As of Christmas Eve I have come to the end of my month of decluttering. In an attempt to get things to a more reasonable level in my apartment, I gave myself the goal of getting rid of one thing for 30 days starting on November 25. The results were very pleasing. It became a pretty big pile of stuff rather quickly which was not what I had expected at all. It even helped a lot with Christmas shopping in a way. People would come over and occasionally find something they would like in the box. Definitely the most surprising one for me was my friend revealing a great love for Anne of Green Gables. So Canadian! I gifted her the full box set. It worked out even better than expected because she had forgotten about expressing an interest in them. Double success!
With having been told I have a limited time to move out I have stopped going through my books as vigorously as I would like but I did manage to clear out about half a shelf. Now the remaining are all packed up and ready to move. With most of my things going into storage (minus that which can not freeze) I'll be able to go through my boxes one by one and eliminate all of the books that I'm not really interested in reading or re-reading in the future. My standards are pretty high for which books I'll be allowing myself to keep because I've limited myself for a more simplistic lifestyle. I've filled half a large plastic bin with my favourite and in some cases rare books that I have. When I've gone through my sizable collection I will eventually fill up the rest of the box. Past that I will not allow myself to have anymore books. Supporting local libraries has always been important to me so this will really force me to be a more consistent patron.
...ok odds are that I will have another bin by the end but the hope is there.
I feel like I'm on the cusp of some great change because of this move.
In theory I think this will force me to make some pretty big decisions
about where I'm going in life and who I want to be. Most days I'm ok with this change but then I'll find myself waking up from a nightmare (dreamt that I was actually supposed to move out a few weeks earlier than expected... as in that day!). My mind is trying to work through some pretty intense anxiety over it all - will I be able to pack up everything in time? The move has put me into a bit of free fall state of stress. My only real comfort comes from packing. The simple act of putting my shit into boxes has become a type of meditation that has managed to make me feel like this move might actually be an attainable goal. Slowly my life is becoming a sea of cardboard on every chair and patch of rug in my place but that just means that I'm actually getting closer to my goal.
Here is hoping that I'll be able to actually get it all done.
Showing posts with label packing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label packing. Show all posts
Friday, December 27, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
Watching Hoarders and moving, power combo for motivation
Back in November I was watching a marathon of Hoarders online. I started thinking about some of the random little things I had kicking around that I didn't really need or want any more. I thought I would set myself a goal like my friend Estelle had done a few years ago. She was going through her things and getting rid of one thing everyday. I loved the idea. As of November 25th I started with the plan of having 30 days of giving things away. I hadn't even really thought about the Christmas aspect. I told myself that if I filled a bag with enough nice things for kids in good condition then I would make a donation.
Eliminating clutter from my life stemmed from a vague notion that if I was going to move countries or even cities I was going need to have a more manageable set of possessions. Generally, I like the feeling and look of having a more sparse lifestyle, so it was going to be a double win. But life has a way of speeding up time tables on me. Since starting my project I was told that by January 31st I need to be out of my place... well crap. Looks like it is going to be a lot more than one thing a day to get rid of.
When I had started brainstorming things to give away I had only really thought of about 10 things. I thought that by this point in my declutter process that I would be finding it hard to find something everyday. But now that I'm actually through the things I was originally thinking about giving away I have gone full blown in really thinking about what it means to have less. I had filled a box with things to give away by December 1st. It was actually incredibly helpful to have the list because it got me into action of actually giving things away.
I decided to keep going with the declutter plan.
For me, the biggest source of mess always seems to be paper related. Papers are constantly coming into my life. After a short while they start to add up. Before I had a weekly pile that started slowly growing on Monday and would expand to a few different surfaces by the end of the week. With constantly working and running out the door, I always used to think I didn't have time so it could wait till the weekend. Then there would be the mountain to go through. It always got done but it did take way more time than it needed to.
I've been taking care of this with filing as soon as it comes through the door. Each time I grab the mail I stand by my recycling box and my accordion file. I leave all junk and envelopes in the box and file the bills. With my wonderful hand crank shredder sensitive information can be recycled with peace of mind. I've put the three in a more readily accessible spot by the door where most of the papers got caught coming in in the first place. I love the concept of putting things where they will be used not where you want them to be. It takes a lot less time and stress to just get to work on something rather than having to make a big production of gathering what you need. Keeping all my important documents in one place is also going to be essential when I move.
