Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

This week I thought I would torture you all with some of the decluttering jobs we sometimes dislike the most. If you are lucky they may be the ones you actually enjoy so don’t cringe too much. Good luck!

Monday – Today I would like you to spend a little time decluttering photos. I got adventurous enough to start this task myself on the weekend and I must confess I did begin to see it as a monumental task that once I got a certain way into I felt as if it was hopeless. I pulled myself into line and took some of my own advice and reminded myself to be content with any progress I make. There is a lot yet still to be done but I will tackle in bite size chunks. For now I have weeded out about 200 photos that were really just rubbish but that is only the tip of the iceberg. I am content with my efforts so far though and that is key to not giving up.

Tuesday – I hope you will be willing today to declutter some books and magazines. Even though I have made huge inroads into this task I still find I have to muster up the courage to ignore the “I might need it some day” feeling and be realistic about what is useful and what isn’t.

Wednesday – Declutter something that belongs to someone else in your houshold. Part of this exercise is to ask the person if they are ready to part with the item you choose. Of course you will choose something that you know hasn’t been used for a long time and isn’t likely to be. If the person isn’t prepared to part with the item that is OK, this exercise is as much about practicing the fine art of making declutter requests of someone else.

Thursday – Now that the new season has had a good chance to set in, whether that be Spring or Autumn for you, it is a good time to deploy the backward facing clothes hanger strategy in your wardrobe/closet. That is to turn all the clothes hangers that hold this season’s clothes so the hook is facing backwards on the rod. As you use the clothes, once laundered, put them back in the closet with the hook around the right way. At the end of the season you will be able to identify the items that didn’t get used because the hooks are still facing backwards. These are the items you should declutter at then.

Friday -Find an item that you no longer want and perhaps never did that someone else gave you. Either offer it back to the person or simply declutter it appropriately. The object of this exercise is to build your strength to declutter obligation clutter.

Saturday – Today take some time to have a little rummage through a keepsake box in your home. I (We) have several of these I must admit and it is about time I went through them again. I would like to narrow mine down to one each for the kids (to take with them when they leave) and one for my husband and I.

Sunday – I have given you plenty of tricky tasks to work on already this week so I will let you have today off ~ unless of course you want to find something to declutter freestyle.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

As mentioned for Tuesday’s mini missions I have been tackling the craft books and magazines again. The pile below will be donated to the thrift shop or to the craft group who were kind enough to allow me to have the sale with them recently.

Books & Magazines

My Gratitude List

• Something that made me glad~ I am glad to finally make a decision when to go interstate to visit my daughter and have booked flights. Now I just need to get ahead with the blog so I can maximise my time with her.
• Something Awesome ~ Art, sunshine, walking and hot chocolate all in the one outing.
• Something to be grateful for ~ That Steve was alert and quick to respond when a big white SUV drove right into the path of our car today. Disaster averted.
• Something that made me happy ~ Being woken with a cup of tea.
• Something I found fascinating ~ Watching the tug boats guide a huge coal ship into port today.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

This really was a simple little declutter mini mission. The box of odds and ends involved had not even been opened in some time and most of what was in it was well and truly redundant. Some bits found their way to the bin, some in the donation box and just a few things were rehoused elsewhere.

As you can see there wasn’t much left after the unnecessary stuff was removed and I soon found new homes for that. Now I have put the box aside for the time being until I decide if I have another use for it or if it should be decluttered too. I always find it difficult to part with useful storage items like this but if I have no use for it then I just don’t need it do I?

Oh! By the way I forgot to mention that my husband was the one who carried out this particular mini mission. I love that he is so involved and as keen to declutter our home as I am.

Once again it was a strong week for insightful comments and here are the five I selected for you not to miss.

I loved the words of wisdom at the end of this comment from Kelley ~ Having done quite a bit of decluttering this year it’s clear to me how much better I feel with less stuff around… Read the entire comment here.

