Yesterday was Wednesday, which meant I didn’t have a big cleaning task to do. Normally, Wednesday is my run-around day, but since most things don’t start up until after Labor Day, I was freeee!I decided to spend two hours decluttering.
And I chose to work on . . . . the master bedroom. The big, bad, ugly master bedroom.
I started with eliminating the pile at the end of the bed. The pile that was seriously making me wonder if I had grown taller over the summer, since my feet didn’t have as much room they used to.
, that if you don’t make your bed, you’re not serious about changing your messie ways, I’ve been doing it. And I have to say that starting your day with that task really does set the tone.ANYway, after about 20 minutes, the end of the bed looked like this:
The CD player was there so I could practice a song, and the book was there so my daughter could write down where she put everything that I asked her to take to another room.
Not that I asked her to.
Not that she knows how to spell.
But alas, the above picture is . . . ahem . . . strategic. Meaning, you can’t see the floor on the right side of the bed.
My side of the bed.
It looked like this:
Basically, in the past year of decluttering like a crazy-woman, I got rid of tons of stuff. I found homes for tons of stuff. But there were still things that baffled me. Things I knew shouldn’t go in the trash, like recipes or photos or books I have yet to read. So all of those things congregated in this spot. And of course, they were soon joined by their trashy friends.
This side-of-the-bed project required thoroughness, and I had a 2 hour chunk of time to devote to it. I decided to trudge along for an hour and a half, sorting the masses of stuff into piles as I went. I created stacks of books, magazines, photos, recipes, school-supplies, etc. on the bed. I kept working my way through the pile, continuing to sort, until I had 30 minutes left. At that point, I put the piles in their new homes. Some are in permanent homes, but some are in stacks on the corner bookshelf, waiting for the rest of this area to be unearthed, so I can get to their real homes. This only took about 10 minutes, and so for the last 20 minutes, I switched to the “go ahead” method. Meaning, any unearthed item was immediately taken to its new home, even if that meant walking to the other side of the house. I didn’t want to be caught with the “Time’s Up!” excuse, and still have a pile of stuff on the bed.
It’s not my dream “after” picture, but it’s progress! And it feels so great to be able to walk freely on that side of the bed. You know what it’s like when you get out of the car after a long drive and your arms and legs feel fantastic because they can finally move around? I never realize how much crazy maneuvering I have to do to step around clutter until it’s gone.
I’m hoping, hoping, hoping that one more 2 hour decluttering session will get this spot finished!
Good job and good luck as you move forward with this space.
Awesome job! I need to tackle my master bedroom. Someone from my hubby's job sent boxes and bags of clothes, etc., and he deposited them into our bedroom. grrrr!!! Now I have to go through them and decide what to do with it all.
Oh, the unmade decisions! :>) I have too many of those hot-spots myself… I'm thinking the first place I need to declutter right now is my Google Reader, since I haven't even been blogging much lately, let alone cleaning. But at least I've been doing *some* walking, trying to get rid of the body clutter… That's something, I think.
Love the trunk. 🙂
I'm impressed that you can hit that note whether it's on pitch or not!
Great job. I think all 3 sides of our bed look like that, only with clothes, shoes and suitcases. 🙁 we're focusing on the public areas still…we'll get there!
Oh Hillians, I feel your pain. Sometimes those blessings aren't really blessings.
Lenetta, that's definitely something.
Thanks Shannon, I love the trunk too! Too bad I let it be covered up so much of the time.
Becky, I can't hit it like I used to, and I don't think anyone would want to hear it right now! My poor kids don't have any choice, though. And about the 3 sides, remember that I didn't mention the left side. I'm sure that will be a future post.
Hey Nony since you were kind enough to comment on me from the August decluttering I thought I'd come take a nosy round your house – I like what I see!!!
I'm you just not as far down the road to neatness – so glad to see other people's bedsides look like that at times, like you mine's on the slow road to reformation!
Will be passing on your blog address to my big sis too cos she's another slob sister.
Grainne
You mean, I'm not the only one who uses their side of the bed to stuff stuff? YIPEE! my husband calls it "the abyss". Ha ha! Good for you for getting it done!
Iam soooo happy to see I am not the only one who has one side of the bed for a quick dash and stash. Baby steps and it will get done. 🙂
Hi Dana
I love how you take the strategic picture, and then immediately fess up and show us the mess behind the strategery!
Love your blog and your books and the container concept. I need to start implementing instead of just admiring!
I’m reading the blog from the first to the last after being a podcast listener for the last couple of years. I’m also enjoying your YouTube videos.
BUT this is the first time I was sent spiraling back 50+ years ago to my tween years. My mom is a slob. She loves to decorate but hates to clean. “My back hurts” is still one she uses. Yes, she weighed 320 pounds and worked nights. BUT she would stay out drinking until dawn, sleep until after we came home from school and start again.
The photos on this page brought it all back. Not any of the podcasts, not any of the previous blogs, nothing. We lived like this.
Once my mom got a woman into clean. She was horrified but did a tremendous job, took her money and never came back. I’m sure she thought I was a lazy lump of a girl when she found me sitting on the tidy couch, not working. I was so tired, 11 years old, school, two brothers and a father to cook and clean (not very well) for, I was just tired.
I’m so glad I didn’t grow up like that. I do have clutter but have a high clutter threshold but am organised.
Congratulations for putting your family at the top of your priority list, my mother never has and it’s been hard. (My brothers have never recovered.)
Thank you for sharing.