.....needs to come to an end.
In a nutshell, life has kind of run away with me lately. Between work being just tooooo busy (local elections) and not being very well (appendicitis), decluttering and diary keeping went somewhat on the back burner.
And I have to admit, the house is a bomb site.
It is generally superficial, but really does need a good clean and tidy before any serious decluttering can recommence. Husband has done a sterling job keeping things ticking over, but I really need to get back in gear if I am going to conquer House Mountain any time soon.
But there does always seem to be something getting in the way.
This week I had a good turf out at work due to us all moving offices, I actually discovered a box I had packed from the last time I moved offices 3 years ago. I binned it all. When I get in my new office tomorrow I am going to be very strict with what paper I keep. If it is available electronically, I won't keep the paper.
I also need to get back on top of my emails. Although I did do this right up until the last few weeks of the election when quality desk time just wasn't an option. This should take no more than an afternoon if I knuckle down.
I am hoping to make it home for about 4pm tomorrow and my aim is to get a couple of loads of washing on and clear the surfaces of general debris. I am hopeful that the systems and decluttering I put in place before the Three Month Slump mean that I should see a big difference quite quickly. I will let you know.
Time to get back on the horse!
The Declutter Diarist.
Tuesday 17 May 2011
Tuesday 8 February 2011
Cleaning Out The Closets
Been quite busy the last couple of nights, after a fairly chilled out weekend. Husband and I decided to tackle the two wardrobes and chest of drawers in our bedroom.
This definitely wasn't a job that I could tackle by myself, I am nowhere near qualified enough to make throw or keep decisions on man stuff.
Here is a little look at the before.....
Nightmare, no? There turned out to be all sorts of stuff in there. It is a miracle that we have been able to find anything!
The basic approach was to decide what clothes we were keeping so we had a bin bag handy ready for the charity shop. We filled this in no time at all as well as a whole bag of just junk.
The shelves and rails were all cleaned and, of the clothes we kept, they were folded neatly and put on the right hangers.
All in all, we spent an hour and a half sorting, cleaning and chucking. The results are fab and are actually saving me time getting ready in the morning! There is still a lot of room left on the shelves and rails, which is a good job as I know there are handbags and shoes around the house that really need to live in the wardrobe.
So, here are the results!
Much better! The clear plastic boxes are an absolute godsend and I have used them for shoes, small bags, scarves and hosiery. I also found 70p!
But I am not quite finished. I had got into a rather bad habit of putting clothes away before they were ironed. This was a vain attempt to keep the house 'looking' reasonable. But it is very much a false economy, because the item I or Husband needed would never be ready when we needed it.
So tonight I have a big pile of ironing to do, so have set up in front of the telly with a gin and tonic!
The mission continues....
The Declutter Diarist
This definitely wasn't a job that I could tackle by myself, I am nowhere near qualified enough to make throw or keep decisions on man stuff.
Here is a little look at the before.....
Nightmare, no? There turned out to be all sorts of stuff in there. It is a miracle that we have been able to find anything!
The basic approach was to decide what clothes we were keeping so we had a bin bag handy ready for the charity shop. We filled this in no time at all as well as a whole bag of just junk.
The shelves and rails were all cleaned and, of the clothes we kept, they were folded neatly and put on the right hangers.
All in all, we spent an hour and a half sorting, cleaning and chucking. The results are fab and are actually saving me time getting ready in the morning! There is still a lot of room left on the shelves and rails, which is a good job as I know there are handbags and shoes around the house that really need to live in the wardrobe.
So, here are the results!
Much better! The clear plastic boxes are an absolute godsend and I have used them for shoes, small bags, scarves and hosiery. I also found 70p!
But I am not quite finished. I had got into a rather bad habit of putting clothes away before they were ironed. This was a vain attempt to keep the house 'looking' reasonable. But it is very much a false economy, because the item I or Husband needed would never be ready when we needed it.
So tonight I have a big pile of ironing to do, so have set up in front of the telly with a gin and tonic!
The mission continues....
The Declutter Diarist
Monday 31 January 2011
A Thing A Day
I am a regular visitor at unclutterer.com, a great website with loads of tips and really supportive, friendly and informative forums.
