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Post by dewryce on Feb 12, 2024 4:41:05 GMT
Our family members must wonder where these bursts of energy come from. I went through a bunch of papers etc and came across a birthday card with cash in it. Blue recycle bin will be full again this week. Also need to list a couple of things for sale. Ha, not mine or DH’s. I’ve been doing this my whole life. For a long time it was just organizing, but after a while I’d also go through big bursts of decluttering every year or so, often when manic or hypomanic. So mine are used to it and just wait for the incoming photos and offers  |
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Post by lg on Feb 12, 2024 8:26:24 GMT
Went through underwear and pj drawers - threw out the holey items (soooo many 😳), a long sleeve shirt with a bleach stain and a pair of pants that are getting see through. PJ drawer shuts easily now so not sure if I’ll replace any items or just leave as is. Won’t replace for a while as there’s no need…but need pockets on my pj pants for sure!
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Post by dewryce on Feb 12, 2024 9:27:46 GMT
This week we are working on the office.
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar:
Put away or give away books on your desk.
I don’t have an office, but I have a lot of office stuff in our project room so I am going to work in there. I suspect not much to donate here, so I’ll work on organizing and projects instead. No books out on the tables, and we don’t have fiction books, but I do have some reference books in hard copy that I haven’t read yet so I will pick one to read this week and then decide if I want to keep it
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by mich5481 on Feb 12, 2024 14:46:43 GMT
Went through underwear and pj drawers - threw out the holey items (soooo many 😳), a long sleeve shirt with a bleach stain and a pair of pants that are getting see through. PJ drawer shuts easily now so not sure if I’ll replace any items or just leave as is. Won’t replace for a while as there’s no need…but need pockets on my pj pants for sure! Yes to pj pant pockets!! Next time I have to buy new ones, that is my #1 priority! |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Feb 12, 2024 15:08:21 GMT
Pulled another pair of jeans out to donate. It joined another (clean) pair in the laundry room. One pair was so big, I can fit both arms on either side of me and still have room! That is awesome! Congratulations on your weight loss! Edited to add: I kept 28 pages from a 288 page book. If I cut them down and paste the ideas I want to keep on copy paper, that number should go down, since many of the ideas I liked were 2 page layouts on 2 pages that would easily fit onto one 8.5x11 sheet of paper. Another idea is to use your phone to scan the pages and save in a folder, or use a program like Word or PowerPoint if you want. I've been doing this with those instructions that come with tools or products in my sewing room. Even when I save them, I can rarely find what I'm looking for. Easier to just pull up a folder on the computer! However, my goal is to get as close to zero paper as humanly possible. Your goal may be different. |
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761
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Post by mich5481 on Feb 12, 2024 15:44:34 GMT
Pulled another pair of jeans out to donate. It joined another (clean) pair in the laundry room. One pair was so big, I can fit both arms on either side of me and still have room! That is awesome! Congratulations on your weight loss! Edited to add: I kept 28 pages from a 288 page book. If I cut them down and paste the ideas I want to keep on copy paper, that number should go down, since many of the ideas I liked were 2 page layouts on 2 pages that would easily fit onto one 8.5x11 sheet of paper. Another idea is to use your phone to scan the pages and save in a folder, or use a program like Word or PowerPoint if you want. I've been doing this with those instructions that come with tools or products in my sewing room. Even when I save them, I can rarely find what I'm looking for. Easier to just pull up a folder on the computer! However, my goal is to get as close to zero paper as humanly possible. Your goal may be different. Thanks! I like paper copies, lol. I remember reading Marie Kondo, and was like, but my paper copies of my garage door opener manual make me happy! 🤣 My laptop died a couple years ago and I never replaced it, so I have just my phone and my tablet. It's a lot easier for me to read something printed. Plus, the tactile feel just does something for me. LOL, I could get rid of a ton of things if that weren't the case! I will say, I got rid of the manual when I sold my house though! |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 12, 2024 15:59:22 GMT
That is awesome! Congratulations on your weight loss! Another idea is to use your phone to scan the pages and save in a folder, or use a program like Word or PowerPoint if you want. I've been doing this with those instructions that come with tools or products in my sewing room. Even when I save them, I can rarely find what I'm looking for. Easier to just pull up a folder on the computer! However, my goal is to get as close to zero paper as humanly possible. Your goal may be different. See, and for me I can find the printed paper booklet ten times faster than some random scanned document on my computer in folders that all look the same. I hate trying to find anything on my computer! I staple the receipt inside the front cover of the booklets so I know the date when something was purchased and also copy whatever login information there if they make you register something online. I have a couple folders in the desk for household warranty papers and instruction manuals. I keep manuals for kitchen appliances in a kitchen drawer. |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Feb 12, 2024 16:54:26 GMT
