Following up: I did my three goals. (Have appointment Thursday with tax lady.)

I must say that I'm really glad I'm posting these daily goals. I got really discouraged earlier in the afternoon. If I hadn't posted goals, I probably would have skipped the last two for today just because of being bummed out.

I did get on the computer and read some other people's posts in various threads to help me get "back in the spirit." Thanks to all who post.

Good morning :)

Attempting to do some laundry today.
Yesterday I was able to do 2 of his loads of laundry with the control panel sort of opened on the washer.
The knob unit has malfunctioned and can be manipulated to get it to work.
We are looking into finding a new knob/control unit to install.
The house is a mess. The winds have been blowing in LOTS of dust so everything is dusty but that is the way Spring always is out here in the desert off a dirt road.
My garden hose was properly drained and stored over Winter but somehow it developed a leak. He fixed that yesterday for me so today I want to get out and water the trees & bushes & other stuff.

Diane, hope you are just absent because you are playing with the dog. (((hugs)))

Monday! A fresh new week to make a fresh new start. :D

Oops. I meant to put "goals for today" at the beginning of that last post.

Make a good-faith effort to set up an appointment with a certain person I've used in the past regarding income tax.

Spend time working on organizing some receipts.

Spend ten minutes scanning (and then trashing) some papers in my to-scan pile.

Roxie, I used to have off and on problems with migraines, but I have had far fewer over the past year or so. I have a lot of allergies, fyi.

I'm pretty sure what set this one off. On Thursday, I spent a fair amount of time working outside in a rural area, and silly me forgot to put on the dust mask that she keeps inside her vehicle for such purposes (nor did I take any allergy medicine). You'd think I'd "live and learn," because it isn't the first day I've had a migraine after one of those trips. Maybe I can keep some of my allergy meds in the car, and maybe I can put a reminder sign in a key location to wear my mask when I'm out there working!

Thanks for your concern.

Today is my "off" day... not setting a goal, other than to join the chat tonight (headache permitting...Friday's headache still isn't all gone, it seems).

Good morning.
Hope you all can make it tonight to Sunday night online support group.
He said he will start today on that fixing the washing machine issue.
Well, anyways...
I'm off to take a shower & get dressed.
"IF" he does attempt to do this he will be turning off the water to the whole house since he did not install an interior turn off valve when he did the plumbing for the bathroom sink and washing machine.

Thanks for that info Dave. :)

Barb, Hope you are feeling all better today. :)

LT2014, WAY TO GO! for getting those things accomplished! :D

Roxie, please find your flash light and put it near your bed. If there were to be some sort of emergency you would be trapped in your home.

Wishing you all a pleasant Sunday. :)

I was able to get some of my vehicle cleaned out (enough to satisfy my goal on that for today), and I got a little done on my paperwork goal. Yea!

Yesterday started well. The weather was warmer; the sun was shining; the birds were singing and i woke with enthusiasm and renewed vigor.
While I was working, I had decided to keep hydrated with a vitamin water. Big mistake. The company has changed the formula by adding sorbitol, a type of artificial sweetener. No warning on the label. I just assumed it was the same as I had purchased before. I was very sick all afternoon and into the evening. I thought I had the flu but then checked all the labels of everything I had consumed. It was my old enemy sorbitol.
Although I am a relatively healthy person, I have to be very diligent about reading labels anymore. I am finding that I cannot tolerate aspartame, sorbitol, or carrageenan. Food companies are sneaking these chemicals into all sorts of foods that you would not expect.
Today I am feeling much better. I will start in again on the cleaning and decluttering and try to update you all tomorrow night on the chat line.
Karl-best of luck on finding new housing.
Tillie--sorry about your setbacks and hope things get repaired to your satisfaction. Going to the laundromat is a pain.
Have a great day, everyone.

Tillie

I have purchased dryer parts several times from eBay vendor supplystuf. They do not sell the genuine Maytag parts, rather parts made by others to fit the machine. It has saved me money and things seem to work well-the place I really saved money awhile back was on a replacement motor.

