Decluttering: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I have talked about decluttering a lot....I have promised it, I have been overwhelmed by it, I've decribed it, set up schedules for it, been inspired by it and been undone by it. Decluttering is probably the single biggest thing that could make my life easier...so WHY isn't it happening the way I want it to?

• Time: with everything time is a big factor, hard to squeeze in declutter time when so many other obligations and distractions call to me. And no matter how you look at it decluttering takes time...its not JUST about throwing away things...its about making choices about things, sorting things, rehousing things, and then donating or disposing of things.
• Stuff: I have too much stuff...and well that is what decluttering is all about....the amount of stuff to look through and work through is sort of overwhleming. The stuff comes in all sorts of categories...some is stuff that is important and just not organized and stored correctly, some is stuff that might have some value but do I really need it?, some is just pretty stuff, some is fun stuff, some is simply JUNK that needs to go....
• Storage: Lots of questions about storage....the rule of thumb is not to buy storage containers or items UNTIL after you declutter and see just what you need....good advice becuase I tend to stuff things into containers and well...maybe it was stuff that should have just GONE away...but at the same time...what exactly do I do with the stuff I know I'm keeping. Where do I put it, how do I remember where I put it, what makes sense where? So questions like that just STOP me in my track and I have yet to find good answers for some of them.
• Motivation: It's hard to be motivated...first of all there's a lot to do and second of all its hard enough to keep up with the regular chores...add a decluttering project to it and well....one would rather just write a blog post about decluttering than really do it. Yes, I know baby steps BUT it's hard to get motivated when you declutter a few square feet which are sure to start collecting something even before you get moticated enough for the next round...uuuugggghhh!!!

So those are the main areas and how they seem to impact my decluttering efforts...suffice to say things go slow, then hit a complete stop, then I get annoyed for lack of accomplishment, then I charge forward with energy for a bit, then things come up, and then so on and so on...BUT time to get off the computer for now and get busy....cleaning...with some decluttering along the way.

October

It's almost October!!!

Time for some Autumn regrouping....it's hard for me to blog when things are falling down around my head so please know that I am still with you...but I have to lead by example which means house first....blog second!!

For October I am going to focus on TWO main things.....here at Month by Month...

• Freezer OAMC (Once A Month Cooking)...I'm using some recipes someone posted about that are on Recipezarr...and so far things are working great. I'll share the links to the recipes and tell you how my first mini chicken cooking session went. I am planning a mini ground beef session next so I'll be sharing that also.
• Clutter Clutter Clutter...this is the absolute KEY to a clean house....well....decluttering is the key...We are going to take a ruthless approach here at Month by Month and part of it will involve the closet...and clothing pods...so Autumn wardrobes...beware...!!!

Autumn Notebook Challenge Week Two

Autumn Notebook Challenge Week Two: September

Okay....a few days behind putting up this information but according to our schedule, week two is the time to work on September. Since we are halfway throught the month, we are playing a little catch up on this one. In a way this can be good because as the month unfold, you can see the things that need to be included in this section.

Possiblities include:

• School Events Calendar


• List of Fall Gardening Chores


• List of Home Chores/Seasonal for September


• Notes for the beginning of the Halloween Countdown


• Any Local Events to Attend


• Birthday Ideas and/or Ideas for the First Day of Fall


• Inventory of Autumn Decor


• Colorful Ideas: Fun Things for Yourself this month

MHH Forums are Down

UPDATE:

At first I thought the problem was something I had done in managing the boards but after careful analysis by three knowledgable people, it has been determined to be a site failure of unknown origins. We are looking at ways to get the boards back up and running but I am not sure of the time that will take or exactly how they will be re-created. Continue to watch this page for further details.


Ginger

Week One Updates

How are you proceeding with week one? Have you made some decisions about your notebook? Have you printed sheets and put the dividers in your notebook? Time's a ticking so get busy!!!

Autumn Notebook Challenge: Week One

It's time to get started. First an overview and some ideas to ponder. Then you will need to make a decision about how to set up your notebook.

There are lots of ways to set up the notebook, so first you need to ask yourself what you want this notebook to accomplish/do. Is it primarily an archive of Fall Stuff? Is it a three month household notebook? Is it a combination? Do you see it as a daily working notebook or a special events notebook? Try to fine tune your ideas about the notebook because thay will direct you in the best method for setting up your notebook.

I am going to share my set up. It may work for you or you may choose to go a whole different direction.

Inside the notebook:

• Front sheet that says Autumn..behind it I will place my notebook table of contents at the end of this challenge. It will come last then I will not have to keep redoing it every time I think of something new.
• September Divider and behind it are three sections: Home and Garden, Holidays & Events, and Celebrating
• October (same as above)
• November (same as above)

Here are some ideas for things to go behind the sections:

• Home and Garden: Calendars, Home Checklist, Seasonal Chores Checklist, Garden Checklist, Journal page for September for dreaming about home and garden, Ideas from magazine or online pertaining to home and garden in the fall, back to school stuff, monthly menu plans, etc.
• Holidays & Events: Any holidays for that month, local events, quick get away ideas for the month, party ideas, birthday plans, journal page
• Celebrating: Decor ideas, traditions, themes you may use, ideas to make your life colorful, journal page, hobbies and craft ideas to try, fun little things to celebrate me, etc

Now I have decided to organizing mine monthly...three months and behind each month the three sections BUT you could organize it by the three sections: Home and Garden, Holidays and Events, and the Celebrating and behind each of those place the three months. It's a personal choice. Or some may decide to do sections for Crafts, Holidays, Home, Hobbies, etc. Doesn't matter. What does matter is getting started. So get busy...pick a way and pull the cover sheets and sections together. Later we will add the "goodies" .

Autumn Notebook Challenge

Okay...we are all set for the Autumn Notebook Challenge...right? Right? Well if not ...get out there and get your notebook and dividers....September 1st is coming up on Tuesday....so out weekly challenges will post EVERY TUESDAY in September...and by the end of the motnh you will have your notebook set up and ready to use for the fall season this year and every year!!

Week One: September 1st: Overview of the sections/items/set up.

Week Two: September 8th: The Month of September

Week Two: September 15th: The Month of October

Week Three: September 22nd: The Month of November

Week Four: September 29th: Catching up and Pulling it all together

As I mentioned, I'll be working the challenge with you...so let's pull together a great resource.