some random scanned document on my computer in folders that all look the same. No random files on my computer! They are all organized in folders and sub-folders. I made a folder on my computer named Manuals & Warranties. When I download or scan something to add I start with the manufacturer name then the item. Super easy to find things. I also scan the receipt with my phone and add that to the folder. No more frustration with faded receipts! When you name files specifically it makes it even easier to just do a search in Spotlight or Find. For fun I just timed myself opening a manual and it took me 10 seconds. No way can I find anything physical that quickly! If anyone wants to get rid of paper manuals, check the manufacturer's website as many have them available to download. Another source for manuals (even older ones) is ManualsLib . com. It is a free, no sign up required website. |
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761
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Post by mich5481 on Feb 12, 2024 17:01:23 GMT
some random scanned document on my computer in folders that all look the same. No random files on my computer! They are all organized in folders and sub-folders. I made a folder on my computer named Manuals & Warranties. When I download or scan something to add I start with the manufacturer name then the item. Super easy to find things. I also scan the receipt with my phone and add that to the folder. No more frustration with faded receipts! When you name files specifically it makes it even easier to just do a search in Spotlight or Find. For fun I just timed myself opening a manual and it took me 10 seconds. No way can I find anything physical that quickly! If anyone wants to get rid of paper manuals, check the manufacturer's website as many have them available to download. Another source for manuals (even older ones) is ManualsLib . com. It is a free, no sign up required website. I actually went to some of those sites when I bought my house to download the manuals for various appliances because the previous homeowners had not left them for me. I printed them out though. 😉 |
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Post by dewryce on Feb 12, 2024 17:17:00 GMT
That is awesome! Congratulations on your weight loss! Another idea is to use your phone to scan the pages and save in a folder, or use a program like Word or PowerPoint if you want. I've been doing this with those instructions that come with tools or products in my sewing room. Even when I save them, I can rarely find what I'm looking for. Easier to just pull up a folder on the computer! However, my goal is to get as close to zero paper as humanly possible. Your goal may be different. Thanks! I like paper copies, lol. I remember reading Marie Kondo, and was like, but my paper copies of my garage door opener manual make me happy! 🤣 My laptop died a couple years ago and I never replaced it, so I have just my phone and my tablet. It's a lot easier for me to read something printed. Plus, the tactile feel just does something for me. LOL, I could get rid of a ton of things if that weren't the case! I will say, I got rid of the manual when I sold my house though! I feel the same about reference books. We replaced almost every favorite fiction book with ebooks, but I do prefer physical reference books. The graphics are usually better, and better placed on the page. You know where that certain thing is located on the page even if you can’t think what to do a search for, I like adding notes in a specific manner, etc. |
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Post by rymeswithpurple on Feb 12, 2024 17:30:09 GMT
The bookshelf we're using as a makeshift shelf unit in our closet has had a shelf collapse. Again. I told DH that he needs to go through his clothes so we can get rid of it for once. I'm sick of hoping it'll stay up. I told him we've got an empty bin in the front closet he can use for out of season clothes, and I'm happy to get some others that slide under the bed. Apartment life sucks sometimes. I want a new dresser, but also want to wait until we're either in a new place or a house. Sigh.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Feb 12, 2024 18:26:36 GMT
Yesterday we made great strides with the book situation in DH's office. There are still four book boxes of his books in the guest room that need to be dealt with. Got him to agree to go through one box yesterday. He wanted to keep it all but his bookcases are full, so he started pulling books that could be donated. He ended up going through all the shelves of one bookcase. There was a lot that went into the recycle bin (filled an empty 90 gallon bin 1/3 full!) and a ton of books to donate. Those were loaded straight into my car and will be dropped off later this week. We also filled a 13 gallon trash bag. So much of it was books from his college days in the 1970s.
After clearing off the selves of stuff he no longer wanted or needed and adding the books from one box he still has a couple of empty shelves. Hopefully next weekend we can tackle the other bookcase. The space he frees up on the second
He also has a credenza with two generous storage areas below. Cleaned out one of those, trashed a good bit and now he has an empty shelf in there. The other section is filled with piles of old cards and papers so I'll pull that out later this week so he can work on that next weekend.
