I finally got all my Christmas and holiday decorations put away late last week. As I pulled out the boxes of "winter" decorations to put up next, I had a light bulb moment.
It takes too much of my time to do the decorating, and I'm not enjoying the process as I once did. This applies to all the seasons throughout the year when I remove the past appropriate decorations and replace the bare spots with the new.
Solution? I could stop changing decorations all together, but I can't bring myself (yet) to do that.
Compromise? I can reduce (significantly) the quantity of the stuff that needs to be handled.
I've already got a box (plus) of the winter decorations ready to go to one of our resale stores.
It's a start.
Now, in the next several days, as I really take an objective (a must) look at those winter decorations I've put into place in our various rooms, I'll be asking myself if they have sentimental value, and/or do I truly enjoy seeing and keeping them. What value do they have to me at this stage of my life? This may (should) lead to even more paring down of "stuff."
It's a step in the right direction for me as I feel a need to take an honest look at how I spend my time and energy.
I suppose you could call this small but honest change I'm attempting as a New Year's Resolution, although I'm determined to make it more than that. I want it to become a life's resolution in other areas of my life, too. What could be more important than managing my time so my days bring me more contentment, satisfaction and happiness? Plus, I'll be getting rid of unneeded "clutter" at the same time.
It is time.
How about you? Have you made any changes, big or small, that will give you more time for what is really important in your life? If you've been brave enough to do so, what are the changes?
14 comments:
Have I made any changes? Yes! I hired a lady to come in and do it for me - sorta....
For the first 3 years following my wife's passing, I tried to 'keep house' on my own. It never was my specialty, but I gave it the old college try. Reality finally set in - I don't want to become a grungy, stinky old man! - and found a lady to keep me polished and dusted, and keep the old Manor in order. She has been a god-send. I gave her full loose rein and turned her loose. She knows where my stuff is better than I do! Without being asked, she has taken it upon herself to spiff up the old joint and keep it adorned. I love it. We keep things minimized, but she does rotate the debris as appropriate for the time of year. For everything, there is a season.
I'm sure Joyce is rolling her eyes from heaven, but it is my lazy man's way out. When my lady is here, I go to town, then come home and act surprised at what I find. Cheers!
My New Years resolution: I’m on a diet again because I just don’t physically feel well at my current weight. This time I am trying Noom. I’m such a yo-yo. I do eat well but …
I’m trying to change my eating and drinking habits and we all know how hard breaking a habit is.
Decluttering can be difficult too. I’m just going at it slowly. Come summertime, I’m going to see if this diet worked and seriously get rid of the clothes that I will never wear again. It’s also time to go through all the kitchen cabinets to see what has and has not been eaten and to evaluate the cooking utensils/gadgets. Our local food pantry might be getting a donation.
Good luck with your decluttering!
Tim - What a great choice you made to hire someone to keep you "polished and dusted!" ;o) It sounds like you found a real gem in your helper. And I think your dear Joyce would be saying, "I always knew he was a smart guy." You're in no way lazy as you have so many other things to do, so I think taking the easy way out, as you say, is very wise. Now if only I were wise enough to do the same . . .
Katie C. - Oh, the old trying to shed a few pounds bugaboo! I'm not overweight but it's only because I constantly have to guard against eating all I want to eat or I immediately pack on the pounds. And it's not just sweets for me, but that I love good FOOD! Yes, any ingrained habit is SO hard to break. Getting rid of old clothes is something I must tackle one of these days. I have items in my closet (my only closet) that I haven't worn in 30 years. Is that ridiculous or what?
I have never been a seasonal decorator but I still have way too much STUFF. I, too, need to continue cleaning out my closet; I have 30-year-old stuff that I still wear regularly, and five-year-old stuff that I've never worn. Time to make SPACE (and not just in my closet) – and not fill it up again!
Michelle - Re the clothing issue, I have to laugh (and be a bit astonished) when I see pictures of myself taken 20-30 years ago wearing the same clothes I still wear today. Good thing I don't buy quirky, cute clothes that are stylish for about a month, eh? Let me know when you attack your closet. Maybe it will give me encouragement to do the same!
I threw out quite a bit of old Christmas stuff this year and tried not to replace all of it with new, cute stuff. I am making a real effort this year to go through every room, closet and cabinet and get rid of stuff I never use.(And it will probably take at least a year.) I really want to simplify our life so we can enjoy it more. This house has lots of good storage space, but I'm not really using it well. (Like a drawer full of plastic spoons, forks and knives from a reunion years ago.)
One of my winter goals is to go through and purge unused items. I confess to not making much progress, mostly because the rooms I need to do this in are unheated and not pleasant to be in during winter. Not good goal planning on my part!
I agree about simplifying decorating. Makes life so much easier.
We certainly purged when we moved to the Hill, but I have two big Rubbermaid bins of Christmas stuff. There is not room to put it all up here, so am seriously thinking of disposing of most of it. It is very liberating to have less stuff.
I'm not much of a decorator, but I remember being stunned by what an old friend and her mom did every holiday season. Every single item that could possibly have a theme was changed out. Soap, towels, pictures, coasters, doilies, toilet paper!
My current goal is helping my mom update and organize photos. It's going to be massive.
Leigh - Yep, both hubby and I are doing some sorting and organizing in unheated areas (and I'll be ours are colder than yours!) but with a work jacket (and sometimes a hat!) we've managed. Feels so, so good to know where things are and to get rid of a certain amount, too.
Rosalea - The "experts" say that it's actually a real emotional/mental health boost to rid ourselves of "stuff" that is extraneous. (So why is it so hard to do just that??) ;o)
tpals - I often read of people who put up a Christmas tree in EVERY ROOM! Gak. How much time would that take?? No way, for sure, that I would ever do that. And seasonal themed toilet paper? No comment. ;o) Organizing photos that have been a box for umpteen years is a task I have managed to avoid for a l-o-n-g time. Not good. :o(
I gave 2 boxes of mostly tree decorations to DS after he bought his house. Then a couple more boxes worth went to thrift store last year. There's still more items I could get rid of, but others might get upset.
I *might* decorate more for the seasons and holidays if I had designated areas for those things, and if it wasn't all stored in the attic. Then again no one but DH & I see it, so who am I trying to impress? I mean other than DH's "we gotta have a Christmas tree", he's pretty neutral on holiday decorations. DS certainly doesn't care much about such things.
JustGail - Yep, that's a question I've been asking myself. For whom am I decorating? It's mainly for myself although I do get compliments when other folks enter our house. I started doing the decorating for each season when our daughter was very small and my husband commented he hoped I would always do it . . . but now it is the time for a change. Or at least a bit of a change. Resale shop, here I come!
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