declutter

Mountains O’things

It has been a very very long time since I have posted anything about 27-thing flinging, organizing or de- cluttering. Does it mean I fell off the wagon? Got lost under my mountains o’things? Not really. Just life and all that….

I probably stopped some time around Thanksgiving, because I took up the blog with Christmas Photo-A-Day posts, and right after the first of the year, my dad died. I’ve moved on to a Photo A Day on my other blog.

But spring is in the air (well, down here it is, at least for today!!) and I think it may be time to revisit some of the the ideas of decluttering, getting ready for spring cleaning! (oh, YIPEE!)

The major concept was to daily locate 27 things that could be removed from your household (living creatures do NOT count). Some of these things may be donated, some things may have always been trash but never made it to the garbage and some things may end up being given to someone else who can utilize them.

In order to make this a bit more ‘organized’ rather than random tossing, I had made a list of areas. This link takes you to the initial post last year.

This is the breakdown of categories I had come up with, and I have added to it how far along I feel I have gotten.

  1. Clothes-closet and drawers. This was done, and I ‘thought’ I had been successful. Sadly, Goodwill is my downfall. My new work around with this has been to force myself to wear something in the closet, and after I get it on, decide WHY I haven’t worn it lately, or get rid of it. My work clothes are starting to outgrow the location I had assigned them, so I am not putting clean clothes away, but emptying out the drawers, item by item, and WEARING IT. If it is tight, cut oddly, stained, ripped, frayed, torn, or collects cat hair more than other things, it is gone.
  2. Clothes-undergarment/socks. This is completed. Getting socks to not be eaten by the washer or dryer is another issue altogether.
  3. Toiletries/makeup. This area could certainly benefit from an expiration date check-up.
  4. Spices. Under control. Can’t change the size of the location they live, so I do have to remember to replace items as I go with smaller containers of spices.
  5. Kitchen utensils. Another section I feel has stayed under control.
  6. Dishware/cookware. Requires only a bit of tweaking as to what goes where. (getting dishes washed and put away? NOT part of this conversation.)
  7. Under the sink. I need to identify duplicates and get them used up, and really, could use another shelf of some sort under there.
  8. Refrigerator/freezer. It never hurts to go through this and toss anything hidden that has died!
  9. File cabinets Thirty minutes of my life would get this back to 100%.
  10. Knick knacks/home décor. The day to day stuff is in good shape. I LIKE it, and want to keep it near me.
  11. Linen closet. Our linen closet is too small for ANYTHING to fit in there, so I really need empty, disperse to other homes and totally declutter.
  12. Cat toys/supplies All beheaded and gutted stuffies are tossed upon witnessing their demise. Otherwise, contained and under control.Cat face
  13. Shoes Considering I don’t buy a lot of shoes because my feet are so bad, it is quite bizarre how many pairs are littered about throughout the house. If there was a place for the laundry basket to live other than in front of the closet door, I wonder if more would find a home in there? Probably can toss a few more pair.Disappointed smile
  14. Jewelry box/hair do-dads. Taken care of.
  15. Quilt fabrics IMPOSSIBLE!!! I DID the impossible. I folded all my fabrics and stored it in bins on the shelves in the studio. While doing that, I was able to purge a small amount and gave them to a single mother I know who is learning to quilt. ALL my fabric is in a container, most of the containers are in one location. (all in the studio)
  16. Quilt books HARD!!! But done. See Above. Of course I needed the space for the new ones. Quilt show is next week.Angel
  17. Quilt patterns HARD!!!  Ditto.
  18. Art supplies HARD!!! Haven’t even made an attempt.
  19. Paintbrushes/paints HARD!!!! See above.
  20. Glues and adhesives HARD!!!! See above.
  21. Papercrafting/scrapbooking HARD!!! (Ahem, cough cough) Ditto.
  22. Jewelry making HARD!!! You must be kidding! It is however CONTAINED. It all stays in one location, in containers designed to hold it, and seriously needs some editing.
  23. Magazines HARD!!! Done.
  24. CD’s HARD!!! Done. All 4500+ songs are on my iTunes/iPod. I bought two large CD books, tossed all the jewel cases, sleeved everything. Saved one shoebox full of interesting liner notes and the Christmas CD’s were not part of this. If I go into Goodwill one more time, I will need another book.Surprised smile
  25. Books HARD!!!! But, done. To Be Read (TBR)  are all in the bedroom on the headboard shelf. Keepers that have been read are on all the other bookshelves. Buying a Nook certainly has made this a doable goal. I didn’t get rid of any reference books.School
  26. Kitchen cabinets/pantry. Is this ever done?
  27. Photographs HARD!!! Digitally, I am half way there. Hard copies? HAH!Nyah-Nyah

Areas of interest not in my 27.

The den. That is Timmy’s domain. When we had the carpet installed the room was emptied, and he did his own version of de-cluttering while putting everything back.

The Attic. I have this small window of time that I can comfortably get up there and work. The location stinks. There isn’t enough room to stand up straight, the floor isn’t solid. And a lot of stuff got shoved up there during the carpet. But I was very careful sending things back up after Christmas, so I feel confident that Christmas can be moved to one side.

The Garage and Shed. Timmy’s domain, and he is interested in getting a shed that will pass inspection and then he can clean out the garage. ( He has this idea of putting a CAR in there? Anyone heard of such a novel use for a garage??)

