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Monday, November 2, 2020

Making Space For What Matters

 


I used to participate in 'blog challenges' when the idea of blogging was new-ish and I was looking for content to write about.  Over time I drifted away from that kind of activity - enjoying just reading some of the posts that others provided.

Over the month of October a few blogs I follow were participating in a decluttering challenge.  It was called 30 Days to Less or Minimalism is a Journey.  The premise each day's decluttered items matched the number of the date in October ... and you picture them on your blog before removing them from your home. For example: October 1 - one item, October 2 - two items, and so on.  At first I thought the idea was worthy but too small to make much of an impact ... until we got to the higher numbers of the month, like the 20th, the 21st, ..... the 30th and the 31st!!!  Then the impact got to be substantial and challenging because it was a daily activity with increasing numbers of items with each passing day.  In fact on the final day some bloggers totaled up the discard items to discover that during October they had decluttered close to 500 items.  I consider that very substantial.  I found this challenge about day 10 - and although I was tempted to join in, I didn't see the point of starting in the middle. (an OCD part of my personality that slips into perfection. *sigh*)

So here we are on November 2nd - and one of the participants (Beckie at http://www.Fieldlilies.blogspot.com) decided to continue the challenge and less deadline driven stress.  It is called Making Space - Declutter 10 items a week - and if life gets in the way - you might miss a week, but the goal is to post 10 items weekly on the day of your choosing. That would play out to only 40 items a 4-week month as opposed to almost 500 items in a month!  Doable and also significant.  I will say the title of this challenge, Making Space, has always been the entire reason I have decluttered.  It is the positive stimulus at the end that motivates me to clean things out.  The older I get the more I feel the need for an uncluttered environment. I know that clutter for some is a mental stressor.  For me it is a de-motivator to everything else in my life.  

So I joined!

I am also hoping this practice - besides making space in my condo - will make me a more frequent blogger.  I certainly have fallen off the wagon over the last few months.  I blame it on the pandemic - but in truth - it is just plain laziness on my part.  It takes a certain amount of discipline to post regularly and that is what I have been lacking.  

Thank you Beckie for the gentle nudge resulting in a worthy effort! 

My declutter posts will be published mid-week - Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday - like Beckie's.  My mind is buzzing already with items on the way out.  Lets see how far this goes!






9 comments:

Marie Smith said...

This sounds like a great challenge. Good luck with it.

Michelle said...

You are my inspiration, Elaine! NO one I know has decluttered like you have. I am making a bit of progress with Brian at college, and it does feel good. Yesterday I cleaned out my pajama drawer, which was packed FULL, mostly of items I haven't worn in DECADES, like flannel and/or floor length. Off to the thift store they'll go once all are laundered. And I particularly needed this post this morning, as I have been waffling over buying some destash yarn. It's gorgeous stuff and the owner is selling to cover medical expenses (good cause!), but I know in my heart that the chances of me getting all my stash used before I die is, well, unlikely. So if I buy it, I must set aside a GREATER quantity of yarn to add to those pajamas headed to the thrift store....

Retired Knitter said...

Michelle - it does feel good to free yourself from stuff. I am further along the span of living than you - and I have that goal hidden in my brain that when I pass from this earth I won't leave behind a burden for those left behind. So my goals are two-fold.

AND I have gotten rid of some yarn for the SAME reason, I may not live long enough to knit ALL the yarn I have and looking it all over, some of it is so old that I don't even like it anymore. And the pandemic has significantly slowed down my yarn purchasing - at present to nothing. I have started a coin collection - so that when I am EVER able to attend another inperson fair - I will be ready financially to enjoy the event without restraint ... I figure probably 2022 for MDSW! 2021 will be too early. So I am not done with buying yarn, just done until this black cloud of Covid is passed - and that gives me a window to narrow down my stash by actually knitting up my much loved yarns - the ones that survive the on and off purging.

Lynne said...

Well I congratulate you, I must still be in lazy mode.
I have been saying “goodbye to stuff” since our flood and saying “hello to very little new!”
It seems like each month of 2020 has held some sort of event.
And caused me to lock down into the event and do less on other things.
October and November are usually a mix of our family Halloween togetherness
plus closing up the gardens and dealing with bundles, piles, millions of leaves.
I am procrastinating right now, I need to be outdoors working!

COVID months had us home more than usual although we ended our day
with a ride somewhere. Often to the Big Lake to watch the kite surfers.
Or a ride for an ice cream and of late the to see the most absolutely
best, beautiful, spectacular display of autumn color ever, EVER!

And now it is the November . . . finally a result . . .
And Thanksgiving, Christmas, New year . . .

I am sure I have cleared, cleaned out more than 500 items in the past months.
Goodwill, other resale shops, yard and on line sales have helped the clearing out as well.
I think I will call it good for 2020 and finish the year with a few good books, winter walks,
and baking with my grand and great gals. AND . . . do at least one post on the Irish Garden House!

Enjoy your new month plan my friend . . .

Wendy said...

Good luck with it. Look forward to following your progress.

Becki said...

I'm glad you're joining, Elaine! The more the merrier, of course, but I'll also enjoy coming to your blog more. I'm glad you see it as a reason to post more often. I've so enjoyed Aja; now I'll enjoy the camaraderie of decluttering with you. :)

Your comment above about yarn hits home with me. I've got my yarn all neatly organized and so pretty, but there is just too much. Add to that I haven't been knitting or crocheting with it much since COVID hit. That needs to change, or I need to rehome some of it. OTOH, if the worst I leave our sons with is my yarn hoard, at least it's neat and they could just invite some of my surviving friends over and let them go through it before donating it. Maybe I should put a note on it to that effect. I have certainly learned this summer that there are ways to make getting rid of one's parent's belongings easier or harder. Having less is the best way, but giving permission to give it all away is another very freeing alternative, too.

happyone said...

I don't think I could come up with 500 items to get rid of!! :)

A :-) said...

I love this idea! I, too, have done a LOT of divesting in my home over the past 16 years since my mom passed. First her stuff, then my own. It's actually a little disturbing that I could still have stuff to divest :-D I will look forward to your posts on this!

Leftycrafter said...

So nice to have another on this journey. I always enjoy your posts and look forward to seeing more from you now.