This whole decluttering concept seems a little like getting stuck in a revolving door. You get in your little corner and push away, but you never seem to be able to get out! At least that is how I've been feeling lately.
Once more my office has its piles of paper. I am, on the whole, keeping on top of the rest of the house to the point where, within a half hour or so, it can be quite presentable. The problem is that, more often than I care to admit, when I am tidying those other areas, my paper clutter from there makes its way in here. So I sit with piles...by the computer, on my desk, on my table. When will I ever learn?
I need to figure out how to get my toe out the door enough to stop it from spinning. In the meantime, I can just shut the office up and bask in the deluttered state of the rest of the house.
Showing posts with label housework. Show all posts
Showing posts with label housework. Show all posts
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
DAY 19 – Letter F – FOR GOODNESS SAKE!
“For goodness sake, Helen! Just get at it and get it done!”
I was talking to myself once again about the state of my office.
Then I thought, for whose sake am I trying to master this paperwork? It is certainly not a sign of goodness, in my estimation. (Good housekeeping, maybe, but not goodness!)
It should be for MY sake. But sometimes that just doesn't seem to be enough motivation. At times it is, but then it gets away on me again, as I find more interesting ways to occupy my time.
But, aha! My son called and is coming home for the weekend. I haven't seen him since January...when this project was already underway with boxes piled all over the office. Have I told you that my office also serves as the guest room?
Usually when someone is coming, all the papers go into a box and get hidden away. (That's partly how I got into this problem in the first place!) I am really going to TRY not to do that this time. I have cleared away a few containers, but I do have my work cut out for me before he arrives tomorrow.
So, whether it's for goodness sake,
or for your sake,
or for the company that's coming...
for whatever reason, KEEP AT IT! Don't give up.
The reward will be the ability to see the top of the desk and the closet floor. It will be the knowledge that there are no hidden boxes awaiting your attention. It will be that wonderful feeling of overcoming a huge hurdle and the warm glow of victory.
I was talking to myself once again about the state of my office.
Then I thought, for whose sake am I trying to master this paperwork? It is certainly not a sign of goodness, in my estimation. (Good housekeeping, maybe, but not goodness!)
It should be for MY sake. But sometimes that just doesn't seem to be enough motivation. At times it is, but then it gets away on me again, as I find more interesting ways to occupy my time.
But, aha! My son called and is coming home for the weekend. I haven't seen him since January...when this project was already underway with boxes piled all over the office. Have I told you that my office also serves as the guest room?
Usually when someone is coming, all the papers go into a box and get hidden away. (That's partly how I got into this problem in the first place!) I am really going to TRY not to do that this time. I have cleared away a few containers, but I do have my work cut out for me before he arrives tomorrow.
So, whether it's for goodness sake,
or for your sake,
or for the company that's coming...
for whatever reason, KEEP AT IT! Don't give up.
The reward will be the ability to see the top of the desk and the closet floor. It will be the knowledge that there are no hidden boxes awaiting your attention. It will be that wonderful feeling of overcoming a huge hurdle and the warm glow of victory.
Monday, April 13, 2009
ONLY THE LONELY
“They're gone forever
So far apart”
Did Roy Orbison know that he was singing about my socks? About my plastic container lids? About....?
You get the picture. Why do I hang on to things that are one of a set, lonely and unusable on their own? Well, NO MORE! The lidless and bottomless plastic is in the recycle bin. The socks are a task set for today.
I wonder what other lonely things I have in my home. If you have any ideas, drop me a line in the comment box and we'll get rid of them together. Hey, how about lonely mitts, lonely shoes, lonely puzzles with pieces missing? We could create quite a cleansing just by getting rid of those items that lie isolated and incomplete amongst our clutter.
Have fun with your project today. I've gotta go. My socks are calling.
So far apart”
Did Roy Orbison know that he was singing about my socks? About my plastic container lids? About....?
You get the picture. Why do I hang on to things that are one of a set, lonely and unusable on their own? Well, NO MORE! The lidless and bottomless plastic is in the recycle bin. The socks are a task set for today.
