declutterbug

Garage sales can be just the thing

2009-06-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

... as can Freecycle.

Last year, I was given a Softub on Freecycle. I was SO excited, having drooled over them online many times. They are lightweight and come with an external pump, so seemed a perfect thing for my patio.

I tied the tub to the roof of my car and drove home (within my small Island City) at about 20 mph. Untied it, and rolled it into the back yard. My neighbor helped me hook up the pump, realizing that the tubes that connect it need replacing. We turned the pump on and it leaked, as expected, but worked so well that I was splashed with water from a high jet!

Then... nothing. I never got off my heinie to go get new connection tubes. It's been nearly a year, I think. I finally got real and decided

-if I haven't gotten the tubes by now, I never will, and
-um, duh, I hate to be boiled like stew anyway.

I was never going to do it. So I relisted it on Freecycle, got a lot of requests as expected, and chose a man with arthritis (and whose name is the same as my dad's middle name), and he took it away yesterday.

What a relief!

And this Saturday, we're having a garage sale. We had one last year and got rid of so much stuff that when G suggested having another one, I didn't think we had enough to sell off. But now, the more I think about it, the more I'm ready to get rid of TONS of stuff. What a lifting of the burden it will be! I just added more things to my CraigsList ad.

Yay to getting rid of stuff, and Yay to making a little cash, and Yay to getting off my heinie and getting things I don't want OUT of my house!

Marathon cleaning

2009-01-11T23:18:00.000-08:00

Today, my son and I did marathon cleaning all afternoon. This is an idea from FlyLady, yet again: you clean really hard for 15 minutes (always with a timer), then do whatever you want (play, watch TV, knit; I cut out pajamas) for 15 minutes, repeat.

I got the whole bathroom clean from top to bottom, the house swept, two big baskets of laundry moved downstairs and started, half the dishes done, several counters cleared and wiped, some Freecyclable stuff assembled and readied... seems like there's more. Oh, I tossed two cut-out cardboard boxes after making my son choose which one of the 3 he had modded to keep. (He chose the new giant one we just got from work, which had held a big monitor for one of our older machines, back when monitors were giant.) He worked for his room, but for the life of me, I couldn't see what he got done... he did attempt to pick up papers and sort them (recycle or keep). He also put away a complex advent calendar we have, from Playmobil, where each day's box holds one or several pieces to a final Christmas scene.

I also got my laundry-sorting table cleared and put into use and am SO happy about that. It is so nice to have a place to sort everything and have it right there by the washer.

I wanted to get more done today, but we really made a great dent in what needed to be done, and both enjoyed the intermittent "play" time. I'm really looking forward to doing the FlyLady routines again. Which means I need to get to sleep. :)

A fresh start

2009-01-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

I had been slipping in my decluttering ways for a while. When my sister visited last fall, she came up from the basement looking shellshocked. I could tell she was jarred and she gently asked something about cleaning it out. I think I brushed her off irritatedly.

But she had a point: my basement was a nightmare. So much stuff all randomly piled and stuffed and stacked and falling over.

Within that month, I attacked it with a vigor. Moved the table legs I'd found somewhere and the table top I'd gotten from Freecycle to near my laundry area, cleaned and swept the floor, worked like a fiend. And cleaned maybe a ten-foot-square area. At the time, it felt like a huge step forward. In retrospect, it was a drop in the bucket and a clear SHE moment--we are all capable of small bursts of concentrated cleaning; it's the consistent resistance to clutter that will save us.

My sister and I talked more over Christmas. She (again, gently) suggested that maybe I could try the FlyLady system again--and institute it for my son. I agreed. I started to read the FlyLady site daily and get back into the decluttering mindset.

So last night, I looked at the clock at 9:10PM and thought, "Yeah, I could do 15 minutes." I ended up putting away the box of silver that had been sitting out for months, stacking the coolers by the back door (now put away downstairs, yay), and cleaning out the broom closet. Cleaning out the broom closet was kind of a sidetrack, but I'd been feeling frustrated with the way it was set up anyway. It's nice to have it tidy, with a place for our lunchboxes, the dog's food and pills, and the broom and WetJet. I also mopped the ceiling where a beer bottle, plummeting from the roof of the fridge, fell straight down on the floor and blew its cap, creating a beer geyser. (Note: beer is very sticky after a day of drying.) It was nice to get that done.

Today, I was in a bad mood at lunchtime, and went home (am lucky it's just 3 mins from work). Just after I got there, bringing the coolers downstairs, I decided to tackle more in the area near the washers. I have a nice big wooden table down there that is ostensibly for sorting and folding laundry, and has been covered with bags of yarn, blankets, other bedding, and a big blue tub for a couple of years now. I moved the tub (which had all of one piece of posterboard in it), put the yarn away, and looked at the bedding. Some of that is going to leave my house! The rest will be washed and put away. It'll be nice to have more sheets for G and duvet covers for both of us.

I also cleaned under the table, discovering my pre-baby clothes that will probably never fit me again (and that I will definitely not wear again anyway!). The final count: 1 box of books (taken to work), 2 bags of garbage, 2 bags of recycling, 4 bags of donations to be taken to Goodwill.

And a huge weight off my mind. (Priceless.)

Changes

2007-03-07T16:27:00.000-08:00

A ton has happened since my last post.

I got really sick due to black mold exposure (in my housemate's room--it was growing through the wall from a leak behind). She moved out of the room in December, but I wasn't aware of why. Anyway--long story short it involved respiratory problems, nosebleeds, nausea and a blistering rash so bad that I lost the use of my hands for a while and was incapacitated. I had to move out of my place (sans stuff). I couldn't work. I went to the doctor 4 days out of 5. Steroid shots, Prednisone, heavy duty antiboitics...such has been my life. I stayed at a hotel in SC and T. commuted every day to her job (1 1/2 hours each way) and looked after me at night because I wasn't well enough to move to her place, and I couldn't do basic tasks like dressing myself or getting food, nevermind driving or other life activities.

Alas, I'm now up here (Oakland). The next phase of "getting rid of" has begun. Tara is making room for me and my books and clothes and various things, but I still need to pare down. I've had like 7-8 boxes of books in her lower area for ages. I'm going through them and getting rid of most of them. They are largely academic film, women's studies, glbt, literary and cultural studies books. To buy them new would cost thousands of dollars, and I'm not exaggerating. But just because they cost a lot doesn't mean I have to hang on to them.

I was reading a decluttering your mind to declutter your space book and one thing it said really resonated...It talked about how "messies" often stress over what to get rid of and fear making the wrong decision. Should I toss this book, or is the other one better to get rid of? What if I choose wrong?

The book also pointed out that messies get caught up in "overorganizing". I know I do.

I am trying to keep things light and just do what I need to.

I did it!

2007-02-12T18:58:00.000-08:00

Hurrah for moi!

I used the system I developed and voila, the clutter is gone. I still have some sorting through to do over at le storage space but I can walk in my room. There are no monster piles of boxes and books. I have my computer (unhooked) on the floor of the room, and one box of filing I need to go through for tax stuff (but it's tucked out of the way). Of course, I will find other things to weed, purge, disseminate and generally remove from my space. But I will not have to climb around boxes and piles of junk any longer. Woo! I will flikrnate a before and after photo, I do believe.

I am definitely going to flesh out the system in writing and make it available to others. It works.

I'm going for it.

2007-02-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

Alas, I'm doing it. Decluttering my space, organizing things, really getting it together. How?

Weirdly, after all the books and articles and such I read, all the online info through which I sifted, all the "programs" I tried, I realized I had a system in me that needed to come out. And so I started writing it down, and doing it. And it works. Really, really well. And I know it will work for others, too, because there's a way to personalize it for one's individual decluttering/organizing style. And because there's absolutely NO WAY to remain stuck with this system. And it's super easy to follow, not some big laborious and ponderous "thing" you need to master.

How cool is that?

Once I have it fully written down, and have worked all the way through it myself, I'll make it available to a wider audience.

Until then, back to decluttering for me...Woo hoo!

Attack Mode?

2007-01-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

There are lots of metaphors when it comes to decluttering and one of them is the war metaphor--waging war on clutter, attacking clutter, doing battle with your things...

I'm more of an akido type when it comes to clutter, but I'm not sure exactly how well that's working for me. LOL.

Here's what I'm up to tonight...redoing and elaborating on some of my work.

*I had gone through and made a pile of stuff that I don't need on my bedroom floor and would be just fine having in storage or in T's garage. (These are boxes & such not loose items).

*I put these things, along with my Goodwill bag and box of books to sell back in the hallway.

*I had to move these things back into my room because my other housemate and her family were coming to visit.

So, last night I made a list of everything on my floor. Then I thought about what things it'd be just fine not to have here.

There are some things (like my toolbox) that T. thinks I should go through and just take out like 2 or 3 tools. But not only do I need things from there 1-2x a week, it's almost always different stuff. Plus, then I have loose tools on the floor (I don't have any drawer space etc.) I have a basic tool box (and some of my tools *are* up at her house--S. and I had a hell of a time changing my car battery with the lack of tools). It's not like I'm keeping my drill down here etc. So, a tool box lives on my bedroom floor. Or really, on the layer of clutter just above it (my disconnected computer). Alas, I'd love to put it somewhere else in the house, and I might ask my one housemate if I can stick it in the closet off the second-floor deck. That would be very useful. I even considered storing it in my car, but I'd like to avoid that.

Other things, like financial papers, I don't much care about having access to 24/7 (although sometimes I do need to find something); it's more that I have been told not to store them in a storage unit because of possible theft (and then identity theft). But I'm ready for the bulk of them to live elsewhere...

How to Start Decluttering

2007-01-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

Here's a good article on how to get started.

