Clearing Spaces: Power of 10

As I explained in yesterday's blog, I use this technique to clear a space quickly.  Picking up 10 items, no matter what they are and putting them where they need to go (away, trash, etc.) helps clean up a space fast.  I really like it.  For example, take my little countertop in the kitchen:

Pick up 10 things:

And put them where they need to go:

Repeat as necessary ~ that wasn't so hard. :)

Clearing Spaces: Tips, Tricks and... The Tour

When it comes to cleaning there are people who are very good at staying organized, and then there are the rest of us.  I wouldn't say that I'm terribly messy, but I don't think I would be able to disguise myself from other Messies.  Wherever you find yourself on the spectrum of cleanliness, we're all in the same boat.  I'm still learning skills and ways to think about organization so that it's not an entirely overwhelming or embarrassing subject any longer.  I hope I can impart some ideas that are helpful to you so you can feel good about the space you live in.  That in itself is of course the reward, living in an inviting home.  It nurtures your soul and well cared for spaces return that wonderful energy to you on a daily basis. 

What really got me started

A couple books have really helped throughout my life as I've moved from apartment to apartment and only now can I say I'm starting to feel like I live in a space that is healthy.  That's because it's hard to know exactly if you live in a healthy space or not if you've never really known what it should feel like or look like.  Growing up my family lived in a home that I would say was actually quite clean and organized but it didn't exactly reflect us.  My room on the other hand was always incredibly messy.  Clothes on the floor, books everywhere.  It was terrible.  And not to blame parents, but children don't know how to be organized unless they are taught these skills and also given tools, such as specified locations for all items.  Then again, maybe many of us just don't have that gene.  My mother is, not surprisingly, like me.  Her house is "clean" but it really teeters on falling into an absolute slush pile of disorganization.  She has boxes and boxes of things which may or may not be needed, but that's where they've remained.  She doesn't have enough space for all the things she's keeping around, and like many of us, she'd like to get things organized but she goes catatonic at the actual prospect and doesn't know where to start.  She feels defeated before she even begins.  Basically, her "stuff" is winning. 

I'm not a psychiatrist or psychologist, but I am very aware how difficult it is to let go of things.  That sentence right there says it all doesn't it?  It's probably the hardest thing in the world.  For that reason, as we start on our space clearing, it's important to be gentle with yourself.  Yes, it might just be a "thing" but for whatever reason, it may be difficult for you to let go and it's important to honor that.  Honor it, and find out why it is you're having a hard time letting something go.  And, while it's important to let things go, to free yourself from all of your "stuff" it's equally important to allow yourself more time if, for whatever reason, you can't bring yourself to let something go.  You don't have to.  Maybe you need to revisit the feelings that something brings up.  Maybe it's an item that should have a better place in your home.  Or, maybe it serves as a reminder of feelings you haven't quite dealt with and need to do something about before you can finally let it go.
In any case, cleaning and space clearing is like a spiritual quest.  Your energy is tied to all of the things you own.  That's something important to think about.  All the many things that you own have a little thread of energy coming from you.  For that reason, I know there are many items that don't, or no longer need, that thread coming from me. 


The two books that have helped me are:
Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston
Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure by Maxwel Gillingham-Ryan

Karen Kingston's book is excellent at helping you look at your "stuff" and decide if you really need it. 

And, like a person at the beginning of a diet and exercise routine, I took photos of my place, messiness and all.  It's not terrible, but it has its excesses and like many of us I have a hard time figuring out where to start.  I get overwhelmed.  Where do I start?!  The kitchen's a mess, but I want to do some sewing, but to do that I need to clear a space and the bathroom should really be cleaned and I have laundry - etc, etc and before you know it nothing's been cleaned and I'm still wondering where to start and anxious to start anywhere.
The most effective solution I've come up with is this, and I call it the Power of 10 which I find helpful and hopefully other Aspie's will find it helpful, or people with ADD or ADHD.  Everyone's needs are different and everyone's style is different.  This is what I've found to be most helpful.

