Well, now I'm feeling pretty good. I have the living room all finished (http://www.revamphomegoods.com/2013/01/home-organization-living-room-chapter-2.html) and my hubby bought me flowers...guess that means I have to tackle the outbox. AHH!

Oh, lots of work to do! Excited to empty my outbox!

I have my get-together tomorrow: twelve people over, including a reporter to interview people, crazily enough (not about the gathering but the author we'll be reading). Eeks. This will be the first get-together I'll have ever hosted, since the disastrous birthday slumber party I had when I was in the fifth grade and everyone ended up in tears. It should go better than that, I'm assuming :)

I was planning on working my living room this weekend so I'm excited for this assignment matches up! It's been the one area I've avoided cleaning the most despite spending the majority of my time there. It's time to get it done!

For any Baltimore readers, here is a great place for your outbox stuff happening on Saturday morning:
http://freestorebaltimore.org/

This is very timely for me as when I was standing in my living room this morning, I was thinking about rearranging the furniture in the living room. Great time to do it as part of a deep clean.

Living room is a piece of cake to clean, since I always keep it pretty free of clutter. I admit I was kind of hoping for a deep bathroom clean as part of the Cure, since that's what I really need the added push to do! I've also been surprised to see how hard it is to GIVE things away sometimes - Craigslist and Freecycle can be great, but I've had a few no-shows and reschedulers that are pretty frustrating.

I'm a little discouraged by my half-assed version of the Cure. Didn't anticipate working quite so very much and it's cramped my stuff-purging style. However! One thing I'm excited to get out of my outbox this weekend is an old laptop. I've been looking around for a worthy cause that would take it, and this seems like the best candidate so far: http://www.brotherhood-sistersol.org/, also described here: http://nymag.com/nymetro/shopping/asknewyork/n_10272/

Does anyone have a pet charity (ideally in NYC but I can also mail it) that would accept an old, functioning laptop? Any pros/cons to sending it to Brotherhood/Sistersol? When is an old laptop destined for the electronics recycling program? This one works, but is too old to use wireless internet (I got a TaskRabbit to check.)

"since the disastrous birthday slumber party I had when I was in the fifth grade and everyone ended up in tears."

Oh god, I sympathize! The only time I've ever had a birthday party (also a sleep-over) in my life was in eighth grade, with three girls who friend-dumped me a week later (and pushed me down a flight of stairs in the process). Augh. Uh, here's to having more successful get-togethers; dinner parties on my part.

Yikes on the sleepover craziness! I'm planning my first sleepover party for my soon-to-be 10 year old daughter's birthday. She's nixed all my birthday planning crutches -- no pinata and no pin the tail on the donkey. I don't know what the heck we are supposed to do with them for all of those hours.

I'm going to use this weekend to continue to work on our other projects. Our living room is mostly done except for buying a nice big piece of art. That I'm giving us a pass on as it's a big purchase & it needs to be something we love.

So this weekend, my hubby & daughter as helper will tile the kitchen backsplash! And I will do some cleaning that I didn't get to during the cure. I already took all the donations on Tuesday to make room on our front porch (I nearly injured myself tripping over the boxes.) Plus, I will finally tie on the pulls to the Roman shades that I completed & hung the 1st week of the cure.

This has been a most successful cure & I hope AT will do them at least twice a year, ideally once a quarter....

I want a room with windows just like that where I can cozy up to read and dream.

Shredding old papers, wearing a mask against the paper dust is a good idea.

Ready to dig in this weekend! I'm going to tackle the cord clutter behind the TV, give the big bookcase a much needed dusting, and catch up on some of the assignments I couldn't get to this week, including a good bathroom clean.

Good luck everyone!

I'm sad this is all coming to an end! Am I the only one who has eagerly awaited the Cure emails every morning this past month? :)

On the other hand, I plan to go through this entire process at LEAST once a year, and probably twice. Subsequent Cures will be much more simple since I won't have quite the backlog, but this has really made a positive difference in my house, and I'm oh-so-grateful for that! :)

Doing everything all out of order and skipping things, I already have the living room done--for now. I had rearranged the living room (at the beginning of the Cure? Just before?) and needed some new things. Went to IKEA and got them--2X4 Expedit shelves and a couple of tables, all of which I put together early in the Cure. I LOVE the new arrangement. I still have to get better organization in the Expedit, which I'm using the long way, on its side, including buying inserts. I already had a party last weekend, since I already planned to have it, and the new arrangement was smashing.

Other than this, I've kind of done a smorgasbord of the Cure, using what I needed to get ready for my party and also did things as I had time. I've knocked a few things off my list that we created at the beginning of the Cure.