A few ideas:

1. Don't get all worked up with guilt. It is was it is. Just get started.

2. You can start anywhere; it doesn't really matter. Just do something for 10-15 min.

It's not genetic!

2007-01-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

Alas, this holiday visit helped me remember exactly how tidy and clean my parents are. T. and I took to calling them "the elves" when they were around, because it was like having the Merry Maid Elf Brigade in residence. They cleaned and scrubbed and helped out a lot, and also maintained their own space--it was spotless, in fact. In one way, I feel this is a lot of energy over a very little bit of dirt. In another way, it was very nice to have their help, and T's place (where we all stayed) was shining and squeaky clean, just the way she likes it.

way more than 15 minutes of fame tonight

2006-12-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

tonight i have been working on the room again. i am not sure how i can keep plugging away and it still looks either a) bad or b) worse but really not ever c) better or d) showing vast improvement

i need ot move a filing cabinet in from my housemate's patio (don't ask) and so i have to clear out the place where it is to go. that means going through the boxes of filing that currently reside in a tower *right there* (points to place where file cabinet will go).

alas, i went through a small drawer of filing/important papers and they are now strewn everywhere. that said, i also managed to condense two boxes of filing down to one, with the exception of some tax info, which i will put elsewhere.

i would love to stop and rest and watch some csi. but the room is too messy for that--i can't just leave it like this (nowhere to sleep or sit--the bed doubles as the tv viewing area).

how do YOU tackle papers?

another 15

2006-12-18T21:33:00.000-08:00

well, this time i made a bit of a mess. i went into a large crate on my shelves and emptied it out. it's not quite back together yet...

and THIS 15 minutes...

2006-12-18T20:56:00.000-08:00

In this fifteen minutes, I:

*cleaned out a vitamin holder (a wooden box) that had a bunch of supplements in it. tossed the expired ones, rehoused the container. the "good ones" are on the floor next to me--they will be the next 15 minutes' starter task. :)

*tossed out all my mags except for the two "guy fashion rags" i bought a few months ago to look at for style ideas. (actually the mags will be recycled)

*put away more laundry--2nd half of new basket and a partial bag of stuff i washed this weekend @ t's and just brought home today

seems like there was more, but that seems to be it!

a good article about letting go of clutter

2006-12-18T20:38:00.000-08:00

12 steps. no, not those kind.

what i did in my 15 min...

2006-12-18T20:15:00.000-08:00

*undid 1/2-full clean laundry bag that had been sitting there for weeks

*straightened 1 drawer (pjs)

*straightened shelves under hutch (sweatpants, outdoor clothes, exercise clothes, shorts)

*got rid of two pairs of shorts

*emptied 1/2 of another full laundry basket (that just arrived home today after being washed, dried and folded @ t's

*put some stuff on piles (things for the hat-n-glove drawer)

*cleared top bookshelf and put a few books away. the others are piled on my hutch thingee

*put some items that will be going to t's or into storage in the hallway

15 minutes of fame?

2006-12-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

what can you get done in 15 minutes?

i wrote my dissertation that way and am now "dr. wen"

alas, i'm about to set the timer and see what can transpire in the decluttering arena in 15 minutes.

inspiration

2006-12-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

I was looking for decluttering inspiration, and came across this site. I haven't gotten to read it all (yet) but it looks like there are some good things there.

Enjoy!

Baby Steps!

2006-12-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

I did some unpacking last night (from the trip before last--d'oh!) and I also organized somes stuff in the room that looked messy. Now, instead of being in a pile and a bag, it's boxed up. It's not GONE, but it's less obviously a mess!

I keep taking baby steps.

What about you?

What can you do today--something small--that will bring you closer to a clutter-free life?

OPO

2006-12-04T10:10:00.000-08:00

Other People's Organizing

I helped T. clean out her garage for the bulky pick up this week. She gets one freebie from the city per year, and she will lose it if she doesn't get her stuff out there this week, on Wednesday. Things had to be less than 6 feet so she needed her demo crew (me) to ensure that things my height or shorter or the city would fine her. She also had a bunch of crap to sort through, most of which was left by the previous owner.

She had an over-6 foot tall door to saw (luckily it turned out to be hollow core), wood to sort and saw, and other junk to wade through. Some of it was, well, uhm, something you'd take to a party where they said to bring an item that you weren't sure what it was and you'd all sit around and guess. Many of the mystery items were homemade, and I wish I'd taken a picture of this, uhm, thing. It was a foot long board, about 5 inches tall, with 4 round holes cut out of it. You could see the markings where the person made the calculations to get the cirles "right" (whatever that is for a mystery object). Then, the creator screwed it to another board perpendicularly. a side view would look a lot like an L, whith the holes being in the vertical portion. A series of peepholes? A place to store PVC piping? A small finger puppet theater? One of those little cracks in the castle wall where you can put the tip of your gun through? What to do with something like this? T. offered it to her neighbor, who declined.

I hauled stuff out of the garage, broke down cardboard boxes, sawed a door, tried (in vain) to dismanltle, bash and bend a screen door so it would be less than 6 feet, and in general, breathed a lot of moldy, dusty air. Eww.

The thing is: I had no problem with these tasks. Had it been my garage, my stuff, I don't know if it would have been so easy.

I'm great with Other People's Organizing (and cleaning). I've sorted out friends who were Big Messes. I've helped them figure out what they need to keep and carted off their excess junk. I've helped them figure out their "styles" and put together systems that work for them, so they could easily maintain their new, organized, clean space.

But my stuff? No go! I'm sure it's because there are emotional and other factors at work when I deal with My Stuff, ones that just aren't there when I deal with Other People's Things.

It will eventually be clean and organized...won't it?

2006-11-30T13:06:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder.

What is currently holding me back? A complex web of intersecting reasons.

For example:

1. Lack of time at home. It's all I can do to maintain what I've already accomplished and add a bit of clearing here and there (minor stuff that doesn't make a big visual impact and therefore feels like not much has been done). When I am home and don't have to rush back out (extremely rare) I'm so exhausted it's all I can do to nuke some soup for dinner and take a shower and set my clothes out for the next day. I typically try to clear or clean a little on these nights anyway--I do laundry, or clear one surface or unpack a bag that's been sitting around.

2. Feeling like I'm going to move anyway, up to T's, at some point next year, so why bother making it nice when I'll just have to leave? This isn't something I consciously think about, but I'm pretty sure it informs my actions.

3. Not knowing how to proceed, or ending up with decisions that aren't right and are a pain. I finally decide that maybe I don't need my toolbox at home. But then I need it (to wit: I had to put a car battery in yesterday and it's a good thing I had a wrench and some needle nosed pliers). Some of the tools are already up at T's so it's not like I have a whole Craftsman cart sitting on the bedroom floor.

4. Things keep coming in. There always seems to be some big box of filing or other crap K. finds and wants me to come get. Sometimes it's junk, but mostly it's either papers I need to keep or a mix of junk and necessary stuff, or a mix of our stuff (her old pay stubs etc) which means I have to go through it all carefully.

5. The up-and-back of items. I will sometimes bring things up to T's and decide they can live there for now. But then I need one (like my computer) so I lug it back down and it sits on my floor.

6. The up-and-back of me. Going away to T's most weekends and traveling for business once a month means I am always partially packed. I try not to be, but often I will get unpacked 1 day before I need to drag back out the big suitcase (which is a major pain to put in the back of the closet--the only place it fits.

7. Not knowing how to effectively fit everything I need in the space I have. I have limited space and each storage option seems to take up a lot of room.

Ack

2006-11-28T10:29:00.000-08:00

That title says it all.

I'm back from my vacation. The suitcase and other stuff I took with me = around the room as I haven't been home long enough to unpack yet! K. dropped the file cabinet out on my housemate's patio (off her bedroom) so I need to get that cleaned up and drag it in so I can get the filing under control.

Taking Action

2006-11-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I used my lunch to take some action.

I took the clothes I've been carting around for 3 weeks to Goodwill. I'd tried before but the Donation Station was closed. Alas, I love the term "donation station" as it reminds me of "conjunction junction" from Saturday TV.

I had donations from both me and T because it seems that the GW up near her office (in a very plush suburb) DOESN'T TAKE DONATIONS. Does this strike you as odd? All these affluent folks passing on their barely used clothing and no one to grab it and redistribute it, even though they have a store RIGHT THERE that is ostensibly for that purpose? I'm sure they have a good reason, it's just funny to have GW tell you that they don't accept donations. Of anything...

So, now GW in SC/Capitola has some really nice stuff. People in my area tend to keep, reuse, recycle etc. so that oftentimes their things are ready for the garbage rather than Goodwill. That said, I've come upon some very nice and totally usable clothes @ GW. In fact, I have one shirt I wear ALL THE TIME that I got there years ago.

Clutter B-Gone

2006-11-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

I need a big, industrial-sized bottle of "Clutter B-Gone."

I'm tired and sick (missed work Monday) and there's stuff everywhere. I've been taking my laundry up to T's--there's nothing like driving your dirty socks 75 miles each way when there's a washer dryer feet outside your bedroom--because I haven't been home enough to do them! This translates into a LOT of schlepping. Plus there's the weekend duffle bag of clothes, books, dance shoes etc. that almost always needs to be unpacked, repacked or rooted through (usually for a misplaced item or two).

Things are about to get worse for a bit, but I'm hoping they will eventually get better. I found out yesterday that I need to move a file cabinet (tall, about 100lbs) out of K's back room and over to my place because the ceiling is leaking and the landlord is coming over to replace the carpeting on the weekend. We were supposed to go through it etc. and it wasn't a big hurry kind of thing. But now it is. And of course I'm sick and have NO time. I think people feel I'm exaggerating when I say I have no time...

