New Curtains

I bought new curtains for my dining room window.

I am disgusted with the stuff that is still in one end of the dining room. Bankers Boxes, plastic tubs, baskets and misc other containers. I wish it was all put away somewhere (or even GONE out of the house).

I've been telling myself that I can't think about decorating my home until it is cleared out so that the home decor is even noticable. So far so good. I've only bought things to put in areas where I have made some progress : )

Thoughts to Consider about things I collect

Am I hospitable because I HAVE dishes, serving pieces, housewares and linens in order to be hospitable or because I have people into my home?

Am I a scrapbooker because I HAVE a collection of tools and supplies or because I actually scrapbook?

Am I a connoisseur of great literature because I HAVE a large collection of books or because I have actually READ great literature?

work done in the living room

Purged: toys I have for my grandkids

Put Away: work-out equipment that hubby wants to keep, but had been in our living room (unused) for weeks

Moved: a cubicle shelf, a folding table and a plastic two drawer stackable bin (that I emptied!)

Wow! What a difference. The living room looks much more open and cleaner now : )

Speaking of "clean" I discovered some wet swiffer type disposable cleaning cloths to use on my wood floor. I'm very pleased with them. They not only clean and pick up dog hair but they have a very nice smell too!

Obsessive Thinking

I decided to do some organizing with my scrapbooking materials. That would be FUN and enjoyable : )

I sorted through papers, documents and souvenirs that I intend to use on pages I make. I separated them and filed them away.

Two days later, I thought I would enjoy doing some more organizing. It didn't go as well. I hit a wall (frustrating myself).

I was working on making some sort of file in order to easily find words and phrases for pages about "FAMILY" or "FRIENDS," etc ... I started with legal sized hanging files. For some reason I wasn't liking how that was coming together. If only I had a smaller 4 x 6 or 5 x 8 file box. I thought I'd prefer the smaller size. I was happy to discover that I happened to have (not only one but two) of this type of box !!

I added A-Z divider tabs and started to file ziploc bags that contain "word" and "phrase" stickers. That's when I hit the wall. I was obsessing over how to file and how to KNOW what words and phrases I had. The more I thought about it, the more I thought I would need to keep an inventory of the "words" and the "phrases."

I continued to think about how I'd record the inventory; decided to use a small spiral notebook and list them alphabetically. I found a notebook the size I wanted. The number of pages were not listed anywhere on this notebook. I started to count them. Too many to count. I guesstimated that there were 80 - 100 pages. OK, I determined to use three pages per letter.

Next thing I thought about was that I wanted to be able to easily access a letter in this notebook. In order to do that, I would need tabs. With the straight edge of an index card and a pencil, I marked off the right edge of a sheet of paper. I held three pages together and cut out a notch (tab) for the "A" section. I did the same for "B", "C", and "D".

The tab would not be durable. I used a label and folded it over the paper tab (then wrote the letter on the label). This made the tab slightly thicker. I will eventually add some clear packing or scotch tape on top of the tab.

Next step was to come up with my codes. I needed codes for the location of the "word" or "phrase" and also codes that would tell me if this was a word (single word), a theme, a picture or
a definition.

After I came up with some codes, I thought about what order I would use to make an entry on a page.

At this point I had overwhelmed myself. This organizing was no longer enjoyable. I was quite stressed. I cleaned up and put everything away I had out.

Summarizing: I thought about coming up with a way to easily and efficiently be able to get my hands on stickers and sayings to use if I was working on a scrapbook page with the theme of "Friends" or "Family". My original thought did not pan out well. When I got down to using a smaller file box and my obsessive thinking brought me to the conclusion that I HAD TO INVENTORY each and every word sticker .... that's when I hit the wall and felt like crying or maybe even screaming a little because I also knew it would be a frustrating and tedious job to do.

From My Heart

I give everyone permission to get rid of anything I ever gave them or made for them if they so choose. You are FREE to do with it as you wish. PLEASE do not hold onto something under any "obligation" or "guilt."