I wonder what other lonely things I have in my home. If you have any ideas, drop me a line in the comment box and we'll get rid of them together. Hey, how about lonely mitts, lonely shoes, lonely puzzles with pieces missing? We could create quite a cleansing just by getting rid of those items that lie isolated and incomplete amongst our clutter.
Have fun with your project today. I've gotta go. My socks are calling.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Day 7 – letter V - VARIETY
You may have noticed that I did not post to this blog yesterday. As a Christian, I like to keep my Sundays for things other than work: church, time with those who are close to me, going out for a meal with friends.
Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to sing one of my ballads as part of a Valentines Cabaret put on by the Stratford Concert Choir. It was a great event, giving the audience and choir members a chance to hear the individual skills of the people with whom we regularly sing. As a fairly new member of the choir, I was thrilled to hear the wonderful voices, the different genres chosen, the poetic humour, the comic acting ability of those fellows who often just get to show their serious side, and in the silent auction to see the artistic and handcraft skills of others. It was an opportunity to marvel once again at how we are all created uniquely with our own special gifts.
That brings me back to the issue of cleansing my clutter. As I approach this task I need to realize that I am one of those people gifted with creativity ... and a short attention span! Hence, today's topic, Variety.
If you find yourself getting bored with a cleaning routine, just mix it up a bit. For example, for this morning's 27 Boogie Fling (flylady.com), I decided to focus my boogie on putting away 27 things. I amazed myself to discover a duster in my hand. After I had put things away and revealed the beautiful oak on of one of my antique peices of furniture, the dust was so evident I just had to deal with it! So 27 things are put away, and all of my oak pieces in that room are now dusted. Because my kitchen and bathroom are staying relatively tidy now due to the “put away what you use” philosophy, I have time to get out for a walk in today's beautiful sunshine before I come back to try another half-hour attack on my office.
I was thinking as I write how simple this all seems. Why could I not do it without this creative cleansing blog? I guess I need that sense of accountability. So thank you, my readers, for the role you are playing in helping me along this path. Here's wishing you a great day, and praying that you also will breathe a little easier and smile a little more as you view your domain.
Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to sing one of my ballads as part of a Valentines Cabaret put on by the Stratford Concert Choir. It was a great event, giving the audience and choir members a chance to hear the individual skills of the people with whom we regularly sing. As a fairly new member of the choir, I was thrilled to hear the wonderful voices, the different genres chosen, the poetic humour, the comic acting ability of those fellows who often just get to show their serious side, and in the silent auction to see the artistic and handcraft skills of others. It was an opportunity to marvel once again at how we are all created uniquely with our own special gifts.
That brings me back to the issue of cleansing my clutter. As I approach this task I need to realize that I am one of those people gifted with creativity ... and a short attention span! Hence, today's topic, Variety.
If you find yourself getting bored with a cleaning routine, just mix it up a bit. For example, for this morning's 27 Boogie Fling (flylady.com), I decided to focus my boogie on putting away 27 things. I amazed myself to discover a duster in my hand. After I had put things away and revealed the beautiful oak on of one of my antique peices of furniture, the dust was so evident I just had to deal with it! So 27 things are put away, and all of my oak pieces in that room are now dusted. Because my kitchen and bathroom are staying relatively tidy now due to the “put away what you use” philosophy, I have time to get out for a walk in today's beautiful sunshine before I come back to try another half-hour attack on my office.
I was thinking as I write how simple this all seems. Why could I not do it without this creative cleansing blog? I guess I need that sense of accountability. So thank you, my readers, for the role you are playing in helping me along this path. Here's wishing you a great day, and praying that you also will breathe a little easier and smile a little more as you view your domain.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Day 6 – letter I - INVESTIGATE
Not having a lot of time today, it seemed right to choose one drawer to investigate, the notorious Junk Drawer. Most people seem to have one, if not two or three, or one in every room ( like you-know-who)!
