eliminate my boxes and organize my space (regain my personal space)

I didn’t have a full week to work on things but I tried to make a bit of progress nonetheless.

Monday I washed bed sheets and washed my ceiling (I realized I had missed this part). I also went through an ‘In Transit’ box on this day and eliminated it. Some items from that box were kept, namely books which were transferred to a different location, while other things were recycled.
Tuesday was a no-progress day as I spent time filing my taxes and such.
Wednesday I prepared and put out a recycling bag of magazines and newspapers (roughly 10 magazines and 20 or so newspapers) and other recyclable items, finishing the box I had started.
Thursday I continued looking at the ‘In Transit’ boxes and trying to pare down. I’m not sure I was very successful as my time was limited that day but the goal remains to get it down to three (and maybe even less if possible).

The boxes: The main boxes are all still empty.

How I feel: I was a bit discouraged as I went through the ‘In Transit’ boxes, still feeling like I had too much stuff (it could be the mess I was making by going through them).

In terms of magazines and/or newspapers in my room, I have one box and one large bin left. I hope to go through the box this week.
I would also like to get rid of another ‘In Transit’ box.
Last week I didn’t get to start working on personal belongings in the basement, so I hope to go through at least one thing this week.
I am a bit nervous about this part as it feels a bit like starting over but I need to just keep plugging along.

For Week 13, I wanted to focus on recycling more magazines, going through my clothes and paring down the ‘In Transit’ boxes. I didn’t accomplish everything I hoped to but I did finish the last bin I was working on and started on a box and am nearing the end.

I didn’t keep track of my week as clearly but will note as best as I can.

Monday I did a more thorough cleaning, airing out the room, dusting again and going over areas that had been missed the first time, washing the walls, sweeping, vacuuming, washing floor and baseboards, cleaned mirror, washing sheets and such and making bed.
Tuesday I continued recycling.
Wednesday I put out a recycling bag and emptied my trash bin.
Friday I started a new recycling bag and recycled more, as well as on Saturday. I put out another recycling bag.

The boxes: The main boxes are all still empty.

How I feel: In one sense, I feel like I can be satisfied with my progress so far but it’s also about maintaining the progress and knowing there is still a way to go. With regard to my room specifically, I will feel better when I 1) finish recycling the magazines and newspapers, 2) go through my clothes, 3) reduce my ‘In Transit’ boxes, 4) am able to organize my files and the items that were from my desk and organize other things like CDs, DVDs, etc., 5) deal with my old computer, and 6) figure out what to do with empty bins.

I’m still unsure about purchasing a new desk for space and financial reasons, but it would be nice to have a surface and place for files and stationery.

The first night in my bed was not the most comfortable but I have since mostly adjusted to being back in my space.

Even though I am not completely finished with the first phase of clearing the clutter in my room, I have made significant progress. I am able to be in my space again. In the weeks to come, I will continue to work on the above-mentioned areas but will also start the next phase, which is to eliminate any remaining personal boxes and such in the basement. I will start by taking inventory and will approach what’s there in a similar fashion to how I approached the clutter in my room, with the help of the box system. The final phase will be to eventually empty my storage space. With regard to boxes in the basement, one good thing is I did eliminate a good number of boxes some time ago but I still have many to go in a different area. It’s uncomfortable to think of starting from scratch again in a way and creating a new mess but I am hoping it will be okay.

This upcoming week I will only have four days and I also have a few other things going on but I will continue recycling and will attempt to start going through at least one box from the basement.

This past week, I had in mind to do the following:

-Bring ‘paper’ box to storage
-Shred paper
-Prepare trash and recycle bags
-Go through/Recycle at least 1 box and 1 bin of magazines
-Go through clothes
-If possible, organize In Transit boxes and pare down further (currently five boxes and one bin in closet. Would like to cut this amount in half)
-Get new sheets, pillow, etc. and look into desk and filing cabinet.

Which of these did I ultimately accomplish?

On Monday I shredded.
On Wednesday I brought the paper box to storage and prepared and put out one garbage and one recycling bag.
One of my bins containing magazines also contained CDs and such but I went through the magazines, and started going through another bin of magazines and newspapers (more newspapers!) and am nearing the end.
On Friday, I started to recycle old magazines and my desk was taken away after a long and frustrating day.
Today I purchased new bedding and a pillow.

