Decluttering, sorting, organising and GSD in January

posted December 29, 2024 10:04 AM | |

Wed January 1 at 1:00 AM

I'm in! I have a financial pile o' doom that I need to get sorted.
posted by nuclear bessel at 2:45 PM on December 29, 2024 [5 favorites]

I'm in. I need to sit down and really organize all the stuff I've downloaded for teaching. I never seem to be able to find what I know I have.
posted by kathrynm at 2:52 PM on December 29, 2024 [4 favorites]

We have a goal for the year to do one "get around to it" task per week, so I have a "non-recurring tasks" list started on a hall door, sorted by task length
posted by DebetEsse at 6:42 PM on December 29, 2024 [6 favorites]

I have approximately forty bags and boxes of stuff removed from my father's flat after his death earlier this month. (It was a one-room flat!) Mostly books, some papers, photographs, technology. Need to sort and move the books on to charity shops or eBay. My nieces are coming over to do college work at mine tomorrow for their own GSD, so I'm going to use that time to make a start. Unless I get pulled into the reasons for the Tudor rebellions, which could happen.

After that, I have stuff of my own to sort, but working on the policy of do one thing without thinking about the next.
posted by paduasoy at 12:07 AM on December 30, 2024 [6 favorites]

I'll try, my office can use a serious declutter.
posted by mmoncur at 3:57 AM on December 31, 2024 [3 favorites]

I know it's not actually January yet, but I have sorted a few of my father's papers (found a 21-page poem about his life and Brexit) and two bags of books. About two-thirds of the latter are for Oxfam, and the other third I want to eBay. The pile I'm working on at the moment is here. It's about a third of the whole lot, I'm doing divide and conquer. Also need to sort out his boat, but that's lower priority. Only think of the immediate step ...

Now I'm going to make soup, which feels like a good turn of the year thing.
posted by paduasoy at 11:42 AM on December 31, 2024 [4 favorites]

I'm in, there are so many things to do next year! I moved to my current home in a late December, and since then have used January first as clean-the-bookshelves day. I also have stuff that needs to find new homes, a lot of tech issues to sort out, and a long list of projects.
posted by mersen at 5:23 PM on December 31, 2024 [4 favorites]

I'm in. My goal is to do one inside thing and one outside thing every day (in addition to making my bed, which I do every day thanks to UFYH).

In the interest of succeeding, these things can be very small! Like, "pull a weed" counts.
posted by inexorably_forward at 8:43 PM on December 31, 2024 [9 favorites]

1st Jan:
Inside: put some medical records in a folder.
Outside: untangled and put away some pieces of rope and twine that had been lying around for months.
posted by inexorably_forward at 11:15 PM on December 31, 2024 [5 favorites]

Thank you for this thread, paduasoy!

Today: My kitchen looks like someone has thrown a party there and I wasn't invited. So this morning it's dishes, counters, and mopping the floor. Also need to decant the giant dog food bag into manageable containers. Stretch goal is washing the shower curtain and rug.
posted by mochapickle at 7:25 AM on January 1 [6 favorites]

Have been out most of the day, but since I got in, have sorted a box (smallish) and a bag and most of a bag of my father's stuff (mfs). Results, a bag and a bit for Oxfam, a few books for ebay and a bag for the bin. Put a few things, mostly notebooks, aside for later sorting. Also took apart a sympathy flower arrangement and redid with the surviving flowers. So that's good, and I wouldn't have done it without this thread and seeing it on the banner (get us!).

Got a life-planning session with a friend tomorrow, so need to do some pre-planning for that this evening.
posted by paduasoy at 9:17 AM on January 1 [4 favorites]

In steps back, I broke (fused?) my oven yesterday and can't work out how to sort it, and missed a blood test appointment - it was in my diary but I didn't check and completely forgot. So those things need to go on a list at some point.
posted by paduasoy at 9:19 AM on January 1 [3 favorites]

Sorry to hear about your father, paduasoy .

I am trying on some old clothes and taking most of them to Goodwill.
posted by NotLost at 12:15 PM on January 1 [6 favorites]

I have tidied up half of my desk, which also involved reorganizing the charging cables attached to my desk. Also replaced the shower curtain upstairs.
posted by nuclear bessel at 3:34 PM on January 1 [5 favorites]

I swatched all my full ink bottles and tidied them away. Tomorrow: mail samples to penfriend!
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 4:43 PM on January 1 [6 favorites]

2nd Jan:
Inside: put some other medical records in a different folder.
Outside: pulled weeds around spa pool.
posted by inexorably_forward at 8:05 PM on January 1 [3 favorites]

I'm copying inexorably_forward and doing one "inside" and one "outside" thing per day. Outside is mostly the detached garage I use for workshop and storage.

1 Jan
Outside: Brought in some xmas decoration boxes
Inside: Put away some decorations
posted by mmoncur at 4:41 AM on January 2 [4 favorites]

JAN GOALS
Cleaning/Clutter Removal (inc go through all boxes and go through all clothes), 10 minutes with hand weights daily, paint daily.

1 Jan: sorted lots of clutter from two kitchen counters and kitchen table, 10 min. with new hand weights, started a painting.
posted by Glinn at 6:44 AM on January 2 [5 favorites]

I've sorted another 2.5 bags of books. Now have four bags to go to Oxfam and a pile for ebay. I do need to remember that sorting is only the first step and does not actually get things out of the house (except in the case of a small number of pieces of actual rubbish, or books too far gone). I also moved a laptop from the primary sorting area to the secondary or waiting area, to be with the other 8 laptops. Somewhat wishing I had done some sorting of my father's technology devices whilst he was still alive, so that past me could have benefitted present me. It also makes me want to throw everything of my own away - I'll get to some of that eventually, I hope.
posted by paduasoy at 12:02 PM on January 2 [6 favorites]

My house is an avalanche of crap that I cannot clean up or organize. My place is too small for me, really, but that's not fixable. I have to drive the electronics to the landfill (sigh), donate stuff to SPCA, and generally muck out EVERYTHING because I haven't really cleaned out or gotten rid of anything in probably about 2 years.

I would like to note that the landfill and SPCA only taking stuff on Saturdays is a problem since those are the days I'd be using for cleaning. But January is a shitty crappy month without much going on, so I should stay home and clean things out.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:03 PM on January 2 [9 favorites]

1 Jan: cleared out the corner of the kitchen counter that was accumulating.... stuff.

Which makes it possible to have the main counter clean, literally empty, from the stove to the sink and past that to the wall. Usually there are some dishes drying but when I want to start something challenging I can do it on a clear bench. WONDERFUL.

(I need the one inside/one outside rule! Adopting.)
posted by clew at 1:27 PM on January 2 [6 favorites]

Does reading this thread count? I'm realizing that my biggest hurdle with the boxes and piles and bags of stuff from parental home is that I don't have places to put the things I want to keep. And so I keep going through things and pitch a fair bit, but then the "keep" pile just gets added back into my piles.

So maybe I'll empty household appliance manuals from the filing cabinet (at least have a drawer) and make some geneology files. Maybe that's first.
posted by ldthomps at 1:38 PM on January 2 [7 favorites]

Yeah, I have a ton of "I can't figure out where to put it" stuff and I really, really don't have great options in my small space. I don't want to get rid of enough stuff to fit the space, but rent will only get more expensive as life goes on, so getting a place that fits me and costs more is out of the question. Also, if I put it Nice, Neat, Tidy, and Away Out Of Sight, I LOSE it entirely, never to be found again. I NEED everything to be out and see-able.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:48 PM on January 2 [5 favorites]

Seems to me that anything counts if you decide it counts!
posted by inexorably_forward at 5:36 PM on January 2 [4 favorites]

I'm in! Just had the basement partially refinished, which is awesome for storage potential but awful for storage currently since everything just got put in one massive pile for the work to get done. So my January goal is: dismantle the pile and designate homes for everything that will live in the basement, reassemble some shelving, and once that all gets done, put down some flooring in some of the spaces.
posted by donnagirl at 5:45 PM on January 2 [6 favorites]

I washed the towels, did the dishes, practiced my singing, grabbed some items and threw them in a donation box, and threw some items in the trash. Good job, me!
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:45 PM on January 2 [7 favorites]

3rd Jan:
Inside: removed a bunch of no-longer-edible stuff from the fridge, took it to the compost, and cleaned the containers it was in. I can't say that I completely mucked out the fridge as I ran out of steam at the condiments, but it's much better.
Outside: Pulled up a sapling that was growing where I don't want a tree.
posted by inexorably_forward at 8:05 PM on January 2 [6 favorites]

Is it too late to join declutter club? If not, my goals include 1) dealing with the stuff to donate pile and 2) the pile of clothes on the shelf, 3) throwing out the trash in my closet, 4) returning things, 5) putting things on my new shelves, 6) finding something I misplaced and 7) getting rid of an unnecessary piece of furniture in my bedroom.
posted by kat518 at 9:42 PM on January 2 [6 favorites]

It's never too late to join declutter club!

Linking this recent Ask with some thoughtful ... thoughts (it's early here, vocabulary is not yet fully engaged): I want to end the cycle of managing my living space.
posted by paduasoy at 10:50 PM on January 2 [6 favorites]

That ask had some really useful advice even though the original question didn't feel relevant to my situation! Definitely worth a read.
posted by donnagirl at 6:04 AM on January 3 [4 favorites]

Dropped off one bag of clothes at nearby school’s clothing donation bin. Taking care of slow leak on car tire.

Paduasoy, I am sorry for your loss, and had something similar when my dad passed several years ago. It was impressive what he fit in his efficiency apartment, and then his landlord mentioned his storage area. Mercifully it was boxed VHS (commercial)movies, which were easy to review and donate. Lots of nostalgia and memories with sifting his flat, so that was slower. Glad you are making progress!
posted by childofTethys at 6:27 AM on January 3 [5 favorites]

Jan 02: Washed all dishes. (One person with dogs uses more dishes than seems reasonable. Also, I don't use my dishwasher but keep thinking I may start.) Front entry clutter removal.
Also, 10 minutes hand weights and did some painting.
posted by Glinn at 7:09 AM on January 3 [7 favorites]

Well, the only tidying I've done is of the sort before the cleaners come, but that's not nothing (taking out compost, combining some piles, taking out recycles). But! I called and got a furnace guy out to mom's house Same Day, and then they guy who wants to buy it met them and paid for it? I texted mom's elder social worker about how she fell out of bed Again, and she recommended a hand rail for the bed that I'll order if her PT agrees. I called and scheduled my own PT. I talked to an older friend who'd asked for a favor yesterday but I didn't get the message till late. And I'm starting to feel better from the stomach bug I've had since NYE. Heck, just listing all of these accomplishments makes me want to go move those things from the files like I proposed yesterday. Thanks for the work-buddies, mefi!
posted by ldthomps at 1:49 PM on January 3 [7 favorites]

Hah, I know what you mean about more dishes than seems reasonable! I mostly live by myself and rarely do complex cooking, so why are there so many dishes so quickly?

Also I would like to take this opportunity to grumble about how things have so many dependencies. Like, I couldn't deal with the stuff in the fridge without first putting away the dishes from the drying rack so I could wash the dirty dishes and set them to dry so I would have room to wash the containers I was going to empty out. Grumble grumble.
posted by inexorably_forward at 4:38 PM on January 3 [6 favorites]

Nice work, ldthomps! And everyone, of course!
posted by Glinn at 5:03 PM on January 3 [4 favorites]

Good job, everyone! I have now sent the email to start off clearing the financial pile o' doom. I also made the phone call I didn't want to make regarding finding out when the appointment was that I forgot to write down. Thankfully the appt is next week and not this past week. A little embarrassed about that one. Not physical clutter but a lot of mental clutter.
posted by nuclear bessel at 5:04 PM on January 3 [6 favorites]

2 Jan….pharmacy call I’ve been dreading.
3 Jan. Chose 3 items to donate, and bedroom is clean.
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 5:26 PM on January 3 [7 favorites]

Tonight's chore: go through my old laptop--at least one of them, possibly two, but I'm not even sure the older laptop will turn on and stay on any more--and clear them out of anything useful before I make a run to the landfill with electronics tomorrow. This has so far been a mess since the laptop barely turns on, is sticky, the mouse on it barely works, I had to reposition it on the kitchen counter because there is nowhere to plug the portable drive...though the good news is, the counter is now cleared off enough to be able to move it. So there's that.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:03 PM on January 3 [6 favorites]

4th Jan:
Inside: cleared cobwebs from lounge ceiling (no spiders were harmed in this activity).
Outside: added potting mix to cactus container.
posted by inexorably_forward at 8:26 PM on January 3 [4 favorites]

Keep it up everyone!

Jan 2.
Outside: Brought in the rest of the xmas decoration boxes
Inside: Put about 60 stuffed penguins into boxes. Long story.

Jan 3.
Outside: Vacuumed up a ton of sawdust in the shop.
Inside: Put away a few items of clutter from my desk.
posted by mmoncur at 1:00 AM on January 4 [7 favorites]

Are the penguins part of your xmas decor?
posted by inexorably_forward at 3:39 AM on January 4 [4 favorites]

Wednesday, I de-spidered, dusted, and reorganized the big bookcases.

It occurred to me today that I could work clockwise through the rest of the storage in the house, with the bookcases at 12. Basically chase the stuff and unfinished projects through the house, out to the garage (11) and out altogether. It sounds systematic.

Today is for puttering. Laundry and dishes are in progress. The holiday decor is in the way and next on the list. I've also taken the first steps to troubleshoot the semi-defunct smart lights.
posted by mersen at 7:09 AM on January 4 [7 favorites]

I am so glad to see this thread! I still miss my long-gone AOL org boards and the former Organizedhome.com forum.

I need to wrangle a few papers, bills, the coat closet (home to the Christmas decorations which will come down Tuesday), and the eternal main-closet optimization. The insides of closed storage need to be handled. The incredibly heavy but miraculous Tree Genie has to go in the main closet, and I dread drying it out and dragging (literally) it in there.

This past summer and fall, I sucked up and sold or donated nearly all clothes that do not fit. Now only -- "only"! -- one pair of pants, two blouses, two suits and one blazer that are too small remain. I like them and if lifting and pool time go well they will be fine.

I look forward to following along!
posted by jgirl at 7:43 AM on January 4 [6 favorites]

I'm not sure if it was three and a half or four and a half bags of books sorted today. Quite a bit, anyway.

I also had to rework my piece about my father's life for the funeral, as people keep popping up and saying they'd like to speak. Which is lovely! But means I have to cut time off mine and try not to cover what I think they are going to say. He died a month ago and I'd really like not still to be writing about him now. Which is a sentence he would have redpenned.

Really glad to see others are GSD too. Thanks for the community.
posted by paduasoy at 8:16 AM on January 4 [8 favorites]

Glad time for puttering is happening too. Don't think I will try to do much tomorrow.
posted by paduasoy at 8:17 AM on January 4 [4 favorites]

(Taxidermied penguins, or soft toys?)
posted by paduasoy at 8:18 AM on January 4 [4 favorites]

Got the stuff off laptop #1, laptop #2 I apparently lost the charger for so it's a giant brick. Drove them and the old broken cords, batteries, etc. to the landfill. People there were nice, but going to the landfill for recycling electronics is such a pain in the arse that I can see why people just throw things in the trash. I straight up said, "hey, I've come here maybe once every other year, maybe don't expect me to understand exactly how you operate and where to find exactly where to personally dispose of everything?" and they were all "you can file a complaint," and nah, that's not worth it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:31 AM on January 4 [7 favorites]

Jan 03, did the dishes so I could write that I did them despite initially intending to leave them for the morning. lol
Did 10 minutes hand weights (a good playlist is key), and continued the painting I think is terrible instead of abandoning it, and by the end of the session decided it was less terrible and I could finish it. Even if it takes a few more days.
New goal: Finish all paintings I start in January.

I think we should have one of these every month in 2025. And/or start a new message board where people can post their accomplishments and get tips and offer encouragement. Once I tried doing an art/crafty posting site for Mefites, but it didn't work out-not enough sustained interest. I think it needed a wider appeal - something like "all the accomplishments!" from finally cleaning the toilet, making a long-dreaded phone call, tackling that paper pile of doom, to painting every day for a month or making a handmade greeting card.