I was having a quick browse this evening and came across this - A Thing A Day: 2011 Challenge
The basic idea is to get rid of a thing a day and post about it on the forum - everyone is motivating everyone else. I think the best thing about this idea is that no matter how demotivated you are feeling, no matter how rushed, no matter what else is going on - there is always time to get rid of A Thing A Day.
I am inspired! I have just shredded a pile of receipts that I have been staring at for the longest time! To keep track of my A Thing A Day, I am going to set up a Twitter account and link it to the blog. That way there will be a rolling record of what I am getting rid of and I can 'tweet' quickly and from anywhere!
Phew! A sudden burst of inspiration is just what I needed!
Declutter Diarist
I was having a quick browse this evening and came across this - A Thing A Day: 2011 Challenge
The basic idea is to get rid of a thing a day and post about it on the forum - everyone is motivating everyone else. I think the best thing about this idea is that no matter how demotivated you are feeling, no matter how rushed, no matter what else is going on - there is always time to get rid of A Thing A Day.
I am inspired! I have just shredded a pile of receipts that I have been staring at for the longest time! To keep track of my A Thing A Day, I am going to set up a Twitter account and link it to the blog. That way there will be a rolling record of what I am getting rid of and I can 'tweet' quickly and from anywhere!
Phew! A sudden burst of inspiration is just what I needed!
Declutter Diarist
One Month In...
It is a month since I started my Declutter Diary and I cannot believe that tomorrow will be February! When I started this blog, I set myself the task of not just decluttering my house, but my life - read my first post here.
It sounded pretty big, and it is a challenge. Sorting through a few drawers and straightening your wardrobes is all well and good, but it only makes a real difference in your life if you change your habits as well. Its a bit like going on a diet, if you think about it as a diet, it is only a temporary state and often the pressure you can put on yourself makes it unsustainable.
I have definitely hit a wall at certain points, or intended to do something and then not got round to it for whatever reason. In the past, I would have berated myself for failure, piled on the pressure or done a rush job and then been left feeling dissatisfied.
The big difference I have made this time is just to be a but more forgiving of myself. I have a busy life, sometimes I just want to watch telly or go to the pub. The clutter isn't going anywhere, it can wait. The trick for me has been to keep a vision in mind of what I want to achieve.
When I have made big leaps, I have enjoyed it and allowed myself to be a tad smug about what I have achieved. And more importantly, where I have made progress, I have maintained that area. So, I am pleased to report that I have kept the sitting room immaculate and I have kept my desk clear and my inbox empty.
So, I think tonight I will recline with a small gin and tonic and think about what I want to achieve in February. I may blog about this in a bit, that way you can all keep check on me! I am also going to think about how great it will feel to blog on New Year's Eve when I have got where I want to be. When even the Room of Doom is a sanctuary of calm and organisation....
Onwards and Upwards Friends!
The Declutter Diarist
It sounded pretty big, and it is a challenge. Sorting through a few drawers and straightening your wardrobes is all well and good, but it only makes a real difference in your life if you change your habits as well. Its a bit like going on a diet, if you think about it as a diet, it is only a temporary state and often the pressure you can put on yourself makes it unsustainable.
I have definitely hit a wall at certain points, or intended to do something and then not got round to it for whatever reason. In the past, I would have berated myself for failure, piled on the pressure or done a rush job and then been left feeling dissatisfied.
The big difference I have made this time is just to be a but more forgiving of myself. I have a busy life, sometimes I just want to watch telly or go to the pub. The clutter isn't going anywhere, it can wait. The trick for me has been to keep a vision in mind of what I want to achieve.
When I have made big leaps, I have enjoyed it and allowed myself to be a tad smug about what I have achieved. And more importantly, where I have made progress, I have maintained that area. So, I am pleased to report that I have kept the sitting room immaculate and I have kept my desk clear and my inbox empty.
So, I think tonight I will recline with a small gin and tonic and think about what I want to achieve in February. I may blog about this in a bit, that way you can all keep check on me! I am also going to think about how great it will feel to blog on New Year's Eve when I have got where I want to be. When even the Room of Doom is a sanctuary of calm and organisation....