Here's a look at what this week should have been, if I hadn't gotten sick. Keep in mind this doesn't include time for things like cleaning, laundry, bathing, eating etc.:

Monday,
5 AM: Drive 80 miles to work
7AM-3ish PM: Work
3ish PM: Drive 75 miles to SF to tutor (takes about 2 hrs with traffic)
5:30-7:00 Tutor
7:00ish: Drive to Oakland (about a 1/2 hour drive), arrive around 8PM.
Tuesday:
5 AM: Drive 80 miles to work
7AM-3ish PM: Work
3:30 PM: Hair appt (to fix that frumpy bag-lady look)
8:00 PM-10:30 PM: Dance Practice

Wed
7AM-3ish PM: Work
3ish PM: Drive 75 miles to SF to tutor (takes about 2 hrs with traffic)
5:30-7:00 Tutor
7:00ish: Drive to Oakland (about a 1/2 hour drive)

Thursday
5 AM: Drive 80 miles to work
7AM-3ish PM: Work
3:00ish-6:00ish: Clear room in room, Move filing cabinet
6:45 PM-9:30 PM: Dance Practice
9:30 PM: Clean Ruby's cage, pack for trip

Ack. Typically my Thursdays are even worse, with a 4-5 PM appt and teaching 7:30-8:30 followed by practice from 8:30-10 PM.

As you can see, I'm not off socializing or doing anything other than the necessities (working to earn money, and doing dance practice for the perofrmance troupe I committed to). On an ordinary week, I typically teach two dance classes as well.

My friends (and partner) say to cut back, but I'm not sure how to do that. I feel like I've already given up much of what I love (socializing with friends, my own Latin and Standard dancing). I can't quit the performance troupe until the end of January when our performances are over, because it wouldn't be fair to my dance partner(s) or the group as it would mean my partner(s) or someone else in the troupe would have to sit out as well. I also often have work that takes me past 3 PM so the 'breaks' between my workday and my evening activiites/work disappears in those cases.

Skimping on sleep is something I already do, and which isn't great for me. I don't have the $$ to pay people to do my laundry or cleaning (besides, it's just one bedroom and it's full of stuff I need to figure out how to live without--like my toolbox, and computer etc--or pile up more creatively).

I am truly open to ideas...

living small

2006-10-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

Our family purposefully chose to downscale and move into a small on-campus apartment four years ago when I returned to grad school. Our friends and family have been rather astonished by our insistence on living in such a small space (750 sq ft). But the world's standards, this is not really very small, but for the affluent area of SoCal where we live, our lifestyle is quite unusual.

So I've taken a brief video to show part of our home. It probably does look a bit cluttered, but there's not much space for clean and serene when you've got so many people living in such a small area! But I have worked hard to declutter the extraneous, to pare down to what is essentially for daily living. It's a work in process, and I think the result is quite cozy and home-y. :)

I can see (the floor) clearly now...well, sort of...

2006-10-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

Last night I went back down to my room for Round II of sorting. I got my butt kicked by the piles o' paper. Eventually, I just stacked it all back up and declared it done for now.

Next, I put 4 banker boxes in the place my file cabinet was going to go. Ki and I were supposed to relocate said cabinet of wonderful organizingness to my house a few months ago, but that didn't happen. I'd "cleared" space in anticipation. This really means I moved several boxes from the place the cabinet will live to in front of the TV cabinet, and what that really means is that they stuck out well into the MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR.

The contents of the boxes I moved TO THE MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR were going IN the cabinet. It seemed like a good idea at the time: move boxes, put in file cabinet, empty boxes into file cabinet, and VOILA. But two months later, well, it wasn't particularly convenient to have a pile of banker boxes on my floor. It would have been okay if it was just them, but, alas, with all the other "no place to put it" stuff on the floor, things were mucho crampo.

The room isn't in great shape by any stretch of the imagination, but it's somewhat better. I just don't have the ROOM for systems. Things need to be stacked, in rows, thereby blocking access to other things. Think storage unit. And if you think it's all crap I don't really need, well, you may be right about the old filing and such. I'm going through that, pulling out things like tax documents and tossing old papers I no longer need. I wasn't the one to pack those boxes--I was merely informed to come get them. Ki just dumped it all in. Some of the folders are intact, but overall there's no system. That means whatever logical order I had over at 517 is completely destroyed. Hence, the paper-by-paper sort through.

But the other stuff? It's my bills and receipts from this year. It's my dance teaching materials. It's stuff I need to get to regularly and easily. And it's piled up. I find when things aren't accessible (e.g. I have to get into the third box down, second row back,) I don't put things away properly afterwards because I know I'll just need to pull everything apart again in two days. It's frustrating.

If I were reading this, I'm sure I'd think something like "wellllll, if you leave that box out, and put another one you don't use much in the back, things will be easier!" Alas, the ratio of "need to get to it" and "don't need to get to it" is like 8:1. So for every box I may need once a month (and therefore don't mind having tucked away or in storage), there are several others I need pretty frequently.

I'm trying to figure out what to do about this...

Tuesday Night Update

2006-10-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

Typically T and I dance on Tuesday nights. Tonight, however, T. is having work done on her house. Woo--new sewers for Rita! (Rita is T's house.) So, I went downtown and took some of my old clothes in to the used clothes shop. I ended up with a new-to-me belt and $17.24. Not too shabby. I was going to take the remainder over to another shop, but I ran out of steam and so I went home.

I decided it was time to work through some of the junk in my room. I undid a small bag, and also started in on a pile of "filing." I got some of it sorted but of course it became dinner time. And so now I'm eating, and chatting with my housemate and blogging.

on blogging and balance: response

2006-10-03T10:47:00.001-07:00

I agree that blogging can take a lot of time. I see it as writing, but also as a social activity. I am writing for myself, of course, but I am also writing for and to my readers, many of whom I know.

Some I've met online, and I read their blogs and feel a kinship with them--I wonder how their kid is, or whether their disability payment came in, or how the move is going. I also keep in touch with several friends via my blog--they know what I'm up to because I post. Blogging allows me a certain level of regular connection I might not otherwise have with a diverse group of peopple.

I also meet folks I wouldn't have met at my local coffeehouse, or dance class. They live in Florida, in Utah, in a little town in the midwest. I feel my life is better and broader for hearing their perspectives. And I believe writers need not only quiet space and time in which to write, but also new experiences and ideas. I also truly enjoy reading their blogs--many of them are well-written, amusing, and generally a pleasure to read (and engage with).

Like any activity, I try to keep blogging within the time I can "afford"; that said, I do feel like I need to check in every once in a while and let folks know I haven't been abducted by aliens. I also find that if I write out things either on my blog or in my journal, I feel better in general. It helps me vent, plan, think, dream and laugh (often at myself). In some ways, it's a record of my life.

I guess I'm of two minds here: obviously, I don't recommend blogging to the exclusion of everything else. But you can use blogging to feed your soul a little so you have more fodder for your other writing, or so that you are relaxed and open (or keyed up and passionate) when you approach that poem or essay.

As someone who writes, I can also say that sometimes I need to take a break from hired gun writing and from the pressure to produce creative writing or engaging articles. Some folks go for long walks or bike rides, others meditate at the beach. Some play video games. Others blog. YMMV. :)

Thanks for the food for thought--it was great to think about why I blog and then try to articulate it a bit here.

on blogging and balance

2006-09-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

I was at lunch with a friend last week and she asked me what I'd been writing lately, and did I have any recent publications? Rather sheepishly, I told her that I'd been investing most of my creative energy into writing for blogs. And I haven't had much left over time for writing stories, poetry, or academic articles.

After chatting with her I started wondering about the amount of time I've been spending on the blogs. I mean, I love my blogging community--I've found great friends through this medium--but I'm wondering if I don't need to better balance my blogging efforts with 'real' writing?

So how do you all strike a balance in your lives? Are you so addicted to blogging that nothing else gets done? Or do you discipline yourself in such a way that you can do both?
[Note: I am 'recycling' this post from another blog, as part of my ongoing effort to "save time" :)]

update

2006-09-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

my sweet old kitty, miss tiger lily, is pretty frail and not so interested in eating for the past few days. she lives over at my ex's house and so after getting a "come see tl" e-mail from ki, i went over to hang with my sweet old girl. she seemed happy to see me. how i love that kitty! (i wrote more about this over at my worldwidewen blog. )

as an added bonus, t. came with me and helped me move the video/cd/dvd cabinet to the living room at the place i'm living now. we had to scrunch it in next to my housemates' old tv cart, as they bought a new one and merely relocated the old one. my housemate had said it was fine for me to bring the cabinet over, so that's a good thing. i will be able to get at least 50% of the videos off my floor now. yay! i have a box of cds to deal with as well, but all in good time. i'm wondering if i should go to the store and get another storage box for the extra videos. the only thing is that i don't really have a place to put it.

so, there is motion on the organizing front! woo hoo.

i'll be out of town this weekend, though, so anything i do must be tongiht. tomorrow, my day goes from 6ish AM until 10 PM straight through. i'll probably be able to grab quick food between my practice and the class i teach, but that's about it for breaks. whew.

good luck to all you declutterbugs this week!

what to do?