Just wanted to toss that one out in the event you need a part and don't have another way to get it.

Good morning :)

Thanks Roxie :) (((hugs)))

Managed to get through yesterday a lot better than Thursday.
Got the daily maintenance stuff done then played with the cats outside.
Really have to get some food today. Have my list all made up.
He said he will help get the control panel on the washing machine off, this means pulling the washer out from the wall, something that I can't manage to do myself.
I believe the problem is with the knob somehow not making the connections to make the machine function. It is manual and not a computer control.
Neighbor was going to the dump yesterday anyways and took my garbage too. :D So nice of them!
Went through things yesterday and managed to fill a bag for the thrift shop, will drop that off on the way to the grocery store today.
He needs to get 3 long fence posts to replace the ones broken yesterday when he hit the fence with the truck. Fortunately, only minor cosmetic damage was done to the vehicle.
Time to start thinking about doing Spring cleaning but for now I will just enjoy the Spring time. :D

Hoping you all have a GREAT Saturday. :D

Congrats, Karl, on getting some of the sorting done at your storage unit. Yes, what works for me to "motivate me" kind of varies. In some areas of my life, a deadline helps, but in other areas of my life or at other times of my life, a deadline may do just the opposite. There have been times that I "freeze up" with a deadline.

For this week, I'm glad to say that creating my own small, seemingly do-able goals and posting them here has been helpful to me. So here goes: first goal is to spend ten minutes working on papers in a certain room, with an eye toward what can be tossed or shredded. If I have enough in my to-shred bag, I can take it today to that place I mentioned in an earlier post and get it shredded. If not, I'll save it for next week's "shred day."

A second goal is to work on my vehicle. I have a lot of "stuff" in there. I am supposed to give someone a ride someplace later today. I didn't physically feel like working on it yesterday, so I'll plan to work on that today. It's supposed to rain off and on and I don't have a garage, so timing on working on that might be tricky. I want the person to have a decently-clean place to sit!

So far, I'm not setting any goals for today in terms of my clutter. Am having a migrainish type headache which is very irritated by lights. Even being on the computer can aggravate it. So for at least part of the day, my "goal" is to give my eyes and brain some R and R. If I get better by evening, I might post a simple goal or two.

Candace, I relate to a lot of the things you are saying. Welcome. (I'm new as of this week, too.)

Good morning?

Thank you Diane :)
Happy you have your loaner dog back to keep you company. (((hugs)))

Hi LR2014 :)
WAY TO GO! making plans and accomplishing your goals. :D

Hi Jess :)
Thank you and WAY TO GO! for getting so much done. :D

Hi Karl :)
Wishing you the best of luck finding a good place to hang your hat. :)

Welcome Candace :)
Read around on this message board and you can learn some very good ways to improve your situation. :)

Yesterday the washing machine broke.
Then a bunch of other things also broke or went wrong.
This morning while he was leaving for work I heard a terrible scrunching sound, turned on the outside lights and saw he had backed the truck into the fence, knocking it down.
Pretty sure there is also damage to the vehicle but did not bother to go outside to see.
Decided not to make any plans today, just sit tight and wait out Murphy's law.

Have a nice day ;/

Hi, I'm new to this group. Hoarding jas caused me tremendous depression & anxiety. My husband is a hoarder and I am unorganized and never put anything away. My rational is because there is no where to put anything. My husbands rational is, you can't throw or give anything away that has value. I partially agree. We are one man one woman in 2600 sq feet I have no more storage for anything. If we can't find something, we buy another. If something is broken, we keep it and buy another. Clothes are the worst. I need some help.

Karl, since I'm new, I don't know much of your story yet. Sorry about the notice. I hope in the long run it ends up working out well for you.

I did get my "have-to's" from my to-do list done, plus a few others as well. I also (after being inspired by Diane's comment) bought and ate some healthier food than what I had yesterday. I only got a little done on my papers, and I didn't get my sweeping done. I'm OK with that, because one of my to-do list items produced an unexpected twist that had to be dealt with. (Nothing bad, just something that had to be dealt with.) And now I'm going to try to hit the sack.