Maybe this is not the right place to discuss that - though the reason I thought of it is because so many of the comments in this thread are people being so happy paduasoy made it. I may make a Meta and evaluate interest. On the other hand, a monthly thread here may work perfectly well. It would be nice to include images but I suppose we could encourage folks to post links to images posted elsewhere.
posted by Glinn at 10:40 AM on January 4 [12 favorites]

I would have been into the craft thing if I'd seen it. I had not.

I just took six boxes of clothes/shoes/books/misc. stuff to the SPCA and I have now made a bigger mess of my closet trying to get stuff out of the closet. I have to go through all of the shoes to see if I can still wear them, but I am starving so I have to take a meal break.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:16 PM on January 4 [7 favorites]

5th Jan:
Inside: tidied and wiped off desk.
Outside: started draining spa pool (it's slow, will drain overnight).
posted by inexorably_forward at 4:06 PM on January 4 [5 favorites]

Six boxes, wow!
posted by inexorably_forward at 4:41 PM on January 4 [4 favorites]

I found EIGHT pairs of shoes I can't wear without some kind of rubbing, tightness, foot pain, etc. Man, my feet hate shoes.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:28 PM on January 4 [8 favorites]

Well, shoes do kinda suck.
posted by inexorably_forward at 1:05 AM on January 5 [7 favorites]

Took a day off yesterday but there are important clarifications to be made:

Are the penguins part of your xmas decor?

Yes, we had a couple penguins with Christmas scarves 20 years or so ago and somehow they've kept accumulating every year... The wife insists that they go back in their box for most of the year which is probably for the best.

(Taxidermied penguins, or soft toys?)

Stuffed toys thank goodness!
posted by mmoncur at 1:14 AM on January 5 [5 favorites]

I'd love an ongoing Doing the Things, including creative things. I did see your proposal at the time, Glinn, and liked the idea - I can't remember why I didn't engage at the time, it may have been not the right moment for me, or it may have been needing to use another site. I know the latter is a poor reason, and, looking at it now, there was lovely stuff posted and I wish I had got involved.

Today - two tasks, finish reworking the eulogy; my sister and my father's partner have come back to me with comments so hopefully won't take too long - and dye my hair, also for the funeral. The first two pages of my email inbox, 32 emails, are all death- or funeral-related in some way, apart from one; will be good to have the funeral over with. Another extended family member who died recently is having a much less mainstream funeral, with animals involved, which has led to me reconceptualising how we should have done things. My preferred option is to have the celebrant dressed as a bacon sandwich, in memory of my father's lists of things to take on sailing trips, which always started "Bread. Bacon".
posted by paduasoy at 1:57 AM on January 5 [6 favorites]

Climbing Laundry Mountain. Every day wash one load, put one load away. I'll be done in a week or so.
posted by jointhedance at 2:16 AM on January 5 [8 favorites]

We just got new furniture (dining table with chairs plus replacing the old sofa; a long-planned expenditure, time chosen on the basis of "let's get it before the economy goes where it's going under TFG) so we're well-placed to do this. There are a few more pieces of furniture we need to figure out for my little office, but this is a great time to declutter and move things, especially the art which was based on the old furniture configuration and will need a significant reshuffle for the new one.

Ultimate reward: open house so all my local folks can visit.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 5:13 AM on January 5 [6 favorites]

Victory! Months ago, I obtained cabinet door catches for a small repair/upgrade. And then they sat. Installation was as fiddly and unpleasant as I feared, so I only one got installed, but now the ajar door stays shut. Also glued a broken bit of table back into place. Outside, turfgrass removal continues. That's generating a lot of dirt that needs a new home.

Today's focus is outdoors: we're getting a freeze tonight. Everything needs watered, and either moved or covered.
posted by mersen at 6:11 AM on January 5 [7 favorites]

Jan 4. My most productive day in a year or more, and I'm pretty sure it's because paduasoy made this thread. :D 2 loads of laundry, sorted through a lot of clothes (it's so weird what we hang on to, and for how long. Maybe we should do a share post with all our longest held but never worn clothing items, with photos). Would anyone else's be something that is too small but we can't part with it just in case? Did a bunch more counter uncluttering, re-organized 2 bookshelves. Brought a big Hefty bag of donations out to my car.

I danced around with hand weights and worked on the painting which is less terrible still. It's not very large at 9inx12in (sorry that is not metric or universal!) and it is unusual for me to spend so many days on a small painting. But it's also unusual for me to finish a painting, so it's fine with me.

As for that previous site for art and crafts, it was a little unwieldy and with a bit of a learning curve! But it was free and seemed to be a way to do the group with (relatively) minimal effort? But maybe a text only discussion board like MeFi. Or... maybe suggest a new subsite- MetaDo or MetaMaking or something?
posted by Glinn at 7:38 AM on January 5 [6 favorites]

mersen, hooray for fixing that thing that was bugging you for ages! I bet the next one you do will be slightly less unpleasant since you've already done one (and it was so satisfying)!

I hung a towel rack finally in my bathroom a couple months ago, after I had given up on it for more than a year! It turned out I didn't realize there was a teeny tiny screw in the bottom of it and it took all of 5 minutes to install because I had drilled in the brackets when I first tried to hang it so many months earlier. Not having that stupid towel rack was so annoying and I left it for a year! And it took 5 minutes. :-|
posted by Glinn at 7:46 AM on January 5 [9 favorites]

Joining late, but yesterday I deep cleaned the laundry/litterbox room. Took a magic eraser to the doors and trim, washed down the walls and cabinets, moved the washer and dryer to clean under them, wiped down the washer and dryer, swept, and mopped. It looks so good in there! Makes me want to tackle every room in a similar fashion even though it's not spring.
posted by cooker girl at 8:55 AM on January 5 [9 favorites]

It’s nice to read about everyone’s accomplishments so far. Thanks padusoy for starting this thread.

Last few days, I was able to clear and sort out all the paper piles in my kitchen table. It was so much cluttered, I accidentally dropped a plate which shattered into tiny pieces. Good thing is, my kitchen floor got cleaned now and all the mess was cleared. Need to get some flowers to brighten the room.

Then, I vacuumed my craft room and organized all my craft supplies. Now, I’m ready to make some cards for our monthly mefi card club and also the upcoming valentine card exchange too :))
posted by SunPower at 10:33 AM on January 5 [7 favorites]

I did get the final, final version of the eulogy done, and dyed my hair. Didn't do any sorting or decluttering, but here is the cat investigating the bags of books for the charity shop.

This even I've been making lemon pigs with my sister and her family. This was a suggestion by enfa over on the Tiny New Year's Eve Rituals thread. We really enjoyed making them. Here's the line-up.
posted by paduasoy at 1:03 PM on January 5 [6 favorites]

Nice pigs!
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:31 PM on January 5 [5 favorites]

I have a huge avalanche of clothes left to deal with, but I got tired and I have to go to a birthday party in a half hour (I'm already tired, but incessant dancing is NON NEGOTIABLE, last year the birthday girl was near-naked and twerking) and pooped out. I've made up five boxes of clothes to give away, but the clothes I want to keep still don't fit in the tiny closets. I still have clothing avalanches out in the room because I have to go through everything and try a good chunk of those things on before putting it back in. Annoyingly, I have to go out of town next weekend, which means I can't do a drop-by at SPCA when their dropoff hours are 11-4 Saturday only, so these will pile up.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:25 PM on January 5 [6 favorites]

(And when I say near-naked, I mean "wearing a sarong and nothing underneath, and we were all able to see what was underneath with the twerk." Unfortunately this year is going to be another tropical themed birthday in January....)
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:26 PM on January 5 [1 favorite]

I’m not sure how declutter club works but I’m very interested. Do we just post here as we work on stuff?
posted by bunderful at 3:43 PM on January 5 [6 favorites]

Hi bunderful - I think so! But any approach that works for you is fine.
posted by paduasoy at 4:17 PM on January 5 [2 favorites]

I got the Emotional Difficulty Stuff into a nice clean box with nice new tissue paper. (Three days after I started.) Tomorrow I might get it in the car and maybe even actually return it. Tiny steps!
posted by clew at 6:11 PM on January 5 [6 favorites]

Hi paduasoy! I am sorry for your loss. May his memory be for a blessing, and I think the celebrant dressed as a bacon sandwich sounds fabulous. (If I could do over my own father’s funeral, it would definitely involve a BLT, his favorite sandwich.)

Thank you for this thread. I’m also unsure how to contribute, but I am finding everyone’s posts inspiring, helpful, and gentle, which is thoroughly pleasant.

Yesterday whilst taking items to the Food Morgue (my husband’s pet name for the compost bins at the community building) we also recycled some Christmas/fairy lights, which had been in the garage since last Christmas.

Today I cleared out and rearranged two shelves of a cupboard so my most used tea is easy to grab, instead of hidden awkwardly behind the tea I don’t drink. Why are these things sometimes so difficult? Maybe the other tea needs to go to the office or, yes, the Food Morgue? I also repurposed some sad dried fruit into Bird and Squirrel treats, as we are expected to get some winter weather. Not exactly decluttering. See my confusion?

Oh! And I did a thorough clean of the main shower/tub/shower curtain. That was satisfying.

Thank you, everyone.
posted by kyraU2 at 6:14 PM on January 5 [7 favorites]

I dunno, kyraU2, that sounds like decluttering to me! Reorganizing and repurposing things, dealing with mental blocks, handling Emotional Difficulty Stuff like clew is doing, that all counts in my book.
posted by nuclear bessel at 6:36 PM on January 5 [5 favorites]

oh wow I love this thread. And I need this thread. I had grand plans to fix up our back sunroom over my long winter break, because it's where we chucked everything we couldn't find a home for when we moved. Most of it just needs to go, but not ALL, and honestly I'm not 100% certain I know what to do with the things that stay (holiday decorations, spare sheets and towels, toolboxes, laundry racks, a vacuum).

Then our dog abruptly sickened and died, so instead our holiday break cleaning turned into the slow process of adjusting ourselves and our house to not-dog. (Slow as in, we just stopped bending over to fill her dishes out of habit. But the dishes are still out.)

But the sunroom is still sitting there, taunting me with its potential to be a useful space, so I will hold myself accountable to it here.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 7:44 PM on January 5 [7 favorites]

Thank you, kyraU2. And I love the idea of a Food Morgue.

I'm so sorry about your dog, We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese.
posted by paduasoy at 9:44 PM on January 5 [3 favorites]

6th Jan:
Inside: tidied and wiped off top of washer.
Outside: bailed out remaining water in spa pool & cleaned filters.
posted by inexorably_forward at 1:04 AM on January 6 [5 favorites]

Very happy to see this thread. I have a close family member in hospital this week, and things were looking very rocky for a while (they are still in critical care, but now look as though they will live, at least) so I am very low on energy. But determined to put Christmas stuff away today, which is at least simple to do, once I've steeled myself to go into the attic which is COLD.

Less simple is to tackle Project Laundry - specifically putting it away. That isn't hard in itself but it's a new-to-us house and lacks systems so I need to come up with somewhere to store sheets and towels before I can put those away, and I can't put all the clothes away until I clear the sheets and towels away. And I lack the executive function to plan and do all that.

Then there's sorting old toys and some of my late mother-in-law's stuff, for disposal, giving away or eBay. But that can wait.

paduasoy I'm sorry for your loss and it looks as though you're doing very well in the circumstances. Everyone else, I'm enjoying reading about all your small wins.
posted by altolinguistic at 2:33 AM on January 6 [5 favorites]

This even I've been making lemon pigs with my sister and her family.

Thank you for this, my wife and I had never heard of lemon pigs and we enjoyed seeing yours and looking up what the heck they were!
posted by mmoncur at 5:32 AM on January 6 [3 favorites]

This morning I packed up and put away the bulk of Christmas stuff, in a new closet in the newly finished basement meant just for that. This afternoon I'm reclaiming all the bookshelves that held Christmas stuff by finally giving in to the desire to org my books by color just for fun (I'm a librarian, it's ok, I promise)
posted by donnagirl at 9:39 AM on January 6 [9 favorites]

Thank you for the kind words, everyone.

We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese, I am sorry to hear about your dog. And I’m sure I’m. Or the only one who has been there with the dishes/pet accessories.

And altolinguistic, best wishes to you and your family.

I also commiserate about the spare sheets, in particular. We cleared out the linen closet a few months ago, discarded the sheets with actual holes, donated the ones that were fine but not the right size for any of the beds in the house (where did those come from?), and so on. We filled up at least two large bin/trash bags. Yet, when we turned to replace the usable sheets in the cupboard, THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH ROOM. Is there a somebody’s law of physics that explains this wretched phenomenon? (Because it happens in the spice cupboard also.)

I saw the lemon pigs on the NYE thread and thought they looked delightful.

And I also have interest in an “I made/fixed/did it” thread. I am interested in cooking/baking, as I hugely miss the glory days of my beloved Cooking Light forum. (I’m not on Facebook.). However, any topic sounds fun and inspiring.
posted by kyraU2 at 12:43 PM on January 6 [7 favorites]

Coming to this thread from the AskMe - thanks for linking it. I had two weeks off over the holidays and my main target was decluttering. I've almost finished going through personal papers in boxes (no I do not need tax returns from 1994!) and have a couple of bags of papers to shred. Most satisfyingly, I took 8 bags of clothes to the thrift store, including clothes of rtha's that I've just been holding on to. I can let go of more of her stuff each year. And I sent a bag of nicer or unworn clothes of mine off to ThredUp. I need to finish getting a bunch of boxes of paper off to an archive and then I'm tackling book-related piles.

I've been using the finch app to gamify everything and that's been helping my ADHD brain get through some of these tasks (if you want to try it I can send you a friend code).

Tasks for the day: call the car dealership about the recall thing and spend 30 minutes putting away papers in the office.
posted by gingerbeer at 2:08 PM on January 6 [9 favorites]

7th Jan:
Inside: removed cobwebs from bathroom ceiling.
Outside: Cleaned inside of spa pool and cover. Going out, can't refill today.
posted by inexorably_forward at 3:26 PM on January 6 [5 favorites]

Like gingerbeer I've been finding Finch ridiculously helpful (not that I've accomplished ridiculously much, just that it's ridiculous that changing outfits on a silly bird is enough reward to finally get me to do the PT, etc that I'd otherwise put off).

Took down the little table-top Xmas tree, found a card to reply to a late holiday card, did a little organizing (and, to be fair, De-organizing of piles I'd previously made while tidying) on the desk. Started printing a 50 page travelogue from my great grandfather that another relative posted to Ancestry and mom wanted to read. Now I need to clear off the printer so I can clear the paper jam that happened part way through :/. But still, progress!
posted by ldthomps at 4:59 PM on January 6 [5 favorites]

Delivered the Emotionally Difficult stuff in an half assed but visible effort way. No one will actually be happy or content, that was not available. Fin.

Had people volunteer to do Merely Inconvenient move of market garden stuff in a better vehicle than I've got, although this means that absolutely definitely the next thing I need to do is the Oo Ick clean out a big shed at the new place that has had too many rats in it. I needed to do that anyway. Unsurprisingly it never seems like the best thing to do when I get up but if someone else will bring my Tposts! Payoff!

And my other half and I agreed on a Big Fancy Couch, which has taken us ... twelve years? because we are both picky, and an adequate one came up on Craigslist for a perfectly reasonable price. So I'd better clear some space because it is Big! Big enough for us both to lie on it in opposite directions, reading, which makes us very happy.
posted by clew at 6:37 PM on January 6 [7 favorites]

I was looking for a Facebook Buy Nothing group so I could donate some stuff to them. I found this FB group: Actual Anarchists Offering Goods in 'My County'. They say you don't have to be an anarchist to join. :) They are promoting mutual aid and other good stuff. I love it as a direct way to find people who can use the goods that I want to part with. It is so very motivating to know that someone wants my discards!

I soaked and washed my shower curtain and the liner yesterday. I rarely use bleach but I did this time and now they look good! Ok, a little bit of bleach is helpful now and then.

