Helpful Podcast for a Summer Jumpstart--ADD or Not.

I like to mention useful books, sites, podcasts, etc., and I've found another nice resource: The Taking Control podcast, designed for folks with ADD. I personally don't have an ADD diagnosis, but I often wonder how to order my tasks and can forget to do mundane things, like declutter the entryway. Because I've benefited from other ADD tips, I decided to give this podcast a listen. And most of the advice sounds helpful for my own housekeeping. I also wonder if people with hoarding or OCD tendencies will benefit from much of the same advice. I think there's some overlap.

I'm also willing to bet that if you're decluttering your kinda messy relatives' stuff, you might not be incredibly organized yourself. (Or you rebelled and are extremely tidy and Type A!) So here's a new resource to try out and enjoy. The shows aren't that long, so it's the perfect amount of time to fold some laundry and listen in.

Surfing YouTube and Finding Insight--Why People Can't Let Go of Stuff

If you don't remember, I originally started this blog as a way to discuss how to dispose of items from an inherited estate. More specifically, I was the last relative standing dealing with my grandparents' belongings, and as cool as my relatives were, it's important to say they were on the hoarding spectrum. I always say they didn't have dead rats buried under paperwork or anything like that--more just keeping and retaining regular life items without culling through them--bills, glasses, dishware, travel souvenirs, etc. They did organize stuff by category, at least--they just didn't let go of it. And I would guess this clutter tendency got worse as they aged, though growing up during the Great Depression probably caused them to hold onto everything as they went through life.

As I've gone through layers of their home (literally and metaphorically), I've sought information and watched a fair number of TV shows about hoarding. Today I found some short and helpful online videos from the International OCD Foundation featuring Randy Frost, PhD, giving insight into how hoarders process information differently. According to Frost, they see more special details about objects and then have a harder time letting go of them. If you see extra knowledge as empowering, these videos could be for you. And while hoarding causes stress for family members, one positive note is that hoarders can be creative people who notice what others miss. If you're intrigued, see his helpful videos--"Causes of Hoarding" is below:

Summer Giveaways and Your Brain

A couple nights ago a friend said to me, "I got your email about giving away some fishing poles and thought, 'Yup, it's summer again! Hilary's getting rid of things!'" And it's true--it's a seasonal ritual where I send out lists of random things to sell or give away. Favorites include the vintage meat cleaver and an old hatchet--and yes, there were takers.

This summer I'm proud to say my load is lighter, but I'm left to ponder about some stuff--like what do I do with a electric-start gas mower that appears to be broken? Sell it for parts? And now that I don't have a truck, how do I transport it to a shop? Maybe craigslist is the way--or the super easy but no-cash-flow trick of putting it on the curb.

I will say it takes time and having more urgent things taken care of to even have the energy and, dare I use the term, "bandwith" to ponder such things. Disposing of this stuff can get so particular and detailed, and I don't think my brain is really suited to deal with stuff stuff stuff all the time.

Speaking of the brain and having time, I discovered open (i.e. free) university courses online...so if you want to check out free lectures, I find the MIT Intro to Psychology course pretty fascinating--especially the part about how the left hemisphere of the brain deals with details and the right side deals with things holistically. And the prof is delightfully nerdy and knowledgeable.

Tying back to my blog topic, I think decluttering is more of a left-brain activity and bet it's easier for folks who tend to be left-hemisphere dominant. And that would not be me! That's why some are suited to be professional organizers and some... are not!

UFCU Shred Day 6/14

I made it to the Austin shred day yesterday and oh, it felt good! Papers from three generations went bye-bye and out of my trunk. But if you still have papers or missed it, the local credit union is offering another one in June. Get there early--at the city one yesterday, it looked like I might have arrived as they were using their last truck out of four!

 From UFCU's site:

*Weather permitting
Please note updated hours for event

Date:	June 14, 2014
Time:	10:00 AM
Duration:	2 hours or until the truck is full
Location:	UFCU N Guadalupe Financial Center 4611 Guadalupe St Austin, TX 78751

City of Austin Free Shred Day Sat. 5/17, Road Show, and the Pickup Left

It's back at the Austin High School parking lot this year--the FREE City of Austin shred day, where they'll take a whopping five boxes off your hands! I have about five boxes still in my trunk from when I missed the UFCU shred day in March...just as I was pulling up, the big truck was driving off. So get there early enough--I heard the lines at the March one were long!  Time to get the dusty boxes out of the car. 

