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 at 365 Less Things we are launching a preemptive strike on the Christmas/holiday season. Time to do some pre-holiday decluttering and organising so when you break out those decorations, the guests arrive and the presents are opened, there is enough room to accommodate them. The more organised you are now the smoother the days will run when you are truly in the thick of it.

Monday -Start getting the guest room ready. Declutter any obvious excess stuff in there to make it comfortable for those coming to stay. Make arrangement to borrow extra bedding if necessary for any overflow.

Tuesday -Study my uncluttered gift giving guides here and here to help you find uncluttering gift for your loved ones and to make suggestion of uncluttering gifts for yourself should anyone ask.

Wednesday -Have the, perhaps dreaded, conversation with the grandparents about giving gifts of experiences or at least not so many material gifts to your children so your home isn’t overrun with toys.

Thursday -Declutter the kids toy area to make room for the inevitable influx of new fun things. Regardless of how much you manage to contain the influx you will still need room. Kid will be kids and it is there job to have fun.

Friday - If, like me, you are decluttering your craft supplies now is the time to make your holiday/Christmas cards if you haven’t done so already.

Saturday - Start having a “use it up” declutter of the freezer. Eat through all those double ups and half eaten packages so that there is plenty of space for the holiday food.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

Handmade (by me) Jewellery Piece

Eco Tip for the Day

Using electricity off-peak doesn’t save electricity but it can lessen the strain at peak times which can result in a reduced necessity to  increase infrastructure.

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

Written by:- Cindy Bogard

If you’re in a big hurry, just read this: 

Resist!

If you’re not in such a hurry, feel free to read on.

In the United States, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, which was on Thursday this week. Sadly, the website Answers.com defines Black Friday as “an unofficial American holiday”. Sad, not because the rest of you are missing out; sad because a day of shopping insanity has somehow become “an unofficial American holiday”.

So what is Black Friday? As I said, it’s the day after Thanksgiving and the official start to what’s called the holiday shopping season. (Spring, Summer, Fall, Holiday Shopping, Winter?) It’s called black because of traditional accounting notations: While debt is noted in red, profit is noted in black. Some businesses run “in the red” all year and don’t go “into the black” until the shopping mayhem begins the day after Thanksgiving.

Black Friday is a day of amazing sales and deep discounts. Some stores open as early as 4:00 am, with people staying up all night in the parking lot so they can be the first in the door, as the very best sales (aptly named “doorbusters”) are only available in limited quantities. In 2008, a worker at Wal-Mart was trampled to death in the frenzied crush of Black Friday.

Recently, a friend forwarded to me a website devoted to Black Friday (www.Black-Friday.net). They’re posting the circulars (advertisements) in advance on their site and boast over 100,000 fans on Facebook. They report that Kmart’s Black Friday circular is 44 pages and that  “We can’t stress enough how much we love this ad (Wal-Mart). There are tons of excellent deals and we think you will be very happy with it.”

Oh my. What’s a decluttering gal to think?

Resist!

If you really feel that you need or want a 47″ flat screen TV or a new laptop, don’t let a sale ad make the decision for you. Research your purchase. Think through your decision making. Don’t buy in haste. The same rules apply to shopping on Black Friday as to every other day. If you see what you want at an excellent price, and you can tolerate the bedlam (which I can’t), then fill up your thermos with coffee, stand in line all night long, and get your doorbuster deal, but don’t buy out the place just because there are sale ads plastered on every item in the store. Remember, the stores are desperate for you to buy; that doesn’t mean you need to be desperate to purchase.

May your Friday not be Black

Weekend Mini Missions

Saturday – Declutter a part of a set, group or collection of items where you use or enjoy some pieces but not others. Here is a post from Cindy that explains what I mean but it doesn’t give any advice on how to convince yourself to let go. I can assure you though that I have done this several times over the last couple of years and I have never regretted it once.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

On Fridays at 365 Less Things I share with you my favourite comments from my wonderful readers and my favourite web finds of the week. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did.

Favourite Comments. Enjoy!

