How I Decluttered My Entire House in Six Days. UPDATE: GO HERE TO VIEW THIS YEAR’S DECLUTTER PROJECT. Carson: What is the worst color for a car? And how in the hell do people end up with a light green Nissan Cube (or insert bad car/color combo) anyway? ![]() ![]() Remember when I challenged myself to declutter my entire home in three days? It ended up taking twice as long but I am thrilled with the results! I listed my ideal declutter schedule here. And here’s what reality looked like: Day One: The living room, main bathroom, and my bedroom closet. Day Two: The kitchen (Lily and I spent hours cleaning and organizing our spice and baking shelves to create a workable system and it has been well worth the effort!). Day Three: The girls’ bedroom and the holiday storage closet. Day Four: The schoolroom. Day Five: The rest of the master bedroom (which included everything except my closet), plus Nathan’s walk- in storage closet. Day Six: The basement. Here’s how I decluttered and organized my entire home in six days: While I’d originally planned to just take three solid days to declutter, I’d forgotten one big thing: I couldn’t clean for three days straight! I hadn’t cleared my schedule and there was still schoolwork to help with, food to cook, laundry to fold (I used method B), and several other things that I couldn’t just drop without notice. In other words, I had the excitement and the desire to declutter quickly but I lacked good planning. I decided not to let that discourage me though and I just went with it! I divided my decluttering project into three separate weeks: Monday and Tuesday the first two weeks, then Tuesday and Wednesday the third week. Not only did this help decluttering to flow better with my family’s schedule, but it also gave me time to work on little projects inbetween declutter days (laundry, sending out mail, bringing in stuff from the cars, etc.). We ate simple meals. This wasn’t the time for gourmet food! Fresh fruit with eggs for breakfast, leftovers for lunch, and oatmeal or baked fish with broccoli and rice for dinner. A couple of the nights, Lily (8) cooked dinner for the family and we were thrilled to eat whatever she made! I decluttered even when I didn’t feel like it. Yes, there’s a time to rest and to take a break, but sometimes we just have to push through the tough stuff and focus on the end result! I stopped when I really needed to. I didn’t meet my goals every day, but last year when I decluttered, I really disliked the process. And often discouraging. Since then, I’ve also re- decluttered a few problem areas in my home. So when I decluttered this time I decided to reward myself with not dreading the entire process. When my kids wanted to make cushion tents while I vacuumed the couch, I helped them. When the weather was nice, I worked until 2pm and took the rest of the afternoon off so we could go outside for a few hours. How bout’ an overpronator? Hopefully you’re the former and not the latter, though these terms are often used interchangeably to diagnose why. ![]() I was able to actually enjoy the journey this time. My family kept our main goal in mind. I’ve told you a little about our dream of moving to a tiny house in the country. Ishqbaaz 24th December 2016 Written Episode, Written Update on TellyUpdates.com. Shivaye says DNA test report. Anika says its wrong, we will do tests again. Twitter is a weird social network, and while there are plenty of tools for muting an account or keyword entirely, Supermute takes a different approach. Noah Kagan Presents podcast has LAUNCHED. Noah Kagan Presents podcast is born. It’s been in the making for many months, and after countless hours and many tacos, it. Just want to make sure everyone on the thread knows that all my new stuff is over at my new blog Fewphoria, including this post-cleanse purple. I was amazed at how this dream propelled all four of us to get rid of more stuff! We all decided that if we won’t take it when we move, why do we need to keep it now? I put all of the information I’ve ever learned about decluttering to good use, including basic declutter tips and how to declutter with little ones underfoot. I knew that if we hadn’t used an item since last year’s declutter project, we probably didn’t need it, so I got rid of it. I quickly got rid of bags that held our former possessions. Trash was taken outside daily. Donation bags were dropped off weekly. This helped our house to feel lighter quickly and didn’t give us time to pull stuff out of bags! Each person helped with their own items. Last year, I did most of the decluttering alone because there was just so much and I needed to work alone to sort through my own thoughts as I cleaned. This year, everyone in my family helped with their own items. They got rid of things that I would have been afraid to toss. It saved me a tremendous amount of time and guess work! I enlisted outside help. I declutter our school/play room quarterly. And somehow, by the end of each quarter I feel overwhelmed as I look around and realize that it’s time again. So this time I traded days with a friend and she graciously helped me clean, declutter, and reorganize our entire school area in exchange for me helping her organize a few simpler areas in her home. It’s so much easier to toss stuff quickly