The Power of 10
I go to any area of my house and I reach my hands out and pick up the first 10 items that I can see don't belong there.  For whatever reason, whenever I start cleaning, I always start with the counter to the right of my stove.  Perhaps because it's so narrow.  Also, items in the kitchen tend to have a fairly straightforward purpose: trash/recycling, fridge/freezer, or sink/dishwasher.  They either need to be tossed, stored, and cleaned.

Then repeat as necessary.

Fun Variations and Tricks:
Power of 100: You repeat the Power of 10, ten times.  Don't attempt to pick up 100 items.  Pick up 10.  Put them in their place, and then repeat.  If you pick up too many things, you'll get overwhelmed.

Time Yourself: If this appeals to you, time yourself for 5 minutes and see how many items you can pick up and put in their place.  Again, only do the Power of 10 - don't pick up too much stuff.  It's the little accomplishments, just 10 items already being put in their place and so quickly that keeps you going.

Off-and-On: If I'm having trouble attacking an area, I set my timer for 5 minutes, and I do the Power of 10 as many times as possible during that time, then I do something else for 5 minutes - maybe have a movie on, I watch for 5 minutes, clean for 5.  If I want to watch for longer intervals, then I make sure to clean for longer intervals too.  In any case, you're getting something done, so good on you!!!


THE TOUR
And as promised, a tour of my resolutionary project :)

Entryway

Bathroom at the moment - eek

Shower - hey that's not too bad

What's behind the door.... The shelves are actually "organized" - the laundry, well...

Kitchen

Kitchen counter

Stove/Fridge

My "recycling bin"

The sink (left)

The sink (right)

Moving into the living room

MY VERY ORGANIZED BOOK SHELF!

What happened after I took all my books off the shelf, organized them into categories and cleared out the "crap" to make way for a nice little mailbox section (aka the space between the Buddha tummies)

My "desk"

My sewing/project area

My other organized bookshelf with leftover "projects" from Christmas

Project area

The dreaded wasteland known as "Stuff I Don't Know What To Do With So I'm Putting It Here For Safekeeping" (with a fairly organized dresser in the background)

Couch

DVD shelf that vomited them all up one day

Bedroom - and I'm quite proud of this!  Another example of what can happen - it looked nothing like this until one day I figured out a better way to organize and situate my furniture.  I love it now!

But I still have to do laundry - and I have too many clothes.

Shoe shelf (and drying derby gear rack)

Eek - the hallway closet that I can't photograph well because frankly, I can't move the doors either way

Hallway closet - don't EVER open the door!

And I didn't even photograph the garage yet!

Clearing Spaces, Healing Places

My last year was a major bum out and I don't think I've yet recovered exactly my sense of purpose in life from it.  Toward the beginning of the year, my cat got incredibly sick out of the blue and had to be put down.  This was very unexpected and difficult.  I thought she would far outlive my dog.  But, that wasn't the case.  I thought I'd recovered mostly from that, and having my dog around helped because I wasn't so alone.  My household went from 3 to 2.  2's not so bad.

Then, my dog, who was 11, one day just couldn't walk.  Her back legs were paralyzed.  This was about 5 weeks before Christmas.  She'd had signs of arthritis over the past year, but some medications had helped with that, and it wasn't anything unusual for an older dog.  But with her legs not working, the vets determined she had a herneated disc in her back that a) even with surgery they weren't sure it could be rectified, not to mention the fact that surgery would cost $7,000 they said, but b) the herneated disc could be the result of cancer.  My dog was a pitbull, and she weighed 60 pounds.  To take her out, I wrapped a belt underneath her and we hobbled out the door, and then down 2 flights of stairs and back.  My building unfortunately doesn't have an elevator.  I found a doggy wheelchair through Craigslist and I drove in a frenzy for 2 hours to the boondocks to retrieve it from a family whose dog had obviously used the wheelchair in its last days too.  Unfortunately the wheelchair, it worked, but she was still in too much pain to move around much.  We had her on steroids and pain meds but, and as any pitbull owner knows, a pitbull who actually shows they're in pain, is in a serious amount of pain.  They're otherwise so very stoic and have a high pain tolerance.  She groaned every step of the way when I had to move her, and she also couldn't sleep very comfortably trying to maneuver her legs.

