Thursday Thirteen #22: Better decluttering through Thursday ThirteenDecember 13, 2007 01:13

I’ve done this before, but not since I moved into the RV; I did the last one quite some time ago, i.e. back in July. My desk area is now the kitchen dinette: in other words I don’t have a dedicated office. I don’t mind. There’s a lot less clutter this way (though today is definitely bad).
- After our recent trip to the post office box, there is a stack of magazines. I hope that by leaving them out they will actually get read instead of stuck in the magazine rack and forgotten like the last batch I found.
- A stack of Christmas cards that need stamps but have return addresses.
- A stack of bills/remove-from-mailing list requests with stamps but no return address.
- The inserts from Sunday’s newspapers that I might as well throw away because the weekly deals will be over soon.
(Yup, but I worked my way through them first , and there was absolutely nothing I wanted except for a product so absurd that I clipped it out to write about later.)
- A bottle of cat antibiotics (it’s not opened yet so doesn’t need to go into the fridge).
I put it away. Soon, I will put some of it into the cat.
- Three packages of ketchup that we never used because we snaffled down the french fries in the car. ;)
Don just started juggling them.
I put them away.
- A telephone.
- My advent calendar. (It kept falling off the wall, so it’s propped up against the window now.)
- A timer, which I use to divide my tasks into manageable chunks and remind myself not to do the same thing all day. I used it for dinner, too.
- My glasses. (They’re now put away in their case.)
- A pretty basket full of clutter. (Including the abovementioned glasses case.)
- An empty, crushed milk jug that needs to go to recycling, only we don’t have a bag/box for plastic and glass just at this moment.
- Several books waiting to be reviewed/given away. (They’re tucked inside a second basket because I took most of the junk out of it and put my loose stuff in there.)
Cool! My desk area is tidy again. I’m so proud. ;)
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
(leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)
- Robin
- Sandy Carlson
- Adelle
- Vixen
- Dawn
- J Lynne
- Amy Palko
- Randilin
- Di
- Matthew James Didier
- Pussreboots
- Lesley
- Sarcastic Mom
- Kayla
- Justin
- Maribeth
- Greatfullivin
- Damozel
- Rasmenia
- Claudia
- Rian Fike
- Angela
- Mary Th
- Joely
- Edward
- Nicholas
- Simone
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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56 Comments on "Thursday Thirteen #22: Better decluttering through Thursday Thirteen"
2. SandyCarlson (1 comments.) | December 13, 2007
Good for you for managing your desk this way. My “desk” is the entire basement, which I clear out from time to time with a snow shovel!
3. Adelle Laudan (2 comments.) | December 13, 2007
I ‘almost’ feel inspired to clean my desk. lol
Happy Holidays!
4. Vixen (12 comments.) | December 13, 2007
Great list and great job organizing. I don’t have a desk/table in the RV/mini cabin right now, I had to take it outside so I could fit the christmas tree.
Happy TT
5. Dawn (5 comments.) | December 13, 2007
Your desk area sounds like a number of my areas. I find things get put in certain areas then are left until that space is cleaned up. No one thing takes a long time, but sometimes a space can take a long time to straighten out, especially if distracted. It feels good to get something accomplished whether big or small.
I just got my TT up.
6. J. Lynne (34 comments.) | December 13, 2007
Well, now you can come help me tidy up the disaster my house has turned into. Maybe you can help me find the missing 43 socks. :P
I actually have a dedicated place for my laptop and it’s never that tidy and it’s barely big enough for the laptop. :P
Oh, and our office manager did get her advent tree from Starbucks, btw. And I knitted a cuff and part of a heel of a sock during my two days of healthcare (non-IT) lectures which were mostly not bad. ;)
7. amypalko (3 comments.) | December 13, 2007
I’ve just cleared my desk this afternoon, and already the clutter is sneaking back in. I’m pretty sure this is a war I just can’t win!
8. Randilin (2 comments.) | December 13, 2007
This point reminds me just how much I seriously need to clean my desk at work. I will not discuss the desk at home, it is just beyond any hope of being clear..
But the work desk sounds like a great make work project on the last day of work before my vacation.. So thanks…
9. Di (2 comments.) | December 13, 2007
Sometimes it’s fun to put some of those books to be given away or donated up on your site and have a contest of some sort. It does generate some traffic and if you tell these people about it:
http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/
It generates even more traffic. I usually make my readers work for it … even just a little!
10. Matthew James Didier (7 comments.) | December 13, 2007
I’d declutter… but I fear I’d leave thousands homeless… and I’d also have to explain to Sue how Jimmy Hoffa ended up under all the papers on my desk. Best to leave well enough alone. :)
11. pussreboots (159 comments.) | December 13, 2007
I actually have to schedule time to read my magazines. Happy TT.
12. Lesley (1 comments.) | December 13, 2007
I have a chair where I sit with my laptop and a self next to that. We won’t even go into the kinda weird stuff that is on that shelf! And I refuse to declutter. It drives me crazy though so my hubby does it. :D
13. Sarcastic Mom (1 comments.) | December 13, 2007
Congrats on decluttering! :-)
14. MadameMeow (Kayla) (1 comments.) | December 13, 2007
Just visiting you like you visited me! And this is a great idea! I may have to snag it sometime.
Today was actually my first TT… and I was so worried that it was dumb/lame, haha.
Your dining room table sounds much like my computer desk!
And you’ve seen my Thursday Thirteen…
15. Justin (1 comments.) | December 13, 2007
I usually OCD about my desk being clean, however, I’m sending this to my wife for some inspiration!!!
