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.

What we have to get into our heads sometimes if that the stuff cluttering up our homes is just that, stuff. These items aren’t life preservers, they aren’t precious, they aren’t our memories… and for the most part they aren’t even all that useful. We get it into our heads that we need this stuff when we don’t. One should watch a few documentaries on how people in less affluent societies to realise just how much stuff we don’t need to surround ourselves with in order to live a happy existence. So this week lets see if we can identify some stuff around our homes that we keep just in case we need it someday but we could most certainly live without, even if the situation did arise where we found a use for it and it was no longer there.

Monday – Declutter a specialised household tool that you could substitute another for, should a rare situation arise where it may actually prove useful.

Tuesday – Use up something “precious” in your craft or hobby supplies that you have been saving for a special project that hasn’t eventuated for years. Every moment is special in life so now is as good a time as any to use it.

Wednesday – Do you have more special occasion outfits in your closet than you ever really need. Either declutter one of them or  move one into your regular clothes rotation so you can feel special in it on a regular basic. In the second instance declutter some old thing you no longer feel good in.

Thursday – Declutter the good china if you rarely use it or better still declutter the everyday set and start using the good stuff all the time. You deserve it after all.

Friday – Declutter a unitasker gadget from your kitchen that you rarely use. There isn’t one of these gadgets on the market that can’t be substituted by a more versatile one (such as a knife) that you use everyday.

Saturday – Declutter an item that you once used a lot but haven’t for a very long time. Perhaps you are past that phase in your life.

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

Know the recycling rules for your area and put every little thing in the recycle bin that you can.

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.

Why work harder than you have to for the sake of keep items you don’t need. This week’s mission are designed to have you getting rid of items that you may or may not realise are adding to your work load. Perhaps doing these mission will help you identify other areas of clutter causing your workload to be heavier that it need be.

Monday – Declutter some things that collect dust.

Tuesday – Declutter excess items in a cupboard that make it had to get at what you need.

Wednesday – Declutter items from counter tops that require moving in order to clean the space properly. This may require decluttering some less useful items in cupboards to make room for a little reshuffling.

Thursday – Declutter some things piled on floor making it difficult to vacuum or sweep easily and efficiently.

Friday – Declutter your handbag so it is easy to find what you need in there when you need it.

Saturday – Declutter excess clothes in your closet so it is easy to organise what you do use.

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

As I am on vacation in New Zealand for some time I will be republishing old posts from the archives to keep you all entertained and motivated while I am busy. I hope you will enjoy the post I have dug up for you today and that it inspires you to have at it and get some decluttering done.

How much time do you waste in your day then profess to have no time to get your house in order. No time to begin decluttering that stuff that is making it difficult to keep your house in order.

We are all entitled to downtime. I am not going to argue that fact. The question is has your downtime taken over. And do you actually feel better or worse for it. I know that when I have been sitting idle for too long not doing anything useful I start getting agitated and feel the need to get up and make myself useful. I think it is a guilt feeling from being slothful. Once again I am not talking about rest time I am talking about wasted time when enough rest has already been had.

As this weeks mini missions show it isn’t hard to find a little time every now and again to fit in a little delcuttering or perhaps you could even use the time to do some much needed quick tasks around your house. In the time it takes to boil the kettle and brew the tea I can manage to empty the dishwasher. During add times on television I can put away the folded washing. The washing itself can be folding while watching television, as can ironing, sorting papers, doing a decluttering of your jewellery box or make-up kit. You can even pull out a drawer, bring it into the living room and declutter while watching your favourite show. You can clean the rubbish out of your handbag while waiting for an appointment. There is sure to be a rubbish bin close by to throw the trash into. And with a little imagination you can find many periods where time can be better used.

This morning I was feeling listless so I did the ironing. I felt much better for it. This evening while my husband was watching a movie, I wasn’t that interested in, I did some reorganising and a little decluttering in my craft room. I must admit I am a little “different” because I actually enjoy organising and decluttering so I wouldn’t consider this task a chore, but you get the idea. I enjoy the challenge, thinking outside the box and, of course, the end result. And of course I enjoy my actual downtime when I take it, happy in the knowledge that I am keeping up with my household chores.

Lets go back to that ironing I mentioned. I don’t know anyone who enjoys ironing. I don’t have a lot of it and can easily ignore it in the laundry cupboard for weeks before clothing items are needed or my husband runs out of hankies. (Yes I iron the hankies, not linen, underwear, jeans or t-shirts though so please don’t judge.) When I say ignore, I mean the items that do require ironing won’t run down for a while. But one thing I hate worse than ironing is feeling like I have neglected a task until desperation sets in. Especially when I know that I have had plenty of opportunity to get on with the task sooner. It makes me feel lazy and inefficient which permeates my downtime.

I know from experience that many people feel a similar way about their lack of effort to declutter. They know they need to do it, that they want it done but can’t bring themselves to make the effort. And often their downtime is marred by that fact that they know this task is being neglected because the evidence of this is staring them right in the face. Goading them and nagging when they should be relaxed and tranquil. Hours and hours are wasted feeling far less than tranquil in the effort to avoid something that would take much less time to solve.