If you read no other comment this week make sure you read this one by Deb J it is a perfect example of what slow and steady decluttering is all about ~ Oh how I know what you mean about “interesting” papers… Read more

I have received several comments from Chelle this week, a new reader who was becoming overwhelmed with her decluttering efforts. ~ Thank you for these words. I have been working frenetically and it’s overwhelming… Read more. You can read her three comments that lead to this point here, here and here.

I had to add this comment even though it was by me but once you read it I think you will understand why I wanted to include it ~ Congratulations Cindy…Read more

And finally, I really liked this comment from Cindy giving her take on declutter regrets. I think it says it all about how the memories are more important than the stuff.

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I had some good input this week from readers comments that helped me find some great links for you to digest and here are my favourite five.

Unclutterer ~ Ask unclutterer – dreaded filing

www.pbs.org ~ World balance – Material world by Peter Menzel This link was inspired by Becky’s comment and you just have to love how easy Google makes it to find stuff on the internet.

You have more than you think ~ What’s your gazingus pin Yet another link inspired by a readers comment ~ Thanks Delores

I didn’t have to go much further than my comments section to find this little gem either from one of our fellow readers/commenters/bloggers *pol ~ Once was a Crow ~ Another decluttering epiphany

And I couldn’t resist throwing this one into the mix which is also from *pol at Once was a Crow ~Today I am David What a great effort don’t you think?

Today’s Declutter Item

I have dragged this around with me since I was a child and I have to admit I have rarely looked at it. Someone might find it at the thrift shop and think it is great. I hope so anyway because that is where it went.

My Old Stamp Album

My Gratitude List

• Something that made me laugh ~ Liam making fun of me because I can get a little scatter-brained at times. I believe it is a good quality to be able to laugh at yourself and I have had a lot of practice.
• Something Awesome ~ Warm towels straight out of the dryer.
• Something to be grateful for ~My husband arrived home safe and sound again and I have my bed warmer back.
• Something that made me happy ~More sunshine ~ I have opened up all the blinds in order to do some natural heating of the house while it lasts.
• Something I found fascinating ~ This video that I added to a comment response to Willow. Even though I have seen the full series over and over again I still find it fascinating. The method used to cut the exact notch for the posts to fit together captivated me from wo to go.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

It has been some time since I dedicated a post to consumerism and how that affects our clutter situations. The generation of items that become redundant in our home is near to unavoidable especially if you have a growing family. Children outgrow everything, clothes, shoes, beds, toys, books… even us parents eventually, ‘hopefully”. Therefore so long as there are kids around there will always be maintenance decluttering to keep up with the things they grow out of.

As for us adults, all going well, we will wear our clothes out rather than grow out of them. Other things we use will also become old and need replacing like shoes, furnishings, grooming tools, eye-glasses, linen… There are also items that due to the advances in technology will also become redundant such as, computers, televisions, phones, cameras… Then there are the things that get used up like make-up, toiletries, food, stationary, cleaners and once again the list goes on.

Needless to say there is a lot of natural progression decluttering that goes on in a lifetime. Things need replacing simply because they are outgrown, worn out or don’t work efficiently any more. The key is to keep up with the decluttering as these things become redundant that way they don’t build up over time.

And then there is consumerism where we buy things, replace things and update things whether we need them or not. Don’t get me wrong I am not a complete kill joy but I am sure we can all admit to getting somewhat carried away in the past when it comes to recreational shopping. I also don’t begrudge anyone from treating themselves every now and again to a something totally indulgent but to just buy for the sake of buying on a constant basis is what causes a home to become weighed down with clutter.

I am not going to go into specifics here we all know what I am talking about, spoiling the children with a treat every time you hit the mall, buying more clothes than you could ever wear out in a lifetime, getting a new cell phone every time a new model comes onto the market. This kind of constant indulgence, in a lot of cases, is cause for serious credit card debt, the supply and demand ramification are destroying the environment and the guilt, obligation and aspiration clutter it generates is not good for your mental health.

So how do we resist the temptation to continue buying what we don’t need?

