2016 Declutter and Get Organized Thread

[Jaguar]

I just replanted my new ivy plant cause it came in a tiny root holding container, now I am finished for the night.

[Waffle]

Hello all,  Here I am again. I'm still struggling with the same areas - mostly the master suite and the "ebay" room (spare bedroom).

Someone had mentioned Marie Kondo. I looked her up on You Tube last night - that method is not for me. It would be way too overwhelming. But while wandering around there, I did find a You tube channel called Tidy tutor. She's more my style. She has something she calls Tidy University and tries to talk people into buying classes. But, for now anyway, I think I can gleam enough out of her free videos and blog posts to get some use.

I'll be back soon with some specific goals.

[tcu2003]

Peter Walsh's #31Days2GetOrganized Challenge:

1. Set up a donation center (bin, basket, garbage bag, etc.) in your home and add 5 things to it
2. Look in your closet for the pair(s) of shoes that is most covered in dust, and add it to your donation pile. (He also mentioned the 80/20 rule where you wear 20% of your shoes 80% of the time.)
3. Pick any single room in your house and tackle the floor. Get every single thing that doesn't belong on the floor of that room off the floor, whether it is toys, books, clutter, etc.
4. Unmentionables - go through your unmentionables drawer, and get rid of at least 5 items that you don't need/love/wear because they're stretched out, don't like them, etc.
5. Bathroom - choose 1 drawer, cupboard, or shelf, and go through all of the lotions, makeup, medicines, etc. Throw away anything that is out-of-date, and items you do not use.
6. Kitchen plates and bowls - go through the drawers, cupboards, etc. that have plates and bowls in your kitchen, and get rid of any orphan plates and bowls that don't match, no one knows where they came from, you don't use, etc.

[tcu2003]

Jan 6, 2016 13:45:16 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Peter Walsh's #31Days2GetOrganized Challenge:

1. Set up a donation center (bin, basket, garbage bag, etc.) in your home and add 5 things to it
2. Look in your closet for the pair(s) of shoes that is most covered in dust, and add it to your donation pile. (He also mentioned the 80/20 rule where you wear 20% of your shoes 80% of the time.)
3. Pick any single room in your house and tackle the floor. Get every single thing that doesn't belong on the floor of that room off the floor, whether it is toys, books, clutter, etc.
4. Unmentionables - go through your unmentionables drawer, and get rid of at least 5 items that you don't need/love/wear because they're stretched out, don't like them, etc.
5. Bathroom - choose 1 drawer, cupboard, or shelf, and go through all of the lotions, makeup, medicines, etc. Throw away anything that is out-of-date, and items you do not use.
6. Kitchen plates and bowls - go through the drawers, cupboards, etc. that have plates and bowls in your kitchen, and get rid of any orphan plates and bowls that don't match, no one knows where they came from, you don't use, etc.

Previously done: 1, 2, 4
Completed last night: 5

To do: 3, 6

[Ombud]

Jan 6, 2016 13:45:16 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

1. Set up a donation center (bin, basket, garbage bag, etc.) in your home and add 5 things to it

My donation 'center' is half the oversized 2 car garage & she only has until 1/15 to add to / delete from it ...

[Jaguar]

Well I got my whole pile of tax forms from 1998 onward to now, organized and now in a folder of their own. That's one big paper pile done, whew!

[Jaguar]

And I've found more tax papers in another pile, like shit I've been so disorganized for so long.

[debthaven]

I worked a good but long day, then decided to drop in to see A on my way home (it's not on my way, it's further out). There were a bunch of people there. Some left when I arrived, others arrived afterwards. 

At exactly 8 pm, everybody left. I get that, people have families, dinner (8 pm is typical dinner time here, the French eat late). But I could not bear to leave her alone, she told me she'd had a really really hard day. I texted DH to tell him I was staying there for dinner. He said stay as long as you like. French women don't do that. Family ALWAYS comes first to them, no exceptions.

So I told her I was hungry, let's eat dinner. (I know she only eats if she has company, and it was true, I WAS hungry .) We ate. She ate little but she ate. (She has lost 22 lbs in exactly 3 weeks.) I left at 9.15.

I did a load when I came home but I am physically and emotionally exhausted. I wrote to a few other close friends, I want to do a Doodle and get some sort of rota going so that she has a friend for the evening at least twice a week. Her adult son comes home Monday but his girlfriend lives in Paris (my friend lives in the suburbs, like me, but 20 min further out). She is terrified that her sons will put their own lives on hold to take care of her. She says they've been messed up enough by this, that is out of the question. She is much brighter when they are around, even if it's partly fake. 