An entire re-org of the office/craft storage area is needed. Plus, I'm still trying to figure out a way to get myself to deal with the mail and file the papers regularly. Late last month I cleared out a lot of papers from the filing cabinet. That felt so gooood! Keep going!
posted by goodsearch at 8:36 PM on January 6 [8 favorites]

Goodness, everyone has been doing so much. altolinguistic, I am so sorry about your family member - I hope things continue to improve and you are managing to look after yourself a bit too.

gingerbeer, thanks for sharing how you are doing after your loss. That combination of grief and objects is hard, isn't it.

clew, I feel you with the No one will actually be happy or content, that was not available.

Had my father's funeral yesterday - thanks for the good wishes. I think it went well - we had feedback from a lot of people about what a good tribute it was to him. He would certainly have sobbed all the way through it, which feels like one measure of success. I'm glad too that we got in to the eulogy how difficult and judgemental he could be at times.

Feeling the need to clean today - really want to get the sitting room sorted. I haven't vacuumed in there for months, and in that time had an illness that meant I slept in there for a couple of weeks, so it really is a pigsty. May be able to declutter a bit as I go.
posted by paduasoy at 11:35 PM on January 6 [8 favorites]

Yes indeed, lots of people doing things!

Glad to hear the funeral went well. To everyone here dealing with grief and loss, my condolences.

On a completely different topic and because I tend to refresh this thread a few times a day, I'm curious what time zone everyone is in. I'll start: I'm in UTC+13 (New Zealand Daylight Time).
posted by inexorably_forward at 1:41 AM on January 7 [5 favorites]

Plain old UTC here (UK). Still haven't put Christmas away, will get child to help with that later.

Have to do some actual work, which has been on the back burner recently (I'm financially privileged enough that this isn't a problem, but also I'm in my forties which should be prime earning years, and I'm having to waste that opportunity because of family health problems).
posted by altolinguistic at 3:15 AM on January 7 [5 favorites]

I've just downloaded Finch, which looks like it scratches the same itch that Duolingo does for me. It's already made me take three deep breaths which has helped an improbable amount. Plus one of my goals today was "get out of bed" which I had already reluctantly done, so I got to tick one thing off straight away. So thank you to all those who have suggested it!
posted by altolinguistic at 3:26 AM on January 7 [6 favorites]

Yesterday, I started on the 'dining room'. It's an awkward bump on the end of a galley kitchen, more used for storage than eating. (In an ideal house, it would be more kitchen.) I emptied and wiped down the cabinet and dining table, and will tackle the open shelves tonight. I want a shorter set of shelves in there, which may work after decluttering/organizing.
posted by mersen at 5:16 AM on January 7 [5 favorites]

Yesterday, I washed inside of the windows, went through the desk drawers, and put laundry away. Today, I need to wash the kitchen floor, do a job application, and get started on taking the Christmas tree down.

It's interesting that I feel a lift in my mood since this page started -- without doing any related tasks. Very welcome and needed! I also feel more connected to MeFi.
posted by jgirl at 6:38 AM on January 7 [6 favorites]

U.S. Central Time (CST), on hour earlier than the U.S. east coast.

Jan 6- I have painted for 6 days in a row and should be finished with this thing today and maybe get back to a big one tomorrow. Like goodsearch I washed my shower liner (long overdue!) and scrubbed soap scum from the shower. No hand weights for 2 days but back to it after work today!
posted by Glinn at 7:00 AM on January 7 [5 favorites]

UK time here.

I did get a lot of cleaning and sorting of sitting room done this morning. Also identified 105 books for charity shop, a bag of DVDs for same, a couple of books for ebay and a few other bits for charity. I actually have some shelf space now! Unfortunately, I dropped the vacuum cleaner on the internet wall box and the internet is now not working. I'm at a friend's now, or wouldn't be able to get online. Then the vacuum cleaner stopped sucking later, so both things added to the list.

Very pleased with my tidy room though. Some flowers arrived, and I have clear surfaces on which to put them!
posted by paduasoy at 7:21 AM on January 7 [8 favorites]

Finch folks want to share friend codes or invites? Feel free to memail me if you want another friend on there.
posted by gingerbeer at 10:20 AM on January 7 [3 favorites]

Congrats on making it through your dad's funeral, paduasoy.
posted by gingerbeer at 10:21 AM on January 7 [4 favorites]

Oh hey, I started doing some of this. Congrats to everyone who made progress so far. Things I still have to do:

1. Put the Xmas tree and ornaments away.
2. Deal with the wall of boxes by my bedroom window.
3. Put more stuff on Buy Nothing or donate or toss.
4. Sort out where to put stuff we received from Xmas.
posted by toastyk at 11:57 AM on January 7 [6 favorites]

My chronic-pain self wrestled the tree out of the Tree Genie (putting in is a breeze; taking out is not), and I've spent the last three hours (really) vacuuming up the needles. The floor looked like I'd gotten a green shag rug. I also got rid of four items I wasn't using.

I cannot find a thread filet-crocheted ornament my late aunt made me, and I am really upset about it. It's not in the tree, which I shook out. The other ornaments are sorted but not put in the box in the closet yet.

I am exhausted. No floor washing or job applying for me today. No workout, either!
posted by jgirl at 12:18 PM on January 7 [6 favorites]

Re finch: does an invite get me or you something? I downloaded it and am not sure whether to just take the free trial or whether an invite would be better.
posted by donnagirl at 12:47 PM on January 7 [3 favorites]

Argh, that's crappy about the ornament, jgirl! Is there anyone local who could provide another set of eyeballs in the search? (I'd have to have a good cry before asking for assistance, myself, but that's just me.)
posted by inexorably_forward at 1:00 PM on January 7 [5 favorites]

Yes, an invite gets each of us something
posted by gingerbeer at 1:18 PM on January 7 [4 favorites]

We moved the movable furniture out of the room the big couch was getting delivered to, just to make it as easy as possible for the movers -- so now we have one room with bookcases and a Big Couch and glorious clear floorspace, and another that looks like a Victorian cliche with all the furniture ranged around the dining table. It's all just accessible, if you're willing to pick up one thing to get to another.

It's weird but pleasant. The answer is to figure out how to have *some* less stuff so we have one clear room for moving in and one busy one for sitting. I think we can do that.

Or maybe just settle onto the couch and read TBRs, many of which will not be keepers. That would make space too. Eventually.
posted by clew at 1:49 PM on January 7 [6 favorites]

jgirl, could the ornament be in the vacuum?

I hate suggesting that you sift through the bag or canister or whatever, but can imagine thread crochet disguising itself as a lump of needles.
posted by clew at 1:50 PM on January 7 [3 favorites]

I see that reporting to y'all is keeping me on track, or at least with help I got the printer jam cleared and finished printing the 1892 family bicycle trip in Europe travelogue. We got our new CD player installed and are listening to Richard Thompson... now the difficulty will be figuring out how to view pictures from CDs and seeing if I can't find the scanned photos that go with the family travelogue of floating down the Ohio River in 1896 (I have 4 pages of printed out thumbnails, so I know dad scanned them - I just hope I can find them). In the process I may have untidied a bit more, but at least things aren't Just in piles anymore? Progress isn't linear, but it's still progress.
posted by ldthomps at 2:45 PM on January 7 [6 favorites]

finch derail -- it's totally one of those apps where if someone uses your invite code you each get a reward. plus we can all be birb friends! I know there are other mefites on it - I was invited by one. I'm happy to have some low key invite code chaining happening here, or could post something in MeTa (but it's been such an angry cesspool lately that I'm reluctant to post there.) Thoughts and preferences?
posted by gingerbeer at 2:59 PM on January 7 [3 favorites]

What about mentioning Finch in the next free thread? I did try it some time ago but didn't get on with it very well - it may have been the place I was in at the time. Might try it again, but at the moment the chat in this thread is working well to keep me accountable to myself.

Really sorry about the ornament, jjgirl. Losing crafted things is so upsetting.

I'm enjoying my new tidied and sorted room (still not fully vacuumed though internet is back). In sorting books earlier, I identified some I haven't yet read or that I want to re-read, and cordoned them onto a TBR shelf I'm hoping to use to get myself to read some books that I know I'll enjoy but take a bit more work than some of my usual fare. It's working so far and got through another two today. The idea is that they're all in one place so that when I need to grab a book I can do it from there.

Tomorrow - working for the first time in months, it's going to be a bit of a struggle. Need to write a pitch for a freelance opportunity. I think once I get going on it, I'll enjoy it. Can't get going until mid-morning as colleague isn't free until then, so planning some kitchen cleaning before then. Will try to sort a large and daunting pile in the evening.
posted by paduasoy at 3:24 PM on January 7 [8 favorites]

And one of the books I read today is going in the charity pile so that's also good.
posted by paduasoy at 3:52 PM on January 7 [4 favorites]

I'm in Southern Utah in the Mountain timezone, GMT-7, but I work the night shift so effectively my timezone is Sydney, Australia...

Jan 6th
Inside: put away some paperwork that was all over the place
Outside: put away some tools
posted by mmoncur at 3:56 PM on January 7 [4 favorites]

Progress isn't linear, but it's still progress.

So true!

8th Jan:
Outside: filled spa pool. It should be up to temperature by evening, hooray!
Inside: shoved some luggage into other luggage and put it away (for some value of away).
posted by inexorably_forward at 4:15 PM on January 7 [4 favorites]

I found the documents and sent off the Difficult Email. Cleaned off my desk (again). Printed off consent forms. Made appointment I have been putting off.

I'm in the Pacific time zone, GMT-8.
posted by nuclear bessel at 6:34 PM on January 7 [9 favorites]

Jan 7

Inside: put away some clutter
Outside: bought some power strips so I can plug in tools properly
posted by mmoncur at 5:34 AM on January 8 [3 favorites]

I found it. I am so relieved. OMG.

I knew it was too big to go up in the vacuum. Still, I did go through two full-vacuum's worth of contents in the trash.

That ornament and one other came off the tree last week, and for some reason I put the crochet ornament back in the box in the closet.

I'll post some photos later.
posted by jgirl at 8:18 AM on January 8 [10 favorites]

Jan. 7. Last night, I started going through the dining room stuff, but most of it is still piled in the living room and all surfaces in the kitchen are covered. In a fit of insanity, I just invited company over this evening. Counting on making a good dent in the mess before they arrive!
posted by mersen at 8:56 AM on January 8 [5 favorites]

(And jgirl, so glad you found the ornament!!)
posted by mersen at 8:58 AM on January 8 [5 favorites]

I'm happy to Finch code swap here, or have folks say they'd welcome a mefi mail with a code (thanks for being my Finch friend, gingerbeer!). I also found it a little tough to figure out and use at first, which surprised me, but once I stopped letting it try to help me set goals and figured out how to add my own I became more comfortable and like it a lot. Being friends with other people in no way allows them to see your goals or progress (or lack thereof), you just encourage one another and get points for doing so. Silly fun!

Ok folks, I just went through another old family album and now have a pile of probably 100 carefully clipped articles with photos of the art at the 1933 Chicago "Century of Progress" World's Fair. What the heck do I do with these? I'm guessing just recycle them, but seems a bit of a waste/shame. I learned from an article on Whistler (Whistler's Mother was the big hit of the show) that a sockdolager is a knockout - I'd never contemplated where the mefi username came from.

GMT-5, US Eastern time here.
posted by ldthomps at 9:07 AM on January 8 [4 favorites]

ldthomps - I think if I were you I might post a couple of them online, if you feel like it. Instagram or whatever you use. That would help me then be able to put them in the recycling. Thanks for those facts; I did not know either that the Whistler painting was so popular in the 1930s or the word.

jgirl, pleased you found it! And sorry for spelling your username wrong earlier. A picture would be great. I follow a filet crochet group on Ravelry, and the forum name is "Figures in the Air", which I always like.
posted by paduasoy at 9:54 AM on January 8 [3 favorites]

Not managed to get a lot done today. My father's friend / partner (complicated) came round with the flowers from his funeral. She gave me about half an hour notice that she'd be visiting and that she'd stay for a cup of tea, and although the sitting room was clean and tidy (thanks, past self), the kitchen was awful, with about a week of washing up piled on the counter. I madly flung it all into boxes and hid it, and threw random objects into the wrong cupboards. I would like to be someone who wasn't appalled by visitors because of the state of the house. Not sure if I can get there. Then I got overwhelmed by things and didn't know where to start to clear up.

Worked in the afternoon, and this evening a friend helpfully gave me really clear instructions to empty the dishwasher, fill it with the contents of one of the boxes and put it on, which I have done. So I'm not really sure if I'm further behind or not.
posted by paduasoy at 11:08 AM on January 8 [7 favorites]

Not sure if I can get there.

If I can, you can!
posted by jgirl at 12:10 PM on January 8 [6 favorites]

paduasoy I am sorry for your loss as well (somehow missed that in my initial thread read, oy!) and glad the funeral went off well. And sympathies on the surprise teatime -- as someone who keeps a very clean house generally, I guarantee our friends only ever "pop in" when something has derailed my efforts and nothing is as I'd like it.

The thing is, usually that means something awful has happened and my friends are there because of it, and thus they totally do not care and do understand.* And I'm sure such was the case for you too!

I've identified all of the non-linen discards from our sunroom (the linen needs its own day) and sorted the File Boxes of Doom into "keep/discard/shred." Discard is discarded; shred is boxed to go to the UPS store for shredding. Friends, I had receipts from 2004 in that shit. Keep is...shoved into a single desk drawer. All those file boxes, and the needed stuff is ONE desk drawer's worth.

This led to a new commitment which is to just shred stuff right away unless it's the rare, diamond-like item that actually matters. I'm doing well with it!

*Another thing about our visitors is that I am cleaner and tidier than my partner by an order of magnitude. Most of our local friends were his friends first, and so frankly, they're always just pleasantly shocked that nothing here is actively sticky. This sounds mean but I swear it is not; the boy has been in a raised-by-wolves kind of condition since he was 15 and everyone is just happy for him.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 1:53 PM on January 8 [7 favorites]

It definitely sounds as if you're getting there, paduasoy, and congrats on being able to host on almost no warning. And yes, friend was completely correct that doing a load of dishes was a good next step at that point. Sounds like your sitting room is in good shape, and the kitchen getting better by the moment.
posted by ldthomps at 2:07 PM on January 8 [3 favorites]

Today I bought (a) a separate, 2 layer garment rack on wheels*, (b) twelve hangers that let me hang hangers off other hangers, (c) a shit ton of leggings holders that are big enough to hold yarn or sweatshirts or anything, because I have to store my workout clothes in the clothes hamper as is. I may order a second garment bar to hang in the closet that doesn't have one.

* because my closets are so awful to physically GET INTO and get clothes into, and get clothes out of, and I have had Clothing Pile at the end of my bed for six months, where I put the clothes I actually plan on wearing... I'm just going to put the clothes I can't wear right now into the closets and put the clothing actually being used for the season on the garment rack and put the garment rack in front of a closet.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:36 PM on January 8 [8 favorites]

Today I had a later work day so I completed the Sunday crossword in the morning. I'm counting that as my accomplishment bc the rest of my time at home was spent monitoring my silly dog for signs that the tube of hand lotion he ate was making him sick. Thankfully, no, he is a lab and they are impervious to sickness from eating things.

Love Finch, happy to be your friend there, my code is R8HHAXA2M9.
posted by donnagirl at 5:40 PM on January 8 [5 favorites]

Paduasoy, here are pictures of a few things my younger aunt made. The stocking was the one I couldn't find; it's about three inches by five inches. Not shown is a three-dimensional stuffed fabric Christmas tree she made that's about 15 inches tall and 14 inches around and stuffed cloth ornaments for that. I lived in an apartment about the size of a camper, and that was the tree I had room to have.

I took those photos over Christmas 2015, about a month and a half after she died. I've since moved on to full-sized trees. With the influx of my beloved Schoharie County-made glass balls and icicles, most of my ornaments are hand made. I look forward all year to the icicles -- they shimmer and refract the light.

My mom made my ceramic Nativity set. Between my mother, her mother, and my father's two sisters (my only aunts), we had sewing, crocheting, ceramics, knitting, rug hooking, and quilting covered. Plus baking, gardening, pickling, and preserving!

This aunt also made the yarn-crocheted ornaments and some plastic-canvas stitch squares I don't think show up. She was a classic American farm wife and a family caregiver nearly all of her life. And she did it all with rheumatoid arthritis. I miss her so!