• First of all stop looking. If you don’t know what is out there you don’t know what you are missing. Don’t read the sales catalogues, don’t pay attention to advertisements on TV, in magazine or newspapers, or on the radio. These ad campaigns are designed to make you think you can’t live without whatever it is they are selling.
• My second suggestion is to stay away from the shops for the same reason as above. There are so many other things you can be doing other than shopping for entertainment. There is a list of alternatives to shopping back on Day 157.
• Don’t kill time browsing internet stores either, they are even more insidious than the shopping mall because they are right in your home.
• Make it a fun challenge to see how long you can make something last and only replace it when it is worn out or used up. Don’t just replace things because you see something, bigger, brighter, faster, newer, prettier… No sooner will you get it home but there will be something else on sales that is bigger, brighter, faster, newer, prettier… than the one you just bought. It is kind of like fighting a loosing battle.
• Cut back by treating yourself once a month rather than once and week or once a week rather than every day whatever the case my be for you. Keep cutting back until you are living a more sustainable lifestyle.
• Stop trying to keep up with the Jones’s they are probably miserable anyway, bogged down in credit card debt and having to move into bigger homes to hold all the stuff they own and still they want more. Sounds like a sad way to live to me.
• Don’t be lured in by low prices. Remember that bargains, freebies, two for one deals and secondhand stuff might be cheep but are still potential clutter items if you don’t really need them.

I and Cindy have written many blogs in the past about this subject which I have listed some below or you can click on Retail Assault or Resist in the Tag Cloud to find many more

Do you shop to fill a void

Recreational Shopping

Day 214 – Supply and Demand

Day 328 – Black Friday

Day 135 – Resistance is not futile against retail assault

So how we are all doing with resisting shopping temptations. Send in your comments and let us now how you have evolved in this aspect of your declutter mission. Let us know if you are still having trouble resisting and maybe we can help encourage you to be more with less.

Today’s Declutter Item

These little drawers came in mighty handy in my craft room for years but now that I have decluttered my supplies I no longer need them. They were a freebie at a garage sale I went to once in Seattle. I must say I did get good use out of them and now my friends son-in-law is finding them useful. Now that is what I call reuse and recycle.

Storage System

My Gratitude List

• Something that made me laugh ~ My children and their love affair with their father’s moustache.
• Something Awesome ~ Honeycomb Crush TimTams
• Something to be grateful for ~ A free bus ride. I didn’t have the exact change so the driver let me ride for free.
• Something that made me happy ~ Getting to the bottom of my to-do list again today and hopefully I won’t have one for tomorrow.
• Something I found enjoyable ~ Sunshine ~ We have had nothing but rain all week but today there were breaks in the clouds to let the sunshine in. It was lovely.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

If you live in the US, you’re reading this on May 31, the last day of my 365 challenge. Ah, let’s all say that together, “365 Days of decluttering.” Sounds nice, doesn’t it? How did I get to this point? What have I gotten rid of? What have I learned?

The Journey

In 2002, my family of a 2 1/2 year old daughter, husband and I bought a well used house in a very nice neighborhood. An 86 year old widower lived in the house, which hadn’t been remodelled or updated in dozens of years. You can use your imagination! Within 3 months, we had another daughter. With these two ever-changing beings scampering around underfoot, we took on two major remodels with Dan and I providing a lot, but certainly not all, of the labor. In addition, Dan worked full time, and I had the kids home with me.

The house was always in flux. Many, many objects had homes and the insides of the cabinets and closets were fairly clean and tidy, but every surface was covered in … everything. Dan would pick something up and ask, “Where does this go?” to which I would respond, “I don’t know. Just leave it there.” It was an embarrassment, and I hated having people stop by. (The Fly Lady calls the situation I was in C.H.A.O.S. for “Cant’ Have Anyone Over Syndrome.”)

In the summer of 2009, we finished our second major remodel, which included the kitchen, all the living/eating areas, and the addition of a room and bath on the second floor. When the workers finished, they left behind a beautiful, mostly completed home. It needed paint everywhere, inside and out, plus clean up in the yard, but it was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I looked around at all our junk spread everywhere in the house and knew I could no longer use “I don’t know where it goes” as an excuse. The remodelling was done; everything had to have a home.