Seeing how much he got rid of I was inspired to go through the cookbooks in my office. I did a purge a few years ago, but decided I was ready to let go of more of them. There are 22 books that will be donated along with his books and I added one small craft book to my quilt guild garage sale bin. I have a bit more breathing room on the shelves in my office and it feels so much better!
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 12, 2024 21:23:38 GMT
Thanks! I like paper copies, lol. I remember reading Marie Kondo, and was like, but my paper copies of my garage door opener manual make me happy! 🤣 My laptop died a couple years ago and I never replaced it, so I have just my phone and my tablet. It's a lot easier for me to read something printed. Plus, the tactile feel just does something for me. LOL, I could get rid of a ton of things if that weren't the case! I will say, I got rid of the manual when I sold my house though! I feel the same about reference books. We replaced almost every favorite fiction book with ebooks, but I do prefer physical reference books. The graphics are usually better, and better placed on the page. You know where that certain thing is located on the page even if you can’t think what to do a search for, I like adding notes in a specific manner, etc. I too really like physical reference books and I have a lot of them for sewing and various paper crafts. My craft book library is way better than what is available at the local public library! I miss being able to look at them though. I had them all unboxed after we moved but the shelf they were on literally collapsed and I had to box them all back up again. Now that was sad! |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 12, 2024 21:30:33 GMT
some random scanned document on my computer in folders that all look the same. No random files on my computer! They are all organized in folders and sub-folders. I made a folder on my computer named Manuals & Warranties. When I download or scan something to add I start with the manufacturer name then the item. Super easy to find things. I also scan the receipt with my phone and add that to the folder. No more frustration with faded receipts! When you name files specifically it makes it even easier to just do a search in Spotlight or Find. For fun I just timed myself opening a manual and it took me 10 seconds. No way can I find anything physical that quickly! If anyone wants to get rid of paper manuals, check the manufacturer's website as many have them available to download. Another source for manuals (even older ones) is ManualsLib . com. It is a free, no sign up required website. I’m glad you have a system that works for you! What I meant is that all the folder icons on my computer look the same, and the names always end up getting truncated and cut off so I end up having to look in multiple folders to find what I want. Whereas with my desk folder, all of the manuals are in alphabetical order so I can quickly flip through to find the one I want. Plus they all look different which makes it easier to tell what is what. I have had to look up downloaded manuals before and sometimes they end up being scanned copies of a physical printed manual that is dark and hard to read. I’m not a fan of that. I just did that for my embroidery machine, I couldn’t find the manual because it was in a box with some other related items and now I can’t find the box. 😕 The online one is so bad I can barely read it. |
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lindas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,306
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Post by lindas on Feb 12, 2024 22:06:27 GMT
I had to put my organizing and decluttering activity on hold for a while so I could deal with dad’s things and all the paperwork that went along with his recent passing. I finally got back into O&D mood today and cleaned out the linen closet in my bathroom. Got rid of a bunch of expired OTC medications, old makeup and things I just didn’t need anymore. A little rearranging and I now have a whole shelf with nothing on it. Now to keep it that way.
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Post by dewryce on Feb 12, 2024 23:00:43 GMT
I had to put my organizing and decluttering activity on hold for a while so I could deal with dad’s things and all the paperwork that went along with his recent passing. I finally got back into O&D mood today and cleaned out the linen closet in my bathroom. Got rid of a bunch of expired OTC medications, old makeup and things I just didn’t need anymore. A little rearranging and I now have a whole shelf with nothing on it. Now to keep it that way. I’m very sorry about your dad (((hugs))). Welcome back! |
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761
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Post by mich5481 on Feb 13, 2024 17:20:59 GMT
Pulled a book out to read and the back cover blurb felt a little familiar- turns out, I'd read the book earlier this year, but it was repackaged as a set of two books in one! 🤦♀️
Easy add to the donate pile though!!
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Feb 13, 2024 19:30:49 GMT
Approximately 100 hardback books and 25 paperback books dropped off at the thrift store today! Next up will be getting a quote on selling all my SLR and DSLR camera gear and getting it out of the house.
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Post by dewryce on Feb 13, 2024 23:02:10 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar:
Declutter left desk.
