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.

If you only took a stocktake of everything in your home that is only there out of convenience rather than necessity you would shocked. And if only you could convince yourself as to how inconvenient, and sometimes costly, those convenience items really are then you would probably be able to find a lot more stuff in your homes to declutter. I am going to be keeping and eye out for such conveniences in my home this week. And today’s mini mission will drawer your attention as to what some of those items may be in yours. So, happy decluttering.

Monday – Declutter a small single use gadget in your kitchen. Really consider how much time it saves you, on what sort of frequency and whether the time saved is then wasted on the awkwardness to clean the item or in finding it among the plethora of other equally not-so-convenient items.

Tuesday – Declutter or start a use-it-up challenge on consumable items that you have multiples of. Toiletries and cleaners are always a good example of this. Because they generally last a while so there is no need to have a replacement on hand until these items are in imminent likelihood of running out. Anything beyond that is a waste of space in your cupboards.

Wednesday – Declutter or start a use it up challenge on gift wrapping items. Usually one needs to leave the home to acquire a gift so why not acquire a gift bag at the same time in future. There is really no need to keep a large assortment of these items in your home.

Thursday – Declutter some excess crockery items. If you have layers of crockery that you never get to the bottom of then you have more than you need. Toppling layers of plates, variations of items that perform the same task, rows of coffee mugs that you never get to the back of… . Yes it is convenient to have lots so you don’t have to clean them too often but that just makes for a cluttered, messy and unhygienic kitchen.

Friday – Start a use it up challenge on a throw away convenience item that is not so environmentally friendly, and vow not to replace it. Paper towel, cling wrap, any sort of wet wipes, bottled water…

Saturday – Declutter a number of small items that you have dispersed throughout your home to save the small effort of walking from one room to another. Multiple trash cans, pens, notebooks, nail files, hand lotion, reading glasses, hair ties, charging cables…

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

There are many convenience items that are less than environmentally friendly yet are quite easy to live without. Cling wrap, paper towel, wet wipes, throw away shopping bags. Consider learning to live without them. Remember REFUSE, reuse, reduce, recycle.

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.

This week we are going to go from one room in the house to another to find random things to declutter. Each day will be a different room. If you haven’t got that room substitute it with another area of your home that isn’t already on the list of mini missions.

Monday – Declutter an item from the living room of your home.

Tuesday - Declutter an item from a bedroom of your home.

Wednesday - Declutter an item from a bathroom of your home.

Thursday - Declutter an item from the kitchen of your home.

Friday - Declutter an item from the garage, attic or basement space of your home.

Saturday - Declutter an item from the laundry of your home.

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

Experiment to see how little washing detergent/powder your washing machine really needs to get a load of washing clean. It is usually much less than the manufacturers suggestion. Just reduce it a little at a time. So long as the loads are cleaning then you need no more.

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.

Well the “Silly Season” is over again but the aftereffects may still linger. I am glad to say that my Christmas wish of few gifts was adhered too so there is little evidence in my home that it ever happened, except of course the warm and fuzzy feeling of having spend time with those I love. I did cheat a little by not being home so all the celebrations happened elsewhere. So how is your home shaping up? Here are some mini missions to help get it back into shape.

Monday – Declutter any Christmas decorations you don’t like so much as you pack them away.

Tuesday – Work on using up all the leftover food of the holiday season. Condiments, spices, frozen leftovers etc. Oh and of course wine and beer. 😉

Wednesday –  Declutter an item that you may have received a replacement for as a gift.

Thursday – If you received some nice new toiletries as a gift start using up the already started items before beginning on the new gifted items.

Friday – Declutter something else in the area where you store your holiday season decorations.

Saturday – Declutter kitschy Christmas items like hand towels, oven mitts, socks etc. This mission is simply for my own amusement. I used to have all of these things and haven’t missed any of 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

Eco Tip for the Day

Take your own shopping bag when doing any shopping. I must have saved hundreds of bags grocery shopping alone over the last seven years. And then there is a much smaller number saved by using my own bags for any other shopping I do.  To get myself into the habit of taking my own bag I forced myself to carry my shopping to the car without a bag when I forgot to bring my own. That little juggling act soon cured my forgetfulness.

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.

There is never a better time than now to declutter a few things around your home. No matter how much you have the gift giving and receiving under control there is still likely to be something coming it. So why not make room for it before it arrives. All the holdiay season is the best time to declutter excess decorations since you have them out anyway. So lets get to some holiday season decluttering.

Monday – Decluttering something you received as a gift last holiday season that you don’t care for.

Tuesday – Declutter those less loved decorations.

Wednesday – Declutter some bits and pieces from the guest room in your home.

Thursday – Declutter any old baking spices from you pantry that have been there prior to last Christmas. They must be less than their best by now.

Friday – Declutter any lingering food stuffs from your fridge as you will need the space in there at this time of year.

Saturday - Get the kids to choose a few old toys they could donate to children in need. This is a good practice to involve them in, especially at this time of year.

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

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.

