Stoptober 2019

[OddsocksParticipant]

chaosqueen wrote:

I am in bed, sick, with a nasty head cold. I am bossing the kids around making them do things. They are slow so slow, but it is their mess and I am looking forward to be rid of it! IT is another thing I have been postponing forever cause I never saw results,,

I do hope you feel better soon. I think we have permission for being ill not to be seen as postponing! Bossing the kids to sort out their own mess sounds good! Your posts all made sense.

You have done a lot of laundry! Well done! Hope that the folding and putting away wasnt too much hassle?

I was thinking today, actually about laundry too, that there are times when we arent decluttering but dont need to feel guilty. Its not always postponing? Mind you, that makes me smile at myself- I’m lazy about household things- except when the option is otherwise decluttering!

I havent done much at all with my target for this month. The fact it is a public (to us) target does help with the pressure to actually do stuff!

[chaosqueenParticipant]

Have you decided at which end to start? Front door or bedroom? I am afraid that 3 loads of laundry are not a lot in our house. 10 is average for a week. I have folded 1 load, nothing got put away and I still have 3 baskets standing around from last time that need to be put away, so it sure feels like postponing.

I have a hard time with just scratching what should have been done when sick in bed. I am a good girl and stay in bed and rest, but when I am back up I feel like I need to do all that I missed plus make a full day’s to do for the day I am back up. Instead of just dropping that and if I have to play catch up not put new things on the list until am done catching up. I would probably totally tell everybody else to do that. Here is the deal. Just laundry and picking kids up for today oh and yes. Stuff I get paid for!

[chaosqueenParticipant]

Wass up happy people? I am working so hard. I might be far from the original goal which is to do things start to finish, but I am doing an awesome job identifying unfinished jobs and getting them done later. So there. How about you?

[chaosqueenParticipant]

Talk to me people. I don’t care if you are failing left and right. Do share if you are failing cause I am. Life got in the way and I am just trying to keep my head above water. I am kicking and screaming and refuse to surrender. Please…stay with me!

[chaosqueenParticipant]

3 weeks in! Lets hear something!

My week was absolutely crazy! I’ll spare you the details. I asked my husband if he can think of any one week in our almost 20 years of marriage that was this crazy he said:”No.” Well. I agree.

I did what I could and focused on getting tasks done. I might not have changed anything yet, but if nothing else I am more aware of when I leave things undone. I think I might start pretending I work for the Tokyo train company. Have you noticed that they do it to on planes? Crosscheck? and I don’t know what else they say out loud over the intercom? When they secure the doors and unlock them?

Next I wont to hear myself say. Post comment, log out. :lol:

[kaizenParticipant]

SOMETHING!!!

:lol:

[kaizenParticipant]

okay.

quick post.

WHAT A CRAZY MONTH! Did we ask this to rain down on us when we agreed to “Stoptober”???

So, was helping a friend pack move. They ran out of time. Ended up with me needing to clear a lot of space so some of their stuff could be here. Needed to clear access to space too: Entrance, Halls, Stairwells. Didn’t know who all would be helping bring the stuff, so while I was fine with my friend coming, was not sure what strangers might come. SO . . . needed cleaner bathroom, areas that you’d see from path to storage area, enough clean kitchen in case it was appropriate to offer a cup of tea. . . you get the picture.

Then a friend wanted to come & stay over. Began cleaning space for them to stay in. Was glad I’d done the aforementioned cleaning. They cancelled.

Yay. But now I’d accidentally “cleaned” quite a bit. It wasn’t that I’d got rid of a lot, but I’d put a lot of things together & back in boxes that had gotten spread out on EVERY SURFACE. But my health was suffering from all I’d done too, so took a small break.

Rethought my “Stoptober” Goal. Changed it to “CLAIM & MAINTAIN.” If I’d moved stuff from cluttering an area, I vowed that we’d ALL keep it clear. If anyone gets stuff out, they can use an area, but if it’s been “[Re]Claimed” then the stuff has to be removed at the end.

