fred_mouse: drawing of mouse settling in for the night in a tin, with a bandana for a blanket (cleaning)
fred_mouse ([personal profile] fred_mouse) wrote in [community profile] unclutter2017-12-31 03:31 pm

Weekend uncluttering

How is your uncluttering going on this, the last day of 2017?

My sorting out of the sewing/music/storage room was a qualified success -- the floor was cleared and cleaned, multiple glass jars are in the front hall awaiting a friend to collect them, and several of the easier sewing repair tasks were done (and the rest put in a to do list, so I can just look at the list and decide to do something, rather than dithering at the baskets). I think we found some clothes to rehome as well!

And then we got enthusiastic, and decided to deal with the books. A hefty tax return meant that we could invest somewhat in new, sturdy bookshelves, so members of the family took themselves off to IKEA (twice!) and we now have six fancy 2.2m bookshelves in what turns out to be a discontinued colour. Two solid days of building shelves and moving books around, and we now a) have no books on the floor and b) no longer have double stacked books. And I've started the process of digging assorted books out of nooks and crannies all over the house. Primary goal is to have all fiction in there, and catalogued. Secondary is more complicated and handwavy, and has to do with 'being able to find any book that is in the house in under 2 minutes, if I know who published it and what format it is in'. [yes, my shelving system is that complicated, because I patronise a set of small press publishers, and I often need to check what I have].

And the companion question for you all, as we come to the beginning of 2018, what are your decluttering goals for the year?
tanaqui: Illumiinated letter T (Default)

[personal profile] tanaqui 2018-01-01 03:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Good luck with the books! I think anyone who loves books has a kind of reverence for them that makes doing anything else but keeping them hard. Even if the "anything else" is sending them on to someone else who will love them and appreciate them more than we're actually doing right now.
adair: books and tea (book)

[personal profile] adair 2018-01-01 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks for the good wishes. The mental letting go has been a work in progress for some time. I am considering keeping a list of what I get rid of, especially those books I have had a long time. It is possible some of my fear is forgetting about the books - there is a lot of emotional stuff hanging around this process.