We now return to our regular decluttering-focused programming.
Whew.
I have quite a bit of lessening to share. That has been my focus lately. Life has been crazy, but I’ve tackled several areas even without time to actually finish them.
I’ve been celebrating “less.”
I may not be able to call it Before and After, but I can call it Before and Less.
Less is better. Really.
Anyway, I’ll share some of those “projects” (in quotes since they barely qualify) soon, but I’ve been reminded again of the beauty of my first decluttering question.
I’ve also been reminded that when I act on auto-pilot, when I don’t consciously ask myself the question, I get it wrong.
And getting it wrong makes life harder than it needs to be.
As I’ve lessened multiple junk drawers lately, I have found many (oh so many) ponytail holders. Hair bands. Whatever you call them in your neck of the woods.
We look for these all the time. Like, every single morning for my daughter who has no choice but to wear her hair in a ponytail after our ordeal last year. Often, it’s a frantic search.
Even though she wore one the day before.
But we never ever (ever) look for one in the kitchen junk drawer.
Ever.
Wouldn’t even occur to us to look there.
But clearly, that’s the first place I put them when I run across a random ponytail holder and think I’m being efficient and put it away.
Evidently, our kitchen junk drawer is where I would stick it first.
Where Would I Look for it First? has a much better end result than Where Would I Stick It First?
It allows for the item to actually BE THERE when I go looking for it. Allows for an item to get used, and not just be the subject of a future decluttering project.
Proof that my first decluttering question is a good question.
Proof that asking it doesn’t come naturally to me.
Podcast (aslobcomesclean-comfeeddailyaudioblog): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
--Nony
where would i look for my ponytail holders? well, on the handy-dandy ring that came with a pack of them that’s hanging in my bathroom.
where do i stick them? depends on where i am when i take my ponytail down. i’ve found them in the outer pockets of my purse (where i NEVER look for ANYTHING-side note, also just found a chapstick there, which i can never find when i need it), in my couch cushions, on the entryway table, on the bathroom sink (at least it’s close enough that i’ll find it!), in the junk basket on the kitchen counter, in the junk *pile* on top of the dishwasher, in my kids’ room, in the laundry room, on the desk, on my night table, and the oddest place of all (for me anyway)… my underwear drawer.
fortunately i have enough of them that i only have to round them up every two months or so. hahaha
hahaha You sound like me. I have a shoe box that has all of my scrunchies in it. Once in a while I put the ones that I’ve worn into a lingerie bag and put them in the washing machine.
I have A graveyard for said hair “thingies” under my nightstand. When I take them off and toss on my table (that holds nothing but a plant) somehow during the night, I manage to slide them onto the floor. When I rotate my mattress, or dig out my side of the bed, I find HUNDREDS of these puppies.
I will try try again to put them in my drawer, so they don’t end up gone forever (months maybe.)
Thingies!!! Yes, that’s the word I was looking for! And really, how do they magically appear when cleaning weird spaces??
I have:
a nail bin
a hair bin
a lotion bin
a medicine bin
a teeth bin
An eye bin
Powders
Oils
Body sprays
Yes I have tons of bins n my bathroom and there aren’t even remotely enough…lol
My daughter & I have hair, hers is shoulder length & mine is waist length. We keep our hairbands/ponytail bands on our bedroom door knobs-both sides AND on the bathroom door knobs, again, both sides. Guess who doesnt have to look for one of those damned things? 😉
My friends mom taught me this in middle school and I still do it. It drives my husband crazy!
I have long hair and bought a metal paper towel holder to keep mine on.It’s a pretty red one with a nice design on it sitting on the bathroom counter.When I take one off,I put it on my wrist,then when I go to the bathroom,I put it on the holder.
That is so clever.
Mine are usually in whichever corner one of my cats managed to bat it into, after knocking it off of whichever surface was closest when I took it off.
Amazingly enough, I keep pretty good track of my hair supplies. It’s only when my daughter loses all of hers and starts borrowing mine that I run into trouble. 😀
Do like me and have no hair!! Lol I cut it to about 1 inch long. So much less trouble. Yes I look like a cancer patient, but that doesn’t bother me.
My cat found one for me today. I saw him bat something under the bench and screamed thinking it was a mouse. Nope just a hair elastic.
I feel you so much!!
I find Bobby pins, old hearing aid batteries (I have to change them about every 3 days), and hair ties all over my house…
The place I actually look for them- a pocket in my purse, the main drawer of my desk, or in a container of my bathroom vanity.
My iPad mini on the other hand… is somewhere in my house but hasn’t been seen for several months…
Where I would look for it: my desk, my area of the couch, or our charging station. But clearly I didn’t put it back there.
Baby steps though! The house has less, more things have true homes that don’t involve hoping the drawer or door can still close, and it’s getting more and more peaceful.
ROFL – a while back after reading this I realized how frustrating it was to go back upstairs every morning to grab a hair elastic. Now I have a dedicated place in a kitchen drawer since I put my daughter’s hair into a ponytail when we are downstairs. No one else would look there but life is much easier now.