They say a cluttered space is a cluttered mind and while I'm not sure that's true, I've been feeling smothered by the clutter lately.
Yes, I've said this many times before, but luckily, I'm making some more progress on that front.
How?
I'll tell you.
+ Unfollowing things on social media like a boss. It's not that I'm not interested, or don't like whatever account, or think they have lovely photos and crafts and food and interior designs. It's that I'm literally losing my mind with sensory overload. I'm trying to renovate and design a house and a farm and garden and do my job and be a normal human and I can't make decisions on what kind of kitchen I want because I'm overwhelmed with options. So, I spent a considerable amount of time last weekend going through my feeds and unfollowing anything and everything that wasn't necessary for work or didn't truly interest me or wasn't someone I knew in real life. It's an ongoing process, but I felt oddly accomplished by reducing my feeds by a collective thousands.
+ Closet cleanout. I spent one weekend weeding through closets, drawers, Rubbermaid bins and wherever else I had clothes stashed and many a giant pile that I shipped off the ThredUp. They didn't take everything, but a weight felt lifted clearing out those items I hadn't worn, likely won't ever wear and what simply doesn't fit. More to come on that front because I still have too many clothes, shoes, accessories when I'm a genuine creature of habit and live for my jeans, flannel shirts and Ked's right now.
+ Reading. I subscribe to too many magazines and though I've unsubscribed to a few in the last year, the piles are unending. I'm a journalist, who eats and pays the mortgage based on other people subscribing to my paper so it's doubly hard for me to unsubscribe to things, but I'm just not capable of reading all the magazines I get in a month in a timely fashion. So every few months, I sit on the floor with a giant pile and read Time, Real Simple, Afar, County Living and whatever else I'm getting and recycle what I can, keep a few I want for reference and I might donate some to the newly opened homeless veterans home to give them some good reading material that has essentially turned my coffee table into a massive fire hazard.
+ Pile purge. We have huge piles of mail, catalogs, letters, notes, bills, forms, what have you and it's making me nuts. Most of it has been relegated to the office now, but I've been making an effort each week to go through the pile of mail on the kitchen counter and either dealing with it or tossing it. Same goes for other piles in the house, though some just get moved around, there has been forward motion. I'll take it.
+ Making decisions. Part of the clutter problem comes from avoiding deciding about things, like will I ever wear those shoes again. I'm 33 years old. I might not like to admit it, but I know myself well enough to know that no, I am never going to wear those 4-inch wedge heels again, no matter how classy they are, and if I do, I'll hate myself the whole time for how uncomfortable they are. That simple decision makes it easier to toss them in the next ThredUp bag or send them on their way to a local consignment shop.
Since the house is still in mega renovation phase, nothing really has a home and we have no real organization and that is definitely making me nuts and contributing to my "of course I need that Dollar Store bowl I haven't used in five years but have been carting around the country since college, because maybe it will fit in with whatever kitchen design I finally settle on and we finally, finally build."
Upcoming solution to this madness, girl friends coming over for wine to help me weed through the closet more thoroughly, tossing what doesn't fit, doesn't flatter or serve some purpose and building a simple wardrobe I actually love.
Also, same girlfriends, one of whom wants to be an interior designer in a next career, will be invited over to help me brainstorm ideas and then make decisions on what I want this house to look like. A house that will likely still be cluttered, but will be full of things I love, free of stress of my unruly closet, not dictated by my social media feed, smelling like the baked things I'm learning to perfect and full of friends, fun and love.
Yes, I've said this many times before, but luckily, I'm making some more progress on that front.
How?
I'll tell you.
+ Unfollowing things on social media like a boss. It's not that I'm not interested, or don't like whatever account, or think they have lovely photos and crafts and food and interior designs. It's that I'm literally losing my mind with sensory overload. I'm trying to renovate and design a house and a farm and garden and do my job and be a normal human and I can't make decisions on what kind of kitchen I want because I'm overwhelmed with options. So, I spent a considerable amount of time last weekend going through my feeds and unfollowing anything and everything that wasn't necessary for work or didn't truly interest me or wasn't someone I knew in real life. It's an ongoing process, but I felt oddly accomplished by reducing my feeds by a collective thousands.
+ Closet cleanout. I spent one weekend weeding through closets, drawers, Rubbermaid bins and wherever else I had clothes stashed and many a giant pile that I shipped off the ThredUp. They didn't take everything, but a weight felt lifted clearing out those items I hadn't worn, likely won't ever wear and what simply doesn't fit. More to come on that front because I still have too many clothes, shoes, accessories when I'm a genuine creature of habit and live for my jeans, flannel shirts and Ked's right now.
+ Reading. I subscribe to too many magazines and though I've unsubscribed to a few in the last year, the piles are unending. I'm a journalist, who eats and pays the mortgage based on other people subscribing to my paper so it's doubly hard for me to unsubscribe to things, but I'm just not capable of reading all the magazines I get in a month in a timely fashion. So every few months, I sit on the floor with a giant pile and read Time, Real Simple, Afar, County Living and whatever else I'm getting and recycle what I can, keep a few I want for reference and I might donate some to the newly opened homeless veterans home to give them some good reading material that has essentially turned my coffee table into a massive fire hazard.
+ Pile purge. We have huge piles of mail, catalogs, letters, notes, bills, forms, what have you and it's making me nuts. Most of it has been relegated to the office now, but I've been making an effort each week to go through the pile of mail on the kitchen counter and either dealing with it or tossing it. Same goes for other piles in the house, though some just get moved around, there has been forward motion. I'll take it.
+ Making decisions. Part of the clutter problem comes from avoiding deciding about things, like will I ever wear those shoes again. I'm 33 years old. I might not like to admit it, but I know myself well enough to know that no, I am never going to wear those 4-inch wedge heels again, no matter how classy they are, and if I do, I'll hate myself the whole time for how uncomfortable they are. That simple decision makes it easier to toss them in the next ThredUp bag or send them on their way to a local consignment shop.
Since the house is still in mega renovation phase, nothing really has a home and we have no real organization and that is definitely making me nuts and contributing to my "of course I need that Dollar Store bowl I haven't used in five years but have been carting around the country since college, because maybe it will fit in with whatever kitchen design I finally settle on and we finally, finally build."
Upcoming solution to this madness, girl friends coming over for wine to help me weed through the closet more thoroughly, tossing what doesn't fit, doesn't flatter or serve some purpose and building a simple wardrobe I actually love.
Also, same girlfriends, one of whom wants to be an interior designer in a next career, will be invited over to help me brainstorm ideas and then make decisions on what I want this house to look like. A house that will likely still be cluttered, but will be full of things I love, free of stress of my unruly closet, not dictated by my social media feed, smelling like the baked things I'm learning to perfect and full of friends, fun and love.
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