Paduasoy, my condolences on your loss.
posted by jgirl at 5:52 PM on January 8 [7 favorites]

Welp, found out my sewer line is so backed up I may have surprise poopsplosion at any moment. Hence why they are trying to sort it all out, but it will take Quite Some Time and has gotten even more messy and involved since the last fix day. I found poopsplosion when I got home today but thankfully it was just only in the appropriate room for it. So we can say I did some cleaning....sigh.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:04 PM on January 8 [6 favorites]

Oh no, sewer line backups are never good, and the extra clean-up no fun, you deserve all the gold stars, jenfullmoon!
posted by ldthomps at 6:36 PM on January 8 [4 favorites]

jenfullmoon, it sounds like you have mountains of clothes! But also sounds like progress. Very sorry to hear about the uh, vey unpleasant bathroom troubles (but glad it wasn’t worse).

Jan 8, Painted every day for 8 days, hand weights 6 of 8 days, cleaning things 6 of 8 days. I didn’t make a Timelapse video of this painting but I have 16 progress pics so far and might make a slideshow. I have cropped and resized the photos so far (16), and I want to figure out how to do a voiceover.

Currently a bit anxious about Toki’s dental tomorrow, not even for the procedure, just his being in a strange place all day which both he and I will not like at all. He’ll have 5 days of antibiotics after, twice a day, which will be a struggle as the beast is not food motivated, does not like peanut butter(!!?) or pill pockets, so I shall have to gently force them on him. Stella will not be too bothered tomorrow as she will get all the attention while he is away.
posted by Glinn at 8:42 PM on January 8 [5 favorites]

Toki and Stella are adorable! Best of luck with the dentistry.

My usual trick for giving dogs pills is to buy a 12-pack of hot dogs, cut them into 1-inch sections, use a knife to make a small slit and tuck the pill into that. It works even for our not-super-food-motivated dog but sometimes you have to cut back on regular dogfood to make them a bit hungry before pill time.
posted by mmoncur at 9:48 PM on January 8 [3 favorites]

9th Jan:
Inside: dusted a couple of windowsills.
Outside: started to trim the hedge, but the rain came and it seemed prudent to unplug the hedge trimmer. Scrubbed bird poop off the deck instead. I *think* the starlings are done nesting and projectile-pooping for the season.
posted by inexorably_forward at 11:33 PM on January 8 [6 favorites]

jgirl, that's great that you found your ornament! Sounds like the old "tidied it out of existence" trick.
posted by inexorably_forward at 11:35 PM on January 8 [5 favorites]

That's quite the timezone spread we have in this thread - now we just need a few people scattered across eastern Europe and Asia to get 24-hour tidying activity!

Maybe that's not as exciting in reality as it was in my head.
posted by inexorably_forward at 11:53 PM on January 8 [6 favorites]

Those are lovely, jgirl. Your aunt sounds amazing.

inexorably_forward, 24-hour tidying does sound quite exciting! I may be over-invested. I'm just picking up the baton in the UK and doing some kitchen cleaning. Then I have to do my tax return, which is a serious fear. It's due by the end of the month. I did do all the prep for it back in April, but lost the password for the spreadsheet, so have to start again. I'm going to go over to my sister's house to work on it, as I think it'll be easier with other people working around me.
posted by paduasoy at 12:38 AM on January 9 [6 favorites]

Heh, I feel you on the tax return. I thought about adding a "life admin" category to my daily stuff, but some of it is really scary and I wanted to keep the chances high that I would actually meet my goals instead of stalling out. Little successes, y'know.

Good luck redoing your spreadsheet... what a pain!
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:35 AM on January 9 [4 favorites]

Jan 8th

Inside: Got rid of a pile of old shoes that was inexplicably in my office
Outside: Set up power strips for tools
posted by mmoncur at 4:54 AM on January 9 [5 favorites]

You're all doing so well! I have finally put Christmas away, just need to put things in the attic and vacuum up the needles. I've also cleared the drains, phoned the carpenter, and cycled the dishwasher. Next to clean the kitchen properly and contact the window people.
posted by altolinguistic at 7:03 AM on January 9 [6 favorites]

ooogh jenfullmoon, condolences on your sewer line. I had to pay to replace one of those last year, and boy howdy. I hope your involvement is limited to the cleaning and that you're not on the hook for the fixes!
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 7:31 AM on January 9 [7 favorites]

fell on ice, badly sprained rt. hand. hope I can swim; meet coming soon. sink full of dishes too. one finger typing. ornaments sorted, not put away but they look pretty.

best wishes to all
posted by jgirl at 8:42 AM on January 9 [6 favorites]

Oh no! Best wishes for a smooth recovery!
posted by inexorably_forward at 10:36 AM on January 9 [5 favorites]

Oh no, jgirl. What a buggeration. Hope you aren't in too much pain.

(I have completed and submitted my tax return, but cannot speak of it as still too wound up. If I ever earn a decent amount again, I think I may pay someone to do it for me. Don't yet know how much I owe, it takes 72 hours to come through, so will hopefully calm down once that's done.)

Hoping to get a bit of kitchen stuff done this evening as a wind-down activity. cooker girl, your comment about cleaning your laundry and litter box room struck me again and inspired me. Sparkling is a very good thing.
posted by paduasoy at 12:28 PM on January 9 [5 favorites]

Oh no - definitely take it easy, jgirl, a bad sprain can take awhile to truly heal. I hope yours is a swift and easy recovery!

And congratulations, paduasoy on doing your tax return! I'm thoroughly impressed that you're rewarding yourself with some more tidying (I'd have gone for ice cream - less helpful). I finished reading the 1892 account of biking from England to Switzerland to the Netherlands from my great grandfather and his sister, a real treat. Glad to know I inherited my love of biking honestly. And now I can bundle up the account and mail it off to mom, removing at least a Bit more paper from our house. I also did a couple of loads of laundry while reading, and of course am more inspired to go through the boxes of photos and family things to hopefully find a few missing treasures (like the photos that go with the other trip).
posted by ldthomps at 1:25 PM on January 9 [6 favorites]

10th Jan:
Inside: started processing large batch of unnamed but extremely capsaicin-forward chilis that I got from a friend. Discarded seeds, roasted the flesh with some deliberate charring. My plan is to blend them with tamarind and basically make tamarind bombs for throwing into stirfry, but we'll see how it goes. I have two-plus-a-bit blocks of tamarind pulp but I'm really not sure that'll be enough. Might take multiple rounds and adjustments.
Outside: pulled a couple of weeds, trimmed the small bottlebrush tree.
posted by inexorably_forward at 6:46 PM on January 9 [5 favorites]

Today, I got all the official holiday stuff boxed and into the closet. (There's still a holiday-adjacent layer, spare bedding and things that were displaced by holiday, that needs to be dealt with.) And advanced the endless cycle of dishes. The dining-room stuff is not done, but is tidy-ish so I'm going to leave it a while.

jgirl, your Santa crochet ornament looks very familiar - maybe your aunt and my mother worked the same pattern or kit?
posted by mersen at 6:49 PM on January 9 [6 favorites]

Thought the list makers amongst us might like this poem by Wendy Cope.
posted by paduasoy at 2:05 AM on January 10 [6 favorites]

Jan. 9

Inside: began unburying my art table by removing all of the bicycle parts (!) that were on it
Outside: put away bicycle parts
posted by mmoncur at 2:29 AM on January 10 [4 favorites]

I'd seen that poem before but completely forgotten it. It's lovely!

Managed to get my tamarind/chili goo put together without putting a capsaicin-covered finger in my eye (gloves help... so many gloves), and get most of the mess cleaned up (some things are soaking), and I think I even ended up with a reasonable flavour balance! I've put it on a tray in the freezer to be broken up for future yumminess.
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:54 AM on January 10 [5 favorites]

I have so many boxes of clothes now that it's getting hard to get around the house. Last night I cleaned out a bunch of pants.

I also now have a box of Knitting Projects That I Don't Love And Didn't Go Well that I'm not sure what to do with. My boss did ask me if I ever wanted to get rid of any, let her know, which I'd love to do if she wasn't sick, and I hate to throw out my own stuff, but some of it is legit yikes in execution.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:25 AM on January 10 [4 favorites]

I suppose you could frog it all, thus re-transforming it into Stash. (Though if I did that, it would probably transform into Potential Projects With Added Baggage, so that mightn't be the best idea.)
posted by inexorably_forward at 1:33 PM on January 10 [2 favorites]

Do you know what your boss wanted to do with it - does she just love your projects even when you don't?
posted by paduasoy at 1:36 PM on January 10 [1 favorite]

She's actually at work today, I suppose I could ask.... I think it was some kind of raffle/fundraiser idea thing?
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:34 PM on January 10 [3 favorites]

Well, mailed the 55 pages off to mom, but she also asked for copies for a church friend and her dentist (I will see if they can't get the electronic version, oy). Took out trash and compost, but didn't get to any of the piles. Suspect I might be getting husband's cold, so I'm going to call it ok for now, and cheer the rest of y'all on.
posted by ldthomps at 6:09 PM on January 10 [4 favorites]

11th Jan:
Inside: cleaned shower floor & shelves, toilet.
Outside: pulled a few weeds.

Unfortunately I seem to be falling behind on keeping up previous gains in overall tidiness, bleurgh.
posted by inexorably_forward at 8:06 PM on January 10 [4 favorites]

It is a struggle, isn't it. Didn't get much done yesterday. Made contact about some work, and the person representing the client seems quite enthusiastic, but I'm not sure I can actually do it. To do it well is a big piece of work. He is talking about dividing it into parts, so I need to talk to my business partner and see what she thinks, but I'm quailing.

My niece is coming over to do college work at mine today, so I need to get some chores done before they arrive. Then, whilst they're here and we're both concentrating, I'm planning to make a file of my father's funeral service, with all the text and pictures, as there are some people who couldn't make it and want to see it. I'm also making Bailey's chocolate mousse to take to a friend's tonight. May try to do some sorting of a pile of doom too.
posted by paduasoy at 2:05 AM on January 11 [5 favorites]

Ooh, what's your recipe for Bailey's chocolate mousse? That sounds divine.
posted by inexorably_forward at 3:01 AM on January 11 [3 favorites]

I've put it on Flickr, here. It's from Country Comfort by Hari Beavis. I was given the book at Christmas, but that's the only thing I've made from it so far, which shows my priorities! I made it last weekend for 4.5 of us, and upped the quantities by a sixth - in fact, although it was delicious, we only ate about half as it's very filling. Making it for two of us today, but probably won't bother with the cream as don't think it needs it.

Niece is here now. Got a few chores done before they got here which is good. They are about to start doing a past paper - Equilibria, Elements and Energetics. They are telling you this for #accountability, and I'm just starting the pdf of funeral service. They have hot chocolate, I have tea, we both have bacon sandwiches. Go us!
posted by paduasoy at 5:19 AM on January 11 [7 favorites]

Niece has done the practice paper and got 63%, with which they are pleased. They have also done a key assignment / end of topic test so they're on fire. They may come back to mine tomorrow to do some more. I drafted a PDF copy of the funeral speeches and photographs, and sent it to a friend who will check the layout etc for me. Then I went through four bags of my father's stuff, dividing it into books for ebay, books for charity, a bit of rubbish and some large batteries, which I think will have to go to the dump. Then I did some local history research. Oh and made the chocolate mousse. So am fairly pleased with how today has gone. Hope other people have had whatever balance of GSD and other things (or no things) that they wanted.
posted by paduasoy at 9:40 AM on January 11 [5 favorites]

I hauled nine boxes to SPCA this morning and am now very tired. My car barely fit 'em all.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:52 AM on January 11 [6 favorites]

Wow! Awesome work, paduasoy, niece, and jenfullmoon! Inspirational all around, but I might start with the hot cocoa (like niece) :D.
posted by ldthomps at 12:42 PM on January 11 [3 favorites]

So that means 15 boxes this month so far? Yowza!
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:18 PM on January 11 [5 favorites]

Thanks for posting the mousse recipe... looks relatively straightforward, even.
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:20 PM on January 11 [3 favorites]

12th Jan:
Inside: searched for and found my copy of partner's car key.
Outside: finished trimming hedge.
posted by inexorably_forward at 7:10 PM on January 11 [4 favorites]

Jan 11:
Inside: Watered all of the houseplants and threw out some dead ones.
Outside: Too damn cold, stayed in. :)
posted by mmoncur at 3:42 AM on January 12 [4 favorites]

Jan 11. Spent many hours (8+?!) on a 1.5 minute YouTube painting video with my first voiceover. I did not paint the last two days, but this totally counts. One is expected to make many bad videos before getting to the good ones, and that is ok.

link in my bio if you are interested in slightly janky YT - includes cute dogs.
posted by Glinn at 8:42 AM on January 12 [6 favorites]

Hi everyone! I've been quietly following along and I've really enjoyed this honest and gentle thread. I'm amazed and impressed by the progress!

I flipped my mattress! Which was a huge accomplishment because that thing is HEAVY. Also, lots of dusting, vacuuming, spelunking through a giant stack of mail. I found money and a gift card I'd totally forgotten about. There's a big bag of papers to shred, too. By the end of the month, I'd like to move the bookshelves and their contents from the spare room to the dining room, so there's kind of a waterfall of contingencies that must happen before the shelf thing can happen....

Glinn, I am very interested in watching painting & dog videos but the link on your bio goes to a 404?
posted by mochapickle at 11:51 AM on January 12 [6 favorites]

Oh crud, thank you mochapickle I guess I needed to log out to get the right link?
Should be fixed. ALSO, you know what else is honest and gentle? The movie Stranger than Fiction which I just watched again recently free on YouTube (not sure if it was free because I have a YouTube subscription). Highly Recommend.
posted by Glinn at 1:50 PM on January 12 [4 favorites]

reorganized a closet and discovered that it is 10% christmas and other gift bags. discovered an outlet for the electric mop, and generally sorted the "hosting" tableware, because we had kept buying the same paper plates a number of times.
posted by eustatic at 2:29 PM on January 12 [6 favorites]

13th Jan:
Inside: cleaned items on, and dusted, a couple of shelves.
Outside: made sleepout slightly more habitable (very basic vacuuming / dusting / tidying) - guests coming tomorrow.
posted by inexorably_forward at 12:25 AM on January 13 [5 favorites]

In other news, I made the Bailey's chocolate mousse! It's in the fridge. I REALLY want to start eating it now, but it's for tomorrow night's dinner so I must restrain myself.

I did lick the mixing bowl, yum.
posted by inexorably_forward at 12:29 AM on January 13 [5 favorites]

Morning, everyone. And welcome mochapickle - I think you posted the 2023 GSD thread, so it's good to see you back!

I've paid my tax so that's hopefully all done. Still got residual anxiety about it but it will go off. Just been looking at the possible piece of work I had contact about last week. Discovered I actually misunderstood what the task was, said I had worked on it before, and in fact have not. The potential client does also want something more in line with what my experience is, so possibly we can pivot to that. May be an awkward conversation though.

That's excellent about chocolate mousse! Hope you enjoy it. I made tiramisu (cheat's version) last night for my sister's family. I thought I'd made too much, but a respectable portion vanished.
posted by paduasoy at 3:08 AM on January 13 [5 favorites]

Mochapickle, I very much hear you on the waterfall of contingencies! I put a load of laundry on this morning, which is the first contingency for sorting out the bedroom, but who knows how much further I'll get.

Family member will probably be leaving hospital this week but they are being excessively optimistic about when, and isn't 100% lucid, with the result that I fear I'll be spending much of the week at their bedside.
posted by altolinguistic at 5:50 AM on January 13 [7 favorites]

Yesterday I did a first pass on cleaning off my dresser, which is Very Dusty under all the stuff. I sorted through my lipsticks and have a whole bag to drop off for recycling at MAC. I sat in front of the TV and had a very pleasant time untangling necklaces. And I went through all my earrings and they are all paired up now, and the one I thought maybe I'd lost, I have not lost! There's still a lot of stuff that doesn't belong there, but it feels like a more manageable next step after that one.
posted by gingerbeer at 6:09 PM on January 13 [8 favorites]

Nice work on all the accomplishments!
If, like me, you had a strong week or ten days then felt your enthusiasm (as usual) fading, I am here to tell you that you can start right back up again.
I found my January 2023 painting timelapse files and I've started making another video.
Also keeping up with the dishes.
posted by Glinn at 6:53 PM on January 13 [7 favorites]

14th Jan:
Inside: vacuumed behind sofabed.
Outside: pulled a couple of weeds.
posted by inexorably_forward at 12:10 AM on January 14 [5 favorites]

Pairing earrings sounds very satisfying, gingerbeer.

