Sorting

I've been spending the last couple days in the storage unit trying to sort, condense and get rid of my stuff. I already did this once a while back, but I'm doing it again.

Did I not get rid of enough the first time? Yes and no.

De-cluttering can be a process, and I've found that it is often multiple steps for me. Should I get rid of everything the first time? Maybe, but I'm usually not there yet on the first go round.

The first time through, I get rid of everything I don't want. When I do the whole process over again later, I'm ready to get rid of even more. Sometimes because I'm more desperate, sometimes because I'm more focused.

Do I want to get rid of more things?

Yes. But I'm not sure just what it is yet. There are a few things I want to get rid of RIGHT NOW, but unfortunately, with our unsettled living situation, I'm not quite sure it is a good idea. Those black wool pants that don't fit well, don't make me feel good and I've been wanting to pitch for a couple years? They are on top of the "get rid of" list. So why am I hanging onto them? Because last winter was very cold, and I was almost more concerned about being warm than looking good. Almost, some days were better than others. The pants and a very sad down jacket are staying in the "keep for emergency but I don't want you anymore" pile. Just till I can think of a better solution, because I'm not in the camp of wearing things that depress your spirits.

I was going to clear out my collection of china pieces and only keep things that would fit into a tea set, but when I inventoried, I figured that it all could work, somehow, for a tea. Which really meant, I just didn't want to get rid of any of it. So I repacked it neatly, and all the china is staying. For now. But I have it all neatly organized into one box, so it will probably stay with me. I do however like to keep things pretty condensed and I only have one tea cup at the moment, so if I collect more tea cups and need to make more room, I'll have to reevaluate. The simple solution would be to add another box, but I try to just repack and condense so my storage doesn't mushroom.

I was pretty much down to one box of "treasures" but with the decision to keep all the china, I decided to officially expand to two storage boxes. It was actually a good decision in the overall scheme of things because I was starting to amass a collection of "smaller treasure boxes." Now, I pretty much just have two boxes that everything fits into neatly. For now. I'm either going to have to stop buying, refuse gifts, or re-work the system at some point, but it's pretty good at the moment. :)

Can you get rid of everything at once, or do you have to do it in stages?

Happy cleaning,

T.W.