I’ve decided to adopt a new strategy for tackling this project. It will involve changing how I think about my clutter and how I plan to work on it.
This new approach will involve treating my clutter as a “temporary job” in which I will work a certain number of hours each week (no more and no less) and I will pay myself by the hour for “coming to work and getting the job done”. Considering that this is a “temp job”, I will also assign a fixed number of hours in which this project should be completed. I am estimating that it will require 500 hours of work before this goal is completed. The project start date will be today, 12/1/2011 and will run for 50 weeks (approximately 1 year) at 10 hours per week. I plan to work 1 hour per weekday and 5 hrs each weekend (2.5 hrs on sat and on sun). My pay rate will be $4.00 hour (a little more than half of minimum wage). I think this strategy will allow me to feel free to do other things once I have completed my hours for the week. It will also allow me to place greater value on my time. Hopefully this strategy will eliminate the anxiety that I sometimes feel when dealing with my clutter.
Each day I will record my hours, pay, total pay, and tasks completed here:
Date |
Hours |
Rate | Total
Pay |
Task(s) |
| 12/31/2011: | 0.5 | $4.00 | $2.00 | Worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/30/2011: | 0.0 | $4.00 | $0.00 | Did no work on the declutter project |
| 12/29/2011: | 0.0 | $4.00 | $0.00 | Did no work on the declutter project |
| 12/28/2011: | 0.0 | $4.00 | $0.00 | Did no work on the declutter project |
| 12/27/2011: | 1.5 | $4.00 | $6.00 | Worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/26/2011: | 4.5 | $4.00 | $18.00 | Worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/25/2011: | 3.0 | $4.00 | $12.00 | Worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/24/2011: | 5.0 | $4.00 | $20.00 | Worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/23/2011: | 3.0 | $4.00 | $12.00 | Worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/22/2011: | 1.0 | $4.00 | $4.00 | Worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/21/2011: | 2.5 | $4.00 | $10.00 | Worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/20/2011: | 1.5 | $4.00 | $6.00 | Worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/19/2011: | 0.0 | $4.00 | $0.00 | Did no work on the declutter project |
| 12/18/2011: | 1.0 | $4.00 | $4.00 | Reviewed and tossed weekly circulars, worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/17/2011: | 1.5 | $4.00 | $6.00 | Reviewed and tossed weekly circulars, worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/16/2011: | 1.5 | $4.00 | $6.00 | Reviewed and tossed 1 magazines, worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/15/2011: | 1.5 | $4.00 | $6.00 | Reviewed and tossed 2 magazines, worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/14/2011: | 1.5 | $4.00 | $6.00 | Reviewed and tossed 2 magazines, worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/13/2011: | 0.0 | $4.00 | $0.00 | Did no work on the declutter project |
| 12/12/2011: | 0.0 | $4.00 | $0.00 | Did no work on the declutter project |
| 12/11/2011: | 3.0 | $4.00 | $12.00 | Reviewed and tossed 3 magazines, worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/10/2011: | 3.0 | $4.00 | $12.00 | Reviewed and tossed 3 magazines, worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/09/2011: | 3.0 | $4.00 | $12.00 | Reviewed and tossed 3 magazines, sorted through articles, worked on Vision Book project |
| 12/08/2011: | 1.5 | $4.00 | $6.00 | Reviewed and tossed 3 magazines |
| 12/07/2011: | 1.5 | $4.00 | $6.00 | Reviewed and tossed 3 magazines |
| 12/06/2011: | 1.5 | $4.00 | $6.00 | Reviewed and tossed 3 magazines |
| 12/05/2011: | 1.0 | $4.00 | $4.00 | Reviewed and tossed 3 magazines |
| 12/04/2011: | 2.0 | $4.00 | $8.00 | Reviewed and tossed 5 magazines
Transferred 11 CDs to new storage system |
| 12/03/2011: | 2.0 | $4.00 | $8.00 | Reviewed and tossed 5 magazines
Transferred 7 CDs to new storage system |
| 12/02/2011: | 1.0 | $4.00 | $4.00 | Reviewed and tossed 2 magazines
Transferred 20 CDs to new storage system |
| 12/01/2011: | 1.0 | $4.00 | $4.00 | Inventoried magazine clutter (36), took pics, reviewed and tossed 1 magazine |
| Total hours worked: | 35.5 |
| Total hours remaining: | 464.5 |
| Total pay to date: | $142.00 |
| Paid 12/01-04/2011: | $24.00 (transferred to savings on 12/5/2011) |
| Paid 12/05-11/2011: | $58.00 (transferred to savings on 12/16/2011) |
| Paid 12/12-18/2011: | $28.00 |
| Paid 12/19-25/2011: | $32.00 |
Dec 01, 2011, 10:17PM PST | 5 cheers | 0 comments
Saturday, August 21, 2010
UPDATE:- Now that I am working a full-time job (as of 8/16/2010), I don’t have as much time to devote to this project as before. However, I hope to work at least 8 hours per week to finish decluttering the rest of my apartment and storage units. I will do most of the work during the weekend when I have more spare time.
