Does getting rid of mind clutter work? I have spent the last couple of weeks writing a note a day. I have been writing notes to people that I have been meaning to write to for a long time and never do, claiming I forget to do it when I have the time, when in reality I don’t try to remember.
I am working on remembering now, and so those thoughts are leaving my mind as I write the notes, to clear way for thinking about what physical stuff to got through next.
Of course it counts. Good for you!
Took another pass at my closet. This time pants. I don’t really need 5 or 6 pairs of black pants. I don’t need a lot of dress pants since I no longer go to an office. Kept one of each main color and let all else go. Also, jackets that I no longer wear. And Black. I no longer wear all black unless its a funeral. A lot more space there now 
The bag is not out of the house but everything is in the staging area. Next has to be sweaters.
Finally! Mr. dumped the old microwave that he has been saving. I found a few things to toss, too.
Made a deal with myself that I will clean out two files everyday. So far so good. The ones that are slow are “personal” and seem to take forever to go through but each is down by half.
Funny, my husband uses the “it’s not hurting you/anyone” line also. Where do they get this stuff??
I’ve been making things disappear without him noticing for awhile now because anytime I would ask him about something we needed to keep it because it wasn’t hurting anyone. This weekend he agreed that we could get rid of a larger item, but it’s too big for me to move by myself. Ugh. The logical thing would be for him to help me but that isn’t going to happen so I think I will take it apart and get rid of it in pieces. Whatever it takes.
It was an adjustment in thinking when I realized, then pointed out to DH, that space is in fact the use of an area. For example, I am /using/ a cleared off table to set a climate of readiness and peace in my dining and living area. I’m using the space in drawers and on shelves to showcase and handle what’s there more easily.
Of course, my needlework stash is crammed in out-of-sight chests and drawers. I am a work in progress.
^^^Can I agree with and like that 20 times??
Many bags of old office papers. Whew.
The overflow from my late MIL’s home is in two storage lockers. Today we went through them, and DH ended up taking a small cabinet and small desk to Goodwill.
We also started listing her many genealogical materials, and I have an email together to send to potential recipients – we’re thinking local genealogical organization, LDS church. They’re periodicals, not unique research, so if nobody nearby wants them then DH said to recycle them.
And OMG we found a bunch of owners’ manuals for things that are still in the house, so I’ll probably get them dropped off for the new owners this coming week.
And life is too short to use pens and pencils you don’t like. I have my preferences – mechanical pencils and Pilot Precise Rolling Ball pens – so I’m giving everything else to Goodwill.
Yesterday was a banner day for me. I took apart a large item, put the pieces in the trash and they took it all!! Yay! I asked dh to hold the door for me so I could carry out the pieces and he complained over that minimal task. And yes, her reminded me that the item wasn’t hurting anyone. Well, it was bugging me…
I also did some cleaning over the weekend and disposed of a mid-sized item in the work dumpster. Another victory!
Unfortunately, after doing this for years, I look around our house and there is still so much I would like to get rid of but I have to move in baby steps. I think the next two weekends will be spent trying to make space to store our daughter’s things between the time she graduates and starts her job. Always something.
Baby steps are better than no steps at all. That’s how you eat an elephant.
I wonder if we could come up with some sort of conference or spa weekend or something for our spouses to all go to at the same time so we could all have several days at the same time to get things done without the discussions about how something isn’t hurting anything.
Mr. is going on yet another business trip, and I can’t join him. I think I might do just that - go through some of the boxes with old electronics and power cords. Monday is garbage pickup, so no trace of my “hit job” will be left. ?
Screw the trip for the spouses! Let’s keep the spa weekend for the “bag a week” people - will refresh us and give us more energy to return and do more!!!
Took a tote bag of product manuals to MIL’s old house for the new owners.
Put an unused but very nice strainer in the Goodwill bag.
Got a tentative go to send DS2’s high school (middle school?) volcano project on to a better place. All he asks is that I run it through one vinegar and baking soda cycle (apparently it’s a working model . . . ). I told him not only would I do that, but I’d take a video.
I get a lot of tossing done while DH is out of town!
Disposed of 2 dirty tarps that Mr. wanted to keep. ?
Ooooooo, I forgot to post this big one: Last week I posted S2’s old This End Up desk on Freecycle and someone wanted it very quickly. I had to cajole DH to carry it out of the basement to the driveway – and of course as he’s doing so, he’s pointing out what a sturdy piece of furniture it is, and why are we getting rid of it, and gosh, couldn’t we use it somewhere. I held firm! (It’s been living in the basement for six years. I don’t think we need it!!) We also got rid of the hutch that fit on top and all the shelves and the drawers.
I also just bought some new dinner plates (same pattern as my current ones) to replace the ones that are chipped or cracked or that have turned gray around the edges due to crazing. DH saw the small stack of dishes I’m getting rid of and wondered why we couldn’t keep them. No! Just no!!