Hello everyone! I love to see what you're all up to and accomplishing!

Tillie, I'm sorry about the trash issue :( I hope that gets sorted out quickly and trash pickup can resume. Glad to see though that your clutter free zones are still yours and you have a beautiful day to enjoy!

Day 3: I did the dishes. My to-do list includes: a little grocery shopping and working on my weekly task of curing the table clutter problem. I can clean the table but it'll just happen again so I want a better solution.

Some specific goals for today (some of which may change depending on how my foot is doing):

Check my to-do list I made yesterday for things that "have to" be done today and do those.

Spend at least 15 minutes working on some of the floors (sweeping, vacuuming, etc.).

Spend at least 15 minutes going through papers in a certain room that need to be sorted into "trash," "shred," or "keep" categories. (Most are destined for "trash" or "shred.")

I like that thought of "eating better than yesterday." I'm almost out of certain healthier foods I sometimes eat; will plan to go to the store to buy more.

Happy day, everybody.

LR good plan, sleep is so important for us. Tillie, hope you are feeling better today.
Today the sunshine is lifting my spirits, still cold out, went out and walked around, so nice having a dog visiting, although he is not a hugger, still nice having him here. He let me sleep until 7 so I am appreciative, he usually gets up at 5am with his owner. Today I will do dishes, eat better food than yesterday. take tanner and me for a walk.
I think now is a good time to finally vacuum since Tanner is out enjoying the yard. I wish you all a pleasant day, and productive day, accomplishing something to make your life better.

Spring is finally here! :D
Good morning everybody.
BIG WAY TO GO!
for getting stuff done and making your daily plans.
There has been no progress on his end here and things are actually getting worse mainly because he can not seem to follow through with anything.
I could help him stay on track but he has been so mean & nasty that I just allow him to wallow in his own mess hoping that he will hit bottom and decide that my suggestions really do work.
My NO CLUTTER ZONES are still clear & clean so I am doing alright. :D
He is in a dispute with the trash company over their increase in rates so he canceled the trash pick up service.
Lets see just how much worse things will get now. :(

Oh Well, anyways....
Since the weather is lovely, today I will do some laundry and then get outside to play.
Daffodils, grape hyacinth, wild currant bushes and dandy lions are all in bloom. Dove, Quail, Robins, Wrens and finches are all frisky.
Have a WONDERFUL first day of SPRING! :D

Thanks, Karl, for the info on that chat time.

Following up on my goal-setting for yesterday... I did get my to-do list going. I decided to pass on working on the receipts and focus on trying to relax and get to sleep early so I could get today off to a better start. That was (mostly) successful.

I will probably post my "today" plans later on today.

Day two. I did the dishes and went to the bank.

My difficult thing for the day was going to a chiropractor. I had never been to one before. I did something to my back last week and it only seems to be getting worse so I decided I should go, especially since my husband was urging me to. I was freaking out about going to this unfamiliar place and being touched and everything but I did it and I'm feeling better already.

I also made dinner but it turned out to be pretty awful lol Oh well, can't win em all.

Thanks to all of you for the welcomes and the nice comments. I look forward to getting to know each of you.

I'm keeping my decluttering plans "low key" for today. Part of the reason is that I injured a foot last week and I'm trying to be careful with it for a little while. Also, my sleep schedule has been off the past several days, and I want to try to hit the sack early tonight to try to get back on a more normal sleep schedule. My first specific goal is to just make a list of some of the things I want/need to get done over the next few days and weeks. A second goal is to spend some time this evening (I'll go for 20 minutes again, at least) getting some receipts organized for a task I need to accomplish later. No dancing tonight to celebrate successful completion, though, unless it's one-footed. Besides, I don't want to get too hyped up and then be unable to get to sleep. Is delayed partying acceptable?

PS I would have joined the Tuesday night chat last night, but I was out of town and got home too late to do it. I logged in, but it was obviously too late. How long does it usually run?