when a friend is right there to see all the junk we’re hanging onto for no reason! Final Results. Maybe you’re wondering how much stuff we got rid of – not counting items we returned that belonged to other people, and not including stuff my husband took to the office for use there, we got rid of 4. I ignored his closet last year because he just wasn’t ready). This years’ declutter project was exponentially easier than last year. Our house is actually more organized than it was last year, it’s emptier than ever (but not bare!), and it’s so much easier to keep clean! I want to encourage you – whether you’re in the midst of a huge declutter project or are so overwhelmed that you still don’t know where to start, please don’t give up. It’s more than worth every second of the effort. Remove the layers and enjoy the beauty that’s underneath. You’ll be so glad you did. Special Note: If you liked this article, then you’ll love my brand- new e. Book, Chaos to Clutter- Free – go check it out! UPDATE: GO HERE TO VIEW THIS YEAR’S DECLUTTER PROJECT. Cambridge Civic Journal Forum. Here’s a look at some of the more interesting items on this week’s agenda. The Budget. Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. De. Pasquale, City Manager, relative to the FY2. Manager’s Agenda #2. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. De. Pasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $2. City’s Alewife Watershed, Cambridgeport neighborhood, and the Port neighborhood. Manager’s Agenda #3. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. De. Pasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $4,0. City streets and sidewalks. Manager’s Agenda #4. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. De. Pasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $2,0. School building infrastructure projects including roof repairs at the Fletcher Maynard Academy, and a new boiler at an elementary school. Manager’s Agenda #5. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. De. Pasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $5,0. Municipal Facilities Improvement Plan. The Budget Hearings are scheduled for Tues, May 2 and Wed, May 1. FY2. 01. 8 City Department Budgets and for Tues, May 9 at 6: 0. FY2. 01. 8 School Department Budget. Appointments. Manager’s Agenda #7. A communication transmitted from Louis A. De. Pasquale, City Manager, relative to the appointment of the following persons as member of the Community Preservation Act Committee for a term of five years, effective Apr 2. Anna Aldric and David Kale. Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. De. Pasquale, City Manager, relative to the appointment of the following person as a member of the Recycling Advisory Committee for a term of two years, effective Apr 2. New Appointments: Ilana Bebchick, Joel Dashnaw, David Frank, Martha Henry, Susy Jones, Liz Marr, Michael Papas, Anne Sherman, Matthew St. Onge, Quinten Steenhuis, Kristen Watkins Reappointments: Keith Cialino, Debby Galef, Rob Gogan, Debby Knight, Janet Mosley, Laura Nichols, Meera Singh and Mary Verhage. Manager’s Agenda #2. A communication transmitted from Louis A. De. Pasquale, City Manager, relative to the appointment of the following person as a member of the Envision Cambridge Focus Area Working Groups on Economy, Housing, Climate and the Environment, and Mobility. The Focus Area Working Groups are tasked with developing recommendations on topic- specific goals, strategies, and targets and indicators. Items of interest to those who live in fear of being watched. Manager’s Agenda #2. A communication transmitted from Louis A. De. Pasquale, City Manager, relative to a notification of a request from MIT to perform a test installation of a range of sensor technology along Massachusetts Avenue between Vassar Street and Lansdowne Street, in proximity to the MIT campus. Manager’s Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Louis A. De. Pasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 1. Council Order Number 7 of 1. Council Order Number 2 of 3/2. Tin foil hats may be ordered on e. Bay here. They can also be ordered on Amazon. Zoning Stuff. Manager’s Agenda #2. A communication transmitted from Louis A. De. Pasquale, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board recommendation not to adopt the Harding, et al Zoning Petition. Unfinished Business #6. An amendment to the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge in Article 8. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Apr 1. Planning Board hearing held Mar 2. Petition expires June 2. Committee Report #2. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Dennis J. Carlone and Councillor Leland Cheung, Co- Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a public hearing held on Apr 6, 2. City Council to amend the Zoning Ordinances in Article 2. Harvard Square Overlay and Harvard Square Historic District” by adding a new Section 2. Exempting rooftop spaces from FAR. I expect the . The proposal to make it easier to open active roof decks in the Harvard Square area remains in committee, and the combatants have entered the ring. Airbnb and related stuff. Communication #1. A communication was received from Rebecca Rutenberg, Chief Operating Officer, The Novus Group, transmitting the Airbnb - Cambridge Housing Report. Communication #1. A communication was received from Caitlin O’Neill, Director of Public Policy, Sonder, 2. Cambridge Street, regarding model language for professional short- term providers. Order #5. Proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance creating a regulatory framework to ensure the City’s short- term rentals are legal, safe, and fair. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Dennis J. Carlone and Councillor Leland Cheung, Co- Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a public hearing held on Apr 4, 2. City. It’s very important that this matter be resolved soon, but I have yet to see a completely coherent proposal that provides flexibility for homeowners but which does not overreach. As for the investors who are intentionally buying up multifamily houses so that they can run them as Airbnb profit- makers rather than as homes for actual people, I wish you all frontier justice. To those who paid far too much for your buildings and who now argue that the only way they can make ends meet is to rake in gobs of Airbnb cash, I say . You should have bought a place in Malden. Brief snippets of wisdom. Communication #8. A communication was received from Peter Valentine, regarding the reason humans don’t need robots. A communication transmitted from Louis A. De. Pasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 1. Tree Task Force to protect the Urban Canopy. Order #1. That the City of Cambridge partner with the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Cambridge Neighborhood Association to revitalize Magazine Beach. That the City Manager is requested to consult with the Community Development Department, the Department of Public Works, and the Conservation Commission and report back with a status update of the Community Garden program. That the City Manager is requested to consult with the Community Development Department to present zoning regulations that allow urban agriculture to the City Council as soon as possible so that an Ordinance Committee hearing can be scheduled. That the City Manager is requested to hold a community meeting to discuss the lighting design proposed for the path, steps being taken to make the lighting appropriate for the natural context of the Reservation, and steps being taken to make Greenway path safe and useful during evening commuting hours. I’m sure there will be plenty of comment. Minimal substance, but sure to draw comments. Order #2. That the City Manager is requested to ban all City employees from using City funds on services provided by United Airlines when alternatives exist. That the City Manager, in instances where there is no significant additional cost defined in regulations, or conflict with law, is requested to refrain from entering into new or amended contracts to purchase professional, technical, scientific or financial services, goods, construction labor and materials or other services, or supplies from businesses that enter into contracts to provide such services, goods, materials or supplies to build the U. S.- Mexico border wall. In the former, an airline screws up and promises to do better, so the City Council wants to ban the use of City funds on that airline. Plenty of companies screw up at one time or another. Should they all be boycotted? As for the latter, that Trump wall is perhaps the single most stupid proposal I have ever heard from a U. S. President, but asking the City Manager to filter all contracts based on this criterion is just as stupid. Obscure but curiously interesting. Order #9. That the Public Safety Committee begin a public discussion of potential methods of regulating an internet- based delivery system that makes any part of any road a possible loading platform in a way that allows such uses to continue without putting other users of Cambridge’s roads in danger or unreasonably obstructing traffic. This Order wants to encourage delivery vehicles, taxis and similar services to temporarily park in the middle of full travel lanes rather than pull to the curb. The authors apparently believe it is better for cyclists to pass vehicles on the right where active loading and unloading of cargo and passengers is taking place. My guess it passes without debate. Good intentions that will likely turn that $3. K roof repair into a $1. K roof repair. Order #1. Urge the Cambridge Legislative Delegation in the State Legislature to do everything in its power to bring Massachusetts closer to 1. Massachusetts residents from all walks of life and supporting a goal of using 1. Cambridge, including in building energy use and transportation, by 2. Well, at some point these matters do eventually get translated into things like stretch building codes and super- stretch building codes, and then one day when you just want to fix that leak in your roof and a City inspector informs you that in order to meet the new code your choice is to fix the roof in secret over the weekend without a permit or pay five times the cost in order to meet all the new standards. When that day comes, I do hope that our legislative do- gooders are as generous with their grant money as they are with their mandates. The devil is always in the details.
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