The boxes: The main boxes – ‘Trash’, ‘Recycle’, ‘Donate’, ‘Shred’ – are all empty.

I’m a bit torn about whether I should be starting on a new area this upcoming week or whether I should simply focus on recycling more of my magazines, going through my clothes and paring down the ‘In Transit’ boxes. I think the latter makes more sense. Once I finish the small bin I am currently working on, I will have two boxes and one large bin of magazines (and possibly more newspapers) left. I also have lots of CDs and such to organize and just regular file organization and maybe even some decorating but these things are not as much of a priority in the sense that they can be done in spare time.

How I feel: Last weekend, my room’s appearance was the clearest it had been in a long time. Unfortunately, with the removal of my desk, the downside was that the contents on and in it no longer had a home. The day before my desk was to go, I was feeling strangely sad, but the next day I felt better and more ready and was hoping they would take it as planned (I had learned earlier in the week that there was no guarantee). I wasn’t sure what I would do with the items or whether I would get new furniture but I knew that the desk was too large for the space and I was trying to create more room. At least two loved ones suggested I should keep it, but ultimately I wanted to follow through with the decision. At a certain point, I felt I could have perhaps made a bit of money from selling it but in the end, I tried to keep in mind the bottom line, which was to let it go. Once it was gone, I think the freed up space was somehow not as obvious as I expected. I didn’t know if it made the difference I had hoped it would but this might just be because there are still other things taking up significant space in a small room. Yet, another part of me felt that I didn’t want to replace the now freed up space with something else. Because I am still uncertain what exactly to do with my space right now, it’s perhaps not as comfortable yet, but I don’t regret giving the desk away.

Early this upcoming week, I am hoping to get my bed ready to sleep in. It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but it has probably been a little over four years since I have slept in my own bed. Towards the end of 2008, I purchased a new mattress but somehow did not feel comfortable. I should have paid more attention and given it more nights to determine whether it was actually related to the mattress itself because if it was, I could have probably returned it. Now of course it’s too late. But I think another major part was just no longer being used to sleeping in my room and bed, feeling kind of closed in, surrounded, crowded, even though I believe my room was in a better state than it was at the start of my recent clean up effort. I don’t remember exactly but I just remember not being so comfortable. I think I only spent a few nights there before I found myself back to a couch. Thinking about all this makes me a bit nervous but I am hoping this time will be better.

I was looking over my past entries to figure out how much has gone out since Week 1 and although I need to check more carefully, it seems that in a little under three months, I have lessened my load by:

-Nine (9) trash bags
-12 recycling bags
-Five (5) donation bags

Total=26 bags

That’s not too shabby!

My work this past week wasn’t tracked as diligently but I can say that I’ve worked on things mainly on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. It was a slow process but by the end of the week (today), I am feeling happier with where things stand. I put out one garbage bag on Wednesday (emptying my small trash bin in the process) though it wasn’t full.

The boxes: ‘Trash’ box has new contents but is less than 1/2 full (small trash bin also has new contents, which is normal). The ‘Recycle’ box is overflowing. The ‘donate’ box is empty but I did come across a few small items I could potentially donate. The ‘shred’ box is still empty but I have come across more paper to shred which I have put directly in the shredder bin until I am able to take care of it. The ‘paper’ box is full and sealed (I had started a new ‘paper’ box though I didn’t want to because after trying to force paper down, I didn’t think I could fit any more in. By the time I finished everything, the new/second paper box was low so I tried to squeeze its contents into the original paper box and somehow managed to make it work, which was kind of nice, and a relief.) The ‘important documents’ box is empty but I came across more important documents that I filed.

I finally did call about my desk and they scheduled a pick-up date this upcoming week. I was unsure about purchasing a new desk though I knew if I did, it would be small. I am not wanting to invest too much money into new furniture either. Today I came across something that could work without taking up too much space or costing too much. I just need a little bit more info before making the decision.

