Good-Bye Clutter!
Today was a very productive day. Today was one of those days where I can see concrete change in front of me. It may not be world-changing, but it felt good---I cleaned the garage. We're getting ready to do some remodeling, so I knew that I needed to purge some stuff. In addition, we've lived in our house long enough now to have accumulated a basement storage room full of a random assortment of things we do not use. I rallied a bunch of my neighbors about a month ago and suggested this weekend for a neighborhood garage sale. I knew that if I had other people committed to this plan, I would be more motivated to do all the work. They were all thrilled that someone else had planned it, so they signed right up!
The process of sorting through one's belongings can be tough. The kids suddenly HAVE to keep the toys that haven't been played with in years. I still hold on to the odd clothes that I may have the "perfect occasion" for, when in truth the haven't left the basement since we moved in. Then, there's the sentimental stuff: the little baby outfits, the high school year books, Grandma's hand-me-downs......I have such an internal struggle with how much of that stuff to hold on to. Part of me wants to purge it all, but then I fear that I'll regret that someday.
I'm one of these people who's very affected by a messy environment. Granted, there's a level on ongoing clutter on my desk and a never-ending stack of kid-related papers on the kitchen counter. But, overall, I need my environment to be somewhat clean and organized. My mother-in-law has a sign in her kitchen which reads "Dull women have immaculate homes". I always chuckle when I see that. I understand the sentiment in it, but always feel just a touch defensive when I read it.
I was reading a magazine recently that talked about a program called Clutter Diet. It's an online support program to help people learn skills for organizing. It's sounds pretty cool. You have a coach and a prescribed plan of action. You check in with your coach and get feedback and encouragement. It sounds like a Weight Watchers model for home and life organization. Very interesting!
So now, I'll sleep well with a clean garage, and the knowledge that I'm about halfway done with the work for the sale. It starts on Friday, so I better rest up!
The process of sorting through one's belongings can be tough. The kids suddenly HAVE to keep the toys that haven't been played with in years. I still hold on to the odd clothes that I may have the "perfect occasion" for, when in truth the haven't left the basement since we moved in. Then, there's the sentimental stuff: the little baby outfits, the high school year books, Grandma's hand-me-downs......I have such an internal struggle with how much of that stuff to hold on to. Part of me wants to purge it all, but then I fear that I'll regret that someday.
I'm one of these people who's very affected by a messy environment. Granted, there's a level on ongoing clutter on my desk and a never-ending stack of kid-related papers on the kitchen counter. But, overall, I need my environment to be somewhat clean and organized. My mother-in-law has a sign in her kitchen which reads "Dull women have immaculate homes". I always chuckle when I see that. I understand the sentiment in it, but always feel just a touch defensive when I read it.
I was reading a magazine recently that talked about a program called Clutter Diet. It's an online support program to help people learn skills for organizing. It's sounds pretty cool. You have a coach and a prescribed plan of action. You check in with your coach and get feedback and encouragement. It sounds like a Weight Watchers model for home and life organization. Very interesting!
So now, I'll sleep well with a clean garage, and the knowledge that I'm about halfway done with the work for the sale. It starts on Friday, so I better rest up!
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