- SO FAR I have spent 1 hour cleaning the kitchen:
- wash dishes,
- wipe down counter top, and
- put away miscellaneous items (in progress). - The bedroom is still a work-in-progress. I am still going through shopping bag #3 of 4 which I hope to complete this weekend.
This is where things stand:Bedroom/Study – Things to do:
-
replace light bulbs-
pick up clothes off floor and round-up laundry clothes-
wash & dry clothes-
put away clothes-
clean off desk of miscellaneous items-
clear out inbox-
clean off filing cabinet of miscellaneous item- purge files that are prior to 2008 from filing cabinet
-
box up school binders/papers-
put box of school binders/papers downstairs in the storage unit- sort through
4 shopping bags of papers
(in progress)-
sweep the floor-
remove dried paint splatter from the floor-
mop the floor-
wipe down the crown molding-
list miscellaneous items to be sold or bartered on Craigslist, Amazon, and Ebay.—>
LISTED: —> –
The Office DVD (on Amazon),
SOLD!—> –
Motorola Razr (on Craigslist),
SOLD!—> –
Rome DVD (on Craigslist),
—> –
Linksys Router (on Craigslist),
SOLD!—> –
Trinket boxes (on Ebay).
1.
Kitchen(completed: Sunday, July 18, 2010)2.
Bathroom(completed: Wednesday, July 28, 2010)3. Bedroom/Study
(PAST DUE: Saturday, August 7, 2010)4.
Living Room(completed: Wednesday, July 7, 2010)5. Living Room Closet
6.
Hall(completed: Thursday, July 29, 2010)7. Three small storage rooms (approx. 3×3 each)
8.
Car(completed: Tuesday, August 10, 2010)Notes:- my
GOAL is to complete this declutter project by
DECEMBER 31, 2010.
Aug 21, 2010, 10:51AM PDT | 3 cheers | 0 comments
Saturday, August 14, 2010
UPDATE: I did not have any time to work on this project today, but here is where things stand. I am still going through shopping bag #3 of 4.
Bedroom/Study – Things to do:
-
replace light bulbs-
pick up clothes off floor and round-up laundry clothes-
wash & dry clothes-
put away clothes-
clean off desk of miscellaneous items-
clear out inbox-
clean off filing cabinet of miscellaneous item- purge files that are prior to 2008 from filing cabinet
-
box up school binders/papers-
put box of school binders/papers downstairs in the storage unit- sort through
4 shopping bags of papers
(in progress)-
sweep the floor-
remove dried paint splatter from the floor-
mop the floor-
wipe down the crown molding-
list miscellaneous items to be sold or bartered on Craigslist, Amazon, and Ebay.—>
LISTED: —> –
The Office DVD (on Amazon),
SOLD!—> –
Motorola Razr (on Craigslist),
SOLD!—> –
Rome DVD (on Craigslist),
—> –
Linksys Router (on Craigslist),
SOLD!—> –
Trinket boxes (on Ebay).
