the endless task of tidying up
Completely decluttering takes ages. To me, it's actually a lifelong process. It's just not easy to simplify in under time limit of, say, roughly half a year. But the effort of declutting little by little pays off tremendously. I've seen it do wonders for myself as I try to live as simply as I can. Which is probably why I find Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up an interesting text to read. I came across it first on an article on Yahoo. I'm considering getting it when I have enough of my own hard-earned funds already. What I really like about the book is that it heavily applies East Asian culture, tradition, beliefs and practices to the act of tidying up, particularly that of the Japanese'. I've always found the Japanese lifestle fascinating, most especially the simplest ones.
Decluttering here does not only mean cleaning up your room or living space periodically. It also means doing away with the unnecessary distractions in life. Maybe cutting off ties with toxic, so-called friends; perhaps, also, attempting to live a simpler life with minimal weekends partying out; also, cutting out the drama we have aplenty, and more. And this, well, this will always be difficult and 6 months is not enough to complete something like this unless you're a demon or superhuman and are determined to do so with said time limit.
Lately, my philosophy to decluttering has become 'keep the functional/necessary then throw away the non-functional/unnecessary'. Sounds difficult, right? It is, especially when you have a lot of things you've accumulated since childhood from close friends, immediate family, relatives and more. These things are so precious to you it's just difficult to part ways with them. When it comes to things like these, by principle, I don't give them away to others. If I did, I usually give them away to people I know who will take better care of them for me.
Also, lately, I haven't really been fond of a lot of things I were given except when they are those most useful to me. If it's make-up or clothes, I make sure to use them then if I grow out of them - and I usually do so, quickly - that's the time I give them away. I've been so picky lately that I end up giving away to the closest girls in my life the things that do not fit my current tastes. What I tend to keep, though, are the smallest of mementos I get. Hand-penned letters and notes, birthday cards, some figurines, etc. I keep them in a small shoebox, up the top shelf of my closet. It serves as some sort of time capsule for me.
This thought is also difficult to follow through if you're into a lot of things like me. Books, records or everything music, film and television, fashion among others. Everything related to this will eventually clutter your space and then distract you even more. But I learned a hack and it's that I have a ton of things I usually grow quickly off of. My books - mostly novels or pocketbooks - I've had since I was in grade school to high school to college, I've kept in a huge megabox along with a few other things. Clothes I've grown out of are in another megabox of the same size and color (white). All I've left in my bookshelf back home are books I have yet to read. These are often the timeless classics. Then, of course, the ever indispensable fashion magazines I can never get enough of. There are just some things that one can never have enough of and these, perhaps, are those that bring us joy.
Everything has a place. Decluttering is easiest when done in conjunction with organizing. That's exactly what cabinets, some shoeboxes and more are for. I have one cabinet full of stationeries, about two shoeboxes of shopping bags I can later reuse, a shoebox or two of mementos, another shoebox for everything I use for sewing. All the shoeboxes are on the top-most part of my little closet. There's no need to label, really. I don't. I just designate boxes for things I've put in the same category. It makes looking for things a lot easier.
Maximize, minimize, repurpose and everything can be multi-purpose - if you just use your vast imagination. Don't throw away those boxes that come with every little thing that you buy! You can still use them for a ton of things. My space in the pad I live in during school days does not have a shoe rack. I just use my (16" desk) fan's box topped with three empty shoeboxes as one. I only have very little pairs shoes here to begin with. The two filled-up megaboxes I have at home are stacked on top of each other and positioned at the side of my bed. They act as a bedside table because I don't really have one yet.
This thought also appies to a lot of the things that I buy nowadays. I'm a serial thrift shopper thanks to the good thrift shops around here in Dumaguete City. I also raid the Bench shops in both Lee Plaza and Robinsons' mall in Calindagan for...mostly basics and lingerie - we don't have a Forever21 or Uniqlo or H&M around here. But that's the thing: BASICS. Over time, I've evolved into someone who prefers everything basic that serve multiple purposes. Solid white t-shirts and another one in gray; a t-shirt in gray and black stripes; a baseball shirt in mostly gray (sleeves are black); three printed shirts; 3-4 pairs of leggings; solid white and gray racerback tank tops; 2 black and 1 cream tank top (spaghetti straps); black heels; solid navy blue walking shoes and another one in solid white - both made from canvas and a bit of rubber; cream, white, black formal-ish shirts; a couple of mini-skirts, one in tan and another in solid black; 4 denim shorts; and three slip dresses. I do have a few items for sleeping and working out as well but they're not a lot either. These are what comprise my current wardrobe in the unitown. Back home, I have the same color palette as the one I have here. It's because I think these are the ones that get the most wear. They're the most functional.