So I thought organising friends to stay later than 8 pm twice a week would be a good idea. Her son will be home some evenings too. I said I was surprised to see everybody leave at exactly 8 pm. She said that's because you usually come early or mid afternoon, it's always like that. She told me she worries that since everybody comes from 5-8, and there are a lot of people there then, that everybody will stop coming. I told her she doesn't need to worry about that. My rehearsals start up next week but I can do a few evenings if I don't have rehearsal or a 6 am wake up the next day. THANK GD I have fewer 6 am starts this semester than last semester. 

Tomorrow I'm getting a haircut and having lunch with a friend I haven't seen in several years. Oh, and marking that last paper.

It's incredible how one (beloved) person's suicide death can mess so many people up. 

ETA: Christmas is all put away except for my 3 reindeer items (ceramic reindeer, reindeer candle, reindeer table runner). And the small light-up seal that hangs around for most of the winter. (DS3 has been obsessed wth seals since he was an infant.)

[Ombud]

All I did today was:
♤ watch TV while contractor worked
♡ signed contract with Coit for next Tuesday ($1078 after 35% discount)
◇ returned 1 nightstand + repurposed another (modified to include lg drawer)
♧ grocery store
☆ got towels / mat / decor for hall bath .... but he isn't done in there yet
□ decided on going to small mattress Co for full bed. It's more than Macy's but they were easier to deal with
○ pissed off others when I posted how I feel about gun control

[tcu2003]

Debt, I want to like your post a million times. My dad passed away 4 years ago, about two weeks before Christmas, from cancer. My sister and I were there that first week and a half with my mom, and I came back for a week at Christmas, but I lived 6 hours away and my sister lived 2-1/2 hours away at the time. The winter was brutal on my mom. She was just so lonely - she had a ton of people around the first few weeks, but then everyone got busy, which I understand. I'm from a small town (as in, 10 minutes to go from one side of town to another, and the nearest big city is 90 miles away, though of course there are other small towns near), and thee few friends who regularly invited her over to their houses for dinner or to go out with them were godsends. So bless you for being a wonderful friend.

[startsmart]

Back in town after a quick trip to LA Sunday - Tuesday and I brought home so many things! The purpose of the trip was shopping (which sounds so frivolous!) so now I'm outfitted for my upcoming photoshoot and business for a good while. It was a productive, if exhausting, trip. I picked up the dogs from the kennel this morning and they are so happy to be home. 

This week I need to take the clothes over to get a few pieces dry cleaned and pressed and then shop for a pair of boots for the photoshoot. It's supposed to rain all week too  

I had a great mastermind call today with the first 8 women in my group this quarter and so excited to kickoff 2 more groups tomorrow. This week I'll have 6 training calls total (3 down, 3 to go), plus 2 client calls and an interview. I'm already exhausted! 

[Waffle]

Tonight was a little more productive than last night. I cleared the bedroom of all the clothes that were strewn about. (I had clothes on the ironing board, in a chair and in laundry baskets). Early part of the evening was spent "fixing" the tv in my mom's bedroom.  After checking the wiring/connections about a hundred times, I finally realized that she had somehow managed to change her source from tv to pc.  I'm also reading a book that is supposed to show how to get organized in 4 weeks - we'll see.

[busymom]

Laundry is mostly caught up (it's a bit easier with one less person, although I still like it better when DD is home). I started organizing paperwork for taxes, too.  

The big project was tonight, when I spent about 3 hours online looking at different cabinets & sinks to replace the ones at my parent's house (plus, since it's a smaller bathroom, I had to keep checking dimensions to make sure it would fit). I finally found something that should fit, & looks nice. So, I placed the order (unfortunately wasn't in stock), and everything should arrived in 2 weeks at the latest. Unless the real estate agent wants the edges fixed on the hardwood floors, this should be my last "big" project on the house. Then, intensive cleaning, & another inspection from the agent, & I hope it's on the market in February!

[spartan7886]

Jan 3, 2016 22:22:49 GMT -5 spartan7886 said:

To Do list for the work week:
-Take down remaining Christmas decorations (post-Epiphany)
-Assemble new desk (34 steps)
-Rebalance investment accounts after IRA funds and employee stock purchase program hit (probably also later in the week)

A short list this week, but that desk is going to be a major project.