Then a friend wanted to come & stay, and they DID. For several days. More area cleared & vacuumed & “claimed.” Their stuff is in part of the area, because they are gone but coming back.

It is interesting having other people’s stuff here. I have almost always had other people’s stuff stored at my house too. I can “know” the area is “cleared,” because it doesn’t have stuff I am responsible for in it, even if it has their stuff, & I don’t have to deal with the anxiety of “OPEN SPACE!” Since I’ve been on whatever “de-hoarding” journey I’m on, it’s been really interesting to me what a back-and-forth I have in my head (and my feelings) with respect to Open Area versus Cluttered Area. Part of me is a lot more minimalist, AND part of me finds having clutter reduces my anxiety in other areas — or maybe gives my mind the excuse that the clutter is causing the anxiety (Clutter = NOISE) rather than chancing having the clutter gone & not knowing how that anxiety might show up. Not sure if that’s a clear enough explanation for any of you.

Spent part of the weekend in emerg at hospital, seeing emergency specialist at his office, trying to sort out health issues. Have more appts to come. Guest returning sometime this week.

CRAZY month.

There’s a post for you, CQ!!! :shock: :oops: :roll: :lol: (I’m refusing to proofread it or see if it sounds coherent!)

Welcome new people! :!:

~kai

P.S. will PM you when life has slowed down, CQ!

[chaosqueenParticipant]

thank you thank you. Very much appreciate the post! Started to worry you had all abandoned me. If you can’t deal with open spaces, you might want to get new furniture. OR empty cardboard boxes you can stack there! :lol:

I have seen way too much of ERs and doctors offices this month, too. Here is to everyone getting healthy again!

Well done on reclaiming so much space!

[ShedTheShameParticipant]

I’m going to be honest and admit, “I have no idea what Stoptober is!” I haven’t gone back to read old posts to learn :lol:

So it’s not that I’ve abandoned you, CQ… I never knew what to do to sign up in the first place!

[OceanniaParticipant]

Sorry I’ve not been on this thread for a while. I’ve reminded myself of my target and surprisingly I’m on track! I’ve got rid of 2 bags and I’ve not been sleeping on the floor so much. Although theres still a lot of stuff to move from my footstall I’ve done it. Sleeping on a footstall is horrible but it’s better than the floor.

How is everyone else doing? X

[chaosqueenParticipant]

@STS Stoptober is a campaign I saw on British TV a few years back. It invited all of Great Britain to stop smoking together. I loved the name and had to steal it. and every October I pick some damaging behavior to stop. Never to late to join.

@Oceannia it is so exciting to hear you are on track! Just 3 weeks in you see so much progress already! Keep it up!

[ShedTheShameParticipant]

Yay, Oceannia for being on track!

I’ll join for the last week-and-a-half of Stoptober 2019

I will stop putting things down “JUST FOR NOW.” I will put things back where they belong!

[NanaParticipant]

I have been doing a Startober – working on my projects which got sorted out.

Old clothes are being discarded, and new ones made. Patterns are being collected and put in files, with the information about what they are for and have been used for included so that I do not return to knitting a garment and can’t locate the instructions.

I still flit from project to project starting another, or beginning to knit a sleeve before finishing the body – but things are happening and as long as I keep going back to do a little more I should eventually see finished items to replace the tatty things.

[chaosqueenParticipant]

sounds wonderful Nana!

[chaosqueenParticipant]

So how do I deal with workers coming in? Easy, I shift stuff, how do I deal with finding out that they went into rooms they were not supposed to go in?`Cry and start a fight with my husband…. I hate it…forgive me for feeling sorry for myself and being so negative right now. I hate the state of my house. I hate not being able to clean it up, I hate having so much lying around that other people would simply throw out. I hate worrying about what people think of me I hate feeling like I am a loser. I hate the fact that I would have all day to work on it and don’t even want to do it cause it feels so hopeless. I hate myking my husband feel bad about things that are out of his control.

[Author]

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