Time: 8-1:30.

More info: "The Austin chapter of ARMA International is sponsoring their 11th annual free SPRING Shred Day.  With the increased awareness of identity theft, it's important to carefully dispose of personal records.  Households can bring up to five boxes of paper records per household.  All of the shredded material is recycled.  Please make sure your records are paper only (no hard plastics, no plastic bags, electronic media or three-ring binders) and are not wet or moldy.  Mobile shredding trucks will be provided by Balcones Resources, Cintas, and Iron Mountain.

ARMA International is a not-for-profit professional association and the authority on governing information as a strategic asset. Monetary donations will be accepted with a  portion of the proceeds going to ARMA Austin and the Capital Area Food Bank."

In other news, I was NOT selected in the drawing to receive Antiques Road Show tickets. Kinda bummed b/c how often will that show be here?

Happier news:  This week I sold the 23 year-old gold Dodge pickup truck that had been passed down from my great-uncle all the way down to me. I hardly ever drove it, but man, I miss seeing a truck in the driveway because I associate "truck" with family. I've often had a diesel pickup in my life somehow--funny how I'm not a country girl but find trucks comforting because my dad usually owned one. But now, when would I get one for myself? And why? I'm considering a Honda or Toyota to replace my current main car...compact = less gas. But car shopping is another story. 

I still feel good that I decluttered my driveway if someone else will get more use and pleasure from that truck. It's had little use in the last decade in my family. So farewell, loud truck. I'll miss your dusty smell and cozy fabric seats. May your huge engine and non-computerized parts make others happy. Vroom vroom.

Decisions must be made...

Last night I read about a decision-making system designed to help children with ADHD. I think adults who need help with decision-making while cleaning and decluttering might like trying it out as well. I know sometimes I get overwhelmed with all the possible tasks and options before me, which can slow me down quite a bit.

The decision-making process is called KITE.

K--Know your situation. Take in the specifics and details.

I--Identify your choices and options. List out each plan and the good and bad points of each.

T--Try the best plan.

E--Evaluate how it worked or didn't.

Taken from The Survival Guide for Kids with ADD or ADHD by John F. Taylor, Ph.D.

I'll let you know if I find it useful this week as I do some spring cleaning!

Mar. 15 Free Shred Day

I tend to list shred days really far in advance, so here's a reminder for the next free local shred day. (And it turns out the free City of Austin one is returning in May.) I have more than two boxes, so we'll see what happens. UFCU N Guadalupe Financial Center 4611 Guadalupe St Austin, TX 78751 10 a.m. for four hours or until the truck is full. Weather permitting.

Disposing of Pesky Broken Things

This is one of my more random posts, but...
I have a broken ironing board. I also have a small city trash bin that saves me some money. This ironing board won't fit into the bin.
I also hate the idea of trashing a hunk of metal. So I was quite happy to hear today that Goodwill will take most broken items for recycling. Ironing boards, TVs, etc. Just not baby stuff, like cribs. I read that thrift stores recycle a large amount of their donations, including clothing, but I always heard it was an insult to give them items that belong in the trash. I guess times have changed and it's okay to bring in my broken ironing board. So green and so convenient.

How Long to Keep Papers...and Ghosts of Deeds Past

Today I helped a friend pack some boxes for a move, and as we stood around chatting with his coworker, how long to keep paperwork came up. I know I've shared that I found insurance bills from the 1950s in the garage, so I feel strongly about this topic. Not that I am perfect myself, but letting things go 50+ years is a way to invite unkind sentiments from your surviving family.

When you google "how long to keep papers," a government site comes up--Managing Household Records. It's not the most exciting topic, but as I told friends today, when it comes to taxes, you just need your papers from 7 years ago and up...and with other stuff, you can chuck it annually or sooner or, if it's incredibly important (will, deed, etc.), you should check a guide to decide how long you should keep it.

Deeds are another funny topic to me--I found deeds from the 1930s and earlier! My relatives just never thought to dispose of them, maybe rightly so--as long as they still owned the property, they needed to keep the deed.  (Also funny how never letting go of papers seems to be inherited! Martha Stewarts we ain't.) While it's been interesting to see where people lived, I felt good parting with the "more recent" deeds of my grandparents, ranging from the 1960s and up. Occasionally I thought, gee, maybe I should keep these as a historical record of where they lived! It could be interesting, like when you watch those genealogy TV shows like NBC's Who Do you Think You Are? or Finding Your Roots on PBS. When those guests find out what Great-Grandfather did for a living and where he lived, it's super interesting and surprising. (And yes, the U.S. Census provides great information.) But, I realized when it comes to my storing old deeds and other papers in a shoebox under my bed...that's more history than I need to keep in my space and haul around. (And while I don't totally believe in feng shui, apparently keeping stuff under the bed is bad for chi. And for your sleep.) Perhaps I would never make a great guest on one of those TV shows--I know too much and it wouldn't be very exciting or suspenseful! Maybe a few hundred years back would get good.