2006-09-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

i ran a bath but the water is too hot. i was already online and so i thought i'd post while i am waiting for it to cool down a bit.

my room is cluttered. a row of boxes and bags with filing and dance videos live on my floor. i'm sure ther are some other things in there as well, but that's the bulk of it. they are backed up against the TV/bookshelf to allow me a 3ish foot gap between them and my bed so i can get through. the "grouping" of boxes and bags is about 3-4 feet wide by maybe 6-7 feet long and 2-4 feet high. in a 10x12 room, that doesn't leave a lot of space.

how did it get here?

well, i'm supposed to tape the vhs dance tapes for my ex. and due to her roommate's issues they needed to be out of her house. but the vhs/cd/dvd cabinet is still over there and i can't move it myself. i can't put them in the storage unit (5x5) even if there was room because i need them to tape and i also watch them regularly as i use them to prep for the dance classes i teach.

and the filing. the filing cabinet is still over at ki's, too. i cleared room for it but, like the dvd cabinet, i can't move it myself (too heavy and stairs are involved). yes, it's all the stairs' fault! bad stairs!

seriously, though, it's stressful to be in my room. there's no place to put the excess. this makes it hard to clean, too. it's almost impossible to get into the armoire where i keep my socks and pants and sweaters.

i also suffer from a lack of flat spaces. everything is maxed out; if it's a shelf or the top of a piece of furniture, it has books or my hamster cage or whatever. there's no open space. i don't like this, but i've looked through my "decorative" possessions, and there really aren't many. i have don't have tables of items displayed. i have a few photos (3 to be exact), three votive candles and a small bowl of crystal/stones. that's pretty much the extent of my knick knacks. oh, i do have a menorah and a railroad tie backpacker thing my mom got me (and which sits on otherwise unusable space on the TV). other than that, flat surfaces are all used by something utilitarian. hamster food. boom box. lamp. and so on.

i find myself laying out my clothes for the next day on top of the boxes, so they remain flat and relatively unwrinkled.

what to do?

first order of business would seem to be: be home more.

but i wonder if my being home would mean i actually decluttered, or if i'd just feel horribly trapped and not sure what to do next. probably a little of both.

being home is pretty much a pipe dream anyway at this point. i have something every single night from now until who knows when.

to give you an idea: tonight, i was supposed to have dance practice with my foxtrot partner. but i had something i needed to do for work (the boss set up an after-hours activity). not one, but two activities. after work.

the fact that i'm home right now is an anomaly; i typically work 7am to 4 or 5 or even later pm (i am technically off at 3 pm) and then i have either dance, or teaching, or a meeting of some kind.

for financial reasons, i am adding tutoring into the mix. i'll be doing sat prep and college admissions essays with some elite sf students. it will be good work, and it pays well, but it's in sf, which is an hour and 30 to two hours away, depending on the traffic. so i'll have a 3-4 hour extra commute (round trip) 1-2 times a week.

got busy?

yes, yes, i do have some extra busy if you'd like some.

letting go of the sentimental stuff...

2006-09-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm actually not a very sentimental person, but there are a few soft spots in my life, and one of those involves the gifts that I received from well-wishers during my cancer treatments about 20 years ago. I received dolls, teddy bears, a handmade quilt, etc. I've been in remission forever now, but it's been awfully hard to part with many of these items, even though I am not a doll & teddy bear type of person. Well, I finally got around to decluttering my dolls and I had a pretty remarkable experience. I wrote it up for flylady and she sent it out to her mailing list as a testimonial. Thought it might be of interest to readers of this blog, too. [Note: I have a huge amount of respect for flylady, even if I don't consider myself part of her purple-puddling target audience]:

Dear Flylady:

When I was young my grandma gave me a Madame Alexander doll each year for Christmas and my birthday. I had a lovely cupboard in my room with glass doors where I displayed my dolls. I thought they were so beautiful. Then, when I was 12 I was diagnosed with bone cancer. During the year that I had chemotherapy I received many more dolls from relatives and well-wishers. My cupboard was so full! When I looked at it I felt the love of all the people who had cared for me during my cancer treatments.

As I moved through the years I saved these dolls thinking that I would have a daughter who would love them as much as I had. Well, now I have a 9 year-old daughter who doesn't like dolls! She really wanted the glass-fronted cupboard in her room to store her favorite stuffed animals, trophies and such. So one day I sat with the dolls all around me. I looked at their little shoes, patted their curls, ran my fingers over the lace at the edge of their frilly little dresses--just as I had many, many times over the years. It was my good-bye. I knew I didn't need to save them for my daughter and they needed a new home.

Though these dolls have some collector value, I didn't want to sell them on ebay. I wanted to find a girl who would love them just as I had. I posted a note on my local freecycle group to see if I could find someone that would be a good new owner for these dolls. I had _dozens_ of replies. But one caught my eye. One mother had told me that her daughter would really like some pretty dolls. This mother included a link to her family's homepage in her email message. I clicked on the link and discovered that her daughter was in the middle of cancer treatment. As I read about her story I knew that this was the young girl who would most appreciate my dolls. I contacted her mother and we arranged a pick-up date.

When they arrived I took a few minutes to tell the young girl about my cancer experience. I told her some of the stories about my dolls. She picked her favorite one out of the box and carried it in her arms as they left my home and headed to their car. Wow, was I happy!! Much happier than I ever would have been if I had packed the dolls into a box in the closet. And now I have this absolutely perfect memory to keep in place of the dolls. :)

E-mail-a-rama

2006-09-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

A while ago I was on several decluttering e-mail lists. Then, well, life happened and I went no-mail because the volume was so high. Then in an effort to declutter my electronic life, I let those groups go. Now, I think it's time for some renewed community and support (both getting and giving) so I signed back up for some of them (including a couple I hadn't known about back when I first found the declutter subculture).

We'll see how things go!

Are you a member of any lists?

mental clutter

2006-09-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a good article on mental clutter!

Enjoy

New Blogger!

2006-09-05T10:58:00.001-07:00

A warm welcome to another declutterbug blogger, Jana!

Welcome, Jana!

:)

From another blog...

2006-09-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

I thought this post was well-written and insightful. Enjoy!

Reincarnation

Stephanie Roberts' Haiku

2006-08-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

I may have posted this here before, but it cracks me up every time I see it:

Whatever kind of future
could ever require this
many paper bags

;)

How Long to Keep Financial Papers

2006-08-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some guidelines! Use at your own risk!

Bank records, tax stuff etc.

Pretty much everything.

Get organized now calendar

2006-08-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to one decluttering/organizing/cleaning/relaxing thing to do each day in August.

I was craving a trip to the library tonight, and that's tonight's task. I haven't gone in ages because Ki had a $9.50 fine on my card and I didn't want to be faced with paying it off. That's pretty silly, so perhaps I'll go down there in a few minutes.

what if?

2006-08-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

What if I just let go of all my excess? What if I tossed out, gave away, sold all those things I don't really use regularly?

How would that feel?

I vascillate. Obviously, if I don't think I'll use it, I get rid of it. But I often stop short of getting rid of EVERYTHING I don't wear or use regularly.

I don't always trust that I could replace whatever it is if I suddenly needed it. I also like a lot of variety and such in clothing, and I'm always thinking I shouldn't buy any more clothing. So I feel like if I get rid of a bunch of okay-but-not-stellar clothing, I'll be without a lot of choices in the clothing department, and I won't really have the money to replace it. (And I'm super hard to fit, so there's the time and frustration factor, too.)

But there's also the part of me that would love to have a clutterfree closet.

Another part thinks, "well, what about the other stuff I enjoy less but have to keep (silly things like staplers, financial records, dental floss and such)?" And really, how do you decide what to keep? If you only need a few tee shirts, what ones do you keep if you like them all? It gets too confusing, and I end up with a pile of yeses and a pile of nos and a BIG HUGE pile of "not sures." Then, of course, I leave the "not sures" there so I can decide. And then the nos join the pile of things for Goodwill, which also sits.

It'd be nice to sell some of my things so I could have a bit of extra cash. It would certainly come in handy! But that means setting aside time and figuring out a space for a garage sale (my place is not condusive to having one, as it has no lawn or driveway).

Ultimately, I end up not doing a 100% all-holds-barred "thing makeover" because I want to make the "right" decision, the decision that would maximize my money, space and time.

Ack.

Time to put the laundry in the dryer!

Crosspost

2006-08-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I crosspost from my other blog. This is one of those times.

Evening Update

I have a ton to do, but I don't have to BE anywhere tonight, which is huge. Typically, my evenings are extremely busy. Add to that the fact that I usually work late and you have one very, very busy and tired wen.

Tonight I have that weird sense of possibility--I can do whatever I please, really. Except that I have this huge superego that chants "clean, write, sort the filing, do the laundry" so loudly that I can't really concentrate on having fun, per se.

When I got home from work today--I left within an hour of quitting time, which is big for me--I took this pre-filing accordian folder (well, it's more like a 10-inch wide file "box") and went through the entire contents. This was one of the things that was on "my" pile to haul away from the old house. Alas, I figured it wasn't all my stuff, but really, resistance is futile.

I put Ki's stuff on one pile, mine on another and tossed everything I didn't need. I threw out old UCSC pay stubs, fellowship letters etc. I sure hope these aren't the types of things one needs to keep indefinitely. Hmmm. I also have a "do I need to keep it?" pile with old AAA statements, the odd paid off credit card bill etc. Does anyone know how long one must hang on to these things? Is 2 years enough?

I journaled for a few moments--gasp, I pen and papered it, rather than blogging!!--and found that 1) the pen did not write smoothly, which I hate and 2) I was writing about all the work I should be doing.

So, I stopped and threw in a load of laundry. I love having a w/d right in the house, but due to my living situation, I need to dry my hanging clothes in my room. This makes an already crowded space much worse. Even though I have the "over the door" hanger thingees, I end up needing more space than that for a load of laundry. (NB: I'm not big on the dryer because I'm so tall that my clothes barely cover my wrists and ankles as it is. Any shrinkage renders my duds entirely unwearable unless I am going for the uber nerd my-mom-didn't-bother-to-buy-me-new-school-clothes-and-my-how-I've-grown-over-the-summer look, which I am not.

Group Project?

