August 2020 to Jan 2021 Declutterfest
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texasgardnr
Posts: 2,658 Member
Decluttering, as well as reorganizing or extra cleaning, seems to fit into the rhythms of the seasonal changes between winter and spring. But why not at the end of summer going into autumn?
Why not something new? And not even connected to pre or post holiday decluttering/cleaning that we might do.
With the response to the possibility of another Declutterfest, I decided (hopefully with everyone's blessing) to jump in with both feet 🦶🦶 and start a "Come and Go Declutterfest 2020" for the month of August. Something new that came to mind as I had been pondering how we can do a Declutterfest that could be done by all of us, whatever our situations are.
During this pandemic August can become, or continue to be, a very busy month in which adding something new to everyday, for say one or two weeks, could be a challenge to say the least.
Or we might be needing the incentive to make a special effort to add something new and positive to our uncertain and different end of the summer season month of August. That little something extra that can make a big difference at just the right moment, but not necessarily every day or scheduled a week at a time.
That is where the Come and Go idea slipped into my thinking. We can all declutter whenever it works best for each of us, but still be doing it together and sharing by posting (maybe even with pictures) during August, and maybe even beyond as has been known to happen!
I am going to link to the Declutterfest 2019! so that you can read the introduction and follow the links for the Suggested Resources that @themedalist included to kick off last years event:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10738666/declutterfest-2019/p1
Each of us can choose to keep track, or not, by adding up our own minutes, events or categories (stuff, digital, or paper, for example), rooms, days.... or by simply sharing and posting for the day that we did something.
No rules... just come and go when you want to or are able 👍.
Let the fun start.... now! Or tomorrow. Or when the time is right for you 😉 .
🤠🌺
Why not something new? And not even connected to pre or post holiday decluttering/cleaning that we might do.
With the response to the possibility of another Declutterfest, I decided (hopefully with everyone's blessing) to jump in with both feet 🦶🦶 and start a "Come and Go Declutterfest 2020" for the month of August. Something new that came to mind as I had been pondering how we can do a Declutterfest that could be done by all of us, whatever our situations are.
During this pandemic August can become, or continue to be, a very busy month in which adding something new to everyday, for say one or two weeks, could be a challenge to say the least.
Or we might be needing the incentive to make a special effort to add something new and positive to our uncertain and different end of the summer season month of August. That little something extra that can make a big difference at just the right moment, but not necessarily every day or scheduled a week at a time.
That is where the Come and Go idea slipped into my thinking. We can all declutter whenever it works best for each of us, but still be doing it together and sharing by posting (maybe even with pictures) during August, and maybe even beyond as has been known to happen!
I am going to link to the Declutterfest 2019! so that you can read the introduction and follow the links for the Suggested Resources that @themedalist included to kick off last years event:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10738666/declutterfest-2019/p1
Each of us can choose to keep track, or not, by adding up our own minutes, events or categories (stuff, digital, or paper, for example), rooms, days.... or by simply sharing and posting for the day that we did something.
No rules... just come and go when you want to or are able 👍.
Let the fun start.... now! Or tomorrow. Or when the time is right for you 😉 .
🤠🌺
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Replies
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Oh WOW! I love this!!! Pictures!?! Most of my house is a yeah, sure. But my sewing room
is a nightmare today! It's not always this bad but it's on my list to clean today because I've been working on a lot of different projects and EVERYTHING seems to be out where it doesn't belong. I will take a before pic as it is right now and see if I'm brave enough to post it. So much self-judgment!!! It's bad... But my room still makes me smile whenever I walk in 
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@texasgardnr
Wow GMTA!
I tried to post this at 11:30
This morning but was afraid it would go to all of MFP, so copied & saved until I could figure it out! LOL
Thank you for getting this started!!! I totally agree with your approach.
Here’s what I had come up with:
I’m thinking of a gentle decluttering in August. Nothing arduous or taxing. Even more decorating-esque than hauling stuff around.
We could just post what we do in any way we like over the course of the month. I know what you do will inspire me & others!
Of course this is totally optional!!
Operative word: Lowkey
This should be enjoyable, not a stressor!
I might do some of the following things or I might just wander & do what excites me each time.
* Revisiting some areas where I saved things & never used them.
