfaces" efforts.
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Post by BetsyMarie on Sept 17, 2021 13:42:19 GMT -5
My next Sept Mini Challenge is keeping on top of the dishes. I'm currently washing them, and for the next 3 days (I did say 'mini'. ), I'm going to do what's necessary to keep the dishes under control. I don't wash dishes every day - there usually are not enough - but keeping then 'neat' in their proper area, is the challenge.
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Post by def6 on Sept 19, 2021 13:21:12 GMT -5
Good for you BetsyMarie on your dish challenge. My main focus lately is to work on decluttering daily- how ever small. I have also found that working on this challenge first ensures that I will work on this daily and not get carried away with other things.
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Post by BetsyMarie on Sept 19, 2021 19:50:06 GMT -5
You are doing great. I did that (decluttering something every day) for a couple months close to the beginning of the year. Feb/Mar or maybe Mar/Ap. It really doesnt matter. I had backslid very far (being messy, not bringing things into the house) and my job at the time was to declutter something every day. And for 2 months I got a lot accomplished, and I was even having fun. The backsliding items were mostly 'fixed' after a couple weeks, and after that was decluttering in areas I'd never gotten to - drawers, closets, books.... Then I needed to do some fun things, and outside stuff, and I seemed to have stopped decluttering. And I don't like that cuz there is more to do. Hopefully come shorter, colder days, I'll get back to more hardcore decluttering.
I'm absolutely convinced it takes time and dedication to accomplish lots. Yes, every little bit helps, but to really dig out without it taking years, takes more. Right now I'm caught between spending the time maintaining (aka not backsliding) and the time it takes to declutter. I can't seem to do both at the same time.
Also, I've been working more outside. I like being outside and started just wanting to do a certain task, but kept seeing more that needed doing, and just today realized I'm in full declutter mode outside in the side yard. And it needs it. So I guess I am making progress now that I can call what I'm doing 'decluttering'.
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Post by BetsyMarie on Sept 21, 2021 11:47:20 GMT -5
The dish challenge of the past few days went well enough, and certainly was not very taxing. I basically was mindful of carrying anything dish related into the kitchen and put next to the sink. Being aware of it is the 'success' part.
The next mini challenge will be to continue decluttering in the side yard. Now that I'm calling it what it is (decluttering), it seems more motivating. It's a job that should have been tackled months if not years ago. So my current challenge is to do some decluttering in the side yard for the next 5 days. This morning I sent out in the trash 3 small partially rotted 'logs'. They had been just sitting there for, well, way too long. I intend to do more there this afternoon.
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Post by def6 on Sept 21, 2021 12:24:42 GMT -5
I got "stuck in" a little while ago while out in the laundry room putting on a laundry load. I took a look around, I brought a bag of socks in and just took out of there ones that are newish to pair up and put in circulation. . I also found some winter things that need to be washed and hung up. So I am reclaiming some space and reclaiming some grasp of getting to what it is I want to do.
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Post by BetsyMarie on Sept 23, 2021 8:51:42 GMT -5
def6 said: Earlier in the year after doing a lot of good work, decluttering and organizing, I am still reaping the benefits of that work. Time well spent. The " what it is I want to do" part. For me that's getting the house to be not only more pleasant to be in visually, but more functional. More simple to work in. Eliminating the "...but first I have to..." step. Although not perfect (I still lack everyday skills) it really makes doing everything more simple, from cooking, laundry, artsy stuff.... The days are getting shorter - I want to do so much more along those lines inside. But first declutter the side yard so things will be more functional, and hence more productive and fun, outside too. When there are too many "...but I have to do that first...", it takes the joy and efficiency away from doing the original task. I hadn't thought about it before, but decluttering is often eliminating the step of "...but first I have to do that..."
Decluttering is basically preparing work/living areas for being able to do most things without having to do something else first.
