The Right Way

I'm a member of a few op-shop Facebook pages and there's a running theme which goes through these pages... and it never ends.

It's the donation of goods at the large bins outside the op-shop/thrift stores for the public to leave their goods.

Now that the Christmas Holidays are over, every man and his dog are out there decluttering their homes for the new Christmas gifts they've received. Now, this is a good thing to do - but delivering those unwanted goods is another thing all together.

I have never dropped off my goods for donation at the bins of an op-shop - ever! The simple reason is because while it's next to that bin, anything can happen to it. It could rain, and the bags could leak; thus ruining the clothes I've lovingly washed, folded and put into that bag. And who knows how long they'll be sitting there until a volunteer comes along to pick them up?
Or if it's furniture, somebody of the public could come along and throw it onto the road or sleep on it, urinate on it (thinking it's funny - and yes this happens)... or Mother Nature could play a part again in being herself again and wreck the furniture.

Now, I've been seeing photos of the bags and boxes of items left overnight and all of those boxes and bags have been ripped opened by people who just won't leave things be. It's not theirs to open, and take what they want - and yes, it's called stealing and for those who want to be religious about it, it is a sin - and after you've gotten what you want (or not found what you were hoping to find in that box), it's often something you can't close up again. 

So, the right way to donate your unwanted items is to take it into the charity store of your choice in a box or a bag. 

Wrap the fragile items properly. 

Wash all the clothes and fold them up. 

Mend what needs mending. 

Wipe down all the books you no longer need and take out the bookmarks, photos and money from within the pages (yes I've found money inside books I've bought). 

And most of all, make sure you deliver your preloved items with as much care as you did when you first bought them. 

It doesn't take much to be a good person when it comes to donating your goods. Just be thoughtful about how you go about it, and you'll find that your charity store will pay you back three-fold when you go in there looking for items you need in your house later on. 

10 Days

It's been 10 days since my last post.

Yep, I planned it this way just to see how I went with the house.

I've been cleaning up the living room which was filled with old VCR tapes from my life in the 1990's... and okay, they play, but I can't see what's being played. Damn! So, onto dvds those things go.  Until I find the time to get to do that, those tapes are put away into storage.

Then, I vacuumed the floor, and pulled out the donation box, sub-woofer and one of the cd towers to vacuum the carpet there. So much dirt came out of the carpet! But then, I only put back what was needed.

The tool box was put away until I needed it.

All of my laundry has been done, dried, folded and put away. I also got in and did my folks' laundry too - yep, we've had a few hot days here in Brisbane; so why not?

Then, I've created a couple of new habits:

Making the bed in the morning.
Taking out the rubbish to the wheelie bin every day.
Washing up before going to bed at night.
Cleaning up the living room before heading off to bed at night.

Yep, four new habits which have been difficult to keep up, but I'm working on them. It's been working out well too! It's nice to get out to the living room and kitchen and find there's nothing there from the night before waiting for me to clean up. 

The kitchen table has even been tidied up - and I've worked on making sure it stays that way! It feels so much better to sit down to a tidy table than a messy one. 

In just 10 days, I've worked on the house. In just 10 days, I've formed 4 new habits, which aren't big, but are useful. In just 10 days, I've changed the way the house runs completely... and it feels great! 

Seeing I've worked on cleaning out the house over the past 4 -5 years, I'm glad to say the new habits have worked out so well. And like Peter Walsh has been saying to everyone: it just takes 10 minutes. 

And it does. 

Three Steps Forwards, Two Steps Back...

As with anything in life - and any new habit you're starting to do - there will always be a few teething problems.

Like with this blog. 

There's not many people jumping in this place, because they're unsure about what this whole thing is about. 

'A Work In Progress'... it could mean artwork, building a house, the inner workings of somebody's mental state... yep, it could mean anything. But it's about how to go about working on the clutter in your home. And let's face it: I'm not the perfect role model for this either. I have a cluttered home and I'm working on my place as much as you are.

So, when I have a drawback - like I have had recently - it's because I've had personal matters interfere with my life. When this happens, my mindset gets screwed up and so does how my house looks, works and how my decluttering goes on; or doesn't. 

When you do have a week or two where you're wondering exactly how you got to have more crap in your house than you initially thought, sit down with a glass of water or a cup of tea and breath. You're going to be okay. This is what is known as a curve ball - it's a small one compared to what's been tossed in your direction in the past (and what you'll get in the future) and it's one. But breathing through your stress will help in some ways as it'll get your mind to settle down and stop you from panicking.

