I have climbed Paperwork Mountain!
Went through scads of paperwork in both Staring You In The Face and Taunting You places and in Cleverly Hidden so You've Mostly Forgotten it Exists locations. Some particularly old gems I unearthed: library card from 30+ years ago, provisional drivers license from 25 years ago, title to the car we are going to get rid of this month (complete lucky chance - weren't aware it wasn't in the car). There is admittedly still a small pile to deal with relocating/reorganizing, but I recycled pounds of paperwork. Bought new folders to replace the 20+ year old ones that were falling apart and reorganized what was left in a hopefully easier to maintain way. Have reclaimed: two file boxes previously so stuffed full I couldn't go through them, a table, shelf in the top of a closet, shelf in the basement.
Alas there are a few more Cleverly Hidden so You've Mostly Forgotten it Exists locations to be targeted, but I needed some positive reinforcement here before soldiering on. Alas, the worst part of doing a really good cleanout, is realizing how much stuff there is left in some of the Unused Parts of the House.
I have also separately defeated the Master Bathroom Cabinet Monster during my son's glorious 3.5 hour nap on Saturday. Using willpower muscles developed from the Great Paperwork Declutter, I ruthlessly purged old makeup, medications, skin regime treatments, nail polish, etc. and discovered the floor of the cabinet again. Pretty sure we don't need to buy razors for 5+ years with the stash I collected.
Per the video posting by mspym, it's interesting to think through WHY I am decluttering:
- To not lose critical items and correspondingly find my things easier/faster (save money/time)
- To not clean/reorganize stuff as much (save time/energy)
- To be as restful at home as I am on vacation. i.e. To not see a "to do" list when I look around my home (save energy)
=> To save time, money, and energy for what I value more.
Why do you want to declutter?