Yes, I kept a few of my great-grandfather's typesetters' union membership cards--and I confess I learned about a relative I knew nothing about via her death certificate and some deeds. Thank you for cluttering, relatives--it has been interesting to learn about my great-great-aunt who owned a cafe near the coast. But they could have seriously pared it down. It took a lot of energy to sort the interesting from the expendable. So yes, save a few items and tidbits worthy of historical preservation. But keeping all 10+ union membership cards and every deed this family ever signed? No. Not worth it. Not with ancestry.com and all the other folks out there who have done research now available online. My grandmother herself was a genealogy nut and did some great research considering there was no Internet--her info often matches what I find online. But unless we lose the Internet forever, it's safe to let go of some of her notes and the various papers mentioned--it's time to get busy living! What a lovely relief.

Next free shred day is in March

More clutter-busting of papers...

I can't find any info on a City of Austin free shred day for spring, so right now all I can find is another free Univ. Fed. Credit Union Shred Day. I keep forgetting to go or getting rained out!

Date:	March 15, 2014
Time:	10:00 AM
Duration:	4 hours or until the truck is full
Location:	UFCU N Guadalupe Financial Center 4611 Guadalupe St Austin, TX 78751

The Antiques Road Show is Coming....

It's finally happening. A few years too late for me in some ways, but still, it's exciting. If you have possibly valuable furniture, you can contact PBS' appraisal road show and maybe hear the cha-ching sound when some expert tells you what it's worth. Or you can just enter the drawing for tickets and enjoy all the old stuff from Texas homes. And from what I have seen, Texans have got some pretty interesting old stuff laying around. To see the 2014 tour locations, check out the show's site and then apply for tickets--for Austin, the deadline is in April. (I might send in some photos of some items, but I'd be happy to just attend.) This truly is one of the happier ways you could declutter.

The Garage Returns, and Happiness in 2014

I haven't written here in a while...

I have some tiny bits of info. Shred day got rained out so I now have two boxes of papers sitting in my trunk...I think the next free shred day is in March. I'm stubborn and frugal enough to hold out because shredding service seem to run about $40 for small jobs here. Maybe the desperation to be rid of boxes will get me to cough up one day, but geesh!

Tonight I grabbed a few small boxes from the garage and was amused and dismayed (as usual) to find:

• A box of my great-grandmother's letters, postcards, and Christmas cards, the Christmas cards mostly from 1967--when stamps were four or five cents.  I wish there was a market for canceled stamps, but I haven't really found much info saying it's worth finding buyers. I will say the retro Christmas cards are kinda cool--and many are the size and shape of a business envelope. Sadly, I doubt the thrift store will take used cards. I'm sure some art student would like them, but...it's a lot of trouble to find said art student.
• A box of quail and duck shells from 1985.
• Hand grip exercisers. (Ouch! Never could use those.)
• Walnut grabber pick thingies--what are they called?
• A dusty turtle and frog figurine.
• A relative's paperwork from 2002.
• A cool retro metallic but beat up measuring tape.

Pretty typical! The garage is much easier to tackle in cooler weather, so I should consider a weekly visit and sorting in there this winter. 

Traveling in an airport last year, I bought Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project, where each month she tries out common self-help habits to see if they really make here life happier. It became a bestseller, and I confess I only read a few chapters so far, but she does tackle the "organize your home" habit. She mentions that not many studies have been done relating decluttering to happiness, but the common knowledge out there is that cleaning up will lead to less stress. Hmm. If anything, I'd say having a to-do list hanging over your head--as in, get rid of a bunch of stuff--does cause stress, and as I slowly but surely unload things, I do feel some triumph and like I'm moving on with life. The more time goes on, the more I want just my own stuff--not the stuff of relatives--hanging around my home. And aesthetically, I am tired of seeing the stuff. I am still surprised (but not) by the little random items I find--and as amusing as it can be, here's hoping I can part with many of these things in 2014.