Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Whittle Down Wednesday

I have decided to make decluttering a part of my daily routine.

My washer really has freed up some time in my day! :o)


I thought about doing one room/day and working through all the rooms my house a few times/month. The first time I declutter a room it might be a big job, each additional visit to the room will be easier and easier. I have worked a few rooms already but even with a HE machine I just can't commit to doing a whole room every day (I'm thinking closets, dresser drawers, toy bins, bookcases, etc). I still have little people that need feeding, diapering and play time not to mention errands to run.

I've decided to give myself a challenge each day, but to be realistic as well. I have a short 2-handled laundry basket that I bring to the room where I will be working. I empy the contents of the dresser/bookshelf/cupboard/closet and anything that doesn't go in the trash that needs to be returned to another room or be donated goes in the basket. I return all necessary items creating a home for them. Then, when I've finished the particular project, it is easy to carry the basket around the house placing lost items where they belong.

My project this morning was my bed side table.

I love to read. I don't have lots of time to read, but like to have a book (or ten) nearby when I do. I like to be inspired when I read. I read a lot of spiritual, self help, mothering, homeschooling and marriage books. If I do read fiction is is usually a read aloud to my kids.

When I purchased our bedroom set, I wanted a bedside table with drawers. My idea was that I'd always have a drawer to keep my books in so my table surface wouldn't look cluttered.

Here was the surface of my bedside table thismorning. For some reason 3 drawers weren't any help at keeping the table surface clear.

And here's why. Drawer 1 before.


Drawer 2 before. Drawer 3 before.
It took about to an hour sort through papers and remove the overflow from these three drawers and put items in new homes.

Surface after. Drawer 1 after. Drawer 2 after. Drawer 3 after. Just tissues, a folder of momentos and my booties and gloves for winter skin care. I decided to keep only one book on the table. I kept journals (8 of them! I can't part with them, though.), two Bibles and a few devotional books in my drawers. The rest I moved to a book shelf in my closet. (my old coupon inserts are stored in the 3 buckets on the bottom shelf).