I don't usually think about anything when I go into stores to buy stuff. If I find something attractive to me, I would get it. Other than that, I always think practical. For instance, I would always buy what's the most practical for this climate. I tend to gravitate around articles of clothing that I can picture myself using everywhere. Slip dresses...you can wear them out, you can sleep on them, and you can do virtually nothing productive in them, too. Denim shorts will always be staple in this tropical country. Why wear jeans when there are the much more comfortable slacks or trousers?! The only pair of jeans I have surviving my last decluttering is one from Target that's in black...it's a pair of skinnies with zippers on either leg; and a pair of light denim, wide-legged ones (bell-bottoms) from...I don't know where my relatives bought them. I usually opt out of them when they're too hot to wear outside.
I'm not perfectly organized nor am I completely minimalistic. I can't really ever be because I'm too laidback to be that anal. Also, that type of personality is a pet peeve of mine. But I see nothing wrong in trying to be minimalistic. Sure, you can never have too much of something but don't, at least, get it to the point where everywhere you see in your room is clutter. Really, though, whatever makes you happy...makes you happy.
Anyway, I'm finally done with the thesis, hopefully and it's the nervewracking waiting game part 2 now on going and I have zero plans of going out and rewarding myself with something. Not even a speck of halo-halo that I am slightl craving for. I figure, I'll keep it simple at this time and just reward myself with a workout
in later at 5:00 p.m. which consists of a few minutes of zumba to build up cardio resistance for a run I am scheduling next week or so followed by a total body workout
via Tracy Anderson's Perfect Design I as usual. Or maybe I'll go for Ballet Beautiful today. I'm not really sure yet. Also, I plan on inhaling a movie or two...or three with just me myself and I. As to what that movie is, I'm not sure yet. I want to watch something that's pretty recent but we shall see. I'll check what's on my external storage drive. I need a new one, too, since this is almost full to the brim. I need a 2tb one this time. My plan to unwind is actually quite dull by the looks of it but I'm trying to schedule stuff these days so I don't remain too idle. I suppose it makes life more fun now.
*kg
Decluttering here does not only mean cleaning up your room or living space periodically. It also means doing away with the unnecessary distractions in life. Maybe cutting off ties with toxic, so-called friends; perhaps, also, attempting to live a simpler life with minimal weekends partying out; also, cutting out the drama we have aplenty, and more. And this, well, this will always be difficult and 6 months is not enough to complete something like this unless you're a demon or superhuman and are determined to do so with said time limit.
Lately, my philosophy to decluttering has become 'keep the functional/necessary then throw away the non-functional/unnecessary'. Sounds difficult, right? It is, especially when you have a lot of things you've accumulated since childhood from close friends, immediate family, relatives and more. These things are so precious to you it's just difficult to part ways with them. When it comes to things like these, by principle, I don't give them away to others. If I did, I usually give them away to people I know who will take better care of them for me.
Also, lately, I haven't really been fond of a lot of things I were given except when they are those most useful to me. If it's make-up or clothes, I make sure to use them then if I grow out of them - and I usually do so, quickly - that's the time I give them away. I've been so picky lately that I end up giving away to the closest girls in my life the things that do not fit my current tastes. What I tend to keep, though, are the smallest of mementos I get. Hand-penned letters and notes, birthday cards, some figurines, etc. I keep them in a small shoebox, up the top shelf of my closet. It serves as some sort of time capsule for me.
This thought is also difficult to follow through if you're into a lot of things like me. Books, records or everything music, film and television, fashion among others. Everything related to this will eventually clutter your space and then distract you even more. But I learned a hack and it's that I have a ton of things I usually grow quickly off of. My books - mostly novels or pocketbooks - I've had since I was in grade school to high school to college, I've kept in a huge megabox along with a few other things. Clothes I've grown out of are in another megabox of the same size and color (white). All I've left in my bookshelf back home are books I have yet to read. These are often the timeless classics. Then, of course, the ever indispensable fashion magazines I can never get enough of. There are just some things that one can never have enough of and these, perhaps, are those that bring us joy.