2006-08-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

I was thinking (based on some comments here and on other blogs I read) that it might be fun to open this blog up and make it a "group think." If you like this idea and want to participate, let me know.

So far, the only rule I propose is: be nice to each other.

From Baggage's Blog

2006-08-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

I couldn't have said it better.

For example:

2. My two favorite deal with decluttering and using a timer. Seriously. You need to declutter. We all have too much stuff, unless you are poor in which case, I apologize. I try to declutter by moving across the country using just my car. Anything that doesn't fit, doesn't go. This might not work for you however. So for you, I offer this suggestion.

a. Pick up an item.
b. Do you know what the hell it is? If not, toss it.
c. Does it smell bad? If so, toss it.
d. Ask yourself "Would I rather take care of this item or blog?" If the answer is blog, toss it.
NOTE: Do not toss your husband, wife, children, all the food in you fridge, your pets or your neighbors pets.

Please go read it. And laugh.

A thought...

2006-08-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

Clearing away the excess in our lives, be they things or old emotions, paves the way for blessings.

4 box clutter method...

2006-07-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hello declutterbugs...

Here's a good article on the four box method. I am going to try it (again) tonight, provided I'm not headed over the hill to dance practice.

IKEA, redux

2006-06-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

I can't remember if I posted about going to IKEA last weekend with T. Well, we did. One of the main items she wanted, a kitchen cart, was out of stock. Of course we didn't find this out until after we'd run between the wicker basket level and the kitchen level several times in an attempt to figure out what baskets would work on the cart shelves.

On trip #2 to IKEA (the next weekend), we got the kitchen cart, but they were out of the Gorm shelves and crates I wanted for my room.

IKEA Law #1: You will not find the main item you came for. You will, however, find lots of other items that will necessitate you standing in a long line. And you will select these items BEFORE discovering they are out of Important Item #1.

I went to another IKEA that next Monday, got my shelves and proved IKEA Law #2.

IKEA Law #2: Even if you have the exact location--aisle and bin #--of the item you want, you will not get in and out of IKEA in less than 2 hours.

I had a lot of snafus, including having to wait in the return line because I couldn't use the gift card I had at the check out first time around. They were on #12. I was #26. Ahem.

Keeping in mind that this is the "close to me" IKEA and it's still over an hour away (45 or so miles, but the first 26 of them are curvy, curvy, curvy) and you see I had quite a night.

When I got home, I stayed up late, banging the shelves into submission, I mean, uhm, "assembling" them. They are braced and very crooked. I had trouble sleeping the first couple of nights with them--they are both crooked and right in my field of vision (at the foot of my bed). When I fall asleep and when I wake up, there they are. My closing and opening glances at the world are, in a word, askew.

But, hey, I have shelves! With crates (not yet assembled).

General Update: Of garages and shopping

2006-06-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

A few updates:

*T. told me that I could store some of my stuff in her garage. This is incredibly generous on her part, because it's a one-car garage and she was originally going to park her car in it once she got a new door. Instead, it will contain shelves and such for my camping gear, kayaking gear etc. (She'll of course have some things in there as well). This will free up a lot of room in my room and in my storage space (that I rent).

*Last weekend I bought 2 large shelving units and 9 big tupperware-type tubs from Tar-jeh for this express reason. It cost me about the same as two months' rent on my storage unit.

*Yesterday, T. and I went to IKEA. It's her least-favorite "home buying" store experience. It's not that she doesn't like the stuff, but rather that the huge, confusing warehouse chock full of people gets to her. (My least favorite home shopping experience is Home Depot, because there you often need something really specific, and She needed a kitchen cart and some other stuff; alas, we got everything BUT the cart. We found a good one, and even picked out baskets to hold the stuff on the shelves it had etc. but when we got to the place where they are stored, they were OUT OUT OUT of them. That was a bummer. We did get some good things for her house (a rug, bedside lamps etc.) and I got a summer-weight down comforter and cover and two picture frames. I want to make sure that I make my room livable, which currently, it's not really. I figure if I am not sweating under a giant comforter all summer, and looking at my "art" laying around on the floor, that's a decent start.

Decluttering as a Spiritual Practice

2006-06-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

When I go back to decluttering as a way to simplify my life so that I can attend to the things that are truly important, it gets much easier. When I use the process itself as a spiritual process, it's even easier. Attending to things on the material plane makes things elsewhere (on the emotional, mental and spiritual planes) smoother.

I decided a lot of things that may, in fact, be completely contradictory, but that help me nonetheless. Feel free to pick and choose for your own use!

*I decided to "make friends" with my mess and my room. Instead of seeing the clutter and getting angry, I'm trying to greet it like a slightly disheveled friend who needs my attention.

*I decided that things don't have to be perfect. Just because I can't get the whole thing cleaned and sorted tonight, doesn't mean I can't do a little bit.

*I decided I want my space to look nice, and feel relaxing, calm, content and happy.

*I decided to always keep in mind that things CHANGE. Everything is dynamic. The room may be neat for a while. Then it may be sloppy. Then in between. Why think of the neatness as temporary and the clutter as its permenant state?

*It's okay to make some "wrong" decisions about stuff. Getting rid of the wrong thing, or keeping something silly, well, ultimately, it's okay. Making decisions incites energy to move, and things shift (and CHANGE!) and you end up with your space feeling fresher and more alive.

Valiant Effort

2006-05-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

I cleaned my room (not "wiped-the baseboards" cleaned, but "put away as much stuff as I could humanly find a place for" cleaned) before going away for Memorial Day with T. The results were decent. It's still way more cluttered than a normal room, but it's also less messy than it has been. That, my dear readers, is, as our stencil-loving convict would say, A Good Thing.

The Uphill Battle of the Giant Mounds

2006-05-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

Alas, my room is thrashed. No matter that it was about 70% clean and organized a few months ago. Right now, it's at its pre-storage unit state, which means there are crates and containers and piles everywhere. 90% of my problem is that I don't have anywhere to put things. I'm in a space crisis. "Space poor" as one book put it.

I've already gotten rid of about 80% of what I owned 6 months ago. Downsizing from an entire house and basement to a 10 x 13 room will do that to you. In the past few days I've looked for: a particular book, a serving spoon, and a needle and thread and I realized I no longer own these items. Actually, the needle and thread are in the "to be divided" boxes over at Kieren's, but the other stuff--gone.

The things I do own are hard to access. They are buried under piles of their "thing friends" or in the storage unit or at Tara's.

Why not get rid of it all?

To be honest, I need most of it, and I want the rest. Or most of it. It's nice to have duct tape and a TV and massage oil and an alarm clock and a stapler. I could get along without these things, sure. But I think it would be frustrating.

I'm already spending a lot of time missing the general household things I parted with in order to cram myself into my current space. I was told that I'd feel a sense of freedom, of lightness, when I divested myself. Really, what I mostly feel is that my space is still way too crowded, that I'm going to need to go through things again (2-3 more times) before it's down to a managable mound, and that even though people said I'd never miss what I got rid of, I do.

For example, I really didn't want to let go of my small espresso maker (the stovetop kind). I take it camping with me. Now, I'm about to go camping, and I want it. But I don't have it. It was my decision to let it go, because I don't camp every weekend and it's not an item that I'll use more than 7-8 weekends a year, and it takes up space. But I'm going camping this weekend and I'm half tempted to go buy one for the trip. I won't, but I'm tempted.

Sure you can get by with a few pairs of pants and a couple of books, but I take pleasure in my clothes and my books, so getting rid of much more than I have already(which, trust me, is a lot) will make me feel poor and deprived and generally lacking in the "things" department.

That's not to say when I read a book, I will keep it. I've narrowed down the categories of books that I hang onto. They are mostly non-fiction "how to" or "New Age"/"self-help" books. Mystery novels, short story anthologies etc. now go back to the used bookstore as soon as I accumulate a decent pile. And I get rid of clothes I no longer wear. But there's that space problem. Namely, there's no space.

I don't have many knick knack type items anymore, just a handful of things and a few photos, so it's not like divesting myself of a few items such as those will do much (except take any sense of decoration from my room).

Tara told me the other day she doesn't really expect it to get any better in my current space, and as much as that pains me, she's probably right. It sounded like she doesn't think I have it in me to declutter. And perhaps at this point, I don't. I live among the piles and boxes because I need my tax materials and my computer (although there is no room for it to be set up in my room). I try to be tidy, but it's hard because even though my giant luggage stash is down to a few pieces, they compete for space with my clothes in the closet. Even though I'm down to one bathing suit, it still needs a drawer in which to reside.

This is compounded by the fact that I work a lot, and am not home very often. I sleep on a crappy futon, one that hurts my back and is very hard to make up as it's pressed into the wall on two sides. In general, I have to just tune out my surroundings or I'll lose it. The rest of the house/condo is cute but I don't spend time there as it doesn't really feel like "my" space. I do use the kitchen, however.

I'm not sure why I'm writing this, except that I want to get my thoughts down (and out)...

Decluttering Tips

2006-04-05T11:19:00.000-07:00

Check out these decluttering tips...

Catch Up Day

2006-03-31T11:07:00.000-08:00

Another tip from Stephanie Roberts

Tip #121

Set aside one day a week to be your official "catch-up
day." Don't work on current projects or start anything new,
just catch up on whatever hasn't been dealt with since last
week, including clearing off any clutter that's accumulated
on your desk. You might even start your catch-up day by
catching up on sleep if you need to.

Happy clutter-clearing,

Stephanie Roberts

Wise Words

2006-03-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

Tip #115

In the initial excitement of clutter-clearing it's easy to
overlook getting enough rest and drinking lots of water,
but these are important, too. Remember that you are
stirring up a lot of long-dormant energy, and this will
affect your energy as well. If you have trouble falling
asleep, do some gentle stretching or yoga or take a hot
bath by candlelight with soothing music on low, before
going to be. Drinking lots of water is important when you
do any kind of cleansing work, whether that's on your body
or your space. Washing your hands and face frequently will
help, too.