DAVE, where are you? what are you up to? Hope a pile in the garage didn't bury you. Kidding. Miss hearing from you, just a quick hello would be great, if you are too busy cleaning to write. Think of you daily and hope for the best in the car parking garage.

Hi Roxie, we posted at the same time, fun reading your post, you really are good at supporting each person, you have a good memory, I forget who posted what by the time I start writing on here, good luck with doctor appts.

good morning, very difficult sleeping last two nights, this is unusual for me. It is still so difficult for me to say no to people that I have felt less than, so in past always would say yes, even though it was just for their convenience. Knowing I deserve to say no when it is important to me, will become easier if I practice. Speaking of practice, back to the pile of pants. I still have the all or nothing thinking. After reading LR's post about 20 minute paper sorting, realized I will avoid it when think I have to do it all. Today will set timer for 20 minutes and try on and sort pants. Have to dog proof house and deck today, so will encourage me to take an objective view of what needs to be finished and cleaned up today. Tanner is coming tonight to stay for 4 days.
LR I appreciate your post about finding clothes that fit and how it made you feel more confident. I was talking myself into keeping the bigger clothes to use as work clothes, it would be so much better to donate them to someone that will use them to feel better about how they look. Tillie, when we don't sleep well, our minds can be a challenge to keep tamed.
Dianne, happy you and Laura got so much done.
Roxie, happy you are still keeping us updated on all that you got done. COPD is scary. In nursing school they had us breathe through a straw how it feels to have COPD. I only smoked for 2 years but it was the hardest thing to give up, it is a powerful addiction. Apparently smoking affects the brain like cocaine, so is very hard to give it up. I wish you well and happy you realize how important it is to give up smoking to save you from more lung damage, plus you will have more energy and feel better after withdrawal. With patches you will do fine. Deep breathing will be a good substitute for the ritual of smoking.
So much going through my head this morning, wishing the best for each of you today. Action leads to progress, inaction leads to failure.

Thanks for the warm welcome back everybody! Good to see everyone doing their best and making progress, however small.

Welcome LR! Great job working on those papers! I have recently gotten rid of a great deal of old papers that stressed me out every single time I thought about them or saw them. Now that they're gone I feel so much better. Another great example of how facing the issue makes things better for us in the long run :)

Today is my new day one. I went to work earlier, cooked dinner for my husband and put in three loads of laundry. I also emptied the bathroom garbage cans a took the trash out. For the rest of the evening I'd like to finish drying the clothes, fold and put them away. Maybe read a little bit.

OK, I did my twenty minutes on papers. (In this instance, found more to trash than to shred. Either way, I made progress.) The twenty minutes spent is a good reminder of why this is (or can be) hard. These papers were from the mid-2000's. (Trust me, I have much older ones.) It was 20 min. worth of visual reminders of that time period. I found papers that aroused old anger feelings (a note blaming me for something, which in turn reminded me of an irritating person I once had to deal with), papers that aroused guilt (visual reminders of things I was supposed to do back then but for various reasons never did), papers that made me smile, and papers that reminded me of good skills I have. In short, a variety of emotions and memories got aroused in that twenty minutes. I don't feel particularly drained at the moment, but at times that drain can and does happen. That's one reason that support of one another in this is so good and so important.

Since papers are one of my big issues, one specific goal for today is to spend 10 to 20 minutes going through papers in search of ones that can be shredded. (It doesn't take long to find papers like that!) I'm fortunate to have a local shredding service that brings a big truck to a nearby location on Saturdays. You can take a box of things there to be shredded for $10, and the money goes to a charity (or at least that part was at one time the case...by now, I don't care...just want the papers gone). I have too much to shred on my own. They shred it right there in front of you, so you know it got done. Feels really good to take a load there and then leave that location with one less box of stuff!

Dianne: You're welcome!