Deciding to tackle the kitchen drawer, I set my alarm for 10 minutes and started pulling. How can one possibly collect so many plastic bags; big ones, little ones, fat ones, thin ones? Whoever thought I would need five rolls of scotch tape, two flashlights with dead batteries, or all those elastics; big ones, little ones, fat ones, thin ones? It was rather depressing to see what had collected there.
A half hour later (yes, I miscalculated!) with enough twist ties to build a small sculpture organized once again, and the elastics of many colours draped over a pill bottle in the corner of the drawer, I ended this phase of the cleanse with a smile on my face. And tomorrow when I go to find a sandwich bag, I will smile once again.
Take time to investigate, one spot at a time, and enjoy those little feelings of victory when you master even one corner of your castle. Yahoo! We're making headway.
Deciding to tackle the kitchen drawer, I set my alarm for 10 minutes and started pulling. How can one possibly collect so many plastic bags; big ones, little ones, fat ones, thin ones? Whoever thought I would need five rolls of scotch tape, two flashlights with dead batteries, or all those elastics; big ones, little ones, fat ones, thin ones? It was rather depressing to see what had collected there.
A half hour later (yes, I miscalculated!) with enough twist ties to build a small sculpture organized once again, and the elastics of many colours draped over a pill bottle in the corner of the drawer, I ended this phase of the cleanse with a smile on my face. And tomorrow when I go to find a sandwich bag, I will smile once again.
Take time to investigate, one spot at a time, and enjoy those little feelings of victory when you master even one corner of your castle. Yahoo! We're making headway.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Day 5 – letter T – TAKE TIME
I had an inner debate this morning. Would the letter T stand for True Confessions? Would I tell you that when I looked at my dresser this morning, I discovered that the clutter monster had snuck back into my room, not leaving a huge trail of chaos fortunately, just enough to let me know that he was still lurking in the shadows. As I walked down the hall I saw he had passed by there as well, and into the kitchen too. It was rather disheartening. Here I am doing this creative cleanse, and I still haven't been forceful enough to let him know he is no longer welcome here.
But then I thought to myself. “It's OK, Helen, this is only Day 5.” They say it takes 30 days to create a new habit. That is why this cleanse is geared for 35 days. So pick up the little trail of stuff, smile as you hear his muffled groan, and move on.
In my office it was reinforced once again, that turning on one's computer before the morning routine and the 27 Boogie Fling (See Day 2 and/or Flylady.com if this sounds bizarre.) can prove disastrous. One e-mail led to another, and before I knew it, it was time to head out to help a friend. (That's why I had to turn on the comupter in the first place. I thought I had enough self-discipline to just read the one note that I needed. Hah! It can't be done!...at least not yet.) I DID delete a few files though, to justify the time spent.
The errand led to coffee. You know how it goes. I was back around noon, and settled on my target area, the office. I have decided that if I boogie in my office for a few days I will actually gain a fair amount of control in here. So boogie I did. My computer table now shows its wood! I moved to the desk and worked my way through a pile or two. It's amazing how much paper one can recycle when cleaning the office! Another friend called who I hadn't spent time with for a while. That allowed me to get out to enjoy the sunshine as I walked downtown and to run an errand after the obligatory coffee. After a further appointment that took longer than expected, I got home just in time to make a salad and head out for supper and a video.
Coming home around 8:30 gave me time to reflect on my day and how it fit with this cleansing process. I realized that it's all right to experience a delay or two when life brings along a more important choice. For me, being there for my friends is high on my agenda, it is part of what God calls me to do. I think carefully before closing the door on opportunities to build relationships or to be of service. It really is a matter of balance. If I left the clutter constantly, and forgot the goal, this cleansing would not happen. But occasionally...I think that's OK. It adds to life's sparkle. And after all, life is not so much about sparkling kitchens as sparkling moments in time. This process of cleansing the clutter will take time, but while I'm going through it I need to be true to myself, and to occasionally take the time required for that.
I hope you will too.
But then I thought to myself. “It's OK, Helen, this is only Day 5.” They say it takes 30 days to create a new habit. That is why this cleanse is geared for 35 days. So pick up the little trail of stuff, smile as you hear his muffled groan, and move on.
