Yes, this is the stage I am struggling with. I am pretty much decluttered for the most part. So why am I fretting? When I had all the clutter it was all jammed packed in boxes, tubs, cabinets, drawers. I know The Flylady say never take out more than you can put back in an hour. This is something I have always had trouble with. I mean I have the stuff out and am going through it and now after an hour I have to put it all back just to go through it all again? Isn’t it redundant to do this? Yes and No. I hate both answers too.
I have empty spaces in cabinets and drawers from all the decluttering I have been doing. Now it feels like a puzzle trying to figure out where to put these things I am not ready to give up yet and one of our main problems that got us into this situation in the first place is that we are “Spacially Challenged.” We don’t know how much stuff can fit in a space without it all falling out when you open the door. If this happens, you still got too much stuff or too much stuff in that closet. How do you decide?
I think sometimes we get to this point and it seems like it to be just as hard to get started at finding homes for them as it did just starting to declutter. And that my flysisters is exactly where I am.
Are we always going to have an area that may be a room, a closet, or a drawer that is the miscellanous items that just don’t have a home so they go in the one place that one can look away and not be so bothered by it? I have a feeling we are and I think it is time to accept the fact that this is part of our home too. Maybe I am wrong to think this way and have tried to change my ways of thinking. It just hasn’t happened yet.
All I know and have learned is this is a process that is never ending. I am not saying this in a negative stance of the word. I am saying it as a fact of life and that the sooner we embrace that section of miscellaneous and say yes this is part of my home as well, maybe we won’t focus so much on these areas and instead begin to focus more about practicing the habits and routines you have developed as of this stage of making your home peaceful so you can find a place in your mind for peaceful thoughts and wonderful experiences that you have always wanted to enjoy with your family.
Keep FLYing!
Marilyn
6 thoughts on “The Stage Of Decluttering No One Talks About”
yep, i hear you!!!!! i have boxes sitting around… there is no place for it….but i have empty drawers…..maybe i should just put a red X on each box i dont even peek at for a week and then let the dh haul it away!!!!
I'm right with you! We are trying to declutter, doing rennovations, and my Dad died a month ago and my mom is moving in with my brother and giving me boxes of stuff!! It is stuff I can use, so I don't want to say no. I have to get rid of stuff I am not using. (and trying to study for my medical transcriptionist work for my at home course!) I have 3 kids (teenagers, one has high-functioning autism). I did well today with the first day of school, though!! I will keep on trying!!
Bonnie from Nova Scotia, Canada
All of this seems to happen at once doesn't it?! There are things we do want from our family's possessions. I have been there myself. Then I have to go through my stuff to try to equalize the the items we have. I think the best thing is to accept where you are and your situation is and just try to declutter for 15 minutes when you can work it into your schedule. More importantly is to create the habits that you string into routines that help you live your life like a having a launching pad to place everything that needs to go with you out the door as you go about your life. Before Bedtime ROutine is the most important routine of your day where you gather your items going with you, checking calendar, laying out clothes for next day and go to bed with a shiny sink. If you are interested in joining my closed group for support click on Join The Group or here is the link http://www.facebook.com/groups/MarilynsWay Would love to have you. Have great members that are helpful. What I am trying to say is you don't have to do this all alone. It helps so much when we have a support system that accepts us where we are in this process. I hope to see you there!
very well said … there are things we want to keep around us no matter what others think of it or whether we have homes for it. The organizers will tell us to just dump it all, after all it's "just stuff". Well, i am on a one-woman campaign to stand up for our stuff! My stuff has always brought me more comfort and less grief than any human has. It makes me happy so i will just accept the fact and make peace with the fact that there will always be piles, boxes and chaos in my life.
Marianne; One thing I am learning is just do a little but do something everyday. This morning before work I shined the bathroom sink. Last week I started the swish part of swish and swipe. Yesterday I started the swipe part mainly because I'm having company this week-end but it's my son so I'm not killing myself cleaning house. ToniGHT I will do alittle more.
Thanks Marilyn, I just signed up. I'm studying at the moment and hit "the stage of decluttering" button on my screen! I don't even know how it got there, but I'm glad I did!
Bonnie