1.
Kitchen(completed: Sunday, July 18, 2010)2.
Bathroom(completed: Wednesday, July 28, 2010)3. Bedroom/Study
(PAST DUE: Saturday, August 7, 2010)4.
Living Room(completed: Wednesday, July 7, 2010)5. Living Room Closet
6.
Hall(completed: Thursday, July 29, 2010)7. Three small storage rooms (approx. 3×3 each)
8.
Car(completed: Tuesday, August 10, 2010)Notes:Aug 15, 2010, 03:14PM PDT | 3 cheers | 0 comments
Friday, August 13, 2010
SO FAR I have spent 3.5 hours decluttering.
Today I will continue to declutter the Bedroom/Study. I am currently working on shopping bag #3 of 4. I estimate that it may take another 4 hours to sort through and address all the items/issues in this shopping bag.
UPDATE: as of 12:00am, I have made significant progress with bag #3 which contained numerous ATM receipts. I’ve sorted them out all by month and will start reconciling them to the bank statements tomorrow. I think I will be able to finish this bag by the end of the weekend.
Here’s what I have completed so far:
Bedroom/Study – Things to do:
-
replace light bulbs-
pick up clothes off floor and round-up laundry clothes-
wash & dry clothes-
put away clothes-
clean off desk of miscellaneous items-
clear out inbox-
clean off filing cabinet of miscellaneous item- purge files that are prior to 2008 from filing cabinet
-
box up school binders/papers-
put box of school binders/papers downstairs in the storage unit- sort through
4 shopping bags of papers
(in progress)-
sweep the floor-
remove dried paint splatter from the floor-
mop the floor-
wipe down the crown molding-
list miscellaneous items to be sold or bartered on Craigslist, Amazon, and Ebay.—>
LISTED: —> –
The Office DVD (on Amazon),
SOLD!—> –
Motorola Razr (on Craigslist),
SOLD!—> –
Rome DVD (on Craigslist),
—> –
Linksys Router (on Craigslist),
SOLD!—> –
Trinket boxes (on Ebay).
1.
Kitchen(completed: Sunday, July 18, 2010)2.
Bathroom(completed: Wednesday, July 28, 2010)3. Bedroom/Study
(PAST DUE: Saturday, August 7, 2010)4.
Living Room(completed: Wednesday, July 7, 2010)5. Living Room Closet
6.
Hall(completed: Thursday, July 29, 2010)7. Three small storage rooms (approx. 3×3 each)
8.
Car(completed: Tuesday, August 10, 2010)Notes:Aug 13, 2010, 10:20AM PDT | 0 comments
Thursday, August 12, 2010
SO FAR I have spent 3 hours cleaning and decluttering Kitchen: wash dishes and wipe off counter top. Bathroom: clean toilet bowl. Living Room: put away miscellaneous items.
Today I will continue to declutter the Bedroom/Study. I will start going through 4 shopping bags that are filled with papers and stuff. Note: One of the shopping bags contains stuff that was in the car. The other three bags contains stuff that has been in the bedroom/study.
UPDATE: as of 5:00pm, 2 shopping bags down. Now working on bag #3 of 4. I doubt I will finish this bag today. There is a lot of papers that will require attention: filing or followup. I estimate that it may take as long as 4 to 6 hours to sort through and address all issues in this bag.
Bedroom/Study – Things to do:
-
replace light bulbs-
pick up clothes off floor and round-up laundry clothes-
wash & dry clothes-
put away clothes-
clean off desk of miscellaneous items-
clear out inbox-
clean off filing cabinet of miscellaneous item- purge files that are prior to 2008 from filing cabinet
-
box up school binders/papers-
put box of school binders/papers downstairs in the storage unit- sort through
4 shopping bags of papers
(in progress)-
sweep the floor-
remove dried paint splatter from the floor-
mop the floor-
wipe down the crown molding-
list miscellaneous items to be sold or bartered on Craigslist, Amazon, and Ebay.—>
LISTED: —> –
The Office DVD (on Amazon),
SOLD!—> –
Motorola Razr (on Craigslist),
SOLD!—> –
Rome DVD (on Craigslist),
—> –
Linksys Router (on Craigslist),
SOLD!—> –
Trinket boxes (on Ebay).