It was 3 weeks before Christmas that I came to grips with the fact that it was time.  I physically couldn't carry her and she wasn't going to get any better.  Since she's been gone, I've been fairly lost and so many words: numb, sad, depressed.  I know I had her for over 10 years, but even I wasn't prepared for just how difficult it's been with her gone, coming home to an empty house, no longer having someone who's depending on me, is there when I wake up, when I get home, who's waiting for me to take her out or feed her.  I'm still amazed just how much of a hole she's left in my life.  I know I'm free now to do anything I want.  I can go anywhere I want, live anywhere since it's just me, but I'm finding it hard to even get off the couch, and it feels like I'm barely holding it together at work.  Work is a welcome and unwelcome distraction.

Basically, I don't know what my life's about anymore or where to go.  And with the new year, I intend to find that out.  I'm not sure how but I have this incredible amount of space that needs tending to, if for no other reason than to give me some semblance of structure.

My New Year's Resolution:

Clear up 

Clear out
my living area and in the process my own psyche - at least, that's the hope anyway.

If you'd like to join me, this is what I'll be doing ~

The Game:
Delete 1 item from your belongings each day

The Rules:
1.) Choose an area to clean each day or week
2.) Put 1 item in the Out Box every day*
3.) Take said items away once a week
*If you miss a day, just make sure 7 items are in the Out Box by Take Out Day!

THE FAQ'S
What counts as an item:
1. Any object
*Update: Any object that has been in your home taking up space - an item that you've allowed to take up residence (and I'm not talking about dishes that have mold on them).

FAQ's
What about trash?
I've gone back and forth on this and I think, even for myself, I can't let myself count this.  Since I'm incorporating cleaning, and I think from this point forward I will use the word cleansing, it's much more fun to think about rather than cleaning, blech - therefore, while ridding trash from your place is necessary, it's just the frosting on the cake.  Clearing is about trimming away the unnecessary objects in your life's inventory.  I think we all know what in our space is trash and what constitutes an actual "item" that requires some deliberation and possibly even anxiety or agony to consider letting go of.  More on this later, but this is just the beginning.  

I found a lot of items to get rid of, can I count them toward this and next week's goal?
Sure.  Why not!

I found several of the same thing to get rid of - how should I count this?
This is your call.  I've been counting items based on the amount of time it takes me to decide to get rid of it.  For instance, I found several candle holders that I knew right away needed to go, so although there are 3 of them, I'm counting them as 1.  Whereas, the box of dishes and bowls that took me awhile to decide to part with, I'm going to compromise and count as 3 (1 for the big dishes, 1 for the small dishes, and 1 for the bowls).

Where should I start?
First start thinking of the hidden places in your house or apartment, places where you're already storing things, things that you probably don't need, probably don't even remember are there.  For me, I'm going to start with my storage area downstairs in the garage.  I don't even know what's down there - but I will let you know.

You could also start with what's right in front of you.  What do you tend to buy a lot of?  Or keep?  Is it clothes - magazines - books - etc.?  You could start there if you're ready to dive in.  But if you're not quite ready to take things away that are right in front of you, start with the things that you don't see everyday, like you're garage or storage area or closet.

Maybe you want to start with the place you really want to clear or the items you know you need to trim down.  It's all up to you, this is your journey.  Or just follow me and watch what happens :)

Staging the Holidays: A How-To Guide

X-MAS EVE with THE WILLIAMS: 
aka My Mother’s Side of the Family

1. Participation in the now-named Gift Exchange is required (we used to do Secret Santa but my family is made up of militant card carrying AD(H)D folks who pride themselves on forgetting a) we were even doing this, or b) getting the names wrong so some years some people got nothing while others get multiple presents – I’m the odd one out.  I don’t have AD(H)D).  Now we have a list.  A visual list.  Everyone knows who’s giving to who, and who’s getting from who.