• Sanna shares some views and experiences of aspirational clutter in this comment.
• Apparently there is such a thing as good clutter or at least Lena has me convinced there is with this comment. We always had a calendar in the toilet room when I was a kid but Lena’s mothers tradition would have made it much more interesting to relieve one’s self.
• Clutter is different for everyone and for Debra F Christmas decorations are never clutter. I love her enthusiasm even though I don’t share her passion. Read what she had to say about decorating for Christmas here.
• I like Judy’s attitude of enjoys utilising something she already has instead of buy something new. Read about it here.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

• Both Clare and Snosie sent me this article by Jane E Brody for the New York Times to share with you this week.
• Here is one little eco tip from Daily Lime that is easily achieved. In fact it takes less effort for you than the alternative.
• This link has some more minimising/simplifying tips from the guys at The Minimalists.
• Here is another great article that my husband drew my attention to. One guilt trip that is touched on in this article is the equation that high retail sales = healthy economy. There must be a better way to have the best of both worlds, less waste and a healthy economy.
• Here is a little more on the Christmas Cindy began earlier on in the week. Sanna was kind enough to send me this link.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something you keep for security reasons. That is simply because you fear you might need it or wish it back someday. Letting go is also about letting go of the falsehood that you ever needed them in the first place.

Today’s Declutter Item

Mini Souvenir Baseball Bats

Eco Tip of The Day

Small incremental ways in which you can help the environment by reducing waste each day.

Return hangers to the dry cleaners. Every little thing helps!

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

Today’s Decluttered Item ~ Photos

Not many people would just up and throw away all their photos. Even I’m not that keen to create space. However having rows and rows of albums lined up in a bookcases full of photos that are of no historical or significant  personal value to you or your family could very well be classed as clutter. Quite frankly these albums would probably bore anyone, including yourself to tears, should you actually choose to take one down and browse through it.

Today’s post isn’t about how you should store your photos, how you should take photos or how you should identify photos when you do store them. It is about getting rid of the ones that are just wasting space.

Below are 7 characteristic of photos that guide my choices as to which ones to cull.

1. Multiple copies of the same image ~ Ask other family member if they would like one of these copies and if not throw them out. Even stacked behind one another these photos still take up space.
2. Multiple similar photos ~ Choose the best image among a group that are almost exactly the same and ditch the rest. Once again you can offer them to other family members or friends.
3. Photos of people you don’t even know, remember or care about ~ There is no historical value to you in photos of people who are so insignificant to you that you don’t even remember who they are or, if they can be identified, you just don’t care. People come and go in our lives and some, who may have seemed photo worthy in the past, just don’t matter in the long term.
4. Bad memories ~ Enough said, why keep photos that only give you grief.
5. Blurry images (unless they are of significance) ~ Sometimes the only shot taken of an important occurrence unfortunately turns out blurred and can’t be recaptured, these are be the only blurred photos that I keep.
6. Insignificant images ~ There are some events in life that over time become insignificant and not important to our history. We often get carried away taking photos at the time and then end up later with an album full of boring images such as animals in zoos, uninteresting locations, insignificant building etc etc. Why keep these images if they have no meaning to you.
7. Bad timing ~ Photos where the focus of the shot has moved just as you click. Where you end up with  images of the backs of peoples’ heads, children ducking out the edge of shot and sometimes the focal point has disappeared altogether.

I am sure there are other reasons I have missed that warrant mentioning and if you can recall them please feel free to leave a comment below because we can all benefit from your input. The ones I mentioned were all used in the process of culling the photo prints in the image above that is today’s decluttered item. In fact many of them survived the first cut but as I continue on with the process I get more ruthless. Much the same as I do with everything in my home.

If you are confident of converting your printed old style film photos to digital copies why no do it. The only room you will then be using is space on your hard drive. That being said I use the same guidelines mentioned above to declutter digital images as well. We have in fact had all our old negatives scanned ~ in case of age degradation ~ but have chosen for now to keep the prints. At least those that make the cut.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something that you have aspired to making use of for a long time but never have.