If it's mine, give it back to me (ha ha), seriously. But if it's already gone ... don't sweat it.

the show HOARDERS

I watched two episodes of "Hoarders" from A&E on my computer last night. These are the first ones I have seen. My immediate response was "ewwww!" I think that these circumstances are what most people think of when they hear the word hoarder. My home is not in this condition. I don't say that with any pride or haughtiness, just want to clarify that hoarders come in all degrees.

I can relate to some of the emotions expressed:

• concern that the work crew CHECK to make sure that boxes are truly empty
• concern that workers are CAREFUL when handling items (that may be fragile)
• concern that an item is USEFUL or VALUABLE , yet needs to be removed (because you are NOT using it)
• concern that others understand HOW DIFFICULT this process is for you
• gratitude for the help (though at times there may be a breakdown)

Seeing it through the eyes of the family members who live with a hoarder, I felt great sorrow for them. They DO deserve to live in a home free from the clutter. They DO have a right to give an ultimatum. In doing so, they are not selfish, they ARE genuinely concerned about the health and well being of the hoarder and want them to get the help they need.

update

I've been placing items into the back of my van as I fill the "DONATIONS" box. As I pass a Goodwill, I drop off the donations.

One of my neighbors asked me if we were moving. She said she noticed stuff in the back of my van a couple of days in a row. I told her no, we're just moving out STUFF.

I joined a wonderful support group on-line. It's encouraging to read posts from others who are working through the same issues as I am.

Decluttering Is Not Just For Stuff

One of the things that is helping me be able to "release" stuff, is to declutter my mind.

I do this in two ways. One is to "clear my mind" by sitting down either at the computer or with a piece of paper and just make a list of everything on my mind. Once I start thinking, the thoughts start to really flow and eventually they will taper off and I stop. It may be something I need to do or a concern I want to pray about or even something I want to remember to tell someone. The important thing is to just download it all onto paper.

I leave a slight margin on the left edge of the paper so that I can go back and code each item listed. "TD" is for things I need to do. "P" is for things I need to pray about. "C" is for what I want to consider (think more about), and so forth.

The other way I declutter my mind is to do mind mapping. I'm not sure if this is the correct name for what I do, but it's what I call it. It goes like this:
A. write down the instance/circumstance
B. write down your thoughts (about the instance/circumstance) one at a time
C. write down your emotions (about the instance/circumstance) one at a time
Then I look to see if I can spot a thinking error (in my thoughts)
For instance: am I thinking that someone or something is ALWAYS _____ (whatever)?
Well, that's a thinking error. No person or circumstance is ALWAYS _____ .
When I see that and change my thought (the way I think about it) to "sometimes" he or it _____ then my emotion immediately changes too.

This is VERY effective to change my mood/attitude/disposition.

Do I do it everyday? No.

When I do it, I'm ALWAYS glad I did (ha ha, got you!)

Thinking About The Focus

This is not an original idea. I heard about it from someone else. I don't remember the man's name or I would give him the proper credit (he is a professional organizer and I think he shared this on the Oprah show) ... anyway, the tip is to evaluate each room of your house.

Ask yourself the following questions:
What is the function of this room (currently) ?
Who uses this room?
What do you WANT the function of this room to be?
What will have to be removed to meet this function?

I asked my husband and daughter these questions about our living room and dining room. Their answers weren't very surprising. I hope having a focus will help me to clear the "extra" things out (the clutter).

Friday, October 2, 2009

Tonight I purged my Tupperware/food storage containers. Threw away lids without bottoms, and placed pieces that we don't use in my DONATIONS box.

I gathered up paper goods: paper, plastic and styrofoam plates, cups, bowls and plasticware. I discovered that we have an over abundance of plastic knives and I don't need to buy any cups for picnics or parties for awhile either. I put these into white Banker's Boxes. The boxes are a temporary home for them until I decide where they will permanently stay.

I also ventured into my closet and came out with two paper bags full of clothes, some purses a pair of shoes and some hangers that I will DONATE.

These were easy purges. Obviously I am not emotionally tied to these things. When I get around to my books ... I know it will be a different story.