The DeClutter Project Report - Week 8

I had been looking forward to this 3 day weekend for a while, thinking I would get a lot done on the decluttering project.  As usual, my expectations were much higher than reality and now that the 3 days are over, I don't feel I got nearly enough completed.  Which is not true but unfortunately, because I can't see it as easily, it's harder to grasp that I did get a lot done.  But I do I have a box filled with goodies to donate, I threw out two large bags full of recycling, shredded copious amounts of paper and filed away many pieces of paper. 

My first task (on Saturday) was to tidy up my four drawer filing cabinet.  It was filled to capacity and every time I wanted to file something, I had to push and shove to make room.  Things are much more orderly and slightly more spacious now.  I wanted to make room so I could start going through the boxes of "miscellaneous paper" that I knew were lurking in the closet in my guest room, which was the project I tackled for the rest of the weekend.

As I have often found since I started this project, I was once again amazed at some of the things I have been holding on to.  For example, this closet was pretty much filled to capacity when I started, or so it seemed:

But in reality, several of the boxes were empty and one box was full of smaller boxes, in case I might need them to mail something to someone some day.  Puhleeze.  Then there's the gym bag that I never use, with a combination lock attached to it for which I can't find or remember the combination.  Donate!  Clearing out those sorts of items is easy and instantly frees up a lot of space. 

There were also the aforementioned boxes of "miscellaneous paper" - that's always a scary scenario.  I cleaned out one of them but it took a while.  Still, it feels good when it's done.

For some of the items, I haven't yet got whatever it takes to let them go, even though I'm not sure why I am hanging on to them.  Such as the box full of old issues of LIFE magazine from the 80's and 90's, when I used to have a subscription.  Or my box of Blue Jay memorabilia from the late 80's and early 90's, back in the glory days when the team won two World Series back to back.  Or the big box containing the turntable record player I got for Xmas in the late 70's.  Not entirely sure what I am saving that for.  I have another turntable in my dining room which I do use but rarely.  I could let the one go, especially since it's a big box, taking up a lot of room, but so far, I'm not quite able to do so. 

Things are tidier in my closet now. 

I've moved some clothes over from my bedroom, since that closet is currently where I'm keeping the litter box for Katrina.  Not the ideal location but I don't want to unnerve her by moving it just yet.  That closet may end up being a temporary home for more kittens in the next few weeks (I have been told by the Abbey Cats people that "kitten season" is fast approaching), so I may need to move the rest of my clothes over as well.  We'll see how it goes.

As you can see, there is a big empty space on the right hand side of the closet.  Partly because there are still some boxes to be sorted that are scattered about the floor of my office/guest room that I hope to continue sorting through this week.

I was most excited to be able to take down the post-it I've had stuck to the side of my filing cabinet for over a year now, reminding me that I had misplaced my 2008 tax assessment form.  Today, that missing form was found (in a "miscellaneous" box!) and filed where it belongs.  :)

Katrina update: she is still spending most of her time under the bed but comes out much quicker when I go in to visit.  She is making a little conversation now, meowing at me when she first comes out from under, as if to say hello.  She doesn't like it when I am standing, that seems to make her nervous and want to go back under the bed, but if I sit or lie on the floor, she's quite happy to come out and be petted or eat a bit.  I even picked her up today but that only lasted a second or two before she got squirmy.  Then I picked her up and shut her in the closet while I vacuumed the bedroom, which I had put off as long as I possibly could.  She didn't like that and immediately tucked herself back on top of the shoe shelves and as soon as the door was opened again, she went back under the bed.  Hard to explain that the vacuuming was a necessary evil but she seems to have forgiven me already.