I'm sad this is coming to an end too.

I am feeling very defensive about keeping some items that are in my outbox. I need to think thru the rules again and the items I am reluctant to part with. There are probably more than 100 items. I think a good portion of the stuff, I will be happy to get rid of, but I need to ask myself why I want to hold on to the other things. I am sensing a very productive weekend ahead!!

OUTBOX RULES:
1. Anything can go in the Outbox
2. The Outbox is allowed to get messy
3. Everything must stay in the Outbox for at least one week
4. After that time you have several choices:
......a. Take anything back out
or,..b. Leave anything you are undecided about for one more week
or,..c. Dispose of the rest by moving to the garbage, recycling bin, or giveaway pile

Are there any guidelines for when taking an item back out is or is not a good idea? Does it have to have a home or intended purpose, or can I just like it alot? I need some help to not lean into my hoarding tendency! =D

I agree. Even if I set out to do a Cure on my own schedule several times a year, I don't think I would stick to it as well without the guidance and ideas from AT. I would probably get sidetracked by whatever else AT was posting about!!

I cannot WAIT to throw the Outbox (and bag) into the car and go to Goodwill. My parents are visiting this weekend, so that's going to be my get-together as well. Fortunately, the house is looking so, so much better thanks to the Cure, and I am all set to cook, bake, and celebrate both of their birthdays while they are up here. Sweet!

sarajanie,

No specific guidelines on pulling things back out of the outbox - totally up to you and how you feel about it at this point in time. You can just "like it alot"! If you have more than 100 items in your outbox that you are getting rid of and you pull back a few, I'd say you've still been very successful.

...and to everyone saying they are going to miss the Cure when it wraps up next week, I'm right there with you. I've been working on Apartment Therapy for just about 7 years and this is one of my favorite things I've worked on EVER - everyone has been so inspiring and supportive.

At this point, I'm definitely planning another Cure for 2013 that is geared a bit more toward decor and design - more of a one-month room makeover. As soon as this one wraps up, I'll be starting the planning for that one and most likely it will run in the late summer. Will keep you all in the loop!

My guideline is "how does this item make me feel"? If it makes me smile, I can find a place for it. If it makes me feel guilty, or if I'm only keeping it because I think I "should", out it goes.

@sarajanie, my suggestion is to take out and get rid of everything you are comfortable with getting rid of. This will leave only the stuff you are ambivalent about, so less confusion. Leave all that in there another week. Then look at one thing at a time. Think about why you put it in the outbox in the first place and why you are ambivalent. Don't fall for guilt (Mom gave it to me -- I hate it, but I love Mom...) But if you really really love it, keep it for now. Try to put it to use -- if that weird but fascinating ceramic planter isn't really good for a plant, maybe it can hold your chopstick collection or work as a dish to hold your keys... Then, later, if you are having doubts again, maybe this time you can let it go. It's your life and your stuff. You don't have to wait for a "Cure" to have an outbox or donate. And you don't have to get rid of things you want to keep, either. Just be ruthlessly honest with yourself about it!!

I have a weird ceramic planter (hence my example) that is kind of retro-looking, aqua half a football shape with three silver ceramic horn-shaped legs. It doesn't really fit my decor, but I can't let go just yet... it's in a closet, awaiting my decision. My thing, my house, my life, my decision...

My flowers from the past 2 weeks are still going strong! Going to pick up more for the assignment this weekend...that is if the storefront florists are braving the cold in Brooklyn. I'm LOVING an apartment full of flowers. Definitely will be keeping it up!

I too am very thankful for the kickstart the January Cure has given me. I was pretty good about trying to keep up, and I do look forward to the emails in the morning. Unfortunately, my place needs much more than a month. (20+ years of a sentimental collector/clutterer living in it.) so I think I'm just going to go back and read the emails in order again in Feb and keep plugging along. It has really helped, my bedroom hasn't looked this good in a while! (Still has too much stuff in it, but it is clean and organized and I'm working on getting rid of stuff. It's VERY hard for me but I am trying with AT's help)

So glad to be getting rid of the outbox. It had reached "outroom" status by last weekend and we took a car full to Goodwill - just in time for the last boxes from his grandparents' basement to come home and explode all over the house (literally; the bottom collapsed and scattered things from the door to the dining room). Thanks to the boxes of adolescence, we are back to a full outbox/out room. The cure will not finish on time - the pieces we needed for the kitchen were on backorder, but we did get a few other small projects done.

Good for you, and best of luck!

Janel - the Summer 2013 Cure sounds perfect.