* Setting up a cleaning supply area where I can grab what I need more easily...
* setting up more small, pretty areas in our home with a few decorative objects.
* find our iron!!!!
* fix my 30+ year old sewing machine that locks up & stops working a month after each time I’ve paid to get it serviced
* Treat myself to new sewing machine if I can’t make it reliable. I need a working sewing machine to alter clothes, sew some, and For my art practice. Ditto iron!!!!
* label a few items here & there !!
Take Care,
Maddie4 -
Aug 1:
Cleared out an old grocery bag drawer, and loaded our boxes of garbage can liners in there, which freed bottom shelf of pantry for fizzy water supply. Then emptied a second drawer that had a bunch of kitchen items & platters that we never use. Moved them to an interim sorting area to decide give away or move to a more distant location...for when we can entertain again.
Have been feeling uncharacteristically our-of-sorts today & this little 10-15 min burst helped 4 -
August 1:
decluttered paper 📄 this afternoon.
I hope that you feel better quickly, Maddie. You accomplished a lot in a little bit of time! Well done 👍.
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great idea. I find that doing small things can really add up over time. And the feeling of satisfaction goes a long way. Last week I noticed that the small area with my loved rose bush in it was completely overgrown with grass. I had been watering it more the past few weeks. I did not take a before picture. I should have. But anyway, it was too big a task for just a short burst. But over the week I managed to clear it out and pull all the grass runners out. Unfortunately the Red Barn nursery down the street from me moved so I have not yet figured out what will be planted there. In the spring I always get chives which were seeded in the 80s! (I have lived here since 91 and get them every year by the rose bush. You can get an idea of how much grass I pulled out by the first picture of my clippings bin. The second shot is about finished. I took little bursts of weeding whenever I walked out to accomplish.
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Aug 2:
Measured, Researched, & ordered new garage shelving unit to make better use of in-house storage. We’ll move items we are storing for family Members out there & use the empties closet for cleaning supplies, paper towels, and some portable exercise equipment. Possibly photos/memorabilia, too. Will take 1-2 weeks to arrive.
Looks great @SummerSkier !!
@texasgardnr Thanks! My attitude perked right back up! Much appreciated!2 -
Great ideas everyone! I enjoy the pictures. I need to figure out how to add more than one at a time so I can show my before/after sewing room pictures.
As part of my "get some structure in my life" plan, I've designated every Monday as the day to spend 30 minutes working on cleaning my basement. Today I went through several bags of my kids' baby clothes and blankets and they are in the washer right now. I will go through them and try to match them to pictures of the kids wearing them. If I can't find one, I will most likely donate the ones (like sleepers) that are still in good shape and not terribly outdated. There were only two medium sized bags so it won't be overwhelming. I also brought up a giant notebook that contains information from our financial planner that goes back to 2006. SO many papers but I don't know what's important and what needs to be tossed. I will enlist my husband's help with that, but he doesn't know any more about it than I do so we might be in trouble!!
I have created an email list to keep track of my progress. I have gone from 1200 emails a couple of weeks ago down to 478 today. Many of them are deleted, some are moved to folders that I want to go through later, and family emails are printed and filed. I've been keeping family emails since we got our first computer back in the late 90's so I have documented most of my sisters' and my special events as well as trips and everyday goings-on for over 20 years now. It's like having a shared diary. Some day I will share them with my nephews and neices so they can have memories of their lives as well. I feel like I'm really gaining ground with this email task.
Organizing and cleaning helps me feel more in control of my life and I love that feeling. Thanks, @texasgardnr for kicking off Declutterfest 2020!2 -
@nebslp
Fantastic progress!!i have been saving family emails in a folder. Mulling over printing them! Thanks for the inspiration!1 -
@SummerSkier, the rose bush area looks great! Those many little bursts of weeding sure did add up quickly! Well done 🌸🌸🌸
@MadisonMolly2017, a new garage shelving unit will add a lot of new storage space! It always seems like when we are able move some things around to different locations that it helps with the re-organizing of what we decide to keep and helps us evaluate our stuff from a different perspective.
@nebslp, I liked how you designated a particular day each week for cleaning out your basement. That will make it not so overwhelming and may even give you time in between to get more ideas what to do the next Monday. Great progress with your email project!
