Decluttering an item you consciously or unconsciously avoid using because it doesn’t satisfy your need or for some reason is too much bother.
Often kitchen gadgets fall into this category and items of clothing that you don’t feel good in for one reason or another. Maybe even bath towels or bed sheets whose tactile qualities tend to relegate them to the back of your linen closet for only those times you get desperate.
Begin a use it up challenge on a consumable product in your home. Food near it’s used by date, a toiletry item you don’t intend to replace, craft materials… .
I used up a bunch of craft supplies last week and then delivered the items I’d made to a retail outlet who stocks them. I now have less craft materials but more cash in my bank account. This week I think I’ll burn a couple of scented candles that are close to being used up. I also dropped off some stuff to the thrift shop on the weekend so that is a little more stuff out of the way.
Decluttering something to do with your arms. Perhaps jewellery, gloves, a shirt, exercise weights, archery equipment… .
Declutter something related to your torso. Maybe a clothing item, a belt, that back scratcher you never use, belly button ring, gun holster… . You may have guessed I’m grasping at straws here, please use your own imagination.😂
Tuesday-Declutter something related to the neck up. Maybe a hat, old toothbrush, makeup, scarf, glasses…
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 have dedicated the mini mission to those pesky memorabilia items. This kind of clutter is often the sort that most people have trouble detaching themselves from. We don’t need an abundance of stuff to remind us of those we love, what we have achieved or the good times we’ve had. A few very special items is generally enough. Without further adieu here are some suggestions for things you might find you can happily live without.
Monday – Old birthday cards
Tuesday – A family heirloom you possibly never really liked. Give it to another member of the family.
Wednesday – A souvenir.
Thursday – A childhood or baby item of you or your children.
Friday – A diary or journal.
Saturday – Any memento that is boxed away somewhere where you rarely see it.
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.
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’s mini missions address items that you may not have considered decluttering in the past. They aren’t really things you can just get rid on in the ten minute mini mission time frame but you can use ten minutes to give them your consideration. I first wrote these missions in 2013 so I am actually hoping that you have moved with the times and have already eliminated most of them from you home by now. With all of these items you could instigate a trial separation where you don’t use them for a month and see how you cope.
Monday – Consider decluttering your home phone. Do you really need a static phone as well as a mobile for each person in the household?
Tuesday – Consider decluttering your second television or the third one if you have that many. Let’s face it how much time do we really need to waste sitting around watching TV or videos.
Wednesday – Do you really need an alarm clock when your cell phone can carry out this task. Consider decluttering it.
Thursday – Declutter a piece of furniture, especially if its only purpose is to hold items that need dusting. Hopefully your previous decluttering efforts might have freed up such a piece by now.
Friday – Declutter a filing cabinet. Once you have decluttered your accumulated paperwork and have become realistic about what you really need to retain in the future, perhaps decluttering your filing cabinet, or at least downsizing to one with less drawers, would make sense. The lack of excess filing space may encourage you to stay on top of the paper clutter in the future, having no place to store it out of sight out of mind.
Saturday – I have mentioned this next item before but not often. Consider decluttering your second fridge or freezer. I know that some people use theirs for economic purchasing reasons but if that is not the case do you really need it. Many second fridges in Australia are used almost purely for storing beer and soft-drinks (soda), neither of which are good for you when consumed in large quantities and/or too frequently.
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.
Every time I go on a long vacation I am reminded of how little one really needs to live a comfortable and functional lifestyle. My husband and I often stay in Airbnb places when on vacation. These small apartments usually come supplied with a minimal, and varying, amount of crockery, cutlery, pots, pans, utensils etc to prepare and eat meals. They also have minimal linen, towels, bedding, furniture and appliances for you comfort and needs. And sometimes there are some extra items such as books, games, stationary and cooking ingredients etc.Â
As an example, we stayed in one Airbnb place in Berlin for almost three months, a year or so back, and we not only managed to cook and eat lovely meals, be comfortable and function as normal, we also marvelled at how much we loved the minimalism of it all.
On every vacation we limit ourselves to carry on luggage only, which usually means a total of 7kg per person. Which includes clothing, shoes, toiletries, electronic equipment and any other accessories we think we will need.
As I type this I am sitting in an Airbnb apartment in Downtown Wellington in New Zealand. It is cold outside as winter is on its way but we are snug and warm after just enjoying a home cooked meal of Scotch fillet steak, broccoli, mashed pumpkin and fried onion and mushrooms. That was after doing our washing which is drying on an airer in front of the oil heater in the bedroom. Almost our entire wardrobe of clothing is on that airer except for the clothes we will wear tomorrow, as we only wash about every five days and only carry enough clothes with us for about a week. Which is more than enough.
In my downtime I have a book to read, a sudoku puzzle book to work on, my cell phone with games etc to amuse me with, and what I need to knit a pair of socks. My husband also brought two card games for us to play. So along with good food and creature comforts and clothing we also have plenty of entertainment.
In fact we enjoy the lifestyle so much that we are always a little sad to leave our homes away from home when we move on, or head home. But when we are away and living like this we often find ourselves discussing why we still own so much at home, which isn’t that much bigger. It is a good chance to reassess and there is often a bit of decluttering that goes on soon after our return.
The fact is that we do own more at home than we need and we choose to do so. But we could, if we chose, live with a whole lot less. At the same time we do own a vast quantity less than most people which just goes to show how much excess there is in todays Western Society. What many people don’t realise is that the excess usually does not enhance their lives but limits it in many ways. I am glad to have shed that kind of burden and will continue to limit what I acquire and most likely eliminate more and more from what I still have.
Just like a bird who can not fly free if it carries too much weight I do not wish to be held down by the burden of my stuff or what the cost of acquiring stuff limits how far I can afford to roam. Because getting out in the world broadens my horizons and my mind.
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.
I have been informed that my Mother-in-law has been following my mini missions so this weeks missions have her in mind. I could be way off base because she has decluttered so much already but I am going to make some guesses as to what missions would work well for her. I hope they work well for all my readers too. So here goes.
Monday – Declutter a secondhand item that you purchased but haven’t really found a use for yet.
Tuesday – Declutter 5 craft items.
Wednesday – Choose ten items to donate to a charity of your choice and take them there this week.
Thursday – Donate some old toys that your children or grandchildren have long grown out of.
Friday – Declutter a gift you have never used but kept because a loved one gave it to you.
Saturday – Declutter some excess items from your or your partner’s wardrobe.
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.
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