“Procrastinate now, don’t put it off.”
I live a paradoxical existence; I really love to have everything in my living space nice and neat. My dresser drawers are neat and well organized, my clothes hang in the closet arranged for the most part by color but there could be more order. My dishes are done, the counter tops clean and neat and the spices are arranged so I can easily find what I need when cooking a good meal. Yet there are pockets of clutter. Mostly paper clutter but there are other things that take up space. Stuff just seems to appear out of nowhere and I’m often perplexed as to how that happens, yet deep down I know that no one other than myself is responsible.
Over the past few months I have taken a pledge to once and for all create a space that is clutter free while not becoming a full on minimalist. That’s the balancing act and I am making progress. I began sorting through my closet and discovered jackets and sweaters and tops that I will never wear! I moved on to the kitchen and recycled plastic containers that I will never ever use! On to the patio and out went old potting containers and other stuff that I’ve carried around with me for years.
Even though it feels like mid-July summer is nearing an end and I’m back to the closet. It’s been a while since I’ve bought new clothes for summer, so most of what I have is faded and some things don’t even fit. I decided to clean them out now rather than storing them in a trunk. I’m keeping some nice pants and tops to take me through the warm weather and found some cool things on sale last week that will help with the transition into fall. I’ll be really happy next year not to see the summer jackets that I bought 10 years ago and I suspect I’ll be pleasantly surprised to pull out some of the newer things in the spring and summer of 2016. I love the idea that everything in my closet should be a celebration of who I am.
I now have a de-cluttering plan for fall and winter and my intention is to hold to it with a couple of different approaches. There is the cleaning frenzy approach and the things will get done over time approach. Both have some guiding principles that I intend to follow. I’ve put the following plan into place.
- Stop the Flow of Stuff Coming In: I like yard sales and flea markets but I can’t buy everything I like and I’ve really have put the brakes on. The cute little ceramic bunny can grace someone else’s yard.
- Make a De-clutter Date: I’ve put on my calendar several de-clutter days for September and October. It’s on the calendar so I don’t accidently make plans to do something else.
- Sort Slowly: I have several boxes of books and papers I can go through while watching a movie on Netflix. One or two boxes at a time and pretty soon it’s done!
- Have an Accountability Partner: I have a friend that also needs to de-clutter and we are have made an agreement to keep each other accountable. Our reward is going out for a nice dinner as we move through the different organizational projects.
I have a few more goals for organizing and de-cluttering but they are specific to my lifestyle. If you want to de-clutter your space you can add to the list above. By the time spring comes we’ll have it all done!