And this post demonstrates why Hubby no longer worries that I’ll run out of Slob Blog Material.
That’s the pile.
I knew it was there. I knew it had grown.
But it wasn’t until I needed to deal with it that I grasped its vastness.
In my mind, there were boxes in there. Christmas happened, and I did the vast majority of my shopping online. I randomly threw each new box atop the pile. Then, when it was time for a 5 (or 10) minute pickup on Sunday afternoon, I’d tell the kids to stick any additional random boxes on the pile in my bedroom.
What started so innocently as a temporary spot to keep boxes turned into an abyss.
I had a few minutes on a Saturday morning. Not enough time to truly “clean the master bedroom” like I needed to do, but enough time to pull some boxes off the pile.
Trash.
When overwhelmed, I start with the easy stuff first. The easiest of the easy stuff (especially when staring at a big ol’ pile of overwhelm), is trash. Stuff that should never have been there, but is there.
I started removing boxes. Useless ones got broken down and pitched. Good ones went to the Donate Spot to be filled with clutter.
As I found trash, I stuck it in the trash bag. (Novel idea.)
As I ran across things (like a suitcase which belongs in a closet ten feet away) piled up with the trash, I took them there. Right then.
Once the top layer of the pile was gone, I found long lost things like boots. And audio books purchased during the fill-a-bag-for-$1 library sale. Ugh. I just took them straight to where I would look first if I needed them.
I even asked Hubby where he DID look first when he needed his Ugly Sweater for work. He started to hem and haw about where it should go, and I stopped him and asked, “Where did you look for it first?”
That’s where it went. (Yes. We do have to keep it. Hubby is the hit of the Christmas party every year with that hideous thing.)
After a whole fifteen minutes, the space looked like this:
Far from perfect, but far, far better.
That box? It’s the problem. It’s the stuff for our Brownie troop, and I just can’t think of a place to store it. But the presence of one box starts the pile, so I know it needs to go.
Any ideas?
--Nony
How about on an accessible shelf in the garage? There is one, right?
Where do you do your meetings? Could you possibly store it in whichever room they take place in? (I’m assuming that’s not your bedroom LOL). If there’s no closet or anything maybe you could just get a nice looking box (with a lid so nothing gets piled inside) and set it in the corner. Hmm…maybe do the tablecloth-on-a-storage-container-so-it-looks-like-a-table thing 🙂
I was headed in the same direction of putting a tablecloth over the box(es)…I see in the back ground a small tablecloth covered something…a small table perhaps? I have a bed (finally) that has space for storage underneath it, so I have short shoe worthy totes with no lids, 2 cat carriers, 2 other plastic drawers for out of season clothes or shoes, giant dust elephants and another tote with 3 crocheted baby/lap blankets I made 27 yrs ago when my dad was in the hosp…Those were for my daughter who is now 25…she never got them, so may be for my granddaughter who doesn’t need any more blankets… or maybe I should give them to my daughter and let her decide…! Anywho… get some coolio baskets or covered storage boxes to cover up and actually store those Brownie goodies. I still have boxes here in my bedroom that haven’t been unpacked from a move 12 yrs ago… They are stairs for our fat cat to get to her penthouse cat tree, there are 3 that are crowded around my health rider (I think it’s under there) and one more that is under a larger cat carrier with a cat basket on top of that! I need some tablecloths, too!
I love reading your blogs. Thanks for keeping it real! It really helps to know that I’m not alone in this clutter struggle. A question. .. if you have something you really SHOULD do because of a looming deadline, but you really WANT to clean or declutter an area. … would you tackle the “want” hoping that it would inspire you to do the other or the other way around?
No, I’d do the area that needed to be done. I’m so easily distracted that I can’t count on that inspiration actually getting things done!
When I used to clean house, before kids, I would be distracted, too, going to put something away in another room, then you start cleaning in there for a while, till you are drawn to another room. It eventually got done, I think.
Garage for the Girl Scouts stuff? Is there a reason it needs to be in the house, or is it stuff that travels from place to place? Or maybe a larger tote to store it all in (so it is all enclosed and less messy to look at, at least!).
I was going to suggest a larger tote too. Or two smaller ones that could be stacked. I wonder if it were in a bin rather than a box it would seem less like clutter and therefore no pile would be made on it. Maybe?
Did you finally get some big girl hangers? Every time I see hangers in Walmart, I think of you and the post about your closet and justifying spending $ on nice hangers.
Good job! It is amazing what 15 minutes can do. I am a piler. I have been most of my life like my father and his mother and her father. I see a pattern here! My husband says that I just move piles around when I “organize”. What he doesn’t understand is I am only one person with 6 working against me.
