Notes from Innisfree: At Last - Proof of Superiority!

Notes from Innisfree: At Last - Proof of Superiority!

Day 24 – letter A - Assess

I had an opportunity lately to assess how I am doing.

My sister comes to visit from time to time and always comments on how tidy my place is. I used to think she was either joking, or else trying to encourage me to keep going with the project. The other day though she said, “Your place is so much better. You don't have nearly as much mess around.”

Now I could have chosen to be insulted that she spoke the M--- word out loud, but instead I was thrilled. My decluttering attempts are obviously reaping rewards. She commented on how airy it feels because I don't have “stuff” lying around like she does. I enjoyed the praise, and it has encouraged me to keep going.

Last week-end my son who gets home just 2 or 3 times a year came for a short visit. “WOW! Mom! This is the tidiest I've ever seen your place!” Once again, I took it positively. I may even have glowed a little.

I did feel obligated to show him the office closet and his comment there was “How can you possibly have so much stuff?” But he went on in the same breath to remember that I had moved from a much larger house to this apartment. AND I reminded him that I am a retired elementary school teacher! (We are well known to collect for the “just in case...” days!) But despite the fact that my closet looks full, I know that I have boxes of things in there that are on their way to being sorted, and that I stuck them in there in a hurry when I got the carpets cleaned. Yes, you're right...they're still there! I'll get to them one of these days.

In the meantime, I am glowing and enjoying my somewhat tidier home.

Day 23 - H - How Am I Doing?

Every now and again, it is good to sit back and evaluate. How are you coming along with your decluttering?

I look at my place and I realize a few things, some positive, some negative. If you are at all human, you are probably the same!

On the positive side I am sitting at my computer with a relatively clean table surrounding it. Notice the word “relatively”. I found a great organizer at Staples. I believe they call it a Bankers Box. It is one of those cardboard boxes that you put together with 8 compartments that will hold 8 ½ x 11 sheets. I have it together and have been using it to TRY to organize my writing papers. I have held back from sticking on the labels provided until I am sure how I want to use it.

I also picked up a gizmo for holding my office phone and desk lamp. It has a place at the side where I can keep the phone book, some notepads and pens. This sounds like a silly little thing, but for me it has been most helpful in that it frees up the table space beside my computer desk so I can lay out other things that I am working on. In the little cubby that is beneath the phone, I can store unsightly but important things, such as bills to pay and other business items that need immediate attention!

I have this wonderful colour-coded filing system I developed for such things (I think I mentioned that earlier). My problem was that once I filed things, I tended to forget them...not a good idea with bills. I am hoping that having them somewhat visible in this little cubby will help me to keep more on top of this part of my life.

So, I am making progress with the office papers.

Another great motivator for the rest of the house was getting my carpets cleaned. I had a professional coming in to do it. I decided I needed about 2 ½ weeks to be really tidied up before he came. Well, I got sick for about 2 weeks. I'll tell you, it is amazing what you can accomplish with a tight time line! Mind you I was up EARLY the morning he came and was still putting the last boxes away as he was setting up, but hey, it worked! What I have found is that once it was tidy, I was more motivated to keep it that way...and I actually started doing extra cleaning of things I haven't touched for a long time. e.g. washing my artificial plants. Good grief, I think I'm getting domesticated!

On the negative side, as you no doubt noticed, I had let this blog slide. I was focusing on another blog which I write, My Stratford at blogspot.com. Thank you to Susan Barclay of the Word Guild for giving me a push to get back on track here. I find that I get gung ho on one thing and then get easily distracted onto something else. Maybe I'm ADD or something. I prefer to think "too creative for my own good". I need friends who will hold me accountable. With decluttering too, it is easy to get motivated for a while, but hard to keep going. Gathering a friend or two who are working on the same type of thing can be very helpful. So please do comment, do keep me at this, and together we just may move a more peaceful co-existence with our home environment.

Day 22 – C - Chaos

Once again I find myself in my messy, disorganized office. I have lots of excuses! Someone came to visit and I did a quick scurry through the house, threw everything in here and shut the door. My purse got too heavy so I took everything out and set the things I didn't need on my table...to go through when I had time. I haven't been feeling well and just don't have the energy. My children's program finished up, so I had to bring my paperwork home to sort it here in the comfort of my office. Really, Helen? You find this comfortable? I have lots of boxes collected for my purging efforts...but there they sit.

I feel like I am stuck here back at the beginning. Somewhere along the line I missed following up on that motto. “Everything has a place and everything in its place.” In my case, and possibly yours, it all comes down to self-discipline.

So this is short today. I am determined to clear the flat surface by my computer. I'll let you know tomorrow how that goes.

Why don't you join me and just pick one little spot to clear? Good luck! Happy cleaning!

Day 21 - YEARLY, SEASONAL, MONTHLY, WEEKLY?

During a couple of seminars that I attended recently, the speakers mentioned goal setting. Last night, I read an article from a January magazine (yes, I am still back in January in some of my magazines!). It was all about New Year's Resolution, and how this author decided not to make any but rather to live with resolve day by day. Interesting food for thought when applied to my clutter.

In the house there could be benefits in breaking down the tasks, just like we do our goals. Today let's focus on one yearly task.

I happen to be involved in a couple of organizations with minutes, agendas, etc. I am TRYING to keep these on the computer now, but I still tend to collect things at the meetings and bring them home to join the pile. Once a year it would be a good idea for me to cull what I really don't need to keep. I have decided that now is the perfect time, because the meeting season is winding down for summer. If I do it now, when it all starts again in September I'll be ready with a tidy file system . And maybe, just maybe, the effort that it is going to take to do it this year will teach me to cull as I go in the future!

So why not grab your resolve and join me in a paper purge!

Day 20 - M – Minimize!

As you can tell, I got waylaid from my project of decluttering my life in 35 days. So here I sit, surrounded once again by the growing mounds of paper and other assorted things in my life.

I am happy to report though that even though I haven't been blogging in the past while, I have been making some progress.

One of the things that has come to the forefront during this cleansing adventure is the whole idea of minimizing. I realize that I have been greatly affected by the journey of my parents through the Great Depression. They, as was the case with so many of their generation, became hoarders. “You never know when you might need it.” Perhaps there was the underlying fear that they could lose everything again, as so many had back when they were young.

I definitely inherited their genes, although I must admit, I have been fighting against that tendency for many years now. Moving frequently during the early years of my marriage was a definite learning tool in this area. Do I really need two or three (or ten!) of those? It's amazing what you can get rid of when you know that every little bit of weight costs you more! After we became more settled (and started hoarding) I used to joke that every two years we should pretend that we were moving! Although a joke, there is some wisdom to the idea. It begs the question, “Why do I keep what I keep?”

Maybe more than anything else, looking at our clutter with that question in mind might help us to get to the philosophical place of being able to let go!

So, my friends, grab those boxes that we mentioned early on in this adventure, and minimize, minimize, minimize!

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.