I need help with making things look more put together and applying some design knowledge to how things are arranged. I don't have the eye for recognizing an unbalanced seting or how to adjust things to fix that. I think some before and after examples would help me catch on a bit. And if the examples are of 'normal' people homes, like the Cure livebloggers, that would be even more helpful.

I feel a bit sad too! I've done a lot of Cure things this month... started strong and faded a bit mid-stream... but I've recently also really registered that A LOT of non-Cure progress has also occurred... my beloved and I have finally got around to working on our wills with our notary... we hope to be around for a long time, but realize this is part of being organized - and centred - in our lives. I've felt strongly prompted (and ready) to push myself to improve my time management and nutrition and level of activity... and it's really all come together this month. I'm happy with the results. It's as though the Cure has spread its influence into my health and finances and even my spiritual wellbeing. Spooky! So... I'll tackle things like the bathroom cabinet and the mirror frame refinishing in the next little while.... but for now, would like to celebrate the trend and the wellbeing that has been generated by all of the little steps forward. Really a great start to the new year. Really. Thank you.

This cure has kicked my butt. I dramatically underestimated the amount of time my "chosen" project would have (painting my room and putting in laminate flooring). My entire house has been a disaster for the past week with my bedroom move to the living room and my kitchen taken up with miscellaneous chairs/bedroom items. This weekend I'm going to finish and make it all beautiful...well, presentable...well, clean?

I am sad the cure is wrapping up too. I have fallen off schedule a little as I have been dealing with having to get my beautiful little dog put to sleep two weeks ago :(

I will go back through my inbox to help with clearing my outbox! So mine will be more like a six week cure!

Well done to everyone who has stayed on task. I love reading all the daily posts and comments and getting inpiration from everyone's efforts. I'm going to miss the camaraderie!

AT may be ending it, but I intend to carry on with the Cure. 80% of visible areas are company ready. Still some areas, tasks, projects are going to take some more time, but so be it. Got the LR covered; actually, I probably spend too much time keeping it cleaned etc. (and avoiding other areas). It never has been that hard, but if anything, I AM making the bed every morning & get a satisfied feeling that it IS made. So, those of you 'Cured', congrats. I'm thinking of getting to that point sometime in Feb.

@tetegrondona, there's a photo credit with a link to the tour at the bottom of the post

Good tips..We must definitely spend the weekend in a useful way...

I did it! I actually cleaned the living room pretty darned thoroughly this evening. Since I have massage clients over on weekends, it's usually pretty tidy anyway, but I really went after some things that get neglected on a week-to-week basis.

That said, this is the only thing I have completed from this week's assignments. I have really fallen behind. But I have several hours tomorrow before the appraiser comes to at least take stabs at the other stuff. AND I did get a bunch of stuff done that wasn't even on my project list (that should have been), including cleaning up the front and backyards and having the junk hauled away (hooray for having a friend with a trailer who will trade for massage!).

I do intend to complete all the assignments and probably more. I really feel the momentum and can't wait to have the whole house is order, all at once. It's really never been that way.

Does anyone else also feel like now that things are getting clean and neat, you are also continuously putting more effort into keeping it clean as you go? Especially in the kitchen, I find myself putting just a little more effort into keeping the counters neat and clean and things like that. I really think that a big part of "curing" your home involves establishing new habits and routines so that it doesn't all have to be done with one big push once or twice a year, but with better habits, the whole home can be kept better on an ongoing basis. At least, that's the idealist view =).

This process has been fantastic. I've never felt more positive about my home (...really homes as I've bounced around) than ever before. I had to rearrange the schedule a bit and do the living room last weekend as we have a guest this weekend (and the bedroom turned into the 'catch all' including the 'outbox (2 boxes)' and 'currently being listed on ebay (about 3)' boxes. I feel so good about this, and it's helped my relationship with my husband as well; we discuss the day's task and although I'm the primary person completing the tasks we're sharing more about our vision of our home, and our lives together in it. We like that the habits we are learning now in this apartment will be carried through when/if we move onto another city or a larger space/house. I was touched when my husband brought home flowers last Friday.

I've underestimated how long certain areas would take to clean and/or organize; and I'm listening to my house more as a result.

The only downfall is that my hands have been rubbed raw and some spots have needed bandaids -- any suggestions on good quality cleaning gloves?