But this week I dejunked my entire first floor and am ready to a tackle my upper floor now! The garage is the worst and I am leaving that for last. Start small l say and build momentum!
Just wondering, what was the main purpose of the boxes going in your bedroom? Why were they not flatend and placed in the recycle bin after opening? Or flatened and stacked in larger box and placed in the garage – if you expected use them at a later date? Avoid the middle step of putting them “someplace else” and you have saved yourself at least 15 min and an additional cleaning job. More relaxation time for Nony! : )
That was meant to be a 🙂 at the end. Woops!
If only my brain worked that way…I wouldn’t need to read this blog. My brain tells me I might need that box for wrapping something or packing up things to get rid of. Eventually they get moved around and stepped on so much that they become useless. 😉
Yes, that’s my brain too! And if I flatten them to keep on hand in a more compact form, any re-assembled boxes aren’t as sturdy as before. And that’s if the cardboard survives for re-assembly efforts.
I wondered the same thing then it occurred to me Nony might not have a basement nor does her community have recycling, right? In our house boxes go to a designated spot in the basement (or rather, the place we always end up dumping boxes) until either my husband or I break them down for the recycling bin. Our donate pile is the stall in the basement where the non functioning toilet lives (yes, I know). That stuff never encroaches on our living space but if it weren’t for the basement we’d have a problem. So grateful for the basement! And the fact that our garage isn’t attached to our house, and it’s only a 1.5 car, so using it as a dumping ground is way too inconvenient.
I have been reading your blog for awhile and find it inspirational. I totally understand what you mean about one thing starting a pile. Indeed I have a theory that addresses that: Clean begets Clean; Mess begets Mess. As I have deslobified I realized just hie true that was.
I totally understand the out of control temporary box pile! I can’t believe how many boxes we have to deal with! I have huge piles of them in the garage. We did not use to have a recycling can so we didnt know what to do with them. They pile up in the house all the time too. It’s a never ending battle.
I just have to comment on something you said that I don’t think about. “The presence of one box starts the pile.” That is so true and is the case in our house too. I have 3 kids and a seriously messy house at times (a lot of times). I always thought my kids were the mess makers in my house but I have recently realized, I am the slob in the family. So I am stalking for blog and purging as much junk as possible. Thank you for taking the time to help others.
What about a large suitcase with wheels? Then perhaps all would be contained, and there would be no surface to set more stuff on.
OMG, is this reindeer poo on the sweater?
Yep. Truly hideous!
I love reading your blog too. Trere aren’t too many of us that have permanently solved the clutter problem, and I’m not one of them. It’s good to know other people have the same struggle as I do. Thanks for sharing.
I got the same hangers, and I’m limiting myself to the number of shirts that fit (35). I thought of you the whole way through, and I’m using them as my container. 🙂
Our bedroom was _almost_ clean, then I decided to park the de-homed items on my side until they either find a place or leave. So… 🙂
If I have an item that I never use at home but regularly use somewhere else I keep it in the trunk of my car. In my case it’s the big bag full of swim gear that goes to the pool with my son 3 nights a week. If you never use the box of brownie stuff at home but it can’t be stored where the brownies meet, try keeping it in the trunk of your car. That way you always have it with you when you get to brownies but you don’t have to make a permanent spot for it inside your house. Also when your darling daughter moves from brownies to junior girl scouts the box is easily handed off to the next leader and doesn’t have to be first unearthed from “The Pile”. : )
Ditto on Amy W’s comment! I do the same thing. I have a tote bag or box or whatever container is needed dedicated to specific activities. If I don’t ever use them in the house, they live in the back of my van. 🙂
I try to be motivated Monday through Saturday. Sunday is my play day. My whatever I want to do day. Do nothing day. But, if during the week I accidentally take a day off, then I work on Sunday, too. I hope you have a day off day. I like having it be Sunday because it’s like the whole cleaning the bathrooms on Tuesday thing. It keeps me accountable.
Get it out of your bedroom! You deserve to not have it in your bedroom, your bedroom is a sanctuary for you and hubby which shouldn’t include Brownies stuff. Does a box work for the Brownies stuff? Boxes are dangerous.
Shelves? The Brownies stuff needs it’s own container. Not a box, but a nice functioning container, maybe 4 smaller (more shelveable – is that a word?) containers that are still easy to grab for transportation but also easy to shelve.
Wow, talk about miss bossy boots. I really should keep my mouth shut until I’ve had a morning coffee and the brain has actually engaged. I’m sorry Nony.
