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It happens every.single.year around this time.
Surely, I am not the only one.... right?
Too much stuff. Too long disorganized. Too many drawers spilling over. Too many and too long ignored spaces. Too much to do. Too little time. Too daunting to even want to begin.
My day-to-day chores are hard enough to keep on top of. Laundry is done every day and never done. Meals are made constantly and still there are growling bellies. Homeschooling is always and never done.
But the fact is- those utensil drawers that get clogged every time I open/close them (and drive me crazy) will continue to get clogged until I actually DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
(I know, profound.)
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| For "before" pictures, just imagine layers of dust and no showing surfaces |
When my life feels too chaotic and out of control, it always makes me feel somewhat more in control if I can actually rein something in. Even if it is just the top of the fridge.
So... I made a list of all the teeny, tiny, long-neglected spaces/jobs that I could think of that would take about 10 minutes to tackle (or so I tell myself) and I am now in a race with Old Man Winter to see how many of these things I can cross off by March 19th. (That's the first day of Spring, you know.)
The goal is not just to clean and dust these places but to organize them and purge at least 3-5 things that add more clutter than value at this point. Or to focus on a tiny task that I have been avoiding.
Most of the time it takes longer than 10 minutes. (Sometimes, even hours.)
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| (Washing all these shelves and jars took WAY longer than 10 minutes) |
The list is constantly being added to.
But the list is constantly being checked off too... and bags and boxes of stuff are being thrown away, given away and/or donated which means... those particular things will NEVER drive me crazy again!
And that makes me supremely happy.
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Even a quick declutterring can free up my mind and make me feel more peaceful. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI just love how organized you are, even though you may think differently.
ReplyDeleteAnd aren't lists fantastic? It gives so much satisfaction to tick things off!
Enjoy your winter tidy up (before you tackle spring cleaning:))
I think it's a great idea and will join in with my own race to beat old man winter!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inspiration : )
Jo
Lynn- I'm counting on it! :-)
ReplyDeleteEls- HAHA! This counts as spring cleaning, my friend! I was just looking at the top of the fridge (which was the first thing I checked off) only to see that it was getting covered again and then I looked at my list and was thankful that I had proof that I had INDEED cleaned it off. I knew it wouldn't stay that way forever- but I wish it lasted a bit longer!
Jo- Welcome aboard! If you want MORE inspiration, read Organizing for the Rest of Us by Dana White. I am reading it right now and it is very insightful!
I KNEW there was a book involved! Ha! J/k….okay, it took me a while, but I made my list yesterday. I’m going to do one thing per week, however, as we are in spring planting. I am looking forward to the first thing on my list (NOT) which is “clean out the bathtub drain”….ewwww….might as well get the hard things over with first, right? Well, it will be nice for the water to not take 25 mins to drain out.
ReplyDeleteI loved looking at your list (we women are funny like that) and also your house decor. It looks “Old World”…not sure if that’s the look you are going for but you’ve nailed it. It’s lovely. Monica
Ewww! I HATE that job, Monica. But it's a GOOD one to add to my list that I hadn't thought of. Thanks alot (said both sincerely and sarcastically. hehehe)
ReplyDeleteNot necessarily going for the "old world" look- at this point, I wonder if I even HAVE an intentional style at this point. It's just me trying to find places for all the things I use/need.
I guess my lifestyle dictates Old World. ha!