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kennita's work last weekend, I went on a decluttering spree today.
Having only part of a weekend, I wanted a very small area to attack. I chose the bedroom closet. Looking back on it I'm glad I started small! Trying on clothing is very time-consuming, so a closet is "bigger than it looks", and taking frequent longish breaks to rest my feet certainly expands the timeline.
I was conservative (keeping probably way more than I should have kept) and I still got rid of a lot of stuff. I'm pleased.
Timeline
10 (roughly) - Choice of target made. Breakfast consumed. (I even got Duchess to eat some bacon, and she hadn't been eating ANYthing since last night.) Countertop cleared so it can hold "Get Rid Of" boxes.lkeele, this means I found the books destined for you and packed them to ship!
11:10 - Bed protected with cut-apart garbage bag, as we just washed those sheets. Closet emptied onto bed. Closet walls, shelf, rod etc cleaned. (Amazing how dirty.) Boxes for "Get Rid Of" procured and lined up outside the door. Feet hurting.
1:30 - Everything from wall hooks sorted and put away. Every single shirt from closet has been tried on. I'm probably keeping more than I should, yet two "Get Rid Of" boxes are already looking pretty full. This makes me impatient to do the dresser! That's the clothes I don't wear!
2:25 - I'm surprised at how painful it is to get rid of my shoes. Stared at my running shoes for ten minutes.
3:30 - Physically it's great to do shoes, as I can sit down while I dust/scrub them all. (They're all gray and fuzzy. It's been months to years since I've touched them.) One shoe-rack cleaned, one to go.
4:30 - Both shoe racks and all their shoes cleaned. I'm keeping way too many shoes considering I don't wear shoes any more. I pronounce that "hope" but if you pronounce it "stupidity" I won't call you wrong. Just over half are slated to go.
6:30 - I found the most unflattering pants I have ever seen! Now down to the last few blouses and skirts. They fit and most are flattering, but they are not allowed back in the closet unless they go with something. Seems draconian except that I don't wear blouses and skirts much. Feet hurt lots.
8:30 - Almost done (leaving two boxes for tomorrow). Impressive how much time is spent dusting things. Inside a dry cleaning bag I found a pair of pants I don't remember ever seeing before in my life, but they were with things of mine and they fit so they're probably mine. They were dusty inside the bag.
OK, must go clear the piles of empty hangers off the bed so we can sleep.
I have the feeling that if I did another pass through the closet in another couple weeks I'd get a bunch more stuff out of there. I'd be less tentative on the second round.
kennita's work last weekend, I went on a decluttering spree today.Having only part of a weekend, I wanted a very small area to attack. I chose the bedroom closet. Looking back on it I'm glad I started small! Trying on clothing is very time-consuming, so a closet is "bigger than it looks", and taking frequent longish breaks to rest my feet certainly expands the timeline.
I was conservative (keeping probably way more than I should have kept) and I still got rid of a lot of stuff. I'm pleased.
Timeline
10 (roughly) - Choice of target made. Breakfast consumed. (I even got Duchess to eat some bacon, and she hadn't been eating ANYthing since last night.) Countertop cleared so it can hold "Get Rid Of" boxes.
lkeele, this means I found the books destined for you and packed them to ship!11:10 - Bed protected with cut-apart garbage bag, as we just washed those sheets. Closet emptied onto bed. Closet walls, shelf, rod etc cleaned. (Amazing how dirty.) Boxes for "Get Rid Of" procured and lined up outside the door. Feet hurting.
1:30 - Everything from wall hooks sorted and put away. Every single shirt from closet has been tried on. I'm probably keeping more than I should, yet two "Get Rid Of" boxes are already looking pretty full. This makes me impatient to do the dresser! That's the clothes I don't wear!
2:25 - I'm surprised at how painful it is to get rid of my shoes. Stared at my running shoes for ten minutes.
3:30 - Physically it's great to do shoes, as I can sit down while I dust/scrub them all. (They're all gray and fuzzy. It's been months to years since I've touched them.) One shoe-rack cleaned, one to go.
4:30 - Both shoe racks and all their shoes cleaned. I'm keeping way too many shoes considering I don't wear shoes any more. I pronounce that "hope" but if you pronounce it "stupidity" I won't call you wrong. Just over half are slated to go.
6:30 - I found the most unflattering pants I have ever seen! Now down to the last few blouses and skirts. They fit and most are flattering, but they are not allowed back in the closet unless they go with something. Seems draconian except that I don't wear blouses and skirts much. Feet hurt lots.
8:30 - Almost done (leaving two boxes for tomorrow). Impressive how much time is spent dusting things. Inside a dry cleaning bag I found a pair of pants I don't remember ever seeing before in my life, but they were with things of mine and they fit so they're probably mine. They were dusty inside the bag.
OK, must go clear the piles of empty hangers off the bed so we can sleep.
I have the feeling that if I did another pass through the closet in another couple weeks I'd get a bunch more stuff out of there. I'd be less tentative on the second round.
Re: of things long gone
The only reason letting go of shoes is painful is that I'm facing the fact I can't use shoes. The specific items aren't all that sentimental. I suppose I should just bite the bullet and get rid of them all (except a pair for dire emergencies). If I ever have healthy feet again I'll be overjoyed to shop for shoes.
Re: of things long gone
2. but then, there are so many kinds of loss. And it is NOT "all the same" -- but it is all "variations on a theme". I'm thinking of how I held on to so many art supplies for so many years because I still felt IDENTIFIED with them, they were PART OF ME, so how could I not have them? I gave a LOT away when I found people who I knew would value them and use them. But I STILL feel that tug inside about it.
3. your posted bit about correcting some misstatement (and getting lots of heat) interests me, and it has no "comment" link. Must be that you don't want comments on it? (I assume that LJ asks you whether to add a comment link, and that it is NOT accidental that there is not one there.) It speaks to me -- thanks for it.
Re: of things long gone
That post, yeah, I was all upset and didn't want to get any MORE heat. I just wanted to spill out my frustration onto the virtual page. I thought of re-enabling comments once I was calmer, or removing the post entirely, but on the other hand as it stood it was an accurate portrayal of how I'd felt at the time. Eventually I just shrugged and left it.