In the case of my books (another form of paper clutter) I've been reading more of the ones that I was on the fence about. While I read I actively think about if I really am going to read it again. Do I need it on my shelf or will getting it from the library work for me in the future? There are a lot of "take a book, leave a book" homes popping up on front lawns around the city, I try to make it a point of leaving one in each whenever I can. Additionally If I'm reading a book and think my friend would really love it I put their name with a sticky note inside it and either loan it or give it to them. (I have pretty different tastes in books compared to my friends so that doesn't happen very often).
This is where moving is streamlining my decision making. I will be moving back in with my parents for a few months to make some solid choices about where I want to go in life. I'm putting into a storage unit all the things that I will definitely want in my future home but for sure wont fit in a bedroom. Couches, table and chairs, book shelves and all the other little house things that add up (pots and pans, vacuum, ironing board, towels, dishes, etc). The first thing I did when packing up was take all of my favourite books and put them in a container for storage. I don't need them with me at my parents' place but they will be essential for making any future place I live a home. I filled half a box. The rest of my books will come with me to be read over time and given away. At the end of the reading and sorting I think I'm going to limit myself to just being able to keep enough books to fill the rest of the box.
My goal now is to have my place ready to move by December 31st. This way it will keep me hugely motivated to keep thinking in terms of "This needs to get done now!" rather than letting myself get complacent and procrastinating.
What do you do to eliminate clutter? What is your biggest challenge? Want to join me in giving away stuff? Let me know in the comments what donations you are making.
Eliminating clutter from my life stemmed from a vague notion that if I was going to move countries or even cities I was going need to have a more manageable set of possessions. Generally, I like the feeling and look of having a more sparse lifestyle, so it was going to be a double win. But life has a way of speeding up time tables on me. Since starting my project I was told that by January 31st I need to be out of my place... well crap. Looks like it is going to be a lot more than one thing a day to get rid of.
When I had started brainstorming things to give away I had only really thought of about 10 things. I thought that by this point in my declutter process that I would be finding it hard to find something everyday. But now that I'm actually through the things I was originally thinking about giving away I have gone full blown in really thinking about what it means to have less. I had filled a box with things to give away by December 1st. It was actually incredibly helpful to have the list because it got me into action of actually giving things away.
I decided to keep going with the declutter plan.
For me, the biggest source of mess always seems to be paper related. Papers are constantly coming into my life. After a short while they start to add up. Before I had a weekly pile that started slowly growing on Monday and would expand to a few different surfaces by the end of the week. With constantly working and running out the door, I always used to think I didn't have time so it could wait till the weekend. Then there would be the mountain to go through. It always got done but it did take way more time than it needed to.
I've been taking care of this with filing as soon as it comes through the door. Each time I grab the mail I stand by my recycling box and my accordion file. I leave all junk and envelopes in the box and file the bills. With my wonderful hand crank shredder sensitive information can be recycled with peace of mind. I've put the three in a more readily accessible spot by the door where most of the papers got caught coming in in the first place. I love the concept of putting things where they will be used not where you want them to be. It takes a lot less time and stress to just get to work on something rather than having to make a big production of gathering what you need. Keeping all my important documents in one place is also going to be essential when I move.
In the case of my books (another form of paper clutter) I've been reading more of the ones that I was on the fence about. While I read I actively think about if I really am going to read it again. Do I need it on my shelf or will getting it from the library work for me in the future? There are a lot of "take a book, leave a book" homes popping up on front lawns around the city, I try to make it a point of leaving one in each whenever I can. Additionally If I'm reading a book and think my friend would really love it I put their name with a sticky note inside it and either loan it or give it to them. (I have pretty different tastes in books compared to my friends so that doesn't happen very often).
This is where moving is streamlining my decision making. I will be moving back in with my parents for a few months to make some solid choices about where I want to go in life. I'm putting into a storage unit all the things that I will definitely want in my future home but for sure wont fit in a bedroom. Couches, table and chairs, book shelves and all the other little house things that add up (pots and pans, vacuum, ironing board, towels, dishes, etc). The first thing I did when packing up was take all of my favourite books and put them in a container for storage. I don't need them with me at my parents' place but they will be essential for making any future place I live a home. I filled half a box. The rest of my books will come with me to be read over time and given away. At the end of the reading and sorting I think I'm going to limit myself to just being able to keep enough books to fill the rest of the box.
