Thanks for checking in, Reader! The frozen feeling is a familiar one. I know you can break it. Things I've done In the past include reading posts on this site, picking something "easy," challenging myself to do 15 minutes at a time, going over old ground to protect it from backsliding, and challenging myself to get one bag of trash or donations done in a day. The stuck feeling will go away. I know the frustration and I know the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Don't forget, even though you are feeling stuck, you've still been able to list some accomplishments. And for that, I applaud you.

Keep in touch.

I can't seem to get a grip. I got the living room done, bookshelves all dusted, etc, but then got stuck and my kitchen bar is piled so high with stuff I am embarrassed of it. I try to stay on top of it but it is so hard.

Today I will drop off a box and a bag at Goodwill and figure out the clothing situation in my bedroom. I can't really figure out what to do beyond that (there is plenty to do but I feel frozen to start on anything).

I did clean out the fridge last week and it is clean and neat.

Just checking in! Write when you can!

I vacuumed bedroom and folded and put away laundry. The rest of the house is a scene. I need to just do. I have been chilling away at paper pile on coffee table but it's not enough. I want a clean and clear house.

Maybe I'll make a list of tasks to do and then work on it over the weekend. I am so much happier when house is livable. And it just isn't livable right now,

Hello, I too need to do some Spring cleaning. The clutter creep is in full force! Since I've been doing a good job on bedroom, I will dust and straighten it up today. I need to vacuum it too. I'm trying, trying, trying to keep bedroom clutter free, which mainly means folding laundry as soon as it is done. I know how you feel, Reader, I need all the help and encouragement I can get--

I will report back on my progress. Hope to hear how you are doing. I know it's tough to post when there's little to post. But I'll try to do a few things today to get myself back on track. I do better when I post.

Thanks Tillie. Some days I just wish I could close my eyes and throw everything in a dumpster. But then I know I would have a panic attack when I started realizing the items I got rid of. It only takes a couple of times of donating/tossing an item only to need it 2 weeks later, to get a little paranoid about getting rid of things. But I want a clutter free, or low clutter life where everything in my home is something I use or treasure. So I have to do this.

I will focus on the spring cleaning this week, getting the living room nice and fresh (carpets done and all) and then maybe next week I will WANT to get the pictures and art out and hang them in the fresh clean room.

Hi :)

Spring cleaning, washing/cleaning curtains, carpets and getting some deep cleaning done is GREAT!
If you tackle it one small area at a time that should help motivate you when you see the fresh clean spaces.
Decluttering gets overwhelming with all the decisions you need to make to do it and changing gears once in a while is necessary to keep moving toward your ultimate goals.
So, I suggest that you do some Spring cleaning right now, since that is what you truly want to be doing right now.
If/when you get the motivation to do some decluttering, do a fast little sort out here & there.
Look to see if there is an easy decision to make on something, one thing, and then do that one thing to completion, toss, donate or put it away in another place.
We all have periods where we lose motivation, get burned out, and the best thing to do when that happens is to change gears and work on something different.
Sometimes we need to take time out to take care of ourselves and get some rest and recreation.

So it's been 2 weeks and I am back to feeling kind of paralyzed. I am watching Hoarders and the lady said the same thing about feeling paralyzed. I still have the box in my bedroom and the tub in my living room and have not dealt with any of it or looked through it. I have done basically nothing to continue with the decluttering. I am right now trying to do some spring cleaning (wash curtains, clean carpets, dusting) but I don't know how to get motivated or get moving again on the other stuff. The piles are building in the dining room. I need some encouragement or something.

So glad to hear from you, Reader. Your choices and thought-processes are very much appreciated. Think how happy someone will be to get that toddler headboard. That is such a gift. What a beautiful donation.

I'm out of time but will find time to savor your post later. Congratulations! Thank you for posting.

It's been awhile and wanted to check in. I enjoyed reading your updates! I have done done much. I was busy doing my taxes and things like that but now it is done.

