Operation Declutter continues

I love hearing about your progress in this quest towards a more minimalistic lifestyle!  Tks for the updates - keep 'em coming because it motivates me and holds me accountable. We are blessing our families by cleaning out our stuff. We are blessing others by giving some things to them. And we are blessing ourselves because we will feel less stressed in a decluttered environment, we will waste less time looking for things, and we will have more time to do things other than corral clutter!  Hooray!

So, the books have been reduced, the MB is clean and organized, and the half bath is as well. I needed this easy project after tackling the Master Bedroom!  It didn't take even half an hour to clean out the cabinet under the sink, stock it with necessities :), and swipe it til it sparkles. With extra room in the cabinet, I decided to put the Christmas decor I use in this room in that empty space!  And the seasonal candles that I change out fall and spring - instead of stuck who knows where in the laundry room!  That will make things easier to swap out later - score!



Next I will attack the piano room.  Instead of a formal living room, we have a "piano room". In here we have the piano (duh), lots of books, and a loveseat for a reading area (this is where I do my daily devotions).  This might sound like it will be as easy a project as the half bath...but this is also where we've decided to house our files. We rearranged some furniture, moved things from one room to another, and are consolidating files from three different places in our house. At least three.  Ugh.

All that to say, this will not be as simple as the bath I just completed. But not as arduous as the bedroom closet! And hopefully not as sentimental - whew!

Knowing my ACDD (attention to cleaning deficiency disorder), I will go about it in spurts. 15-20 minutes at a time. But it will get done if I keep at it. So, Jan 31 is my goal.

And I am not even going to think about the rooms that need attention next.

That laundry room and kitchen may be the death of me....

Crossing off that item on the list

Master Bedroom is done, y'all!

I am beyond excited - I am depleted.

Why I didn't anticipate what would happen as I went through some of those piles and boxes in my closet, I do not know.
I sobbed my eyeballs out after 20 minutes in the closet.

The baby items and the tshirts saved for the last two memory quilts to one day be made. The notes and pictures and various little mementos that evoked an avalanche of memories and emotions. The pj's which were the first thing she ever sewed by herself. The jersey he wore when he ran for a touchdown and spiked the ball in the end zone...and got the penalty. The AWANA cubbies vest and the Yellowstone Jr Ranger shirt and the tshirt from Jamaica. All those team shirts and camp shirts and vacation shirts that needed to be processed neatly into boxes, ready to be turned into wedding gifts for the last two kids.

Sure am glad the other two already have their quilts - I barely survived this trip down memory lane. If it had been doubled, I'd have needed medication for sure.

But it's done.

And I realized some organizational tips about myself.

1. It's better for me to declutter before I organize
2. I need to break the large tasks into small ones and attack them in separate assaults. Otherwise, the chore feels too daunting. I don't do well to assign myself one whole day and work til it's done - I am better off doing a step here, a step there until the journey's done.

Probably that is a malady called "ACDD" - Attention Cleaning Deficiency Disorder.

Maybe there is a group for that.

3. Now that I have my bookshelves done and the master bedroom done, I need something small and more manageable so that payoff is fast.

Hmmmmmmm ok so what's next?

The half bath on the main floor.

That will be quick and easy.

But for now, I will bask in my decluttered bedroom. If you come over, I'm likely to invite you to look under my bed. And I will definitely expose you to "closet envy".  At least on my half of it.

Just sayin

Operation DeClutter

Master Bedroom.

That's what I am tackling now.

I think I need to set myself a deadline so
1) I will get it done
2) I will feel a sense of progress/accomplishment.  (I am that type of gal who loves herself a to-do list - mainly for the thrill of marking stuff off!)

So, here's my deadline -
MB cleaned out by Jan 31.

So far I've cleaned out under the bed (I doubt anyone else has the mess under theirs that I had accumulated - I mean, that IS what those lovely bedskirts are really for, right?)
And I put away all the Christmas decor and gift packaging that lobbied for squatters' rights in my room.
Next - closet and dresser drawers.  Eek.

Somebody promise to check up on me Feb 1 if I don't update y'all before then - who will volunteer?

And who else has an update for me? I need some feedback, peeps :)

Devotion to books

But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body
Ecclesiastes 12:12

I love books.

