It’s time for a Hoist The Hangers update. We’re almost two-thirds of the way through the month, and progress is good.

Here’s what I’ve discovered – I had too much stuff. No ifs or buts about it, just too much.

Let me pose you a question. How many pairs of undies does a girl need?

I tell you this, it’s NOT 50.

Oh, for shame, I discovered 50 pairs of jockettes in my top drawer. FIFTY! Not 15, which would be eminently reasonable. I still can’t quite believe it.

And you know that stereotypical thing about some bachelors hanging on to jocks that are more holey than garment-like…. I’m here to tell you, this single gal was guilty of that too! Well, not quite to the same extent as some bachelors I’ve seen (ahem!), but there were some ‘favourites’ in there that grandma would have been MORTIFIED over if I’d been hit by a bus in them. They’ve now been binned. Sorry grandma.

The fruit box that I’m pitching hangers into as I cull my wardrobe is now overflowing. Here’s an art installation I created on the weekend with the spares.

 

Proof positive that decluttering and heightened levels of creativity go hand in hand. (Falls down laughing.) Care to count them up? I’ll save you the trouble dear readers, that there is 44.44% of the #99hangers I started with. Woo hoo! I’m really happy with  my progress.

The boot of my car is now weighed down with two very hefty bags of recyclables for the op shop, which I’m hoping will be useful to somebody.

Part of the process of decluttering included venturing into what I had thought would be land mine strewn enemy territory – under the bed – but I’m pleased to report that I found only a few forlorn items hiding under a thick layer of dust, and they all went easily into the designated donations bags, even though I momentarily considered holding on to a long forgotten nana-chic (not in a good way) cardigan. I resisted, and it is in the bag with everything else unworthy of being in my space.

It has been a really interesting process, from seeing how much stuff I had as it flapped on the Hills Hoist, to thinking about why we have so much, what our stuff means to us, the power we give to inanimate objects, and what emotional comfort we draw from our things. Bringing those musings down to a personal level, and considering why I had so much, has been really valuable.

I have been pleasantly surprised to see just how much that was lurking in the back of drawers or shoved in the deepest recesses of my wardrobe or storage room, gave me no little or trouble when it came to discarding things. I think a lot of that was helped by setting my mind to the task before I began. I knew I needed to have a good declutter, and turning it into a bit of a game and hopefully moderately entertaining blog fodder, has made me enjoy it more and feel accountable about following through. I think that’s really important when it comes to a hoisting. Make yourself accountable to someone, set yourself a deadline/goal, whether that’s a time frame or an amount of items.

I had #99hangers and I’ve ditched 44.44% of the items that were hanging on them (special thanks at this point to Clare, my percentages and fractions support guru).

I’ve taken out and examined every skerrick of clothing from my wardrobe’s built-in drawers, and ditched plenty of stuff that was taking up space there.

I no longer have 50 pairs of undies. I think I’ve ditched at least 20 pairs, if not more. I have noticed that it feels like I’m pulling ‘new’ pairs out of the top drawer each morning, now that my holey old faves are in the bin. I don’t think we need to talk about that in any more detail. Sorry again, grandma.

I have found it so encouraging to have a few people comment here, or on Facebook or Instagram, that seeing me hoist my hangers has motivated them to consider their own hoisting. I thoroughly recommend it, especially if you’re suffering from ‘jam-packed wardrobe, nothing to wear’ syndrome. Hoist away!

I’m not done yet though. I still have to face my shoes! I’m confident there are less than #99pairs, but there are plenty that I don’t wear or had simply forgotten about. Again, I’m a favourites girl – the shoes I’m wearing right now are old, old, old Colorados and probably should have been binned years ago… so that will be another challenge.

I’d love to hear from anyone who has started their own decluttering, hoisting, or has been thinking more about their possessions lately. We can so easily be defined by our ‘stuff’, don’t you think? I for one, do NOT want to be that kind of person. I want to be defined by the stuff in my head, the stuff in my heart, and most of all, the stuff of my actions.

Send me your ju-ju for the shoes chapter of #hoistthehangers please. I’m afeared.

Have a great week. Leave a comment, pop over to my Facebook page or Instagram and say hello, I love hearing from you.

Cheers,

Annette x