It’s funny because towards the end of last week, I asked a loved one if they would be open to helping me clean the next weekend. This person had offered to help in the past and although I could not have them assist with clearing the clutter, they could help with dusting, etc. I said this for a few reasons: I was feeling guilty at my lack of progress the previous couple of weeks and knew I wouldn’t be able to make headway over the weekend either; I wanted to reassure them that I was indeed still working on things and there was an end in sight but I needed more time; I felt in a week, and by the weekend, I could actually reach the point of being ready to clean. Throughout the week, my loved one kept mentioning the weekend’s plan. Come Friday though, I wasn’t quite ready and the person was not completely understanding. I had not finished going through the large bin that I had transferred remaining items into and felt I needed just a bit more time. But I think, even though I could have put it off, and also could have done the cleaning part on my own, having the sense of accountability gave me a push and so Friday and part of Saturday, I worked to finish what was left.

It can sometimes feel, through a process like this, that there is no end in sight, or that there is still so much to do before you can call it done and I felt that way at times. But I reached the point where I was ready to accept someone into my room again, though it made me nervous as it has been so long and I was unsure what the reaction would be. I stated that it wasn’t completely finished but in the end, I could see the person was pleased with what I had accomplished. We mainly dusted and opened the window to air the space out. I vacuumed a bit but still feel it’s not as clean as I’d like.

So for months and months I kept wanting to “clear the surfaces” and I think for the most part I have finally accomplished this.

What is left: ‘Paper’ box to be brought to storage. ‘Trash’ and ‘Recycle’ boxes to empty. Boxes and bins of magazines (2 boxes and 2 bins I believe) + bin with CDs and another cloth bag with CDs. Basket with old cassette tapes. Basket of clothes.

At this point I’m not really thinking about how long this first phase has taken me but mainly what the next phase will be.

This week, I would like to:
-Bring ‘paper’ box to storage (so glad it’s just one)
-Shred paper
-Prepare trash and recycle bags
-Go through/Recycle at least 1 box and 1 bin of magazines
-Go through clothes
-If possible, organize In Transit boxes and pare down further (currently five boxes and one bin in closet. Would like to cut this amount in half)
-Get new sheets, pillow, etc. and look into desk and filing cabinet.

Will keep this short because there isn’t much to report.

I’m not very happy to say that this week and the last have not marked great progress with this goal. It was a busier time with other events and preoccupations and other than today, I really have not made any headway.

My room lately was feeling similarly in appearance to when I began although in reality it was not as bad. Things had just been so disorderly and so today, I did something the old-fashioned way – a way I was trying to avoid since beginning this process -, and that is putting most of what was lying around in a bin. This was basically the leftover stuff that had been lingering. I haven’t finished but it is looking clearer again.

Because these couple of weeks have passed without progress and without keeping things tidy, it has been just trying to get back to where I had left off. Of course, this was the easy, temporary solution.

Although I don’t like just relocating items, I think in a way having the leftover items in one spot (rather than scattered) will be more helpful in this case as I plan to go through them. The one downside is that because they are in one spot, it feels like more to deal with but maybe it’s better to have the real picture. Unfortunately, it was one of the largest bins I had and it is fuller than I would like.

It’s easy to fall out of the loop and lose momentum. My hope is that I can gain some back next week and by the weekend, focus on cleaning. It is frustrating to be so close yet feel further away than I would like. I am behind and it is taking longer than I intended but I am trying to tell myself that as long as I keep moving forward, that is what matters. Maybe I needed a break. The important thing is to keep going. But it is easier said than done.

This week’s plan: accomplish the goals listed in my last entry.

The status:
Sigh. Not where I hoped to be just yet.

The boxes: ‘Trash’ box is empty (although my small trash bin is filling up). ‘Recycle’ box is about half full. The ‘donate’ box is nearly empty. The ‘shred’ box is empty. The ‘paper’ box is still full. The ‘important documents’ box is empty.

So I had my goals, and decided I would break them down and have something to do every day, from Monday to Friday (I was going to determine what to on the weekend based on how the week went). I put five little post-it notes up with the goals for each day. It looked as follows:
MONDAY: Organize cabinet.
TUESDAY: Finish clearing leftover mess. Go through box on bed.
WEDNESDAY: Shred documents. Prepare trash and recycling bags. Call about desk.
THURSDAY: Prepare donation bag and bring. Bring paper box to storage.
FRIDAY: Go through clothes on bed. Go through ‘Important Documents’ box.