My goal now is to have my place ready to move by December 31st. This way it will keep me hugely motivated to keep thinking in terms of "This needs to get done now!" rather than letting myself get complacent and procrastinating.
What do you do to eliminate clutter? What is your biggest challenge? Want to join me in giving away stuff? Let me know in the comments what donations you are making.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
What should I pack?
I've heard on numerous occasions that the best time to pack for your next big trip is when you're back from your last one.
So I'm going to run through my bag and sort out all the stuff I needed and didn't really need to bring.
HAVE A RETURN TICKET IF YOU ARE GOING TO THE UK.
Just make your life easier and have the ticket and info ready to present to customs to let them know that you aren't planning to stay forever.
I've got a large bag, 70 Liters... I still have no idea what this means, but it might mean something to someone out there. I saw a bunch of girls walking around with bags bigger than mine and with a huge duffel bag on top of that, this would have killed me on this trip. But I know that lots of those girls were probably moving to the UK while I was just running around for fun. I like my bag because I could put my clothes in it and still had room for the little things that start adding up as you travel around.
Bottoms
Need:
Long pants/trousers (depending on your region)
a pair of capri pants (generally these can be cooling or warming depending on what you pair them with)
A pair of shorts
Suggestions:
I'd heard that leggings under jeans make for really warm leg wear if you find yourself in a much cooler place than you were expecting.
On the fence:
I had a light pair of capri that I used a couple of cooler nights but I think I could have gotten away without them... then again they were generally what I wore to do laundry in. So I might have to reconsider as I did wear them a fair number of times.
Could have done without:
I had a skort (skirt-shorts) with me that only served as wrapping for breakables.
Tops
I had a variety of light tops. The more you have the more time you have between washes and it makes a load of laundry actually worth the money.
Need:
1 tank top (I don't get overly warm but on the days when the heat got too much it was good to have)
7 Shirts... I might even take this higher on my next trip. They were mostly light shirts, I had one that I considered my more fancy one that I had planned to go out for the evening in, but generally I just ended up wearing a regular shirt when I went out. So I had my fancy one for laundry day! Snazzy! (my motto is: Different colours and styles so you don't start hating everything you wear.)
A light warm sweater
A baggy light 3/4 sleeve shirt. It was perfect for letting air in or keeping me a little warmer
Rain jacket/wind breaker
On the fence:
I brought a cardigan along and it really helped me feel dressed up on some nights when I didn't want to feel like a tourist but I did only wear it a couple of times.
Could have done without:
I had an extra tank top that didn't really make it out that often. Spent most of the trip keeping my skort company.
I had also packed a bathing suit... I could have maybe used it once, but I just didn't feel like swimming.
Sleeping shirt, I had brought along some pjs but most nights I just slept in the shirt I'd been walking around in all day.
Underwear/socks:
Girls, I'd bring along an extra bra to however many you would normally take. I tried this out for the first time this trip and I was really happy. I usually go with 2 but over the course of my trip one was wrecked so it worked out really well
Underwear - Bring at least 3 or 4 more than the shirts you have.
Socks will depend on if you're going for a wet place. If wet, go with the same rule of the underwear. If hot and dry you might want to cut back if you're going to wear sandals. But if you're going for hot with hiking you'll want the extra pairs to keep your feet from stinking.
NEED
Passport (goes without saying but some things still need to be said)
Shower sandals
Good walking shoes
Towel
Soap/shampoo/comb
toothbrush and paste
deodorant (if you're going to use spray GET OUT of the hostel dorm room before you use it!)
Suction cup hook for the walls of shower bathroom and a canvas bag to hang my clothes in - Saved me from wet clothes soooo many times.
A necklace money pouch
Ear plugs and eye-mask (there are some places where this will be essential)
Teck that made my life easier:
Power adapter
Camera, power cord
regional pay as you go phone
small laptop and cord (most places have wifi but no computers for use, so unless you have your own laptop or smart phone you're out of luck)
ipod and headphones
travel alarm clock
Helpful things but not essential:
A hard sided case like a Tupperware container really helped with keeping small things together and protecting some small breakables.
