Hello everyone! How are your challenges going? My original 3-week's challenge has ended, but I will keep going for another week as it has only now begun to get a little harder and I'd like to find some more hidden clutter to get rid of. The pace is getting a little challenging meanwhile, but I will do it for the rest of July! For me, it has been a success so far. I kept decluttering my 20 things a day and even got rid of some more (all together another week's worth). Mostly sewing supplies, photos, paper and office supplies had to go, but I also got rid of the odd item of clothing, dishware … [Read more...]
Put away the emotions
I received a comment from Michelle yesterday in response to the day's mini mission ~ Declutter a sentimental item that doesn’t bring much in the way of happy memories. Michelle took on this challenge and then some. the conclusion she came to during this task was very insightful. So much so that I wanted to share it with you all. Here is what she had to say... Michelle ~ "I guess this would go for both Monday and Saturday. I have mentioned before that I collect (maybe USED to collect??) vintage brooches. I have somewhere along the lines of 75-90 regular ones and then about 45 Christmas … [Read more...]
“…the answer is invariably in the question.”
"...the answer is invariably in the question." Â This is part of a quote from a wise man. That man is Billy Connolly and the quote is from the same book I mentioned yesterday. So, how does this relate to decluttering? Well I am about to give my thoughts on that. In the Guides section of my blog you will find my Declutter Decision Making Guide. It is packed with questions to ask of yourself when deciding whether you should declutter an item. However this quote from Billy Connolly got me thinking ~ (Wise words from worldly people often have me applying their wisdom to the subject of … [Read more...]
An update from Sanna
Hello everyone! Colleen asked me to write a little update, so here it is. My challenge was to declutter 20 things a day for three weeks and possibly longer if I realized that there was still a lot more to go. As I started a few days early compared to most of you, when this post will be scheduled I will be almost two weeks in. I have by now decluttered more than 200 things around my home! I can't really tell whether it makes a difference for the home staying tidy yet. We had to reshuffle quite a bit as we now have a guest staying here and she brought some things of her own as … [Read more...]
Declutter your mind to declutter you home
The hardest part of decluttering happen in you mind. The clutter itself isn't really the problem it is the preconceived ideas we have about what we should, could and must keep and what we think we can't live without. If these thoughts are hindering your decluttering perhaps it is time to declutter your mind. Question every thought about what you should, must and have room to keep even though you don't really need or want them. And rethink what is really important to you when it comes to those items you feel you can't let go. We are often in a tug of war over wishing we had the space or that … [Read more...]
Reasons v Excuses
I have two telescopic tension rods, the kind you wedge between two hard surfaces to hang curtains from. The reason I still have them, even though I haven't used them since returning to Australia from the USA, is that they might come in handy one day. The excuse for falling into this old trap is that I don't think they are sold here in Australia which would make them nigh on impossible if not too expensive to replace should I find a use for them. Now how is that for a lot of rubbish. Oh, I admit to both that I do have these things for such a ridiculous reason. Â I don't even like curtains, … [Read more...]
Life moves on
I received the following comment from Kimberley to one of last week's posts ~ Who Are You Now. Kinberley wrote: "Your post should be titled, “Isn’t this how clutter begins?â€Â We move from one phase of our life to another. We don’t or won’t let go of what used to serve us while at the same time adding things that now do. It’s as simple as doing the math." This is so true. The reason much of our clutter builds up is because life moves on for us. The problem with that is that life moves on but we don't move on the resulting items that become clutter. We understandably hold on … [Read more...]
Who are you now
Does your clutter say more about the person you aren't than the person you are. Or perhaps the person you were, rather than the person you are now. Lets take "the person you aren't v. the person you are first. Do you have outfits in your wardrobe that are the latest fashion but don't really suit your taste or your body for that matter? Are there also pretty but uncomfortable shoes in there that you avoid using and when you do it is torture. Do you have ingredients in your pantry, shelves of dusty cookbooks or files of unused recipe clippings, and a kitchen full of rarely used utensils, pans … [Read more...]
Positive attitude to decluttering
Here is a great comment from Kimberley that I didn't want anyone to miss... "Selling vs. Donating….. When we acquire an item, there was an obvious need for us to do so, real or imagined. It may have served its purpose where we feel we “got our monies worthâ€. Then again, some acquisitions are what we needed at that time in our life whether we “got our monies worthâ€, or not. I have found over the years that everything that has come into my life, came in for a reason, sometimes very temporary and all at some cost. Our lives are constantly changing as we grow as individuals. I … [Read more...]
Would I buy it now?
I found myself making the most of my day alone today by turning the living room upside down into a state of complete chaos and back again with 5 minutes to spare so my husband came home to calm and order.  :D There was a purpose to it of course. It started by my finally admitting my gorgeous red chenille chair seems to be now causing me back problems. So I have swopped it  position with the small very upright sofa for a few days to see if that solves the back issue and proves I’m right (oh, how I want to be wrong!) The sofa takes up more space, so there is no room for my set of drawers I … [Read more...]