We also live in a small space, about 900 sq ft. There is just the two of us, but with all the stuff we have it seems really small. I do whittle away at the edges and sometimes feel I've made some progress, but a day or two of not having time or energy gets it back where it was.

I have a master list and have changed and updated it, but there is just so much needing done that I just still feel frustrated.

I did clear the path to the washer (then got distracted and didn't get the wash done) all after I tripped over a bag and nearly fell in the floor!!! I do have several clothes baskets, a hamper and a 3 bag rolling hamper that fell apart and needs to be reassembled. All but the rolling one are full of clothes waiting for washing or putting up. I think maybe clothes are a major jam for me and I did get rid of a lot awhile back, but still have too many things and nothing is organized or put away.

I think this weekend I will get ruthless and toss clothes with a vengeance before a trip to the laundry matt. And before I go I will clear out all the spaces that the clothes belong so that when I return there will be nothing stopping me from getting them put away!! Putting them away is a big log jam as there is always "something" in front of the dressers or closets so they are not easily accessible. Maybe once that is done I will be more inclined to do other areas.

Need to get on with breakfast so I can get to work. Wish me luck!

Don't forget about the benefit of having an extra pair of hands to help out with these log jam projects. Laundry, especially, is one of those things that can go much quicker if you can enlist the help of just one other person. Sorting, folding, putting away, all go quicker if you can put more than one person on the task. Plus, the fun of having another person to work with you can make it more bearable. And when the jam is cleared, there is that huge sense of accomplishment. Keeping that feeling in mind is a great motivater for me.

Kristil, great idea to tackel the laundry all at once with a trip to the laundry matt! Make sure you put it all away when you get home! :-)

Kristil, that sounds like a plan!

There are two ways to go about weeding a wardrobe, that I've used. One is to start with the whole mass, and weed out the pieces you know you can part with. The other is to determine, on paper, what you feel is a reasonable number of each type of garment, based on YOUR activities and laundry preferences, and then "shop" in your wardrobe for that limit--and get rid of *everything* else.

I know, sounds drastic. But it works!! I still have a lot of wardrobe flexibility, but it all fits very easily in my storage space.

Having to move things in order to put clothes away is a HUGE frustration--good for you in identifying it. Changing that, combined with streamlining your wardrobe, may be THE thing that clears your log-jam!

Very Interesting topic! We've been identifying several log jams in the house. Tonight we're cleaning, doing laundry and packing for our trip over the weekend.

I'll have to keep my eyes open as to why we have so many log jams. Would a simpler approach work? Are there better alternatives? It will be interesting to see what I can find.

Kristil,

May I make a suggestion? I did this about a year or so ago and got rid of probably 50% of my clothes. Take EVERYTHING, clean, dirty, hanging up, in drawers, on the floor and pile it all up on the bed. EVERYTHING, no exceptions.

Now take each piece and see if it fits, if it's stained, torn, etc and be BRUTAL. If it's not something you would feel comfortable going out to meet a client in, get rid of it.

I keep a very small pile of old clothes because we're doing a lot of painting, etc in our house and I need a couple of things I can get really dirty but that doesn't have to be more than 2 tops and 2 pair of sweatpants.

If your tendency is to think, oh, this isn't THAT bad, I can wear it around the house, think again. You need to feel good about what you're wearing and think about how you want your DH to see you. Yes, my DH wouldn't care if I was wearing sweats with paint on them but he compliments when I have something nice on. They notice more than you think they do.

I read something last night about donations to goodwill. If it's not something you'd pass down to a friend or relative then it's not good enough to donate. If it's stained or ripped, toss it.

Avoid the "I'll fit in it if I lose 15lbs" trap. If it doesn't fit, get rid of it.

You should only have as many pieces of clothing as you have room to store it. You mention that you didn't put clothes away in the dresser because there's stuff in front of it. What's happened to the clothes that are already in the dresser? Are you not wearing them? If so, get rid of them!

I heard that GW takes all the "nasty" clothes and sells those for rags ChefSam, but don't know if that is true. Someone on here mentioned it not too long ago.

Kristil:
I hope you do that! I think that is the perfect solution for you.
JUST go for it! Wish I could help you!

What I read was that it actually COSTS them money to sort and dispose of unwanted clothes. It would be good to find out so we would know what to recommend.

Okay, I think I have a handle on my log jam!!!!

It isn't so much that we have too much stuff or clutter (which we do) it is that nothing is put up in it's allotted space. I couldn't put the clothes up because stuff was stacked in front of them.

Well, I was just in the kitchen, with a burst of energy out of nowhere, and decided I would wash the dishes (giant stack ) So, I also needed to empty the drain pan (no dishwasher here ) and I went to put something up in a cabinet and there was a stack of stuff in front of the cabinet. And I stood there wavering with pan in hand and thinking "Great, now I have to either move the stack or put it somewhere else!!" Well, I briefly considered that it would be easier to just put it over there, but then when I wanted to use that space I'd have to move it again.

Then I looked over towards the laundry room/pantry and realized that there was a stack in front of the pantry blocking the lower three shelves and if that stack wasn't there I could put up all the groceries stacked on the freezer, which I couldn't get into unless I moved all the groceries that belonged in the pantry.

So, I walked into the dining and living rooms and accessed all the cabinets and drawers. Every access to every possible storage space is blocked by something. There isn't a space that is easily accessible!!!

So, I am going to start over. Tackle the stacks blocking the storage areas and theoretically it should all fall into place! Once things aren't blocking access I will be able to put things away!!

I know some of you are saying at this point "Well, DUH!!" But I guess living amidst it you become a bit blind to what is happening as things pile up and get out of control. It was one of those "light bulb" moments. And my major excuses for not doing something is that I can't get to it or there are several things (like move and put away stacks) that have to be done before I can do it. It is never easy!! I can't say I want to do...what ever... and just do it. It's I want to do...what ever... but first I have to....

Hopefully this will help. And yes, I DID put that pot in the cabinet after moving the stack!!

Kristil: WOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Major break-through! You have taken the first step - you have identified your log-jam! Now, you can take the next steps to clear it.

Start somewhere with one stack and one storage cabinet. Probably whichever storage cabinet that has the least amount of stuff stacked in front of it! Otherwise, it might become too overwhelming.

Is there a space somewhere to temporarily hold the stacks until you get them to their proper spots? If so, that would be lovely. Use that area as a staging area while you sort and organize.

Let us know how it goes.

YAY Kristil WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Way to go girl! Keep that momentum going - you CAN do this

One of the things I remember doing as I was beginning my GON journey was that, after I had my kitchen and living room "useable", I concentrated on ETE for a few weeks - no further decluttering or reorganizing.

I simply took the time to put things away after use. During that time, I made sure dishes got done at least once a day, groceries were put away pronto when I came in the door, clean clothes got folded and put where they belonged. If I used an item, I made sure I returned it to where it belonged.

I had to retrain my vision so that I could SEE when things were not where they belonged because yes, we can and do become blind to the mess. Start on one stack at a time - put those things away and then reward yourself. Then tackle the next stack. Even if you only put one stack away each day, as long as you maintain your previous progress, you will get those stacks out of the way.

Log jams do not have to stay that way - we can and will untangle them! We are GONers!!!!