Needle and thread
Permanent marker (for labeling your food for hostel fridges)
scissors
collapsible fork/spoon/knife
compass (even in big cities this is really helpful as most locals say "Go North" to start directions)
Plastic protection for documents
Little gifts from your country (I handed out a bunch of random things with the Canadian flag on it, the best thing I got in return was some stickers from a girl from South Korea. I always feel self conscious about packing them but I'm always happy that I have them when I meet people)
pens and a small note book
This is where I have some thoughts. Keeping track of your journey will be really helpful later for contacting people, train tickets, hostel bookings, events you want to get to and even just remembering what you did from day to day. I had a few note books with me but I would have been happy with just the one little moleskin that has a section with perforated pages VERY helpful.
Additionally -I had a pocket size sudoku book that made for bits of scrap paper and a mini note pad for jotting down directions and emails from people. Really helpful and I always knew where everyone's information was and some entertainment when waiting in lines for things.
So I'm going to run through my bag and sort out all the stuff I needed and didn't really need to bring.
HAVE A RETURN TICKET IF YOU ARE GOING TO THE UK.
Just make your life easier and have the ticket and info ready to present to customs to let them know that you aren't planning to stay forever.
I've got a large bag, 70 Liters... I still have no idea what this means, but it might mean something to someone out there. I saw a bunch of girls walking around with bags bigger than mine and with a huge duffel bag on top of that, this would have killed me on this trip. But I know that lots of those girls were probably moving to the UK while I was just running around for fun. I like my bag because I could put my clothes in it and still had room for the little things that start adding up as you travel around.
Bottoms
Need:
Long pants/trousers (depending on your region)
a pair of capri pants (generally these can be cooling or warming depending on what you pair them with)
A pair of shorts
Suggestions:
I'd heard that leggings under jeans make for really warm leg wear if you find yourself in a much cooler place than you were expecting.
On the fence:
I had a light pair of capri that I used a couple of cooler nights but I think I could have gotten away without them... then again they were generally what I wore to do laundry in. So I might have to reconsider as I did wear them a fair number of times.
Could have done without:
I had a skort (skirt-shorts) with me that only served as wrapping for breakables.
Tops
I had a variety of light tops. The more you have the more time you have between washes and it makes a load of laundry actually worth the money.
Need:
1 tank top (I don't get overly warm but on the days when the heat got too much it was good to have)
7 Shirts... I might even take this higher on my next trip. They were mostly light shirts, I had one that I considered my more fancy one that I had planned to go out for the evening in, but generally I just ended up wearing a regular shirt when I went out. So I had my fancy one for laundry day! Snazzy! (my motto is: Different colours and styles so you don't start hating everything you wear.)
A light warm sweater
A baggy light 3/4 sleeve shirt. It was perfect for letting air in or keeping me a little warmer
Rain jacket/wind breaker
On the fence:
I brought a cardigan along and it really helped me feel dressed up on some nights when I didn't want to feel like a tourist but I did only wear it a couple of times.
Could have done without:
I had an extra tank top that didn't really make it out that often. Spent most of the trip keeping my skort company.
I had also packed a bathing suit... I could have maybe used it once, but I just didn't feel like swimming.
Sleeping shirt, I had brought along some pjs but most nights I just slept in the shirt I'd been walking around in all day.
Underwear/socks:
Girls, I'd bring along an extra bra to however many you would normally take. I tried this out for the first time this trip and I was really happy. I usually go with 2 but over the course of my trip one was wrecked so it worked out really well
Underwear - Bring at least 3 or 4 more than the shirts you have.
Socks will depend on if you're going for a wet place. If wet, go with the same rule of the underwear. If hot and dry you might want to cut back if you're going to wear sandals. But if you're going for hot with hiking you'll want the extra pairs to keep your feet from stinking.
NEED
Passport (goes without saying but some things still need to be said)
Shower sandals
Good walking shoes
Towel
Soap/shampoo/comb
toothbrush and paste
deodorant (if you're going to use spray GET OUT of the hostel dorm room before you use it!)
Suction cup hook for the walls of shower bathroom and a canvas bag to hang my clothes in - Saved me from wet clothes soooo many times.