Take care of yourself while you take care of your home,

Stephanie Roberts

More tips!

2006-03-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

Tip #113

Emotionally laden, long-standing clutter -- such as boxes
of stuff from your dear departed Mom's house -- can be very
hard to deal with. There's a reason all those boxes have
been sitting untouched in the attic for so long! The
heavier the emotionally weight of stuff, the more likely it
is to sit in one place year after year after year.

The first step to tackling this difficult stuff is to
literally get it unstuck by picking it up and moving it --
one box at a time -- to a different area of the house.
Bring one box down from the attic, and put it in one a room
where the energy is lively and active, such as the living
room. Sit down and go through just that one box. Take
everything out, and throw the box away.

Even if most of that stuff goes back into storage, get rid
of that musty, dusty old box and start fresh. Take as long
as you need to go through every item from that box, one at
a time, and make a decision about it.

Stay focused on your goals,

Stephanie Roberts

Cleaning tips for folks like us!

2006-02-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

Handy Cleaning Tips:

Dirt - Layers of dirty film on windows and screens provide
a helpful filter against harmful and aging rays from the sun.
Call it an SPF factor of 15 and leave it alone.

Cobwebs - Artfully draped over lampshades reduce the glare
from the bulb, thereby creating a romantic atmosphere. If
someone points out that the light fixtures need dusting,
simply look confused and exclaim "What? And spoil the
mood?" (Or just throw glitter on them & call them holiday
decorations.)

Pet Hair - Explain the mound of pet hair brushed up against
the doorways by claiming you are collecting it there to use for
stuffing hand-sewn play animals for underprivileged
children. (Also keeps out cold drafts in winter.)

Guests - If unexpected company is coming, pile everything
unsightly into one room and close the door. As you show
your guests through your tidy home, rattle the door knob
vigorously, fake a growl and say, "I'd love you to see our
den, but Fluffy hates to be disturbed and the shots are SO
expensive."

Dusting - If dusting is REALLY out of control, simply place
a showy urn on the coffee table and insist that "This is
where Grandma wanted us to scatter her ashes."

General Cleaning - Mix one-quarter cup pine-scented
household cleaner with four cups of water in a spray
bottle. Mist the air lightly. Leave dampened rags in
conspicuous locations. Develop an exhausted look, throw
yourself on the couch and sigh, "I clean and I clean and I
still don't get anywhere." As a last resort, light the
oven, throw a teaspoon of cinnamon in a pie pan, turn off
oven and explain that you have been baking cookies for a
bake sale for a favorite charity and haven't had time to
clean... Works every time.

Another favorite, I think from Erma Bombeck:
Always keep several get well cards on the mantle so if
unexpected guests arrive, you can say you've been sick and
unable to clean.

forced decluttering...

2006-01-31T07:38:00.000-08:00

Alas, it's pretty much going to be forced decluttering for me over the next couple weeks (and maybe even months). I'm getting the "big" stuff out and into my new room in a couple of weeks, but I'll have to sort through everything else as well. Ki said I could do it slowly (over a couple of months) and I believe that's about how long it will take me...

Wish me luck!

Clothes help!

2006-01-31T07:27:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be moving in a couple of weeks, but maybe I should do this until then. The thing is, I know I wear the same stuff to work, because it's so early and I'm lazy, but I actually *like* the other things as well, or else they are dress shirts.

Tip #104

Here's a neat way to assess which clothes really deserve
space in your closet: first, turn all of your hangers so
they hook over the rod from back to front (this is the
opposite to how we usually put things away). Then, every
time you wear something and put it back in the closet, hang
it with the hook over the rod from front to back.

Do this for a month, and you'll see that all the hangers
facing in are clothes that you actually wear, and the
hangers pointing out are clothes that aren't getting much
use. Some will be seasonal or special-event items that you
do have occasional use for. Others will simply be old,
outdated, the wrong size, don't go with anything else you
own, or just wrong for you. Get rid of them.

Stay focused,

Stephanie Roberts

Tip #101

2006-01-23T10:44:00.000-08:00

Tip #101

'Good' stuff is the hardest to get rid of, because it looks
so useful or potentially useful, or valuable, or just
sentimental. Ask yourself:

- "Do I really love this and need to keep it, or would
someone else love to have it more?"

- "Do I already have three of these? Do I know where they
are?"

- "Does this fit my current body, life style or ideas of
who I am or who I would like to become?"

It's okay to keep some things of sentimental value, but do
you really need to give that size 4 prom dress space in
your closet, or do you have a pressed flower or program or
a picture of you in that dress that recalls that great
night just as well?

Happy clutter-clearing,

Stephanie Roberts

Blame the decluttering...

2006-01-23T10:43:00.000-08:00

I always read that decluttering makes stuck energy move. My relationship of 10+ years is ending, just when the house is getting to be halfway decent. It's not my choice to end things & so part of me thinks it'd have been better for that energy to remain stuck, stuck, stuck. Sheesh.

Another fine tip...

2006-01-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

Tip #94

The better you get at managing physical clutter, the more
you will realize that managing your time, energy, and focus
are the real challenges that crop up every day. What have
you learned about yourself through the process of tackling
your clutter, and how can you apply that insight to setting
goals that will help you more fully realize your potential?

Congratulations on your progress!,

Stephanie Roberts

Dining Room Night

2005-12-14T21:03:00.000-08:00

Today I did 4 loads of laundry after work.

Now it's dining room night--Ki and I are sorting through and tossing out all the expired food and organizing the "cupboard" in there. I also went through and emptied a big plastic container that was holding soda.

Sweaters...

2005-12-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

We also got rid of a BUNCH of sweaters.

We have moths. Blech.

Update...

2005-12-14T20:54:00.000-08:00

I realized I haven't updated this blog in a while...

Alas, I've been doing mucho decluttering, although I must admit, it doesn't really look like it...yet.

I packed up/got rid of my academic books from the LR. They were on a giant set of shelves. I replaced them with a smaller set I already had, and freecycled the larger ones.

Ki and I also got an IPOD dock for our minis, so I freecycled my stereo and cabinet and speakers, too.

Oh and I freecycled a headboard that was living in the truck.

Ki cleaned out 4 wicker containers, too. (They had my stuff in them.)

small steps

2005-11-15T07:21:00.000-08:00

I did end up doing a few things last night...

*Weeded a bag of professional journals from my shelves.

*Put my pants from individual hangers onto one "mondo" hanger (but unfortunately it was too long for my (short) closet, so it's still hanging on the back of the bedroom door.

progress and then getting stuck again...

2005-11-14T17:16:00.000-08:00

I make some progress, say cleaning out the closet.

And then I get stuck again.

There's still crud everywhere.I was hoping to have enough energy to tackle some of it tonight, but I'm not sure. Part of me wants to just toss it all and start over...

Humourous clutter haiku!

2005-11-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

What kind of future
could ever require this
many paper bags?

From Stephanie Roberts' Clutter-Free Forever book.

halfway through and some insight...

2005-11-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

I realized as I was thinking about getting rid of some clothes that are still quite nice but I don't wear as much any longer that I didn't want to because I thought I might wear them again sometime, but also because I bought them when I had hardly any money and I thought I'd wear them for a long time, and that they were an "investment" in my wardrobe...

Closet...

2005-11-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

I'm cleaning out my closet in a rather severe manner! Wish me luck!

Just do it.

2005-11-07T17:17:00.000-08:00

I decided to take the advice I often give others: just do *something.* I cleaned out my mail slot (everyone in the household has an inbox of sorts for mail) and my magazine holder. I decided a while ago that I will only keep what fits in the holder. It was overflowing (not quite to the breaking point, but enough that it needed "weeding") so I went through it and tossed out a bunch of magazines.

Not sure how to start.

2005-11-07T15:34:00.000-08:00

I am usually pretty good about just digging in and taking a small action if I don't know where to start. But today, not so much. I was going to clean out my closet, but now I'm looking around and I haven't unpacked from the weekend, there is filing to do etc. and all of that is out in the open. I am torn about what to do: get the clothes under control, or get the visual clutter out of here. I get this blech feeling when I think about any of it right now. The other day I was feeling very energized and did a bunch of things (as much as time would allow). I wonder if I can even do a good enough job on the closet. I sometimes aim to clear out just a bit, so that I know I'm making progress, and hey, 3 shirts and a few pairs of pants gone is still good. Then there are other times I set myself up to toss out *everything* I'm not currently using. Now, I want to do that (or think I do) because when I do a half-way job, I end up still having too much stuff and having to redo the decluttering later on. I know it's one of those never-ending things (ack) but I have hope that evenutally it'll be manageable...less stuff to start with, less stuff to worry about decluttering.

Mountains of Stuff

2005-11-04T08:03:00.000-08:00

Mark Morford on Clutter.

I resonate with this.

I am in the midst of clearing things out, or trying to. I haven't been home much, which makes it hard, but just last night I got rid of a grocery bag of white tee shirts that were less white than they should be. I did it while packing for my dance competition. So, perhaps I need to build in an extra few minutes every time I deal with my "stuff" to toss out that which I don't need. This won't really work for big huge messes, but I can chip away as I go.

I have way too much stuff, and I struggle with that. There's a part of me that wants to hang onto things for the possibilities--ooh, that's cool and OLD and old means VINTAGE and I could do a REALLY neat art project with it in my spare time and what if I toss it out and then need it and can't find another like it or can't afford a new one, what then, I ask you?

