De-cluttering the headboard

[livingdeb]

(Note: you might want to just scroll down to the cake of the day.)

I'm getting good at not buying more crap to bring into the house and even pretty good at not accepting free crap to bring into the house, but am still really terrible at getting rid of the crap that is already in the house. For example, today I decided to declutter my side of the bookcase headboard. Here are the steps I decided to take in removing the clutter:

Step 1. Think abstractly about what would ideally be there - Without looking at the headboard (and getting distracted by all the stuff there), think about what would be the perfect things to have there.

I thought of these things:
* a place to put the book I am reading
* a dictionary--no, two dictionaries: an American English one and a British English one
* a bookend to hold them up
* a tray to hold bookmarks

Step 2. Round out the ideal of what should be there - Look at the headboard to help me remember other things that I want.

Here is a "before" shot of the spot under consideration:



Obviously, I did nothing at all to make this look less embarrassing.

I noticed these additional things I love having there:
* cup of writing implements and scissors
* personal address/phone number book
* alarm clock (doh!)
* back-up alarm clock (I like to set one for the ideal work wake-up time and the other one for other times so I never screw up getting to work because of forgetting to change the time back)
* Spanish/English dictionary
* pencil sharpener
* something decorative

I also remembered that I would like:
* iPod Touch recharging station

Step 3. Get rid of excess - Get rid of all the other crap that does not fit in with my vision. Or at least throw it in a box and hold off on obsessing over the death of each of these items until a later step.

I took a bunch of things off my headboard and threw them into a laundry basket.



Step 4. Set up area to match the ideal - Clean everything, get extra needed stuff from other parts of the house, and re-organize everything so that's it's as close to my ideal as I can reasonably get it. Admire the results. Think how awesome this would be if it were always like this. Remind myself how important it is to get rid of that box of crap if I want to keep my headboard perfect like this.

During this step I managed to add a can of tomatoes to my list of ideal elements (because I sometimes use it for exercising the shoulder muscle that I pulled a while back). And it goes without saying that the phone and answering machine belong there.

I tried using my pencil mug as a bookend. It works best with the prettiest part of the mug facing the wrong way. That will not do. So I got a candle holder from the living room that I bought from a Frank Lloyd Wright building museum gift shop specifically to use as a bookend but which I was just using to decorate. That worked great.

I tried getting only bookmarks that would fit in my pencil mug--and I found several wooden ones.

Here's how it looked at this stage:



I still wanted a decorative thing for on top, but otherwise, it looked pretty good to me.

Then I went to brunch. When I got home, I also dusted the ceiling fan blades, threw the sheets in the washer, and put clean sheets on the bed.

Step 5. Decide what to do with leftover materials - First decide whether I want to keep it. If so, move it to the appropriate place. Which should NOT be the headboard. If not, give it away, sell it, donate it, recycle it, or trash it.

I took the laundry basket of stuff into the living room while Robin was taking a nap. Here is the fate of those other items:

* book (Samuel R. Delany's Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand) - This is Robin's book which I finished reading last year. I put it with his stuff.

* book (David Feldman's A World of Imponderables: The Answers to Life's most Mystifying Questions) - This is a gift (from one of my readers) which I have not yet finished. It looks like I got to page 104 of 766. It seems like the perfect sort of book to read before bed. I'm putting it back on my headboard. I'm between books now anyway, so this is a good time to read it some more.

* candle (tall pillar candle made of 100% pure beeswax) - This is a gift from a friend. The soot from beeswax candles is less polluting than regular candle soot. Plus this has a decorative label on it. I'm putting it back on top of my headboard.

* coaster (a black coaster with gold trim and with a gold crest from my employer in the center which Robin thinks looks nice) - I got this for donating above a certain limit to my employer's charitable contribution drive one year. One could argue that a coaster is an excellent thing to have at a bedside table. But I never leave a glass of water there. Should I start doing so? I don't think so--I don't mind getting up for a drink when I get thirsty. This is going in the donation pile.

* box (for one of my alarm clocks) - The box would be handy if I were giving away the alarm clock, but I like the clock so much that it seems unlikely that I will want to get rid of it unless it is broken. And if I move, this is easy to pack without the box. Therefore, I do not need this box. Inside the box are two documents. One says to send the batteries to a hazardous waste place rather than throwing them in the regular trash and that my clock has a one-year warranty. I don't need that anymore. The other document has writing in eastern-looking languages plus pictures explaining how to change the batteries, set the alarm, and turn off the alarm. I already know how to do those things. I broke down the box and put it and the documents in the recycling bin.

* travel alarm clock - I moved this to my suitcase. It's a suitcase that I use for virtually all travel. In the rare cases where I decide to use just a backpack and/or duffel bag, I could check my suitcase for other things that I might like to bring but am forgetting.