2. The list of the gift exchange will be e-mailed to you several times because my mother has a stranglehold on it and insists she can do it.  The first list will be in a format no one can open.  The second will be in a format we can open, but the list will be wrong.  The third will be accurate but no one can open.  The fourth will be the right one.

3. The person you are to give a present to will never tell you what they want for Christmas, so you just have to guess. 

4. You may want to tell the person who’s giving to you what you would like for Christmas… good luck with that!  You most likely have someone who doesn’t use e-mail and prefers hand written letters, in which case, they won’t give you their mailing address or will claim it was eaten by a pack of rabid wolverines.  Just go with it.  It’s only $30.  That’s the requirement.  No presents may be given which have been paid less than that amount.

5. Gift cards are bad ideas.  You will be met with groans and the phrase, “Thanks – but I never use these.  I think I have several in my wallet from previous years.”

6. Festivities occur the day before Christmas at Grandma & Grandpa’s house.  Guests arrive around 5 and stay until precisely one hour later than the previous year.  Last year it was 1 a.m., this year it will be 2 a.m., and so on and so forth until one year we just show up and leave again.

7. There will be ham.

8. There will be a vegetable tray with dip.

9. There will be meatballs.  Sometimes my uncle sticks little carrots in them and makes them into penguins.

10. I’m vegetarian.  If you are too, I advise eating prior to knocking on the door.

11. There will be the following dessert appetizers: dipped frosted Ritz crackers, peanut butter-chocolate circle things (biscuits? Cookies?) – whatever, just eat them, they’re good; round (biscuits? Cookies?) with chopped up (nuts? Chocolate?) I can’t decide if I like them or not; and then, if you’re lucky, there will be Nanaimo bars.  One year there were no Nanaimo bars because my Grandma deemed the bars solely liked by my cousin who wasn’t going to be there.  Even after we all complained that year we liked them too, they are still linked to his name in her mind.  If she makes them, eat them.  Quickly.

12. There will be hot buttered rum.  There will be hot buttered rum mix, and a leeeeeeeeetle bit of rum.  Our ancestors are Puritans after all.  Wait til you meet the other side of my family…

13. Presents will not be opened until everyone is so doggedly tired they want to go home.  It’s just how it is.  At some point, someone has to say, “It’s time to open presents.”  You could do this yourself, although it’s good to have a partner because this will indubitably take another half hour from the first suggestion to the next for the idea to sink in with everyone else.  No one wants to appear greedy – but if you want to leave before 2 a.m. this is how you do it.

14. Presents are opened.  Wonderfulness ensues – now that we have the gift exchange sorted out and everyone receives a gift that is (if I sound bitter it’s because I have been on the not-receiving end more than once – never gonna let it go). 

15. Everyone departs slowly but surely.  It will take you an hour to get out the door, so plan accordingly.  First you must motion to leave, start gathering your things, slowly truck them toward the door, give a round of hugs and make eency little steps toward the door as people will keep talking to you and starting new stories. 

16. The End

*ADDENDUM: You may find that you’ve attended a Christmas Eve where entertainment was required of you.  Don’t feel bad if you weren’t made aware of this.  Trust me – nobody else was either. 

X-MAS DAY with THE KLENAK’S (and Zinovich’s): 
aka The Other Side of the Family

Let me first explain: I am a Klenak – my grandpa was from Serbia.  My grandmother, from Croatia.  My grandmother had 2 kids before my dad, my aunt and uncle, with another man, a Croatian.  His name was Zinovich.  My grandparents are gone, but the bitching  remains about how Yugoslavian everyone truly is.

<- (I don't know who that guy is.)

1. The bar is to your left as you walk in.  There will always be: Absolut vodka, a bottle of Squirt, and faded cans of Coke that have been on the back porch for over a year.  In the fridge is orange juice to make a Screwdriver, and white wine.

2. There are 2 TV’s, one in the kitchen next to the bar and one the size of the living room wall in the living room.  Both will be on.  Each will be playing sports.