There's also my history (and my family's history) with STUFF, which is long, and confusing, and would probably take a year in therapy to sort through (Pun intended).

It's all ridiculous when I say it aloud or type it here, but alas, it's no less true, the pull of my stuff. The security, the fascination of being able to shop in my own house, to unearth things I'd lost or forgotten about.

I know that someday the house that I live in will match the house in my head.

A good site...

2005-10-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

If you like the "do this one thing each day" type of lists, here's a site that has monthly checklists. I just got the October one and will be doing all the activities that apply.

Get Organized Now!

Some good strides...

2005-10-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

Ki and I have made some good strides in decluttering and getting the house under control, although it's been pretty messy lately. I'm not sure what I've posted about here, so I'll give a quick recap of some of it:

*Bought a washer and dryer. This has helped immensely. It has eliminated the "go to the laundromat" night from our schedule, and replaced it with "throw a load of laundry in while we are home and doing other things" activity.

*Bought and put up a window treatment we enjoy in our bedroom. Ki and I picked it out, and she put it up. It's an IKEA fabric blind (or rather two) in a neutral off-white. It opens up the room and looks nice.

*Chore wheel: Kieren did this one. The house has been gross and we've been trying to do triage when we could, but the giant pile of dishes the other day got the best of her. We'd taken out the recycling and I'd emptied the trash, but there were still dishes and a gross floor and sticky/crumby countertops. I came home and, voila, a chore wheel so all the housemates have a turn cleaning.

*Emptied the bags at the foot of the bed. I've been trying to be better about emptying bags when I get home, but tote bags of dance stuff, small daypacks from hiking, work stuff, etc. tends to pile up at the end of the bed. All but one unused one are now gone--fully emptied--and I'm going to tackle the last one this week.

Medicine

2005-09-08T16:15:00.000-07:00

While I was off hiking Half Dome, Ki installed the new blinds, cleaned up her/our shoe area and organized her closet. (I'd come up with a solution for the closet problem, and she implemented it while I was away. I'm so glad it worked!) Anyway, I was inspired by her progress and decided to tackle the big wooden box of medicines and its overflow, which was by my side of the bed.

Alas, I spent a couple of hours yesterday after work sorting, wiping, tossing, and rehousing supplements, first aid supplies, sticky cough drops etc. Would the joy (and fuzz) never end? This also involved going through one of the bathroom drawers and totally reorganizing it as well. It looks very good now, so I'm pleased.

bye bye pants!

2005-08-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

ki and i got rid of a bunch of clothes. we took them to our favorite resale place and got just under $40. not a ton, but enough to get a couple things. the rest is going to our friends, whom we will let paw through the bags after dance class on thursday.

since we took them in (monday), i've already dug up another 7 pairs of pants to let go...

Musings from over on 43 Things

2005-08-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

i bought a very nifty hammock and stand in part so that i could keep one area of the yard (where one of my housemates tends to put her extra “stuff”—tools, wood, boxes, garbage cans—) neat and tidy. it’s the area that corresponds to “wealth” if you buy into feng shui, and i do because after cleaning it up, my financial situation got really good…but i digress.

anyway, i came back from the weekend and the hammock was moved and stuff abounded in the “neat and tidy” zone. i need to get my excess stuff under control before i can ask anyone else to look after theirs, but it still gives me the “one step forward, two back” feeling when i clean an area up and then it gets messy through no fault of my own.

i’ve GOT to clean out my clothes closets as well…i am dreading this because i don’t have a lot of room (our bedroom doesn’t have any real closets—just an old murphy bed enclosure that now has a clothing rod—and two small wardrobes we picked up from IKEA and the hardware store.

43 Things

2005-08-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

43 Things is a cool site. Folks post what they want to accomplish and you can read them, and see how many others have the same goals. (Decluttering is on there!)

A few good links...

2005-08-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a "how to" article on doing a declutter session. It's a shorter committment to read this than a book or long article. :) Enjoy.

How to schedule a declutter session.

And here's a link to a sweet story about needing to get rid of stuff before new stuff will come in.

Old Jeans

And here's one that helps you declutter the mental goo as well!

Decluttering your mind (and your life)

More stuff...going, going, gone.

2005-08-03T21:41:00.000-07:00

I keep wanting to post my latest thoughts about decluttering, but not getting to it. Today I journaled a bit about what it means to not quite be able to do a big possession purge, what the reasons behind it are.

I also went through my closet a bit more and got rid of 6 shirts. I'm going to add a pair of shoes to it tonight as well.

Archives: Out!

2005-07-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

I had tossed out a lot of old magazines earlier in the year, mainly the Backpacker, Outside and Adventure mags I kept for trip ideas and gear tips. I also got rid of my VegTimes and women's mags. Today, however, I went into the back room and saw 3 of those upright magazine containers...full. I haven't been doing as much outdoor stuff lately. In fact, I haven't led any trips this season. With the exception of one Curve with Jodie Foster on the cover, and some Vegetarian Times and health-type mags, they were all "activity" magazines that are great for those who lead trips and need to keep a steady stream of potential outing ideas coming, but not so crucial for someone who is currently doing research for a conference planning company. Anyway, I decided to toss the whole lot out, or rather to recycle them. I may list them on Freecycle if I have time, but if I don't do it and get a taker by Thursday night, they go right into the recycle bin for Friday pick up. I counted them (because I was curious) and there were *30.* I certainly don't need 30 magazines. What was I thinking?

Dr. Declutter's Blog

2005-07-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to Dr. Declutter's blog. Enjoy!

So long, farewell...

2005-07-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

I'd like to wish the following items "adieu":

*3 pair of pants.
*Two tee shirts.
*Low top hiking boots.

The Guest

2005-07-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

Alas, T. (who stars in a few posts on this site, because I was afraid to have her down to visit based on what she'd think of our house and its contents) decided she's not going to come stay the night anymore. Five people and all our stuff is too much for her.

She said it nicely, but it still smarts, because no matter how hard I clean, it won't ever meet her standards. There's just not enough time in my day to play maid anymore, or to provide the kind of vigilance needed so that the bathroom floor stays hair-free for the 24 hours she's here. True, when she came down, it was gross, but Ki did a clean up of the kitchen and bathroom while T. and I went for a walk on the beach.

So, what's the problem? Why can't I just do a little more around the house? I work early (up at 6 AM, in the office by 7 AM) and I often teach dance or have dance practice after work, until around 9 PM. When I worked at home, I used my breaks to do everyone's dishes, dust, Tilex the bathroom, etc. Now that I'm offsite, it's much harder. I still come home and clean, but I've been gone all day and I'm tired, and it seems like there's more to tidy lately.

I was all set to do a big clear out when I got this offsite job, but I've lost steam. It seems that from my conversation with T. that even if my stuff was under control and I did a decent clean of the house, it wouldn't appeal to her to come stay. She doesn't like that we only have 1 1/2 bathrooms for 5 of us (6 with her), and that there's not a lot of space for her stuff. I can clear out some space for her, but unless I install another bathroom, which is only marginally more likely than my winning the lottery, the 1 1/2 is all we've got to work with. And I can't do much about my housemates' random stuff.

I guess I'm just used to living with people. Sure, it's a pain sometimes, especially when there's junk that's not mine strewn about, or I just mopped the floor and someone walks over it, but it also has its good points. Our housemates are bright and funny and have big hearts. They welcome any of our reasonably-behaved friends, and they feed and medicate our sweet kitty just about every weekend. Nine times out of ten that's enough to get me to overlook a little bit of bathroom scunge.

So, given T's announcement, while I will keep decluttering, I don't have the impetus anymore to do a giant decluttering right now. I can either spend my limited spare time making things nice--but not nice enough--quickly, or I can make them not-quite- nice-enough on my own time, a few items here and there, in a way that means I still have time to sleep, and dance, and sit in the hammock, and play, and to do the work that brings in money.

I do indeed want the house to look nice. I want it to be clean and decluttered. It's just a bit dispiriting to realize that your best efforts won't be enough for someone you love.

more goodbyes

2005-07-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

bye bye black jeans...

Cool Big Declutter Blog

2005-07-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, I am not sure how this works.

declutter

Bye bye: Redux

2005-07-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

I forgot to say:

3 tees
a blue shiny denim-type vest

Ciao! May the next person who gets you enjoy.

Work

2005-07-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be doing a "day job" from 7 AM to 3 PM M-F, and I'm still doing some writing and dance teaching. This will make for a busy schedule and I wonder where the time to declutter will come from. I will have to make some adjustments: ironing a week's worth of clothing at a time (preferable) etc. I am actually hopeful that having a more structured day will point out to me that I need to make time for cleaning and decluttering in a structured way as well, as opposed to now, when I take a break from working and clean the kitchen etc.

Bye bye!

2005-07-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

5 hats...out the door. Bye bye!

More expert advice...

2005-07-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

More from Stephanie Roberts at Clutter Free Forever:

Holding on to clutter is a really powerful way to keep from
having to do things differently, or to avoid new activities
and experiences. If you can't get motivated to clean even
one little area, what is that clutter protecting you from?
What it is helping you avoid that might be scary to you?
Clearing out your clutter creates space for change, and
change can be threatening, even if it welcomes in something
good.

If you suspect you may be holding on to clutter for
emotional reasons, don't just grit your teeth and force
yourself to get rid of it anyway. Acknowledge and honor
your feelings. Allow yourself time to explore their deeper
meanings. This is a learning and growth opportunity.

If you are surrounded by clutter because lots of material
things help you to feel secure, first let yourself be okay
with that. Give yourself permission to create a sense of
security without feeling guilty about it. Then, make it a
goal to discover other ways to feel more secure without
needing lots of unnecessary stuff around.

