I have too much stuff. Much of this stuff is in the form of things I want to make other things out of at some point in the future … either artwork or repurposing into something useful. While recycling and reusing the old to create the new is indeed a noble pursuit, it still leaves me with way the hell too much stuff, mostly owing to my lack of time and energy to make and repurpose as quickly as I would have to in order to NOT have so much stuff on hand. In other words, I collect stuff faster than I use stuff.

Something has to done about all this stuff. Luckily, I have a packrat gene and not a hoarder gene, so getting rid of stuff is generally not a problem, aside from finding the time and energy to get that done. The last couple years, i’ve been really good at getting rid of stuff (or using it) in a timely manner, but … sometimes the stuff just really starts to stack up, and then it feels like an overwhelming task to get rid of anything or even to start getting rid of anything. Have you ever sat back in your chair and looked at a huge project and just stalled on starting in on it because OMG, where to begin? I think we all have at least once in our lives!

All the same, I need to get started getting rid of stuff, and the easiest way to do that is to start in on what I call my arts and crafts junk^† … the ever growing pile that resides in my current arts and crafts workspace (aka the kitchen). It didn’t start out as a huge pile. Just two smallish boxes of art supplies and interesting things. I bought a large plastic storage box a while back, organized the lot of it in there, and vowed to keep the pile down to only what would fit in said storage box. Naturally, I totally failed at this. It is now a pile of boxes, bags, and miscellaneous bric-a-brac. It’s all really interesting stuff, I assure you! Things that gave me ideas or put thoughts in my head of some sort, but it really hasn’t been sorted or judged worthy or unworthy, and since I’ve mostly been doing paintings and drawings for the last year or so, none of it has been getting used either.

Since that pile seemed like a good place to start getting rid of stuff (and a quick way too), yesterday, I dug into it, fully intending to get rid of lots of stuff. I sent half a trash bin of stuff on its way out of my life, and then, I started finding really interesting stuff and got overwhelmed, tired, and cranky. I made myself a cup of coffee, walked away from the mess I’d made in the kitchen, and began contemplating my situation on the Tree of Woe (with a soundtrack of my ever helpful cats rustling through and gnawing on the stuff tossed and stacked around the kitchen). That’s when it came to me: I need to find a way to facilitate getting rid of this interesting stuff in a way that is fun and creative rather than annoying and tiring!

Therefore, I have devised a challenge for myself, and I’ve decided on some rules. You know I love rules!

1. One small box or bag … or collection of loose objects that would fill one small box or bag … to be selected each Sunday.

2. Within the next seven day period, all objects in each collection, box, or bag, must be repurposed into something useful, used to create something artful, placed in a box for donation, or tossed in the trash or recycling bin.

3. If, at the end of the seven day period, the prior rule has not been accomplished, all items must then be placed into the appropriate outgoing receptacle (trash, recycling, donation).

4. One unused item each week can be carried over to the next week’s collection, but no item can be carried over a second week without being used. At the end of its second week in a collection, the item must be placed in the appropriate outgoing receptacle if not used.

5. a) If all items in a collection are used before the seven day period has expired, the remaining time may either be “waited out” or the next week’s collection can be selected/begun early with the extra time added to its seven day period. b) If all items in a collection are recycled/donated/trashed before the seven day period has expired, the next collection must be selected immediately with the extra time added to that collection’s work period (maximum 14 days). c) If items in a collection have been both used and recycled/donated/trashed before the seven day period has expired, any leftover time must be waited out.

6. Purchased art/craft supplies (glue, paint, tools, etc.) have a permanent pass from forced donation/recycling/trashing (though such will be allowed if desired), but they MUST be placed in their proper storage location. If no such proper storage location currently exists, one must be created.

7. Each week’s collection will be photographed and posted on my blog no later than Monday noon. Update photos during the week are at my discretion. A final photo of any objects repurposed or created during the seven day period and objects which will be removed from the household, as well as the item to be carried over to the next week (if any), will also be posted no later than Monday noon.

8. Whining, wailing, and the gnashing of teeth is both allowed and expected. Breaking the rules is not.

And there you have the rules of the game! I’ll be starting my personal decluttering creativity challenge this Sunday, so stay tuned for those mandated blog posts!

1. † To be fair, the majority of the boxes in the Box Room are also arts and crafts junk, but one pile at a time, right? The Box Room will be next, right after the pile in the living room. [↩]