Yesterday my son asked me to get my "stuff" out of his room. The closet, a 5 shelf thing, and one wall shelf had all my stuff on them and he wanted some space. So I did it, I moved everything. I put one tub in the garage because it is baby things I can't deal with right now. I moved a pretty red glass candle holder up to my living room. It was my mother's when I was little and is dusty and hasn't been used in 20+ years but I am washing it and using it for my candles now. I moved a box of "special" things into my bedroom; it is full of very emotional, special momentos like letters from my deceased father, my first husband, etc and I am going to go through it and decide what to do with it. I moved a huge rubbermaid tub right to the middle of the living room because it is full of frames, pictures, and wooden carvings that I need to hang or display or donate.

I also put a full box in the car for Goodwill. There were 2 nice games, still wrapped and never used that my kids never used but I know won't get used now either. There's a mouse and a keyboard and a few other things. I also found a new, in the box, bubble wrapped pink princess toddler bed headboard. It was a replacement piece for a slightly damaged one we got when my girl was little. I saved it but never used it. I am donating that as well.

Goals for this week are to empty the tub in the living room and the box in my bedroom.

Hi Reader. Just checking in to see how it's going. My sister was in town yesterday and she took two boxes for me. One has some of my mother's books and mom's place isn't big enough for them, so I asked my sister to take and store. I also gave her a box of miscelleous, old dishes, likely our grandmother's. I told her to sort through and do what she likes. From my brief glance into the box the dishes were Limoges so my sister will enjoy the treasure hunt aspect. I got rid of a dearly loved lamp that I don't want to use anymore. This was a big step. I've had it 20 years but have decluttered all surfaces in bedroom and the lamp wS one of the casualties. I love the lamp but need to have fewer things.

Hope you are well

I changed the sheer curtains under the drapes in my bedroom. Boy they were filthy and tattered. I borrowed a ladder and out the new ones up. They make my bedroom seem fresher.

I have gathered a bag of things to take to good will and will take to car today. I am maintaining on vacuuming the bedroom and dusting it. I will continue to forge ahead, trying so hard to establish new habits.

Doing a little bit here and there will begin to add up.
Soon you will see the clear & clean areas start to connect together.

Maintenance is important in the clean areas.
Daily, look around and do a quick tidying up to keep them nice.
This way you won't have to re-do them. :D

Keep up all this GREAT! progress you are making. :)

Your feelings are natural and very familiar. If I were you, I'd start with something noticeable, such as hanging the artwork. Of course, you can start anywhere--maybe packing the heirlooms will give you some relief? Just find a place to start.

We all know the paralysis, and it is possible to break through. Just keep posting and reading to find inspiration and support--we are here for the ups and the downs!

Today, reading your post, makes me realize that I'm stuck on a few things, too, and I need to take care of them. I will pick a project and report back after work today. Keep your chin up! There's lots to do, to be sure, but you've done a lot too! You are in a much better place then you were a month or two ago!

Okay. So this thread has helped me because reading it I realize how paralyzed I felt about the playroom situation when I first posted. I mean it felt like I literally could not do anything with it. Yet now it is completed. So now I know that even though there are other things I feel paralyzed about, and think I cannot possibly even start on them, that I CAN get through it and get it done.

I don't want to stop now and be complacent. I want to keep making more space and neatness in my home. I need to

1. organize the computers and files
2. deal with all the photos
3. hang the pictures
4. display and pack away the rest of my family heirlooms

and do other random cleaning and organizing and getting rid of stuff.

I will keep trying. I am back in that state of looking at it and feeling overwhelmed and doing nothing, but I remember how one day the playroom just suddenly felt doable and I went with it. I will update my progress this week with this stuff. I hope I can do this.

That's awesome, Reader66!

YES!!!

What a great story! I love it! You are doing a great job all around!

Thanks guys!

Well you won't believe this, but there is the little post script to my play room story. When I was done, my daughter had several boxes and bins of toys in there playing. Yesterday, she dragged all the boxes of her things out into the hallway because she wanted her play room to be nice and neat. And today I suggested we sort her things! We got a trash bag and a donate box and we are doing one bin at a time (so she is not overwhelmed). I pick up each item, she says "trash" "donate" or "keep" and if she says keep, she goes and puts it away! We will finish this today and my girl will have all her things where she can find them!

So proud of myself for making this change and being a good example to my daughter.

Hi, Reader66. I post on some of the other threads and just started reading this thread a few days ago. I'm excited to get the chance to follow your progress! How wonderful that you've finished the playroom project! That must feel terrific! (It feels great to me, and I don't even live at your house!) Way to go!

CONGRATULATIONS, reader! I am very impressed and very pleased! Keep up the good work. I saw your other post on heirlooms and agree with Tillie's advice. The only thing that I would consider getting rid of, and this is what I Would consider and not suggesting that you Should--is the records. But honestly, your list is small and there is meaning and comfort there for you. I say, concentrate on other things, and while making decisions on those other things, remind yourself you have the precious heirlooms, and those are the important things to keep.

Please keep posting--I love reading your posts and hearing about your accomplishments! I feel rejuvenated every time I read your words!

Thank you!

Good news. I did it! I got all the stuff out of the playroom! My daughter is in there right now playing with her friend and I feel so very happy that I did this for her.

I ended up having to move some things back into my bedroom, more than just one tub, but I am going to take it out of the boxes and set it all up. I have a printer, a photo copier, and a video camera in boxes all new and ready to use, so at least now I have all their parts together in one place so I can get that done instead of digging around trying to find parts.

Today I sorted in the garage a bit, consolidated some boxes of things and threw out one bag of stuff and 3 empty boxes. Now I can walk a nice clear path through the garage.

I think I am done for the day. Yesterday took a lot out of me!

My next goal is to get all the important stuff off my oldest computer (2002 I believe) onto my newer one, make copies on disks or a zip drive, and get rid of the old computer and its huge, bulky monitor. Then I will have ONE desktop on a desk with plenty of space to work! I will get to that in a few days.

WOW! Great work. Yes, it always takes longer than the mental estimate. You are doing great! I love it when I am at a roll! The tougher times for me are when I'm not on a roll!

I hope you are feeling satisfied and proud of yourself! Very important to stay positive instead of getting mad at yourself for having so much stuff in the first place. I've ridden this roller coaster!

Thanks so much for posting--posting helps me too. Feels good to be somewhere where everybody knows, really knows, just how hard this is. We have a great group here and I'm glad you are part of it.

Thanks Dave! Tatoulia I am so glad you are working on it too! This thread is helping me immensely and I am so glad Dave encouraged lurkers to post or I never would have.

Today I am doing the hard stuff. I thought it would be "just take the things in the cardboard boxes in the play room and move them to the tubs" but it has been a real project. I have worked on it for 2 hours so far today. I found another tub. So I am moving each item from the 3 big tubs/boxes, one by one, to the closest place I think they should go. There is a trash bag, a donate box, a rubbermaid tub that will stay in my room, and a rubbermaid tub that will stay in the garage. But wow, I found so much stuff. I found about 25 bags and boxes of dog treats! I only have 2 dogs but I guess I kept misplacing treats, thinking I was out, and buying more! I am cancelling my Amazon Prime autoships of dog treats right now. I have enough for 6 months or a year! I have not figured out where to put them yet so they are piled in a corner.

I am also finding all those random cords that I don't know what they go to so am putting those in the tub for my room and will figure that out later. I am parting with about 1/4 of the stuff I am going through. Maybe 1/3, even. But it is all going in its place (dog grooming items in the drawer for them, lighters and kitchen stuff in the kitchen, paperwork on top of the file cabinet, CDs all together, etc.) My goal for today is a big one: to get ALL of my junk out of that playroom and turn it over to my daughter!

I sat down to type this and have an iced coffee for some energy. Now will go back to work!

