Survey #175 Response from Margaret
| Think about a decluttering project of any size that you’ve completed in the past. (The project may be as little as one section of cabinet, a drawer, or a small set of objects.) How successful have you been at maintaining the space or collection in the finished state? | Very successful |
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| For the project you thought about in the previous question, what habits, attitudes, events, people, or other factors contribute to your tendency to re-clutter the space? (For example, “I’m a habitual shopper” or “My family doesn’t respect my organizing efforts” or “The mail just keeps coming!”) | I tend to buy more clothes as my weight changes and to not get rid of clothes in case I can some day wear them again. |
| What habits, mindsets, practices, or other factors contribute to your ability to successfully maintain a previously cluttered space? (For example, “I reset my dining room after each meal” or “I’ve set a limit of five decorative items in each room” or “I use the ‘after’ photo I took as motivation to keep my bathroom shelves organized.”) | I like choosing clothes from my dresser now that it is organized. The Marie Kondo method of folding clothes and putting them in a drawer on end so you can see them all without having to search through stacks was an eye-opener. I have one drawer of pants, one drawer of shirts, one drawer of intimates, one drawer of medications and other similar necessities, one half drawer of jewelry and make-up, and one half drawer of beach towel, swimsuit, etc., all in one dresser. I have given myself an environmental challenge to see how many months I can go without buying new clothes (usually it is one outfit or fewer per year; not counting underwear or swimsuits since swimming is my main exercise). If I get something new I have to get rid of something to make more room in the drawer. This has worked for, wow, nearly 10 years now! I need to expand this idea into the rest of my clutter/organized areas. |
| In which collections or categories of stuff are you most inclined to re-clutter—i.e., to refill areas and spaces that you’ve previously had success decluttering? (For example, “I purge my clothes closet every couple of years, but it’s always overflowing again within three months” or “My coffee mug collection is always out of control.”) | Home office papers and supplies - this is command central for my life and several projects are underway and then another project comes along. I feel like I need backup ink cartridges, several kinds/colors of blank paper and card stock and graph paper, just the right pen/pencil/marker, filing supplies, paper clips, binders, scissors labeled for paper or for fabric or for let-the-husband/kid-borrow-this-pair-cause-you-know-it-won't-be-returned-anytime-soon, tape measure, rulers, yard sticks, etc, etc., etc. Just realized that others borrowing my supplies is part of the problem; I had forgotten that years ago i had setup a communal place for household use and hidden my stuff but then they never put their supplies back and found my stash and I just gave up and would buy myself more supplies. Now that we are remodeling I keep finding more and more "lost" supplies. |
| Fill in the blank: “When I finish my current decluttering/organizing project, I’m going to treat myself to ___.” | A long hot shower in my remodeled bathroom. Plus flowers in the new breakfast area. |
| Here’s your chance to ask Gayle and Ed any question you’re curious about. It need not be related to this survey’s topic(s). If we think that your question—and our answer—might be useful or instructive to The Clutter Fairy Weekly audience, we’ll share them in an upcoming episode. | This isn't a question - just feedback. I really enjoy doing these surveys because they make me reflect on my decluttering process. |
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