In my office it was reinforced once again, that turning on one's computer before the morning routine and the 27 Boogie Fling (See Day 2 and/or Flylady.com if this sounds bizarre.) can prove disastrous. One e-mail led to another, and before I knew it, it was time to head out to help a friend. (That's why I had to turn on the comupter in the first place. I thought I had enough self-discipline to just read the one note that I needed. Hah! It can't be done!...at least not yet.) I DID delete a few files though, to justify the time spent.
The errand led to coffee. You know how it goes. I was back around noon, and settled on my target area, the office. I have decided that if I boogie in my office for a few days I will actually gain a fair amount of control in here. So boogie I did. My computer table now shows its wood! I moved to the desk and worked my way through a pile or two. It's amazing how much paper one can recycle when cleaning the office! Another friend called who I hadn't spent time with for a while. That allowed me to get out to enjoy the sunshine as I walked downtown and to run an errand after the obligatory coffee. After a further appointment that took longer than expected, I got home just in time to make a salad and head out for supper and a video.
Coming home around 8:30 gave me time to reflect on my day and how it fit with this cleansing process. I realized that it's all right to experience a delay or two when life brings along a more important choice. For me, being there for my friends is high on my agenda, it is part of what God calls me to do. I think carefully before closing the door on opportunities to build relationships or to be of service. It really is a matter of balance. If I left the clutter constantly, and forgot the goal, this cleansing would not happen. But occasionally...I think that's OK. It adds to life's sparkle. And after all, life is not so much about sparkling kitchens as sparkling moments in time. This process of cleansing the clutter will take time, but while I'm going through it I need to be true to myself, and to occasionally take the time required for that.
I hope you will too.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Day 4 – letter A – ALL THOSE BILLS!
One of the frogs that I referred to yesterday is my ever-growing stack of bills and other assorted papers awaiting attention.
Last year a speaker at Christian Women's Club tried valiantly to give us the magic solutions to clutter in our homes. I must admit I learned and incorporated this wonderful filing system that she advocated into my office. I ran out, bought and carefully labelled the multicoloured file folders. I added yet another small file holder to the wonderfully wide window sill by my computer. And I must admit I am more organized than I used to be because of this system. All my financial papers are in red files, ministry things are in blue, my writing projects in yellow, my home business in green. It looks beautiful, this rainbow in my office; beautiful that is, except for the overflowing of the papers within!
Despite the lovely system, I still have to deal with those papers that get stuffed into the “Bills to File” folder. Those are the ones that have graduated from the first folder, the “Bills to Pay”. I must confess that sometimes the “out of sight, out of mind” rule has taken over with that folder, and I have learned by paying the consequences that I do have to keep an eye on it, or better yet, deal with it immediately.
This morning was an hour-chunk morning. I cleared off the kitchen table and took the bulging folder of bills to sort. All of 2008 is now safely esconced in yet another file box awaiting Income Tax time, with each bill sorted under the appropriate heading. During this process, I decided to add a few more red files to the sorting area on my window sill. Next time I won't have to go through all the bills. The Hydro has its own little folder, as do all the other utilities that need tracking. What a novel idea! It's amazing how creative this cleansing can be!
Now to relish the victory. One section of my overflow of papers is neat and tidy. I am not even going to look at all the others stacked on that window sill. They are for another day, another letter. It's beautiful and sunny so I am off for a walk before work.
Blessings to you, and my your clutter pile begin to disappear for you...one little pile at a time.
Last year a speaker at Christian Women's Club tried valiantly to give us the magic solutions to clutter in our homes. I must admit I learned and incorporated this wonderful filing system that she advocated into my office. I ran out, bought and carefully labelled the multicoloured file folders. I added yet another small file holder to the wonderfully wide window sill by my computer. And I must admit I am more organized than I used to be because of this system. All my financial papers are in red files, ministry things are in blue, my writing projects in yellow, my home business in green. It looks beautiful, this rainbow in my office; beautiful that is, except for the overflowing of the papers within!