A necklace money pouch
Ear plugs and eye-mask (there are some places where this will be essential)
Teck that made my life easier:
Power adapter
Camera, power cord
regional pay as you go phone
small laptop and cord (most places have wifi but no computers for use, so unless you have your own laptop or smart phone you're out of luck)
ipod and headphones
travel alarm clock
Helpful things but not essential:
A hard sided case like a Tupperware container really helped with keeping small things together and protecting some small breakables.
Needle and thread
Permanent marker (for labeling your food for hostel fridges)
scissors
collapsible fork/spoon/knife
compass (even in big cities this is really helpful as most locals say "Go North" to start directions)
Plastic protection for documents
Little gifts from your country (I handed out a bunch of random things with the Canadian flag on it, the best thing I got in return was some stickers from a girl from South Korea. I always feel self conscious about packing them but I'm always happy that I have them when I meet people)
pens and a small note book
This is where I have some thoughts. Keeping track of your journey will be really helpful later for contacting people, train tickets, hostel bookings, events you want to get to and even just remembering what you did from day to day. I had a few note books with me but I would have been happy with just the one little moleskin that has a section with perforated pages VERY helpful.
Additionally -I had a pocket size sudoku book that made for bits of scrap paper and a mini note pad for jotting down directions and emails from people. Really helpful and I always knew where everyone's information was and some entertainment when waiting in lines for things.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Anxiety/Bipolar Packing... screw it... no wait...
I've been packing and repacking everything. This feels like too much and that feels like too little. Where will I store anything I pick up along the way? Do I take along books to read? I've packed 4 books, is that too many?
I still need to make a bed slip so I can sleep well away from bed bugs. Getting attacked by those little guys once in my travels was enough for me.
Thanks to some youtube videos I've been getting good tips and thinking about my pack in a different way.
I've just finished reading Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne and have been thinking how fantastic it would be to pack like Phileas Fogg and only take 2 shirts and some socks in a bag. Then again he wasn't actually experiencing any of the places he was going to. He was just staying on the boats and trains. He wasn't even looking at the places for the most part... I must remember to pace my shutterbug tendencies when I get over there.
I just can't go unprepared...
Still need to read through more of my guide books...
Too many things in various directions.
I still need to make a bed slip so I can sleep well away from bed bugs. Getting attacked by those little guys once in my travels was enough for me.
Thanks to some youtube videos I've been getting good tips and thinking about my pack in a different way.
I've just finished reading Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne and have been thinking how fantastic it would be to pack like Phileas Fogg and only take 2 shirts and some socks in a bag. Then again he wasn't actually experiencing any of the places he was going to. He was just staying on the boats and trains. He wasn't even looking at the places for the most part... I must remember to pace my shutterbug tendencies when I get over there.
I just can't go unprepared...
Still need to read through more of my guide books...
Too many things in various directions.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Packing and preparing mentally
I'm going away soon and I feel both overly prepared and under prepared... I think it has something to do with getting things done but not being able to just go do the things I need to do. Parents. Mentally you think I'll get done this that and the other things... in reality you get pulled off to do three other jobs and then a reprimand for not taking your trip seriously... But who cares right? Oh how I wish I could stop caring.
I feel the urge to simply list off all the items I've set aside for packing to see if I've missed anything. But no, I'm going to take everyone's advice and just do what I need to do and if I forget something then just pick it up there.
Still to do:
Finish packing, read guide books, read emails of advice so I can act on them before leaving, check on restrictions and vaccines that might be needed, mow lawns... I thought I was done with that job???, send a thank you note, buy extra batteries and tech stuff, find my compass, return a whack load (technical term) of books I've borrowed over the year(s).
Best get back to it!
I feel the urge to simply list off all the items I've set aside for packing to see if I've missed anything. But no, I'm going to take everyone's advice and just do what I need to do and if I forget something then just pick it up there.
Still to do:
Finish packing, read guide books, read emails of advice so I can act on them before leaving, check on restrictions and vaccines that might be needed, mow lawns... I thought I was done with that job???, send a thank you note, buy extra batteries and tech stuff, find my compass, return a whack load (technical term) of books I've borrowed over the year(s).
Best get back to it!
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