Paper clutter is better

[Louise Lotz]

I am very encouraged by the big improvement in the paper clutter.

I think tomorrow I need to empty that area and work out what files are current.

Maybe just move the remaining partially sorted stuff to the other side of the room, just to see how I want things to be here.

They work out what files I need in order to do all my current work.

That should be good.

Then work out how to get rid of the remaining piles of stuff that have been moved.

There is a filing backlog - and I need to make sure I am processing this regularly and the mountain is getting smaller not bigger.

Quite pleased with today's work.

I need to record this on a spreadsheet or something or to have some way of keeping track.

Maybe a mind map.

Tomorrow I need to catch up on the bedroom spring clean and the menu plan which I am looking forward to doing and should have been done a couple of days ago.

LL

[Louise Lotz]

Hi Jan. Thanks for your encouragement!!

The kitchen is a lot better and I am now trying to take junk out every day if I can. I am trying to think of the rooms and to decide what I want in them and then to get everything else out.

I have a stock of candles for those times when the electricity goes out. We collected these from a carols by candle-light concert. At the end of the concert everyone threw their candles in a bucket, and I collected these buckets of candles.

This was very enterprising, but my tendency to collect stuff like this has the downside that it is difficult to know where to store it. I have a load of firewood stored there too. I would love to open up my chimney and have a small wood burner there!! I think this would help me save on fuel bills. I live in a conservation area though, and I am not sure if this is legal.

Yes, I am still planning on making the mind map.

I don't feel too overwhelmed and actually - I am not doing a huge amount. I only do what I feel like doing. I am taking your challenges literally - so I do the 5 minutes and the 15 minutes if I can. A couple of times I have been taken with the urge to do more - then I do it as and when I want to.

I am trying now to do little bits at the time the mess is made. So after my bath I went round the bathroom sorting out some stuff. For example - I cleaned the tiles on 2 of the walls - tomorrow I will work round at least one more wall. I sprayed the bath cleaner in the bath and cleaned round the taps.

I threw out 2 bottles of old stuff.

I did bring in 2 bottles of contact lens fluid I found in a skip. I thought I would try this on the bathroom mirror. It made the mirror beautifully clean and I am going to clean the mirror with this stuff every couple of days - it should last me a year or two. I found some good stuff under the sink - I have mostly thrown out the rubbish already.

I found some baby stuff - which I am putting in a pile of stuff I want to sell. Baby bath toys.

The real junk is going out - I am recycling the paper - but I think there is quite a lot of stuff I could sell in a car boot sale. I have also put some books on amazon. I have made about 70 pounds on books so far - and also obviously got rid of the books. I have put quite a few books in the book recycle. I think I need to keep up the book purge - every week some must go.

However, I am looking on this a a slow and step by step thing.

I don't think this is taking too much time. In fact, I hope I can become a little addicted to it!! It's quite energising.

I am not going too fast, I don't think. If I get carried away, I regard this as a bonus. The real challenge is only 20 minutes per day.

I'm glad you mentioned the mind map - I think I will install this on my computer tonight.

Regards

Louise

[Jan Ferrante]

I am so amazed Louis, you are amazing! Christmas/New Year holidays are traditionally the time that I lock myself in my office and sort/purge/catch up on paperwork but if I can I'd like to get an earlier start this year (although anything would be better this year, we were out of electricity for an entire week over the holidays last year - ugghh)

I would love to hear more about your mindmap if you make one or what you have in mind for it - what you want it to do for you.

How are you feeling? Do you feel better or do you feel overwhelmed with all that you are doing?

You are accomplishing so much, I am just wondering if your agenda is suiting you personally.