In our second session together, Emily and I first focused on the hallway table. Again, theirs is a busy family, with professional parents, three sons and two dogs. We’re all familiar with the challenges that can come with lots of energetic activity. It’s easy to walk in, drop something on the hallway table, then get engrossed in something else. The piles can grow and, with them, frustration, too.
At one end, a basket overflowed with bills and other mail. We discussed how bills are paid. Online? With checks? How to manage other mail? Would it be possible to create files, specific to particular topics, that could be stored nearby to reduce paper clutter? There’s a small closet nearby where that might work just fine.
A wooden box held various other items. We emptied it, setting its contents aside with new “homes” in mind, including the kitchen junk drawer, where we would migrate next.
Charger cords were controlled. Pens were moved to the kitchen. A basket on the floor, holding magazines, was partly emptied, with some added to recycling.
As we finished, Emily was pleased, knowing that it would be less stressful to look at the hallway table. To also make her smile, I suggested that she treat the table and the box with mineral oil, as their wood looked dry, noting that their colors would darken a bit.
Next, we walked into the kitchen, and opened the junk drawer. We rearranged storage wraps and bags to better use space. We bagged random batteries; likewise, varied birthday candles. Found on the hallway table, Emily tucked into a corner napkins with sweet, funny messages for youngest son Julian’s school lunches. Also from the hallway table, we placed loose change into a shorter glass. I put toothpicks, that had been in a big bag, into a small box. Rolls of tape were grouped together. When we finished other consolidation and tidying actions, it all made much more sense. Bonus points – extra space in the middle of the junk drawer! So much easier on the eye!
With a bit more time, we went back down to the basement, and began rearranging Emily’s crafts and sewing supplies. We also started grouping her fabrics, which she would continue after our session ended.
When to work together again? We agreed that after the holidays would be best.
About De-clutter Me!
De-clutter Me! offers non-judgmental, competitively-priced and confidential assistance to help clear clutter in your home and/or business. We’ve been changing chaos to calm since 2013.