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.
Last Tuesday’s post inspired the idea behind this weeks mini missions which isn’t really a set of mini missions at all. Let me explain… This week we are going to tackle one declutter mission by breaking it down into seven small steps. Now the catch is ~ I want you to choose a mission that you have been avoiding because you think it is a bothersome task you don’t wish to deal with. Chances are it isn’t as big as your mind has convinced you it is. Be brave my precious declutterers and remember even if you don’t get the task completed you will have a least made it smaller and more manageable.
Monday – Choose the area you wish to work on (Or don’t wish to work on as the case may be). It may be a room, a cupboard a category like craft supplies or even just one single item that requires some effort to deal with like Cindy’s tent. Decide on your plan of attack ~ Take some time to consider the steps involved in tackling this task. Make a list in sequential order if that helps.
Tuesday – Start with step one. Each steps will be different for everyone because no doubt we will all be working on something different. Try to keep each step to a minimum so as not to get overwhelmed. It may be setting up the item/s, like Cindy and the tent, so you can determine the best method of disposal. It maybe dragging the item out of the basement or, like my trophy declutter, making a few phone calls to check on whether you can recycle this item in some way. Or it may be, in the case of clearing out a closet, pulling out the obvious items that you don’t want in order to make room to better tackle the rest of the task.
Wednesday – Naturally we go on to step two today, this might be ~Cleaning up the item/s, picking out a few more things from the closet and dividing them into keep, donate and sell piles, taking photos of the item/s for keepsake purposes or to list it/them on Freecycle or eBay….
Thursday – Now for step three on your list ~ remember this is a task unique to you so the steps are what is logical for your situation.
Friday – Hopefully by now you can see the light at the end of the tunnel or for some you may already be finished the task and wondering what all the fuss about.
Saturday – Today’s step may be cleaning up or rearranging the area that you have decluttered.
Sunday – The final task will be expelling the item all together which may be a little difficult to do on a Sunday so maybe it will have to wait for an appropriate day. The main thing is the task is complete and it is only a matter of disposal.
My trophy task, although stagnating, was only one step in an even bigger task of clearing out the large display cabinet that we want to get rid of. Getting the trophies sorted has catapulted us into clearing out the rest of the cabinet and now we are finally ready to get rid of that as well. So don’t be discouraged by the big picture just complete one small mission at a time and before you know it you will have achieved great things.
Good luck and happy decluttering
Today’s Declutter Item
No matter how big or small, clutter is clutter and every little bit you get rid of is one small step to the intoxicating freedom of a decluttered home.
My Gratitude List
- Something that made me laugh ~ Anthony Bourdain’s interview at the Sydney Writers Festival on Saturday.
- Something Awesome ~ When things turn out to be easier than you expected.
- Something to be grateful for ~ Some unexpected good advice.
- Something that made me happy ~ Achieving more than I expected in the way of outside work yesterday.
- Something I found fascinating ~ How good advice sometimes comes along just when you need it even though you weren’t even looking for it.
Sarah says
Oh thanks for this mission. I will try it (my first mini mission).
After decluttering more than 100 books yesterday I’m ready.
Cable clutter, Charger, junk drawer… I think I don’t have to say more 🙁
Colleen says
Hi Sarah,
doesn’t cable clutter build up over time, we seem to constantly return to this one and find something else that is no longer used. Good luck with your mini mission and please let me know how it went.
Andréia says
Hi Colleen! Closet here I come 😉 !
Colleen says
Good for you Andréia! If you need a pep talk along the way, you know where to find me.
Nurchamiel says
This is the mission my decluttering has been waiting for! I still need to sort through my notes.
Colleen says
Hi Nurchamiel,
I sorted though 2 concertina files and 5 12 x 12 x 3 inch boxes of scrapbook paper last week so I understand what a pain sorting papers can be. Luckily for me I didn’t have to read anything for my task though so you will need extra patience so good luck.
Jennifer says
I spent part of this weekend watching the show Hoarders and am filled with a renewed determination not to end up like that. I moved within the last two years, so I don’t have too much clutter, but there are a few areas that I haven’t touched — and need to. I think I’ll start with the box of home improvement things in the closet. I’m sure I have some dried up spackle and dead brushes and things I could clean out.
Colleen says
Hi Jennifer,
that sounds like a good mini mission for you this week. My mini mission was to get rid of a couple of things that I have been undecided or unmoved on for almost the duration of my blog. This will be achieved this morning around 9am when Bob (freecycle person) comes to pick up the stuff. Yahooooooooo!
Jo says
What a great outline for tackling a big job … I have now got two large tasks outlined day by day, and it’s already making a difference to my approach to them. I find that writing down the steps is critical for me. It frees me from deciding over and over again what the next step should be, and it helps me figure out if I’ve missed something I need to consider. All in all, it helps me be better prepared and less likely to get overwhelmed in the middle of the job.
Colleen says
Hi Jo,
good luck with your chosen missions, I look forward to hearing all about the outcome.