I started working on it on my own. I got my friend Holly to help me out a couple of times. I hired Susan and Amy from The Clutter Consultants to help me a couple of times. But it was slow going because I was also painting when I had a block of free time. Then at the very end of May 2010, my friend Janet sent me a link to Unclutterer. From there I found 365 Less Things. I said, “I can take that challenge,” and I started the next day, not only decluttering but holding myself accountable by noting what I had decluttered everyday as one of my Facebook posts.

It took a couple of months before others could really see a difference, but the successes kept building on themselves. As the months progressed, I heard from friends that they were inspired by me, and once I read on Facebook, “Inspired by my friend Cindy today I decluttered…” People asked me for tips on how to get rid of things and wondered how to sell on Ebay.

In August 2010, Colleen planned a month-long trip to Italy with Steve, and she began looking for people who would write guest columns to help fill up the space. I wrote six, and I think two other people wrote one each. (Can you imagine that she prepared the rest of the 30 days by herself?) You can read my first post here. The at the end of October when Colleen’s son Liam was hospitalized after a serious accident, I got an email from Colleen: Could I please try to keep the blog running while she was at the hospital? Well, of course I could. When Liam was healed and home, I continued to write once a week what is now called Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom.

The Numbers

In the past year, I have decluttered 2316 items and have made $2635.70 (1868 Euros, 2493 Australian dollars).

The largest thing I decluttered was a car, which was worth $1500 but needed $3000 worth of work. I traded it to Joe, who maintains my cars, for $1000 credit on maintenance of my other vehicle. That was in February, and we have found that having one car works just fine for us and have not replaced it. (My husband rides his bicycle the 3 miles to work each day.)

The smallest things I have decluttered have been all the little scraps of art junk generated by my children.

None of the items I decluttered were especially wrenching for me, and my only regret was the cracking (but not yet broken) lid for a 13 x 9 pan. I wish I’d saved until until it did completely break.

The Lessons

My house was a constant mess. If I can get control of mine, you can get control of yours.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Purchasing decisions take much longer because everything has to be examined through the lens of “How long until I declutter you?”

Selling is worthwhile. (An area of controversy here on 365 Less Things, but this is my list.)

If you declutter, your friends, relatives, children and spouse will follow, but at their own pace and in their own time.

Letting go of something, or lots of somethings, probably won’t be as wrenching as you anticipate.

Your house will practically self-clean when you reach a certain mass of decluttered items.

Decluttering is never completely done. It’s a form of housekeeping, and it has to be maintained.

Words of wisdom from my husband ~ “Just because you have room for something doesn’t mean you need to keep it. Usually people think that clutter is anything you don’t have storage for, but clutter is a whole host of things you no longer need, want, or value.”

Words or wisdom from my 11 year old ~ “It’s OK to get rid of one more thing . . . two more things.”

And My Final Conclusion

I decided that 365 days felt rather anticlimactic for me. It represents a completion of an assigned number of days, but I am not through. I decided to extend my challenge to the end of the year, another 6 months. I’ll re-evaluate if I can go into maintenance mode then, but for now, there’s still plenty of work to be done.

* * * * * * *

Today’s Declutter Item

Cindy wrote about freebies the other day and how they often just end up as clutter. This toiletries bag is one of those free clutter items and it was full of free product as well. It seemed like such a novelty at the time but it didn’t take long to figure out that mostly it was just a blight on the environment. All those tiny products in little plastic bottles with no recycling code on them what a waste. i have learned my lesson.

A toiletries Bag

My Gratitude List

• Something that made me laugh ~ My friend Amber and I discussing the idea of starting a café critic blog together. We were just joking of course but we had fun discussing the details or our imagined escapades trying out all the different cafés in town and giving our “expert” opinion on their offerings.
• Something Awesome ~ That just cleaned look when you have finished vacuuming and wiping out the interior of your car. Tip:- never by a car with a dark interior.
• Something to be grateful for ~ Having the car for a few days in a row. I am getting so much stuff done, including cleaning it.
• Something that made me happy ~ The joy of helping out a friend in need.
• Something that felt good ~ Crossing things off my to-do list.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow