This month I have selected 5 Days to a Clutter Free House written by Sandra Felton & Marsha Sims to share with you!
We are in a declutter movement, as it seems, right now. I know it's not just our house, but those around us as well. The amazing popularity of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is just proof of the declutter movement. But, it hasn't entirely worked for me. I love the concept and getting everything in one category at a time. But, that is a super daunting task! I was searching for some books at my local library, (Cleaning House: A Moms Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement & The More of Less), and came across this one instead. I figured, why not see what it suggests? I mean, 5 days is an incredible feat? Right? How could this daunting task be completed in that time frame? How could I transform my incredibly overstuffed house in just 5 days? So, as any desperate person would, I checked out the book.
The gist of the book:
Get a bunch of friends and put everything that is out of place in boxes.
Get a bunch of friends and put everything that is out of place in boxes.
Label boxes by contents
Line up against the wall
Go through at your leisure
Umm... Ok...
Needless to say... I was a little disappointed.
I don't want friends seeing all the trash, junk, and everything else in my house. I don't want to have to answer question after question about what an item is and what box it should go into. And I'm not decluttering, I'm moving the mess from the tables and counter tops into boxes along the wall. How does that even count?!?
And then I thought about KonMari and the gathering of like items to go through. I have barely made it half way through KM-ing my items because of going through the house and gathering. The categories I had completed did not get removed quickly enough and managed to become re-scattered amongst my joy sparking things.
I needed a more systematic approach to gathering items, especially since I am so ready to move the baby into her room (which is still currently the craft room, 4.5 months later)... And this book gave me that approach. I'm realistic. It wont be completed in 5 days, it hasn't been completed in 5 days. But it helps. If I applied the zones a little better, it would probably help even more.
Here is the craft room before (embarrasing, I know):
I started taking out all the fabric after this, and stalled.
I told my mom about the premise of the book. One saturday afternoon she came over with some boxes and helped me get started clearing more space off the table and desk (both are going to have to be sold).
And this was as of last week:
I'm still not happy about having everything in boxes. We still have things in boxes from when we moved into our house 3, almost 3.5, years ago. and the chances I actually go through them are pretty slim. But the approach has given me something to work with, and a way to group everything by category.
as of yesterday:
A nice thing about the book, it is coming from a perspective that seems to understand the trouble with staying clutter free, versus KonMari where the author has always organized, decluttered her things, and easily purged objects from her room. Especially for us crafty type people, those things do not always come naturally. "We cannot have a museum, library or store in our living spaces and still maintain a gracious, orderly, welcoming, and beautiful home." (pg 120) This is how I treat my craft supplies, something I can shop from without having to go to an actual store. It is something that is cluttering up my home and taking away from the beauty of it. I need to "make a decision not to keep everything" (pg 135) and I need to consciously understand that it is ok to get rid of things. This is the hard part with KonMari. Yes, she makes sense as well, but doesn't appeal to my own sentimentality as these authors do.
It has helped having someone here with whom to organize things. And it helps to have someone who understands the different types of craft supplies. KonMari has had me doing it alone. It hasn't worked.
I wonder if I will be able to use this for the office space, which will become the craft/office space, in the master bedroom? So much to do.
This is where the craft space is getting moved to, also super embarrassing. Those drawers at least are for fabric:
Book Scoring:
- Content - eh, half of it is something I feel like I can use. I don't like all of it, but it might work well for others (1/2 check)
- Organization - 2 parts. the boxing up of things and then the going through the boxes. The second part is too much for me. yes/no/maybe boxes. then go through the maybes and place into yes/no. too much sorting (1/2 check)
- readability - easy enough. understandable and relate-able. repetition of certain concepts and monotonous. (1/2 check)
- Conversation worthy - It started my mom and I talking, comparing the KonMari book and this one (check)
- Invokes personal thought/reflection - It's getting me thinking about my habits and what I need to change in order to successfully create a beautiful living space I am not embarrassed to show to my friends.(check)
Overall: 3.5 checks (stars, what have you)
Books Read in June:
Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand by Gail Carson Levine on audio
Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand by Gail Carson Levine on audio
Check out my other books reviews here
Join me on GoodReads here, I'm always on the lookout of a new book and to share with other book loving friends!
tell me:
How do you organize your craft supplies?
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