At least two people have been brave enough to publicly take on decluttering challenges in 2009 and then report their progress on their blogs.
Chaotic Kitten has the catchy phrase No Longer Mine in 2009. As she writes, "I want to keep track of how many bags of rubbish leave my house this year." As of March 12 she has gotten rid of "183 carrier bags and 24 bin bags" full of stuff. Her first goal was 209 in 2009 - and she's already way over that, considering that each bin bag equals 4 or 5 carrier bags. And on March 10, she wrote:
It feels good, it's getting less scary, and the more I get rid of, the easier it seems to get rid of more.Congratulations, Chaotic Kitten!
Angela Esnouf, a professional organizer in Australia is trying to eliminate 2009 items from her home/life; her latest status report was on March 4, and the last item listed (#196) was the following - a good reminder that not all clutter is stuff:
196: And finally, decluttering one committee position from my life has lifted a weight off my shoulders and given me a good chunk of time.Congratulations, Angela!
[2009 Calendar by Vertex42.com]
Hi Jeri! Thanks for mentioning my Declutter Challenge! Anyone can join in and there've been some wonderful stories come out of it.
ReplyDeleteYou might like to read about Clutter Casting here: http://cluttercast.com/. A former TV reporter has set up a webcast for casting off her clutter!
ReplyDeleteYou get to vote.
And you may even win her clutter.
Even though "The Thoughtful Consumer" blog is on hiatus, I'm fulfilling my commitment to my 365 Item Toss Uncluttering Challenge!
ReplyDeleteI haven't figured out the number of tosses I've made so far, but I'm estimating close to one hundred. I'll total up soon (now that you've motivated me!) and will keep readers up to date in the comments section of the blog post that's linked above.
I applaud the brave souls who are uncluttering 2009 things!
What a great topic! It's inspiring me to get rid of at least 209 things. What was great to realize is that I don't actually own 2009 things, unless you count each pen and paper clip separately.
ReplyDeleteAllison, thanks for the pointer to Cluttercast!
ReplyDeleteAngela and Cynthia, I look forward to reading more about your progress on your blogs.
Susan, I hope you'll let me know how you do, too.
There must be something in the air or water! Although I haven't set myself any decluttering goals, I am actually doing it. (Far better to be doing than planning!) This is the first time almost since we moved into our house that I haven't been studying, and I'm slowly reclaiming my house. Bit by bit, project by project, box by box. I have no idea how much I've ditched (one way or another) but I know I seem to be constantly tripping over bags in the front entrance (on their way to a new home).
ReplyDeleteWe're not even real clutter bugs, but its still very freeing to release unused items.
Awesome! Great challenges!
ReplyDeleteLast week I emptied, thoroughly cleaned, decluttered, and then redesigned my own home office - AGAIN! I'm proud to share that I purged 7 paper shopping bags full of paper and was able to disassemble
two 32 inch wide sets of my IKEA IVAR shelves and put them in the attic! I'm so thankful the Ikea shelves just come apart. My office feels even more spacious now.
AND I feel better overall. I'm so glad I discovered how therapeutic clutter clearing is! We also decluttered our garage and freed up 30% of the space...
Next: the attic! I can't wait : )
SueBK and Ariane, thank you both for the fine testaments to how wonderful it feels to let go of items that no longer serve you!
ReplyDeleteDoes body weight count as decluttering? A kilo or pound here and there would make a difference!
ReplyDeleteLissanne, I don't know why it wouldn't count! This is a make-your-own-rules kind of thing; if it feels like clutter and it's now gone, that's great - no matter if it's a thing, a time commitment, or a bit of excess weight.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this - I've been very behind in commenting on blogs, but I really appreciate your post :)
ReplyDeleteIt really helps to motivate me when other people are so supportive, and I'm getting such amazing online support. Thank you!!
Chaotic Kitten, you're very welcome. I'm glad the on-line support is making things easier for you; you're making such wonderful progress!
ReplyDelete