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Post by dewryce on Feb 14, 2024 3:36:13 GMT
I didn’t declutter any books today, but I did select one to read that I haven’t already. We only have reference books in hard copy and have quite a lot we haven’t read yet. I need to do one a week. Unless we get a LOT out of them then we will trash or donate once we have finished. Is it wrong I’m hoping we get rid of a lot of them?  I know it seems backwards because I should want good value from something we paid for, but I would love to halve our book collection. That’s just pulling a number out of a hat based on how much space I’d like to dedicate to them. Right now I think we have about 6 feet of shelving space, each have one shelf. We also played the last game that we owned but hadn’t tried out yet. Wanted to hate it so we could donate it. We love it. *sighs*. Ah well. But I did finally go through my manicure/pedicure bag that I just kept shoving back into the linen closet and got rid of 75 % of everything, colors, base and top coast, tools, etc. I’m down to trimmers, metal orange stick, a cuticle remover I love, and 3 color polishes. I only keep these so I can take them in when I get a professional pedicure because they often didn’t have a color I was in the mood for. It’s been since pre-COVID since I’ve had one but I will in the next month or so. So if their collection looks more like my style I’ll probably ditch all 3 colors. Small, but a victory nonetheless. And I hung up some storage in my craft room. Not decluttered, cause it’s all new within a couple of months, but organized! I haven’t been doing great physically or mentally so things are slowing down a bit, but as DH has pointed out, in the past they would have stopped completely. So that’s my biggest win! |
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Post by calgaryscrapper on Feb 14, 2024 5:32:56 GMT
We dropped a bag of clothing to donate today. Went through a bunch of stuff, did some shredding of paper then got it all out to the blue re-cycling bin. It is full and ready for pick up this week.
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Post by dewryce on Feb 14, 2024 12:35:42 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar:
Declutter center desk.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Feb 15, 2024 3:58:02 GMT
I didn’t declutter any books today, but I did select one to read that I haven’t already. We only have reference books in hard copy and have quite a lot we haven’t read yet. I need to do one a week. Unless we get a LOT out of them then we will trash or donate once we have finished. Is it wrong I’m hoping we get rid of a lot of them? I know it seems backwards because I should want good value from something we paid for, but I would love to halve our book collection. That’s just pulling a number out of a hat based on how much space I’d like to dedicate to them. Right now I think we have about 6 feet of shelving space, each have one shelf. We also played the last game that we owned but hadn’t tried out yet. Wanted to hate it so we could donate it. We love it. *sighs*. Ah well. But I did finally go through my manicure/pedicure bag that I just kept shoving back into the linen closet and got rid of 75 % of everything, colors, base and top coast, tools, etc. I’m down to trimmers, metal orange stick, a cuticle remover I love, and 3 color polishes. I only keep these so I can take them in when I get a professional pedicure because they often didn’t have a color I was in the mood for. It’s been since pre-COVID since I’ve had one but I will in the next month or so. So if their collection looks more like my style I’ll probably ditch all 3 colors. Small, but a victory nonetheless. And I hung up some storage in my craft room. Not decluttered, cause it’s all new within a couple of months, but organized! I haven’t been doing great physically or mentally so things are slowing down a bit, but as DH has pointed out, in the past they would have stopped completely. So that’s my biggest win! You have been busy! We are having three areas of the house painted tomorrow and I can't wait to get things put back together. Tonight we tried to clear out the rooms as much as possible and got the walls prepped. Man, is it a disaster in here right now. It feels like we are moving without boxes. I will be forced to go through some things like books and other things when putting everything back, so will do a quick run through of things like books, office things, etc. I will post some pics when things are cleaned up! |
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Post by dewryce on Feb 15, 2024 11:56:46 GMT
Can’t wait to see your pics iamkristinl16Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar: Declutter right desk. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 15, 2024 13:55:32 GMT
You have been busy! We are having three areas of the house painted tomorrow and I can't wait to get things put back together. Tonight we tried to clear out the rooms as much as possible and got the walls prepped. Man, is it a disaster in here right now. It feels like we are moving without boxes. I will be forced to go through some things like books and other things when putting everything back, so will do a quick run through of things like books, office things, etc. I will post some pics when things are cleaned up! Everything will feel so clean and fresh once you’re done! I bet you’re excited for that!  |
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Feb 15, 2024 14:04:02 GMT