Over halfway done with the work week, and I've accomplished 7/34 steps on the desk and that's pretty much it. I'll probably put that on hold and take down the Christmas stuff today. I did fill out the application and submit the registration fee for the daycare, so at least that's done, even if it wasn't on the list.

[tcu2003]

Peter Walsh's #31Days2GetOrganized Challenge:

1. Set up a donation center (bin, basket, garbage bag, etc.) in your home and add 5 things to it
2. Look in your closet for the pair(s) of shoes that is most covered in dust, and add it to your donation pile. (He also mentioned the 80/20 rule where you wear 20% of your shoes 80% of the time.)
3. Pick any single room in your house and tackle the floor. Get every single thing that doesn't belong on the floor of that room off the floor, whether it is toys, books, clutter, etc.
4. Unmentionables - go through your unmentionables drawer, and get rid of at least 5 items that you don't need/love/wear because they're stretched out, don't like them, etc.
5. Bathroom - choose 1 drawer, cupboard, or shelf, and go through all of the lotions, makeup, medicines, etc. Throw away anything that is out-of-date, and items you do not use.
6. Kitchen plates and bowls - go through the drawers, cupboards, etc. that have plates and bowls in your kitchen, and get rid of any orphan plates and bowls that don't match, no one knows where they came from, you don't use, etc.
7. Emotional clutter - think of someone you have fallen out of touch with that you would like to reconnect with; initiate contact with them, whether that is by phone, email, or in-person.

[tcu2003]

Jan 7, 2016 15:16:58 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Peter Walsh's #31Days2GetOrganized Challenge:

1. Set up a donation center (bin, basket, garbage bag, etc.) in your home and add 5 things to it
2. Look in your closet for the pair(s) of shoes that is most covered in dust, and add it to your donation pile. (He also mentioned the 80/20 rule where you wear 20% of your shoes 80% of the time.)
3. Pick any single room in your house and tackle the floor. Get every single thing that doesn't belong on the floor of that room off the floor, whether it is toys, books, clutter, etc.
4. Unmentionables - go through your unmentionables drawer, and get rid of at least 5 items that you don't need/love/wear because they're stretched out, don't like them, etc.
5. Bathroom - choose 1 drawer, cupboard, or shelf, and go through all of the lotions, makeup, medicines, etc. Throw away anything that is out-of-date, and items you do not use.
6. Kitchen plates and bowls - go through the drawers, cupboards, etc. that have plates and bowls in your kitchen, and get rid of any orphan plates and bowls that don't match, no one knows where they came from, you don't use, etc.
7. Emotional clutter - think of someone you have fallen out of touch with that you would like to reconnect with; initiate contact with them, whether that is by phone, email, or in-person.

Previously done: 1, 2, 4, 5
Completed last night: nothing as I worked out instead

To do: 3, 6, 7

[Jaguar]

I'm still doing paperwork, but another hour and it's all done. A whole lot of crap got tossed.

[Ombud]

More baby steps:

New PT job
Contractor: done by Monday
Coit: next Tuesday
GS1's new room: bed delivered next Friday

1. Family room (find new sofa - flooring - accent wall)
2. Landscape front yard

Then house is restored

[Jaguar]

I finished that big drawer full of papers and geez this time it's really organized. I only have one folder remaining from all that I bought on Tuesday.

Onward and upward this isn't finished yet, next up is the closet.

[plugginaway22]

Left work a little early.  Have a load of laundry running, sorted all the mail on kitchen counter (10 percent bills, 90 percent garbage), need to finish the rest of Christmas putting away.
Have a new mirrored cabinet for DH to hang over toilet in bathroom (will be great for storage, it is deep enough to store TP rolls, extra toiletries).
Received a framed photo of the family that I love and need to decide where to hang.

[Ombud]

Last closet finished and back to Comcast. I was there this morning and (successfully) argued (for a half hour) that I was being overcharged / had only 1 hd box. Found a 2nd one in the bottom of DD / BF closet. They were supposed to have gotten their own service a few years back but now I found out they never did. And I paid their service.

When I was at Comcast this morning, there were more customers than employees (2 VS 6). Now there's a 22+ person wait list. Dropped off box and left. Not waiting for a receipt

[busymom]

Aaarghhhh! I found the flooring I'd prefer to have installed in my parent's bathroom, but the guy I want to hire has little to no experience in using that type of flooring. This seems to be a typical problem. When I was hoping to get my kitchen done, the guy then (a different one) only felt comfortable using a specific brand & type of flooring. When did the installation industry get so segmented?   I still want to use this guy to put in the vanity & sink, but might need to consider getting someone different to install the floor. 