Keeping up with the dishes is excellent, Glinn. It's the ongoing stuff like that I struggle with. Well, it's all of it really, but that's especially hard.

Yesterday I emailed the contact I'd had about work to say something along the lines of, I don't have the skills to do this major project, but could contribute to a specific part of it. Felt hard to turn down work, but I think it was the right thing to do, even if I don't hear anything back about the part I could do.

Today, going over to my sister's as she wants company, but will gsd there as she will be working. Planning to look through my father's hospital records in order to respond to the letter we've had from one ward about the investigation they did into his care there. Also need to write my CV. And look at putting some of my father's books on ebay. And send out a survey to the discussion group I admin (work-related). May also do some more on writing up local history project, on which I've made quite a lot of progress. Going to look in freezer before going out to see if I have something I can thaw to eat this evening.
posted by paduasoy at 12:27 AM on January 14 [6 favorites]

Jan 13
Inside: Went through a bunch of paperwork that had piled up.
Outside: Replaced battery in the car.

Good work everyone!
posted by mmoncur at 6:05 AM on January 14 [5 favorites]

Hi all! It's not much, but I cleaned up the two bottom shelves of our hall closet. The game shelves. I cleared some space on higher shelves, too, and pulled a few items for donation. Good news is that the games are more easily accessible and visible. Just in time for our new game table that my husband got set up this past weekend.
posted by hydra77 at 6:55 AM on January 14 [6 favorites]

Hello! I have a brace for my right hand. l need to do a lot of laundry and dishes, and get the Christmas box out of the coat closet and get stuff into it. Unpleasant admin stuff awaits, too.

The hand is only a little better. I went to swim practice yesterday and the hand is not worse. Meet this weekend.
posted by jgirl at 8:52 AM on January 14 [6 favorites]

I hope your hand feels better soon, jgirl.
I finally broke down the enormous box into a recycling bag, and set up my new easel. Breaking up the box was surprisingly exhausting. Must get back to the hand weights.
posted by Glinn at 4:18 PM on January 14 [5 favorites]

I did some of the things, but not all.

Didn't get to the hospital records.
Did write CV. Some dates are wrong, but I think my colleague will know the correct ones.
Did look at putting books on ebay. About two-thirds of the ones I checked aren't worth selling, which makes it easier. I emailed a local museum to see if they want them (aviation history books).
Sent out survey.
Did quite a bit on local history project. Have to sit on the "what I am doing it for" - as niece said, "what's your endgame?". Think it will be hard to publish as too long for the local history journals I was considering. Anyway - the thing is to work on it and not plan ahead before I've finished it.
Semi-thawed, semi-cooked a thing with liver and rice, but it didn't taste of much. Nothing seems to at the moment except sugar.
Walked my sister's dog, though shorter than she wanted (dog, I mean).
Sorted two more boxes of books.
posted by paduasoy at 4:41 PM on January 14 [4 favorites]

It’s very pleasant to catch up and see everyone’s progress. Mr Kyra and I had a short holiday in Washington DC, where I did not have to clean, cook, or do dishes, and mostly did not even look at my phone. Bliss.

We had time and space for actual Conversations (sometimes this gets lost in the quotidian routine and Work fatigue) and now have a better plan to Deal With the Things. We plan to have our (disgraceful) carpeting replaced in the spring and this helps motivate clearing out anything that can go in the carpeted areas.


However, the danger of such a nice holiday is that I am now filled with a burning desire to upgrade our bed. The hotel bed felt like I was sleeping in a fluffy cloud of comfort and content. Our bed at home does not!

One of the more unusual tidying tasks I accomplished was while packing for our trip. I was rummaging in the cupboard for some OTC meds to pack and discovered a shocking amount of expired medication. Today it was all disposed of properly. And yet, there still doesn’t seem to be enough room in the cupboard! I think things are multiplying in there when I’m not looking…
posted by kyraU2 at 6:27 PM on January 14 [6 favorites]

jgirl, sorry to hear about your hand! Let us know how you are doing.
posted by kyraU2 at 6:28 PM on January 14 [4 favorites]

jgirl, it looks as if you are back to two-handed typing, anyway... and can probably swim, hooray!
posted by inexorably_forward at 10:56 PM on January 14 [4 favorites]

15th Jan:
No tasks today! Instead, I dropped MeFi's Own Xurando, from this ask, and friend at Cape Reinga and sent them off on their bicycles. I'm spending the night at Kapowairua (Spirits Bay), where so far I have:
snacked
lounged
splashed around in the ocean
lounged
snacked
and lounged some more.

I predict more lounging in my near future, probably followed by some snoozing.
posted by inexorably_forward at 11:04 PM on January 14 [5 favorites]

14 Jan:
Inside: More paperwork cleanup
Outside: COLD!
posted by mmoncur at 4:56 AM on January 15 [3 favorites]

Good luck with the hand, jgirl! I hope the brace helps it avoid further injury and heal. Mmm, so many things I should be doing, but I (once again) feel like I'm coming down with a cold. So starting the laundry and loading the dishwasher are my accomplishments as of 2pm (well, ok, and calls with the 3 octogenarians I try to check in on). I have succeeded in spreading some of the old family photos around on a table, so I'll need to gather them up again for cleaners, maybe I can convince myself to do a little organizing at the same time. Oh, but a kind wikipedia editor fixed the pictures I'd been trying and failing to get to wrap properly, so the kindness of strangers remains a wonder.

Speaking of which, I think whining to y'all has inspired another crack at some to dos...
posted by ldthomps at 10:59 AM on January 15 [4 favorites]

16th Jan:
Inside: unpacked and put away stuff from road trip.
Outside: weeded herb pots.
posted by inexorably_forward at 12:06 AM on January 16 [4 favorites]

The boy drove 4 large boxes of comics and our Christmas tree out to the suburbs for, respectively, resale and recycling. The comics were a huge part of the Stuff Pile in our back sunroom so that's an enormous help. And I kept worrying the landlord would yell at us about the xmas tree being in the yard -- we took it down to put in the car and only afterwards found out the tree recycling didn't start for 5 more days.

Next up is for me to get some stuff out to the alley for either the trash or more likely the scrappers. I want to do the whole CL/FB Marketplace thing --I did that for a ton of my furniture and stuff before I moved-- but it is always such an endless saga and I just don't have that in me. Whereas the last time I put something in the alley I went back to lock my apartment and it was gone before I returned.

Meanwhile Zillow keeps sending me house listings from the town where I resettled my mom a couple years ago, so while I play endless Jenga with stuff in my tiny dumb expensive apartment I also look at pictures of the four-bedroom full basement homes that I could pay LESS for. Grumble.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 7:12 AM on January 16 [5 favorites]

Little bits of progress over here, no one big thing. The car is inspected, Facebook is downloaded, the kitchen is not bad. My goal for today is to find a replacement aerator for the kitchen faucet. It's been low-flow for a long time and cleaning the filter has not helped.
posted by mersen at 10:36 AM on January 16 [4 favorites]

I've just signed up to Finch again. Finding the interface a bit overwhelming and colourful, but will see how it goes. Thank you for the friend code, donnagirl. Happy to have other friends - my code is
GQFR8GWDVX.
posted by paduasoy at 2:07 PM on January 16 [2 favorites]

ldthomps.. can I just say that while you feel like you should be doing many things, you are actually doing many things! Some laundry, some dishes, THREE phone call checkups. There are always more things to do. We will never be finished with all the things. You're doing pretty great! Everyone is doing great. Completing one chore is doing great if that is all you can do in one day. imo

After making and posting my first YT video with a voiceover, I have now added a Short. Also, I started a new painting and video yesterday. But I think I may need to upgrade to a camera because my phone has a bulky case with a very necessary tiny pair of reading glasses I would now be lost without, and I have to remove the case every time to fit the phone in the holder on the tripod, and I'm just much more likely to make excuses when I have annoying small hurdles like that before I can start doing the thing.

Today I took my four overfull recycling bags finally to the recycling bin, including a very packed bag of that giant box I recently broke down. Yay. However (and despite what I just wrote to ldthomps!) I feel the clutter creeping back to pre-Jan 1 levels because every day so many decisions need to be made. But this thread is still the greatest! Halfway through Jan already holy cow.
posted by Glinn at 6:45 PM on January 16 [5 favorites]

Morning, gsders. Things I want to get done today: several hours of cleaning. My father's friend / partner is coming round and we're going to do a walk, so want to get it tidy before then. I particularly need to clean the 'fridge. I've been stuffing leftovers in there for the last few weeks and not taking anything out, so there are civilisations building up. Also need to sort the vacuum cleaner. Hopefully some more writing up local history research. Write cards for MetaFilter card club.

Sending thoughts to all who want to GSD today.
posted by paduasoy at 11:35 PM on January 16 [5 favorites]

17th Jan:
Inside: vacuumed baseboards in hallway.
Outside: uh... took car in for air conditioning repair. I'm deciding that counts.
Life admin (guess I'll try this category): paid a couple bills and sent a thank-you note.
posted by inexorably_forward at 1:56 AM on January 17 [5 favorites]

16 Jan:

Inside: Digitized and filed some important paperwork.
Outside: Still too cold :)
posted by mmoncur at 5:50 AM on January 17 [5 favorites]

Per signing up for Finch, you can put in reminders to clean up. Last night I put away the toilet paper (which I don't really have room to stash and had to get creative about it).
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:36 AM on January 17 [3 favorites]

Aww, you guys are great! I definitely came down with a cold, if not something a little worse, so I've eased up on the sorting, etc. But I've been doing most of my Finch and more poking at Ancestry.com and finding more people and figuring out how to use old dad (RIP) data/reasearch, so that's nice. And a couple of days ago I found an old photo that included a lot of people I didn't know, but the 3rd cousins I've met on Ancestry were able to fill in the gaps, and it was fun to see the (elderly by that time) siblings we're descended from all in the same photo from 1939. From strangers to pen pal cousins in no time, fun!
posted by ldthomps at 2:34 PM on January 17 [4 favorites]

Hello! Everyone is making great strices!

I still have not put the ornaments away, but they still are sorted and look pretty. Here's a post-tree use I found for some icicles! It's darker and more shimmery in person. They don't refract this way, but I can't have everything. That will be nice until I get the box out and stow the things; probably on Monday.

The hand still hurts, and yesterday it hurt quite a bit. I hope it was not because of the Wednesday swim. I'm still wearing the brace.

Laundry and dishes are caught up. I've done one super-unpleasant administrative task and one OK administrative task.

I went to practice today, and now I am getting my stuff together for the meet. And I have to have supper.
posted by jgirl at 3:32 PM on January 17 [6 favorites]

18th Jan:
Inside: moved stash of unused postcards from drawer that barely closes into box that does close. The drawer is only slightly improved, but I don't have a plan for any of the other stuff in it yet.
Outside: did a little bit of tree trimming.
Life admin: Ugh! I went to sign up for an event for which I've had a browser tab open for weeks, only to find that the event is full. The page says that the deadline is the 22nd, but it turned out to not really work that way. So I'm deep in the "I screwed up in a completely avoidable way" hole and don't want to do anything at all, except apparently sit around kicking myself. I did manage to sign a thing that my accountant needs and send it to her, though.
posted by inexorably_forward at 11:18 PM on January 17 [6 favorites]

Morning. inexorably_forward, I like your moving postcards achievement. Incremental ... I'm enjoying hearing from people in Finch, though still a bit unclear about the interface. Can I remove tasks that I don't want? I can see I can skip or snooze them.

Ancestry research is fun! I am going to sign up for the free trial, and must remember to cancel it as I already have a couple of other local hist subscriptions and it adds up. Want to have a look for the woman I'm researching in the 1939 register.

Only got about half of stuff on the list done yesterday. Did do four hours of cleaning the kitchen, but barely touched the 'fridge. Didn't do any research - was beyond it after five hours spent with my father's friend. Too many words.

Today - niece is coming here to GSD so it depends if they need help with things. Hoping to do: research; prepare vegetables for this even; do an Ask post about IT problems; more sorting of my father's books. Not feeling up to looking at his hospital records so I'm going to give myself a pass there for today. And tomorrow. Oh, must put flea stuff on cat.

jgirl, icicles are pretty!
posted by paduasoy at 3:27 AM on January 18 [5 favorites]

Paduasoy - that was exactly one of my initial questions in Finch, too! And yes, you can delete goals and add goals at any time. If you tap on the three dots on the left you get a screen that includes "edit". And yes, Ancestry is expensive, ridiculously so, but great for finding things. I'm expecting to do what my dad did at some point, which is just export all the stuff I can. I find calendar reminders can help me cancel those things.

Good luck with the GSD, it sounds like you did a ton of it yesterday, too!
posted by ldthomps at 8:09 AM on January 18 [3 favorites]

Kudos to all of you for the progress (small or big) you’ve made so far. I have been reading all of your post and each post reminded me of something to do in my house too. I have kept the expired medication in a ziplock bag. Recently, I came to know that there is a drop off box in my library building and that job will be done soon as I kept everything ready in the library books bag :))

Last week, I was sick for few days but I’m back on my feet now.
I was able to do some cleaning in my closet. I have been keeping things like books, clothes and other household items that go for charity in my basement. At last, called and scheduled a pickup for next week. Now, there will be some breathing room in my basement. Laundry and dishes are ongoing… never ends :((
posted by SunPower at 8:56 AM on January 18 [6 favorites]

Got one of my very silly lingering tasks taken care of! I had paint from a furniture project that was rusty and kept closed by a heavy weight. Today I found a suitable container, transferred the paint, washed the paintbrush (which had been sitting in the fridge), and now the heavy stuff can be put away too. That should not have taken a month, but it's done now.
posted by mersen at 10:29 AM on January 18 [6 favorites]

I'm home from the meet. I competed 1,050 yards across five events, and I am not doing anything more today except reading!!!
posted by jgirl at 11:03 AM on January 18 [6 favorites]

Woohoo! Congrats on the swimming!
posted by inexorably_forward at 11:57 AM on January 18 [6 favorites]

That should not have taken a month, but it's done now.

Week, month, year, decade... I'm sure we all have those things, or we wouldn't be here.
posted by inexorably_forward at 11:58 AM on January 18 [7 favorites]

SunPower, hello, and wow you got so much done! This thread continues to be the best thread.

mersen, that is the best thing, finishing that task and it must have been so satisfying. I sometimes get myself to do the dishes because I'm doing a favor for my future self - I think I read that somewhere on Metatalk.

I made and posted another short, 15 seconds of my dog Stella howling*! The 15 seconds took about four hours but it was kind of fun. Except when I kept making the same mistake repeatedly. But I am older and apparently these kind of things take longer to stick. But I am getting a tiny bit better at it (editing software Shotcut), and not looking to give up. This is both a positive sign and a dangerous moment. You know it, the moment of abandoning a good thing because you need to rest for a day. And then a day turns into 7 months. I've only done that maybe 87 times.

ALSO, I took a bucket of hot water and a rag out to my car and wiped all the cruddy salt and dirt off it. It is a yellow car I got last year and the first time I have (washed) my own car. It looks so much nicer now. I am so happy I did that. I may play a video game (They are Billions still) and feel no guilt!

Initially I added a link, but it is a self-link and I don't think that's allowed anywhere around here.
posted by Glinn at 12:36 PM on January 18 [6 favorites]

I think you can self-link here. We're in a dusty corner of IRL; I was going to say I think the policy's been softened, but in fact I think it may have always been ok in comments, just more dodgy in FPPs. Surely we all need to hear 15 seconds of howling.
posted by paduasoy at 2:36 PM on January 18 [3 favorites]

Hello SunPower - I've just received the names and addresses you've sent out for the Valentine exchange, so thank you very much for that.
posted by paduasoy at 2:38 PM on January 18 [4 favorites]

In the spirit of offering a thing people might need!
Stella Howling
posted by Glinn at 3:35 PM on January 18 [5 favorites]

19th Jan:
Inside: picked another category of stuff from the too-full drawer and put it in the not-too-full box; and as a result of that, hung up a decorative item (it was on top of the box) that's been sitting around for well over a decade.
Outside: very rainy, but I did a token amount of weeding while I was outside picking mint for the watermelon gazpacho that I'm making for tomorrow's lunch guests.
Life admin: responded to a Christmas card/letter.
posted by inexorably_forward at 10:32 PM on January 18 [7 favorites]

I did in fact need that, thank you. I thought my cat might object, but she seemed unbothered.

