Tips for decluttering habits

OMG, thanks for the info on the fancy cookie store! Yep, you have to be super diligent about the calorie content—just because they show a calorie count doesn't mean it's for the item you think it is. The day stores and restaurants were mandated to list calories - I almost died! Who knew that you could consume your recommended daily calorie count in a cookie and a drink! 

It's all about moderation. Fancy cookies are the best, but I rarely eat them! As I said yesterday, I might as well tape the cookie to my hips because that's where the entire thing ends up! At least if I eat it, I can savor it before it goes to my hips! 

Well, it was a productive day, but I have little to show for it! Or I should say, there is little that I can share at this time. I have two blog posts done and sent, so that's huge. I did some computer work, which was good. 

I got a manicure—I have to have spiffy-looking nails for the camera next week. Got a haircut earlier this week and new shirts! I HATE nail polish with a passion. It never fails - I would get painted nails that would be messed up before I got home. I've learned to go with clear polish only! 

OK, so I've never paid attention to this before and never been in a place where it was noticeable, but while I was getting a manicure, people were coming in for eyebrows and ears. Do you know that more men came in than women? Yep --- Well, I guess you could say the number was even since I also got mine done. But I've never paid attention to that before. 

I also managed to get a quilt quilted. I had no choice, as I need the long arm for the next quilt, which has to be complete with binding by Tuesday. 

Community project quilt of the week! 

I'm a little behind in my commitment to complete one quilt a week - the other one still needs the binding put on, and this one certainly won't get trimmed or bound this week, but that's OK. After September, my schedule will be much quieter, and I'll be able to catch up. Before you start laughing, I have THREE trips this month, heavy prep work for two of those trips, and a whole week of training or meetings here in the city, so the entire month is a disaster. 

That will NOT be repeated in the last three months of the year. 

I think I may have goofed when I made the next quilt - it's going on a Minky backing, and I think the quilt is too wide. Thankfully, it's the kind of quilt that I can chop off part of it! But seriously? What was I thinking when I made it?

Mornings are dewy these days. Guess what that means? Wet paws, and then she walked in the black soil that had been added to the paths in the forest. Sigh...

Muddy paws

Poor Miss Murphy. She seems a bit stressed these days - well, she's always stressed compared to Lexi. I do not have a suitcase open and nothng unusual is happening, but she seems to be so clingy! 

MOM -- You need to KEEP your arm around ME!!!

I hope to get one of the two projects finished today. Or let's put it another way - I have to be finished by today as I have to move on to the second project. I hope I can get all the prep work done in three days, which I should be able to do. Nothing like leaving it to the last minute. Well, it's not the last minute; it's just that the first one took a bit longer than anticipated. But I'm in good shape - I'm not worried in the least, and when I was looking for something specific yesterday, I found another sample I could use for the second project. The more show and tell that's prepped, the less I have to do now! 

I don't have time for any decluttering or sorting. However, I dug out the last two bags of fiberfill from the closet, and they are now in the Pony Express depot. Heck -- the stuff has been there for a long time, and I know people who can use it, so it's gone. If I need more at a future date, I'll buy a small bag. Two fewer things to inventory! 

I hope your decluttering is coming along! How are those drawers? Those shelves? At the age that most of us are, we should NOT be collecting more stuff. Do not say a word about those puzzles - I intend to make the puzzle, and then they will be gone! We don't need more stuff, and we'll just have to find a home for it. I should check in with my friend to see how her decluttering is coming along for their house! I cannot imagine that job. 

Here's something else to think about and why you need to start decluttering now. It's kind of like trying to lose weight. Let's say that you decide to do something drastic - like surgical weight loss options or getting a dumpster and tossing everything. Here are some questions to ask yourself: Did you learn why the situation got so bad in the first place? Did you learn to declutter, organize, get better eating habits, or just say NO to that 700-calorie cookie? 

Guess what that means? There's a good chance this is going to happen again! If you learn to declutter, then you are starting good habits. Here are a couple of good habits to get into in the decluttering world:

1. Deal with ALL the mail when it comes in. This includes flyers left at the door or in the mailbox or whatever. Don't just open the package and leave the packing material out. Put it in the recycling or garbage bin, depending on where it goes. If you don't know, look it up, and you'll know for the next time. 
2. Anything you purchase - deal with it when you get home. It's pretty much a given when we bring groceries into the house that we put them away. But do the same thing for EVERY purchase you make. And put the shopping bags away. By the way --- REMEMBER to take your shopping bags with you! 
3. Think about buying something before you buy it. Does it have a home in your house? If it doesn't, you probably shouldn't be buying it. Even if it has a home, do you really need to buy it? Can you borrow it from someone or the library? Just because something is on sale, do you really need to buy 100 of whatever that item is? If you really want to buy the item, then think about getting rid of something in your house. 
4. Do NOT pick up little things that are cute, but have no purpose! Just do NOT do it! Think about what you'll do with that item when you get home. Will it go in the garbage? Then why pick it up? Will it sit on a desk and become clutter? Then perhaps you didn't need it! We seem to need to get things for free, and free is NOT good when it becomes clutter. 
5. Tidy up those trouble spots in your house - perhaps it's near the front door. You drop everything when you get in. Well, follow the previous steps and don't let it accumulate. And then, since you are not adding to those trouble spots, chip away at them so they become clear!

Trust me -- I did the OPPOSITE of all of the above for about 30 years! They were hard habits to break, and my office is a testament to what can happen if you let those habits continue. I'm so glad I've decided to take control of my life!

I've been using those new habits for a while now, and I'm astounded at how much better I feel. My brain is not cluttered, my mental health is absolutely better, and I can enjoy my home without looking at a mess and thinking I should clean it up rather than sitting and reading a book. If you are blind to that, maybe you should sit long and hard and think about what's going to happen to all the stuff. 

You could leave it for your kids as payback. But with the generational issues our kids are dealing with, I don't want them saddled with my mess.  

I have few regrets in life, and I don't even like to call them regrets, but I wish I had started this mindset when M was home and she was little. Imagine if we had started this process 20 years ago instead of 10. We'd be done, and we'd both have a clearer head!!! It's not that we don't have clear heads now, but the hole we dug wouldn't be so deep to get out of!

You can live your life how you want, but if you make the decision to live with less, those tips above are handy! And even better - they work! But you have to WANT to make the change. If you don't, then no one can persuade you. It has to come from within you. 

I'm off on another adventure today, which should take less time than the other one, but I'm still losing some good work time. No worries - I'm working later in the evening to compensate for the lost time. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!