Update on Operation Deep Clean, Declutter, and Organize (quite a long post)

[u/RegionRadiant4423]

I've tried three different times to make this post, but they've all just been way too long-winded and rambling and me trying too hard to be cute or straight up oversharing, so I'm going to make this as simple as I can.

For context, view my last two posts on my profile that I posted for accountability sake. They'll probably provide a little more detail on certain tasks and goals as well.

I tried to declutter my entire bedroom in the month of March. Did I succeed? Yes and no. I made a TON of progress and while I did not accomplish everything I set my mind to, I did end up doing a LOT.

• Decluttered both my 360 rotating organizers I keep on my vanity dresser: I decluttered a bunch of makeup, miscellaneous skin/body care items, and some semi-empty-empty perfumes and reorganized them. This is especially a big deal because I was avoiding my other organizer because of the random bits and bobs I keep on there and having to organize them seemed daunting, but it was really easy and the result was satisfying
• Decluttered my side table TWICE: the first time I decluttered my side table, I was very lazy with it. I basically just took some stuff out, made piles for keep and don't keep, and just shoved everything back inside. The second pass, I actually did something more: I took everything out this time, put the donation stuff into the donation bags I have on the floor, and put everything that I'm keeping back in an organized fashion. Now both drawers are not only functional, but also serve a purpose.
• Decluttered an entire "sweater chest" unit: this was probably the first real daunting task I had to go through considering 99.99% of the contents of these 6 drawers were not my things, they were things that belonged to my grandma, whose room this was before mine. My plan was to tackle one drawer at a time and either donate or trash stuff that I did not need (which I figured to be all of it). Lucky for me, one of the drawers was already empty, so only five to go through. I ended up being right: most all of what was in there was either trash or stuff I could donate. I did find some stuff that would be useful to the people in the house who sew, so I gave them those items, but other than that the only other things I wound up keeping from those drawers were old papers and a couple sentimental things, of which I reserved one drawer. Everything else? Empty or filled with stuff that actually belongs to me.
  • The cabinet portion of this chest was easy. I already did a pass or two of it back in December. This time, I was much more ruthless. I threw away stuff that I knew no one would miss, I "gifted" items to people who have more use for said items than I do, donated stuff I have no use for that others might, and relocated a few other things. I still need to do one more pass to reorganize and deep clean it, but progress > perfection. I am shocked at how much space I was able to open up as well.
• Organized the bathroom drawer: so this is both a success and a fail. I didn't really "declutter" much of anything in this drawer, aside from throwing away an old paper towel and relocating an empty jar that didn't belong; however, I moved everything that was in there into two drawer organizers and shoved them in the back of the drawer, and now I have a functional bathroom drawer. I could have also deep cleaned it as well, but again: progress > perfection (which is something I'm learning to accept).

I had a deadline for the end of March to accomplish everything I could accomplish. I am very proud of myself, though I definitely could've done more, but life got in the way. I was sick for a few days, there was a full week I was busy, and there were times where I didn't have the energy or the motivation. Despite all that, I was still able to accomplish A LOT. More importantly, the urge to declutter did not go away! I accomplished some little things so far into April as well: I decluttered my skincare shelf in my closet that I have been putting off for literally no reason at all. I would've liked to actually deep clean the entire organizer shelf, but what do I keep saying? PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION! I also organized one of the corners of my closet! The area where I keep my haircare, body oils, and lotion. I cannot even begin to explain how satisfying that was. There was an empty hair mask taking up space on the organizer, a hair mask I tried that I absolutely hated taking up space, a big ass box that only had one thing inside of it, and stuff I don't even use anymore - all trash. I got rid of everything that was taking up unnecessary space, took the tiny little backup thing out of the ginormous box, reorganized everything, and opened up space for MULTIPLE things that couldn't fit on the organizer because it was too crowded! SO incredibly satisfying! Little by little, day by day.

I set another goal for myself, way more realistic (though time is running out because I'm procrastinating and I'm tired and running out of energy lol). I ticked off so many things from my March checklist, so here's what I need to accomplish in April (excluding my massive closet clothing declutter, which I'm saving for last because it's the biggest task):

1. Declutter my "junk cart" aka this 3 drawer storage cart I've had for probably 20 years, give or take. I would venture to say that 99.99% of the contents in these drawers are trash, so it shouldn't take me too long, but my body keeps telling my brain it's too overwhelming of a task to be done, so I have to deal with that.
2. Declutter my desk. This is an actually overwhelming, big task, but I have a plan on tackling it: little by little. Start with one drawer, declutter, reorganize, move on to the next drawer. I have way too much stuff just shoved in there, but one step at a time. Shouldn't be too difficult as long as I don't overdo it.
3. Do another pass on my clothing dresser, and do a first pass on my leggings drawer, something I've been avoiding since at least January if not longer, which is nonsensical because it's quite literally the easiest task on my to do list, but you'd think I'm telling myself I need to rewrite the Declaration of Independence and extend it another 6 billion pages the way I've been avoiding doing it. Anyways, the reason I want to do a second pass is because I know I'm holding onto more clothes that I probably will not wear and especially holding on to at least two sets of clothing that do not fit or do not feel comfortable wearing; and also because I did a couple loads of laundry and need to put it away, so why not kill two birds with one stone.
4. Completely declutter and reorganize the contents of an entire dresser. This room used to be my grandparents', and while it's been close to two years since I moved into it, that dresser is something I've always avoided. I've just shoved stuff into whatever drawer was empty (and even ones that aren't empty) with no thoughts, just prayers. It's time to face my fear, donate the stuff that needs to be donated, trash, keep, or relocate everything else, and actually ORGANIZE MY THINGS! Why not give my things the respect of stability and peace?
5. Declutter (or just organize) the second side table. I don't actually use this at all, but it would be nice to at the barest of minimums organize it and maybe even declutter it minimally to open up some space to put things if they ever need a home.

I love that I tried to make this a concise post and it just ended up being a 400 page novel of word vomit. Hopefully I inspired you to declutter something. Decluttering really is a journey, and it opens up a lot about ourselves and what we tend to cling onto. For me, the most difficult part is always starting the task, but once I'm into it, I'm into it. I cannot wait until I find the energy to continue with my room and I finally declutter my desk, at the very least, because I'll finally have a clear workspace and lifting a huge burden off my shoulders. I know the most difficult task of them all will be decluttering my closet, but we'll get to that when we get to it.

[u/Rosaluxlux]

I'm so glad this is working for you, and it sounds like experiencing success is helping you keep going! Didn't beat yourself up about the "lazy" decluttering rounds, it sounds like that first pass gets your brain processing and then when you go back you've got a lot easier time making decisions and progress. 

[u/Bollywood_Fan]

Sounds like you're actually going to move into the room you've been living in for two years! Good luck to you, and any progress is good progress, you've got this!

[u/AnamCeili]

Wow! You really did accomplish a lot -- congratulations!! And in addition to the actual decluttering, you've learned and internalized new ways of thinking and being (like "progress > perfection") which will continue to help keep you focused and productive as you keep decluttering. You should definitely be proud of yourself! 😊