Thanks, ldthomps, I was failing to see edit.

Anyone else feeling more motivated than me this morning? I do not know what to do with myself.
posted by paduasoy at 2:08 AM on January 19 [4 favorites]

Hello, other side of the planet! It's late evening for me and I am done with anything that requires motivation (except brushing my teeth), so I'm fresh out of that.

However, if you're soliciting suggestions, how about cleaning a sink (kitchen, bathroom, workshop, wherever)? Possibly a quick win, and I usually find that it makes any other tasks in that room easier.

If you weren't soliciting suggestions, ignore that!
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:31 AM on January 19 [6 favorites]

Oh, I'm so much more motivated today - after several days of Raging coldiness I am breathing through both nostrils (at least sometimes) and you'd think that was a super power by the way I've reacted. Started laundry, showered, did a little PT and enough other Finch tasks to send my birb out on an adventure - including watering my cactuses (an every 3 week task that requires a stepstool), breakfasted, and added one cactus to the too-crowded high window, but I bet it'll be happier. Which... on a normal Sunday would seem like a super slow start, probably, given that it's almost lunchtime, but after days of feeling crummy this feels like a Total Win. I might even go Outside soon!
posted by ldthomps at 8:38 AM on January 19 [4 favorites]

jgirl, congrats on the swimming! How is your hand feeling?

The icicles are lovely!

I agree, reading peoples’ progress is inspiring in a good way and gives me new ideas.

SunPower, I am glad you found a drop off for the expired meds. Other places that routinely (and sometimes without much fanfare) take them are pharmacies/chemists, and sometimes local law enforcement agencies, at least here in the States.

Speaking of libraries, I recently found out that one of my local libraries accepts art as well as book donations for their quarterly sales, and this will solve the problem of the painting that’s been in the basement for about 20 years. Which might spur me to hang up the art I actually like…there is a thought.

I like the thought of doing a favor to my future self. Thank you.

Outside: the driveway and sidewalk got shovelled, but only partially by me, but it’s very satisfying to look at. The bird feeder remains filled (we are having a cold snap and they are hungry). This is a task I cannot forget as the chickadees are not shy about making their desire for birbseed right now known.

Inside: relocated a carpet/mat/area rug to the high traffic wet footwear area. Gift to future me of less cleaning the floor in that location. Sorted out the contents of two large reusable bags. Found new homes for said reusable bags. (Do I remember why colored pencils were in the same bag as a Christmas stocking? I do not. But I found my colored pencils, so I sat down and did some coloring. Soothing.)

Next up: I recently acquired some new to me, but secondhand, shirts, and one pair of jeans. Now I wish to purge the closet of an equal or greater number of items. I would also like a containment system for my winter sweaters. The shelf is tall and I am not. Some sort of basket? And a step stool that lives in the closet?

inexorably_forward, I like your clean a sink suggestion. Thank you!
posted by kyraU2 at 8:54 AM on January 19 [8 favorites]

KyraU2 thanks for the suggestion about dropping med in pharmacy . I should have thought about it asking the technician in Costco pharmacy when I dropped off our old glasses in Costco optical department few months ago.

I need to check if my library takes artwork. I have so many painting in my basement which is occupying a whole closet space there.

No motivation to do anything today. Just watching the beauty of fresh snow in the trees❄️❄️
posted by SunPower at 11:39 AM on January 19 [6 favorites]

Halfway through a considerable reorganization of the basement which should swap stuff we touch regularly with stuff we touch less than once a year; they were somehow in mutually exactly wrong places.

Right now (lunch) almost everything is out on the basement steps.


But a mid-step was incredibly easy because the last thing we did in the basement was turn the shelf nearest the stairs into a tiny shop; the drill and the batteries and the battery charger and the bits and the screws and the safety goggles were RIGHT THERE. Labeled. The opposite of a gumption trap. They’re put away again already.
posted by clew at 11:48 AM on January 19 [6 favorites]

I just learned the phrase 'gumption trap'. Nice!
posted by inexorably_forward at 12:42 PM on January 19 [3 favorites]

Oh my goodness clew; I think you just solved my problem about where the tools live. Thank you!

An entire two drawer file cabinet has been cleared out and contents separated for shredding, reuse, and the recycling is already in the bin.

I sat down for a minute and immediately became a cat bed so I’m stuck here for a bit, oh no.

SunPower, we had some flurries which were lovely but they have petered out. Not enough to frost the trees, sadly-I never tire of seeing branches dusted in powdery icing sugar.
posted by kyraU2 at 12:50 PM on January 19 [7 favorites]

Huh, and apparently it's from _Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance_, which I did read, but obviously didn't remember well.
posted by inexorably_forward at 1:12 PM on January 19 [3 favorites]

Physical symlinks!

Left a note in one of the likely spots for thing X that we decided to store Xs in a specific other spot. Long enough ago that I’d forgotten when opening the first spot.
posted by clew at 2:32 PM on January 19 [4 favorites]

Wow, that's a great idea - might have to use that one.
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:41 PM on January 19 [2 favorites]

Can we all agree that inexorably_forward wins first place for most appropriate name in this thread? I think that every time I see it. :D

My house is messier. However, the thing that is more important to me is the painting side of things, and I suppose it's fair to say I am no longer exactly decluttering, I am performing tasks that I want to do, that should be done, and that I will be glad I did. Which is just like tasks, so this thread is perfect.

It is my third time trying YouTube but because of the past go-nowhere attempts, I have a lot of video of painting (and my dogs) that I will be able to put up on a regular schedule if I can manage to edit them in a simple way. It is also helping keep my mind off the office, where very stressful things are afoot.

I continue to keep up with the dishes! When I first moved in there was a mouse I saw twice. I have not seen it in almost 2 years but it is plenty of motivation to keep the dishes washed and counters relatively clean, even if small boxes and papers continue to appear as if by magic to clutter all of the flat surfaces.
posted by Glinn at 4:11 PM on January 19 [7 favorites]

Today I cleaned off my bedside table and it is now uncluttered and dusted and lovely. And I got to check that off in finch as well. I still have to take out the trash and recycling this evening and have a number of tasks lined up for tomorrow. Anything, really, to keep my mind off the political shitshow starting tomorrow. I may also drink.
posted by gingerbeer at 8:13 PM on January 19 [7 favorites]

Haha, I guess it is appropriate! Too bad that I frequently feel as if I'm backsliding... this thread does help, though.
posted by inexorably_forward at 11:20 PM on January 19 [5 favorites]

20th Jan:
Inside: vacuumed a corner I don't usually see because it's hidden by the stuff on the coat rack which I took off to make room for the raincoats of the lunch guests.
Outside: still raining, tiny bit of weeding.
Life admin: sent email to a friend.
posted by inexorably_forward at 1:50 AM on January 20 [3 favorites]

19 Jan

Inside: replaced the Cup of Pens that Don't Work on my desk with a Cup of Pens that Work. Took care of some paperwork.

Outside: COLD
posted by mmoncur at 4:58 AM on January 20 [6 favorites]

Ooooh, the cup of pens that don't work thing is Such a mystery, and yet common and frustrating. I should probably go through a couple of cups of pens soon, too. I have a goal today to unpack the new bulb for the kitchen recessed lighting and try to replace the one that's flickering annoyingly. Make up some instantpot quinoa before the mushrooms and things I bought for it go bad. And try to find the ancestral photos I set aside to take digital photos of for uploading and then promptly seem to have lost again (oy). Good luck, all, and take Extra good care of yourselves today.
posted by ldthomps at 7:14 AM on January 20 [4 favorites]

I am immediately going to check all the cups of pens.
posted by kyraU2 at 9:10 AM on January 20 [6 favorites]

Bonus items so far include one key that may be a front door key, one key that might be to a filing cabinet (but not the one I cleared out yesterday), four forever stamps, and a bottle opener shaped like the leg lamp from A Christmas Story. Pens, pencils, and Sharpies have been tested and redistributed. Thank you!

Take care, everyone.
posted by kyraU2 at 9:31 AM on January 20 [7 favorites]

Household change that worked: a tiny wall shelf with hooks just big enough for wallets and keys, next to the house alarm controls. Found one with a rimmed shelf.

Household change that might work but will require more change to be sustainable: *nothing* in the front hall but a grandfather clock, a small table for flowers, and a huge water hog mat. We emptied it to clean the floor well and it looked so good. The hall tables had developed into pyramids of ignored.

We haven’t figured out where all the hall table stuff should go, and we don’t have a good place for “we know where it’s going but not when”. Currently we have really terrible piles of To-the-Thrift-store. Maybe piles without the excuse of tables will remain visible longer?
posted by clew at 1:01 PM on January 20 [7 favorites]

Hello, busy people! I am beat.

Yesterday, I did nothing; barely read, and went to church. I perused a Facebook site for my Mom's hometown historical society. Major, major feels; pics of Gram are all over it. I also made a spreadsheet to calculate my swim time differences between my event seed times and the actual results from Saturday's meet. It will be a great record for me to use in the future.

Today, I made chili, washed the dishes, cleaned the floor, dished up the chili into freezer and fridge portions, washed the crock pot, spilled all over the floor, washed the floor again, used Restore-A-Finish on my very badly water-stained flame-mahogany table (a success -- yay!!!), and got rid of something that has been bugging me for quite a while.

Christmas stuff is still not in the box in the closet, but that's one more night with candle-lit glass iclcles!

I'm going go for a walk. The apartment is really warm today, even without doing any tasks. When I took out the trash it did not seem sooo cooollllddd to me.

There are still admin tasks and small repairs and potting a plant to do another day.
posted by jgirl at 2:17 PM on January 20 [5 favorites]

I'm intrigued with all the Finch discussion!

Very strong, jgirl! I'm hopeful that I will put away the Christmas stuff soon- wrapping up the nativity set has blocked me a bit.

I am presently making progress with digital clutter after FINALLY figuring out how to partition my external hard drive.
posted by dearadeline at 2:47 PM on January 20 [7 favorites]

Inside: More sorting out file cabinet drawers today. Unlike yesterday, there were a lot of unexpected emotional bits in there. So not as quick or easy as yesterday. But still progress.

Outside: it’s cold. Put out more food for the birds.

Outside of the house further: had dinner with a friend: pho, which was a good choice for a cold night. And I donated my cleaned out spices to her daughter, so another bag out of the house.
posted by kyraU2 at 6:16 PM on January 20 [6 favorites]

21st Jan:
Inside: cascading events: rerouting a speaker cable led to realising that the mat it was going under was filthy which led to throwing the mat outside and vacuuming the area which led to hearing a strange rattle coming from the vacuum cleaner which led to partial disassembly and cleaning (successful) of the vacuum cleaner and also led to hosing down the mat which is now outside drying. If you read that sentence too many times you might even see where it should fork!
Outside: pulled kikuyu out of the jade plant.
Life admin: started the Very Important Paperwork About Which I Have Been Procrastinating (VIPAWIHBP).
posted by inexorably_forward at 8:59 PM on January 20 [5 favorites]

I didn't do anything this weekend. I was out of town, but still.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:10 PM on January 20 [3 favorites]

jenfullmoon, I've been having some non-doing days recently. Trying to think of it as part of the long game. I don't have to GSD every day. Sometimes it's enough to get through them.
posted by paduasoy at 12:24 AM on January 21 [7 favorites]

Ooooh, the cup of pens that don't work thing is Such a mystery, and yet common and frustrating.

My theory is that the good pens come out, get used, and get lost, and eventually all that remains are the bad ones. And I keep buying pens because that's my idea of a good time, but there's no room in the pen cup so I put the new good pens in various corners of the office...

Jan 20
Inside: picked some things up off the floor.
posted by mmoncur at 5:47 AM on January 21 [4 favorites]

Hello all...I have been following along but didn't actually want to comment until I, um, did stuff. Props to those of you who did and continue to do things, no matter how big or small.

Of my list I have done:

1. Finally put away the Xmas tree and ornaments.
2. Made progress on sorting and putting away the wall of boxes by my bedroom window. I still have to put 2 more things away.
3. Put some things on Buy Nothing. I still have more to put out.
4. We called one of those junk people to haul away a bunch of junk.

Next - start organizing taxes. Take care of some medical stuff. I've been taking care of various corners where stuff just piles up and being very pleased when I put things away and/or throw things out, and I'm getting pleased with the number of empty boxes I'm accumulating and the floor space I'm getting back.
posted by toastyk at 6:53 AM on January 21 [7 favorites]

Welcome, and nice work, toastyk!
I'm so impressed by everything everybody cranked through yesterday, wow! Special shoutout to those cleaning floors (sometimes twice!) and the reminder that I should go through the "landing spot" dish by our back door that is now just a pyramid of stuff. Our key/purse hanger on the wall there is an awesome octopus, though - highly recommend :D.

I did, in fact, make quinoa, find (and take pics _and_ post to ancenstry) the lost again photos, and change the lightbulb. Also cleaned snow off the car, took stuff to my brother, did almost all of my PT. So maybe this afternoon I will get to putting away some of the photos I've processed so far, and start on the box of photos next to me.
posted by ldthomps at 8:22 AM on January 21 [5 favorites]

Yay, toastyk!

kyraU2, the "doing a favour to one's future self" / "receiving a favour from one's past self" is one of the best things I got from working with a decluttering expert virtually last year. Other stuff that I took away from that was to have ways of making decluttering / organising activities special or demarcated by doing things like putting an apron on, lighting a candle, making a coffee to take to the task with me etc. I also found that the meditation sessions she did with me really helped, but have been quite unable to do those on my own.

I've stalled rather on sorting my father's stuff. I have been continuing to write my local history article, and hope to get a draft done by the end of the month - longer-term goal to write one thing every month this year. I have started looking at Ancestry, but finding it a bit overwhelming - so many results for the name I'm looking for, even filtering by area and date range. I've asked a friend if we can look at it together at some point, as think I just need another voice to stop me thinking "I can't understand this, it's hopeless".
posted by paduasoy at 12:19 PM on January 21 [6 favorites]

Yesterday I successfully offloaded the HP multifunction printer that had been sitting around unused because the ink cartridges "expired" before I could use them. A nice person responded to my Buy Nothing post and now it is out of my house forever, along with HP's ink scam.

But I found another box of papers that need to be sorted into boxes for the archive. I keep thinking I'm done and then I find more I need to add.

I stopped reading the post about finch in the blue after I was told I was a fascist for downloading the app, but looking at it now I see some of that got cleaned up/apologized for.
posted by gingerbeer at 5:27 PM on January 21 [5 favorites]

22nd Jan, just squeaking in before midnight here:
Inside: cleaned stovetop and wiped down backsplash.
Outside: widened path to waterfall.
Life admin: made some progress on VIPAWIHBP.
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:44 AM on January 22 [4 favorites]

I definitely thank my past self when I walk into the kitchen in the morning and the dishes are all done. I wish that were every day, but my present self doesn't always manage to pull it off.
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:45 AM on January 22 [5 favorites]

21 Jan

Inside: took some storage boxes outside
posted by mmoncur at 2:53 PM on January 22 [4 favorites]

Thought people might like this, from Courtney Milan's newsletter:

When discourse online started making me anxious, I rummaged through the Room of Doom and eventually found the tools I needed to fix the interior doors in our house so that they would close and latch and then open again. ... Most people do not really question what doors normally do, but alas, we have been missing out on the latch/open part for a long time, and when I tried to remedy that last year, I failed on the “open again” part.

I am now covered in sawdust and in possession of a house that contains the expected number of interior doors, all of which do the entire range of door functions.

I feel powerful. I feel competent. I feel like I can do things and I should buy a miter saw to more effectively do them, and possibly when I think that, I should remember that it took me thirteen years to get the doors done.

posted by paduasoy at 3:12 PM on January 22 [9 favorites]

I feel powerful. I feel competent. I feel like I can do things

It's a great thing!

