Lois_E begins a long MFW journey

Lois_E

CathT wrote: »

I desperately need to declutter, I dread opening the playroom door these days. Well done you, there's something quite satisfying about a good old declutter.

Thanks Cath. I'm afraid those four boxes were a drop in the ocean. For family reasons I have far more stuff in this house than any one person (even with two kids) ought to have.

pammyj74 wrote: »

Well done on the decluttering. I have put it off as we usually go through all the kids toy boxes and cupboards to clear for new stuff but havent got round to it

Anyway just popping in to say...

Thanks Pammy. Merry Christmas to you too!

icontinuetodream

Lois, it doesn't matter how much you have left to do....the fact that you have made an effort and started is the thing you should be proud of.....:D have a fab holiday period, and a great new year:D

Lois_E

icontinuetodream wrote: »

Lois, it doesn't matter how much you have left to do....the fact that you have made an effort and started is the thing you should be proud of.....:D Chave a fab holiday period, and a great new year:D

Awww thanks.

I'm not too bad at starting. I start decluttering the house every 3 or 4 months. But I'm not good at keeping going with it. If I make a start that deals with 4 boxes and then fizzles out, and do that 3 or 4 times a year, it's still going to take me at least a decade before the place is ready for a house-warming party, or it feels that way, anyhow.

I'm going to try to do some more next week, though.

Hope your solstice celebrations were fun. Happy Christmas to everyone who celebrates it.

Hurdler

Merry Christmas - happy spreadsheeting for 2012!!!

Lois_E

Thanks Hurdler.

Have done a bit more decluttering and tidying - ended up putting some things into boxes to make the place look tidier when some people were about to visit but feel there's definitely been some progress, especially on the dining room. And my desk! I am sitting at it now, with the laptop on its stand to put it at the right height, and using the separate keyboard and mouse that I'm supposed to have to keep the RSI at bay, instead of having it on my lap on my bed as I did when my desk was covered in stuff.

Now just got to keep it that way. This will be the hard bit. :eek:

Need to get uber-spreadsheet up to date. Nothing's happened that I haven't got a paper/email trail for, so it should be possible to get it all sorted, but I'm very behind with it.

pavlovs_dog

there's a thread on the OS forum if you want someone to kick you up the bum and keep you on course with the decluttering I've promised myself that I'm going to tackle one room at a time, starting with the study.

15 mins a day is nothing in the grand scheme of things, but over the 31 days in January it's just shy of 8 hours.

Lois_E

Thanks Pavlovs. I did try that thread out years ago, in a previous online incarnation. It didn't work for me. It seemed to me to be lots of people posting things about their decluttering (and I posted some about mine too) but nobody replying to what anybody else said, really. Anyway, it seemed to be working for them, but I didn't find it motivating for me personally, because I felt nobody would notice whether I was there or not. It's more motivating for me to incorporate the decluttering into a MFW diary where it feels to me more like a dialogue with the lovely people who sometimes post on my diary. Good luck to anyone who finds the OS decluttering thread helpful though, and to anyone else trying to declutter, whatever motivation they're trying to use!

pavlovs_dog

Lois_E wrote: »

It seemed to me to be lots of people posting things about their decluttering (and I posted some about mine too) but nobody replying to what anybody else said, really.

it definitely does get like that at times, although I liked feeling that I was making myself accountable IYSWIM. Although you're achieving exactly the same through posting on your diary. I like seeing what other people have sorted though, sometimes I read someone's post and , upon realising how long it's been since i last did whatever it is they've just done, it spurs me into action.

icontinuetodream

Don't look at on a room by room basis....its scary....:eek:

List each cupboard, drawer, shelf, box etc in each room....dedicate 15 minutes every two days to one of them.....by the end of the year, you will have decluttered your entire house several times over..:D

Honestly, it really works, you don't feel overwhelmed or resentful and it is truly effective!! :j:j:j:j I did this a couple of years ago and haven't lived in, or with, clutter since....it takes me about half an hour a day to clean my house (but I do this in 5-10 minute bursts) because there is nothing lying around to clear up and nothing takes up my valuable time anymore....leaving me much more time to do stuff that I want :D:D Don't get me wrong, I have had weeks where I just cannot be ar*ed to do anything at all, but then when I am back on the wagon, an hour or so is all it takes to get it back up to standard......

Lois_E

I'll try. I really will. But I'm not good at sticking to things. Well, I'm good with money, but not with clutter.
Still, I have made progress this school holidays. I will feel positive about that, and hope it motivates me to keep going.
Thanks for the encouragement, anyway. Feel free to drop in on my diary and ask me how it's going every so often - it might kick me into doing some a bit more often than I otherwise would. :beer: