Hello there amazing people and welcome to my fifty-fourth blog.

As most of you by now will have gathered, I like to assess my stuff often and I like to create ongoing goals to make the most of my life. Often, I do really very well, and then I am super proud of myself. Sometimes not so much. On taking a glance at my decluttering blog of September last year, things were looking a little shaky. Decluttering. The very word conjures up startling and alarming images. A sneaky peek at the physical decluttering department of my life made me break out into a cold sweat instantly. Mon Dieu! O-la-la! Freaky Friday!

So, let us rewind for a moment. Back to the start of our recent amazingly awesome holiday at the coast. We arrived in the Broom late afternoon and for the first time ever, I immediately unpacked my suitcase which was full to bursting and Rich’s (he was otherwise engaged in physical admin) which was also very full since I may have inadvertently borrowed a tiny corner of his for some of my overflow.

Having meticulously and carefully completed this arduous task, I sat back and was absolutely thrilled with my industrious effort. Everything was in its rightful place, neatly arranged and it was a sight to behold. Superstar and beyond organized Hayles.

Fast forward ten days or so, and the beautifully washed and carefully ironed laundry having initially been packed away neatly into my closet, seemed to have assumed a permanent, new normal position, on my dresser, and somehow was not managing to make its way into the aforementioned organized cupboard. No, matter, we were on holiday, the sun was shining, we were having the best time and it was just superb. Absolutely fabulous!

Let us now move swiftly along to the kitchen and its clutter.  This was a somewhat delightful surprise. The fridge and freezer which historically was overfull, disorganized, and a complete and utter disaster (were the truth to be told), now seemed quite organized, relatively tidy, and not too scary when one had to open the door.  This was perhaps due to the fact that we had a much quieter holiday with only family and a few of the boys’ friends staying intermittently (while they could). My kind sister-in-law also gently and quietly tidied it in the middle of their stay with us. We also managed to waste very little food, and that is a mammoth step in the right direction, and this made me feel extremely satisfied and paragon of virtue- like.

Anyway, all too quickly the end of the holiday arrived, and I had to start sorting the kitchen out. There are three different places that the kitchen contents go when I start packing it up. Stuff we can take home, both fresh and grocery, stuff that we will store away for the next holiday, and the rest is given to our fantastic, very hard working and long-suffering helpers, Winnie and Thandi. This is a mission. Nonetheless, I was sure this time was going to be easy. It was going to be a breeze as we had been moderate in the purchase of groceries, I had become Miss Neat and Tidy and it had been a very chilled holiday. Absolute, complete, and unadulterated bullocks! Frikking heck! There was just so much stuff!!!  I was gobsmacked! I quickly realized that the quantity may have been partly due to the kind and generous young guests who had brought truckloads, did not seem to eat much of it,  and then left it all behind on their departure.  Golly gosh! A number of hours later we ended up taking home a great deal, putting away more than usual, and giving Winnie and Thandi a whole heap, too. You may be scratching your head here, confused, and wondering what the real issue actually is. There are far worse problems to have than too much food left at the end of the holiday.

You are right in one way, but my point here is that the excess really upset me. I thought I had improved. I can not use anyone else as an excuse. We had enjoyed a very chilled holiday, with few guests and a minimum of social events, so I had plenty of time to keep my bedroom tidy, the kitchen tidy, and check up on grocery cupboards, fridges, and freezers looking good.  I could not justify this travesty. Sadly, this is not where the surplus story ends either.

Next was the unloading of our suitcases for the return home. I scarcely gave it a thought when my suitcase was far fuller, as was Rich’s (he packed his this time). Nor did I ponder on the fact that there seemed to be a lot more extra bags filled with clothing.

We returned home happily, and I spent a long time emptying the perishables and non-perishables in the kitchen and was a little concerned when there was no space either in the grocery cupboard or deep freeze for all the items that had returned home. I kid you not! Having finished this, I moved swiftly along and proceeded to take everything else out of suitcases and bags.

