Systemic decluttering

Oh my -- there's so much to say and so little time! But I'm happy to report that the one writing assignment is done! But there are still two patterns to write, and another huge writing assignment is looming. And a few quilts need quilting, but I might take today just for me! Well, more of the day than I usually would. I have some essential shopping ahead of me, and if I don't get it done soon, I will be in big trouble. More on that another day. 

I also feel like crap this morning as I did NOT sleep well. I just couldn't get to sleep, and I think I know why. One should NEVER try to declutter before going to bed, and it got me going, and I didn't want to stop. I should have just gotten up and done more! 

But I'm on a mission, which is never good for me as I'm obsessive a wee bit. OH -- and thanks to Maryke, who introduced me to this version of The Sound of Silence by Disturbed. The video is quite dark. I don't think it matters which version of this song you listen to; it's haunting. It's the same as Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. Just haunting, and yet I could listen to them all day! Well, maybe not all day! 

I'm still on my silent thing. Not total silence as I spent quite a bit chatting with my neighbor last night. See that the front yard is working! I'm enjoying the peace and quiet and listening to the birds, and I'm in my glory! 

But this happened last night after I had put in a full day (NOT -- but I did finish reading that book, but there's no time to tell you about it today), but I decided that I could NOT go to bed without doing a little bit of sorting of those 6 drawers. 

And one must remember that this is the dreaded paper that I have been reluctant to touch for years, so in my mind, this was going to be a huge hurdle. But I laid out the boxes in Studio U, grabbed a chair, and started. 

Before I knew it, one drawer was empty. OK -- so I picked an easy one to start, but that's OK. 

An empty drawer

Then I grabbed the drawer with the family history stuff in it. OK -- that all went into one big drawer instead of being crammed into two small ones. 

The family history stuff

And I was still on a roll, so I grabbed another drawer. This big drawer is filled with receipts, and I'll deal with it later today. 

I took one of the small drawers, and I started. I created three piles -- one for recycling, one with paper that can be recycled in the printer (blank on one side - ever the frugal in me), and one was a pile that will require further attention. No need to get bogged down in minutiae at this precise moment; we're going for speed. 

Systemic decluttering of paper

I discovered some treasures, to be sure, but the above are my three sorting piles. Recycle bin, printer, and the one on the far right is the one that needs further attention. The pile not in a drawer is the remainder of the 6-drawer unit minus the drawer of receipts. 

Wow -- it wasn't so bad after all! I just kept at it, and I was having "fun"! Well, I was happy that I was actually making this happen. 

Look what I found -- my book by Harriet Hargrave called From Fiber to Fabric. Yes - it was there so I could write an article or something. Good grief -- so many good intentions. 

A review guide to Android Apps from 2011. I believe it's a bit outdated, as was the one on the Apple iPad. Why or why do I buy this stuff and then never read it? 

Outdated review guide

A warranty tag from something -- no idea. 

A picture of a winning quilt that I was supposed to send to CQA for inclusion in their magazine probably 12 years ago? Sigh... I was never good at keeping track of stuff because I didn't have a system! 

And since I was so close to clearing all six drawers, I couldn't help myself. I brought up that clear plastic tub and emptied it on a table. That freed up that plastic tub to be used under the long arm, eliminating one more cardboard box! I think there'll also be a lot of stuff to pitch and purge in this mess. And stuff that has a home but isn't there! 

The decluttering project for today!

Cathie posted this on my timeline yesterday, and this saying is so right! 

It's taking me time to get the motivation to make this happen. I think we have to hit some personal lows before you see the mess? Or some event (water in the basement) before you realize what is around you and how it looks. 

And once you have the motivation, you need the time and the energy to start. You need room to work, which is why I think I've struggled at my parents' home, as there are ZERO places to put things to look through. Every entire surface is chock-a-block filled with something. And I discovered that -- by keeping all that mess in Studio U, I can just turn off the light, and no one knows it's there. It's brilliant, and that was probably the best idea I came up with for decluttering. 

Previously, I tried to do the cleaning in the kitchen, and then that area would be a total disaster, whichhad to be cleaned up at the end of the day and didn't help to make progress. Then I tried the office, but all the surfaces were full, and the floor was also at the time, so there were zero places to work. Now I've got the motivation, the time, and the space? Watch me go! 

That leaves SIX boxes left in that corner of the office. SIX, none of them are as large as the one I'm going to deal with next. Dare I get cocky and move all six upstairs? NO -- do NOT do that. That kills my mood, and I don't want that to happen. 

Slow and steady is the way to go for me and I can't tell you how many times I come into the office now and stare at that pile of 6 boxes and gloat! "I will tackle you all and make this decluttering thing happen!" Hopefully, I can stay motivated to tackle at least one of the surfaces (desk or table) while I'm at it, but we'll have to see. 

A lot of things have to be done this summer, and there's a time limit -- four weeks that cannot be extended for any reason! More on that another day! And so, let's just keep being motivated. 

I must say that you are probably all excited that I've stopped complaining about dealing with this mess and actually tackling it. You and me both! 

By the way, I was at the library yesterday, and for anyone who used the app called BookMyne -- this app was retired on July 1st. Why?? It seemed to work fine for multiple libraries, not just mine. Is there a replacement? Apparently NOT! What the heck is this? We're required to use the website if we're on our phones. The library didn't mention that in their newsletters, or I missed it. They just slipped that one on us!

And who turned off the heat? I love this cool weather and have my sweatshirt back on! 

It's my week for QUILTsocial, and you NEED to check out the posts this week. I test-drove a stationary quilting machine, which I've touched briefly in the past, but I LOVE it. I want one! 

How is your decluttering going? Motivating yourself is hard, but every little bit takes you one step closer to the final result. And we must take responsibility for our messes -- I don't believe in passing it along to our kids or whoever is left to clean up your spaces. Nope -- when I move from this house, it will be with MINIMAL boxes of personal stuff, and no decluttering will be required before I move! That's my goal! I WILL make it happen. 

Thanks to everyone posting comments; I love reading them and promise to send you responses hopefully today!

And on that note, I'm out of here! So much to do, so little time!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!