How about a SUCCESS photo??

THE GUEST ROOM!

2011 2 15IMG_5982

New carpet, new bed. The bed has three full depth drawers under it. The wicker box under the window holds a lot of linens (see linen closet, above)

The bookshelves have ALL my genealogical stuff and old family letters and photos. The basket in front is temporary because I have an art show that I am getting photos ready for. (and the closet is de-cluttered, too)

I had a cancellation for next weekend. I’ll leave the light on!

OK, so I’ve fessed up. How are YOU doing??

Edit Attaching this link to a very interesting article…

27-thing Fling. Super-size me!

Happy New Year!!!!

Have you ever heard of the 27-Thing Fling? It’s like a low impact de-cluttering project.

In my version, you make it a part of your day, or make it a concentrated effort, to eliminate 27 things each day…(or period of time you allot, or each time you decide to conquer clutter…)

Fly Lady came up with the name, but she has all these rules, lol, like getting dressed every day, first thing, and keeping your shoes on in the house and -–and, well, it just isn’t happening….

However, with the new year here, and the piles growing again, and the desire to accomplish something, my brain started wandering….(I am far better at brain wandering than say, cleaning…)

What if I were to try to find 27 categories for potential flinging, instead of simply flinging 27 things a day? And here you have the number one reason WHY I can’t accomplish things:

Here is a proven method, and I MUST complicate it. (Like the time I decided I would design my own cross-stitch pattern. On 18-count Aida cloth. Never mind the fact I had never completed a counted cross-stitch in my life, I was making one from scratch. It’s not finished, in case you were curious.)

Anyway, these are the categories I came up with.  All categories subject to change. I will post details on them a few at a time.

Clothes-closet and drawers

Clothes-undergarment/socks

Toiletries/makeup

Spices

Kitchen utensils

Dishware/cookware

Under the sink

Refrigerator/freezer

File cabinets

Knick knacks/home decor

Linen closet

Cat toys/supplies

Shoes

Jewelry box/hair do-dads

Quilt fabrics IMPOSSIBLE!!!

Quilt books HARD!!!

Quilt patterns HARD!!!

Art supplies HARD!!!

Paintbrushes/paints HARD!!!!

Glues and adhesives HARD!!!!

Papercrafting/scrapbooking HARD!!!

Jewelry making HARD!!!

Magazines HARD!!!

CD’s HARD!!!

Books HARD!!!!

Kitchen cabinets/pantry

Photographs HARD!!!

But I Work, you say. Yes, I do, too. 40 hours, quick commute. No kids at home, but still there isn’t time in a day, is there? There really aren’t any hard and fast rules to this. 27 is just a number. It’s the ‘Thing/Fling’ that rhymes! Remember these things:

  • You do not need to sign up, or even let me know you are flinging, but it would be nice to know I am not alone. If something is working for you, do share!
  • I am NOT coming to check up on anyone… (unless you live somewhere warm, with beaches, and send me a plane ticket).
  • No one is going to check your piles/bags to see if you cheated. If you really can’t find a 27th thing to throw out one day, dry your hands with a paper towel and fling that!
  • I don’t need to see photos of piles. (I’ll show you mine if you show me yours??? Well, maybe I will post some….) There are no rules, there is no prize, there is no timeline. You can make up your own categories that suit your needs.
  • There is no deadline. You don’t need to do them in order. You can even keep going after you hit 27 at one time…(54, 81)
  • Motivation by accountably? Telling the world I am doing this makes it real. So are you telling, too?
  • This task is not supposed to supplant general housekeeping. Don’t get so overly motivated by the counting or the flinging that dinner is forgotten, or laundry ignored, etc…
  • Try to do one category a day(or one round of 27 on a big category) Or one each day off. Or every Tuesday. Some areas may be quick. Some torturous.
  • Hint: Do not clean (which in my world would be using a sponge, vacuum, spray bottle, etc) while you are in the middle of counting to 27! The cleaning thing is a whole different ballgame. You figure out when to fit that in, but don’t let it break your stride. Part of why the clutter built up in the first place is probably because you got sidetracked anyway.
  • Even those whose houses are clean, organized and ‘clutter-free’ tend to be able to throw away another 27 things…(Which EXPLAINS how it is their house is clean and clutter-free to begin with!!)
  • How you dispose of these things is up to you. Many things–empty envelopes with someone’s old phone number shoved in a coat pocket count for an item, by the way– are obviously trash. If you do yard sales, if you KNOW cousin Sally would want to own it, or Ebay, Etsy, Craigslist, Freecycle; if you prefer, Goodwill. This is up to you. Just make it leave.
  • (Subscribe to this blog so you don’t miss a thing…. look to the sidebar for two easy ways.)

Know this: This is a “Do as I SAY, not as I DO” kind of blog!  Look, I am not an organizer, I don’t play one on TV or on the internet. I am probably ADD. I am not the person to prove anything to, yet I am more than happy to encourage and tell you keep it up! You are taking advice from me?? It’s worth about this (.) much, ok?

The the longest journey begins with a single step… Put one foot in front of the other….(insert whatever motivational ditty works for ya, ‘k?)

I have commenced the flinging. You may begin when you are ready.

And again, Happy New YEAR!

May 2010 be the best one yet!