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 we are going to do some reluctant decluttering. That is, to declutter some things that you don’t really want or use but you keep avoiding letting go off for one reason or another. Don’t allow them to waste space in your home any longer.
Monday – Declutter an unwanted gift that you have been keeping out of obligation.
Tuesday – Declutter a spare thing-a-me-jig that you have been keeping just in case.
Wednesday – Declutter an item of clothing that no longer fits but you have kept just in case you return to that size.
Thursday – Declutter something you have kept just because you have the room for it but don’t love it or use it.
Friday – Declutter something you have set aside to sell but haven’t gotten around to it. Either sell it now or give it away.
Saturday – Declutter a portion of your hobby supplies that you haven’t utilised on a project but have owned for a long time.
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
Eco Tip for the Day
Don’t wash your hair any more than you need too. This leads to wasted product and possibly isn’t good for your hair either.
It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow
A rather interesting week of mini-mission, Colleen. I’ve had to put decluttering on the back burner for the time being but these I can do because they take so little time.
Hi Deb J, my missions are, at least in part, reflecting my own decluttering right now as I fine tune for this possible move.
I am glad you think you can handle these while life is a little topsy-turvy right now.
Interesting mini-missions this week – my decluttering is taking a bit of a three-ring-circus approach at the moment as I am working on our upstairs storage room at work – a number of items are on trademe for auction including excess furniture that my son had put ‘dibbs’ on for when he leaves home, he has come to realise that there is more than he would be likely to require and this stuff is grid-locking that room for other stuff that needs to be moved out. It made life interesting getting the photos for the auction as I had to move stuff around to get each shot (my son also has a considerable amount of car parts also located in this storage room while he is doing upgrades on it) but once this furniture is gone, it will be gone!
I am also working at home on a cupboard in the garage where our last remaining dvd’s (among other things) are housed, another batch will be heading off to younger cousins in the near future, and will be re-visiting photos again soon.
AND I’m preparing to move office at work, same building but across to the other side of the building, so my office is getting an overhaul too. I enjoyed that article on office desks on Friday, I liked the idea of using a drawer as an inbox, I might give that a go too.
Wow Moni, it sounds like you have some serious decluttering going on in our life at the moment. That loft space at your work is a constant mission. I am glad your son has decided to let go of some of the big stuff. It is great to be able to save kids some big purchases when they move out but then we keep the stuff for what seems like ever and in the end they either don’t need it or don’t want it any more. Meanwhile it has been a constant thorn in the side. I am glad that period is over for me. Now they just call me and ask if I can help them collect furniture they just bought at the thrift store without checking if it will fit in my car. God love their little hearts. 😉
Colleen – yes I’m hoping that if that furniture sells on Thursday and is potentially gone by Monday, it will break the back of the storage room. There were a lot of ‘what ifs’ about coming to this decision, but it felt like hanging onto the past while waiting for the future – does that make sense? And it doesn’t work with the current life.
It was more furniture than he would ever use and some of it duplicated what he already has in his room that he will be taking with him when he does eventually go. So we will put the cash aside and it can fund what he needs when we ascertain exactly what it is that he will need.
Yes a lot on the go, I realised over the weekend that I have been Spring Cleaning my whole little world this year, what a pity it took me until October to figure out that is what I am doing. Everything is getting an overhaul from finances, insurances, wills etc to deciding that this upstairs room just didn’t fit with my current world/life.
I will go through these tasks during the week and see if I can find something for some. Thank you.
I put 13 empty shoe boxes and shoe boxes’ covers (most of them don’t match) from my Mom’s belongings to the recycle bin, without her knowing. They have been collecting dust for months. I can’t oblige her to go through her stuff and see what’s useful or not, and that kind of questions. I am learning to care less about it, while before it was really bothering me. All I can do is getting rid of crap when I see it.
Hi Cindy I, good luck in your efforts to follow the mini missions. I also wish you luck with not incurring the wrath of your mother. I am not a proponent of decluttering other peoples stuff without their permission however, you know your mother better than I and if she doesn’t care enough about the stuff to notice it is gone then perhaps your decisions are justified. I am just glad I am not in your shoes being compelled to make such decisions.
Thank you, Colleen. About my Mom, she knows better than I what’s useful or not for her (even if there is the Just in case), so that’s why I don’t mess with her own belongings and I have no right to. I knew that she would not used it (she already has a lot of boxes she uses, and I didn’t get rid of all of the ones that weren’t being used. The ones I picked were particularly tattered). When I talked about “crap”, I was talking about old receipts / packagings / tissues she could have forget when she empties her bag/pockets. Those are little things, but when piled up they can make a little pile of clutter too.
Hi Cindy I, I am glad you clarified that for me. Shoe boxes didn’t sound all that important but it was the “without her knowing it” part that caught my eye. Hence why I clarified with “…you know your mother better than I.” We are all the master of our own situations and I am glad you are only decluttering things of your mom’s that she would be happy for you to do so.