My 15-Minute Decluttering Challenge: The Report

I know you all have been unable to eat or sleep or focus during the past 24 hours as you eagerly anticipate the report from my little decluttering experiment yesterday. Well, the waiting is over. Here it comes: I was correct. There were a lot of things I could throw away to which I had absolutely no emotional attachment.

My decluttering focus yesterday was a couple of bags of “stuff” that I grab to take with me when I know I’ll have some down time in the car. These bags include books, CDs, crochet projects, etc. I realized that I had gradually filled two bags with “stuff” so, obviously, there needed to be a little decluttering because one bag would suffice. Now, I did have moments of emotional engagement with some of the “stuff” (like when I found Amelia’s and Stephen’s original Target wedding registry catalog from when we went to Kansas City almost a year ago — awwww), but it was not difficult at all to throw those things away.

I got some immediate gratification for my efforts, too. For example, in the above-mentioned Target catalog, there was a $20 gift certificate to Shutterfly. Sweet. I also found a Tazo tea bag (still sealed, thankyouverymuch) that I steeped for my morning tea. AND I found some gum (also still sealed, you people) that I enjoyed yesterday.

So, I was encouraged that I CAN declutter without having to get emotionally involved with my stuff. I can make progress without shedding any tears. I can throw stuff away without angst.

Now, my next personal decluttering myth to debunk is that decluttering requires a huge amount of time to actually make any headway. I know that this myth is based on my recent decluttering experiences. I spent two days last summer decluttering my linen closet, three days decluttering the playroom, a week decluttering the clothes. I had the time and helpers to accomplish these decluttering feats. I loved being able to have ALL of the toys spread out so that I could locate every single game piece before I decided if any one game needed to be tossed for lack of components. Same with the linen closet and the clothes. I like, very much, to be able to see everything and then make a decision on what to keep and what to give away. It actually makes it much easier for me to make the decisions when I know I have the panoramic view.

And, I should stop here and give myself a little credit for the decluttering I actually have completed since I’ve been following Flylady. I mean, ALL of my maternity clothes are gone. ALL of the little boy clothes (except infant) that are smaller than Peter’s size are gone. ALL of our games are now complete and used on a regular basis. Plus, once an area is decluttered, it stays that way. There’s not an area of my home that has received a thorough decluttering that has been re-cluttered. Hmm…when I think of it this way, maybe I’m a little too hard on myself about decluttering.

Well, anyway, back to today’s mission. The way to prove to myself that decluttering doesn’t HAVE to be done in huge waves is to, yep, give it 15 minutes a day like Flylady says. So, I’m off to spend some quality moments with my timer, again.

P.S. One big decluttering challenge for us moms of large families is dealing with other people’s clutter. Here’s an example from yesterday: I noticed that there was a children’s booklet from the power company about electrical safety, the kind of publication that tends to float around the house because no one really claims it but no one throws it away because it seems to have some educational value and it was free. So, I tossed it. You’ve guessed what happened next. Mid-morning, I get a concerned look from Charlotte and the inquiry, “Where is my electricity book?” Thankfully, I had put the paper trash in a separate bag so it was not covered in potato peels. Whew.

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Tags: decluttering