Remember the November Keep it Tidy Challenge

Eco Tip for the Day

Drive calmly as this will save on petrol and wear and tear ~particularly on the brakes and tires. It could also assist in avoiding accidents and  lower your stress levels. Leaving early so you don’t have to rush will contribute greatly to the likelihood of obtaining and maintaining this calm state.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

At the moment I am reading Dan Ariely‘s book Predictably Irrational. Chapter eight is all about keeping doors open ~ that is keeping opportunities available just in case the current situation doesn’t work out as planned. Dan loves to test his theories and after experimenting with this idea he came to the conclusion that “…running helter-skelter to keep doors from closing is a fools game. It will not only wear out our emotions but also wear out our wallets.“

Of course leaving the odd door open isn’t always a bad thing so long as you reserve the habit for important doors. Feeling the need to do this with every situation in life can surely only lead to constant dissatisfaction and a whole lot of stress. As the saying goes ~ The grass is always greener on the other side.

With that thought in mind Dan poses this question ~ “Similarly, how many times have we bought something on sale not because we really needed it but because by the end of the sale all of those items would be gone, and we could never have it at that price again?”

This is a case of seeing the door closing and making an irrational decision to buy such items ~ you guessed it ~ whether we need them or not. It doesn’t seem to matter that it has been proven to us over and over again that no sooner does a item go off sale but returns ~ sometimes even at an even cheaper price ~ very soon thereafter. It is the possibility that this time that door may never open again and that lures us in. So don’t be fooled because even if it doesn’t reopen the chances are that the most likely long term effect is that you have saved yourself some money.

Practice ignoring those sale doors often enough and soon you will realise that there is a lot of stuff out there that you can live without. You may also want to close a few doors on past hobbies and interests that you have not engaged in for some time. Also close the door on items you think you may need some day. Chances are if you aren’t using that door now you won’t need to in the future. Close the door on the idea that stuff will make you happy. How many other doors to clutter can you find to close and set yourself free from unwanted stress, wasted space and the futile attempt to buy happiness. You may then find you are free to open new doors onto something good and worthwhile in your life.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something you are only keeping out of guilt because it cost you much more than it proved useful to you. That is you paid a lot for something and now you feel obliged to keep it even though you hardly if ever use it.

Remember the November Keep it Tidy Challenge

Today’s Declutter Item

Silver Bracelet

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t leave the TV on during the day just for company. You may laugh but I have know plenty of cases of people doing this.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

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 am focusing the mini missions around items that maybe aren’t so easy for you to let go of. These missions are not physically challenging because as usual the effort of collecting and setting the item aside once chosen takes but a matter of minutes. We can usually identify these items easily enough. The challenge of course is the deciding whether or not to let them go but this is something you can be thinking over as you go about your other daily tasks. For each mission I will include a link to a previous post that may be helpful in your decision making process. Good luck and happy decluttering.

Monday – Declutter a sentimental item that, if you are honest with yourself, you never pay any attention to.

Tuesday – Declutter something you are only keeping out of guilt because it cost you much more than it proved useful to you. That is you paid a lot for something and now you feel obliged to keep it even though you hardly if ever use it.

Wednesday – Declutter something you are only keeping because you feel obliged to because it was given to you by someone else.

Thursday – Declutter something that you have aspired to making use of for a long time but never have.

Friday – Declutter something you keep for security reasons. That is simply because you fear you might need it or wish it back someday. Letting go is also about letting go of the falsehood that you ever needed them in the first place.

Saturday – Declutter a part of a set, group or collection of items where you use or enjoy some pieces but not others. Here is a post from Cindy that explains what I mean but it doesn’t give any advice on how to convince yourself to let go. I can assure you though that I have done this several times over the last couple of years and I have never regretted it once.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Today’s Declutter Item

Today’s decluttered items and the solution to Saturday’s “What am I?” quiz is a Tupperware mustard dispenser. Jane, who left the first guess was the closest to the mark I believe. She said “Institutional-size mustard container?”. She had the mustard container part right. Many other said was it a soap dispenser which in a way is also right because it has been used for that purpose at one point.