On a positive note, I FINALLY walked over 9,000 steps in one day (according to Fitbit).  It included a lot of walking at a mall, but hey, whatever works...

[midjd]

Jan 7, 2016 15:16:58 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Peter Walsh's #31Days2GetOrganized Challenge:

1. Set up a donation center (bin, basket, garbage bag, etc.) in your home and add 5 things to it
2. Look in your closet for the pair(s) of shoes that is most covered in dust, and add it to your donation pile. (He also mentioned the 80/20 rule where you wear 20% of your shoes 80% of the time.)
3. Pick any single room in your house and tackle the floor. Get every single thing that doesn't belong on the floor of that room off the floor, whether it is toys, books, clutter, etc.
4. Unmentionables - go through your unmentionables drawer, and get rid of at least 5 items that you don't need/love/wear because they're stretched out, don't like them, etc.
5. Bathroom - choose 1 drawer, cupboard, or shelf, and go through all of the lotions, makeup, medicines, etc. Throw away anything that is out-of-date, and items you do not use.
6. Kitchen plates and bowls - go through the drawers, cupboards, etc. that have plates and bowls in your kitchen, and get rid of any orphan plates and bowls that don't match, no one knows where they came from, you don't use, etc.
7. Emotional clutter - think of someone you have fallen out of touch with that you would like to reconnect with; initiate contact with them, whether that is by phone, email, or in-person.

I need to do #3 and #4 in our closet (that's also where the Goodwill box is, LOL). Probably tonight or this weekend.
I got rid of a lot of our dishes before Christmas, but I need to find a set of large dinner plates I'm satisfied with before I get rid of the rest.

Hmm, will have to think on #7.

I like this list! Last night, cleaning out the medicine cabinet would not have been on my radar, but I cleared off a whole shelf by throwing away old/gross/empty stuff and it looks 100x better now.

[Chocolate Lover]

Jan 7, 2016 18:31:04 GMT -5 Ombud said:

Last closet finished and back to Comcast. I was there this morning and (successfully) argued (for a half hour) that I was being overcharged / had only 1 hd box. Found a 2nd one in the bottom of DD / BF closet. They were supposed to have gotten their own service a few years back but now I found out they never did. And I paid their service.

When I was at Comcast this morning, there were more customers than employees (2 VS 6). Now there's a 22+ person wait list. Dropped off box and left. Not waiting for a receipt

Hope that works out better for you than it did for me. I still have that Mediacom bill on my credit because I refused to pay $300 for a box I gave back to them. The employee didn't offer a receipt and I didn't even think about it. 

[tcu2003]

Peter Walsh's #31Days2GetOrganized Challenge:

1. Set up a donation center (bin, basket, garbage bag, etc.) in your home and add 5 things to it
2. Look in your closet for the pair(s) of shoes that is most covered in dust, and add it to your donation pile. (He also mentioned the 80/20 rule where you wear 20% of your shoes 80% of the time.)
3. Pick any single room in your house and tackle the floor. Get every single thing that doesn't belong on the floor of that room off the floor, whether it is toys, books, clutter, etc.
4. Unmentionables - go through your unmentionables drawer, and get rid of at least 5 items that you don't need/love/wear because they're stretched out, don't like them, etc.
5. Bathroom - choose 1 drawer, cupboard, or shelf, and go through all of the lotions, makeup, medicines, etc. Throw away anything that is out-of-date, and items you do not use.
6. Kitchen plates and bowls - go through the drawers, cupboards, etc. that have plates and bowls in your kitchen, and get rid of any orphan plates and bowls that don't match, no one knows where they came from, you don't use, etc.
7. Emotional clutter - think of someone you have fallen out of touch with that you would like to reconnect with; initiate contact with them, whether that is by phone, email, or in-person.
8. Books - spend 5 minutes and gather books from wherever you have them all over your house and put them into one please. Apply the rule of 5 - if you're not going to read those books, or you're past loving them, pull 5 out that you can let go of, then another 5, then another 5, and so on, until you're happy with what you have left, and they can fit on a bookshelf somewhere.

