Less Stuff Less Stress 1.0 Update - Cleaning Out Big Ben

Hello dearies,

A month ago I decided on committing myself to a cleaning project which I named Project Less Stuff Less Stress 1.0 where I am to de-clutter my makeup collection as well as my room as a whole. Previously in that post I had gone through my childhood clothes cupboard where I had stored Sophie's baby clothes and my skincare products as well as a section of a huge cupboard situated at the foot of my bed.

Between then and now I had cleaned out the top section of said large cupboard on one weekend and also separated my makeup into the ones that I definitely want to keep, throw and the ones I am on the shelf about on another weekend. I didn't take any photos for the former but I do have photos for the latter so if you are interested to know which makeup items that I've separated to try out, let me know and I'll make a blog post about it for you.

This time around however, I'd like to share the progress that I had made with the cupboard I mentioned earlier which I will from now on call Big Ben because The Huge Open Cupboard At The Foot Of My Bed is way to long to be made as a reference. So, you might be wondering why on earth is it taking me so long to clear out one cupboard? You see Big Ben has been around for as long as I can remember and it has become a dumping ground of sorts with decades of things being stuffed in every nook and cranny.

While I have worked at cleaning first 2 shelves periodically throughout the years, I have always shied away from going near the bottom shelves because it was just too overwhelming. Going on this project, I knew that I couldn't turn a blind eye on that section any longer. That didn't stop me from procrastinating it though which resulted of me going on a vicious cycle of gnashing my teeth every time I see the mess and running a way with a howl of despair.

So last Sunday I told myself that instead of dragging out the inevitable I decided to chip at it by just clearing out half the section of a shelf. As I was doing it however, I gained 'momentum' and enthusiasm until it turned out to become a full blown clean out of all the bottom shelves. Woo hoo! You wouldn't believe the things I found in there. Some even dated back to 1998! It's crazy.

Before: This was already half-way through the clearing out process.

Top row, L-R: 1) An OMR form to enroll into MRSM. The pages of paper that totally changed my life. 2) Folios! Who can forget making them?

Bottom row, L-R: 1) My so-called business card. This was for my Sales assignment where I was supposed to be a Sales Rep from The Body Shop doing a demonstration on their new Seaweed skincare line. 2) A page of my planner in uni during the busiest 2 weeks of my student life, EVER. I was practically functioning on autopilot at that time. 3) A game from the 90's! Have any of you seen or played with something like this before? 

If you're an 80's baby, you might recognize some of these items:

Before lyrics were available online: Lyrics book (a.k.a song book). 

  

Before there was Friendster, Myspace and Facebook: Biodata diaries to be filled with addresses and contact number of friends. 

Before Goodreads existed: A synopsis record book to keep tract of the novels I've read

After going through everything this is what the end results looks like:

A fraction of the amount of stuff that used to occupy the space. Yay!

The amount of stuff I am throwing away.

The areas that need de-cluttering: Big Ben's top 2 shelves to be revisited and also the area below my desk.

One thing I will say is that it feels soooo goood after a cleaning out session especially seeing the end result of the area being clean and organized. It's like a heavy weigh has been lifted up from my shoulders. For those of you who are thinking of doing a spring cleaning sesh in your home but feel overwhelmed, all I can say is just take a (or several) deep breath and start doing it. The first step is always the hardest.

You don't have to clean out an entire room if you don't have the time or the energy. Just start with cleaning up the clutter on top of your arts and crafts table one day then the first drawer the next day for example. Also, set a time of 10 minutes max during each short session. This prevents you from thinking too much and having the time to convince yourself that you need to keep that ugly photo frame because Uncle Harry gave it to you or those 3 pocket sized flashlights that are barely working 'just in case'.

What are the items that you hoard the most? Do share in the comments section below. 

Love,

Phy