I was shocked and appalled. Somehow, inexplicably, a couple of new bathers had found their way into my cupboard on holiday and now there was nowhere to place them. They were not designer ones but still took up space. What I feel is imperative to add here, is the fact that I keep my bikinis for years, so I have more than, and beyond, a few.

Never fear. Once I had got over this, I proceeded to hang up my frocks. Here again, I was amazed A few new ones had also managed to sneak their way in, not sure whether this was in Southbroom or before. I was stunned. Again, the shortfall on space to hang said items was very obvious. Oh dear, again!

Just when I thought it was all okay, I carefully unpacked my tees and blouses. Oh, my word! The very same. An elf had magically scattered quite a few new ones all over the place.

Finally, a variety of rather fetching kaftans had floated into my area. Flabbergasted, I was, but fortunately, these were easily stuffed into a draw.

Then the toiletry bags. Enough already you know what I am going to say next. The only positive thing here was all my supplements. Organized and perfect.

So, it seems that there have been a few falls off the wagon and a few ongoing and extreme cluttering issues.

However, all is not lost. I took a deep breath, read through my proposed goals of the September blog, and ended up feeling a lot better in parts of the decluttering division.  I needed to feel okay, after all the shame and guilt due to the obvious excess  !!

I have taken the previous blog aims, point by point.

 

Physical decluttering

1. Epic fails in the clothing, kitchen, and toiletry department. Enough has been said!! After all, who wants to be an overachiever in this department, anyways?
2. My paperwork. Hey! Hallelujah, this has improved. My notes are up to date, I have found a place for my nutrition and Neolife admin and this is so much better. A big tick.Hooray!
3. I definitely need to discard numerous items of clothing. This has to start now.
4. A designated home for every item is a work in progress and became a little ignored towards the end of last year. A continuing aim.
5. I am so over counting the articles I bin. This practice had not served me and is a complete and utter waste of time.
6. The delay tactics when buying clothing worked intermittently but seemed to fall by the wayside at the end of the year although online shopping seemed to help with this. In-store shopping not.
7. I do need to form the habit of a bit of tidying daily, and ongoing efforts are required in this aspect of my life.
8. I am still trying to simplify things, and this is definitely coming along. Consistency is key here.
9. I have not felt the need to ask the boys about my decluttering. This is really not their field of expertise.

 

Mental decluttering

1. My mental planning is definitely on the up and I seem to be so much better at prioritizing, planning, and executing.
2. We have definitely been guarding our time for ourselves both for our well being mentally and physically (Covid).
3. My digital decluttering has its ups and downs. The necessity of it for my businesses results in a great deal of time spent on social networks. Personal time on this has decreased and I have also been pleased with the manner in which I react to the highlight reel of people’s lives. I am also very content, mostly with my life, and this helps immeasurably.
4. We socialize a lot less now, and it’s about quality, not quantity. This has served us remarkably well.
5. I now manage my time so well and consciously tweak it constantly to allow time for self-care, rest, and relaxation. This has been awesome for both me and my family.
6. Since I started my Neolife calcium/ magnesium supplement, I still wake up sometimes in the middle of the night but generally go back to sleep really quickly. So beneficial for my overall health and wellness.
7. My journey of eating for nourishment and giving my body the best fuel to maximize its functioning is heaps better. Not all the time, but at least it is most of the time and I am really grateful for this.
8. My supplements are well organized, and I could not improve on my taking of these.
9. My ongoing goal setting is going extremely well, and I am thrilled with this aspect of my journey.

In conclusion, I believe that there is still a great deal of work required to declutter my life, especially physically. Thank you for the kind offers to do this for me, but it is something I need to do. However, my mental decluttering is really quite good, and for this I am thankful.

I really hope that you have been able to take something from this. I believe that we need to continually and constantly reassess the direction that we want our lives to take. This enables us to continue to strive to live our best lives. It’s not about beating ourselves up all the time or being hard on ourselves. it’s about acknowledging the mishaps or mistakes and striving to do better next time. In the end, it’s really about loving ourselves and being kind to ourselves, always and forever.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, making the most of every moment that you have.