Read my blog.

That's certainly how it feels sometimes.

It's why I have been absent these past weeks. Even I can get overwhelmed.

It's been a little over a month since I moved and a little over one week that I've actually been in my apartment without traveling somewhere.

And as a result, most things now have homes. So I'm sleeping better.

I don't know about you, but I can't think clearly or strategically when I'm surrounded by clutter and disorganization. It's too distracting.

Sometimes it's so distracting that even starting to put things away seems impossible. Where to start?

I chose the kitchen. Partly because so much storage is already built in with cabinets and drawers. Finding homes for things doesn't require as much work.

Ditto the bathroom -- thanks to a generous medicine cabinet and a sink base with four drawers, anything bathroom-related soon found a smart and practical home.

The living room was more difficult because as I unpacked, what I was immediately left with were piles of things -- papers, cables yet to be reconnected and things that had a home in my old apartment that were looking more and more obsolete in this new place.

The day I walked down the block to the thrift store was a good day -- I got rid of two bags of stuff, and then looped by the post office to mail a few things off to friends, dropped into Restoration Hardware to return a robe hook, and then the library to reserve a few books and change my address. BONUS, once I registered with my local branch, I could access their website and reserve books online.

So now I'm almost settled. They'll come this week to take away an old dresser that I'm sending to a local consignment shop. Hopefully someone will want it. If not, I'll donate it and take it off my taxes.

At this point, getting it out of the house is more important than trying to harvest some money out of it.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to sell it. But I've had it on craigslist for several weeks now and not a single bite. And walking around it every day is getting tired.

So better to have it gone than having it serve as a source of agitation every day. Time's short and there's work to do and life to live ... it's just a dresser and regardless of how much I bought it for, chances are it won't be the last bit of money I have spent on something, thinking it would be in my life longer than it actually was.

It's not unlike dating -- we may be imagining a life partner before they open their mouths, but when you know it's not going anywhere, it's not that hard to either excuse yourself or at least never do it again.

There's a bit about self-care and self-respect in there that is worth noting. Regardless of our weak moments when we're overly judgmental or harsh with ourselves, at least for myself, I do have enough self-regard to know when to cut my losses. And I'll bet you do, too.