So don’t waste those spare minutes here and there where you can achieve more than you would expect. I have been following my own advice about this to the letter over for the last week and I have achieve things that have been waiting around for me to do for weeks if not months. Nothing that important but nevertheless things that have quietly been nagging me to get them done. Not only can I go on my vacation content with my achievements but when I get home I will be able to ease on into routine with

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

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.

Sorry folks I am late yet again. We have had a visitor and some more baby sitting due to a funeral of someone gone too young, and also getting ready for our departure tomorrow. No excuse is good enough for being so slack of late though and I apologise for that. Maybe this big break is just what I need. It is meant to be a more relaxing one so lets hope that is helpful to get me back on track.

This is another good exercise to help you find extra things you may not have thought to get rid of. So this week we are once going to remove some clutter that might be bothering someone else in some way. If you decide to take on this weeks missions be prepared for it to be confronting at times.

Monday – Ask your partner/husband/roommate if there is something of yours in your shared living space that they wish you would declutter because they don’t like it. It is up to you whether you comply of course.

Tuesday – Remove something from your yard that a neighbour might be able to see and think looks out of place or unsightly. Ask the neighbour if you aren’t sure and are game.

Wednesday – Ask a family member if they have anything you have given them that they really don’t want but keep because it was a gift from you. Give them permission to declutter it.

Thursday – Return something that you have borrowed from someone else that you should possibly have returned some time ago.

Friday – Declutter an area where your items may have spilled over into someones else’s space. For example ~ Your clothes in your husbands side of the closet.

Saturday – Ask a family member if there is an area of clutter in your home that you might have overlooked that they think needs attention. This might possibly be an area that is OK to you but annoying for them.

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

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.

Firstly, sorry for the late posting. My husband and I have our 18 month old grandson staying with us for two weeks while his parents are on vacation and time just seems to get away from me. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday all seem to roll into one. But better late than never with a set of mini missions I guess. So here they are.

The missions this week are inspired by the idea that clutter troubles your mind. There are so many ways in which this happens. The question is why hang on to stuff that causes you mental unrest. Best to just let it go and free yourself of the stress. So this week we will be searching  our homes for items that cause as metal stress and getting rid of it. There is enough stuff we must do that causes us stress so why add to it unnecessarily.

Monday – Aspiration ~ Declutter an item the represents something you feel you should get around to do that isn’t necessary. Craft supplies, mending, long ignored recreational activities…

Tuesday – Unhappy Memories ~ Declutter an item that brings you unnecessary feelings of sadness whenever you lay eyes on it.

Wednesday – Obligation ~ Declutter something you don’t want that you feel you should keep for someone else’s sake outside of your home. If they really care for you I am sure they wouldn’t want to cause you this stress.

Thursday – Work ~ Declutter unnecessary items that cause you effort to maintain. Effort such as dusting, polishing, cleaning around and under.

Friday – Obstruction ~ Declutter excess items that get in the way of more important items. This is best represented in cluttered drawers, files, closets etc that cause you wasted time locating the useful among the redundant.

Saturday – Waste ~ Start a use it up challenge on an item that is likely to spoil if it doesn’t get used up soon.

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

Random Acts of Miscellaneous Kindness

(Little thoughtful acts for no reason but to make a complete strangers life a little easier.)

It has come to my attention, both through comments on my blog and through real life experience, that one of the issues people have with their clutter, once they finally decide to be rid of it, is getting it out of their homes. Clutter gets rounded up then put aside in the corner of a room or storage space and they build up and hang out there for, what seems like, forever.

One reason is a lack of time, another a lack of knowing exactly what to do with it, while a lack of transport to get it to a thrift shop can also be a deterrent. Some folks spend too much time trying to find the perfect new home for there stuff so they feel more comfortable letting it go. And trying to return some monetary gain for your, not well utilised, stuff can slow down the process of it getting it on it’s way. But whatever the reason, I can only imagine it must feel like a failure and becomes a deterrent to getting rid of any more stuff.

My advice is…

1. Find a good charity who will take most things and make a promise to yourself you will pack up your stuff and take it there as soon as you have a trunk load. If you have no vehicle ask a friend, relative or neighbour to help. Or even book a taxi every now and again. You could also use Freecycle.org, or similar, where you list your stuff for free and the taker will come to you to pick it up.
2. If you insist on selling some of your stuff don’t dither over this. List it quickly, if it doesn’t sell list it again and if there are still no takers send it off to the charity of your choice. Here are some options for selling ~ eBay or similar or check out Facebook for a Buy, Swap and Sell page for your local area. You can also have a garage sale or flea market stall.
3. Don’t be too precious about where the stuff goes. There may be waste no matter what method you use. Better that it go out into circulation, and come what may, than it gathering dust in a corner of your home where it is no use to anyone. Just promise yourself you will be less inclined to acquire in future so you don’t have to agonise about letting things go.

In summary, plan a strategy for removal of your stuff and carry it out quickly. The sooner you send it on its way the better you will feel and the more likely you will be to carry on the process.

