The Maintenance Phase

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Started 5 months ago by Irulan
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Irulan
Member

The thread on what helped you the most in 2011 made me realize that I didn't make a lot of uncluttering changes in the last year. I did some decluttering a few years ago when I first began reading this site and again in 2010 when I downsized to a smaller space. In between those purges and after moving, I mostly worked on maintaining my space and removing small bits of clutter that popped up.

Maintenance has different challenges and rewards than purging. I thought I'd ask you folks who are also in the maintenance phase what your major motivators are and whether you backslide. What has changed for you in since you entered maintenance?

For those of you who aren't yet in the maintenance phase, are you looking forward to it? Do you think you'll ever get there?

Posted 5 months ago #
sleepykitten
Member

I look forward to hearing the thoughts on this thread.

I myself am nearing the maintenance phase - I think I'll get there in 2012. I have been uncluttering fairly consistently (not always ATAD, but in weekly or monthly spurts) for almost two years now, as well as significantly cutting back on what I purchase (though I have my weak moments from time to time). I've reached a point where it is becoming more difficult to find things to unclutter - and one of my friends even commented that I lived "minimally". That being said, I know that, in terms of my own peace of mind I am not quite there yet.

In terms of my wardrobe, I will say I am probably in maintenance phase. I have around 50 items of clothing and I live somewhere with four seasons. So I am at the point where I only allow myself to buy something new if it is a BIG improvement on something I already have. For example, I really need a new V-neck sweater to replace a ratty one. But since it has taken so long to get to where I am, I don't want to buy any old V-neck - I am holding out for something "perfect". I think the main motivator is to not have to go through the purging process again or to have to replace something before its worn out, because I know that fundamentally getting trapped in a cycle like that is unsustainable.

Posted 5 months ago #
bandicoot
Member

renovating and deluttering happened hand in hand at our place.
we had literally zero built-in storage when we bought this house/shed.
without proper designated storage, things can pile up a little.
once i had actual cupboards and drawers in the kitchen, office and wardrobe, it was very easy to see what was excess.
then i had a mindshift away from what i was taught all my life: hold onto everything justincase, be frugal, keep gifts for ever, having lots of things shows that you are successful.
initially, my mother was confronted, challenged and horrified by what we donated/gave away/recycled.....but after three years of it, she is starting to get on board a bit herself.

i am so motivated to maintain the decluttered state, that i cannot even think of it as being motivated....it is ingrained now. it is part of my psyche.
one in, one out. do i really need this? will i really use this? what exactly will this thing add to my life? i consider stuff these days in a whole new way.
life feels immeasurably simpler and easier.
so, no backsliding.
i do feel that my clutter-meter is continually, if slowly, changing, so i am often revisiting previously decluttered spaces with fresh eyes and finding more stuff to release.
it's hard to say where this will end for me....i travel a lot and i see a lot of people living just fine with almost nothing.

Posted 5 months ago #
susanintexas
Member

I'm not there yet but this is something I have given thought to, as I soon will be on the maintenance phase in Weight Watchers, and I think there are similarities in the mental process. In WW, part of the process is slowly developing good habits (and dropping bad ones) while you are in the losing phase that become ingrained and carry over into maintenance. Everyone says that maintenance is harder than losing because you are not getting the positive reinforcement of shedding pounds.

So -- in maintenance I need to keep up my decluttering habits -- ATAD might be pruning the twistie-ties instead of taking a bin liner of stuff to Goodwill, but the thought process is the same. Continue being more careful about what comes into the house.

Our lives are not static. In the next few years, DH will retire and that will bring changes -- maybe new hobbies that accumulate their own clutter -- or perhaps he'll have more time to tackle his paper mountain. His mother is 90, and I anticipate having to cope with disposing her stuff (without bringing it into our home!) At some point in the next 25 years we'll probably move into an apartment or other place smaller than our house -- and that will bring new challenges. So it never does really end.