Hi Reader! Just checking in--am working on a donation bag and pulling previously "non-negotiable" items in it--stuff that a year ago I never, ever would have parted with. Dishware and some books. A random lot but it will make me feel good to have more space. Just want to live and breathe. It gets easier and easier to say no. I don't acquire nearly as much and I'm giving away with a carefree hand. Keep up the good work! It's hard and some days it's really hard. But we can do it!

Yes! Fantastic! So proud! You are doing great! Especially like the sentiment about whatever doesn't fit, has got to go!

Keep it up but don't forget, we are here for the ups and the downs and the times in-between! Don't be afraid to post at any point during the cleanout (although admitted more fun when there is progress). Buying two tubs instead of six--already you are learning new rules and estaishing new patterns.

Your post made me very happy today!!!! You have re-energized me and I will work on something this weekend and will get back to you!

Thanks! Somehow coming here and reporting in is helping me. It's good to know there are people who understand and don't just think I am lame.

I have not done more, but I went to the store today and bought 2 rubbermaid tubs and some removable label stickers and a sharpie. I have some kind of rubbermaid tub addiction so I did try to stop buying them a long time ago. I made a rule that if I needed a tub I had to empty one I already had full of stuff. But now I have pared those things down and needed two tubs to put specific "keep" items in, until they are needed. I forced myself not to buy six tubs but only two. I have two boxes of things I am keeping in the playroom (in cardboard) so I will move those things into the tubs, label them and put them neatly away and toss out the cardboard. Whatever cannot fit in the two tubs has to go.

Beautiful work! How nice to have a moment of clarity as you did today. Try to find a way to also put the donated things into a "no worry zone" in your brain--anything to avoid revisiting your decisions until you have a chance to drop off at goodwill.

Tonight I started on another bag of stuff. Just poked around my bedroom closet. I found a pair of white leather sneakers, still white, that i will never wear again and don't remember when I ever did. I also found another pair of shoes to donate and I can't remember what they were and I'm not going to go check to remind myself. I put in DVDs and a book I couldn't part with nine months ago but today have no feelings for. Found some tights I could donate too. They are brand new and pretty, but I've put on weight. my rule is once I've put it in the donation bag/box/pile, it's done. No going back. As though it's locked up! I tell myself, I've made the tough decision, don't make it even harder.

Congratulations on your excellent decisions today! You've created space in your home, peace in your mind, and future happiness for the next owner of those things!

Please let us know how you are doing! And be sure to eat well and stay hydrated! You need to take good care of yourself!,

Thanks for the encouragement!

For weeks I have been looking at the stuff in the playroom, paralyzed to do anything with it. Every time I went in there to start I would feel overwhelmed and walk back out. But today it felt different. I went in, got my trash bag and Goodwill box and a Keep box and started right in. I got about halfway through, and I now have a bag and a box almost full for Goodwill. On top of that I came across a closed box that had "girl clothes size 8" written on top. I decided instead of opening it and sorting it to just take the closed box and donate it. Easier.

Great work, Reader! I am so proud of you. That is exactly how I started. I too couldn't keep anything to sell because it was going to get in my way of freedom and space. I donated it all. Good for you! I am so proud of you, you have no idea. I am as happy as if I'd been the one with the van filled with donations!

I got rid of one bag of clothes at goodwill over the weekend, including some dresses--one of which still had the price tag on. Goodbye, dresses, go make someone happy, you were making me miserable!


Keep up the good work and be sure to check in! The What Are You Doing Today thread is a good place to read for inspiration and to post for commaraderie!

hi Dave and all,

I got real busy but wanted to tell you how I did today. Today I put in the van a bunch of large toddler toys, a bag of clothes, a couple of books and a movie, an old guitar with some missing strings, a glass pot lid for a pot I never had, a small BBQ grill, a box of small toys and other random bits of things, some Easter baskets, a giant pinwheel, a scarf, and two pairs of kids' boots. I took it all to goodwill. I feel so much lighter! I was waiting and waiting with this stuff thinking I would sell it some day, but this feels great. I hope to sort some more this week and take some more things to goodwill.