* book light (light that you clip on to the book so you can see to read it without keeping your bed partner awake) - This was a gift, probably from my mom. It's an excellent idea, but I've never used it. Should I start remembering that I have it and start using it? I don't think so. Either Robin lets me keep the light on while he sleeps or I move to another room. Our living room has a very comfy reading chair which is Robin's but which is always available for me when Robin is trying to sleep. I'm asking various people I know whether they would like it, starting with my mom.

* flashlight - I bought this wind-up flashlight for power outages. We have a regular flashlight in the kitchen/dining room/living room area that we always use. I thought it would be nice to have a human-powered flashlight. But I never use it. Should I use it? Yes. But I won't. I'm going to donate it.

* hair thingy - Clearly I took it off and stuck it on my headboard one time when I was already in bed and too lazy to put it where it goes. Now it is covered in dust. I'm shaking it out and putting it in the laundry basket.

* candle holder (too small to hold my beeswax candle) - I got this from my sister who had a million left over after her wedding. It is full of random screws and bolts, dust, and a coin that is so damaged that I can't tell what country it's from from the front (from the back I can tell that it is an American quarter). Oh, and a hardened eraser from the end of a pencil. I have washed the quarter and put it in my cup of change. I do want to keep random screws but they need to be in a more dust-free place, so I moved them to an extra little glass bottle with a cork that I've been wanting an excuse to keep and put it on my dresser next to the two other bottles like that (one with safety pins, one with buttons). I tossed the eraser. I washed out the candle holder (and the matching candle holder on the microwave) and put them in the dish drainer. Okay, although they are perfect for those little candles (the ones that are smaller than votives), the only time I actually light candles is when I have people over and I light a candle in the bathroom for people who can't find the cleverly hidden light switch. And I have a lot of candle holders that are much better for that purpose. I had taken two of my sister's candle holders in case I could think of a good use, and after several years it should be clear than I could not think of a good use. So they will get donated.

* plate (small plate that matches the mug my pens and bookmarks are in) - I love this thing. And the beeswax candle can totally stand up on it. And then it sort of looks like the cat on the plate is sitting there trying to look innocent but is really plotting the death of the bees on the candle label. (Well, to me, anyway.) Score.



* plate (small charger with red foil on the back) - I probably got this from my sister when she was decluttering because it's so pretty. It's the perfect thing to leave your keys and stuff on except I prefer using an ever bigger bowl I have for that. But it's too pretty to get rid of. Though also dust collecting. Idea: use it to decorate my shelves. Robin has loads of decorations, but I don't. I want more. So where to put it? I like to have my decorations be related to the books they are near. (I am very good at making up connections, so this is easy.) So a plate should go near books about food. I looked at my cookbook bookcase, and there is NO ROOM AT ALL. So I decided to check my shelf with domestic books (home repair, architecture, housekeeping, and, uh, how to write books). Yes, this will work. It will work as the backdrop to The Tic. (Who is protecting homes. I told you it was easy.) Score!





* playing card (joker, used as bookmark) - This was too small to fit in the cup and still be easy to get to, so I moved it to my bookmark tray in the living room. Same with two other bookmarks I found in the stack that were too floppy to keep in the cup.

* cassette player (Sony Walkman) - I am pretty sure this is broken. I am just going to toss this. I have an iToy after all, which surely makes this unnecessary. Hmm, what about the headphones, though? Could they be used with something else? I'll ask Robin. He says they have a standard connector that could work for lots of things. Including my iToy. I'm putting it in the bag with my other electronics.

* cassette tapes (Spanish language tapes) - I'm keeping the one my sister gave me which goes with Destinos, but I'm getting rid of the others. I guess I'll donate them--maybe someone else will want them.

* book (Ten Minute Tone-Ups for Dummies) - This is going with other exercise books. It's not like I have weights in the bedroom anyway, except for that can of tomatoes.

* pocket knife (looks like a Leatherman, opening up to a pair of pliers, but it says "Strand Brothers" which is the company that did my weatherizing and replaced my AC) with carrying case - I had thought this would be a good tool to keep in my cup of tools and that the case would keep the dust out, but I never need pliers or any other tool besides writing implements and scissors. Speaking of which, I'm remembering that I also need something to write ON when I'm taking messages--I'm adding my small portfolio from work to my headboard. So anyway, I'm reminding myself that it's okay to donate things that are high quality. No, I can't do it. I'm going to just throw it in my toolbox for now until I figure out which pocket knife is best. No! I already know which pocket knife is best--it's the one on my key chain with all the tools I actually use out in the wild (scissors, knife, tweezers, and toothpick). But what if I become handier and want to use pliers out in the wild? I want to become handier. Okay, no. I am unlikely to want to use pliers out in the wild. I will donate this. Also, Robin says it's much lower quality than a real Leatherman.

* bowls of tools (calculator, pencil sharpener, small stapler, extra staples - okay, this is awesome. These are going back on my headboard.

* barrette - This is going in the box with my other barrettes.

* pens and pencils - I tried them all and put my two favorite pens (one to use plus a spare for when the ink runs out) and favorite pencil in my cup. I put the rest of the ones that worked smoothly in my drawer with my extra writing implements and tossed the other two.