My week went more like this:

Day 1 (Monday): Unproductive day.
Day 2 (Tuesday): I worked on organizing the cabinet and started going through the box on the bed but didn’t finish.
Day 3 (Wednesday): I shredded about 2/3 of the contents from the box. I put out one recycling bag (shredding) and one trash bag. I had a second recycling bag ready (shredding) but there was no room left in our recycling bin so I had to hold onto it. I did not call about the desk as it was not ready and I was also having second thoughts about getting rid of it.
Day 4 (Thursday): Once the recycling pick-up was done and the bin was empty, I was able to put my 2nd recycling bag in. I continued shredding.
Day 5 (Friday): I finished up the last little bit of shredding and put out a 3rd recycling bag of shredded paper (2nd since bin was emptied).
Day 6 & 7 (Saturday and Sunday): Can’t recall exactly what I did but I did go through the ‘Important Documents’ box and tried to separate by category. It is still not organized in the way I would like yet, but I put the folders back in my cabinet for now so that I can at least find things more easily. Once I decide whether to keep this desk or get rid of it and purchase a new filing cabinet, I will better organize the contents.

Yesterday, Day 1 of Week 9, I prepared and brought a donation bag to Salvation Army (and included the pair of shoes from my closet, which I finally decided not to keep).

How I feel: Disappointed, tired, but still determined. This past week was not as productive as I’d hoped at all. I was not in the best place emotionally and this affected my energy level and what I felt able to do. It really frustrated me that objectively, there really was not much left to do but I was just stalled. It didn’t help that I felt I could/should have accomplished a lot seeing as I had a full week, Monday to Sunday. Even having the goals broken down on the post-its seemed better and more manageable. The main thing I felt good about accomplishing was emptying the ‘Shred’ box. It took me just a little over two days (not spending entire days though!). I’ve since come across some more documents to be shredded but the bulk of it is done. I’ve also gone through most of the box that was on my bed (drawer stuff). It feels like this week, I should be dusting cleaning, airing the room out, putting new sheets on the bed, etc., but instead I’m still stuck trying to finish things. I think I’m getting a little antsy and just tired of dealing with the stuff.

I have new things in my ‘Recycle’ box but am not ready to prepare a bag just yet as I expect there will be a bit more (this is coming from leftover stuff from closet and box of stuff from desk drawer) and there is no room in our bin anyway.

I’m losing steam but just have to pray for the needed push. I feel I really only have three days left this week to get things done (today, Wednesday and Thursday) as the rest of the week I will not be available, so that makes me a bit nervous. I just have to buckle down and muster the strength to do it. The end of the month is approaching and I need to get this done.

This week’s plan: finishing closet and clearing leftover mess.

The status:
The closet itself is done but there is still some mess to clear.

The boxes: ‘Trash’ box is full (see below) and ‘recycle’ box is empty. The ‘donate’ box still has items in it to donate. The ‘shred’ box is about the same. The ‘paper’ box is full. The ‘important documents’ box is still about the same.

Day 1 (Wednesday): As mentioned in my last entry, I prepared and put out a second recycling bag and one garbage bag.
Day 2 (Thursday): Break Day.
Day 3 (Friday): I cleared out what was remaining from the closet. In actuality, there was one pair of boot/shoes and one loose running shoe, some magazines, a plastic sheet and large drawing pad, and hangers. I decided to keep the pair for now, and put the loose shoe towards trash as I have other newer running shoes. I transferred the magazines out and into a box of magazines. The plastic sheet, pad and hangers went to recycling. I vacuumed, wiped the walls down, swept and moved the In Transit boxes in.
Day 4 and 5 (Saturday and Sunday): not much was done on these days as I was unavailable.
Day 6 (Monday): Prepared a new bag for Salvation Army and continued clearing the floor.
Day 7 (Tuesday): Brought my bag of donations to a different place than planned as I felt they could use it. Continued clearing and think floor was cleared.

Week 8, Day 1 (Wednesday): Prepared and put out two recycling bags.
The second bag contained newspapers, etc. from the small bin I mentioned in previous entries. I got rid of over 40 newspapers and over 20 catalogs/magazines/flyers (I know).
Unfortunately, I was so tired that I didn’t prepare my trash bag as planned.

