You know the master bedroom is actually done now, right?
I’m just holding my breath that it will stay done until I’ve finished posting this saga . . .
I worked like crazy on it for two weeks straight, not taking the time to edit videos or write. Now that I’m writing/editing and sharing . . . I’ve come to a few places that don’t match up.
Like the dresser.
The dresser that I cleared with Normal Friend about a year ago and that was again a disaster. The one that caused her to hang her head in complete disbelief when I told her about it recently.
The video of the dresser-clearing was enough for an entire webisode. But when I went back to copy/paste the dresser part from the journal that I wrote each day so I wouldn’t forget anything . . . I saw that I’d never even mentioned the dresser.
That’s right. As horrifically cluttered as the dresser was, it was just one tiny piece of the whole cluttered room.
Anyway, here’s the gist of it:
The dresser is flat.
Flat surfaces don’t stand a chance in my home.
Flat surfaces in rooms with doors that lock are the first to go.
On this flat surface I found things like . . . stacks of totally-useful-but-never-yet-used frames purchased at a garage sale over a year ago.
I found hair gel that makes my hair feel like I washed it with wet cement, but that I’ve kept for the times when I run out of the mousse I like.
Underneath this totally-unnecessary stuff, I found things I’d been missing for months. Like the silver hoop earrings I’d just replaced with new ones. And the necklace that I love because it’s funky but matches almost everything.
Right. The unnecessary stuff piles on top of (and suffocates) the necessary stuff.
Grrr.
But I pushed through. It was at this the-dresser-is-its-own-decluttering-project-within-itself point when I realized that to get through this huge and daunting Master Bedroom Project, I had to follow my own decluttering rules in each small space within the larger space. Otherwise, it was just too overwhelming.
And that’s basically the story of clearing the dresser. Watch the video to get the full story. (Click through to the post if you’re reading via email.)
And hey the good/bad news is that this means I’ll be able to drag this Master Bedroom Saga out even longer.
If you need to catch up, check out parts one two and three of the Master Bedroom Saga.
Technically, I’m publishing this post while it’s still September, so I’m not worrying about making it work for my 31 Days of (Lame) Excuses series for October. But I’m sure I could come up with ways to make it work for that if I needed to . . .
I’m so anxious to see all of your bedroom posts…I need to do this this EXTREME measures declutter! I want to do this. I took time off to do some of this but didn’t do a thing this wknd…I feel so lame. So today i am going to at least commit to putting away my darn clean laundry…that will take a long time…
somebody tell me why i bought NEW towels 2yrs ago and we are still using the old ones? and “saving” the new ones? It is overwhelming. Thanks for not making me feel nuts.
You are hilarious and make me laugh at myself {because we are the same} 🙂 Thank you! Congrats on cleaning off the dresser!
Good job Nony!! And way to go on the books! A few months ago I stumbled across the idea to get rid of any books I did not plan on actually READING in the next 6 months. This helped so much. I realized if I didn’t plan on reading it in the next 6 months, it really didn’t interest me…it was just one of those books I WISHED I was interested in reading because then I would think of myself as a more literate, smarter person! Also, I have a fabulous public library, so I’m considering the library my “book shelf” and getting all of the books and bookshelves out of my house. (hubby isn’t quite on board, but I think with this method I’ve gotten rid of at least 75 books…and haven’t missed them or thought about them even once). Now, as I read my shelf of books I put them straight into the give away pile, hoping that eventually I’ll have only 3 or 4 books in my “to read” pile and that the stack is in a continual state of renewal as I read and give away.
Oh my goodness, I love, love this! You are a blessing, thank you so much for being honest and making me feel that there is hope for me. I am a stay-at-home mom of 2, surrounded by neighbors whose houses could be in a magazine every day, all day 🙂 Oh, to be able to see flat surfaces and walk with out feeling like a mouse in a maze:)
I love that you share to help others and to keep yourself accountable. I have two questions though. First-what do you do with all the stuff you don’t need, shouldn’t keep? Do you take it all to a place like Goodwill or just chunk it? Second-How do you get your family involved to help you keep things picked up and decluttered? I hate to do all the work and then they don’t help keep it going. It makes me almost as crazy as all the clutter. 🙁 TIA!
Flat surfaces are my biggest weakness.
Policy: years ago (four? five?) when on a short-lived decluttering ‘thing’, I pu a lot of ‘stuff’ in a big box. It’s still under the living room window.
Now I need to empty that box and put at least some of the ‘stuff’ which is on the flat surfaces (including the dining room table, meaning we eat off trays on our laps) into the big box …
Hi Dana,
The bedroom saga posts are not linked to the videos, that I can see. I’m reading from the beginning (and really enjoying it) but I don’t see videos. They sound awesome!
(Will I get an email if you respond to my response? I surely won’t find it again from 7 1/2 years ago!)