Attack of the de-clutter bug ... Phase 1

It is Tuesday and I still do not have a list. Pinterest, it turns out, is not really for Indian homes as of now. An average Indian house does not have broom cupboards, wall to wall carpets, walk in closets, pantries and the like.

So I will have to make it up as it goes.

For starters I will try to go cupboard by cupboard. Attack each one with a bag - in which I will throw stuff that I no longer need, those which I have not used for the past one year, those which I know i will never use.

While I have not yet managed to make a concrete plan of action I know where I want to start. What the Pinterest posts would call "linen closet" :)

This week is turning out to be quite crazy at work so I will start reallllyyyyyyyy slow - just organise the cupboard which holds all my bed sheets, bed covers, pillow cases, towels etc. Now this not just means arranging them neatly, but also ensuring that there is not item which belongs to this cupboard in the laundry basket. Everything will be washed, ironed and put in the cupboard OR it should be in use.

And the cupboard should look nice when someone opens it. Not like leaning tower of sheetsa threatening to topple over and suffocate you!

So help me linen fairies!

Attack of the de-clutter bug...

I think myself to be a neat person. Friends often make fun of my OCDish ways. I like things to be replaced where they belong. I like the house feeling fresh and nice. It is nice when table tops, book shelves, glass surfaces dust free.

But I must admit doing it yourself when you are sharing a flat with friends and are responsible for just your little room it is so much easier. My hostel room, my room in the shared flat were always spic and span. I could say my OCDish habits were successful there.

Unfortunately a whole flat is a different ball-game. With long work hours, and just the weekend to cram all the chores and entertainment and relaxation into, keeping the house clean is maddeningly hard!

More often than not I end up stuffing everything extra into cupboards and running through the surfaces with a duster. So at least the outside looks pretty alright but the stuffed and cluttered cupboards stay firmly in my head taunting !! And every time I open a cupboard I am faced with mountains of clutter which is screaming for attention.. Demanding to be sorted and de-cluttered.

So...

Terrified, though I am, of the magnitude (for me) of what I am going to state right now.. I have decided to give it a shot.

I am going to spend the coming 2 weeks DE-CLUTTERING & ORGANISING.

It is a humongous task for someone like me who is prone to stress about cleanliness at the drop of a broom (pun intended).

To make sure I carry out my resolve in a systematic fashion which will not drive me insane I need to start small and slow.

The first thing to do is make a list. The steps I am going to take for this endeavour and then attack each item one by one.

For my list I am going to refer to one of my favourite apps :D Pinterest. I love Pinterest and this will be an interesting way to actually use it.

Aim - Come up with a comprehensive list by Monday.

Target - Declutter house, throw/donate stuff not used, old, useless.

So help me De-clutter fairy!!!  :)

PYJAMAS

She walked out in her purple pyjamas. The one with little clouds printed on it.They were her favourite pair. She walked towards the living room where her parents watched TV and had coffee before turning in for the night.

But she did not find them there.

She liked sitting by the living room door and listen to the gentle din of the TV and the soft voices of her Mamma and Papa sharing jokes and incidents that happened during the day. It made her feel safe and warm. Content she would go back and snuggle into her own bed smiling.

But tonight was different.The din was absent and it made the room chilly. The coffee mugs were lying on the table untouched. A cold silence had over taken the room

She was suddenly scared. Slowly she ventured out. Desperately hoping that Mamma would catch sight of her and gently scold her for being out past her bed time.

She heard no one. No one called her into her arms.She wondered what had gone wrong. It had been just like any other night. And she was in her own soft purple pyjamas that she loved so much.

Or was she?

She looked down in horror. Her pyjamas were not purple and there were no clouds on it. She was wearing these bland plain pink ones. With a little logo on the pocket. “Some home” it said but she couldn't really read it well.

Startled she woke up in the bed. A cold hard metal bed. And remembered, the crash that took her parents away.

Every night she had the same dream.