Now that I've finished the big jobs of cleaning out the basement and closet, I'm at a loss. I have several boxes of detritus (sewing and craft supplies, files that I need to keep, postcards, etc.) that I just can't seem to toss or organize.
Has anyone else ever hit a plateau like this? How did you work through it?
I've been there for about a month. My goal is to fit all my personal items (e.g. not household stuff, but all my clothes, books, etc) into one room. Easy enough, right? But I've gotten rid of so much stuff and I'm still THIS FAR away from accomplishing my goal. So I sit, and stare, and think. And I've still not gotten rid of anything else.
So, I don't know how to get through it. I wish I did.
yes, i know that kind of plateau.
i just didn´t know what to throw away, everything seemed to be important. the "one thing a day" was my way out. sometimes i sat on the sofa, thinking "what, what, what will go to the bin today..." and i always found one thing. and then i found another... and another...
I'm there, too. Trouble is, I've been "there" for awhile! :(
Plateau here, too.
I tend to do my de-cluttering in waves. Sometimes I just need to take a break for a while before going at it again. And sometimes I schedule an appointment with the professional organizer I work with, and she helps me get unstuck, at least for a while.
ATAD!
I have been there.
First thing: don't worry, you may need several more pass-throughs before being ready to declutter an area totally.
Second: if you take a bit of a break from the Big Project and just glance around for anything, anything at all, that is garbage, broken, stained, stretched, ugly, for sure you will find one thing. There will be that dried out pen, that broken ruler, that woven basket that is unraveling, the novel you didn't like so much after all. Socks with holes. Chipped mug. Dead houseplant. Scissors that are dull. Stretched-out pair of tights. Shoes that you never wear because they hurt. There will be one thing. Throw out all garbage first. Top priority.
If you religiously hunt for SOMETHING to throw out, every day, eventually your plateau will end and you will not have made the clutter worse in the interim.
I'm almost at a plateau as well. I've been decluttering for a few years but I was shopped at the same time so I ALWAYS had something to toss within a couple months because I'd get bored of the item. Just recently I stopped shopping and started decluttering like a madwoman. I've gotten rid of so much and my space is looking emptier but now I find myself struggling with what to toss next.
I agree about ATAD. I can usually find a something whether it's paper, junk mail, plastic utensils (I use them and toss them), etc.
Today I sorted my holiday stationary and realized I don't have many people to give cards to, LOL. I kept a few for the coming holidays but as for the rest I cut the fronts and will use them as To & From tags. :) I might even tape a candy cane on the back and use them to fill stockings.
So the thing I tossed from the cards? The boxes & envelopes. It was something at least and it made me happy.
I agree -- ATAD is a way to keep decluttering back of mind while you pause and regroup, and it reminds you to refrain from making new clutter.
For me, the lull is because almost everything now is a project rather than just a dumping, so it is more complicated. What I've been trying to do is
(1) Make a list of all the still existing problem areas
(2) Figure out, roughly, what needs to be done. I too, for example, have some boxes of photos, and need to figure out what to do with them -- just cull them, or put them in an album, or scan them to a disk, or some combination of the above or something totally different that I haven't thought of yet.
(3) Look at the list periodically (say, once a month) to see if inspiration has struck.
(4) And the rest of the time don't worry about it because it will just make me depressed or guilty.
susanintexas, I like the way you broke that down :) I think I suddenly hit a plateau too, because everything now is a project involving some work to do (and we all hate work!). ATAD is great because it keeps you motivated, but now pretty much every room in the house needs some sort of organising, and the understairs cupboard is so full you can't get into it, and the shed has to be completely cleared so we can get a home office out there, and the CDs need to be digitized rather than collecting dust and things need to be shifted between rooms in a better way, and my bedroom is not very pleasant to be in, and and and. And my dh is the primary source of much of our clutter and I have to have a heart to heart with him before he drives me crazy!
I think I will write my per-room list now and see what can be done first, I think my bedroom as it is my bete noire.
Me too, Lottie.