Tupperware Mustard Dispenser

Eco Tip for the Day

As adults it is our job to teach our children to conserve power and water. If you raise your children with good habits now conservation will come naturally to them when they become the adults themselves.

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

We haven’t had a “What Am I?” Saturday for a while. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this, what I do is post a fraction of a photo of my declutter item for the coming Monday and you get to try to guess what it is. So take a look at the photo below and leave a comment with your guess. There is no prize just the joy of being the first one to guess correctly.

What am I?

The Weekend’s Mini Missions

Saturday – Declutter something toiletries related. That old aftershave that stings your face, old shaver handles that are excess to your needs or that extra toiletries bag you received on your last long haul business trip.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

On Fridays at 365 Less Things I share with you my favourite comments from my wonderful readers and my favourite web finds of the week. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did.

Favourite Comments. Enjoy!

In this comment Jo H tells us how she goes one step further on one of my eco tips. Then Hunter_xs added a little extra advice on the subject in this comment.

Here are a couple of reader updates on the November Keep It Tidy challenge:~

• Maggie is not only rising to the challenge but is actually enjoying it. Good for you Maggie.
• Mark Adam Douglas who inspired the challenge is naturally doing well.

Maggie also had this to say about donating to charity.

Sanna also had some thoughts and experiences to share on giving things away in this comment.

I also enjoyed this exchange between Jo H and Cindy.

Check out Andréia’s progress over the last week or so ~  comment 8 Nov, comment 9 Nov,  comment 13 Nov, comment 14 Nov, comment 15 Nov .

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

I got a shout out from Joshua Becker from Becoming Minimalist last week. Read it here

This Youtube video featuring Nick Vujicic isn’t about decluttering or minimalism but it sure does make you take a long hard look at yourself and remember how lucky you are.

Thank you to whoever sent me this link I only wish I remembered who it was. Those of you who can’t bare to part with the endless supply of art work your little ones bring home this is the ap for you ~ Artkive.

I found this next link via Peter Walsh’s twitter page ~ www.buzzfeed.com ~ 27-ways-to-make-your-groceries-last-as-long-as-possible

Happiness project ~ Pigeon-of-discontent-I-dont-know-how-to-start-my-happiness-project

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something leisure related. Perhaps some sporting equipment, fishing gear or hobby supply that are no longer used.

Today’s Declutter Item

Alarm Clock Radio

Eco Tip for the Day

This tip is for those with an automatic garage door. Most automatic garage doors have a light that comes on when the door is opening and closing. This light stays on for some minutes after operation has ceased. It is however possible to turn off the light with the door controller to avoid unnecessary waste of electricity. I don’t know why this didn’t occur to me sooner but I will certainly to switching the light off in the future.

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

I read this quote last week when it arrived with my latest update to Gretchen Ruben’s ~ The Happiness Project ~ newsletter.

   “Anything one does every day is important and imposing and anywhere one lives is interesting and beautiful.” ~ Gertrude Stein

The part that struck me mostly about the quote was this “Anything one does every day is important …” which said to me ~ Whatever you do today make it something good because it is important either way. Important because no matter what you do it will have either a positive or negative effect on either you, those around you, the planet you live on and all that inhabit it or possibly all three. I am sure you have all heard of the butterfly effect.

So, today,  with that thought in mind would you rather…

• Buy something new today that you really don’t need ~ or ~ donate something today that you already have and barely use to someone who might have a use for it. (This choice will affect you, others and the planet)
• Today would you rather continue holding on to stuff, that you don’t need, that your family will have to deal with someday when you are gone ~ or ~ start getting rid of the excess stuff today so you family don’t have to in their time of grief. (This choice will affect you and your loved ones, those benefitting from your purging and untimately the planet)
• Add to your debt today by buying something new that you want but don’t need ~ or ~ sell something of your excesses and pay a little off your debt. (This choice will affect you, your loved ones, others and the planet)
• Continue to live in a cluttered, oppressive and possibly unhealthy environment ~ or ~ start purging items that are violating your space, depressing you, collecting dust and possibly hindering your cleaning process. (This choice will affect you, your loved ones and anyone living with you.)

