Clutter
Is it the changing of the season that does it to me? Or maybe the rain?
I'm getting that claustrophobic feeling again, that my house is crammed with too much stuff. Everywhere I look I see something that needs to be cleaned and cleared. When I see it that way, I get overwhelmed and sit down and eat ice cream. Ok, not really but I want to.
So I'm trying to take it little by little. Maybe I will make more progress that way instead of getting overwhelmed, throwing up my hands and sticking everything in a box with a lid. So I won't have to see it.
Yesterday I recycled (because this IS Oregon and we recycle, we don't throw it away!) over 3 years accumulation of my running magazine. 3 years! Holy cow! Why did I have those, all nicely lined up in magazine boxes!? I really thought I would go back through them "someday" and read those pages I had marked. So yesterday I did that, but on speed-dial. I went through each one, looking at the cover, looking at the pages I had marked. And out of all those, I only really wanted three magazines to double check. The pages I wanted I just tore out and put in my exercise folder. Where they may lounge for another year until I look at them. Or not. Maybe now that there isn't such a pile of information, I will actually look at those pages I saved and put them to use.
I also went through 3 of our 4 junk drawers. Oh, yes we are overachievers here. We don't have just one junk drawer in the kitchen. We had 4. When that realization hit me, I got a little queasy. Our trash can needs to be dumped today for sure! Some of the items are things only my husband can decide on, so I left those alone. But just getting those drawers cleaned - and one completely emptied! has encouraged me to go through some more cupboards today.
I also need to check through the papers in the 'office' - does anyone else have problems with papers multiplying overnight? They are like little rabbits that sneak in the door, reproduce by the hundreds and never leave. I hate going through papers, but it seems like I have to every day.
So, how do you keep up with the clutter?
I'm getting that claustrophobic feeling again, that my house is crammed with too much stuff. Everywhere I look I see something that needs to be cleaned and cleared. When I see it that way, I get overwhelmed and sit down and eat ice cream. Ok, not really but I want to.
So I'm trying to take it little by little. Maybe I will make more progress that way instead of getting overwhelmed, throwing up my hands and sticking everything in a box with a lid. So I won't have to see it.
Yesterday I recycled (because this IS Oregon and we recycle, we don't throw it away!) over 3 years accumulation of my running magazine. 3 years! Holy cow! Why did I have those, all nicely lined up in magazine boxes!? I really thought I would go back through them "someday" and read those pages I had marked. So yesterday I did that, but on speed-dial. I went through each one, looking at the cover, looking at the pages I had marked. And out of all those, I only really wanted three magazines to double check. The pages I wanted I just tore out and put in my exercise folder. Where they may lounge for another year until I look at them. Or not. Maybe now that there isn't such a pile of information, I will actually look at those pages I saved and put them to use.
I also went through 3 of our 4 junk drawers. Oh, yes we are overachievers here. We don't have just one junk drawer in the kitchen. We had 4. When that realization hit me, I got a little queasy. Our trash can needs to be dumped today for sure! Some of the items are things only my husband can decide on, so I left those alone. But just getting those drawers cleaned - and one completely emptied! has encouraged me to go through some more cupboards today.
I also need to check through the papers in the 'office' - does anyone else have problems with papers multiplying overnight? They are like little rabbits that sneak in the door, reproduce by the hundreds and never leave. I hate going through papers, but it seems like I have to every day.
So, how do you keep up with the clutter?
Never living anywhere for more than year :-) This is definitely 'stay inside and sort through stuff' weather!
ReplyDelete-liz
I've been working on sorting through things and saying good-bye, but other than that trying to be creative in fitting and hiding as much as possible. But, at the end of the day a lot of it I just have to ignore because, like in the case of our little living room - the space is all used for so many different purposes.
ReplyDeleteIt's Chuck's clutter that drives me nuts because he never goes back and sorts it. I have put it into a box so he can do so, but when that doesn't happen (6-9 months later), I go through it myself and decide what to keep. An old receipt? Wire nuts? 6 business cards for the same person? Empty envelopes? Multiple catalogs for projects we "might" do some day? Out with them!
ReplyDelete