Good morning everybody! :D
Clear skies & lots of sun today but it's cold and breezy.
Got some laundry hung out on the line anyway.
Was up most of the night because the cats were all jumpy & twitchy because of all the moon light.
Spent yesterday afternoon trying to sew and Scooter helped me a lot.
Will try sewing again today after I get the usual daily tasks done.
Still have so many thoughts and emotions running wild through my brain.
It is so very very true that if a hoarder does not want to change, they won't.
Keep up with all the GREAT work you all have been doing. (((hugs)))

Oops... that was supposed to be a comma after "confidence." Yes, perfectionism in certain areas has been one of my issues that has contributed in various ways to my clutter problem. :)

Thanks for the welcome, Dianne. I do have some old clothes to get rid of, but excess clothes are not my issue as much as other things. As a matter of fact, one of my problems is that I hate to go clothes shopping for a variety of reasons (in part because of the cost of nicer clothes, in part because of past difficulties getting things that fit, and for other reasons). Over the past few years, two people have given me some of their excess, and I also picked up a few things at thrift stores. Finding items from those sources that seemed to fit and that helped me look and feel more professional once again helped me overcome some big inner barriers. For instance, this past fall, I attended a conference for people in a profession I was once involved in (and might be again). Because of these clothing gifts (and a few things I purchased on my own), I was able to go to that conference with much more confidence. feeling appropriately dressed. So if it helps your joy, think about people like me as you pass these items on. The clothing items I received free (or was able to purchase at a reasonable price) were big blessings for me!

Good morning everyone. It is sunny here today and I really want to finish some out side projects but have to wait until it warms, still only 25 degrees, with wind chill, 18 degrees. Frozen toes, so have to do some stuff in here. I hauled all the pants out here in living room, and there is a tall pile. It is good to have all in one place so I can see the extent of the excess. I have a full length mirror ready for fashion show, it is too cold in here to take off clothes, so thought I would write on here for a minute. I keep having the visual of Dianne fist clenching things that could be shared with others, and slowly letting the clench relax and choosing joy and not anxiety over letting go of excess clothes. Helps to visualize people finding my good clothes at thrift store, and helping them to have good wearable clothes. We will see----------very difficult to let go, it just takes effort to change my thinking.
Having so much stuff takes too much time, to find what I want, to shuffle it around, and this is after I have gotten rid of so much stuff, time for another round of give aways.

Hi everyone, yes LR that is a big deal not buying things to be nice to yourself. Tillie I missed you too, and am with you on staying inside, kept trying to go out but wind was too much. I did put the new gutter up on the wall over deck that I painted, looks so much better than the duct taped plastic thing I had up before. Did a few other small things outside. Got all dishes done and put away. Cooked chicken breasts today, enough to make soup, eat some today. Hauled lots of firewood up to deck, have a fire going now.
Tillie, in your honor started fashion show. Picked all the scarves I still like and hung them neatly on scarf hanger by color. arranged all tops in closet by color, spring, summer. Took all pants out. Most are too big now. It is difficult to decide on what to keep, not knowing if this unexpected weight loss is permanent or temporary. My plan is to try to find some that fit well enough to have some pants to wear. I have only been wearing yoga pants and athletic pants that stretch, so when tried on pants to wear in public, had trouble finding anything to wear. By separating them by size, I won;'t waste time looking for pants in future. My plan is Nito sort ones I like and have been wearing up until this winter, by size and store the ones by size, and after 6 months or a year, if I still can't wear them, will donate. I will either toss or donate the ones I am going to get rid of tomorrow when I finish trying on. Nice reading what you have been getting accomplished.

Good. That worked. So here's my post. Since it's late, I'll say something I did rather than what I plan to do. I was invited by a friend to one of those home parties where you get the chance to buy something from a certain company's product line. (I like the company's products.) I can't go to the party. In the past, I would have ordered something anyway "just to be nice." But I decided to be nice to myself and not follow that old pattern. I don't really need anything new from that company, and I don't need to add to my "stuff" just to "be nice." I can be nicer to everyone in the world (including myself) when I get to the point of having far less stuff.

For me today, this was a big deal.

Hi. I'm one of the "new faces" from Sunday night. And "what I am doing today" (at least right now) is learning how to use the message board I was told about last night. Thanks to those of you who pointed it out to me. Since this type of thing (chats, message boards) is new to me, I want to make sure this goes through before writing more.