The motivation to declutter continues

You know you've got the decluttering bug bad when that's all you can think about during spin class! That little bit of space on each surface was niggling in the back of my head. 

The empty space on the desk

So I took a couple of things off the desk and then put what was on the table onto the desk. 

The space was quickly gone

I know -- I'm just moving the junk from one spot to another, but then I took all the "current" stuff and put it on the table. This includes some stuff that was on the floor and beside my computer desk. I do not have the ideal desk to work at, and I'm only replacing it once I can figure out what exactly I want. 

What I need to deal with this week

There is still space on the table, and I need to get myself in gear, hang up a few pictures, pitch a few papers, and make phone calls. With minimal effort, a good part of that table could be clear. The trick is not to add stuff to it until all this is dealt with. 

Stuff that I WANT to deal with

I keep telling myself the same thing for the cutting table and Studio B. Why can't I get that last part done? It's almost as if my brain says, "You do NOT want a clean table." So, I keep stalling on those things. I need to find a way to work past that. I'm hoping it's different. I'm motivated differently, but I'm unsure how long the motivation will stay. 

But I'm in good shape for today. There's a customer quilt to load this morning, and all the silly extra things got sorted and put away. I will clean and wind bobbins for one machine and that's all set up. I've got an embroidery project set up for the second machine, and here's to hopefully a productive day. 

The one thing I fail at is keeping a "to-do" list. I've tried dozens of methods, and all seem to work for a while, but then I get off to something else. It drives me crazy why I can't stick to one thing. I'm certain that it's the sheer volume of that "to-do" list. I do a pretty good job of keeping things in my head, but that's not good enough. 

Yesterday, I wrote a list of ten things I would like to finish. All were small, and some would only require a few minutes. I accomplished TWO of the ten. So what do I do today? Add two more items? Keep working on the list? 

I will watch my habits to see why I'm not accomplishing more on the paperwork side. Part of it is that I must dedicate time to office work. It's not always easy to find time because it's the thing I hate the most. 

Even if I schedule ONE hour a day to work on the lists, perhaps that is the key, and then I NEED to focus on that list. Then, I must stick with that routine until it becomes a habit. Wish me luck! That's what has caused the issue with all the crap - lack of focus on something I don't want to do!

However, one of the things I wanted to accomplish was to print the updated list of the "to be quilted" pile, and that is done! The book is now back downstairs with the tubs. 

The new list for the "to be quilted" pile

Wait, I did get the two borders on that small quilt. It got quilted and bound, and it's in the mail. So, I did accomplish something yesterday! You can't see it yet. 

I've emptied a bolt of fabric this morning (do I get a discount?). The fabric will be used for the backing of a Quilts of Valour quilt. The batting bits are fused together, and I'll work on the backing this afternoon. That's the quilt for tomorrow. 

An empty bolt

One thing I need to ensure I do is deal with the paper that comes in every day. Thankfully, it's nowhere near what it used to be. But when I came back from a walk, I found this on my doorstep. It has no name on it; it's like I just purchased it from the store. Why? 

On my doorstep

Since I'm not into fashion, this will be trashed, but I look at the picture on the front, especially the shoes, and I ask, "Why?"  OK, so I'm getting old. NO WAIT—I would have asked that question at any point in my life! 

So, I'm on the lookout for a couple more metal shelves, and I spotted some near me and texted the owner. We went back and forth. She didn't have stand-alone shelves (unlike the photos), and she didn't have the size I wanted. So there I was with two shelves that would work but were already assembled, meaning I couldn't carry them in the car, and they weren't the right size, but I forged ahead and thought I could make it work. 

Her listing was 10 weeks old, and I suspect they had been in charge of selling loads of shelving from a warehouse. When I looked up the address, it was a house. When my rental van fell through yesterday, and I let her know I could come today, she IMMEDIATELY texted me back and said, "Too late. She had dozens of people texting her." However, I could leave a deposit to guarantee them. This was the second time asking for a deposit. 

The entire interaction put me off, so I responded that if I really wanted them bad enough, they would be there today. Scam? I don't think so, but it was her attitude. Lady, there are oodles of those metal shelving units out there! I'm very glad that the rental van deal fell through! I won't be going back to her. 

Well, I'm going to have to be very disciplined today. I'm listening to the 6th Harry Potter book - The Half-Blood Prince. I've never listened to it - GASP -- I know. The book was published in 2005 - almost 20 years ago and I've not read it! I went back and started to reread the entire series a couple of times, so rereading them was fun but not exciting. Well, now this is NEW. So I will have to discipline myself for ONE HOUR to do paperwork, and then, as a reward, I can listen to Harry Potter for the rest of the day!

What I like about the "current" table in the office is that I can easily grab a piece of paper or two and deal with it. Also, having the limited desk space that I have relatively clear is a good thing. So, let's hope that I can remain focused. I CAN do this!!!

Oh gosh -- I thought I'd have a peek through that Fashion magazine and found TWO articles of interest. That's my lunch reading material, and then that magazine goes. And now we know why I have so much crap in the house!

I'm excited about tackling that "current" table, and I've got this! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!