I think that many of us who are coming from a "maximalist" lifestyle find it hard to get support as we start to declutter. Either our friends and family are enablers, contributors, or full-on hoarders, or they're already clutter-free, so we're embarrassed to share our mess. I'd love to create a support network here on the Unclutter forum as a place we can encourage one another and share the journey together. anyone interested?
gerette
I think that's why most of us are here...
It's interesting how you mention friends who are "clutter free." I live in a tiny tiny space (640 sq feet) which I share with a husband (he wasn't in the picture when I bought my home), two cats, and his home office (which is in our kitchen). There is no spare bedroom, there is no basement. I used to really feel bad when I went into some of my friends houses and saw their "clutter free" homes, but then I realized they had spare bedrooms where they stored random things, basements they rarely used but had items in, etc. I realize now that even though my space looks "fuller," it might be more clutter free than lots of others.
Of course, I always feel it's an uphill battle with myself. I seriously don't know where some of this stuff comes from.
I'm sure that I would walk into your home and think it's clutter free. :-)
I know that all of us are here to learn more about decluttering and a more minimalist lifestyle, but there are people who are already far along that path (I would put you in the category) and then there are those of us who are somewhere north of "Clean House" and south of "Hoarders." I live in a fairly large house, complete with a full basement and eaves storage and I still have piles and piles and piles of stuff. Things go missing regularly and despite a large kitchen and a ridiculous amount of dishes, often our counters tops are stacked with dirty dishes and I have to handwash what we need for the next meal.
This is a serious situation in my life, causing friction with my husband and taking up time that I could be spending with my young children. I am trying very hard to change 40-year-old habits, but it is a daily struggle that I often lose. So when I say a support group, I'm not talking about one for those who think they need to tackle their messy closet, I'm talking about one for those of us who use the laundry room as a closet--because the only clean clothes are those in the dryer. :-)
i once tried to find a 'clutter buddy'
so that we could cheer each other on.
but no one was interested.
I have a HUGE ..i mean HUGE declutter project i am about to embark on
and right now i am just working up the nerve
once i start i can't stop in the middle.
I am going to completely empty my workshop and move my office into it.
then only put back the workshop items i really use anymore.
this should get my office out of the living room
and break down an workshop i haven't fully used in 10 years.
first i needed to clean the living room so i had room to sort the workshop stuff...still don't have the nerve to start.
I would love to be your buddy, EraserGirl. What sort of workshop is it and do you work at home full-time? also, where will the items from your workshop go once they're out of the room? Just trying to picture this all in my head.
With big projects, I take one of two approaches: (1) break it down into small tasks and then schedule each task or (2) just dive in starting with one corner of the room and working around clockwise (or counter-clockwise, whichever makes sense). I don't think that either is better than the other, it just depends on whether I want to take a more measured approach or if I just want to dive in because I have the motivation at that moment.
I'm not even at the stage of true decluttering. I'm starting by making all the rooms navigable. I'm down to two rooms that are still disasters--the kitchen and my office. The kitchen is an on-going two steps forward, one step back. My office just has way too much stuff in it and I have two children who love to strew everything all around.
Count me in! I've been "forced" to declutter my shop and workspace because of a flood. Although I didn't loose many items - EVERYTHING had to be moved out in order to take up the carpeting and check the walls. So I look at it as a blessing. I get to re-do my shop and workspace, get rid of things that I don't need/want/use, and create better storage areas so I can tackle the upstairs (living area) of the house.
@gerette: Do you know http://www.flylady.net? It may be just what you need. While it all seems a little corny and overwhelming at first, their emails are really motivating (and you are allowed to delete them without reading them first), and they really help you get routines in order and tell you exactly where to start when you don't know what area you are supposed to tackle first. :)
And I like the idea of a decluttering buddy. Or maybe a thread in the forums here where you can report in weekly what your goals are and if you did last week's. (Kind of like the "Five things" flickr group at http://www.flickr.com/groups/5things/)
Trillie, that sounds like an accountability thread. That's a great idea! Why don't you start it? I'll be on board!
@trillie: I've been following Fly Lady for a few years now and while some of it has sunk in, I'm still, in her nomenclature, fluttering. I was never a neat-and-tidy person to begin with, but having two children in the last five years, plus moving when the oldest was 6mo old, pushed me over the edge. Ensuing medical & financial dramas added to the problem until our house was on a slippery slope to being a candidate for Clean House's Messiest Home in America--and I'm not exaggerating (okay, maybe a little). Now things are starting to go more smoothly--not least that my youngest is 2 1/2, so she doesn't need my attention 24/7--and when I turned 40 in November, I decided that I didn't want to live the second half of my life in the sort of mess that the first half had been.
I've asked Erin & PJ if we can create a Challenge or Accountability Thread. I'll post back here when I hear back.
@gerette: It just sounds like you had to set your priorities to something other than a clean/uncluttered house in the past few years, and that is just a normal thing to do :o) And it's good you know Flylady already, so you know where to start and how. I didn't believe her when I read that only 15 minutes every day make a difference, but they do, after a week! I am still amazed this actually works ;o) I guess it's all about the small, tangible goals.
YAY for the Accountability Thread!
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