Daily Bin Challenge.

James is back on the radio! It was some kind of "personal renovation project" theme on his first day back. A lady said she is going to throw out one item every day. SOUNDS LIKE A CHALLENGE. She started with an old pair of undies. Every journey starts with a small step. And then a lot of other steps about the same size.

I think the reason I am often obsessed with decluttering, other than the effort of overcoming the pain of throwing things away, is that if you aren't decluttering, you are cluttering. It's like gravity. If it's not being pushed one way, it's being pulled the other. Without deliberate intent, the default is towards overconsumption and overflowing storage.

A colleague recommended a blog about the whole slow and steady decluttering thing. 52 weeks of decluttering. It's just one small project a week, like the front of the fridge or the handbag.

But as we know, I don't do small steps, I do obsession, so while there is nothing on TV I'm filling the bin. I'm addicted to decluttering. It's like you ignore your surroundings most of the time and then you get rid of one thing and the feeling of letting go of it is strangely empowering, "I DON'T NEED THIS!", and it goes to your head and you see everything with new eyes. For a week or two you weed the house with clarity and dedication, and then it's another 6 months of the fog of mess.

But I'm trying to push through as long as I can with the getting rid of one thing a day. I'm calling it Daily Bin because it's catchy, and just writing what I get rid of in my diary to maintain momentum. Not all things go in the bin though. Some go to other people, or the op shop. I gave a Bill Bryson book to Julia for the plane. I took my old computer to the recycling place. I am giving some very good quality shoes to Anglicare. One day it was just a sock. Another day it was some old sunscreen. Cos sometimes even when things are rubbish I don't get rid of them promptly, but the challenge motivates me.

I'm also reading about minimalism. Not as an architectural style but as a way of life and attitude to stuff. Just because it actually asks the question "Do I need a coffee table?", which by the way you probably don't. I hate coffee tables. They fill up the best floor space and they aren't close enough to put your cup of tea on but they are good for putting your feet on and they just become a dump zone for your handbag and mail. If you want a thing to put cups on, a side table is the thing.