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Post by OnTheMend on Sept 26, 2021 13:19:07 GMT -5
Only two pages of this challenge, and September is almost over! Time for some turbo speed for us! Me included! This is my original post: I was so busy for the end of August, that I didn't have much any time to work on my goals. So many of my last month's goals will be moved over to this Spetember goal list. I did get some of my paperwork projects done, I got lots done at work, and tackled some deep cleaning projects. But there are still much to do. I still have furniture to sell. I still have the basement storage cubicle to clean, and all the things that have been sitting aroun in my home to take down there. The window renovation is approaching, and I'll need to work towards that, too. And look for work, and apply for research grants. And take care of me. I guess the main theme here is a getting my life to a manageable place, and get all the old stuff done to make room for new things. I didn't like the way I set up my lists last month, it was difficult to update and to get an idea how I had progressed. I'll need to think how it would be done better. I will post the details in my blog for more privacy, but these are the main things I want to work on: 1. tackle all the old (and new) paperwork projects 2. add deep cleaning to my weeks, prep for window renovation 3. sell furniture, take donations I have been keeping a more detailed list in my blog, but I haven't gotten lots done. My first two weeks were 100% spent on 3 applications (each a HUGE project, tackling this was a biggie!). I was then just exhausted, and needed some time to recuperate. I am slowly now starting to be functional again, but I am finding myself facing that mountain of tasks I had hoped to tackle during the length of this month. My most important goal has been working on my financial/professional/personal paperwork projects. Those have accumulated and all of them are now red-hot time sensitive! I really need to just tolerate my anxiety and go do those projects anyway. I tackled today a phase one of one of the super important paperwork projects. Yahoo! The project isnow "pending", and I can't do the subsequential steps untill I hear back from someone. I was several weeks late with submitting this form, but it is now done, done, done, and that's the most important thing! Tomorrow I will continue woring on my other paperwork projects. I will write more in my blog. I have been whipping my home in shape this month, which is amazing! I feel so much better for it! I haven't really been tackling those particular deep cleaning or organizing projects I had listed as my goals for the month, though. Alas, I don't think I will get those done in September. Maybe I manage to clean the lint filter of my washing machine, it would be one thing from my list, and it really needs doing. And it should take too long. But the rest of the listed projects, I will not get them done, I know that already. Oh, I did get two repairs done in my home this month, and even though those weren't direcly on my list, they do belong to this home improvements category and one of them was in prep for the upcoming window renovations. I have not done almost anything to the decluttering project. I took some photos of few thing I plan to give away or sell. And I do have ads up about the furniture, but I haven't been updating them, so they have been burried in the FB selling groups. And someone expressed interest about one of the furniture pieces I have been thinking about selling. But it was the only piece I actually wouldn't mind keeping for now, it does have a function and I currently have room for it. First and foremost I would like to get rid of a table and two chairs. I might be able to become more active on this front before the turn of the month. There actually was someone who was interested in my table in August, but at the time I was trying to sell the table and chairs as a package, and she didn't want the chairs. I could re-contact her, if she is still interested. And put up new ads where I try to sell the pieces separately. But: I will be focusing on my paperwork, I really need to whip this area of my life in order. Not perfect, but up to date and manageable, so that it won't cause such anxiety in the future. Nothing else is as important as this. I am already looking forward to the next challenge!
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Post by OnTheMend on Sept 27, 2021 7:28:08 GMT -5
I made good progress with various paperwork projects today, really happy with that!
I also made a tiny half-step forward with my decluttering goal, as I asked my friend to come with me to take our donations to the charity shop soon - although I am pretty sure it will actually happen in October.
And I cleaned my fridge today, so I made also progress with my goal of adding more deep cleaning tasks in to weeks.
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Post by OnTheMend on Sept 30, 2021 4:08:03 GMT -5
Well today is the last day. I haven't done any progress since my last update, and today I'll try to do few applications and a writing task, but those are not really part of my original paperwork project goals, just some other deadline tasks. Otherwise I'll be busy today.
I did some good progress this month, although my goals were overly ambitious to my current energy and health levels. Progress is progress, and it'll be easy to continue working on everything starting from tomorrow.
How did others do?
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