DECLUTTERING: Getting Started

SOURCE: Google

Now that my busy season at work is done and I have time to breathe and recuperate, it is time for me to start tackling the things that I have been putting off for a long time. Biggest and most important task -- DECLUTTER MY BEDROOM AND OFFICE.


I use work as a convenient excuse not to jump into the piles of clutter I have accumulated over the years. My closet is bulging, my drawers are stuffed to the gills, and there are piles of stuff growing and multiplying on my floor. My bedroom is in sad shape and my office is starting to become a mess as well.


I have no idea how it got to this sad state of affairs. So, before I start to become a candidate for the television show "Hoarders", I decided to declutter. My biggest reason for decluttering is that I will be moving temporarily when my condo goes through renovations. I don't know exactly whether renovations will happen this year or next, but I decided that I should get ahead of the game because moving all of our stuff out of our condo will be a massive operation.


There is a current trend to declutter with numerous articles and videos about how people have decluttered their homes and now have a new lease on life. Before-and-After pictures are tagged with "#konmari" for the author Marie Kondo who has started a decluttering revolution with her book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up". In the book, Kondo advises readers how to break ties with items that no longer bring them joy. While I am all for ridding myself of items that no longer bring me joy, I am not looking forward to actually doing it. Just looking at the mess in my room is enough to scare me away.


However, like I said in my previous blog post, I need to start making changes and decluttering the rooms where I spend most time in (my bedroom and office) seem like the most logical places to start. While Kondo suggests that you tackle decluttering by categories rather than rooms and do each category from start to finish, rather than in chunks, I don't think that I am going to be able to do that. Instead, I will need to tackle my office by separate areas and over separate periods of time for my bedroom.


So far, I have decluttered my desk shelves in my office, which produced a full bin of papers for the recycling cans. It was amazing how many old documents I was keeping for reasons that I have since long forgotten. I still have my office desk drawers to tackle and bookshelves. As for my room, I installed a closet system that I purchased on Amazon to help with my bowing closet rod and went through the clothes in my closet in the process. I got rid of two large shopping bags of clothing and one large shopping bag of shoes. I know I can still go back into my closet and find more things to purge. I also went through 75% of my jewelry collection. It's a small start, but I feel like I accomplished something and something is better than nothing, right?


I have a long way to go. As part of recreating this blog, I am thinking about giving updates of my decluttering process. I know that it will take awhile, but I will try my best to remain on course. Wish me luck!

RAMBLE: Changes Ahead...

Source:  Google

It's been years (two years!) since I last posted something on this blog. Honestly, I was considering taking this blog down, but I came to the realization that perhaps that this was a perfect opportunity to make some changes.


I originally started this blog as a way to keep up with my writing skills, provide some beauty reviews, and insert some rants and raves about various topics. This blog was also supposed to be a bit therapeutic for me as I navigated through this roller coaster ride that we call life.


Today, was reminded how much of a roller coaster life can be. I found out that a friend of mine lost her job. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. It was just life. Her new boss, who was tasked to make changes in the office to turn things around, made a decision that the office could not keep her. While you hear of job loses all the time, especially when a new company or management takes over, it hits home when it happens to someone who you are close with. This is a huge change that she must deal with head on. Looking for a new job, learning new skill sets, and adapting to a new work environment. It seems like an insurmountable feat. Even though my friend is hurting now, I am confident that she has the strength to move on and find something new after she gets over her shock and is able to process everything.


This occurrence caused me to start reflecting upon myself and how I deal with change. I think I'm like a lot of people because I don't care for change. I know people who embrace change because it is an opportunity for them to reevaluate themselves and make improvements. My initial reaction is that change is hard because it forces you to go outside of your comfort zone and dip your toes into the pool of the unknown and unpredictable.


However, despite my initial reaction to change, I realize that I have dealt with change quite a bit in the last five years. I left my job and my long-term relationship ended with a broken heart. As hard as it was for me to leave my job, even though I was totally miserable, I ended up finding a position that I enjoy and challenges me. As for my broken heart, it mended over time and was made whole again with a new and exciting relationship. So, change isn't that bad entirely; just a little scary and painful at first.


I am thinking about making some changes to this blog because change can be good. Please join me as I dip my toes in the pool of the unknown!