Step 6. Finish up - actually do those things. I've now done most of the stuff I claimed I was going to do in step 5. Still need to ask my mom, and then maybe some other people, if they want the reading light. I have to read more of the book and see if it's something I want to finish reading and, if so, if it's something I want to keep. But the trash is in the trash, the recyclables are in the recycling bag, and the stuff to donate is in the donating stuff pile. The screws are in the little container. I'm basically good.



Conclusion

Well, I did end up putting a bunch of stuff back on the headboard, just as I suspected I would, and it doesn't look quite as good anymore but I still like it. At first, when I put two of the first three things back on the headboard, I thought it was going to go like it always does and I was going to end up putting almost everything back. It may have helped that I was typing out to you guys what I was deciding about everything. But maybe reading about decluttering for the past several years has made it easier for me to really believe that it's okay to get rid of gifts (candle holders, reading lamp). And really awesome things that I got for myself but that didn't work out (wind-up flashlight). And things that I should be using but am not (Spanish language tapes). And things that I should be fixing but am not (cassette player). Although there is still plenty of room for improvement (I'm not talking about my poor taste in decorations--I like that--but I have not actually used the pencil sharpener in years, and I'm pretty sure I haven't used the stapler in bed in years either, though I often do like to use the bed for a big work space).

Minimalists still wouldn't like it: I could replace virtually everything with a smart phone and not even have a headboard at all. But it is still within the range of my favorite compromise between having useful stuff + pretty stuff (that may be useless) + being able to easily see and get to everything. I actually don't like things being too empty (in my own house) because it makes me feel like I just moved again and it's not really home yet.

Cake of the Day - I like this dragon, done by someone below the age of 13. I think this might be the tastiest cake in the show.



I like the chocolate pop tarts for the spinal scales. And I really like the tortilla chips for the wings; they are so perfect.

Comments

[piefessor.livejournal.com]

This was really fun to read! (And very inspirational.) I can't imagine not having a glass of water on my nightstand at all times, though. Then again, I've never needed scissors in bed either! So I guess we have different approaches.

[livingdeb.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it!

I actually have scissors in every room. The ones in the bedroom get used most often for cutting tags off of new clothes. Sometimes I bring the mail in there and might cut out a coupon or something.

[texpenguin.livejournal.com]

Wow, your 'before' picture looks just like my bookcase headboard (flotsam included)! I tend to collect huge stacks of books and magazines that never migrate back to the bookshelf or trash when I'm done with them, vast quantities of medication and supplement bottles (half of them empty), water glasses or soda cans, nail files, cat toys, electronics chargers, candles...I recently did a big clean-up and de-clutter in our bedroom as well. Even rearranged the furniture so that Todd and I wouldn't be tripping over each other, our shoes, or the dirty laundry every morning, but it's already filling up again. Good job rehoming so much stuff-I'm impressed.

I still keep a flashlight in my headboard though. If there's an intruder in the house, I don't want to alert them to my presence by turning on the lights as I go to bash their head in. Or if the power's out due to a storm that's just put a tree through my living room ceiling, I don't want to be stumbling in the dark to the kitchen to find a flashlight to survey the damage and check on the pets. I've opted for one of the tiny but superbright LED flashlights. They are battery powered, but LEDs take so little power that the batteries last for a very long time.

I also keep a small fire extinguisher in the bedroom, near the bed, since our room is as far from the kitchen (where the main extinguisher lives) as it could be. Gotta be able to get to my pets and an exit if our crappy old wiring ever burst into flames.

[livingdeb.livejournal.com]

I often have a small flashlight on my key chain, which ends up on my dresser at night. But my dresser is totally in view of the doorway, so, that wouldn't work against intruders. (Normally I'd prefer to cower in the dark and perhaps take the phone with me as I slide to the floor on the far side of the bed. R. keeps a loaded gun easily reachable on his side of the headboard and feels that he has very good night vision.)

I never thought about suddenly having a tree through the house, which you really don't want to run into in the dark.

My first fire extinguisher is in the pantry right next to the back door, under the philosophy that fires happen in the kitchen and I want the fire extinguisher (and thus me) to be between the fire and the door. Later I added three more extinguishers--one by the front door, one on a windowsill in the bedroom and one on the windowsill in the office (our windows are big enough to climb out of in an emergency). Fires can happen in surprising places after all.

[indigo-rose99.livejournal.com]

Glasses, lip balm, melatonin, and a bottle of water.

But I was totally impressed by your documentation. Wow. I generally clean and dust it all off once every 5 years. And it grows in dust and flotsam in the meantime.

My work desk is the one I'm fighting to keep free of the accumulation of stuff. High usage both helps and hurts.

[livingdeb.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I like the bottle of water idea better than the glass of water idea (things won't be dropping into the water in the middle of the night, and it won't accidentally get spilled), but I still don't mind getting up to get a drink.

As far as your work desk goes, it would help if the accumulation of actual work didn't get so out of hand as it does!