1.
Kitchen(completed: Sunday, July 18, 2010)2.
Bathroom(completed: Wednesday, July 28, 2010)3. Bedroom/Study
(PAST DUE: Saturday, August 7, 2010)4.
Living Room(completed: Wednesday, July 7, 2010)5. Living Room Closet
6.
Hall(completed: Thursday, July 29, 2010)7. Three small storage rooms (approx. 3×3 each)
8.
Car(completed: Tuesday, August 10, 2010)Notes:Aug 12, 2010, 12:26PM PDT | 0 comments
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
SO FAR I have spent 3 hours cleaning and decluttering Kitchen: wash dishes and wipe down counter top.
Today I will focus on cleaning the Living room: sweep floor, vacuum couch and dust furniture, and some paperwork. In the Bedroom/Study I will start going through the 4 shopping bags of papers.
UPDATE:
Bedroom/Study – Things to do:
-
replace light bulbs-
pick up clothes off floor and round-up laundry clothes-
wash & dry clothes-
put away clothes-
clean off desk of miscellaneous items-
clear out inbox-
clean off filing cabinet of miscellaneous item- purge files that are prior to 2008 from filing cabinet
-
box up school binders/papers-
put box of school binders/papers downstairs in the storage unit- sort through
4 shopping bags of papers
-
sweep the floor-
remove dried paint splatter from the floor-
mop the floor-
wipe down the crown molding-
list miscellaneous items to be sold or bartered on Craigslist, Amazon, and Ebay.—>
LISTED: —> –
The Office DVD (on Amazon),
SOLD!—> –
Motorola Razr (on Craigslist),
SOLD!—> –
Rome DVD (on Craigslist),
—> –
Linksys Router (on Craigslist),
SOLD!—> –
Trinket boxes (on Ebay).
1.
Kitchen(completed: Sunday, July 18, 2010)2.
Bathroom(completed: Wednesday, July 28, 2010)3. Bedroom/Study
(PAST DUE: Saturday, August 7, 2010)4.
Living Room(completed: Wednesday, July 7, 2010)5. Closet
6.
Hall(completed: Thursday, July 29, 2010)7. Three small storage rooms (approx. 3×3 each)
8.
Car(completed: Tuesday, August 10, 2010)Notes:Aug 11, 2010, 09:34AM PDT | 0 comments
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
SO FAR I have spent 4.0 hours cleaning and decluttering Kitchen: wash dishes and wipe down counter top. Bathroom: wipe down sink and clean bathtub. Laundry: put away clothes.
Today I will focus on cleaning the Living room: sweep floor and dust furniture, and some paperwork. I will also finish cleaning the interior and exterior of the Car.
Question: Will I finally finish the car today? Only time will tell.
UPDATE: as of 6pm, YES! the car is finally CLEAN and DECLUTTERED. I also took the car in to get an oil change. I didn’t, however, get around to cleaning the living room. I’ll work on that tomorrow (Wednesday, Aug. 11th).
Bedroom/Study – Things to do:
- replace light bulbs
- pick up clothes off floor and round-up laundry clothes
- wash & dry clothes
- put away clothes
- clean off desk of miscellaneous items
- clear out inbox
- clean off filing cabinet of miscellaneous item
- purge files that are prior to 2008 from filing cabinet
- box up school binders/papers
- put box of school binders/papers downstairs in the storage unit
- sort through 4 shopping bags of papers
- list miscellaneous items to be sold or bartered on Craigslist, Amazon, and Ebay.
—>LISTED:
—> – The Office DVD (on Amazon), SOLD!
—> – Motorola Razr (on Craigslist), SOLD!
—> – Rome DVD (on Craigslist),
—> – Linksys Router (on Craigslist), SOLD!
