I picked up Throw Out Fifty Things by Gail Blanke at the library yesterday. After the intro and first chapter I was motivated but didn't have time to get started, and it's a good thing I didn't get started mid-day.
The idea is to make a goal to throw out 50 things, which at first sounded like a lot to me considering I'd just threw some stuff together for a benefit garage sale. But the first room to get started on was the bedroom which always gets neglected. So I knew it would be easy to find 50 things.
Gail Blanke's "Rules of disengagement" are: If IT weighs you down or makes you feel bad about yourself, or if it just sits there taking up room and contributing nothing positive, it goes out. If you're spending a lot of time deciding whether to keep or toss it, IT goes out.
After her first chapter on "Your Bedroom" I realized I'd be looking at every space in my room, including my closet. I was excited, however I was not prepared for how long this would take me. Silly me! I am a Professional Organizer so of course I got completely detailed and also worked on organization solutions. Part of what took me so long was trying on so many clothes. But if I was really going to do this, then I needed to do it full-throttle and that meant trying on clothes I'd hoped would fit.
I am tired but I am happy. I FEEL FREE! My room is more restful and my closet is less cluttered which means I feel more organized. I also know that everything in my closet fits me. And I know that I like everything in there. I ran out of time to thoroughly go through my book case. I also forgot to go through the one drawer in my nightstand.
Now, if I can get my husband to go through his stuff that would be GREAT! When I just went in to tell him I had finished and how great I feel he listened and said, "Great, I'm glad you feel good about it." Then I preceeded to talk about the process. I finally noticed the "sweet" look he was giving me. Translated: I am glad you are happy but I could care less about your process, can I go back to my reading? I caught on to the look and said, "I love you anyway!"
I had intended to keep a list of my 50 things like the author suggests. But I soon realized I wouldn't need to. Here's my list:
1 full bag of trash
1 full bag to goodwill
1 full bag to family
2 books + 2 CDs listed on half.com
Problem solved quite a few issues and moved a few things around.
Tonight I will be reading Chapter 2: Your Bathroom. Now, I think it will also be easy to find 50 things to "throw" out. The good news: smaller room + no clothes to try on. That means it should take me less time!
Why don't you join me? Start anywhere. Find 50 things to get rid of and post a comment here to tell me!
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