Thursday, October 18, 2012

Keeping Clutter at Bay

Greetings from the top of the rubble pile! I've been busy moving ouf of my office and out of the apartment  and though I doubted I'd live at times during each process I can confirm that I have survived!

It's amazing how much stuff was in either location - even after purging a majority of it. The process reminded me that decluttering is a daily mindset that requires daily decisions in order for it to work-- just like diet or exercise -- and though the process of reviewing stuff and deciding its fate can be angst-ridden at times-- it does get easier with practice, and the results are so refreshing and rewarding it's worth it.

While I unpack belongings in the new locales, I'll make sure not to keep things I packed in haste or packed fearing waste-- because I only want what I need and nothing more. Until very recently, I thought that minimalists were snobs with no personality or interests. Now, I'm realizing they're just more realistic. How many file folders will I need at this job in a given week? Seriously. 25? 50? 100? 200? 300? From the looks of what I brought to my new office, I'll have to work about 60 more years to use them all.    

Folders? Going. . .   

Good Housekeeping with 52 Clutter Busting Tips


52 Clutter Busting Tips from Good Housekeeping
   

2 comments:

Sans Pantaloons said...

Congratulations on surviving so far! I hope the kitchen proceeds well.

I have given some thought to the reasons for my own clutter filled existence, and it may have something to do with my mind. I like supermarkets. I love to memorise/memorize where everything is, not just food groups, but brands and variants of groups; maybe this is common, I don't know, but I am well known for putting something down, such as a machine screw, and then going to pick it up five years later.

Although I have much clutter, I know where everything is, and why I'm keeping it.
That being said, it's still a load of junk. Maybe some people can be happy filling their memory full of historical facts, and some need to fill their memory full of spatial position.

I shall cogitate further on this matter.

anne altman said...

Thank you!

And you've done your homework, Sans, because clutter is ALWAYS about the mind. Clutter is rarely about the stuff.