Onwards and Upwards Friends!
The Declutter Diarist
Sunday 30 January 2011
Staying in Hotels
When I was glancing around other decluttering websites, I noticed that someone had written about how much they like staying in hotels. And I agree with that, there is nothing like a night in a posh hotel.
The crisp bedding, fancy soaps, spacious rooms, fluffy towels and clean lines.
I also act differently in a hotel room. I neatly put my clothes away, after getting ready I gather up my make up and put it away, and despite room service, straighten my bedsheets.
Then it hit me, I could actually live this lifestyle all the time.
At home.
But moving house is not an option, although that would be great. Put everything in a skip and start over again. But this is me all over - when things get on top of me my tendency is to be dissatisfied with my current life and dream about another one.
So, that is my new goal - crack on with the decluttering and live the hotel life style at home. Well, except for the room service, Husband is good...but not that good!
Declutter Diarist.
The crisp bedding, fancy soaps, spacious rooms, fluffy towels and clean lines.
I also act differently in a hotel room. I neatly put my clothes away, after getting ready I gather up my make up and put it away, and despite room service, straighten my bedsheets.
Then it hit me, I could actually live this lifestyle all the time.
At home.
But moving house is not an option, although that would be great. Put everything in a skip and start over again. But this is me all over - when things get on top of me my tendency is to be dissatisfied with my current life and dream about another one.
So, that is my new goal - crack on with the decluttering and live the hotel life style at home. Well, except for the room service, Husband is good...but not that good!
Declutter Diarist.
Monday 17 January 2011
All Work and No Declutter Makes a Messy House
Yep, I knew that this was a potential risk. After good plans, good intentions over the Christmas period, going back to work was always going to hit me like a tonne of bricks.
I have quite a busy job with weird hours and lots of weekend and evenings to do. On the upside, my diary is my own, and if I want I can clear a day to do what I like, (this wouldn't make me very popular if I did it often though!)
So consequently I have not achieved a great deal over the past two weeks. But saying that the sitting room has stayed exactly how it was after the declutter day and I am still on top of my emails after following the Bit Literacy technique. I feel a lot more in control about my work, which is a huge relief and Husband says makes me a nicer person to live with!
Tonight I got home at 8:30pm and I had organised a home delivery of the groceries. So my declutter job was to go through the fridge. Doesn't sound like much, but after 20 minutes there was only food in there that was fresh and would be eaten and it was clean. It was hardly grotty, but it is better now!
Sometimes, just taking some action, any action helps keep you on track. No matter how little, it is something.
Let's keep at it people!
Declutter Diarist
I have quite a busy job with weird hours and lots of weekend and evenings to do. On the upside, my diary is my own, and if I want I can clear a day to do what I like, (this wouldn't make me very popular if I did it often though!)
So consequently I have not achieved a great deal over the past two weeks. But saying that the sitting room has stayed exactly how it was after the declutter day and I am still on top of my emails after following the Bit Literacy technique. I feel a lot more in control about my work, which is a huge relief and Husband says makes me a nicer person to live with!
Tonight I got home at 8:30pm and I had organised a home delivery of the groceries. So my declutter job was to go through the fridge. Doesn't sound like much, but after 20 minutes there was only food in there that was fresh and would be eaten and it was clean. It was hardly grotty, but it is better now!
Sometimes, just taking some action, any action helps keep you on track. No matter how little, it is something.
Let's keep at it people!
Declutter Diarist
Friday 14 January 2011
Set Back
Just got back from a few days away - completely shattered and didn't declutter my hall like I wanted to before I went away.
I have decided not to beat myself up about this - it is too easy to make yourself feel bad. After all, I set the rules, so I can either be my own worst enemy or take a deep breath, make a plan and get on with it.
More details tomorrow after a good nights sleep!
DD
I have decided not to beat myself up about this - it is too easy to make yourself feel bad. After all, I set the rules, so I can either be my own worst enemy or take a deep breath, make a plan and get on with it.
More details tomorrow after a good nights sleep!
DD
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