This list could go on and on but I think you get the idea.

So what are you going to do today?

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a shirt, pair of trousers or jacket that you no longer fit or like to wear.

Remember the November keep it tidy challenge

Today’s Declutter Item

With two people eating mostly a low-carb diet one set of measuring cups for baking is enough these days as there is very little baking done.

Measuring Cups

Eco Tip for the Day

Remember that every little thing you can do today to lessen your carbon footprint will have a positive effect on the environment.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

So how is everyone going with the November keep it tidy challenge. There have been a couple of mentions in the comments from readers about how they are getting on. Here are a two excerpts I wanted to share with you.

From Lena ~ …my november challenge is seriously successful. I found that whenever I have a big cooking session, that it helps immensly to clean right after the meal. for small things like glasses, cups and cans, its ok for me to leave it there. since two weeks, my kitchen is cleaner and easier to maintain and I find I am using not as much stuff anymore. my kitchen might be ready for the next round of decluttering.

From Moni ~ …my November challenge is a bit challenging today as I’ve just got back yesterday from being away. One thing I am taking note of, is some items are more effort than others to pack away quickly and easily, so I’m asking myself to try and figure out what makes some things more tricky, is the shelf too full (if so what can needs to go?) is there something that gets in the way? would somewhere else be a better location? that sort of thing.

Lena’s comment my convey a greater success story than Moni’s but in my opinion both ladies have been as successful as one another and here is why I say that…

Lena had one particular challenge that she was concentrating on and that was to make an effort to leave the kitchen clean and tidy before turning in for the night. She rose to the challenge made some observations and even discovered that there may be thing in her kitchen that she really could declutter.

While Moni, has a higher degree of difficulty in the first place. It is a busy time of year for her with three teenage children and it is the end of the school year. She also sews dance costumes on her dining room table and with end of year performances to supply for it is a busy time for that as well. Her mission to keep that area tidy was bound to be challenging. She didn’t say whether or not she has made any improvement but she has certainly put some thought into it and is trying to devise ways to make the tidy up task simpler and more likely to be performed. This is a very important step when it comes to keeping a house tidy. The simpler we make the task the more likely it is to get done. So good luck Moni I hope you figure it out and increase your chanced of success.

Ooooh! I didn’t put my dressing gown away immediately!

My mission was similar to that of Lena, trying to leave my kitchen sink free of dirty pots and pans before going to bed at night. I have to say that some nights have been more successful than others but there has definitely been an improvement.

I have also been doing a bit of crafting lately and I have been diligent at leaving my work space tidy before turning in at night. And most mornings, prior to setting this challenge, I would usually wake up, go down stairs and have my cuppa and breakfast before making the bed. This month however I have been making the bed most mornings as soon as I get out of it. It is nice to come up for my shower later and not have to deal with it them.

I have to say that just setting this mission has made me more aware of things left in places they don’t belong. With one extra person in the house for almost two weeks I have found that this happens more often than I thought. My sweet darling daughter was clearly amused enough by this “out of character” behaviour that she decided to post a photo on Facebook of my dressing gown that I had left on the sofa one morning. Of course my wise ass family had to get in on the act with comments such as this…

Blake ~ Auntie Col is so reckless!!  Bridget ~  She’s really living on the edge these days! Next thing we know she’ll stop using coasters! Blake ~ A sure sign the world is ending this year! Jo ~ Quick declutter it while she is not looking…

The fact that they all found this amusing could be construed as either good or bad. Good because they think I am usually more tidy than this or bad because they think I am a little too tidy the rest of the time. I am now tempted to throw caution to the wind and leave the pots and pans in the sink for the rest of the month just to prove what a rebel I can be. 😉

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter an electronic gadget or parts there of.

Today’s Declutter Item

Yes, another storage unit empty and gone.

Another Storage Unit

Eco Tip for the Day

 Buy local when possible or affordable. It is a good habit to break into even if only a little at a time. Because as I always say here at 365 Less Things “Every little bit counts.”

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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