—> – Trinket boxes (on Ebay).
- sweep the floor
- remove dried paint splatter from the floor
- mop the floor
- wipe down the crown molding
Car – Things to do:
(This 11 year old has seen better days)
- clean out the front passenger seat and floor
- clean out front center caddy tray
- get caddy tray fixed (if possible) (PENDING)
- clean out the back left passenger seat and floor
- clean out the back right passenger seat and floor
- clean out “under” all seats
- clean out the rear cargo (trunk).
- wipe down leather seats, doors, dashboard, and caddy
- vacuum interior
- wash & condition exterior
- get that ‘new car’ smell again :)
UPDATE: There is only one pending item which I will take off this list and put on the list for car repairs/service which is on my list of “future goals”.
1.
Kitchen(completed: Sunday, July 18, 2010)2.
Bathroom(completed: Wednesday, July 28, 2010)3. Bedroom/Study
(PAST DUE: Saturday, August 7, 2010)4.
Living Room(completed: Wednesday, July 7, 2010)5. Closet
6.
Hall(completed: Thursday, July 29, 2010)7. Three small storage rooms (approx. 3×3 each)
8.
Car(completed: Tuesday, August 10, 2010)Notes:Aug 10, 2010, 12:45PM PDT | 0 comments
Monday, August 9, 2010
SO FAR I have spent 2.0 hour cleaning the kitchen: wash dishes, wipe down counter top, sweep floor, and take out trash/recycle. Laundry: round up clothes, wash & dry clothes, and put away clothes. Today I will focus on cleaning the car and I will start going through one of the bags of paper in the bedroom:
Question: Will I finally finish the car today?
UPDATE: As of 10:23 PM, NO I did not finish the car today. I had to travel to meet two people (in two different locations) to sell two items. This took a significant amount of time out of my day. I did spend about 45 minutes cleaning the interior of the car but I still have more to do before I can check that task off as being completed. So tomorrow… maybe i will finish the car.
Bedroom/Study – Things to do:
- replace light bulbs
- pick up clothes off floor and round-up laundry clothes
- wash & dry clothes
- put away clothes
- clean off desk of miscellaneous items
- clear out inbox
- clean off filing cabinet of miscellaneous item
- purge files that are prior to 2008 from filing cabinet
- box up school binders/papers
- put box of school binders/papers downstairs in the storage unit
- sort through 4 shopping bags of papers
- list miscellaneous items to be sold or bartered on Craigslist, Amazon, and Ebay.
—>LISTED:
—> – The Office DVD (on Amazon), SOLD!
—> – Motorola Razr (on Craigslist), SOLD!
—> – Rome DVD (on Craigslist),
—> – Linksys Router (on Craigslist), SOLD!
—> – Trinket boxes (on Ebay).
- sweep the floor
- remove dried paint splatter from the floor
- mop the floor
- wipe down the crown molding
Car – Things to do:
(This 11 year old has seen better days)
-
clean out the front passenger seat and floor-
clean out front center caddy tray- get caddy tray fixed (if possible)
-
clean out the back left passenger seat and floor-
clean out the back right passenger seat and floor-
clean out “under” all seats-
clean out the rear cargo (trunk).- wipe down leather seats, doors, dashboard, and caddy
(in progress)- vacuum interior
- wash & condition exterior
- get that ‘new car’ smell again :)
1.
Kitchen(completed: Sunday, July 18, 2010)2.
Bathroom(completed: Wednesday, July 28, 2010)3. Bedroom/Study
(PAST DUE: Saturday, August 7, 2010)4.
Living Room(completed: Wednesday, July 7, 2010)5. Closet
6.
