There are 24 days left in my 30-day declutter challenge and I’ve taken care of most of the obvious clutter (stuff that gets in my way day to day – countertops, hallways, etc) so I’ve decided to divide up the remaining 24 days as follows: 1 week each on 3 “problem areas” then 3 days for wrap up/ other little projects that I find along the way. To be honest, I’ve been avoiding these problem areas as I know one 15-minute session will only make a small dent. So I’m hoping that by focusing a full week on each of the trickier spots, I’ll see more progress and keep the momentum going!
The 3 “problem areas” – where clutter seems to accumulate unchecked – are: the file cabinet by my desk (has become a drop point for old papers and reports from past jobs, notes from job searches, half-read books, etc), the bookshelf in the living room (books I love and ones I’ve never gotten around to reading are mixed with random papers, old CDs, binders from old training programs and old journals), and the closet (I only have one closet in the apartment – it’s large but has become unruly since it stores all my clothes, coats, old scrapbooks/ photos, luggage, a couple chairs I don’t have space for, an old computer and all sorts of other bits and pieces).
The first one I’m tackling is the file cabinet by my desk. It’s a bit daunting; there are currently boxes on top of the file cabinet and all the files are full. Yesterday I handled the papers that were on top of the boxes (!). Today I went back to that area to handle a file that I hadn’t touched in a while. I only got about 1/2 way through that file but through that process, I got rid of 31 pieces of paper (I’m counting them because I need the encouragement 😉 ).
Tomorrow, I’ll be back at the file cabinet, picking up with the rest of that same file. Slow going but I know it will pay off!
Life in the Tiny Moments 