MacArthurParker is feeling quietly positive
And so it begins...
3 days ago
No progress on the 3 areas but have just shipped off a load of CDs and DVDs, for profit!
People who have done this
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How to declutter
It made me
joyful and light!
 "the best thing EVER!!!!"
How I did it: Are my home and and every other aspect of my life completely decluttered? Well... no. But, I'm a 100% certified, bonafied, declutterer. I can open any cabinet any drawer any closet anywhere and get rid of unneeded items. It's an ongoing process that will take a very, very long time to complete... if it can be completed. I'm not sure. I think once you start tackling the clutter that is you also need to tackle the clutter that can be as well. It makes me happy to be in my home and not feel like I'm being buried in stuff. We have the things we need... we may have more books than some people find necessary, more salt and pepper shakers (I collect them), and whatever else, but we don't have excessitems of things we, as a family, don't care about. We did before. It's like we scraped all the scum off the top of a lake and now we can see our reflection very clearly... we can see who we are. It's wonderful!!! Good luck! Lessons & tips: Go about the process slowly. Don't expect to declutter everything in a week. Do a drawer or shelf or whatever a day. If you aren't sure about certain clothes or dishes or whatever, let it sit for a day or two and then come back to it. I'd go through my closet one day and see 5 shirts that I might want to wear sometime, then go back two days later and had no problem getting rid of them. Also, don't try to sell or donate everything. You will most likely just end up making piles for ebay, piles for garage sales, piles for donations, etc. If it's not in good shape or totally out-of-date, toss it. If it's not really gonna' get you much money, donate it. The tax write-off is probably worth more. Resources: Trash bags and boxes.
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More "How I Did It" stories
Maerad is having the time of her life
It made me
Amazed! 
How I did it: In preparation for a huge party my family was hosting, I decided to take it upon myself to "tidy up" and redecorate my room with some new sheets. Having to go through the process of first getting (mountains of) clutter off my bed finally gave me the impetus to get my act together. A bedroom is supposed to be a haven where one can relax, de-stress, and sleep well at night. I did none of these things in my room. I always used the excuse tha… Read how I did it…
It made me
How I did it: Sold, donated, or junked stuff that we didn't use in the house any more. So far it feels like we have two times the space already. We are hoping to be moving into a smaller place but one that we own, so this made sense... Read how I did it…
It made me
Feel accomplished
How I did it: Mainly it took so long because I can be bloody lazy a lot of the time, but with the help of some friends and motivationn I got this done in the end and it fells very good !Bow I don't have to spend hours panicing, trying to find essays etc... Read how I did it…
It made me
productive
How I did it: I set aside a whole day, put on some loud upbeat music, and decluttered everything from start to finish. I've never felt so accomplished. Plus, I'm in a better mood and I'm more productive in my living space!!! Read how I did it…
It made me
happy
How I did it: I just threw out a little bit at a time, 27 items at a time, going by the rule "useful or beautiful". I did this whenever I felt there was too much stuff around, and it made me feel a little light :)I allowed myself one box, labelled 'keepsakes', for things that were too private to display, or didn't go with the decor, but still meant a lot to me. I also decided to keep things that I like and that are useful to me now, not things that are… Read how I did it…
→ See all 11 "How I did it" stories
People doing this are also doing these things:
Entries
Why do we hang on to stuff??!!
3 days ago
Or maybe I should be asking myself that? Memories, insecurities, not moving on, difficulty letting go? All of these things I think.
I have a beautiful grandmother clock, which I bought years ago with some money my Nan left me when she died. It’s been standing in a room at my parent’s house for 9 years now. Not ticking, not chiming, just standing. It works beautifully and I thought, why am I hanging onto it?! Guilt. Guilt that my Nan might be horrified if she knew that I was even thinking about letting it go. How ridiculous is that?! My Nan died 14 years ago, she’d want me to be happy. Then I thought, hey, what if I can sell it to a lovely home where it would be used properly and I could use the money to buy an SLR digital camera…one of my other goals!
So now I’ll look into how to do just that. It’s working through all the emotions that rise up that stop us from doing things. Some of mine are totally irrational!!
Why do we hang on to stuff??!!
3 days ago
Or maybe I should be asking myself that? Memories, insecurities, not moving on, difficulty letting go? All of these things I think.
I have a beautiful grandmother clock, which I bought years ago with some money my Nan left me when she died. It’s been standing in a room at my parent’s house for 9 years now. Not ticking, not chiming, just standing. It works beautifully and I thought, why am I hanging onto it?! Guilt. Guilt that my Nan might be horrified if she knew that I was even thinking about letting it go. How ridiculous is that?! My Nan died 14 years ago, she’d want me to be happy. Then I thought, hey, what if I can sell it to a lovely home where it would be used properly and I could use the money to buy an SLR digital camera…one of my other goals!
So now I’ll look into how to do just that. It’s working through all the emotions that rise up that stop us from doing things. Some of mine are totally irrational!!
Spices to kickstart decluttering....
3 days ago
From ordering an Indian spice tin (masala dabba) and starting to tidy out old spices, out of date packets, etc, my decluttering of the kitchen just snowballed. I hadn’t intended on starting here, but once I started with a small area, it just got very addictive!
I’ve taken a couple of pairs of shoes to charity (perfect condition, but not worn in the last 5 years, so just why I’ve been hanging onto them I’ll never know!)
Also, finished a funky acrylic painting, got it framed and hung it up in my bedroom. I’m very enthusiastic at starting things, but can’t quite seem to see them through, so to get it framed was great…it’s the first thing I see when I wake up now. I smile when I see it as it reminds me that I can achieve things when I put my mind to it! The old picture, which I didn’t really like (but a friend bought it for me = guilt!) has also gone to charity.
Just doing these tiny things feels like I’m opening up space :-)
Maerad is having the time of her life
Holy moly
6 days ago
My room is finally clean!! For the past year (or two, if I’m to be honest) my room has been in a chaotic disarray – books strewn all over the place (dorky), clothes thrown haphazardly over furniture (do I really have a chaise lounge under there?!), and notes/binders dating back to middle school that I had saved for my younger brother (who just graduated from high school).
I threw out probably 10 full heavy duty trash bags of stuff I no longer needed or was just taking up space in my room and donated four boxes of clothes that didn’t fit/ I never wore or ever planned to wear. I organized my closet so that my skirts and dresses (my usual outfits) are arranged on one wall. Whenever I go in there, it feels like I stepped into a boutique where they neatly have everything arranged by color (which I did, because if I’m gonna clean, I’m doing it the obsessive-compulsive way).
At this very moment, I’m actually using my desk, which I haven’t in forever because of mile-high clutter. My bed no longer half-belongs to my schoolbooks! I sleep better at night!
It’s been neat and tidy for a week now, and I plan to keep it that way :)
nursegayle6 is working
Started!
1 week ago
We defrosted our freezer and threw away old stuff…feels good!
Slowly
1 week ago
putting together another bag of Stuff to go to the Goodwill. Not great progress, but better than nothing. :)
Still haven't made much progress with this
1 week ago
Was sick this week. Feeling better so hopefully this week I get stuck back into this goal
→ See all 703 entries
Ask for advice: Get help from people who've accomplished this goal
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Jamaica Plain
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lostinboston asks,
“How does one rationalize letting go of old letters, ticket stubs, little mementos? I am willing to part with "materialistic things", but these other things are hard to let go.”
— 3 years ago |
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 Boyds
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vignette asks,
“Sell vs. give away: How to decide??”
— 3 years ago |
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Boyds
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vignette asks,
“How do I let go of something and not worry I'll regret it later on?”
— 3 years ago |
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