January (part 2)

[fred_mouse]

The last week or so I've mostly not been sorting things out at home, because I've been dealing with office detritus, as all of our group moved office, and much paperwork was sorted through (including from people who have been gone a decade. Shared offices.). So much paper -- I think I half filled a secure shredding bin. 

Today though, I took the following to the op-shop

• nearly a dozen bags (shoulder bags, cooler bags, other) which were surplus -- several had been conference 'loot'. 
• a small bag of assorted small toys (specifically given to the op shop that makes up bags of such)
• a bag of 10 or so hardcover books weeded out (about half of what I originally identified -- they sat in the 'outbox' for two weeks, and I discovered that some were favourites of partner, eldest had plans to read one, and that one was an anthology with stories by authors whose work I actively collect). 

I've also identified a few other bits and pieces -- pretty pencils to go to a primary teacher friend to use as prizes; 2 DVDs that my kids are never going to watch; a duplicate of something (I remember finding it, just not what it is!)

I have the goal for February of getting everything out of the front hall that doesn't live there. Which may mean going specifically to visit friends, so as to hand over particular items (and work out what to do with one where the friend and I have lost touch, and they have moved multiple times -- I've been able to track them to a previous location). And of concentrating the clutter in such ways that most of the house is accessible, including doors/windows in which ever room I decide is the dumping ground. 

Comments

[peaceful_sands]

Well done! That's some great progress - I too had a good weekend managing to get rid of eight boxes to a friend (some for her, some for her place of work). I have one further box to go to the local recycling centre and about four or five trash bags of clothes and bedding to go to one of the local charity shops.

[fred_mouse]

Eight boxes! That is spectacular. I can't imagine having the energy to find eight boxes of stuff. Plus all the rest.

[tanaqui]

Sounds like excellent progress to me, given you've been dealing with work stuff as well. Good going on getting lots of it to the op-shop!

[fred_mouse]

Thanks! The work stuff was hell on wheels, so I'm kind of surprised that I managed anything else on top of it.

[hooloovoo_42]

Congratulations on the progress.

Our company are having the offices repainted over the next few months. The plan is that team is moving out to a different building and the rest of us will move around the space while the painting happens. Obviously, this means that there will be a lot of "stuff" to be boxed up. But for the second year running, we've just had a "Data Detox Day", where we are encouraged to ditch old paperwork and electronic files. Our office is pretty good, as we're a small team and don't collect much by way of external data, but other teams are busy trying to keep up with their retention and destruction policies and scan as much as possible to get rid of the hard copy. I'm still not looking forward to the upheaval, but it will be nice to have new paintwork and carpets.

[fred_mouse]

Thanks.

I hear you on the dealing with paperwork. And also on the new paint and carpets. We at least got a clean carpet in the new office (I'd been there 8+ years, and I remember the carpet being washed exactly twice). Once I finish the scanning, there should be none of my paper left, so at least that clutter will all be gone!