Everything has a place. Decluttering is easiest when done in conjunction with organizing. That's exactly what cabinets, some shoeboxes and more are for. I have one cabinet full of stationeries, about two shoeboxes of shopping bags I can later reuse, a shoebox or two of mementos, another shoebox for everything I use for sewing. All the shoeboxes are on the top-most part of my little closet. There's no need to label, really. I don't. I just designate boxes for things I've put in the same category. It makes looking for things a lot easier.
Maximize, minimize, repurpose and everything can be multi-purpose - if you just use your vast imagination. Don't throw away those boxes that come with every little thing that you buy! You can still use them for a ton of things. My space in the pad I live in during school days does not have a shoe rack. I just use my (16" desk) fan's box topped with three empty shoeboxes as one. I only have very little pairs shoes here to begin with. The two filled-up megaboxes I have at home are stacked on top of each other and positioned at the side of my bed. They act as a bedside table because I don't really have one yet.
This thought also appies to a lot of the things that I buy nowadays. I'm a serial thrift shopper thanks to the good thrift shops around here in Dumaguete City. I also raid the Bench shops in both Lee Plaza and Robinsons' mall in Calindagan for...mostly basics and lingerie - we don't have a Forever21 or Uniqlo or H&M around here. But that's the thing: BASICS. Over time, I've evolved into someone who prefers everything basic that serve multiple purposes. Solid white t-shirts and another one in gray; a t-shirt in gray and black stripes; a baseball shirt in mostly gray (sleeves are black); three printed shirts; 3-4 pairs of leggings; solid white and gray racerback tank tops; 2 black and 1 cream tank top (spaghetti straps); black heels; solid navy blue walking shoes and another one in solid white - both made from canvas and a bit of rubber; cream, white, black formal-ish shirts; a couple of mini-skirts, one in tan and another in solid black; 4 denim shorts; and three slip dresses. I do have a few items for sleeping and working out as well but they're not a lot either. These are what comprise my current wardrobe in the unitown. Back home, I have the same color palette as the one I have here. It's because I think these are the ones that get the most wear. They're the most functional.
I don't usually think about anything when I go into stores to buy stuff. If I find something attractive to me, I would get it. Other than that, I always think practical. For instance, I would always buy what's the most practical for this climate. I tend to gravitate around articles of clothing that I can picture myself using everywhere. Slip dresses...you can wear them out, you can sleep on them, and you can do virtually nothing productive in them, too. Denim shorts will always be staple in this tropical country. Why wear jeans when there are the much more comfortable slacks or trousers?! The only pair of jeans I have surviving my last decluttering is one from Target that's in black...it's a pair of skinnies with zippers on either leg; and a pair of light denim, wide-legged ones (bell-bottoms) from...I don't know where my relatives bought them. I usually opt out of them when they're too hot to wear outside.
I'm not perfectly organized nor am I completely minimalistic. I can't really ever be because I'm too laidback to be that anal. Also, that type of personality is a pet peeve of mine. But I see nothing wrong in trying to be minimalistic. Sure, you can never have too much of something but don't, at least, get it to the point where everywhere you see in your room is clutter. Really, though, whatever makes you happy...makes you happy.
Anyway, I'm finally done with the thesis, hopefully and it's the nervewracking waiting game part 2 now on going and I have zero plans of going out and rewarding myself with something. Not even a speck of halo-halo that I am slightl craving for. I figure, I'll keep it simple at this time and just reward myself with a workout
in later at 5:00 p.m. which consists of a few minutes of zumba to build up cardio resistance for a run I am scheduling next week or so followed by a total body workout
via Tracy Anderson's Perfect Design I as usual. Or maybe I'll go for Ballet Beautiful today. I'm not really sure yet. Also, I plan on inhaling a movie or two...or three with just me myself and I. As to what that movie is, I'm not sure yet. I want to watch something that's pretty recent but we shall see. I'll check what's on my external storage drive. I need a new one, too, since this is almost full to the brim. I need a 2tb one this time. My plan to unwind is actually quite dull by the looks of it but I'm trying to schedule stuff these days so I don't remain too idle. I suppose it makes life more fun now.
*kg