Congratulations! Great work! Keep it up but don't forget to take time to eat, stay hydrated and relax! I know both the satisfaction and the agony of cleaning out. Great work!!

update.

Today I freed myself of about 3 dozen magazines (trash), a drinking glass with a nick in it that has sat on my counter for 2 months (trash), a book and a screen protector brand new (Goodwill). Little bits at a time, right?

Thanks Roxie. One huge blessing is I am not adding anything anymore. Aside from the baby items and clothes that I've had since I had my last child, all the other "stuff" is like, 10+ years old. A lot of it is 20 or more years old, sitting in boxes. I got rid of a lot of the newer, non-sentimental junk early on. My issue isn't buying/adding things, it is more KEEPING everything from when I was a teen to now.

A few years ago I got real motivated and went through the whole garage and ditched a bunch of stuff. I felt good about it but now if I start thinking about some of those things, I regret getting rid of them. This is going to sound so stupid but for 20 years I kept the little topper from my first wedding cake. I finally thought a few years ago, "this is stupid, my kids don't want it, it is junky, we've been divorced over a decade... toss it!" and I did. And now I wish I could get it out and hold it in my hands and "go back in time" to that happy wedding day. Somehow holding an object from an event makes it more real in my memory, or sometime.

So that makes me hesitate to get rid of things now. In case in the future I wish I hadn't.

But this is all mental work and I know bottom line is, space is important, the play room is important, more important than stuff. So if I want to keep some of the emotional sentimental stuff then the other stuff has to go. I can only keep so much.

huh, not sure what happened here.

Anyway, I am making an effort to get rid of something every day whether donating, throwing out or selling on Craigslist. I decided to take all the big toys that take up so much space, take a photo and sell them as a lot on craigslist for $50. If I didn't need the money I would just donate, but I do need it for some home repairs I am saving for. However if it does not sell in 3 days I will take the whole lot and donate them to a children's charity who can use them and hope at least that gets me some good karma.

I am also working on the photo/frames/art situation. I do like the curator idea for the art. I won't be getting rid of the family photos though, I do want to frame and hang those (I have a bunch of kids so lots of photos).

I appreciate the encouragement. I am going to get things done this time. I am thinking of SPACE as an "item" that is worth more than the junk filling it.

u obviously miss the point
i have not "made up my Mind" to be or think negative
it may be possible for u and many people to simply do that. it is not possible for everybody to do that
not everybodies brain work that way
that is reality
I am happy your mind is so successful

you have made up your mind to put a negative spin on everything I say so I will say no more
thank you

a waste of life at the end of life turns into a wasted life

I said "such a waste of life".
Not a wasted life.
Time spent churning a hoard is time wasted when it could have been used to enjoy life.

. "the REALITY of our lives as they exist NOW, and look at the items in that light, We will be able to much more easily make decisions we cannot make when driven by emotions of FEARS."
From <http://hoardingcleanup.com/message_board/?msgbrd=10&topic=11786>

O MY!
Dave and Reader66
I need to sleep. but
REALITY
PARALYSIS
BREATHE
HEADACHE
TEARS
And I am too old and too tired
But
Every day is a new day
That I have to live through
Yes. Tillie. A wasted life
Almost
Except
I raised two kids (sort of)
And helped raise two grand kids quite a bit actually
And helped take care of two great grandbabies
And was there for all of them during the recent really hard economic years
And now I am old. Exhausted and almost completely broke
With two houses, two sheds, a car, and a tree house full of stuff, junk, and trash.
No joy
Existence
I did laugh
once today (actually now it was yesterday)
A kid- waving a hand out a car window
A hand with fantastic foot-long "nails"
made from what looked like white computer paper.
And to me that was important
A mind alive
Playful
Full of imagination and ideas