How I feel: I feel both good and a bit anxious. At the end of the day yesterday, my room was getting back to looking the way it was before I started the closet – clearer, which felt good. But I was disappointed that I hadn’t accomplished all I had wanted to. As I thought, it was a bit of a slow week due to my physical state. The clock is also ticking as I really thought for sure this phase would be done by the end of the month and it is quickly approaching (I just looked at the calendar and realized there are actually two weeks, and not one, left. This is a relief! Still, I realized I didn’t want to exceed eight weeks for this phase.). It bothered me a bit to move the In Transit boxes to the now-empty closet and fill it up again (I also started a new In Transit box and I have another bin in a different room with things as well) but obviously, the closet is in a better state than it was before. I will be organizing the contents from those boxes soon and hopefully purging even more, and it makes sense for them to be stored for now. Another thing bothering me is a box on my bed that contains paper from my desk drawers. I need to go through this. On the bright side, any leftover loose stuff from the closet is all that is left. What I see is what there is. As for hidden areas (cabinets, drawers), there is one cabinet that can use just a bit of organizing and otherwise, I have only two items left in a trunk I have and went through. I have donated pretty much all items (that was the bag I brought), and this is what is leftover. One of the two items I may keep and the other I will be giving away as well. As for the goals:

-Check remaining shoes in closet and either keep or donate. Transfer magazines from closet to box of magazines. Vacuum, wash walls in closet and move In Transit boxes in.
Done
-Clear leftover mess.
Floor done. Other areas in progress.
-Empty small bin of newspapers.
Done
-Call about having desk picked up.
Not yet. Still trying to clear things on desk.

I really want to accomplish a lot this next week but I think Week 8 will have to officially start on Monday as I will be unavailable this weekend starting tomorrow. What I would like is for Week 8 to be about tying up the loose ends, finalizing what I’ve done over these past several weeks, and have my room ready to be dusted, cleaned, aired out.

I need to (priorities):
-finish clearing the leftover mess (mostly paper);
-bring paper box to storage;
-call and try to get desk out;
-organize cabinet;
-go through box on bed (leftover stuff from desk drawers);
-shred documents (this task scares me! Isn’t there an easier way to go about this?);
-get rid of any trash and recycling (this will officially be the last batch from room, excluding any potential future items from In Transit boxes);
-prepare donation bag (this should be the last one from room, excluding any potential future items from In Transit boxes);
-go through clothes on bed (in bin);
-tally what has been eliminated (trash and recycling) and brought to storage since Week 1.

There will of course be more magazines and such to eliminate and I will do some if I can.

Busy week ahead. Wish me luck. I will need it!

This week’s plan: closet. And this was the plan I stuck to.

The status:
After pulling out various plastic bags and boxes from the closet, all that is left inside the closet as of this moment are a couple of pairs of shoes and some magazines. That said, I still have some paper to go through that came from the closet. The room is still in a messy state but I know I have made progress.

The boxes: ‘Trash’ box is empty and ‘recycle’ box is less than half full. The ‘donate’ box has new items in it, the ‘shred’ box is still about the same. The new ‘paper’ box that had been started is nearly full. The ‘important documents’ box is still about the same.

Day 1 (Wednesday): As described in my last entry, I started going through a large bag in my closet and a second smaller bag. I put out a large recycle bag and one garbage bag.
Day 2 (Thursday): Break Day.
Day 3 (Friday): Continued closet.
Day 4 (Saturday): No progress. Break.
Day 5 (Sunday): I try to make Sunday an off day but since I hadn’t made progress on Saturday as planned, I continued.
Day 6 (Monday): I had wanted this to be my last day and I think technically, by Tuesday, my closet was in the state as described earlier but because I still had paper on my floor which I continued to sort through and other items in other areas, I couldn’t consider it fully done.
Day 7 (Tuesday): I brought a bag of items to Salvation Army and put out one recycling bag. I started putting together the recycling a bit earlier (I usually do this and garbage on Wednesdays) because I had a lot of recycling this week. One full box and a second overflowing one.

Week 7, Day 1 (Wednesday): Prepared and put out a second recycling bag and one garbage bag (thankfully, after so much recycling, my trash box was not as overwhelming. There really was not much in it this week).

I went through as much as I could but still had some leftover in terms of recycling, namely some magazines and newspapers, but otherwise, a lot was put out. The original box is less than half full now as mentioned.