This week, I'm having a three steps forwards, two steps back kinda week. A neighbour and I had a misunderstanding and she took out her frustrations in such a way, I just don't know where I stand with anyone around my area anymore. And, I feel really out of control of my surroundings right now and so my house has become messy. So, the first thing I have done is fix a few small things around the place that have needed fixing for a long time.
They were the tiniest things, but they needed doing to make my life that much more easier in the tiniest ways. I bought a 1 metre extension cord from Bunnings so my other bedside lamp worked and the rock salt lamp worked too. I find it's the small things that help make the bigger things less important. Sounds a little silly, but for me that kind of thing works so well and helps me get back onto working on me and making myself happy. 

What has been happening around you to make you look to something small to help you stop, breath and get your mind back onto what you feel is the right way of thinking? What was your three steps forward, two steps back moment? 

A Day Off...

I'd love to say I jumped right in and have been decluttering my home office since 9am this morning.

I wish I could say that.

But I haven't. 

It's just too bloody hot!

Today, around Queensland - and Australia - it's supposed to be record-breaking temperatures up to and over 40C (that's 104F for you guys overseas). And so, we've been advised to not to anything strenuous, to stay inside, drink plenty of water and pretty much hibernate. 

And you know? That's exactly what I'm going to be doing.

But I have an art piece I have on the go on my work bench - and that work bench is right next to the back door - so in the next hour or so, I'll be there working on that for a bit. Then, I'll see if I can stomach lunch... I might be just drinking some water instead.

So, this is the day off for me, because of the heat. If you're sweltering in the heat anywhere in Australia - or somewhere else in the world right now - don't push yourself. Take the day off and relax. Watch a bit of television and stay cool and drink plenty of water. 

Being A Collector Is Okay

It's more than okay, it's normal!

Don't ever think that having a collection of something - or more than one thing - that you love isn't normal. We're Human Beings, we're supposed to collect things that mean something to us.

I collect books, vinyls/records, dvds, cds, sheet music (old-fashioned music that is and rock'n'roll) and I also collect handbags and coin purses. So, of course you'll have to either display your beloved collections, or keep them safely stashed somewhere. 

So, when you're looking through your things and wondering what you should keep, what you should throw away, and what you should donate, think on what you have collected. You'll be surprised at how much of something you've collected - what you've turned your passions to and enjoyed collecting. 

When you've found your happiness - no matter if you love Tupperware, Corningware or 1960's furniture - make sure nobody bursts your bubble... keep at your passion. You'll love yourself and your decluttering will come easier to you as you work through your house. 

Decluttering Isn't Easy

I might make decluttering sound like it's a pinch of dirt... but really, I do struggle with decluttering the smallest things.

The amount of times I've gone into my wardrobe hellbent on getting rid of certain items, only to return them back to the coat hanger and close the door again, I've simply lost count! It's the same with my books. I have to be in the right state of mind to do that - believe me - because I adore the written word more than anything. And for me to get rid of any on a whim would just be horrible. I really have to have the right thoughts going through my mind of which genres I'm going to get rid of; not just toss out books higglety-pigglety. 

So, when I'm writing about something I've decluttered, a lot of the time, you've gotta remember I might write another post in a few year's time on it again where I'm tackling that very same room or part of the house because it's gotten cluttered again.

This is simply because decluttering your home isn't an easy task. It's a very personal journey through your life and your mind. You do it with your things - and sometimes your family's things who have passed away - and you have to make up your mind whether or not you need them in your house.

Believe me when I say that I had a few false starts before I really got in and just worked on a tiny part of my house - and it started out with a junk drawer in my living room. It made me feel so much better that I just continued on from there.

So, take your time. 

It's your journey, not mine. These posts aren't homework... they're suggestions. So if you'd like me to write about how to go about decluttering something, ask in the comments below and I'll write a post about it. 

Otherwise, keep us all posted about your journey as well. As Human Beings, our lives aren't meant to be organised; they're meant to be comfortable. Don't throw out things you want in your life just because other people don't want you to have them. And most of all, don't compare yourself - or your home - to others. It just won't help you in your journey through your stuff (I'm not going to call it junk unless you do). 

Take care. 

Keep what you really want.

And make you home your castle.