Despite the lovely system, I still have to deal with those papers that get stuffed into the “Bills to File” folder. Those are the ones that have graduated from the first folder, the “Bills to Pay”. I must confess that sometimes the “out of sight, out of mind” rule has taken over with that folder, and I have learned by paying the consequences that I do have to keep an eye on it, or better yet, deal with it immediately.
This morning was an hour-chunk morning. I cleared off the kitchen table and took the bulging folder of bills to sort. All of 2008 is now safely esconced in yet another file box awaiting Income Tax time, with each bill sorted under the appropriate heading. During this process, I decided to add a few more red files to the sorting area on my window sill. Next time I won't have to go through all the bills. The Hydro has its own little folder, as do all the other utilities that need tracking. What a novel idea! It's amazing how creative this cleansing can be!
Now to relish the victory. One section of my overflow of papers is neat and tidy. I am not even going to look at all the others stacked on that window sill. They are for another day, another letter. It's beautiful and sunny so I am off for a walk before work.
Blessings to you, and my your clutter pile begin to disappear for you...one little pile at a time.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Day 2 - letter R - Raising the Bar
Upon waking this morning, my mind was a-buzz with subjects I could discuss that begin with R.
I settled on Raising the Bar.
I definitely need to raise the bar on how I care for my home. Not that I don't love my place. I do. But I'd much rather be puttering in the garden, or working on my writing, than wandering through my space with a dust cloth. I'm sure at least some of you will understand this mindset.
So Raising the Bar it is. But the question remains. How do I do it?
Realism certainly needs to play a part. I am not suddenly going to change my personality. I do have a life other than tidying, cleaning and organizing. So I need to be realistic. How much time am I prepared to donate to this cleansing of the clutter? If you are joining me in this adventure, how much time can you realistically afford? Deciding this is definitely an important first step in getting ready.
Resources are needed too. This time, (thanks to the book I picked up yesterday) I did not run out to buy containers and a mountain of cleaning supplies. I already have those, and they will do just fine.
I told you yesterday that as we work away at this creative cleansing, I would share things that were helpful to me. The first one is a website, which puts the fun into cleaning and motivates to boot. A friend who shares my aversion to housework recommended http://www.flylady.com/to me several years ago. Last week I pulled out the things I had learned from it. To encapsulate her teaching is difficult, because she shares a wealth of wonderful, crazy, humourous ideas, but one thing that struck me is her constant theme that one should use small blocks of time, and not let yourself get overwhelmed. The new book, Common Sense Organizing, by Debbie Williams that I purchased yesterday, picked up the same theme.
A few years ago, as I was going through a time of healing, my doctor said, “This is going to take time, Helen. It took years for you to get to this place.You won't heal in a day.” It was good advice for that area of my life. It is also good advice for this. Don't rush. Slow down, set aside the panic that may have arisen just thinking about this cleanse, and enjoy the process.
“So, what did you do today?”, you ask. Let's see.
As soon as I got up, I made the bed. I learned that from Flylady last time around and have done it ever since. The other day I had started on her 27 Boogie Fling, so I had my boxes already gathered.
1. Toss
2. Give Away
3. Keep
4. Not Sure
5. I have added a Put Away box for the things whose storage place I know and that I can do
easily.
After I dressed, I boogied around the bedroom picking up 27 things. Guess what! My dresser top and windowsill are now tidy. Amazing! (If you are intrigued with the idea of me boogieing around my bedroom, do check out the Flylady website and have some fun yourself.)
Raising the Bar and the whole cleansing idea has another element. How am I looking after my body. I tend to be slack in the area of feeding myself well. So, while cleansing the house, I decided to also work on caring for my own interior, so to speak. Sitting down to a bowl of healthy cereal, I planned out my day. Included in that was a block of 15 minutes to start on my office. I will probably work in another 15 minute block later this afternoon, but right now I have a clear table top beside my computer except for the work laid out to do immediately after I write this. The toss bag is waiting by the front door to go out the the garbage can. Taking another 5 minutes to empty the Put Away box is essential for me. If that isn't done immediately, it will become another box waiting to be dealt with. My give-away collection is growing. I decided to leave that box in the room until it is full. Then it will go out to the car, ready to be dropped off.