I love to read, I love to write, but I also just love books! I love to have them on shelves, as part of my decor, and in my home. My favorite Disney princess is Belle because she loves books. And I confess a deep-seated envy of the ceiling- to-floor-books room in the Beast's castle. Just getting it out there.



I love books.

And I have a really hard time parting with them. Books are my friends.

Consequently, my house is full of them.

All kinds of books - children's books, homeschool books, Bible study books, fiction books, self-help books, BOOKS!

The last time we moved (which, in terms of book-years, was several truckloads ago), the movers were not only exhausted but also a bit irritated. "Lady,", they said, "Next time you move, you have to tell the moving company that you have this problem with books. We ain't never moved this many books!"

Gulp.

I do love books.

And I just cannot get rid of them. It's not that I intend to hoard them - it's just that they are dear to me and tossing them out would be just short of giving away one of my children. (Wait, I have pondered that before....)

So I have an excess of books. My shelves are sagging and the storage room is full of boxes of books. (In self-defense, I inherited this malady from my father and when my folks moved in with me, his book legacy came, too. That accounts for lots of these books! Additionally, my mother-in-law shares my love of all things books and she has generously fed my addiction for many years. SO LOTS of BOOKS!!)

But the writer of Ecclesiastes is right. This excess devotion is wearying. So after years of resistance, I am cleaning out books.

I was quite affirmed in this endeavor as soon as I began - books from my college days probably are no longer needed! (But, hey, it's like I said - I inherited this from my dad - his shelves have microbiology books from the 1950's!)

I cleaned off the shelves. I opened up the storage boxes. And I let go of a lot of books.

If you saw my bookshelves now, you might not notice the difference. But 7 humongous boxes later, I surely do!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I'll share what I did with the books. I just could not drop them all off at Goodwill, as wonderful as donating there may be. (Not to mention the hefty charitable contribution that would be, come tax time) I couldn't even donate them all to the library, as noble as that would be.

These books are my friends. Seriously. I am attached to them.

So I shared them.

With my flesh and blood friends.

I sorted them out into categories (lovingly smoothing the covers of each one...) and assigned them to boxes. Then I invited my friends to help themselves. I cannot begin to tell you the joy I felt when these loves connected - my books and my buddies. My tomes and my treasured comrades. Together.

Bliss.

Seriously.

The more books my friends took with them, the happier I was.

Nice neat shelves. Books to bless in new places.

Happy dance.

Now somebody save me from Amazon Prime!!!!

On a personal note...

It honestly feels a bit petty to share this, given the situations of others around the world. Christians being persecuted and martyred for their commitment to Christ. Natural disasters such as floods and tornadoes and earthquakes decimating communities. People losing jobs, homes breaking up, and children being abused. All these things are so real and so serious and so much  more important than the thoughts I have to share today.

But it's where I am. And I always want to be real with you. And since this is where God has me, then I need to be faithful and true where I am. Maybe there is some encouragement or blessing for someone in here somewhere!

Here's where I am, at least it's my plan for the next few months.


Cleaning out.

Getting rid of things that I do not need or do not want.

Creating an atmosphere of serenity and productivity. Not just in living areas but also in storage spaces.

I have wanted to do it for a while but now I am committed. I've even already begun but just couldn't decide whether to share it with y'all.  Because it seems too trivial.

But it's where I am.

So here I go -

Why clean out/declutter? That's where I begin.

Here are my reasons:
1. Clutter bothers me.
2. Having a cluttered home is not blessing my family.
3. It's a stewardship issue. Of time and possessions.

Living in cluttered, disorganized spaces is not just annoying. It's not just a time waster and an eyesore. Studies show that it is a major stress contributor, even being linked to depression.
Ain't nobody got time for that!

Soooooooooo, the process has begun.

I am sharing my journey with you primarily to hold myself accountable. (That's likely what has held me back from sharing it before now!) And maybe my journey will encourage someone else to get rid of the clutter in their life, too.

I am inviting you to join me. Not just as a spectator but also as a participant.
Will you commit to this with me?

I'll keep you posted on my progress...and I'd love to hear from you!  Any suggestions or motivations or personal stories - I'd love to hear about it all!