If I had to assign a number value, I’d say my house is about 75% purged of stuff. This isn’t bad, though I’d like to be farther along. Contrary to common sense and the expertise of numerous decluttering celebrities, I’ve found it very hard to get rid of everything in one pass. For example, I know there are more things in the attic I can give away, though I’ve been gone through everything more than once. It’s not that I have any kind of attachment to many of these things, it’s more that I encounter an odd sort of fatigue. Like, I’m tired of going through stuff all the time, which is a little exaggeration because I’m not really doing it all the time, but I get sick of it. Sometimes it moves me to add more to the boxes, and sometimes it moves me to take a nap.

I’m not as loyal to my things as I thought I was. There have been several items I was keeping, mostly home décor items, which I wanted, but on a later pass I’d find myself putting those items into a donation box. Same with clothes, and even books. Reviewing your possessions regularly, and realizing you haven’t thought about or missed or used those items beyond thoughts of “keep or donate” can be a great motivator for helping you toss something. I’ve been excited about Peter Walsh’s challenges, because a few haven’t applied to me. I always recycle phone books right away, I got rid of all my cassette tapes a long time ago, and I don’t have any small kitchen appliances which are broken or unused. And I managed to give away a few more books, ones Emma outgrew and didn’t want to keep.

Over the weekend I was in a Barnes and Noble (and didn’t buy anything, always a small victory!) where I saw Marie Kondo’s new book, Spark Joy. I don’t plan to buy it, though it’s gotten good reviews. It seems to go into more depth than her first book and I might borrow it if I feel like I need outside motivation. From what I’ve read, this book goes into more depth and addresses things like her folding strategies, but I found videos to be helpful enough.

Earlier this evening I pulled this basket out from under the coffee table, thinking it would be nearly empty.

It wasn’t.

It had been holding a few of Bob’s home improvement books, and maybe some related tools. I have a feeling those are still there, under all these magazines. I thought I’d dealt with all the magazines in the house a few weeks ago, recycling most and saving a few. But there are a lot in here, and I don’t have the energy to deal with them tonight. On a happier note, my library now offers this great new service which allows you to borrow free magazines in digital format, and I’ve been pleased and impressed by the offerings. Note to self: never, ever buy another magazine again.

This is going to be a productive weekend. I’m off Monday, and have a lengthy list of things to do. I’m looking forward to getting a lot done, and on Monday I’ll go into the details.

In the meantime, here are some things I’ve found helpful recently:

• All the tasks for the Apartment Therapy January Cure, including those that haven’t been assigned, are on this handy calendar.
• Though I’m still (very, very slowly) reading Organized Simplicity, I jumped head to the accompanying website, which has some helpful downloads. I especially like the Daily Docket and the Master Weekly Checklist.
• And this list of 20+ Things You Can Get Rid of Right Now had some ideas with potential. I felt like it’s a good list to revisit periodically, and I’ve already gotten rid of excess craft & office supplies, among other things. But I don’t think I can part with my ironing board even though ironing is not a task I enjoy.

And with that I wish you all a great weekend!