I put supper in the crock pot and forced myself to make a healthy wrap for lunch. The dishes are either done, or rinsed and collecting in a dishpan under my sink, my version of a dishwasher as a collection place for dirty dishes, another hint from Flylady that preserves water and keeps my kitchen looking tidy. I have done that one, more or less, since I first met Flylady, but lately my kitchen counter had become quite cluttered, so I am really trying to do apply it more faithfully.
That's it for today. How do I feel? Great. Join me tomorrow for day 3, letter E.
I settled on Raising the Bar.
I definitely need to raise the bar on how I care for my home. Not that I don't love my place. I do. But I'd much rather be puttering in the garden, or working on my writing, than wandering through my space with a dust cloth. I'm sure at least some of you will understand this mindset.
So Raising the Bar it is. But the question remains. How do I do it?
Realism certainly needs to play a part. I am not suddenly going to change my personality. I do have a life other than tidying, cleaning and organizing. So I need to be realistic. How much time am I prepared to donate to this cleansing of the clutter? If you are joining me in this adventure, how much time can you realistically afford? Deciding this is definitely an important first step in getting ready.
Resources are needed too. This time, (thanks to the book I picked up yesterday) I did not run out to buy containers and a mountain of cleaning supplies. I already have those, and they will do just fine.
I told you yesterday that as we work away at this creative cleansing, I would share things that were helpful to me. The first one is a website, which puts the fun into cleaning and motivates to boot. A friend who shares my aversion to housework recommended http://www.flylady.com/to me several years ago. Last week I pulled out the things I had learned from it. To encapsulate her teaching is difficult, because she shares a wealth of wonderful, crazy, humourous ideas, but one thing that struck me is her constant theme that one should use small blocks of time, and not let yourself get overwhelmed. The new book, Common Sense Organizing, by Debbie Williams that I purchased yesterday, picked up the same theme.
A few years ago, as I was going through a time of healing, my doctor said, “This is going to take time, Helen. It took years for you to get to this place.You won't heal in a day.” It was good advice for that area of my life. It is also good advice for this. Don't rush. Slow down, set aside the panic that may have arisen just thinking about this cleanse, and enjoy the process.
“So, what did you do today?”, you ask. Let's see.
As soon as I got up, I made the bed. I learned that from Flylady last time around and have done it ever since. The other day I had started on her 27 Boogie Fling, so I had my boxes already gathered.
1. Toss
2. Give Away
3. Keep
4. Not Sure
5. I have added a Put Away box for the things whose storage place I know and that I can do
easily.
After I dressed, I boogied around the bedroom picking up 27 things. Guess what! My dresser top and windowsill are now tidy. Amazing! (If you are intrigued with the idea of me boogieing around my bedroom, do check out the Flylady website and have some fun yourself.)
Raising the Bar and the whole cleansing idea has another element. How am I looking after my body. I tend to be slack in the area of feeding myself well. So, while cleansing the house, I decided to also work on caring for my own interior, so to speak. Sitting down to a bowl of healthy cereal, I planned out my day. Included in that was a block of 15 minutes to start on my office. I will probably work in another 15 minute block later this afternoon, but right now I have a clear table top beside my computer except for the work laid out to do immediately after I write this. The toss bag is waiting by the front door to go out the the garbage can. Taking another 5 minutes to empty the Put Away box is essential for me. If that isn't done immediately, it will become another box waiting to be dealt with. My give-away collection is growing. I decided to leave that box in the room until it is full. Then it will go out to the car, ready to be dropped off.
I put supper in the crock pot and forced myself to make a healthy wrap for lunch. The dishes are either done, or rinsed and collecting in a dishpan under my sink, my version of a dishwasher as a collection place for dirty dishes, another hint from Flylady that preserves water and keeps my kitchen looking tidy. I have done that one, more or less, since I first met Flylady, but lately my kitchen counter had become quite cluttered, so I am really trying to do apply it more faithfully.
That's it for today. How do I feel? Great. Join me tomorrow for day 3, letter E.
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