The Start of a New Month

Today's 10 Items to be Decluttered

I love the start of a new month.  It's an opportunity for a new beginning!  I am also feeling very happy because this is the month in which I'll finish my chemotherapy!  It's been awhile since I've felt so full of enthusiasm to start new things!

When I posted my monthly goals, I mentioned going back to decluttering, deep cleaning, and organizing one room per month.  I have decided to work on my bedroom, this month.  It is the first room I see when I wake up and the last room I see when I go to sleep.  Ideally, it should be a serene space, a peaceful haven.  In reality, it is rather cluttered with stuff tossed on the desk and on top of the dressing table.  My strategy is to work for 15 minutes a day until I have cleaned and organized the room.  I will do what are known as "baby steps" - one shelf or one drawer at a time.  I kind of got a head start, actually, and dusted the headboard and the bedside table on Monday and the top of the chest of drawers, yesterday.

Today, I started on the desk.  There was a bunch of stuff piled on the desk and I put away a few items.  I gathered the pile of paperwork and put them all into a bag to be dealt with over the next few days.  I put all the files in another pile.  Then, I dusted the top of the desk and the two wall shelves above it.  The desk hasn't been decluttered and organized, yet, but it looks a lot better than it did before I started.

Tomorrow, I want to do something similar with the dressing table.  The top of the dresser is piled with stuff!  I want to tidy it and dust it.

The other thing I wanted to start doing this month was declutter 10 items a day.  The items decluttered can be donated, recycled (if recyclable), or tossed in the trash.  I won't count the things I recycle as a matter of course (such as empty cans and soda bottles), but if it is an item I had kept intending to reuse later (such as empty boxes and jars) I will include them in my count.

Today, I decluttered what is pictured above:
3 empty cardboard boxes (I always keep them thinking I could reuse them for storage)
Foam inserts from one of the boxes which contained fruit (3 inserts, but I am counting them as 1 item)
1 old purse (peeling and too shabby to use)
3 magazines from the auto club
1 votive candle holder (party favor from my neighbor's daughter's 16th birthday, 9+ years ago!)
1 foam cone-shaped squeeze toy from the gas company      

The boxes, foam inserts, and magazines will be recylced.  The votive candle holder will be donated.  The purse and squeeze toy will be tossed in the trash.

I've had a relatively good day, today.  I worked on my office work most of the day.  In between, I had a nice chat with a cousin who called, cleaned my desk, decluttered 10 items, paid some bills, and did a load of laundry.

I also found a package on my doorstep that I had not ordered!  It had been delivered to the wrong address by FedEx!  It was meant for someone who lived two street down from me (but the same house number).  Fortunately, the address label had the name and phone number of the person it was meant for, so I took the initiative to call the number.  I spoke with the lady who came to my house to pick it up.  She thanked me for being so kind as to call her.  I was happy to be able to make sure she received her package.  My good deed for the day.  :)

Today, I am grateful for:
- I was able to help someone receive her package.
- Daughter started her new job and had a good 1st day.
- Completing a couple of baby steps in cleaning my environment.
- Being able to book daughter's flight home for Thanksgiving.
- Phone calls from cousin and neighbor across the street.

I had intended to go for a 30 minute walk, today, but never did.  Need to make more of an effort to walk, tomorrow.

Plans for tomorrow include going for my blood test in the morning.

How was your day?  Did you have a good start to your month?