I think she is right here. It's not enough to just force yourself to toss things if there's an underlying issue. Sure, sometimes it works, and you can actually get rid of quite of a lot of stuff that way; I know I have. I also know from experience that sorting out the *whys* can be helpful not only because it helps you get rid of things more easily, but also because it helps you *maintain* things at their less-cluttered level. That's to say if I get rid of 10 bags of "stuff", if I'm really okay with having less around, then that space will stay clear. It won't become a "thing void" to be filled with more (new! better! improved!) stuff.

Giver's Remorse?

2005-07-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

So a while ago I got rid of TONS of books. Many, many bags. Among them were a lot of glbt books, which went, with all the rest, to Goodwill. Since that time, I've been pretty hard on myself for taking the "easy" way out, instead of looking into how I could donate them to serve the community. For example, about a month after I donated them, I got a note from the Cantu Center at UCSC asking for glbt book donatations. They have 0 budget and a lot of student readers. I was at Sisterspirit in SJ the other night, chatting with a friend, and noticed their used book section. I could have given them to there as well, or to the Diversity Center in Santa Cruz. Alas, I sent them to Goodwill. I know it's probably not a big thing, but I'm still feeling bad about it, because they could be doing a lot of good as a collection somewhere!

Another tip from one of my favorite clutter experts!

2005-07-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

Tip #50

While a patina of surface clutter can be tidied and put
away without creating more of a mess, dealing with years or
decades worth of pack-ratted stuff is going to make more of
a mess for awhile, until you get it sorted out. You can't
deal with this stuff without getting it all out of whatever
closets/boxes/drawers it's been stashed in and digging and
pulling out and spreading around so you can see it and feel
it and make decisions about it.

Creating this kind of a mess is important progress... so
long as you take the next step of moving it forward along
its paths to new homes (elsewhere or in well-organized
places in your home for the stuff you decide to keep). If
you start to feel overwhelmed, take a break today, and get
back to clutter-clearing tomorrow.

Don't give up!,

Stephanie Roberts

Things I Got Rid of This Week

2005-06-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

I wonder if it would be helpful for me to log the things I get rid of every week? I probably wouldn't end up recording *everything* but it would be nice to know at least some stuff is moving out the door.

So, I'd like to bid goodbye to the following items:

*2 tee shirts
*a spandex-y nylon Esprit top
*blue sweatshirt
*Nike running shoes

Ciao, buh-bye, au revior, see ya...

Make Up Mess

2005-06-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

I don't wear makeup, so I don't have this exact problem. (The thought of more little tubes and bottles floating around my bathroom/backpack/life is a bit scary!) But it's good advice, and hopefully one of you can use it!

Tip #48 From Stephanie Roberts

Grooming and makeup items that you use every morning can be
collected into a plastic or wicker basket and stored in a
bathroom cabinet or under the sink. Pull the basket out
when it's time to get ready for the day, and place on the
counter. As you finish using each item, toss it back in the
basket, and the whole thing goes back out of sight when
you're done. All your stuff stays together so you don't
loose time rummaging around, and your bathroom counter and
cabinet stay tidy.

Do keep an eye on your basket so it doesn't accumulate
extra clutter over time. If have to rummage around in there
for what you need, either you need a larger basket, or
you've got more than you need in there.

Using this method is a good way to cut down on extra makeup
items. Just put a few eye shadows and lipstick in the daily
basket. If months go by without you looking for a different
one to use that's not in the basket, changes are you don't
need the others.

Under the Bed

2005-06-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

Now that we have the BIG bed, we also have an UNDER the BIG bed. This means underbed containers to store the sheets. I'm going through our sheets and getting rid of the worn or never-liked-them ones; we have enough double bed sheets to outfit a college dorm. The problem is that we have a QUEEN bed now, and we really only have 2 sets of sheets for it, one flannel, one warm-weather cotton.

I bought 4 small underbed containers at KMart today. Turns out we have more like a 6 or 8 kind of container bed. I actually really hate storing things under the bed. But then again, it is just sheets, and they will be organized and out of sight.

Energy Efficiency

2005-06-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

Waste and Clutter

(taken from another list I'm on)

-A poorly insulated house can easily waste 30% to 50% of the energy poured into it. Most utility companies perform energy audits for low or even no cost, and sometimes offer discounts and rebates to help you pay for energy-saving steps you take. Embracing the Earth ( has a step-by-step energy audit you can do yourself at no cost.

-Simple changes around the house: Run the dishwasher half as often as you do now, and save 50% in water, energy and time. Wash only full loads of clothing, and since 90% of the cost of washing clothes is to heat the water, avoid using hot water. Modern detergents clean well in cold water for all but the dirtiest loads.

-Half of the average family’s household energy goes to heating and/or cooling, at a cost of about $450 a year. Put a 15% dent in this expense by keeping the thermostat set at 65°F in the daytime, and 55 or 60 at night. Keep sweaters and blankets in living areas, or try a cozy hot water bottle under your shirt and in your bed.

-Confused by the cloth versus disposable diaper hype? Don’t be--folding your own wins every time for both saving money and protecting the environment. Using cloth diapers will save you $23-28 a month, while costing just 30 minutes of your time per week. Don’t be taken in by claims that biodegradable disposable diapers are environmentally sound--it isn’t true.

-Planting a large tree to shade your home can save you an estimated $73 a year in air-conditioning bills. If every household did this, the country would save more than $4 billion in energy costs (and add to the beauty and health of the environment). Trees also prevent heat loss from the house in cold weather.

-Is junk mail cluttering your day, and your home? Send pre-paid envelopes back with a request that you be taken off the sender’s mailing list. To prevent the sale of your name, write the Direct Marketing Association, Box 9008 and Box 9014, Farmingdale, NY, 11735. It takes two letters (one P.O. box is for telephone lists, one for mailings, send the same letter to both), but this will drastically reduce your junk- mail clutter.

-Call your water utility and ask them how “hard” or “soft” your water is. You may be using up to six times as much clothing and dishwashing detergent as you need. Your appliance manuals will tell you how much you need for your water type.

-Become a regular at your local library. Waiting for you there are books, magazines, newspapers, books on tape, music tapes and CDs, videos, computer classes, access to the Internet, tax information, legal information, job information, storytellers and homework help for children, free meeting rooms and more. If the book or article you want isn’t there, the wonderful inter-library loan program will get it for you free. Libraries save money, time, clutter and resources, and get you out into your community.

-An estimated 50% of the waste stream in the U.S. is discarded packaging. Be very aware of packaging excess, and when all else is equal, choose the least-packaged. Help raise awareness of this issue by being a packaging activist: ask your grocers to phase out pre-wrapped fruits and vegetables.

Start where you are...

2005-05-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

Another tidbit from Stephanie Roberts:

There is no "failure" in clutter-clearing. Each day, each
moment, just start where you are, and see if you can become
one little bit fr@er and clearer in whatever way is
appropriate to your day.

Message of the Day from The Organizer Lady

2005-05-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

Let's Hear It for Robotics!

Messies tend to relate emotionally to their work.
They think they should feel like doing the work before
they start. Even when they do the work, they react
emotionally to it, usually not liking it, resenting having to
use time doing what we consider mindless work.

In contrast, one of the characteristics of organized
people is that they go about their jobs in what can only
be called a mechanical way. Sometimes you can even
see a sort of robot-like look on their faces. They just do
what needs to be done without rancor, without joy. They
would be amazed to know how emotionally we relate to our
work.

Become, in a way, mechanical. Just put one foot
in front of the other. Do the work without considering whether
you like to do it, whether it is emotionally satisfying, or
whether it is a good use of your valuable time.

In order to make this approach easier, some Messies
listen to books on tape as they do their work. Each day as
they go about their routine, they look forward to hearing what
is going to happen next.

But the bottom line is --- just do it.

Tip from Stephanie Roberts: The 48 hour rule

2005-05-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Make an effort to move stuff out of the house within 48
hours of the time that you decide to let it go. Too often
clutter moves from the drawer or closet only as far as the
back hall or the garage, where it sits for weeks waiting
for someone to get around to taking it to the dump,
recycling center, or thrift store.

Making lots of smaller trips to local charity shops may not
be the most time- or energy-efficient, but it will help you
see progress more quickly and will fr@e up the energy in
your home a lot faster than waiting until you're "done"
(whenever that might be) so you can handle it all at once.

Stephanie Roberts

Bye Bye Books: Redux

2005-05-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

When I went to leave this morning--one of my errands was to go pick up a book on hold at the bookstore--I decided to take in a bag of books that had been living in the back room. In a fit of "hey, let's clear out a few more items," I ended up filling another bag about 1/2-2/3 full. I figured removing stuff I don't need or want from the house is a good thing, and that an extra partially-full bag of books is better than none.

Rubik's cube

2005-05-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

from The Organizer Lady:

Life is a rubic cube, you can't chose or move one
thing without moving everything else.

You have to take a look at the cube and find the
level of cleanliness that puts the most pieces into
place: depending where your life is -- that can vary.

Words from the Wise

2005-05-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to a well-written blog post on how the cleaning and life maintenance never ends.

Read it here!

A Good Tip!

2005-05-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

This tip is from Stephanie Roberts:

Getting rid of clutter is not the same as just catching up
on housework. Friends and family may not understand how
difficult it can be when there are emotional issues and
patterns underlying it all, and may wonder why you aren't
making faster progress.

And they are just as likely to be concerned that you might
be moving too fast and getting rid of too much - especially
if they have clutter issues themselves.

Don't let anyone else's expectations or standards distract
you from dealing with your clutter in whatever way works
for you. It's okay to go slowly if you need to, but it's
also okay to shovel stuff out by the dumpster-load if
that's what you are motivated to do.

The "right" way is the way that works best for you.

Stephanie Roberts