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 for our mini missions we are going to do a little aspiration decluttering. You know the things I am talking about. Those items you aspire to using one day but that day never comes. Why not be realistic and ease the pressure on yourself. Maybe by eliminating seven of those items it will free your mind to actually rekindle an old interest or take up something new you really will enjoy.
Choose something to eliminate each day from my suggestions below or come up with your own ideas.
Monday – A craft or hobby supply item.
Tuesday – A project that you started long ago but have never completed.
Wednesday – A gadget you bought to perform a function that rarely or never gets used.
Thursday – An item of clothing that you promise yourself is going to fit you again some day.
Friday – A piece of sporting equipment that, if you are really honest with yourself, you are not likely to use again.
Saturday – A recipe book that you haven’t made anything out of in years.
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 misions, Colleen.
I have been getting rid of one thing per day for 2 years now. Thanks, Colleen, for your incredible inspiration.
I immediately thought of something I could get rid of from every category that you list on Mini Mission Monday, except one. But I’m not ready to get rid of any of them. Yet.
What I like best about this process is that there are many levels of letting go. Each time I address letting go of an item that I feel ambivalent about keeping, I get closer to actually getting rid of it even if I am not ready to do it now.
One example for me is books. I have probably 300 books now. But two years ago, I had 450 books. I have looked through my bookcases probably 6-7 times and each time, I got rid of a stack of books. Each time, I’m a little more open to letting some more books go.
I really love this slow process of letting go, because it has always been easy to let go of each item. If it’s not easy, I just hang onto it.
Thank you!!
Hi Autumn elixe, you and I have the same opinion of the slow and steady approach. Not only does it make letting go easy but it tends to be a more permanent method of remaining uncluttered. Keeping on working at it and you will reach your goals for sure. In fact your goals will likely gradually get greater. That is my experience.
I swear you are psychic Miss Colleen! I walk passed my two new pairs of swimmers this morning , thinking that they are definitely aspirational .
How often do I say ‘I can’t do that unless I have the right clothes/tools’ . Then when I get the right stuff I don’t act?
Hopefully when you return soon, those swimmers will get worn every day as we hit the beach 🙂
Cheers
Colleen, were you looking in my kitchen when you thought about unused receipe books?! Did you see the folder of receipes ( never tried) that I tore out of magazines. Most of them are for that fantasy life when I’m cooking for dinner parties for 10. I currently only have four chairs and a tiny table and no inclination to cook, except for myself, so that’s not going to work is it? Doh! Folder. Bin. Now. Thank you.