Hi Louise,
I read your essay and while it makes a whole lot of sense and I have found I
agree with it in theory, I have trouble applying it. I read a lot of the
e-mails on line and I notice a lot of people don't work. Between working,
working out, running errands, going to my niece and nephew's games, I am
usually tired and not motivated to undertake the overwhelming list of tasks
("Little Jobs") and overwhelming clutter in my home. While I have made
progress in the past year and a half, I have so much more to do.
I really need to come up with a different process for myself. I like your
idea of a muck bucket. I tend to buy too much when it's on sale. I don't
have an attic, garage, or basement, so I have clutter everywhere. My goal
this year is to make more progress in tasks and clutter. I have a "Little
Jobs" list that just keeps growing. I have it on Excel. I am going to
incorporate what I do at work. When I finish a task, I'm going to move it
to a completed work sheet, so I can see my accomplishments grow.
Thanks for your essay on baby steps. I really needed it today. I plan to
reread it over the weekend, when I might actually have time to do something.
First, I need to finish my holiday cards. :-)
Best regards, Sue from Chicago
>From: "Louise" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>To: "JFC" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: [JFC]: Babysteppin
>Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2002 19:31:28 -0000
>
>Hello all
>
>I realise that not everyone in the beginning is convinced that the baby
>steps work, I for one wasn't convinced either.
>
>In my early days of decluttering and reclaiming this house I too wondered
>whether I would ever make any progress, there was just too much stuff and
>too little time. It would take forever to baby step my way to freedom. I
>got
>discouraged often, gave up and 'slobbed out' several times, but a little
>memory kept popping up in my mind ... my Grandmother saying 'never give up,
>keep trying, Little and often wins the day' and 'the tortoise won the race
>not the hare'.
>
>I was overwhelmed, the measly 30 mins I had to dedicate to decluttering and
>reclaiming this house seemed useless. I calculated one day that it would
>take me six years to conquer my clutter. That really discouraged me and I
>gave up at that point.
>
>The memory of my Grandmothers word haunted me, I spent many a sleepless
>night worrying about it, I spent more worrying and thinking about my
>cluttered house than doing anything about it.
>
>Baby steps do work because they add up. Its true some people take more baby
>steps each day than others, but each gets to their destination eventually.
>
>Take me for example, some days I would deal with only one single item other
>days I would make great strides.
>
>I learnt one valuable lessons along the way, baby steps are no good unless
>you also learn new habits.
>
>However, every single item that you deal with is a step in the right
>direction, its just that you need to back it up with patrolling and 'good
>habits'.
>
>As I have said many times before... 'what works for one doesn't necessarily
>work for all' but one thing is true, it doesn't matter if you are
>decluttering slowly like the tortoise or galloping through your clutter
>like
>a race horse, if you don't learn new habits you'll eventually end up where
>you started.
>
>Baby steps have one advantage over racing, you have the time to adjust,
>time
>to learn new habits along the way and time for the other people in your
>household to adjust too. Its all in the essay 'Slow but sure, but why'
>[http://journeyfromclutter.com/essay34.htm]. Don't get me wrong, I admire
>the people that can whip their place into 'paradise' in a short period of
>time, I wish I could do it. I have on occasion but only to see it revert in
>just a short period of time.
>
>You see I totally understand the people who are discouraged by the baby
>steps principle and I want to reassure you that it does work. Lets face it
>any progress however small is an improvement. Read the 'essay' and let me
>know your thoughts.
>
>Louise
>PS Been there and even got the T-shirt to prove it LOL
>
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