August 3:
I decluttered more paper 📄 this afternoon and also worked on a 'paper' task that I knew was going to take time. It didn't get rid of 'paper' so far, but it will clear some headspace for me to continue on my paper project. Amazing how one piece of paper and one line on the to-do list can be so involved. Tomorrow I'll revisit it to make sure that I did everything since this does have a deadline, and then I will call it done. And hopefully shred that piece of paper 😁.
I also decluttered 107 emails between August 2 and August 3. It's a start!!
Happy decluttering!
🤠🌺1 -
Aug 3
Went through bookshelf, getting it back in shape & identified which books I might want to give away/read soon! As it’s slightly overfilled! Looks much neater & more inviting!
Puttered only art studio, putting things away & consolidating items so they took less space.
A good day!
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I wanted to revisit @nebslp email topic. When my parents passed away and my brother and I were cleaning out their house we found all the letters which I had written to them from college. I have the other half of the letters - theirs to me. I have always dreamed of trying to put the 2 halves together and re read them (ok going on almost 40 years ago now but wouldn't that be a trip down memory lane. Now if I could only find in my JUNK room where the 2 sets of letters are.
Sounds like @texasgarnr and @madisonMolly2017 are continuing to make good small progress steps!!
I really only do small tasks but they do give me a sense of accomplishment. I also found that with this WFH thing that I have found ways to make my life easier. Little things like - why do I keep the scissors in the drawer when I am constantly using it. Why not give it a home on the counter? And why put the measuring cup up in a hard to place reach when I use it every day. And a new gate for the master bathroom to keep the kitties out but let the ac flow. Trying to be smarter and not so wasteful of energy on things which are stupid and repetitive if that makes sense.1 -
Hi everyone! It seems the energizer bunny has invaded our space and we are on the move with our decluttering projects!
@MadisonMolly2017 You have gotten a lot of small projects done and they are adding up to a big accomplishment!
@texasgardnr I agree that one line on the to-do list can make a task look a lot smaller and easier than it actually is. It helps me feel like I'm making progress if I can break it up in all the individual tasks needed to finish the big one and then check them off as I do them. However, sometimes I know I spend so much time organizing and planning that I use it as a distraction
I am a good procrastinator! I like the Monday basement time and am planning on trying to make it a habit. I washed two loads of baby clothes and blankets yesterday. Today I'm going to fold and make some decisions about them.
@SummerSkier How wonderful you have those letters from your parents and yourself! You will probably find yourself laughing and crying and will really treasure them once you find and read them. Old letters are easy to put away and be forgotten. I have some of those, too. I want to get all of my pictures, letters, obits, etc. in some form of organization so they won't be a burden to my kids who will have to decide to keep or toss things someday. It will take a system and dedication to that task to get it done. Just thinking about how to go about it is a little overwhelming. As is my picture organization or lack of it! 2 -
@SummerSkier
Yes, I think many of us are optimizing our uses of space!! Yay for creativity!
Junk room...
5 step process..
Take out all trash & dispose of it
Take out all recycling & recycle it
Move anything that Does not belong in that room to the correct room
Then, you have choices!
A. Begin to right of door & go counterclockwise, putting things in one of 5 bins: trash, recycling, belongs in other room, belongs to someone else, belongs in this room. Empty first 3 bins & label things that belong to others & place by front door or in car
B. Same, but begin on left side & proceed clockwise. Skip no items.
C. Place Like with Like in boxes/bins
Proceed until room is empty. Stack boxes in hallway or I placed them in summer on porch
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Then clean it! Paint it if you like
Meanwhile go through like with like boxes & get rid of old, broken, duplicate, just don’t use any more... keep things you LOVE or
Are USEFul to your current life
Then organize on shelves drawers trunks etc
Place fresh flowers or a plant
You are done!!
Enjoy!1 -
Hi everyone! It seems the energizer bunny has invaded our space and we are on the move with our decluttering projects!
@MadisonMolly2017 You have gotten a lot of small projects done and they are adding up to a big accomplishment!