How I feel: It was an interesting week. Even though it wasn’t easy, I felt I had a certain strength and energy to keep going. But I think on Tuesday my mood started to shift. My desk had been pulled out for easier access to my closet and when I pushed it back, I think I had hoped the mess wouldn’t look as bad, but it still felt messy. I also was suddenly hit with fatigue at some point yesterday afternoon, I believe. I’m pretty sure this is related to hormones but it just made things tougher.

One of my questions was what I would do with certain gifts or memorabilia. I ended up letting several things go, taking pictures of most things first, just in case I might want to see them again. This felt generally okay but at the end of the day yesterday, as I was finishing my trash bag which contained some of these items, I felt sad and realized it actually hurt. Again, it could very well have been my emotional state in part, but I thought about why. Was it because it made me feel heartless? Was it because it was a reminder of endings where once there had been at least some joy? Was it just a sense of finality, an official conclusion to an old loss? I don’t know. At some point these people loved me and I them and I guess it was just like grieving again in a lesser way.

Before I embarked on Week 6, I thought, wouldn’t it be nice if I actually accomplished all the goals I set for myself this week? I felt I could do it, and the fact that I didn’t was somewhat disappointing. I also felt it was somewhat of a crucial week as I thought it might very well be my last batch of trash from the room at least.

The goals were:

-ideally finish the closet by Tuesday and move Transit boxes in
Well by Tuesday the closet was pretty much cleared out as mentioned with the exception of some shoes and magazines, but I wanted to vaccuum and clean before putting the Transit boxes in.
-clear any leftover mess from previous areas
Not done yet.
-empty the recycle and trash boxes
Mostly done.
-look into getting the desk out
Not yet, as I wasn’t ready due to still having to finish cleaning.
-empty small bin of newspapers
Was not able to get to this.
-bring another bag to Salvation Army
Done.

Today, which is Day 2 of Week 7, is similar to last week in that I am taking a break. I went out because I needed to. I also need to be applying for more jobs.

So Week 7 is really going to be about finalizing what is leftover from the closet and clearing up the mess. I can see that I still have more items to donate so I’ll be bringing another bag I’m sure.
I foresee that it will take me at least one more week after that to really conclude this first phase and move on to the next part.

I want to set goals but I’m almost afraid they’ll be incomplete again come next week but what the heck. Here are a few for Week 7:

-Check remaining shoes in closet and either keep or donate. Transfer magazines from closet to box of magazines. Vacuum, wash walls in closet and move In Transit boxes in.
-Clear leftover mess.
-Empty small bin of newspapers.
-Call about having desk picked up.

I feel tired and worry that this upcoming week will be a slow one but I’ll do my best.

This entry is a little overdue.

This week’s plan: closet. To keep this short and sweet, it is still in progress.

The status:
Right now things are in a messier state. The three previous areas are no longer clear, but I believe it looks worse than it actually is. In terms of the number of active days, this was not the most productive week, but in other ways, I made some headway.

The boxes: ‘Trash’ and ‘recycle’ boxes are not fully empty, the ‘donate’ box has new items in it, the ‘shred’ box is still very full. New ‘paper’ box has been started, which is about half full. The ‘important documents’ box is more than half-full.

Day 1 (Wednesday): I put one trash bag out as planned.
Day 2 (Thursday): Brought my bag of items to Salvation Army.
Day 3-5 (Friday to Sunday): No progress as I was away.
Day 6 (Monday): my notes are a little confusing, but I think I emptied out the bottom/third (filing) drawer of my desk (a little off plan).
Day 7 (Tuesday): Started going through closet. This was sort of a preliminary thing to see what was there but I did get rid of things (recycling or trash). I also went through the contents of the bottom desk drawer (contained file folders, paper, tapes, etc.) mainly to search for any important documents. These, along with the files, were put in the ‘Important Documents’ box. I believe I also emptied the remaining two drawers of my desk as well as my desk cabinet which holds my computer tower (I had other paper goods in there). The first/top drawer contained mostly supplies which were straightened out a bit and mostly put back. There was also a memorabilia folder which I transferred to an ‘In Transit’ box. The second drawer contained mostly paper I think. I put what I could in recycling and any supplies in the first drawer, but the rest was put in a box I started for the paper contents of the bottom drawer. The cabinet contained envelopes, a few cards, Japanese (rice?) paper and a small decorative box. So right now, the top drawer of my desk contains supplies, the second and third drawers are empty. The plan is to eventually sort through the important documents and file them in an organized fashion. The desk cabinet is empty. I still have a few things leftover from the drawers to go through.
Day 1 of Week 6 (Wednesday): I started going through a large bag in my closet and pulled a second smaller bag (I don’t know how I found the energy to take that second bag out after the first). That morning, I went and bought a new set of boxes. I didn’t want to add new boxes but I knew I needed some for the process. In this case, I started a new paper box and a new recycle box. This same day, I prepared and put out a large recycle bag and one garbage bag. Unfortunately, neither my recycle nor my trash boxes were completely empty. I was just very tired and it was very late. The trash box was nearly empty though and as far as recycling, I had eliminated the second box and the original one was maybe less than half full.

