At least fifteen years ago, I bought a book called Simplify Your Life, by Elaine St. James. It was cutting edge at the time; it was written back when people were still caught up in the mindset that more is better. I’ve figured out that more stuff is stressful!
Bite
off
a little
chunk each day
While the book is wonderful inspiration (and I’m keeping it by my bedside to remind me of why I am doing this), I find that it doesn’t have enough practical tips for me. I need “how to” advice. I’m finding myself spending as much time searching for answers as I am in actually sorting the clutter, and sometimes forget that I’m supposed to be de-cluttering!
My Mamaw always had some advice for me if I wanted to “finish what’s on the plate,” her way of saying “get things done.” She said, “Bite off a chunk each day.” She was right.
We’ve been in the habit of resting in the evenings, instead of spending any time sorting and sifting. Weekend comes, and we devote hours to the task. We get exhausted and cranky. Then, we ignore everything for the next week until it’s time to get grouchy again.
Now, I keep a kitchen timer on the table by my favorite chair.
It’s a nagging reminder to get off my rear and spend at least fifteen minutes a night on the process of culling my stuff. I don’t have to spend any more than that, but I have to work at least fifteen minutes.
That might not sound like much, but it’s fifteen minutes closer to my goal.
This journey began on a separate blog (you can click here to read About Out Of Chaos), but that wasn’t really simplifying was it? I moved all of the posts to This Eclectic Life under the category Out Of Chaos. I’ll be adding more from time to time. I hope you join me.
Other posts you might enjoy:
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