The first dungeon in my house that I took care of was my office. There wasn't that much stuff (books, trinkets) to declutter, but there were pounds and pounds of paper clutter. I did the 'stuff decluttering' first. I used my timer and did just 15 minutes at a time. It didn't take long to do that part of it. But I couldn't face the paperwork. I closed the door and tried to forget about it. But I knew what it looked like in there and it kept bugging me.

One day last week I decided to tackle the paper clutter. I had to pull out all of the paperwork at one time because it was all in different places. It wouldn't have made sense to do one bin at a time because there was a lot of crossover. I would declutter a bit then take a break. I did that for hours. It didn't feel like a burden either. I was having fun. With every piece of paper I got rid of I felt better and better. Hubby shredded everything. What I thought would take me days, only took hours. And that's because I took so many breaks. I ended up tossing 25 pounds of paper clutter!

You can check out my videos, on youtube, about my office dungeon, here.

The second dungeon we dealt with was the garage. The entire floor was piled with boxes, bins and stuff. We started decluttering in April 2007 and finished 3 1/2 MONTHS later! We used the timer and decluttered 15 minutes at a time, taking breaks and only working as long as it was fun. Let me just say, there were lots of days that only 15 minutes of decluttering was done. We just kept plugging away at it until it was done. It's not perfect and that's okay. We are able to park BOTH vehicles in there now. David has his work benches set up and I put some storage shelves together (camping gear, auto supplies, etc.).

It was awesome when we could see the majority of the floor in the garage. It was a long project, but so well worth it.

You can check out my videos on jumpcut about my garage here.

We've made a lot of progress and it feels very good.

We still have another dungeon to deal with: the master bedroom suite. I know that Marla says that this is the first room that should be taken care of, but we've left it for last. I don't know why that is. I can't relax in my bedroom because, even though we've been in the house for over a year, the parts to my bed frame are leaning up against the wall. The lights that will go over the bed are on the floor. It NEVER looks welcoming or relaxing in my bedroom. But I know now that working just 15 minutes at a time will fix this. Now I am hopeful. It doesn't seem overwhelming anymore. It's still not done, but I know that soon it will be.

At least put the pretty things up! It made a world of difference when we got our first bedroom furniture. I tend to keep things put up better (better not P.....) I think it does make a difference. It stops that fast whirring thing my brain does when you lay down. Plus you arent dodging boxes or clothes piles on the floor.

You go girl!
Rhonda

The only thing on the floor is sunshine! I love that.

Doing your bedroom will be fun. Really. Just pretend it's 1975 and your mom gave you free reign to decorate your room or think of when you were first out of the house and had your own place...fun!

Don't forget a reward like buying candles and something girly for when you are done. Orrrr...you could buy the girlie thing first and lay it out. David will see it and BAM! Instant helper to get the room done.

here is where i would begin (but i'm a bit of a devil )

I would move the bed aside (far from where the light should go), cover it with plastic or something to protect, and go ask DA MAN OF DA HOUSE to hang the bloody lamp right now so we can move the bed back to its place and get into it (do never specificly say what to do once in there) . The following week, strip the bed and ask him to put the frames. The rest will only be decluttering an decorating

Thanks for the suggestion! I don't know if DA MAN OF DA HOUSE will want to do things out of order (his idea of 'order') or for that fact, a little at a time. He's a guy. He needs to see progress NOW I will suggest it to him though. Thanks, April.

Rhonda, I think I will put the pretty things up now while the bed is still apart. I may even break down and get some curtains (all we have right now are mini-blinds ).

Great ideas, Heidi! I especially like the idea of enticing David to help me do this. That will surely make it fun.

You deserve some pretties... even if the clutter isnt done. You deserve some beauty around YOUR beauty. I think I'm the worst at not doing or getting something cuz I cant justify the cost in my head.

Love yourself with some pretties!
RS