The focus of this weeks missions is activities. Much of our clutter is about activities after all ~ stuff we buy to do things with. Sometimes we over cater to a new activity, sometimes we purchase items to simplify a task and some stuff is purely for entertainment. Either way it builds up over time. So lets see you what can find among the following activity related clutter that you no longer use.

Monday – Declutter something that you bought to read and are unlikely to ever read again.

Tuesday – Declutter a utensil/tool you brought but haven’t found that useful.

Wednesday – Declutter a hobby related item.

Thursday – Declutter a sports related item.

Friday – Declutter something you acquired for entertainment.

Saturday – Declutter something related to sleep.

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

Use less of things, like toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, cleaning products. You might be surprised to find that less does just as good a job but is also less expensive and less harm to the environment.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

This post is all about breaking down, into steps, the task of decluttering a large cluttered area of your home without causing undue disruption. I am going to use the kitchen as my example area, however these steps can be easily adapted to any space. I chose the kitchen simply because, in Western Society, this space usually has lots of divisions of space with lots of individual items in them. So without further adieu let us begin.

Step One ~ Setting up

If you don’t already have a space set up to store the decluttered items prior to complete removal from your home ~ I call this the transition point ~ now is the time take care of this step. Designate an area to move the items to that you wish to declutter. This is where you store them until you are able to get out to deliver them to the thrift shop, donation bin, sell them or pass them on to a friend or relative. You may want to set up individual tubs in order to keep these items separate depending on there intended final destination.

Step Two ~ Division of space

Choose one small space in your area to work on at a time.  Make it a small enough space ~ One drawer, one shelf, one area of the bench top… ~ that can be dealt with quickly and easily.

Step Three ~ Empty and choose

Remove everything from this small space, choosing which items to declutter as you handle each one. Move the decluttered items to your transition point. At this time you may also want to return misplaced items to their appropriate areas. However don’t be tempted to fine tune the space as that is much easier to achieve once the decluttering of the entire area has taken place

Step Four ~ Prep

If necessary, do any cleaning or maintenance necessary to prepare this space for the return of the keeper items. Also clean any keeper items that require it.

Set Five ~ Replace

Replace the keeper items to the space in the most sensible order to suit your needs. Now the greater area is tidy again.

Set Six ~ Repeat

If you have time at this juncture you can move on to the next small section of your area ~ starting at step two and follow through to step five. However if you have other things to do with your day you can walk away comforted by the fact that the area is tidy and you can return to the task when time permits.

Clearly the strategy is to break the large area into small sections that can be completed in a short period of time. Do one section at a time leaving no mess behind you as you move on. Continue section by section at your own pace.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something you have knowingly passed over during previous decluttering mission that you still haven’t utilised. I decluttered some cardboard boxes that I saved for mailing but haven’t been used.

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

Eco Tip for the Day

Only turn a light on when absolutely necessary.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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.

This week our mini mission reflect what I personally decluttered last week. You may wonder how I continue to find things to declutter but I do. I have felt particularly in a decluttering mood since returning from vacation and stuff is either being used up or sent out the door everyday lately. Lets see if you can find some stuff too, inspired by this weeks mini missions.

Monday – Declutter I item of clothing you don’t love or maybe don’t even feel comfortable in. I decluttered a pair of jeans that although fit my bottom are too wide at the waste. A belt is a solution but I don’t want to have to wear one so out they go. I might buy another secondhand pair to replace them but not until next winter.

Tuesday – Declutter something you have knowingly passed over during previous decluttering mission that you still haven’t utilised. I decluttered some cardboard boxes that I saved for mailing but haven’t been used.

Wednesday – Declutter something that exists in multiples that you have noticed are starting to mount up again. Pens, rubber bands, paperclips, twist ties. I decluttered some rubber bands that come wrapped around asparagus. I rarely have use for rubber band so I took them to the thrift shop where we find them much more useful for bundling up sales items.

Thursday – Declutter and outdoor item. Perhaps an old potted plant that has seen better days. I have one that, although repotted and fertilised hasn’t sprouted a single leaf in the last twelve months. In fact is hasn’t shown any sign of growth in years. I might plant it in the garden downstairs and reuse the pot to up plant one of my other more thriving plants.

Friday – Declutter something from the passing season that wasn’t used or is past its usefulness. I decluttered a microfibre feather throw rug. Seeing the sun shine through it while it was drying on my balcony illuminated that fact that there wasn’t much feather left in it.

Saturday – Declutter something you have been procrastinating about. I have kept some black wooden beads among my craft supplies for quite a while now. I eye them off occasionally but hold on to them. Well I am over them wasting space in my craft drawers so this time they are out of here. Alternately I have been having a fun time using the mizuhiki paper cord that I bought while in Japan recently. See photo below. The white cardstock, envelopes and patterned paper was also bought while on vacation. And the gold stripes are a bit of a use-it-up paper effort that has been hanging around for 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 luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t accept free items just because they are free. I happened upon a charity run today while taking my morning walk. Everyone on the run had a printed t-shirt with the sponsoring companies names on. I also noticed runners, who had completed the race, holding goody bags. No doubt with some edible items in but probably also some plastic promotional nicknack rubbish.  That equals hundreds of items that I dare say would end up in the trash, at the thrift shop in a month or two, or cluttering up someones home for the next few years, used once or twice but then discarded. Such a waste of resources.