16. Maribeth (3 comments.) | December 13, 2007
I have a lot of the same things sitting on my desk. Junk mail, books, coupons, I need to do some dejunking myself
Maribeth
Thanks for stopping by my blog
Maribeth:)
17. Greatfullivin (2 comments.) | December 13, 2007
Good Job!! Getting the clutter done is always a job I dislike. We always have magazines and books sitting about. Maybe I will be more inspired now! Thanks!
18. Damozel (3 comments.) | December 13, 2007
I did decluttering last week and it’s already piling up again! :( I use baskets as a solution to the little wheels off things (channeling doug Adams) and the bits that I don’t understand but feel I need to think about….
I hope you get some of that antibiotic into the cat! Easier said than done, that. Easier said than done.
19. Rasmenia (8 comments.) | December 13, 2007
Ha ha…you’ve got me cracking up over “snaffled”. Oh, yeah…I am definitely liking this new word & will be jumping on each opportunity that arises to put it to use. :)
20. Claudia (4 comments.) | December 14, 2007
My work area is in the middle of our family area so frequently has every thing from wine glasses to shoes laying around. There’s nothing better than a little lovin’ declutter time! Good for you for giving yourself this gift.
21. Rian Fike (5 comments.) | December 14, 2007
That was really fun to ride along with!
22. Angela at mommy bytes (1 comments.) | December 14, 2007
I love to declutter! But it is so hard to get going.. Good job.
23. maryt/theteach (2 comments.) | December 14, 2007
Very funny! Some good cleaning up tips! :)
24. Joely (6 comments.) | December 14, 2007
I’m absolutely horrid at managing clutter. Happy TT!
25. Edward (1 comments.) | December 14, 2007
Wow seems that you arranged it in a very good way, mine is messy all the time…
26. nicholas (17 comments.) | December 14, 2007
We have a load of those little ketchup and mustard sachets in a drawer. I don’t know why, because we never use them.
27. Simone's Butterfly (1 comments.) | December 17, 2007
Man – I have to do that.
28. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Hi Robin
I think most RVs work on the principle of being outside most of the time. ;) Ours is 26′ long, so somewhere in the middle. The big 40′ ones are really intimidating to me.
29. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Sandy–oh, I hear you there! *grin*
Freecycle.org is your friend. ;)
30. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Adelle–be careful, it might actually happen. ;)
31. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Hi Vixen
I can’t find my Christmas tree. ;) Don says it’s up on top in the storage shed, but I don’t do ladders. ;)
32. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Hello Dawn
Yes, clutter is an unending disaster, I think. It just seems to grow…it’s amazing. ;)
33. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Lynne: big plastic bags and a ruthless attitude. That’s the only way. ;)
34. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Amy: nope, not possible to win. But you can at least carry on valiantly battling *grin*
35. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Randilin: so, how did it go?
36. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Hi Di,
I did actually run a contest to give the books away, but nobody was taking. I think the contest was too complicated and clashed too much with Christmas though. I’ll try again in the New Year. :)
37. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Matthew: oh, so that’s where that guy went. If you dig hard enough you might find Elvis…
38. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Pussreboots: Looks like I’ll have to be doing the same. ;)
39. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Lesley: I’m not sure I could let anyone else declutter for me. Although it must be said that this tends to lead to more stuff being thrown out. ;)
40. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Sarcastic Mom: Thank you!
41. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Kayla: Borrow to your heart’s content. :)
42. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Justin: I prefer a clean desk, but life and my general messy proclivities do seem to get in the way most of the time. Oh well…I try. ;)
43. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Maribeth: I’m hopeless with coupons. I never remember to actually use them, let alone put them in my purse. ;)
44. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Greatfullivin: It would be fun to just have a big bonfire sometime. ;)
45. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Damozel: clutter is an endless plague. The only way, I think, is to just do it at the time and on a daily basis…
The antibiotic thing is working a bit better than I thought. It’s liquid so it’s reasonably easy, not as hard as pills. Pill would be a wrap-in-towels and hold down job. ;)
46. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Rasmenia, it is a good word and should be used frequently. ;)
47. Randilin (2 comments.) | December 19, 2007
>Randilin: so, how did it go?
It went great, I have a post about it in my blog. By the time I was done the desk was basically bare. Except for a Clifford the Big Red Dog stuffie that was sitting on my CPU protecting my desk while am away.
48. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Claudia: I would go crazy if it got as bad as it did in our old home. I still have boxes of paperwork that I need to go through with a fine tooth-comb. Sometime in the next year I am truly looking forward to having a huge bonfire. ;)
49. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Thank you, Rian :)
50. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Angela: ooh, someone who likes it? I don’t like the fiddliness of it, but I like the end result.
51. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Thanks, Mary. :)
52. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Joely: I don’t think it comes naturally to anyone, to be honest. ;)
53. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Edward: good luck with your desk, if you ever try to tackle it. ;)
54. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Nicholas: We use them, usually, though I often end up throwing a bunch away. There is nothing worse than a packet of ketchup that has gone off…blech. Just…blech.
55. Linda R. Moore | December 19, 2007
Simone: good luck!
56. Linda R. Moore | January 11, 2008
Ooh, I missed this one first time round. I’m glad! The hard part is always keeping it that way, but hey, at least we started. :)


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1. Robin (25 comments.) | December 13, 2007
You must have a bigger rv than my folks do. I’m not sure they had room for clutter LOL. (At least not with 3 grandchildren moving in and two kids and two sons-in-law camping outside.) It was sure cozy in there, to say the least. Thank goodness we had good enough weather to stay outside most of the time!