Backstory: This is part of my ongoing efforts to get rid of clutter, to open up some space and allow more light and breath into my life.

Earlier this week I caught up with my mom. After she gave me updates on various family members and we talked through possible plans for the December holidays, she shared with me what she had planned for her day: “Going through piles, reading the to do list, updating the to do list, sending recipes to friends, going through recipes and setting them aside because I’ll make them some day….”

And I saw my future.

I’m not sharing this with you to in any way dis my mom. But, honestly, I do not want to be looking at the same to do list 30 years from now. I do not want to be spending my golden years sorting through all the stuff and files and papers and projects I’ll get to “some day”.

In fact, I don’t want to be dealing with all this accumulated junk two years from now. So I’m starting somewhere.

What happened: My first thought was to go through my lingerie drawer. It’s entirely possible that the last time I went through it was 10 years ago, when I made my last big move. But I was pretty overwhelmed at the time, so it’s likely everything got pulled out, dumped into a box, then re-dumped into the drawer. I know I have at least two bras in there that pre-date my marriage. I also am pretty sure I have a few half-slips in there, yet I can’t recall the last time I wore or even needed one. Plus I’m sure there are a number of items that need to be tossed and replaced.

I didn’t feel like setting myself up for a shopping/spending excursion just yet, so that drawer got put off. Next up, I thought about going through one of the crowded drawers in my work filing cabinet. Every so often I go through and pull out the files for clients who are no longer active and one-off projects that were completed long ago, and put those folders into archives in the basement. But actually, these drawers aren’t in horrible shape.

As I looked around the office and thought about the options, my attention was drawn to the little table next to the door. This is kind of my launching pad. It’s where I keep coupons, sunglasses, outgoing mail, magazines I’ve read and am ready to take to the gym. And there’s a drawer in it. I’d completely forgotten it had a drawer. Ha!

So I pulled everything out and off and went through it. The sand from a favorite beach (that baggie) finally went into the jar (also pictured) and is now displayed on a shelf. (I’m starting a collection from favorite beaches around the world.) The magazines went to the gym. The expired coupons went into the trash. The hand-warming gel pack I got as a stocking stuffer I don’t know how long ago went into the pocket of my dog walking jacket. The Canadian coins (?), I’m not sure what to do with those, but I certainly don’t need to save them for anything.

I also discovered a pair of binoculars (totally forgot I owned these!), three decks of playing cards, an old desk clock that has been in need of repair for ages, and a gift card for a scalp massage and blow out. (Totally scheduling that for the next week.)

In the drawer I discovered old padlocks and gym locker locks, keys to old luggage, and a spare key to a car we sold like two years ago. (I vaguely recall tearing the house apart, trying to find it. Ooops.)

Before…

…and after.

The Ah-Hah: Jeez. I wish I felt better about this. I did go through everything, toss a few things, and set some items aside for follow-up (clock repair, blow out, the filter for the bathroom faucet I need to replace). But this just reminds me of how much more I have to do around here. The good news is, I got through this section in less than 30 minutes, and I do see and feel a difference having this one little space of order and serenity.

I am thinking that I need to get myself on some kind of program. Maybe I designate 15 minutes a day to go through things. Maybe I partner with a girlfriend and we help each other by showing some tough love as we go through and toss stuff. Maybe I commit to following FlyLady (oh, how I love her) every day for the next six months for motivation. Maybe this is my next chapter of 52Nudges.

Meanwhile, I have a new perspective on decluttering. It’s been a common theme in this nudging process, and at times it’s seemed silly, or not related to the bigger goals I have for myself. But I’ve come to see it not only as lightening my load and clearing the space around me so I can clear my the space in my head; I’m starting to understand it as a treasure hunt:

• I better know what my treasurers are, those items that bring beauty and joy to my life, those items I want to keep
• I unearth hints of who I am, old passions that might be rekindled, mementos of old achievements that remind me of what I’ve overcome and what I’m capable of

What personal treasures have you rediscovered?