One of your posts showed your table after the brownies ice cream project. Even if you meet often at your house the suitcase on wheels someone mentioned would still work. Especially if you have a coat closet near the front door where you can “drive” it home after each meeting. (Or maybe the girls would even do that part). (My mother who taught third grade learned to make cleanup time part of the project.)
I really like the suitcase idea. And yes, we do meet in my home. No closet space, but I’m trying to think of a place! Love the suggestions!
Sorry about your teeny coat closet. (I just now found that on an old post as I am reading through from the beginning.) Any chance that you could “create” a closet? A freestanding piece of furniture that matches your other furniture at least in color so it would sustain the peaceful look you have going on in there- There are lots of cute wheeled suitcases and totes for scrapbookers, but they will probably look like clutter if they are visible in the room. Another idea is a long thin wheeled storage “box” that goes under the bed. I used one for a few years while Mom lived here, but it is not super handy for weekly use. I love the daily habit encouragement! It is helping me keep up with my husband and all the things he wants us to go and do. Thank you!
I know you may not want to buy something for the girl scout items…but there are bins that have lids attached, they flip open in the middle and hang off to the side. If you need two once in awhile, when empty it would store under the one that contains the items you need. Another option is to designate a piece of furniture or cupboard with GS supplies. It may need you need to purge some items, which we know wouldn’t be a bad thing!
I can’t tell from the pic just how much stuff is in your Brownie’s box, but I have an idea that may work. I used a wheeled toolbox for my props and tools for photo studio — its about knee height, has a tray insert for the top, and a telescoping handle. Mine is very heavy duty — to the degree where an adult can stand or sit on it. (I graduated 10+ years ago, and haven’t used the stuff in nearly that long…I probably ought to declutter it, but its buried hubby’s garage somewhere!) They are handy because they are portable, sturdy, and durable. There are a bunch of options and prices out there. Search “wheeled tool box” or “tool box with wheels” and there are a bunch of options. The average price seems to be around $50 with the range being from $30 to $100+. A bit of an investment for certain, but it would be a good way to organize your supplies as well as confine them to a container. As for storing it somewhere… could it go near the garage entry to be brought into the house for Brownie meetings? Maybe that task could go to your daughter along with putting it away after meetings?
If the toolbox idea doesn’t float your boat, what about a buffet or cabinet? I think I remember reading an old post that you have the meetings in your dining room. If you can fit another piece of furniture there (or whichever room the meetings are in), it could work. You might be able to pick one up on Craigslist or at a yard sale for a reasonable price.
Oh, that sweater…..WOW. I see why it would be the hit of an ugly sweater party!
They also have wheeled boxes at your local office supply store, normally for around $20, in nice bright colors.
I like the idea of finding a spot other than your bedroom for the Brownie stuff. Maybe you might have an unused (or needs to be decluttered) spot in a closet or cupboard near your dining room where you could store the stuff. Or keep it in the same box, but store it in your garage or basement or and have one of the kids be responsible for bringing it out for meetings and putting it away afterwards?
I just wanted to send you a big thank you for everything you do with your website and podcasts.
I’m actually ocd, but I also have Fibromyalgia, so trying to keep my house clean was more than I could handle at the beginning. It was all so overwhelming that I soon gave up and did just the minimum and was miserable.
About 18 months ago, I stumbled across you on Facebook and you have changed my life. I’ve been slowly de-cluttering, following your advice, because it is small steps and that works wonders with someone who has a chronic illness. I’ve got one room left to declutter, and I think I’ll wait until Spring to start on that.
The main reason I’m sending you this e-mail was because of yesterday. I had your oh no, company’s coming moment. We ordered a new mattress and low and behold, they would deliver it in three hours. Under normal circumstances, I would have panicked. But because I’ve decluttered, it was a simple matter of picking up a couple of things, wiping down my empty kitchen counters, sweeping floors, etc.
It’s never been this easy to clean up before someone comes, so I wanted to thank you for all your agonies and know that this reader is a faithful follower.
And you have my permission to reprint any of this.
With all these basement and garage comments, I’m realizing how much more storage space I’d have elsewhere. No basements around here and garages are too hot.
Where is the first place you would look for the box when you need it? 🙂
Thanks for your blog! I am learning a lot about myself, how I think, and how to use that to make things better around our home!
Isn’t it funny how we always think something will take forever, but then it rarely does? Thanks for all you do!
I thought I remembered a previous blog about a cupboard you cleared for the Brownie stuff. I could be wrong. Love your tips!