At an assembly, at my granddaughters school today, the principle said ~ “A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing…”. In the case of clutter, knowing what to get rid of is that little bit of knowledge, not also knowing what to do with it is where the danger sets in…

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

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 weeks lets do some mini missions that will help keep your house tidy. Decluttering that eliminates a few things that make cleaning house more difficult than it need be.

Monday – Declutter an item from the kitchen countertop. Kitchens can be messy places and the less stuff you have on your countertops the less things are going to get messed up, and the easier it is to clean the countertops themselves. This mission may require decluttering something from in the cupboards to make room for the more useful stuff you usually keep on the counter top. Remember to store these useful items in easy reach.

Tuesday – Declutter a dust collecting knickknack. If you are like me, a sufferer from dust allergies, then you should know that the less stuff there is collecting dust the less dusting you will need to do which will result in less allergy attacks.

Wednesday – Declutter something from under a piece of furniture. Stuff on floors make them difficult to vacuum, sweep and/or mop.

Thursday – Declutter any unnecessary stuff cluttering around your bath or shower. Even though these are wet areas they can also get dusty. Also mildew/mould can build up under items that water pools under.

Friday – Declutter excess furniture or stuff on your veranda, balcony or patio. Wind blows in leaves and dust which is harder to clear away when stuff needs moving to get at it.

Saturday – Declutter excess decorative cushions from your bed. Making beds can be a pain at the best of times, but having to pile off and on those cushions all the time make it that much more of a pain. And lets face it, the rest of the time they are collecting dust and if you suffer from nasal allergies then you will know that the less things collection dust the better it is from keeping a clear nose.

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

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.

Sorry folks, the days got away from me and I missed that fact that yesterday was Monday.

The idea behind this set of mini mission and all the great examples was brought to you by Peggy. Great and original idea Peggy, thank you. As you can guess by the title your mission this week is to declutter containers of all sorts. Bonus points for declutter the stuff in the container as well.

Monday – Declutter excess travel containers ~ Suitcases, overnight bags, toiletries bags etc.

Tuesday – Declutter excess Food containers ~ Mugs, coolers, thermos, Tupperware and the like, drinking glasses, bowls etc.

Wednesday – Declutter excess empty containers ~ Hat Boxes, shoe boxes, appliance boxes, plastic bags,  large storage containers you are aspiring never to fill again, etc.

Thursday – Declutter excess disposable containers ~ Plastic bags, takeaway containers, envelopes, paper bags, old shopping bags, empty jars, those little medicine bottles you think you might have a use for someday etc.

Friday – Declutter miscellaneous storage containers ~ Eyeglass cases, trinket boxes, jewellery boxes, vases,

Saturday – Declutter portable containers ~ Totes, handbags, purses etc

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

Firstly I would just like to apologise for my recent extended absence from the blog this month. Unfortunately my mother took ill and I rushed off interstate to visit her in hospital and to take care of my dad while she couldn’t. After she returned home from hospital it took a while for her to sufficiently recover enough for me to feel comfortable about leaving for home.

Add that to the three week vacation immediately after Christmas and I have spent only about two weeks in my own home so far this year. With an eight week trip to New Zealand planned for not too far in the future I suppose I won’t be spending much of the entire first half of this year in my apartment.

Aside from the part about my mother being sick I am sure many of you are thinking… “Lucky you, being able to travel and see the world.”. And I would have to agree with you, however what is also wonderful about this is that having decluttered and downsized to a smaller home with lots of built in security it is so easy to just walk away knowing that what I do own is secure and need not worry about it while I am away.

And there is another point to this story. Middle age is the time to begin setting yourself up for your twilight years, because you just never know… . The better set up you are for all circumstances and realities the easier the transition will be. The reality is, that a lot of stuff and a lot of space is much harder to take care of as you become less nimble and energetic. Transitions are much harder to make when the task seems insurmountable, causing upset and frustration.

This doesn’t mean you need to significantly change your lifestyle, just progressively tweak it so that it never gets too much for you. You will not only be doing yourself a favour but you make it easier for everyone around you. My husband and I have already reduced our belongings, downsized our dwelling, made a list of our assets and set our wills and power of Attorney in order. I am sure our children will thank us for it. And our minds are at rest knowing that everything is in order.

So on those days when you look around you and see how much unnecessary stuff you have, don’t just ignore it and hope it goes away. Think of your twilight years and your loved ones and do something about it.

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.

It is evident, in any home I spend more than a little time in, that there are a number of spaces that get the most cluttered. They seem to be the same ones no matter whose home it is. And there overloaded spaces become inefficient due to having to shuffle things around to get to what one needs. So this week we will try to free up some space in six such places.

Monday – Declutter a few clothing items from a wardrobe.

Tuesday - Declutter a few items from a kitchen cupboard.

Wednesday - Declutter a few books from a bookcase.

Thursday - Declutter a few items from your linen closet.

Friday - Declutter a batch of paperwork from your files.

Saturday - Declutter a few items from a storage area that are unlikely ever to be used again.

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