[tcu2003]

Jan 8, 2016 13:49:48 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Peter Walsh's #31Days2GetOrganized Challenge:

1. Set up a donation center (bin, basket, garbage bag, etc.) in your home and add 5 things to it
2. Look in your closet for the pair(s) of shoes that is most covered in dust, and add it to your donation pile. (He also mentioned the 80/20 rule where you wear 20% of your shoes 80% of the time.)
3. Pick any single room in your house and tackle the floor. Get every single thing that doesn't belong on the floor of that room off the floor, whether it is toys, books, clutter, etc.
4. Unmentionables - go through your unmentionables drawer, and get rid of at least 5 items that you don't need/love/wear because they're stretched out, don't like them, etc.
5. Bathroom - choose 1 drawer, cupboard, or shelf, and go through all of the lotions, makeup, medicines, etc. Throw away anything that is out-of-date, and items you do not use.
6. Kitchen plates and bowls - go through the drawers, cupboards, etc. that have plates and bowls in your kitchen, and get rid of any orphan plates and bowls that don't match, no one knows where they came from, you don't use, etc.
7. Emotional clutter - think of someone you have fallen out of touch with that you would like to reconnect with; initiate contact with them, whether that is by phone, email, or in-person.
8. Books - spend 5 minutes and gather books from wherever you have them all over your house and put them into one please. Apply the rule of 5 - if you're not going to read those books, or you're past loving them, pull 5 out that you can let go of, then another 5, then another 5, and so on, until you're happy with what you have left, and they can fit on a bookshelf somewhere.

Previously done: 1, 2, 4, 5
Completed last night/this morning: 7 

To do: 3, 6, 8

[Waffle]

Ha! Ha! Ha! - Peter Walsh thinks I can gather all of my books in 5 minutes.  

I do have one box of books that I need to go through - I bought them recently at an auction. I need to clean them up and put away the ones I want to keep and put the others in a box for Goodwill.  - I'll do that this weekend.   I'm also going to tackle his number 3 (in 2 rooms) and 5 this weekend. 

[snapdragon]

Jeeze, 

I just got a call from my Dad he is dropping off one of K's bikes for me in the morning....That means I have to actually pick up the house and get stuff done tonight. Nothing like pressure, Right? And his version of early is going to be about 8 AM I'm sure, So much for sleeping in tomorrow. 

But than I will have a nice bike for riding with the nicer weather coming up.   

[debthaven]

TCU thank you for saying that.  She won't leave her house unless she has to (i.e. funeral, lawyer), so it will be great when we can finally invite her over. I told her I'd come by Sunday but with work starting Mon I won't be able to go over there nearly as often (she understands, she is totally undemanding). 

My cleaner was away for 3 weeks so it felt so good to have her come yesterday! 

This weekend I have to really buckle down and get ready for school and rehearsal on Mon. It's going to be a hard week (rehearsals Mon and Wed evenings, friend in from the UK on Tues). I may skip the dinner with the friend because I don't do well when I'm overwhelmed and 3 evenings out in a row is definitely overwhelming. It's a longer semester than usual, so my schedule is a tiny bit lighter. Thankfully I have fewer 8 am classes (i.e. 6 am wake ups). Last semester I had 2-3 per week, this semester I have 1-2 per week. 

Unfortunately they changed our local train schedule. The train I need to take (after doing DS3's bus carpool) now stops here 2 min earlier, and stops at work 8 min later. So those 8 am starts are going to be VERY anxiety-provoking. (They increased the frequency of the trains but they added 2 more stops). DH will do the bus runs on the days I don't have to get up at 6 (i.e. he'll do one run every other week). It's at times like this that I really wish we had two cars, but with DS3 graduating this summer, it doesn't make sense. 

I bought 2 sweaters on sale today. If they don't fit on my two sweater piles I will get rid of two others. 

Other than that, no decluttering goals between now and February break, just laundry / Shitepile / maintenance. 

[debthaven]

I like this list! Last night, cleaning out the medicine cabinet would not have been on my radar, but I cleared off a whole shelf by throwing away old/gross/empty stuff and it looks 100x better now.

Mid, that's what's so great about his 31 day challenge ... it really works! He goes on the assumption (IMO) that if you're really motivated, you will spend more than 15 min on a task, and one task (or shelf or floor or drawer) will lead to another. And if not, even after 15 min, you can generally see a significant improvement. I did it in here in 2014 and 2015. In 2015 I even looked up and did the 2013 challenges.  

At this point, for 2016, the only one I really need to do is give away books. (They are not all over the place though, they are either being read or on shelves, but we definitely have too many. DH won't part with any of his. I cull some from time to time. I used to cull more but DH just "stole" my shelf space. ) There are still 23 "challenges" but I think feeling that I NEED to do one of this year's 8 (so far of course) feels pretty good! Of course my kids are bigger and I have had more free time than you these past years. :-)