Over the past few weeks, I’ve been blogging about my Declutter 10 project. Every day, I send ten items to the trash or donation pile. I wanted to see just how many days I could declutter.
21. I made it 21 days!
That’s 210 items that I either trashed (random bits of velcro, broken toys, disintegrating shoes) or donated (books, toys in good condition, clothes my kids had outgrown). And actually, the number is quite higher because I often exceeded the daily quota.
Yesterday would have been Day 22 of the Declutter 10 Project, but I took a Spa Morning. Then I took Pippa out to sell Girl Scout cookies at a booth with her troop. Then I went home and snuggled Julian. I completely forgot about decluttering until 9:10 p.m. For a panicked moment, I considered finding 10 books to donate to Goodwill but I realized the Declutter 10 Project had accomplished its original project. I started the project because I was feeling utterly hopeless about every getting a handle on our cluttered home. After 21 days of decluttering, I am out of that rut and confident that I will conquer our mess even if I miss an occasional day of decluttering.
I have a long way to go on my decluttering journey, but we are already reaping the benefits from my work. Our kitchen table, which is also our art and homework table, has been cleared. The excess art supplies are back in their designated spots. The table is now empty except for the crayons, a small bowl with a few essential crafting supplies (glue, tape, pencil sharpeners), and some paper. There’s also Pippa’s “sight word box” (because if I put it away, I forget we need to practice) and a book that I read during odd moments. This sounds like a lot, but it’s a big table, and everything is tidily organized in the middle no man’s land that would otherwise be empty. (Or, I suppose, be decorated with flowers and candle sticks if I was living a different sort of life.)
This morning, the freshly cleared kitchen table got lots of action. I had space to eat my scrambled eggs and read a book. Nathan and Pippa had space to play a board game. And then, when Pippa wanted to make collages, we had space for magazines, ink pads and stamps. Right now, the table is tidied up and waiting for the next meal, game or art project. We have space to live our lives!
My goal is to finish decluttering our home by the end of spring. Sooner would be nicer, but I’m learning a lot from the process. (Today, as I was decluttering books, I started thinking about mortality. But that’s another blog post!)
In the meantime, I intend to keep decluttering as much as I can every day to maintain my momentum. And I cannot wait for a sunny forecast! I have a lot of big ticket items that need to go to the curb, but since it has been rainy every few days, I have to be patient and wait.