Posted 5 months ago #
themusiclivez
Member

I am almost at the maintenance phase. I am slowly running out of things to declutter. (Or I should say I am running out of things I am allowed to declutter. My husband isn't as much of a minimalist as I am!) Wardrobe-wise, I am still in the "use it up, wear it out" phase.

What motivates me is the feeling of freedom I get when I don't have clutter around me. I get anxiety when I know I have a bunch of items I don't use just lying around. I end up feeling that I need to find a use for them. When I shop now I make sure that I ask myself, "Will this just stress you out in a few weeks when you don't use it?" If the answer is yes, I don't buy the item.

Posted 5 months ago #
lucy1965
Member

The bathrooms have reached that phase: nothing in the built-in cabinet that isn't being used, only the essentials on the shelves. Caring for a 100-year-old space has taught me a lot about what works for us (built-in storage, half-tiled walls and floors) and what doesn't (shower over clawfoot tub looks gorgeous and gets cold fast, is a potential safety hazard and a PITA to clean: I'm committed to a tiled shower stall with glass panels and grab bars next time).

Posted 5 months ago #
Irulan
Member

I really like the idea that parts of our lives can enter maintenance phases, like sleepykitten's wardrobe or lucy's bathroom. I was thinking of maintenance as an overall thing, but that really isn't the case.

@susan, it is definitely similar to weight loss maintenance. Especially because of the changes in reinforcement. I think that sometimes people can try to recreate or replace the earlier reinforcement by evangelizing, but that has a bad habit of backfiring on people.

Posted 5 months ago #
susanintexas
Member

Irulan: I never thought as evangelizing as reinforcement in the maintenance phase but it make a perfect horrible sense. Thanks for that insight.

Posted 5 months ago #
chacha1
Member

My decluttering has definitely slowed down but I don't think I'm quite in "maintenance" phase yet. Everything is not yet in a state of PEEP. :-) DH is not on board and without his willing participation there will always be a Mount Doom.

This is more a low-grade mental perturbation than a daily impact on quality of life, because the door to Mount Doom is kept closed. But I really do resent that closed door, necessitated by the junk. I feel like we're paying a vast amount of rent for nothing but storage space. (A storage unit somewhere would be cheaper!)

So, I have mental clutter. Dang it.

Posted 5 months ago #
Mimi
Member

paper piles are gone, my papers are definatly in the maintenance phase. this is a great relief! every day when i empty the postbox or bring home some papers from uni, i am glad that there are no piles where i put the papers on. i scan/ take a photo of them if i need to. it takes max. 5 minutes and that´s it. i love it!
i think there are only 1/3 left of all the things that i had before i started to unclutter but i really don´t know where is journey will lead me to, maybe all my belongings will fit into a suitcase... one day... who knows...

Posted 5 months ago #
smallLife
Member

I came to the startling conclusion after taking a bag to Goodwill the other day that I have officially reached the maintenance stage for the majority of my belonging groups. After solidifying my winter style (and realizing I really don't like dresses with tights), my wardrobe is at a happy place. Same with sentimental items: contained in one small decorative chest and a folder. Books and DVDs: only well read/watched over and over again favorites, the rest on Kindle or at the library. Household/personal care items I have solidified to the essentials. There isn't a place left to tackle.

Of course there will always be new challenges as things change, I've moved on to stemming the influx of "stuff" and once I get my own place the kitchen will be a challenge I'm sure. But for now I'm happy with where I am :-)

Posted 4 months ago #
grey
Member

i'm nearing the maintenance phase... again. though i don't think we'll ever be at a perfect place possession-wise. we are nearing the place where all the things we own are used and/or loved and properly cared for, but that's relevant to our current lifestyle. when we move again or face another big life change we'll have to reevaluate - add some things, take some away. the biggest challenge is enforcing the one in, one out rule. i tend to go through phases where i buy a bit and then do a purge, but it evens out.