@texasgardnr I agree that one line on the to-do list can make a task look a lot smaller and easier than it actually is. It helps me feel like I'm making progress if I can break it up in all the individual tasks needed to finish the big one and then check them off as I do them. However, sometimes I know I spend so much time organizing and planning that I use it as a distraction I am a good procrastinator! I like the Monday basement time and am planning on trying to make it a habit. I washed two loads of baby clothes and blankets yesterday. Today I'm going to fold and make some decisions about them.
@SummerSkier How wonderful you have those letters from your parents and yourself! You will probably find yourself laughing and crying and will really treasure them once you find and read them. Old letters are easy to put away and be forgotten. I have some of those, too. I want to get all of my pictures, letters, obits, etc. in some form of organization so they won't be a burden to my kids who will have to decide to keep or toss things someday. It will take a system and dedication to that task to get it done. Just thinking about how to go about it is a little overwhelming. As is my picture organization or lack of it!
@nebslp I agree re energizer bunny
Decluttering gives us control and Joy not to mention some exercise - all things we need now!! 💞0 -
Wow! I loved reading today's posts! Thanks for sharing 💖 .
Today I did only a small amount (compared to what I thought I was going to accomplish) in both the paper and the digital categories. But I did do some! Both the paper and the emails were taking too long for what I thought it would take. Why was I surprised 😄.
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@texasgardnr
That’s just what I found, too.
Paper took forever.
Sentimental paper (ie photos, letters) took even more & in addition the emotions sometimes made it more taxing.
I’m a big believer in 15 minute bursts. That’s all I have to do each day (and then if I decide to keep going - that’s fine), but I still need to do 15 mins next day LOL 😂
Aug 4: sorting through stack of collage papers & placing them in correct color drawers... recycling old medication inserts after tearing out personal info.
Aug 5: Emptied “stationery drawer” in kitchen - packing tape, scissors, pens, sticky notes, etc that I used when our 34 year old son was 2-5 years old LOL.
Tossin the masking tape that I find does not work. Now placing items in already established the new locations we set up for supplies like that, freeing up kitchen drawer for cooking etc.
Didn’t finish in 15 mins, so I might finish later today or just do tomorrow
Off to shred the personal in items...
Have a FABulous Day!!
Maddie
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@MadisonMolly2017 What a gorgeous rose photo! You have been busy with so many little/maybe big spaces that pretty soon you'll run out of things to work on!
I've continued my quest to get my digital files in order. Today my emails went from 446 down to 335. I'm moving all of the photography articles I want to read later to a folder and deleting all birding emails without reading if they're from before June. I can't believe I'm so close to being caught up!
My husband needed a yarn needle and some yarn to tie up onions to dry. Of course I have both of them but hadn't seen the yarn needle in a few years. So that meant I had to clean my knit and crochet drawers. It feels so good to have everything in the right place again. It will stay that way (because I haven't been using yarn lately) until my grandkids come up with a project that needs yarn:) I also found a cross-stitch kit that I am considering making for my son and wife whose 10th wedding anniversary will be in October. I MIGHT be able to get it done by then but cross-stitch is one of my least favorite needlework activities, so we'll see.
Look around you and smile about all the great things, big and small, that you've gotten done so far this month!2 -
@nebslp
What a lovely message! And look how much you are getting done!!!
I do love making these satisfying small changes!0 -
Doin' great today @MadisonMolly2017 and @nebslp!
Maddie, that is such a beautiful rose!
August 5: Back to declutering digital again today. So, adding up what I decluttered yesterday and also today, I have deleted 100 more emails. So a little over 200 emails deleted so far during this current DeclutterFest. I also deleted all no longer needed contacts in my phone.
I worked on paper a very little bit at a time several times today in between other things that I had to do. I made another tiny dent into what is on the table.
I am currently working on paper piles that are on the table. These are the result of my starting to declutter paper again about two months ago. I had come to an impasse and got stuck, so I've been shifting papers around, occasionally shredding one or two pieces now and then, but never actually accomplishing much. So my first paper goal is to have the table totally clear... all that current paper either shredded or filed away. This pile does not include mail, bills etc, which I've been keeping up without any difficulty. The paper that I am in the process of decluttering this time around is what I thought at one time needed to be kept and either filed away or put into the overflow file box. It's called overflow box for a reason... 🤷♀️🤦♀️ . This is not emotionally attached paper, just difficult decisions because I'm not sure about these files/ folders.
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