I think it's because we never have a bedroom-related deadline. We set up the guest bedroom (which had been the baby room and then became sort of a "furniture we don't know what to do with" room) because we had guests coming; we clean the public rooms whenever we have a party (and to some extent every week when I have craft night); we clean up my son's room every time there's a gift-giving holiday coming because we know we'll be inundated. My room is always for "when I have time" and that's never :(
I've hit several plateaus over the years. The last plateau made me crazy until I decided that it was either that I wasn't ready to go further or I was content with how things were. I also decided that whatever the reason was, it didn't matter. I was going to focus on my hobbies and favorite pastimes for a while. After all, isn't that one of the main reasons we want to unclutter our living spaces in the first place? I realized that I had been driven by my wanting to be able to say that I was done, that I had no more clutter in the house. I found during those non-uncluttering times I would get rid of things without really thinking about it. I would see something in my clothes closet, for example, and wonder why I had kept it for so long. I could give lots of examples like that, except that most of the time I forget what I toss because it has become so automatic. January always sparks the "out with the old" and a desire for less after the holiday fussiness.
I have had a forced pause in my decluttering. I had put aside a few boxes of things to sort: throw out, keep, repurpose, etc. and then I hurt my dominant hand very badly. For me it takes both hands to work, so I have been just thinking of what I would do with these things. Very soon those thoughts will be put into actions. My aim is to get all dealt with before Thanksgiving.
@khagee: sorry about your accident...sending wishes for a quick recovery.
JuliaJayne: I agree about hobbies and special activities. I have hit a big plateau with decluttering before the holidays...I needed to hear it from someone else.
SunshineR - I think it's important to take some time to think about everything we've accomplished, and what we have gained as a result. Give ourselves a rewarding pat on the back. Life is too short as it is. If I'm not careful, I can spend all my free time doing things that I think I should be doing, again... trying to get it all done before I allow myself to do enjoyable things. The reality is, it will never be "all done".
i've hit a plateau.
i've been away a lot and now i'm sick. and our busiest time of the year has started.
the extension building is moving slowly slowly.
it is very non-intrusive construction and it's only been going on for three months....but i am sick of it nonetheless.
i just want it DONE. and the room to be furnished and utilised and enjoyed.
when it is done i will FINALLY have a place to store vacuum cleaner/ironing board/luggage.
i feel as though i need that room to be finished before i can do anything else.
JuliaJayne: aw, thanks. Are we long-lost twins?
One of the thoughts in my mind lately is, what new hobbies and interests would I like to pursue? I have been (slowly) combining two households into one, going through some sentimental things, working on repairs. I think I really have gotten stuck and my creative side is on extended vacation...or worse.
Get well soon, Bandicoot!
sending healing vibes to bandicoot and khagee...
I have a feeling I have (at least temporarily) overcome my plateau by arranging for the handyman to visit. I need a man to put up shelves!! Nothing like having a professional over for getting motivated to sort a project, so I'm going to get the hallway and bedroom sorted first and then hopefully have the impetus to keep going with the other projects.
Juliajayne, you are so right about it never being 'done'! However, sometimes all those unfinished jobs are so mentally cluttering that you need to tackle them, I seem to have years worth of stuff to get on with and now I have a little pause in my studies before it gets busy again. I would like my home to be as beautiful as I can make it, and for it to function better for our family. I've done sooo much uncluttering in the last few months, and parts of my house look loads better, but parts still feel like they're suffocating me. That is such a good point though about taking time to relax and enjoy your environment even if it isn't perfect :)
SunshineR: our local arts centre does taster sessions for different courses, maybe you could see if you have something similar? It's important to listen to those creative instincts I think, I have periods when I do nothing creative and then bursts of inspiration when I feel like my life is lacking in that creativity and I need to do something. I have a book of ideas I've had and when I have the urge I turn to that and get started on something in there. My next project is probably going to be another children's book, it's all planned out, 1/4 done and waiting for me to do the remainder when I need to. I'm just waiting for that 'urge'!
Bit of a plateau here too, and mainly because what's left to do requires work rather than just purging. Frames to be hung (actually just finished that last night, whoohoo!). Wiring to be redone so my router can go behind my desk rather than beside it. Shelves to be put up in the living room. Storage to be installed in the bathroom. Casters to be replaced on an office chair. Footstools to be reupholstered. And so forth.
My strategy now is to tackle them in small steps. I used to put all my projects on my weekend "to do" list, then get overwhelmed and get nothing done. Now I write them all out, pick the most pressing one, and work on it a little bit at a time whenever I have a free hour, until it's done. Then on to the next. Progress is slow, but at least it's happening.
I was galvanized past a brief plateau (or moment of complacency) by a call for help from a co-worker. There's a grandchild with cancer and some colleagues are putting on a fundraiser yard sale. A lot of things, that I hadn't really thought of as not needing, are now in the queue to go to that.
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