Posted 4 months ago #
Irulan
Member

That's a good point about being relevant to current life, grey. That cycle is unavoidable and probably necessary.

smallLife, what is your concern about the kitchen? Do you have a lot of kitchen items in storage, or are you anticipating being overwhelmed by stocking a new kitchen?

Posted 4 months ago #
ninakk
Member

Hmm, it would be interesting to break this subject down into smaller chunks, because there will indeed be areas where I'm striving to hit the maintenance phase. My reply to the other thread concluded that the overall situation won't be maintenance but rather a fluctuating state depending on my impressions of the outside world.
http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/opinions-or-suggestions-wanted

The bathroom is a perfect example of maintenance, where I will try my best to leave cosmetics etc. at the store from now on with only a couple of more eye shadows added perhaps (only once I've nailed down the "final" - for now - colour palette of my clothing closet).

The kitchen will most likely expand gear-wise until I've decided some utensil won't be used after all. It's not very ecological to do this but I'm searching and trying my best to at least buy high-quality stuff that I might either sell or pass on in some other way. To a certain extent I will allow myself some trials and errors still or I wouldn't have fun while living my life. The rash decision are nowhere near as abundant these days, though, which is a huge consolation.

What do you think of this? Ring any bells or are you aspiring minimalists in all areas?

Posted 4 months ago #
Netleigh
Member

I was thinking that I'm nowhere near maintenance, but thanks to Ninakk mentioning the bathroom I realised I have one room in that state!

Posted 4 months ago #
Anita
Member

I'm in the maintenance stage in that I only took one big bag to Goodwill in the past couple of months; I only have one thing to donate since then; and I can't think of anything I can get rid of easily right now.

My home and my things will never reach some perfect stasis because, as Susan pointed out, our lives are not static. Stuff gets used up and worn out and needs replacing. Tastes change; (pre)occupations and hobbies change, needing new things and allowing us to let go of other things. To me, the maintenance phase is, most of all, a continual mindfulness of my state of mind vs. the state of my possessions - recognizing changes and reflecting them in my decluttering efforts.

Posted 4 months ago #
smallLife
Member

Irulan: While I like to cook, it has always been in someone else's kitchen, or equipped by someone else (roommates, parents). I'm less concerned with accumulating an overwhelming number of gadgets than of picking the right pieces that I would need for my style of cooking. I've reached the point where every purchase is thought out and for the most part, one in one out. The kitchen is the only place where I can't do that - and knowing that my purchases come in chunks there is a good chance of making some costly mistakes. Add that to a "pretend me" who likes to make everything from scratch . . clutter potential haha

ninnak: sounds like you've hit maintenance stage to me (mentally at least, which I think is a major component), much like Anita pointed out. And to answer your question, I am an aspiring minimalist in all areas of my life.

Posted 4 months ago #
lottielot
Member

I like the observation about maintenance pertaining to specific areas, I feel like we are nowhere near maintenance as a household, but certain areas within my control are (kid's clothes, my clothes, my books, kitchen, bathroom). Oh dear, I obviously need to go vent my frustrations in ninakk's rest of family thread!

Posted 4 months ago #
ninakk
Member

Why do you think I brought it back to life, lottielot :)

Posted 4 months ago #
Irulan
Member

smallLife, do you keep a list of your favorite kitchen items out of the ones in your current and previous kitchens? It might be useful to do this if already know going in that you may have some purchasing issues, just to give yourself some guidance in terms of what you need. You could also try setting dollar or time limits on your kitchen equipment outings, to prevent mistakes from getting too costly.

I'm storing away all of my 2011 papers today, and I'm grateful to have systems already set up for my paper. I'm also culling some old stored papers. I described my maintenance phases as "plateaus" in the other thread, and I keep picturing these times as flat lines on a graph that is interspersed with spikes.

Posted 4 months ago #

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