Hall(completed: Thursday, July 29, 2010)7. Three small storage rooms (approx. 3×3 each)
8. Car
(Estimated completion: Sunday, August 8, 2010)Notes:Aug 09, 2010, 11:42AM PDT | 1 cheer | 0 comments
Sunday, August 8, 2010
SO FAR I have spent 3.0 hours cleaning the kitchen: wash dishes, wipe down counter top, sweep floor, review mail, put away groceries, and take out trash/recycle. Today I will focus on cleaning the car and I will start going through one of the bags of paper in the bedroom:
UPDATE: I didn’t get a chance to work on cleaning the interior and exterior of the car today. I had to do some grocery shopping and then put the groceries away. I want to give myself a full two hours to clean and vacuum the car. So I will put that on my to do list for tomorrow.
Bedroom/Study – Things to do:
- replace light bulbs
- pick up clothes off floor and round-up laundry clothes
- wash & dry clothes
- put away clothes
- clean off desk of miscellaneous items
- clear out inbox
- clean off filing cabinet of miscellaneous item
- purge files that are prior to 2008 from filing cabinet
- box up school binders/papers
- put box of school binders/papers downstairs in the storage unit
- sort through 4 shopping bags of papers
- list miscellaneous items to be sold or bartered on Craigslist, Amazon, and Ebay.
—>LISTED:
—> – The Office DVD (on Amazon)SOLD!,
—> – Motorola Razr (on Craigslist),
—> – Rome DVD (on Craigslist),
—> – Linksys Router (on Craigslist),
—> – Trinket boxes (on Ebay).
- sweep the floor
- remove dried paint splatter from the floor
- mop the floor
- wipe down the crown molding
Car – Things to do:
(This 11 year old has seen better days)
-
clean out the front passenger seat and floor-
clean out front center caddy tray- get caddy tray fixed (if possible)
-
clean out the back left passenger seat and floor-
clean out the back right passenger seat and floor-
clean out “under” all seats-
clean out the rear cargo (trunk).- wipe down leather seats, doors, dashboard, and caddy
- vacuum interior
- wash & condition exterior
- get that ‘new car’ smell again :)
1.
Kitchen(completed: Sunday, July 18, 2010)2.
Bathroom(completed: Wednesday, July 28, 2010)3. Bedroom/Study
(PAST DUE: Saturday, August 7, 2010)4.
Living Room(completed: Wednesday, July 7, 2010)5. Closet
6.
Hall(completed: Thursday, July 29, 2010)7. Three small storage rooms (approx. 3×3 each)
8. Car
(Estimated completion: Sunday, August 8, 2010)Notes:Aug 08, 2010, 10:39AM PDT | 1 cheer | 0 comments
Saturday, August 7, 2010
SO FAR I have spent 1 hour decluttering the Car:
Bedroom/Study – Things to do:
- replace light bulbs
- pick up clothes off floor and round-up laundry clothes
- wash & dry clothes
- put away clothes
- clean off desk of miscellaneous items
- clear out inbox
- clean off filing cabinet of miscellaneous item
- purge files that are prior to 2008 from filing cabinet
- box up school binders/papers
- put box of school binders/papers downstairs in the storage unit
- sort through 3 shopping bags of papers
- list miscellaneous items to be sold or bartered on Craigslist (in progress)
- sweep the floor
- remove dried paint splatter from the floor
- mop the floor
- wipe down the crown molding
Car – Things to do:
(This 11 year old has seen better days)
- clean out the front passenger seat and floor
- clean out front center caddy tray
- get caddy tray fixed (if possible)
- clean out the back left passenger seat and floor
- clean out the back right passenger seat and floor
- clean out “under” all seats
- clean out the rear cargo (trunk).
- wipe down leather seats, doors, dashboard, and caddy
- vacuum interior
- wash & condition exterior
- get that ‘new car’ smell again :)
1. Kitchen(completed: Sunday, July 18, 2010)
2. Bathroom(completed: Wednesday, July 28, 2010)
3. Bedroom/Study (Estimated completion: Saturday, August 7, 2010)
4. Living Room(completed: Wednesday, July 7, 2010)
5. Closet
6. Hall(completed: Thursday, July 29, 2010)
7. Three small storage rooms (approx. 3×3 each)
8. Car (Estimated completion: Sunday, August 8, 2010)
Notes:
Aug 07, 2010, 05:49PM PDT | 0 comments