Arrival Instructions:

3. People will already be drunk and you’ll be greeted with loud and raucous “Hey there’s (insert your name here)” and “Where the hell ya been?!”

4. Set your presents down in the living room under the tree which is always color coordinated with new colors every year.  Last year I think it was blue and magenta.

5. My uncle will be in his chair in the kitchen watching the game or in his chair in the living room watching the game.  If you like sports, feel free to unwind on one of the many recliners in the living room but don’t make too much chitchat.  The game’s on!

6. Fix yourself a drink.  If you don’t, someone else will.

7. My aunt will be keeping an eye on dinner and never sits down. 

PRESENTS

8. This usually starts with a phrase from my aunt that goes something like, “Well what the hell, better open presents for chrissake it’s already 3 o’clock!”

9. Then you find a chair and people start handing you boxes with your name on it.  Everyone opens in a free-for-all under the urging of my aunt who wants to get this over with and complains about how she never knows what to get anyone.

10. Then there’s some manner of show n’tell as the wrapping and ribbons and bows are stuffed into a large trash bag simultaneously.

DINNER

11. There will be lamb.

12. There will be sauerkraut.

13. There will be potatoes sopped in lamb juice.

14. There will be salad with cut radishes and lettuce and cucumbers soaked in vinegar.

15. There will be store-bought yellow rolls that I have never seen anywhere except at my aunt’s dinner table, and they are delicious.

16. My aunt doesn’t eat.  If you ask the answer is, “Helen doesn’t eat!  Helen never eats!” 

17. My uncle will drink a glass of milk which my aunt brings to him toward the end of the meal.

18. Then my aunt will ask if anyone wants pie, yet?!  To which everyone groans No, not yet!  And my uncle takes his walker back into the living room to watch the game in there.

UNO

19. It’s not necessarily required, but if you’re going to visit the Yugoslav’s you have to play Uno.  If you’ve never played, you’ll be bullied into playing so best be prepared.  And we’re ruthless.  We don’t care if you’re a beginner.  We’ll strap you with Draw 2’s, Draw 4’s, etc.

20. About halfway through our goal of 2,000 points we’ll have pie: lemon meringue, apple, and a berry one.

21. Just before someone goes out, or just after, talk always turns to money.

22. When they start talking about taxes, it’s time to go home.

OPTIONAL: Bring your own polka music or accordion.  They'll love you forever!!!

Happy Holidays everyone!  

Be sure to check out Lupe Mendez's blog for tomorrow's next stop on our Holiday Blog Tour 2011

And for past and upcoming blogs, see below:

Dec. 2 Julia Amante

Dec. 3 Radames Ortiz

Dec. 4 Deborah Grace Staley

Dec. 5 Zoraida Cordova

Dec. 6.Danielle Klenak 

Dec. 7 Lupe Mendez

Dec. 8 Natasha Oliver

Dec. 9 Maria Ferrer

Dec. 10 Sidney Williams

Dec. 11 Toni Plummer

Dec. 12 Mayra Calvani

Dec. 13 Kristy Harding

Dec. 14 Thelma Reyna

Dec. 15.Sylvia Mendoza

Dec. 16 Regina Tingle

Dec. 17 Teresa Dovalpage

Dec. 18 Mirta Espinola

Dec. 19 Kim Brown

Dec. 20 Gwen Jerris

Dec. 21 Paula Altschuler

Dec. 22 Caridad Pinero

Dec. 23 Teresa Carbajal Revet

Dec. 24 Icess Fernandez Rojas

Holiday Blog Tour 2011

I and 22 of my other writer friends have put together a holiday blog tour - 23 nights of different blogs and different writers.  We are all working away on Christmas/holiday related stories that will be uploaded on our assigned day.  Mine is December 6th, so look forward to seeing a new story from me on that day at my blog: dvklenak.blogspot.com!  I'll be posting reminders here as well as promoting their blogs as well. 

Happy Holidays!
D.V.K.