Hey, I hope you’re doing well! Here is my weekly check-in…
This week, I completed Miles’ memorabilia and started on Liam’s memorabilia which was a big win because he has a lot more stuff saved being the oldest. The process I’ve been using has been so helpful and freeing. I’m able to more easily sort through, get rid of, and capture new memories at the same time.
I put together a 14-year monthly calendar in a binder to capture the memory timeline. I realize it probably sounds extreme but I have a ton of old planners and the only reason I’m holding on to them is for the memories date/time. As I go through them, I’m going to mark the event on the correct date and then toss the planner. This will help me when creating the memory books and also when decluttering my digital photos. Once the memory books/photos are decluttered, I can recycle the calendar.
My husband and I came up with a good plan for where we’re placing an extra tv we have in the basement. This along with understanding how I need my creative space set up to be more functional has really helped me get a bigger picture of how we can use the overall space better and prevent it from being a place to put piles to deal with later.
I’ve repurposed a cart for some of my art supplies. Previously it’s been used as the kids art cart but it was becoming more of a collector of random stuff and fish supplies. It was next to a buffet we had so since we rarely use the fancy dishes in the buffet, I took them out and put the fish supplies (since they are used regularly) and I moved the art supplies to bins to put back on the bookshelf. When doing all this, I was not happy, lol. I thought, ‘Why am I moving these items from one container to another when my kids probably won’t even play with them? Look at all the stuff we still have that they don’t play with. [Enter frustration, overwhelm, and awareness that something has to change. Again.] Since the last time the playroom has been decluttered, my youngest had a birthday and since most of the toys now belong to my youngest, it’s overflowing. With Christmas just around the corner, I know the number of toys is going to increase so I need to make room ASAP to accommodate it. This will be on my list to work on this week and next week. My husband and I also talked about limiting TV time. We’ve been less restrictive since Covid but we need to add more limits so the kids can use their time more constructively and actually use their toys/art supplies more.
Lastly, when creating my daily to-do lists, I’ve been uninspired and frustrated because I feel like I’m always busy doing things I “should” (and falling short) rather than things that are really important to me and my family like spending more quality time together individually and all together. Lately, I’ve been focused on decluttering, cleaning up, and prepping for birthdays and holidays. All of that is important too but I needed a “right now” change to put things back into perspective so I started asking myself, “What can I do today to help fill up my husband and kids love buckets or to bring excitement into the day?” and then I added those items to my “must do” side of the list and it feels so much better.
Decluttering our house is really important to me right now but my family is too and I feel like I’ve been putting them second over decluttering the house. I know that’s probably not the case because our days are filled with family activities/conversations but I think it’s the real connection/thriving part I’ve been missing and want to nurture while decluttering. Part of the reason I’m motivated to declutter is to be able to have more freedom doing things with the family without feeling overwhelmed by stuff but I can’t deny myself that while going through the process or start feeling unbalanced and not true to myself and my priorities and that sucks. For me, strengthening relationships are so much more important than completing a checklist.
Where does that leave me with my monthly goals?
I still have misc. piles to sort through/put away, the rest of Liam’s memorabilia, my memorabilia, my family memorabilia, and the chair to complete. I don’t think I’ll be able to get all the memorabilia completed but I think I can complete Liam’s stuff and get started on mine. I also want to get the chair cushions covered.
Overall, I’m happy with the progress made. It’s been slow going but it’s going 🙂
What have I learned this week?
I’ve learned that I don’t like the way I’ve been doing the weekly check-ins, lol. I thought it would be simpler and cleaner but it’s too impersonal and I feel highlights what I haven’t done rather than the progress I’ve made which makes me unmotivated to share my journey.
I’m too optimistic about the time it takes to complete tasks. This is a recurring lesson learned but one that I’m actively trying to work on so that I can better manage my time and resources both at home and at work to reduce stress.
That’s it for me this week. How did you do this week? What wins and lessons learned are you celebrating?
