Hoarders – Between the Lines

Have you seen the tv show Hoarder's yet?

I've been tuning in the past few weeks and I have to say that I find it fascinating. I guess that most things taken to the extreme are.

What I find the most interesting, once past the initial shock and awe, are the valuable insights that the hoarder's themselves share with us.

Believe it or not, if you are suffering from clutter, KAOS, or chronic disorganization, you can probably learn something from this show. 

Why? Because I believe that just like anything else, half the battle is mindset – and they share with us what is happening with them inside of their head.

Although you are probably working on a smaller scale, it could still be one thing – one revelation – or it could be a few that may help to put you back on top of your game. Hoarders can help you with that. Who would have thought?

Over the coming weeks I will be discussing some of the revelations that strike me as worth pointing out.

AND

Between commercial breaks, what else is a girl to do when watching a tv show called Hoarders than declutter or clean something?

Care to join me?

I have often found that commercial breaks are a great time to get things done on those days that you really want to watch a show or just feel like flopping out, but still have lots to do. If you can't get Hoarders, you can use this technique during any tv show. Just get in the habit and you will be amazed at what you'll accomplish.

Besides, this truly can be a difficult show to watch – moving around helps get the antsies out! 

My friend Cara, the Household Helper sent me the link for show times etc.

You can get more Hoarders information here  http://www.aetv.com/hoarders/.

There is a lot of interesting stuff on both sites – just remember – browse on your own free time (when you need a sit break… bring along your timer) – every minute you spend there you could be tackling your own pile.

The Hoarders site is great inspiration as well to go clean something. If you're looking for motivation, you could set your timer for 1 minute to look (30 seconds might do it!), then 5 minutes to clean. With gusto!

HERE'S WHAT I DID

I need to backtrack a bit for this one, I will have more pictures coming soon about it – short story – we have been working on renovations in our kitchen – the long awaited day finally came when I got a 'real' counter top'.

When we built our house it was one of the things that could wait – and it did! Funny how that happens – and irritating!

(note to self – that's a good example of mindset – had I said 'no, it can't wait' because I was in the mindset that I couldn't live without a proper counter top odds are that I would have had one years ago.) 

So of course after the counter tops, we HAD to sand down and refinish the cupboards – and the floor will be coming next.

It's a slow job – my husband is home on weekends only so we have some long breaks in between. So you will notice a mess. It's not always that way – at least not most of the time!

I can't wait to be posting pictures of the completely finished kitchen, I can tell you that. But the nicest thing is that it is in progress – and the ball is rolling.

While we are on the subject, is there something that you can get rolling? That is no longer 'ok'?

First step is to figure out what it is. What's nagging you? (that is my favourite question to ask myself when I get that 'nagging' feeling that I should be doing something other than what I am doing. It's NOT a question that I ask my husband – you know what answer I usually get!)

The next step is to decide to do it. Then set your timer and get rolling. 

BACK TO WHAT I DID

I was away for most of the weekend when my husband started this project. That meant that things I would have covered or put away etc did not get covered or put away. Just coated in sawdust.

One of the things that needed immediate attention where the contents of our drawers. Cutlery goes in the top, tea towels and dish cloths go in the middle and storage containers for lunches etc go in the bottom.

Or used to.

When I sat down to watch Hoarders they were in a pile on a sheet of plywood covered in sawdust!

Here's what I was dealing with for the first drawer.

All of it had to be washed and put away… here. Notice the drawers are missing. They needed to be wiped as well since they were full of – you guessed it – sawdust…

This is what it looked like when the shows were over (there are two on back to back. i got started about half way through the first one.) Added bonus? My youngest daughter also likes to watch the show and she helped me – she even continued a few times while I went back to watch the show. Can't beat that!

I was quite happy – we had our cutlery clean and back where it belonged – until the next round when we finish the drawers. I was beat so I left this containers and odds and ends until morning to dry and hit the sack.  

When I woke up, they were still there! Imagine that!

Even more surprising? I didn't want to do them. It looked a tad too much to do and I didn't feel like doing it.

SO WHAT DID I DO?

I set the timer of course.

5 Minutes.

With a few extra when it rang I was able to finish up and get all three drawers back into working order. 

With a few give/throw aways to boot! I always like that. When I clear space, that's when I feel like I'm really getting somewhere rather than just straightening, cleaning or moving things around.

And it never would have happened if it wasn't for doing something a little different. Making it a game. Using time that otherwise would have been completely wasted.

It truly is amazing what you can do with 5 minutes of focused time. 5 minutes multiplied a few times can change your life – if you use those 5 minutes wisely.

And I'm willing to bet that you have lots of ways that you can use 5 minutes wisely! 

Stay tuned, Wednesday is coming up again soon, I already have another project in mind…

To define your life on your terms. And it all starts at home.

NEED SOME HELP?

I would love for you to subscribe to TAKE 5 – Bootcamp for Dustbunnies .

You will receive a daily 5 minute target to make your home 5 minutes nicer every day – you will be surprised at the power of 5 minutes. I know I am, every day.

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And you can stay up to date on the goings on around here that will help you to conquer your KAOS and get to the good stuff.

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