Try a fashion show- nail polish, fun little girl stuff or a cooking class-make pizzas or birthday cupcakes with each girl choosing their own flavors or frosting and toppings or maybe a treasure hunt with teams!, Hope it helps!

busy weekend. always playing catch up as i've only had time to focus on the cure during the weekends. but that's ok, some tasks just won't happen in january. my living room is good (i love my LR), so this weekend i'll concentrate on the room adjacent to my kitchen and my loft which are the actual rooms where i live the most....and the outbox. happy weekend.

Very busy weekend as we are leaving for Paris on Monday, BUT, I have managed to accomplish the deep clean of our living room. Even though it is pretty small, it took a good 3 hours to clean everything, but it just feels SO much better.

As we are leaving on Monday, I have not purchased flowers this week, but will pick some up as soon as we return. I have also cleaned the bathrooms and the floors; I despise coming home to a dirty house after a trip.

As several other posters commented, I have also noticed that doing the Cure has made me want to clean and organize more. I find myself taking those extra few mintues to ensure that a room is perfectly clean before I leave and it has really worked. This has been a fantastic project and I am already looking forward to the next one.

Have a great weekend everyone and thank you so much for sharing your ideas and suggestions during the month. I wish everyone the best of luck in wrappin up the January Cure.

My husband is out of town this weekend, so my mission is to complete my project (painting baseboards and window sashes) today and do the living room deep clean tomorrow. The room by room to do list has been a wonderful productivity tool, and I plan to make one for the exterior of my home for warm weather projects. Thanks AT!

I love that room --the window, the beautiful couch. I wonder how long I could love a couch in such a specific color versus a neutral. But I do love that color

And because I paint really colorful vibrant abstracts, I could really see one of my paintings over that.

I had 3 Purple Heart pick ups since starting the Cure! I love that I can leave the boxes on the porch and they come get it!

Janel,

This series has been just what I needed to get from dreaming to doing. Thank you so much! Nice to have the momentum going with decluttering and purging. Yes, this cure is positively affecting other areas of my life. I am excited to look at refreshed, clean and updated rooms, and will continue finishing the Cure in February. Then on to the list I made in the beginning! By late summer when the heat becomes oppressive, the decorating Cure you're planning will raise my spirits. My house will be ready for the next phase!

One of the most helpful tools for progress has been the outbox. No decisions to make at the moment, so I don't get stuck and create an impasse.

My Aunt always had an outbox, and whenever someone would visit, she asked if anyone wanted/needed anything. Whatever was left at the end of the week left the house to be donated. She is now 96, no stuff, and any potentially emotionally-charged items were given away or chosen by a family member with everyone's knowledge a while back. She is a wonderful example of the Cure philosophy.

citygirlarts - I aspire to be like your aunt. I helped clean out my granny's house and was traumatized by the emotions/stuff retained and she wasn't one of the family hoarders!

My SO sent me flowers - he is supposed to be doing the cure at his place, but I sincerely doubt if he is (don't ask) so the flowers may be his way of warning me!

My outbox will be emptied shortly - have a friend who will take the planters and the rest will be Craigs List or charity.

Looking forward to the next cure.

This was our big tackled project this week! I can't wait to get the outbox (ie: our hallway) empty!! http://honeywithoutflowers.blogspot.com/2013/01/spice-rack-makeover-january-cure-post-3.html

Virginia Grayson,

I'm so sorry that you had the extra emotional trauma of sorting through your grandmother's stuff. You've pointed out another example that hanging on to things does to the people we care about, and even in the best cases. Thanks for your comment about my Aunt. I aspire to be like her too--and I'm still working on that!

Wow. I have spent the last 2 weeks getting ready for this appraisal, and it was all over and done in about 10 minutes. He kind of said his job is to make sure the house is here and it is the size I say it is and there is no major damage. So there you are.

BUT my room is clean, as is my daughter's (more or less). My major project that I am supposed to be working on though (cleaning out the closets) has yet to be completed. I still have some catch-up to do from this week's assignments. I am so tired right now though and really feeling like I have a sinus infection I just want to throw in the towel. Oh, AND my clothes dryer decided to stop working today, so I had to spend an hour at the laundromat getting everything dry. Waahh waahh waahh. Thanks for listening.

Oh! I did the Living Room last night by coincidence! Acquired an antique Navajo rug from a dear friend. Needed to be displayed properly & proudly, so the living room HAD to be cleaned to accommodate such a beautiful & cherished addition.

Out Box is going next Friday. That's the day Big Bothers/Sisters comes by to pick up donations. Upside? Another week to gather more outbox items!!!

Hey, Curators! I'm almost done with the kitchen; only two small organizational projects left! The entire bathroom has been purged and scrubbed. The utility room is organized. One whole box of playbills and program gone. Two HUGE boxes of kitchenware and utensils ready for disposal, and another is filling up. I could not and would not have done it without you and AT. Thank you.

