The pandemic gave me the time to finally clean out my shameful attic. Here’s what I learned.

The pandemic gave me the time to finally clean out my shameful(ˈSHāmfəl) attic(ˈadik). Here’s what I learned.

By Jura Koncius

I was determined(dəˈtərmənd) not to be one of those people who didn’t accomplish anything during the pandemic.

So I got rid(rid) of 44 boxes of stuff. Like losing weight, it was hard work, but I did it slowly and mindfully. It feels really great to have that tower of boxes gone. And the process offered moments of pure joy and laughs during a really lousy(ˈlouzē) time.

I frequently write articles about decluttering(ˈdēklətər), Marie(mərē) Kondo, Swedish(ˈswēdiSH) death cleaning and professional organizers. A cheerleader(ˈCHirˌlēdər) for letting stuff go, I even started something called Declutter(ˈdēklətər) Sunday on Facebook, where friends posted an item they were jettisoning(ˈjedəsən). But my overstuffed attic has been my dirty little secret.

I am not a slob(släb). My little 1937 Colonial(kəˈlōnyəl) house is organized and neat(nēt). But the closets are small. Over the decades, masses of stuff came into the house, but very little left. Enter the attic, which became the dumping ground for all the excess(ikˈses).

Stuck at home in March like everyone else, I hatched(haCH) a plan. My husband, who is very sentimental(ˌsen(t)əˈmen(t)l) and fond of keeping things, agreed that we needed to take action. (He initially(iˈniSH(ə)lē) suggested renting a pod and getting movers to bring every single item down, so we could then go through it at our leisure(ˈlēZHər).) Each Saturday for 22 weeks, I went up to the attic, did a little organizing and ended up with two boxes or bags that we schlepped(SHlep) down to the guest room. We then had one week to either throw the items away or find them a new home. Nothing was to go back in the attic. Each member of the family was allotted(əˈlät) one large Rubbermaid(ˈrəbər mād) tub(təb) labeled “ARCHIVES,” where they could put anything they couldn’t part with. No judgment.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/pandemic-attic-decluttering-project/2021/01/19/f6d79232-4ea9-11eb-83e3-322644d82356_story.html