The books have left the building
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2 boxes of books for the charity shop
Last week’s mini mission had me convinced that Colleen has been secretly sitting behind my sofa listening to my conversations.
I’d decided not to join in with her mini missions for a while because I really wanted to focus on one room. Although I love the ‘little and often’ approach I was finding that my results and energies were too scattered and I wasn’t really appreciating my achievements because I would flit from the kitchen drawer to the office desk and then be pulling out things from under my bed.
However, Colleen started by saying “I want you to pick a room in your home that has a clutter issue, and this room is going to be the focus of your mini missions this week.”
Oh, ok then!
She then went on to say “Make a vow to yourself that you are not going to add any extra clutter to this room. Anything you use from or in it during the week you are going to put away immediately after use.”
Uh huhn…
For the first time this year I felt really motivated and energised to do this. I think there is a change in the air because during he same week a blackbird made his appearance outside my bedroom window and has been serenading me at 6am. Alongside that, Sunrise the Bunny is full of binkies and full of mischief, so I decided to put my energy into my home and away from the internet…
To be honest, this chosen room was so bad at the beginning of the week I couldn’t follow Colleen’s rhythm of clearing off a couple of surfaces and then the floor. I couldn’t even SEE the floor.
But by the end of a tiring, yet inspiring week I had indeed begun decluttering the room, could get in there and actually walk from one side of the room to the other in a straight line. I have released the following:
3 boxes LMGs toys
2 boxes books
1 box cds
But most importantly these items have actually GONE to the charity shop AND I’ve been enjoying my space. It’s the first time I’ve felt a real sense of achievement on my decluttering mission. I’ve also been inspired by a friend who has recently moved house and released 90% of her stuff before she moved. More on that another time!
How about you? Did the energies of spring invigorate you too or is it still a struggle to let things go?
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Hi
Well I have just taken 6 carrier bags to the charity shop, thanks to you link to 365. thanks the feeling is great.
I got rid of some books a few years’ ago and ended up picking up a few more over the past two years from all sorts of places; cafes that do book crossing, fetes held in church halls, charity shops and even dumped by the rubbish bins. Aaaggghhh! Never mind as I found one book in Oxfam that I couldn’t find in Waterstones as well as two Ordnance Survey regional maps that were a bit overpriced.
What I really wanted to say is why don’t people use their public libraries more often? They say it’s cheaper to buy on Amazon than it is to recommend to order a book from the library that might not get ordered but there are plenty of books already on the library shelves that are worth reading. We don’t have to pay to recommend books for order or to place holds on books on loan in the local library service but still people prefer not to borrow books from them. It’s not only cheaper (unless you forget to return them) but it saves landfill and bookshelf space as you have to return them.
Yay for decluttering! 🙂
I’ve removed a few bags of things recently but it never seems to end!
We take books to our local library first, they often take some of them from us. This helps the community loads by allowing many others to enjoy the tiles while helping to keep restocking costs down.
Win win!
🙂
Well done Mrs Green that is a lot of stuff out of your house and a lot of space reclaimed. It feels good doesn’t it and that makes you wonder I bet why you don’t do this more often. It my mini missions don’t suit you this week why not take something form that room that you speak of above and eventually you will reclaim the whole room and you can then move on to the next one.
Sandy – good for you too, 6 carrier bags of stuff removed. Thanks for taking a look at my blog.
Teresa – I agree with you, what is the obsession with owning books when there are perfectly good libraries everywhere. This especially applies to novels, it is almost as though people keep them as trophies to prove they have read something.
I’m still on my mission Mrs G. Several of Master P’s little toys went to the Resource Centre on Saturday with a couple of books for company, but the biggie was the dogs bed and blanket! She never, ever uses them, as she prefers to be by feet, wherever they are, so the bed (sorry) was sent to dog bed heaven as it really was beyond useable, and the blanket went to the local Animal Shelter 🙂
@Sandy: Wonderful Sandy – well done you!
@Teresa: It’s great when you find the book you are looking for, but as you’ve pointed out, its good to be selective.
@Susi: Lovely idea Susi, especially around here as libraries are threatened with closure. Thanks for sharing your story 🙂
@Colleen: Hi Colleen, I am indeed going to stick with this room now until it’s finished. There is a part of me that is actually enjoying it now I’ve made a start!
@Poppy: Well done on doggy releasing her bed and blanket! My dog never used his bed either, he preferred a nice comfy sofa or to sleep with his head on the hearth LOL!
@Colleen: I usually borrow books from the library when I want to read fiction or just to get an insight or overview when it comes to non-fiction. It’s also good way of finding if a book’s worth buying and sometimes if a book’s good I’ve borrowed it over and over again rather than buying it if it’s expensive or bulky but that does depend on availability in the library. Reference books are good to keep though.
When it comes to those second hand books I’ll start reading them but won’t persevere with them if I can’t get into them and will pass them on again through Bookcrossing.
I’m even selective with freebie magazines now as I had amassed quite a few last year and the year before which needed sorting out and put out for recycling. They were mostly adverts with the odd interesting and informative article amongst all the boring or rubbishy ones.