Today, I went to swim practice, wrote a big-problem email, pushed further with another big-problem email, and wrote a thank-you email (which should have been handwritten, but for some reason I take forever to do them, so this way it's done. I'd feel badly about not handwritten, but the main thing is to do it).
posted by jgirl at 3:41 PM on January 22 [5 favorites]

I feel like I've lost that mojo, or at least I come home, look at the Finch app and the "put one thing away" and "clean up one thing" items, and then go "my brain is broken, I dunno what to clean up now." I need to go back to sorting after rehearsals end and this weekend starts, but I was concerned if I went away for a weekend trip I'd lose mojo early and...yeah, that's happened.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:53 PM on January 22 [5 favorites]

Well, I've lost and regained a bit of mojo twice since the beginning of this thread, so other people can, too. It just takes one small thing. I know if I plan too many chores I probably won't do any. I just try to do the next one.

I have been slowly learning video editing. Very slowly. But that's ok.
posted by Glinn at 5:47 PM on January 22 [4 favorites]

Jenfullmoon - sometimes going away requires a little rest and recovery. Sometimes Life just requires a little rest and recovery, and everyone here should take as much as they need. You've made such amazing progress that I'm guessing you'll get back to it.

I threw out the duplicates of a bunch of photos mom and dad had taken of old family photos, and posted some digital pics to Ancestry (and did all of my PT/Finch stuff). It looks worse in here, but might be marginally better as I get closer to emptying one photo box, at least.
posted by ldthomps at 6:37 PM on January 22 [5 favorites]

23rd Jan:
Inside: did a load of washing.
Outside: pulled a few weeds.
Life admin: continued to make progress on VIPAWIHBP.
posted by inexorably_forward at 7:58 PM on January 22 [3 favorites]

> my brain is broken, I dunno what to clean up now

This is definitely me, on a loop. Sometimes I can make a list, and do the things on the list. Sometimes I can make a list, but not do the things. Sometimes I can't make a list.
posted by paduasoy at 10:51 PM on January 22 [5 favorites]

I've finally cleaned out the 'fridge, which I first mentioned on the 17th. Progress ...
posted by paduasoy at 1:19 AM on January 23 [4 favorites]

This is definitely me, on a loop. Sometimes I can make a list, and do the things on the list. Sometimes I can make a list, but not do the things. Sometimes I can't make a list.

ROFL (in empathy)
posted by inexorably_forward at 1:39 AM on January 23 [4 favorites]

Jan 22

Did some dusting. Watered plants. Started going through some "dump boxes" from a previous decluttering attempt.
posted by mmoncur at 5:30 AM on January 23 [5 favorites]

Outside: temperature has improved from frigid (for these parts) to just cold. I cleaned the rear windshield of the car. The birds continue to enjoy the feeder and the cats continue to enjoy watching the birds.

Inside: found a few more garments that don’t fit for the donate pile, put in a load of washing just now.

Life admin: scheduled and rescheduled some needed appointments, procured a wall calendar for the kitchen, now that needs some dates on it. Started looking around for possible exercise classes/things to do.

paduasoy, thank you for sharing the advice about finding ways to demarcate the cleaning/sorting, especially when it’s emotionally difficult or draining. I think that could help me quite a bit with some of the (emotionally) icky boxes and piles.
posted by kyraU2 at 1:06 PM on January 23 [7 favorites]

Greetings! So, here's what I did today:

- Christmas ornaments put away in coat closet
- Organized the coat closet
- Tree Genie put away in main closet
- Folding chair back in the coat closet (it's always by the front door in warm weather, and in cold weather it comes out for swim meets)
- Swapped lead cords so it doesn't show under the bookcase
- Cleared out and sorted and stored photos and flats stashed near bookcase
- Vacuumed
- Swapped out sweater coat for down coat on over-the-door front-door hanger
- Finally found and installed the stave for carry bag (a generic Reisenthal-type carry bag). I am so glad that's taken care of so that it will now stand properly. I found the bag on the sidewalk some years back!
- Threw out consumer insoles that came with various pairs of shoes (I have to use special ones)
- Dusted the exceptionally dusty vintage-department store hat box
- Put summer hats in vintage-department store hat box
- Potted the plant
- Sorted out the insoles I have to use and sorted the gewgaws I have to use in my shoes to (try to) make them fit

Then I went for combined lunch and dinner of burger, salad, and oven-roasted fries. I just got home.

The area with the two big bookcases should be a lot easier to clean now.

Still to do:

Two repairs, laundry, groceries, plan Saturday funeral outfit, go through a large storage basket, and admin stuff.

I also have to mentally gear up for my completely inept apartment "management" company's plan to come in and "take out wall" (in Januyary!!!!) to insert a riser next week. Dread it.
posted by jgirl at 3:46 PM on January 23 [7 favorites]

jgirl, all I can say is well done!

I know nothing about construction but “taking out a wall” sounds…not ideal, to put it mildly?
posted by kyraU2 at 5:08 PM on January 23 [4 favorites]

Yeah, WOW, jgirl, that is a day of Rocking GSD! Go you! I did yoga and personal training and a pedicure and watered plants and helped make dinner, but I did not clear a single thing out of the house. Maybe tomorrow I can at least take the bag of textiles to the donate/recycle. Mostly I will just bow in impressed awe at those of you who Got Stuff Done! \o/
posted by ldthomps at 6:37 PM on January 23 [4 favorites]

Holy cow, jgirl, what a day!
posted by inexorably_forward at 7:56 PM on January 23 [3 favorites]

24th Jan:
Inside: cleaned shower drain.
Outside: changed passenger side headlight bulb in car.
Life admin: sent in first chunk of VIPAWIHBP.
posted by inexorably_forward at 7:57 PM on January 23 [5 favorites]

Today was the funeral of my aunt, so it was a get through it day more than a GSD day. There was a lot to think about in the tributes to her - she was someone who lived life on her own terms.

Tomorrow, I think my niece is coming over for another GSD day for us both. These are working quite well - niece makes progress on their college work whilst I do other stuff. Not quite sure what I will try to work on tomorrow. I have a pile of papers I may take up to the workroom to try to get through. I am slightly stalled in my father's paperwork by having lost the death certificates, which I need for the intestacy application. But may also work on the local history piece I'm writing. Am also making butter chicken pie to take to a friend's. The recipe says it is good, which is always reassuring.
posted by paduasoy at 1:51 PM on January 24 [5 favorites]

I meant to say, I am admiring of all your updates. And I'm pleased to know, virtually, someone who not only has a hat box, but keeps hats in it!

Still finding Finch useful; it's made me do some things I wouldn't otherwise have, like giving me a goal to listen to a song.
posted by paduasoy at 1:56 PM on January 24 [4 favorites]

I took special note of the hatbox as well!

You guys. I’m watching a really great video called 5 Harsh Truths about Decluttering someone might like. It took me a minute to warm up to the person but she makes a lot of sense.

I still have stressful life going on, so it’s been rough. I may have added to my clutter (buying too much stuff and then there’s too many boxes), but I am ready to take a break and I am going to start an impulse journal (a suggestion from the above video) and severely cut down on buying stuff.

But, I am also making a little progress with the video thing, yay.
posted by Glinn at 4:57 PM on January 24 [6 favorites]

Yeah, I have trouble warming up to some of those minimalist youtubers too. The uncluttered spaces are inspiring, but the overwhelming blandness is not. Oh well, there's certainly no need for me (or anyone) to declutter all the colours away!

On another note, I credit the existence of this thread for a little victory today! I looked in the fridge for some cheese I was absolutely sure I had sliced up and put in a container yesterday. It was not in the fridge. Because I had cleaned out the fridge earlier in the month, I could actually see everything and be certain it was not in the fridge. Where was it? Well, with the containers of course. Thanks brain. But really, without the clean(er) fridge, it could have sat in the container cupboard long past the time when even gruyere can be saved.
posted by inexorably_forward at 8:24 PM on January 24 [6 favorites]

Paduasoy, congrats on getting through two big funerals recently. It's always so interesting what you hear about people after they die.
posted by inexorably_forward at 8:42 PM on January 24 [4 favorites]

25th Jan:
Inside: emptied the 'manuals' folder in the filing cabinet into its own little box on a bookshelf. The file drawer was getting too full to use easily, and the manuals are now more accessible as they're not halfway through the alphabet.
Outside: restocked the glovebox with spare bulbs for the headlights.
Life admin: sent a work-related email, which included making a phone call to acquire some information that I needed first.

I'm really glad that the recipients of my email messages don't know how hard it sometimes is to get myself to do totally ordinary stuff!
posted by inexorably_forward at 8:55 PM on January 24 [4 favorites]

there's certainly no need for me (or anyone) to declutter all the colours away
COMPLETELY agree. I will never be a minimalist, thank goodness. If people love it, great! I do not. But, I do want to get rid of boxes of things I never look in, and found her suggested mindset helpful for that.

Today is going well! I haven't managed to throw a ton away, but I've cleared and cleaned the kitchen counter, some of the catch-all counter and the table which I think I will set up to film drawing videos. I put some blank cards and art supplies on it. Going to make my Mefi Valentine's there and maybe some sketchbook pages. Still figuring out the camera/phone setup because apparently I ordered the wrong camera holder. :|
posted by Glinn at 10:29 AM on January 25 [5 favorites]

Another 2 boxes of old paperwork sorted. Ugh.
posted by kyraU2 at 12:44 PM on January 25 [5 favorites]

I got 2 boxes of clothes donated today. Unfortunately SPCA refused to take my books and when I tried to drive the other 4 boxes to the library, the library parking lot was utterly full and the library volunteers were out in front with a ton of boxes and....sigh. I may try to drive by again after they're closed and try to use the dropoff when nobody's standing there to judge me.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:20 PM on January 25 [5 favorites]

Got some things done today. Didn't find the file of death certificates, but did find a stray one so was able to send off the intestacy paperwork at last. Went through pile of papers and found homes for about a third of it, threw away another third, dealt with about a sixth and left a pile of unsortable sixth. Did a bit of listening to niece about their college work. Did a small amount on local history paper. Did some cleaning. All felt a bit slow but I hadn't slept well. Would like to get some more done tomorrow.

In case anyone hasn't seen it and wants to, there is more friend code swapping in the Finch thread.
posted by paduasoy at 3:17 PM on January 25 [4 favorites]

This afternoon I went through my jewelry. De-tangled a lot. Maybe got 10% of them as stuff to donate. But where do you donate jewelry? Goodwill, I think?
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:41 PM on January 25 [5 favorites]

Oh paduasoy, I didn’t see the note about your aunt’s funeral until just now. I’m sorry for your loss. Everything I am trying to write sounds trite, but please know I am thinking of you.

I am glad you asked about donating jewelry, jenfullmoon, as I have some of that to deal with as well. Where I live, goodwill doesn’t bother to look in the bags. There are also some charity shops (cancer society and similar) and some smaller thrift and secondhand shops, where I have seen jewellery for sale, so I would think they might accept it as a donation. This is a good reminder for me to look into that; thank you.

I understand about feeling overwhelmed and am sorry you weren’t able to drop off the books today.
posted by kyraU2 at 5:13 PM on January 25 [5 favorites]

I am still making progress, at least on some things. Totally stalled out on trying to get the lighting automation working. But as of this morning, the kitchen sink has a good flow rate and no dribble! It's been a while. And with some trepidation, I deleted Facebook. I'm also bouncing between craft projects and cooking this weekend.
posted by mersen at 5:16 PM on January 25 [5 favorites]

26th Jan:
Inside: wiped down shelf that plates/bowls/glasses sit on.
Outside: picked up small amounts of tree debris from last night's storm. The previous storm was recent enough that there wasn't much!
Life admin: made a donation to a podcast I enjoy.
posted by inexorably_forward at 7:20 PM on January 25 [4 favorites]

I was partway through decluttering my closet and doing a bunch of furniture moving when I got covid for the first time. Five years of avoiding it and Mr Epigrams brought it back from a mandatory work trip (not mad at him but sure am annoyed at his work for putting us in this situation).

On the one hand, I am getting nothing done right now. On the other hand, getting this sick is generally very clarifying. It's easy for me to say "fuck it, I am not wearing that pair of pants" and putting it straight in the donate bag instead of telling myself "I'll style it differently" or whatever.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 11:58 PM on January 25 [8 favorites]

25 Jan:
Inside: Started emptying a bookcase I want to move to the other side of the room.
Outside: dug through the garage for some boxes to help empty the bookcase

Keep it up everyone!
posted by mmoncur at 12:45 AM on January 26 [4 favorites]

kyraU2, thank you, that's so kind.

gentlyepigrams, oh no, really sorry about COVID. Hope it doesn't hang around too long.

Sounds like everyone is getting a lot done. I have chores today, plus peeling the neeps and tattles for Burns' Night. Also going to try to sort more of my father's books and general crap. There are a couple of piles of it downstairs that are getting me down. I also have to think about all his laptops (he kept buying more in the last couple of years of dementia), but probably not today.
posted by paduasoy at 12:54 AM on January 26 [5 favorites]

Great job, everyone!

After getting all of that done this past week, plus doing the two repairs yesterday, there is a different feeling about the apartment. It's even there when I am not looking at the big bookcases. I think it's that sense of ease that I felt following my Konmari festival's conclusion.

I am going to do some more laundry and maybe food shop, but I mainly want to enjoy that ease until later this week when the "management" company comes in to bust up and dirty up the place. I also have to get more unpleasant admin stuff taken care of, especially before "management" comes in.

jenfullmoon, for donating jewelry, you might want to look into organizations that collect prom dresses for teens who cannot afford them.
posted by jgirl at 6:46 AM on January 26 [7 favorites]

Indoors: dusted/mopped/cleaned downstairs floors. No paperwork sorting today; I am at my limit for now.

Life admin: confirmed balance on health savings card for 2025 (next I need to update that info with my mail order pharmacies). Attempted to sign up for a tai chi class but website didn’t work so I emailed them.

Looked up: where I can donate an old prom dress, and found a local place that will take the dress, jewellery, and purses. I will see what I have and perhaps I can do this on the way to lunch with a friend tomorrow.

After being cancelled for a couple of weeks, my tap class is being held today so looking forward to that!

I cannot get “management” out of my head.

I don’t know what the usual wish or greeting for Burns’ Night is, or if there is one, but I’m sure the neeps and tatties will be tasty.

It is pleasant both to see and feel progress/change, or just to feel a little less stuck. Thank you all for your company and ideas.
posted by kyraU2 at 9:50 AM on January 26 [6 favorites]

It is pleasant both to see and feel progress/change, or just to feel a little less stuck. Thank you all for your company and ideas.

It’s wonderful. I am so grateful for this group!

I am sure I wouldn’t have gotten all of the above done without you!
posted by jgirl at 10:06 AM on January 26 [3 favorites]

Oooh, y'all remind me that I have an old bridesmaid dress that I rediscovered in the coat closet that I could/should donate. Maybe I could take that to the textile donation/recycling bin tomorrow along with the smaller bag of textiles I have. Jewelry has been low on my priority list because it takes up a lot less space than all of the photos, etc., but another good idea on an area that needs serious weeding.

We're off tomorrow on a 3 week trip, so the Stuff Divestment will have to go on hold for a bit. But I'll follow along with y'all's progress, cuz it's so inspiring!
posted by ldthomps at 4:42 PM on January 26 [4 favorites]

Goodwill took my books ("we love books!") and also said they'd take jewelry. So I have now disposed of 23 boxes of stuff so far.
Today I didn't really do fuckall on cleaning (I hurkle-durkled, did an online knitting class, practiced lines/singing, got groceries), other than go to Goodwill and buy album-file-things to clean up the piles of play programs and cards and whatnot that I've been throwing into a pile in the back of the bedroom. I still need to go through the back of the bedroom, and I keep postponing dealing with The Rest Of The Clothes, sigh.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:59 PM on January 26 [8 favorites]

23 boxes - that is amazing!

Didn't get much done yesterday as wasn't feeling well. Though did make chocolate banana bread. And reached out to a local group to see if I can come to their next meeting; I'm trying to be part of more communities and create new relationships this year. Had a nice reply and that's booked for Tuesday.