You have been busy! We are having three areas of the house painted tomorrow and I can't wait to get things put back together. Tonight we tried to clear out the rooms as much as possible and got the walls prepped. Man, is it a disaster in here right now. It feels like we are moving without boxes. I will be forced to go through some things like books and other things when putting everything back, so will do a quick run through of things like books, office things, etc. I will post some pics when things are cleaned up! Everything will feel so clean and fresh once you’re done! I bet you’re excited for that! Right now it looks like I never clean. Ugh. I will definitely be deep cleaning all of the furniture and other items in the rooms. I want to get things put back asap but will also make sure to do a thorough job of cleaning while I do so. |
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Post by alsomsknit on Feb 15, 2024 14:14:21 GMT
Can’t wait to see your pics iamkristinl16 Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar: Declutter right desk. I have approximately half of my desk sorted and cleaned. Still need to do the file drawers. Plan to do that in 2 sessions. Need to rethink the files. Do I consolidate the files for the vehicles, for the critters? What can be moved to the storage room file cabinet? Thinking small for the time being. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 15, 2024 14:48:25 GMT
Everything will feel so clean and fresh once you’re done! I bet you’re excited for that!  Right now it looks like I never clean. Ugh. I will definitely be deep cleaning all of the furniture and other items in the rooms. I want to get things put back asap but will also make sure to do a thorough job of cleaning while I do so. Ha ha, I feel that pain! I’m still working through the mess of junk in our front room and slowly getting rid of stuff. If you looked through my front window into that room you would think we belong on an episode of hoarders. 😟 I’ll probably have another couple boxes of stuff to take to donation next week. The winter clothes I had set aside for DD’s friend at the lake cabin are probably going to go to donation now instead since her dad told my DH that he’s planning to sell the house on the lake that he inherited from his dad and move to Florida, and his kid will get shuffled back and forth between there and her mom’s in WI every three months. What could possibly go wrong?  🤪 If you knew the whole backstory the emojis would make total sense. So I’m not even going to ask if they want them now. His entire house already looks like an episode of hoarders, but half the time the kid is dressed like a vagrant so my kid’s never worn hand me down clothes are definitely a step up. If no one claims the last few available things I posted on Buy Nothing, I’ll add them to the pile to drop off at Salvation Army just to get them gone. With the snow we got last night and the roads being terrible today and probably tomorrow too, dropping it off can be a job for next week. I’m not feeling too motivated to do anything, but I need to get back in my guest room and deal with those clothes since I ended up taking them all off the bed so I could sleep in there the other night. DH’s CPAP mask was coming off his face and making a ton of noise. He was so dead to the world asleep that none of my nudging and poking got him to fix it, so I bailed and slept in the guest room instead. 😴 Peace! Dark! Quiet! Ahhhh! It’s times like those that I’m SO glad we have a functioning guest room I can sneak off to. Now that we’re using the new coffee machine I won in December, the not so old Cuisinart coffee brewer it replaced is taking up space on the counter where the toaster is supposed to live. I think DH plans to take that one to the hunting shack since the one there is a $15 Mr. Coffee that was someone else’s hand me down. Maybe I can get the Cuisinart cleaned up and packed so the next time he heads there to check on things it’s ready to go out the door. |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Feb 15, 2024 14:52:47 GMT
Do I consolidate the files for the vehicles, for the critters? What can be moved to the storage room file cabinet? Thinking small for the time being. Files that could be moved to storage room might include anything you don't access more than once or twice a year. In my case that could be my car files because other than annual tags and a service once or twice a year those files aren't active. As for consolidating files, think about how you would sort by car/animal within that file. If the total papers are few, then consolidation could work. Another option to consolidated files is to use Classification Folders. These have dividers within the folder that you can label and use to sort. They are available in both letter and legal size. My house files, as well as remodeling project files, are stored in these. Examples of how house files can be divided: Appliances, HVAC, Maintenance, Taxes, etc. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 15, 2024 14:53:36 GMT
Can’t wait to see your pics iamkristinl16 Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar: Declutter right desk. I have approximately half of my desk sorted and cleaned. Still need to do the file drawers. Plan to do that in 2 sessions. Need to rethink the files. Do I consolidate the files for the vehicles, for the critters? What can be moved to the storage room file cabinet?Thinking small for the time being. For things like that, I like box bottom hanging folders with tabbed manila folders inside for the individual items that I might need to access specifically. This is a good reminder that I need to go through the other lateral file cabinet and pull out the oldest files for purging now that I’m almost ready to move the rest of last year’s business and tax stuff out of the desk and into the lateral file. |
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🤪 If you knew the whole backstory the emojis would make total sense. So I’m not even going to ask if they want them now. His entire house already looks like an episode of hoarders, but half the time the kid is dressed like a vagrant so my kid’s never worn hand me down clothes are definitely a step up.