Thank you again for the weekend inspiration - reflecting on the tasks completed...Flowers, check. Clean living room....check. Now for the outbox...wish me luck!

A summer cure would be fantastic. I'll definitely want to get involved.

No reason anyone can't go back and read day 1 and call it the February Cure or just as refresher/reminder days.

@ citygirlarts: "from dreaming to doing" - that has been my lifelong wish, I think I will have to make that my daily mantra and see if I can actually make it happen!

@ rmbnn - very good idea, since I have barely started! I have saved all the Liveblogging entries from Tara in my iPad Reading List, so I think I will use these as a Cure2.

Emptying the outbox was SO satisfying/gratifying/wonderful!!!!
And I found some missing toys under the couch.
All in all a great weekend for the Cure.

http://shoes-off-please.com/2013/01/27/goodbye-junk-hello-floor/

I bought three orchids on the first weekend assignment- so I cheated a little, but they are all still beautifully in bloom! I am a newbie to the Cure, and I'm hooked for Summer 2013!! Can't wait. Every room in my home is better- and it feels great. I think the only thing I didn't do, that is still on my list- is to attack my cords...sigh, and probably my kitchen could use bit more work- but it's definitely an improvement. My big project was an overhaul of our hideous laundry room- and it is clean, organized, repainted- and now has art hanging also! I have hung four enlarged travel photos, and have even gone beyond and done some of those nagging tasks...upgrading to a wireless printer, backstocking printer cartridges, backstocking light bulbs- the things that make me crazy when I am out!!

AND I am so excited for my party in February- we are having a Chinese New Year party- so fun!

Feeling great after a lot of hard work this weekend. As some have noted this process has been great for getting life's other messes in order too. I have tried to do the full AT cure twice before and while I learned from those it was more than I could accomplish. This is still a serious amount of work but feels obtainable. Having everyone out there helps too. As I share my life with another person input on how others are coordinating with partners has been great. We are starting to get back the love for our apartment we had 9 years ago. Thanks.

I'm so forever grateful for this Cure! It kept me glued to my inbox every morning. I'm sorry is getting to an end, but I'm planning to go over it again day by day for any missing spots; then every 6 months should do the trick.
Crazy schedule and all I've manage to do most of the tasks only missing my bedroom (the most troubled area) and bathroom which are half way done. Now maintenance is a breeze and making the bed has a new profound meaning, which makes me feel wonderful!
As a get-together-party I'll be having a babyshower for a co-Worker around Valentine's day, which got prepared and ready on time thanks to The Cure, (otherwise would've stayed as wishful thinking) all my friends are really excited about and really looking forward to it; my kids are super impressed and trying to keep it up as well. (yay!)

About getting rid of stuff, it is hard to part from certain things, specially if they have emotional value to you; but getting the outbox 'out'! makes me feel releved, refreshed, renewed, like ready and prepared for what's coming next. Everybody that senses my easygoing ways these days, asks what's going on, I tell them about The Cure, they think is great and some want to do it...so I might even do it with a bunch of friends next time around.
This has been the greatest therapy ever! Thank u for helping people to live better, lighter, more meaningful lives. :)

Have enjoyed this part of the cure the most.

Found things under the sofa that the cats and I had lost. Reorganized the furniture in the living / dining room and love the new arrangement.

Emptied the outbox but added new stuff to it from the living / dining room. Need to decide if I'm going to add them back into the room, move somewhere else or let go. That'll take a week or so to decide as I want to get the feel of the new look before adding more stuff to it.

I did empty my outbox! I took three bags full to my local Goodwill. The only thing that came into my house was the new-to-me vanity.

http://katskull.com/tag/the-january-cure/

I am downsizing from a 5,000 square foot house to a 1,450 square foot apartment - and looking forward to it. I have been sorting and outboxing stuff for over a year, but this Cure helped push me forward a bit more. Thank you.

I reduced my utensils to one drawer's worth, plus a fabulous stainless steel set I inherited from my mother. Now I just need to figure out where/how to hang it in the new kitchen. I even decided to part with a pleated black velvet skirt, a black blazer and a blue cashmere cardigan that NEVER bring me compliments and make me feel dowdy, despite their practicality and the expense of acquiring them. Liberating!

Now I have to decide about a Waring Blender I never use!

I love clean rooms and definitely try to keep mine clean as possible. So that means lot of dusting and wiping. Well I'd rather live in a clean house then a messy and dirty one. Thanks for sharing.

www.twopinkcanaries.com

Thanks