Today is just work / marketing / work admin and the odd chore.
posted by paduasoy at 11:10 PM on January 26 [3 favorites]

Oh, and my brother-in-law took four bags of my father's books, which he will take to Oxfam. I don't drive, so mostly need help with that part of the process.
posted by paduasoy at 11:11 PM on January 26 [4 favorites]

And I said I'd look at my niece's internship options, which I'd actually forgotten about, but was reminded when I opened Finch, as I had set it as a goal there. So well done past me for putting that in.
posted by paduasoy at 11:22 PM on January 26 [3 favorites]

27th Jan:
Inside: cleaned outside of electric kettle. Somehow I almost never do this but it's so nice to have it be shiny!
Outside: attempted to change string in strimmer, but it didn't go well. This is supposedly an easy job; I've done it before (though rarely, as it rarely needs doing); and I even resorted to reading the manual! - which glosses over the stage at which I must be doing something wrong. Well, *maybe* I finally did it right, but by then it was too dark to test it (again). So basically the whole task was frustrating and annoying and might not even be done yet. Thank you for coming to my rant.
Life admin: paid car insurance.
posted by inexorably_forward at 1:23 AM on January 27 [4 favorites]

26 Jan:

Inside: Emptied out and moved the bookcase. Now I just have to refill it and clean up the mess...
posted by mmoncur at 2:53 AM on January 27 [5 favorites]

I forgot to say that I made Christmas labels from last year's cards yesterday. Pleasant calm activity. Hole-punched and strung them and everything. Normally only get as far as cutting them out, or sometimes just keep the cards for months and then lose them or bin them.
posted by paduasoy at 3:37 AM on January 27 [6 favorites]

gentlyepigrams, feel better soon!

It was mostly a good weekend of clearing and doing, yay. I edited 2 more (very short) videos on my way to the 50 or 100 videos I must do to really get the hang of it.

Stuck a bit with a lot of old papers with personal info. Like maybe 2 boxes full, that I've never needed and probably don't need. Do I have to shred them? Do people still go through the garbage to steal your identity if it's so easy to get all that electronically now? I have a shredder at the office... but it's a LOT.

Trying to decide about Finch still, despite all the glowing reviews here and here! Will it make me mess around on my phone with cute birbs too much?
posted by Glinn at 7:28 AM on January 27 [4 favorites]

Yesterday, I hung up some artwork I had been dithering about after rearranging the room. It is now up, and out of the way, and looks just fine.

Google has informed me that I need to declutter my account, so that may be the next thing.
posted by mersen at 8:33 AM on January 27 [6 favorites]

Hello, all

We've got a goal of completing 52 "get around to it" tasks this year (we have a blank list on the fridge), as well as trying to do some non-repeating tasks in addition to the daily/weekly cleaning, so that we feel like we're not just in a Red Queen's Race.

We've replaced the bathroom sink faucet, which has needed it for a couple years. And defended the borders of the yard from the encroaching Bullshit Grass, and advanced the frontier by about 4x8 ft ("a platform" is a standard unit of measurement if you've been in theatre long enough)

And trying not to take on any more crafting projects till I clean out 3 or 4 that are ready to be completed.
posted by DebetEsse at 10:11 AM on January 27 [6 favorites]

NYT: The Easiest Way to Feel More Organized Sometimes a little “soft decluttering” is all it takes.

She recently tamed a teenager’s overflowing perfume collection, as part of a larger bedroom reorganization. The girl and her mother “kept coming back and looking at the under-sink area,” she said. “They were so happy.”
This type of mini-overhaul may be enough to give many of us what we seek when we think about organizing: a mental load lightened, a before-and-after to relish. “Sometimes you need a small measure of control in a world that feels chaotic,” Ms. Bremer said. “If it’s one junk drawer, be the boss of the junk drawer.”

There is satisfaction in small projects, whether it’s clearing a dining room table so you can host a dinner party or sorting through toys just enough to make the room easier to vacuum. Here’s how to start.

This makes me feel better about sorting the jewelry mess this weekend. It still looks about the same as it ever did, but at least I could take necklaces off the hangers now!
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:18 AM on January 27 [6 favorites]

28th Jan:
Inside: cleaned microwave (interior).
Outside: got the strimmer string working, at least apparently.
Life admin: sent email to a friend.
posted by inexorably_forward at 1:27 AM on January 28 [5 favorites]

27th Jan:
Inside: Started emptying another bookcase, we have a plumber coming who will need these out of the way

(BTW I'm always a day behind because I work the night shift, so this is what I did the night before...)
posted by mmoncur at 4:28 AM on January 28 [5 favorites]

Jenfullmoon “soft decluttering “ is a great satisfaction boost.

Yesterday, I cleaned up one drawer in my kitchen island and found 4 spare keys of front door and our bathroom doors 😊. you can imagine how much junk has been thrown inside that one drawer. It feels good to see it clean.

Cleaning my jewelry box is still in my list.

In the beginning of this thread, I tried making a list everyday in the morning while having coffee but it didn’t work out after a week. Being a parent with special needs child, it doesn’t work out all the time. So, I had to go with the flow and I couldn’t post everything here but have accomplished a lot this month with many small wins. Reading all of your posts is a big motivator for me. Thank you padusoy
for starting this thread and to everyone for participating.
posted by SunPower at 11:41 AM on January 28 [5 favorites]

Yesterday, I swam and cannot think of anything else I did.

Today, I made a health insurance call and filed, and I will need to work on the health and insurance files to organize them by year. I will have to get up early tomorrow to move things before "maintenance" comes in to mess the pace up for the next three days.

Best wishes to all!
posted by jgirl at 1:41 PM on January 28 [6 favorites]

Productive day! After several attempts, I managed to fish a small plastic disc out of my kitchen sink drain with duct tape on a chopstick. (The real trick was realizing it was down there before it broke or clogged something.) And the cat "decluttered" a DVR cable by spilling tea on one end. I found an old VGA cable with a converter, left over from the last monitor, so don't have to buy anything. Cat is now sleeping the sleep of the righteous.

Outside, I cut back some frozen shrubbery - it will come back in spring, but hopefully in the meantime I can clear out the weeds and grass underneath.

I've got plans for the next three evenings, so likely won't do anything more until the weekend.
posted by mersen at 2:21 PM on January 28 [5 favorites]

Yesterday I rearranged some appointments, put information about said appointments on the family calendar, switched some recurring payments to the correct card, and completed a long delayed task about changing a magazine subscription (I had to call because the website refused to work for me). I was on hold longer than my remaining patience for what I’m calling the mystery credit card so that’s a task for another day. And I found a new magazine subscription for my nephew; the idea was from an AskMe. I could not face another filing cabinet or box of random papers. I was very glad to get various phone calls accomplished and I spoke to very pleasant people on the phone, which is a plus. Oh, and I updated the emergency medical information on the fridge

Outside it was warm enough to sweep the front porch and shake out various rugs and mats.

Today was a blur at work and I am shutting off the electronics and finding a book.
posted by kyraU2 at 4:24 PM on January 28 [6 favorites]

29th Jan:
Inside: continued making things I see every day in the kitchen shinier by cleaning the outsides of the toaster and mokapot.
Outside: pulled a couple handfuls of weeds.
Life admin: made a medical appointment (which required multiple phone calls).
posted by inexorably_forward at 11:43 PM on January 28 [5 favorites]

28th Jan

Inside: Emptied the last bookcase.
posted by mmoncur at 4:46 AM on January 29 [6 favorites]

Yesterday, I did some digital decluttering and found this :) 25 things to get rid of in 2025.

I think, I can strike out some of the things this month. Hope to accomplish most of them by spring /summer.

Maybe, we can add more things to this list too.
posted by SunPower at 6:26 AM on January 29 [5 favorites]

Today, three to five building "management" contractors are in my 425 square feet (on a good day) apartment, with all sorts of equipment and their loud phones, getting ready to bust into the pipe chase and insert a riser.

I won't be able to use my kitchen until they are gone at 5 (lunch elsewhere, which I really cannot afford).

I cannot use the desk, either; all I can do is sit on the couch. More variations of this on Thursday and Friday.
posted by jgirl at 7:43 AM on January 29 [4 favorites]

As it happens, they are going to bust into the pipe chase and remove asbestos and fiberglass insulation. The contractors told me this. "Management" has not told me what will happen or when.

Coming into this with greater order in the apartment is a good thing.
posted by jgirl at 8:24 AM on January 29 [3 favorites]

425 square feet (on a good day) apartment[…] to bust into the pipe chase and remove asbestos and fiberglass insulation


Eeeee! How many square feet are left after they’ve put up the enclosure and filtration for asbestos??? (hoping VERY HARD)
posted by clew at 10:16 AM on January 29 [3 favorites]

How many square feet are left after they’ve put up the enclosure and filtration for asbestos??? (hoping VERY HARD)

After moving the furniture into the middle of the main room and after counting the enclosure and machines, there was about 32 square feet of free space. Then there was the noise! They did some damage to the floor.

The only things I did today were move the furniture (leaving it as is for the work tomorrow and Friday), and go to swim practice. After practice, I went to TJ's for lunch stuff because the kitchen was unavailable.
posted by jgirl at 6:00 PM on January 29 [3 favorites]

it seems to me this does not leave you quiet enjoyment

hard to argue with three to five plumbers and your landlord, though

May it end swiftly!
posted by clew at 6:04 PM on January 29 [4 favorites]

29 Jan:

Frantically moved a bunch of things out from under sinks before the plumbers came to work on them.

(After reading about jgirl's plumbing situation I am relieved that we only have to deal with two plumbers and no asbestos. No water in the house today or tomorrow though...)

Hope yours goes well jgirl!
posted by mmoncur at 11:24 PM on January 29 [3 favorites]

Morning everyone; I've been a bit absent from the thread as have had more limited IT access the last couple of days. This is partly because I sent off my iPad for screen repair, which I've been angsting about for ages, so I'm pleased to have got it done. Still to be determined whether the company I used will do what they are supposed to - it's hard sending off tech into the blue.

I went to a meeting of the local, "modern", Women's Institute this week, which I have been meaning to do since about 2012 when they were set up. We had a talk on Lego. Nice people. I'm trying to be part of more communities this year, so this was a first step.

Also spent an afternoon at the local history society reading newspapers for 1911. I'm a bit behind with where I wanted to be with writing up my local hist paper, partly because I keep finding interesting tangents.

Booked a blood test and a GP appointment, though now angsting about the latter and considering cancelling, which is probably stupid. (I just wanted a referral to the respiratory service, but the GP wants to see me.)

My aunt asked me to stay with her in Cornwall for a few days next month, which I have agreed to but am apprehensive about. I'm not very good at going away, partly because I worry about the cat. Friends and family will feed her, but it's not the same. But aunt is grieving for her brother and sister (my father and aunt), and clearly wants to do me a kindness, so I thought it would be kind of me to accept her kindness ... mutual support and connexion. My aunt who recently died was the link between most of the extended family, so I think we're all thinking about how we can be more connected. And Cornish landscapes will be good.

So some things achieved, some things like chores not where I'd like to be. Well done me in some things and please find ways to do better in other things, me.
posted by paduasoy at 12:26 AM on January 30 [5 favorites]

30th Jan:
Inside: did a load of washing.
Outside: put a couple of things away.
Life admin: sent a bit more of VIPAWIHBP.
posted by inexorably_forward at 2:37 AM on January 30 [3 favorites]

No one is coming to insert the riser today. They do not know when it will be done. There's some very fine tan dust against a baseboard that was within the enclosure. The "manager" is out sick. The floor has new damage. This has dragged on since October with delay after delay and minimal information.

What I've done so far is photograph the dust and floor and email the photos. I'll do some laundry and some admin stuff.
posted by jgirl at 8:59 AM on January 30 [4 favorites]

I did two big bad admin things, and that's it.

The dust is paint particles from the demo.
posted by jgirl at 1:00 PM on January 30 [3 favorites]

jgirl, please hang in there.

paduasoy, you have had so much upheaval in your life and family. I can understand the ambivalence about your aunt’s invitation.

mmoncur, may your plumbing be swiftly resolved. And I’m impressed about the bookcases.

Some more boring phone calls/admin tasks were accomplished yesterday after work and this morning, along with recurring errands/chores (example: dishes-how are there so many dishes?). Also some more pleasant admin items on my list (not sure what to call the category, but I want to spend more energy on staying connected, and communicating, with people) were accomplished.

Inspired by this thread, I wiped down the exterior of the teakettle. I think that was noted by inexorably_forward.

Tomorrow it’s work and errands. A local municipal building is accepting Christmas/holiday/fairy lights for recycling and tomorrow is the last day to drop off, so now I’m going to see if I can find the bag of dead ones and put it in the car.
posted by kyraU2 at 6:09 PM on January 30 [6 favorites]

31st Jan:
Inside: picked all the plumbing-related bits out of the junk drawer and put them in a bag, which I then put back in the junk drawer. At least they're together.
Outside: hosed off the deck.
Life admin: printed out some information I need for an errand tomorrow.
posted by inexorably_forward at 12:34 AM on January 31 [2 favorites]

Well folks, it's the last day of January for me, woohoo!

In general, my living space is a little better, and I've been doing things that I'd like to become part of my routine (like dishes) more often. I've gone for the easy win plenty of times - like, what-can-I-do-in-five-minutes type stuff - but keep telling myself that a win is a win.

Thanks to paduasoy for starting the thread and to all the participants!

Onwards to February...
posted by inexorably_forward at 12:54 AM on January 31 [4 favorites]

30 Jan:
Worked on clearing some things so the plumbers can work. Project done in a day or two and ready to clean up hopefully!
posted by mmoncur at 4:12 AM on January 31 [3 favorites]

mmoncur, bookcases are no joke to deal with. Good job!
posted by jgirl at 8:20 AM on January 31 [2 favorites]

I've just gone through the thread and counted things. I make it 36 participants (people who commented). There have been 312 comments. In total, I think we did 554 things.

Bearing in mind that many things could be classified differently, and apologies if I've misinterpreted anything ...

* The bulk of it falls under decluttering, cleaning, tidying and organising (171 in total). This included 10 lots of vacuuming, 10 shelves or bookcases emptied, organised or cleaned, 9 lots of dusting, 8 moving furniture, 7 cupboards and cabinets sorted, 6 lots of recycling, 6 showers cleaned, 6 kitchens cleaned, 5 floors cleaned, 5 desks tidied, organised or cleaned, 4 cables sorted, including one by a cat, 2 kettles cleaned, 1 hatbox and 1 poopsplosion.
* We did 50 sessions of life admin and paperwork, including some "big bad", unpleasant, dreaded or VIPAWIHBP.
* We donated 50 bags and boxes of books, clothes and stuff to charity.
* We did thirty sessions of art, music and crafts.
* 26 lots of gardening.
* 20 mentions of contacting friends, staying connected or supporting others.
* We did 19 lots of exercise.
* 18 mentions of decluttering organisation - setting things up, buying organisational equipment, finding out where to donate things.
* 15 lots of dishes washed. (Some categories of things are obviously under-recorded.)
* 14 things repaired.
* 13 mentions of putting away Christmas / holiday decorations.
* 12 mentions of laundry / washing clothes.
* 12 mentions of setting up appointments.
* 9 lots of car maintenance.
* 9 things cooked.
* 8 lost things found.

Things mentioned just once or twice included breathing, conversation, entertaining cats, hanging art, snacking and lounging.

Thanks to everyone for your companionship this month. I will start a thread for February and hope to see you there.
posted by paduasoy at 9:21 AM on January 31 [11 favorites]

Thank you, paduasoy.

In under the wire, yesterday I took down and laundered the shower curtain and replaced the liner with a new and less mildewy one, which is mostly worth mentioning because of the need to balance on the rim of the tub to take it down. So maybe it also counts as exercise?
posted by gingerbeer at 9:54 AM on January 31 [5 favorites]

Yes, if I were to do that I would class it as extreme sports. And as a dementia-avoiding activity - isn't balancing supposed to be good for that?
posted by paduasoy at 10:28 AM on January 31 [2 favorites]

February's thread, once we make it there.
posted by paduasoy at 11:57 AM on January 31 [2 favorites]

Wow, great summary!
posted by inexorably_forward at 5:49 PM on January 31 [4 favorites]

What a delightful summary!

Many thanks to everyone for the ideas and support and updates; it’s more helpful than you know.
posted by kyraU2 at 6:04 PM on January 31 [4 favorites]