How I feel: Going through my closet was not the most comfortable thing, as I had anticipated. I did come across items and pieces of paper that brought me back to the past and conjured feelings that were not always so pleasant. At some point, it just seemed like so much stuff and a never ending process. A room that was so much clearer just the week before (and that I could envision inviting people into in the near future) was suddenly a mess again (no one can see it now!) and I was sitting in the middle of it all, surrounded. Somehow, after dinner and a bit of a cry, I just kept going. At that point, it was probably more about preparing my recycle and trash bags but still. What did offer some encouragement was seeing that I had quite a bit to recycle (two boxes) and that my newly created paper box was actually not as full as I thought it would be by the end of the day, considering how much paper was filling those bags. And fortunately, I did not discover any scary creatures!

Part of me felt a bit lost as I went through old things, and yet, now that I’ve moved past some of it, I feel prepared to keep moving forward. Maybe it’s just a determination to get the closet done and also get rid of the current mess, I don’t know. There is still a lot to do, and I’m looking forward to being able to get to the next stages.

On other notes, I’ve continued reading the book which perhaps is a good thing. Also, I have spent lots of time these past weeks researching desks. I’m not sure if this has been mentioned in past entries but I have a few oversize pieces of furniture in my space. I had come across an old flyer which featured a space-saving desk and it seemed to be just what I needed. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it or one similar to it. So I looked and looked and came across one potential option with the advantage of also being a space-saver and being off the floor, which is great, but I’m still a bit unsure about it. Recently I have also found myself questioning whether I truly need it and would use it, and am also a bit reluctant to invest too much money in my space. I had also thought about how I would still need a file cabinet and perhaps a hutch or something to store supplies in (although when I went to buy boxes, I spotted something I really liked that could store some of my office supplies). I also eventually need a place for my books. These are all things I will look into more carefully when the time comes to organize the space, but for now, the main idea is that I plan to get rid of my desk (that’s partly why I was emptying the drawers). I was a bit unsure in the past as it is a good and nice piece of furniture that I thought I could perhaps use in a future space but I’ve made the decision to let it go and I know getting it out will make a big difference in space. I hoped that maybe I could sell it and make a little bit of money off it as it is still in good condition but now I’m thinking I might have to just forgo and forget that. I was unsure whether it would fit through my door without being taken apart and after measuring, I happily discovered it would fit. From a suggestion in the book I’m reading, I looked in the yellow pages and found an organization that will come pick up donations, including furniture, for free, so I was thinking this might be the way to go, and perhaps soon.

Changing the subject, I’m not sure I’m too happy with the format of these entries and I also feel like there are many details I am not including here and that my notes are confusing to myself (I tried adding details about the desk drawers before finalizing the entry). It’s probably not so important to readers. Maybe it’s more for my own tracking and progress. I’m also a bit bothered by the Wednesday to Tuesday weeks. Not sure if it’s the most efficient but maybe this can change at some point.

So the main goal for this next week is to continue working on the closet. My overall timeline seems a bit vague right now, which I don’t like so much. And this seems to be taking longer than I planned, but again, I am trying to focus on the positive. This week I read something that said: no matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.

I do have some goals for this next week, which I think is a good thing. They are as follows:

-ideally finish the closet by Tuesday and move Transit boxes in
-clear any leftover mess from previous areas
-empty the recycle and trash boxes
-look into getting the desk out
-empty small bin of newspapers
-bring another bag to Salvation Army

Today, which I suppose was technically Day 2 of Week 6, was a break day. I was focusing a bit more on the job search.
Tomorrow, it will be back to working on the closet.