Exhaustion

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Who would have thought it? 

Yesterday, according to my Fitbit app, I walked more than 5 miles without leaving the house; most of it was between wardrobes and the bed where robe contents were displaced and sorted. Now in the course of  the motivational training sessions, I was warned that one wardrobe and a time limit of 4 hours were desirable. However, when Mister E expressed interest in getting his hanging rails decluttered too, it seemed opportune to keep going. After all when the man who cannot even bear to throw away a cardboard box, admits his closets need a good tidy up and needs help to do this, who could possibly refuse?

To be fair, he took to the process with a great deal more realism and less sentimentality than I did. In the end the hangers on his rails move freely whereas mine are still a trifle squeezed. Looking at the number of empty coat hangers we produced, I'm ashamed to say we must have jettisoned at least a hundred items between us, most of which were old work clothes now packed ready to donate to a charity shop or, in the case of old T shirts, cut up for painting rags.

When I finished at 7pm, I could hardly move and even managed to sleep for an extra hour and a half last night. Whoever reckons you have to go on a long walk in the fresh air to snooze well clearly underestimated the power of housework. 

Mister E had a less contented night but the reason may have associations with his enquiry this morning as to whether I would mind if he removed one particular shirt from the box set aside to donate. So long as he didn't want to retain the box itself, I obviously wasn't going to object.

There you have it. With the appropriate preparation and a degree of determination, I really can declutter after all; I just have to go about it in the right way. I may only have earned a C+ for my attempt on this occasion but I shall be back for the A*. Trying to decide where and how to start has probably been overwhelming me for more years than I care to think and simply leaving the big tidy up for retirement was always a case of  juggling priorities, rather than a sensible plan.

Our initial aspirations for retirement included decluttering and giving our home a complete makeover and although I've been exhausted today, energy and enthusiasm are generally rising in line with the level of exertion. It's just as well as I'm back to applying gloss paint to doors tomorrow.

 


Comments

Jennyff said…
After my comment on your previous post, no need to visit us, I’m sending Mr FF over to you for training.
17 May 2021 at 10:15
Caree Risover said…
If he’ll help with the painting too, he’s more than welcome!
17 May 2021 at 11:48
Treaders said…
It's amazing how many miles you really can clock up just around the house when you're on a roll isn't it. I haven't started decluttering yet (but thanks for the link) as the garden is taking priority at the moment. After that, I'll have to find another excuse won't I!
17 May 2021 at 16:46
Caree Risover said…
Our weather continues to militate against spending vast lengths of time outside for the moment, but it still took all winter and a chunk of spring for my excuses to finally run out!
17 May 2021 at 17:27
Mary said…
I’m tackling our study and shredding reams of paper! Black sacks full of the stuff....... feeling very satisfied as only one shelf (8 files) to go, but it has taken a couple of months to get this far. Being paper free is a wonderful feeling.
18 May 2021 at 09:04
Caree Risover said…
Yes, it took me a while after I retired to sort the paperwork that had gathered in both piles and carrier bags but that wonderful feeling you describe means I’ve kept on top of it ever since. I’m just hoping I get the same long term effect from sorting the wardrobe space.
18 May 2021 at 09:30
Marksgran said…
I think I'm decluttering by stealth! Today I threw out some stuff that was lurking in a cupboard and rearranged the stuff left in the cupboard without really starting out to do that! I went looking for something and before I knew it I was binning stuff! I hope I can keep this up as it's much easier this way! x
19 May 2021 at 21:29
Caree Risover said…
Excellent, although Mister E accuses me of having done exactly that every time he looks for something but can’t find it! Next time, I might just respond with, “Marksgran must have been here!”
20 May 2021 at 07:43
Jean said…
Same here, I frequently feel rather smug about the number of steps done in day without going further outside than the dustbin.
Congratulations on the decluttering. I have made a few blunders in the past with mine, regretting afterwards things that I got rid of and later missed. It's a gamble but no excuse for hanging on to cupboards full of so much rubbish there's an avalanche to tackle before rummaging in the back to find what I need! It's not an easy thing to do.
23 May 2021 at 14:30
Caree Risover said…
Love the smugness and so true, decluttering it seems is really about organising so you can find what you are looking for but it doesn’t cover the inevitable search for something you were sure you put in a safe place until you remember you threw it away!
23 May 2021 at 17:17
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