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.

Regardless of how much of an expert one things they have become at keeping the clutter at bay there are always things that build up when you aren’t looking. Little things mostly but it is clutter nonetheless and as we all know so much of our clutter is made up of little bits and pieces. These things also build up while you are in full swing trying to get rid of the bulk of your clutter. Therefore it is best to keep a close eye on the little devils. So this week we will find some of them to declutter.

Monday – Declutter receipts you have kept for warranty or return purposes that are now past their return by date.

Tuesday – Declutter small clothing items that you kept just in case when you last purchased new ones. ~ Underwear, socks, t-shirts etc.

Wednesday – Declutter items you have kept for reuse that are building up. Plastic bags, jars, boxes…

Thursday – Check for items in your pantry or refrigerator that built up but need using up.

Friday - For the book lovers ~ Keep your collection in check by decluttering a couple of less loved books.

Saturday – Identify your own unique build-up situation and unclutter some of it. Mine is craft and I’m working on it constantly.

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

As your light globes fail throughout your home replace them with LEDs. They are more expensive to purchase but they will pay for themselves in spades and don’t have the toxic chemicals of mini florescent globes.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Last week Kayote left a comment on my Righteousness post where she explains how difficult it is for her to find time to declutter. I have to admit I do sympathise living a double income, one child, family life. It is no doubt hard work and downtime is a priority in order to recharge.

But the good news is that decluttering doesn’t have to require much effort at all if you approach it in the right manner. And I am going to try to help with that in this post today. There is nothing new in this post that I haven’t mentioned before but as I always say “Reating the same things in a different manner can bring the breakthrough that people are searching for.”. I know this because I have witnessed it time and time again here at 365 Less Things.

But which comes first the chicken or the egg? Strange question to begin with I know, but that is because I am not sure which order is the right one to arrange my advice in. Will beginning with the practical advice help with the mindset change or will the advice on changing your mindset help one to see how easy the physical side of the task can be?

In this case, although the practical tips are a longer list I will begin with them first because they might clear the path to that change of mindset. So here goes.

Decluttering can take but seconds in your day when you can learn to think outside the box. What you have to realise is how effortless the physical side of decluttering can be by simply plucking an object out of its place in your home while performing your other day to day tasks. Here are some examples…

• While applying your make-up chose one item in your make-up kit to declutter that you rarely use.
• While accessorising your outfit for the day choose one item among your accessories to declutter.
• While folding your wash loads for the week declutter any items that don’t fit nicely, have become ratty or you know are excess to your needs.
• Make a point of trying to cycle through your entire selection of clothing and linen to determine which items are your least favourite and let them go as they appear.
• When playing with your child/children identify one toy item that they don’t seem to choose to play with anymore or is broken and declutter it.
• When preparing the family meal identify a cooking tool that you rarely use and let it go.
• When arranging a meal plan for the week include a recipe to use up unpopular herbs or spices and then don’t replace them.
• When you have read a book or magazine that you are unlikely to refer back to (and be completely honest about this) allocate it immediately to the recycling bin or donation box.
• When choosing a book to read from your own collection decluttering one that you happen upon that you would happily live without.
• While taking time out to relax take just a moment to scan the room you are in and see if you can spy an item you don’t care enough to keep. When you get up to perform your next task take a moment to deliver that item to your transition point.
• Each day for a ware a different pair of shoes. Declutter any that are uncomfortable or shabby.
• If you indulge in a hobby or craft, spy items, as you use your stash, that don’t appeal to you so much either declutter it or get inventive about using it up in a current project.
• When putting out fresh linen for the week make a point of using a different set every week until you have tried them all. If you have an abundance declutter the least liked items.
• When filing a piece of paperwork remove the oldest similar item and shred it.
• When you buy something new that requires a manual declutter and recycle at least one manual for items you know longer own.
• When you get up in the ad time to use the bathroom take a quick peak in the cabinet and see if there is something you can spy that you no longer wish to keep. Declutter it.

That is numerous ways to find something to declutter without making much effort. As you can see from the list all of these tasks involve acting upon what you are simply observing. We often spy things in our everyday lives that are less than favourable to us. The only extra effort we have to make is transferring these items to our donation box, the trash or our recycling bin. How hard is that?

So by now I hope you have figured out for yourself how the change of mindset comes into it. And that is ~ Simply change how you see the task of decluttering. It barely even has to be a task or take any time. So stop seeing it as a chore. The whole idea of decluttering a thing a day for me was to turn the mammoth decluttering task, I thought I had in front of me, into a thing of minimum effort. Once I had decluttering the first item it almost became a game to me as to how easy it would be to identify the next item. So make a game of it not a painful task and you may even start looking forward to it rather than dreading it.

It is all in the mind. Trust me.

Today’s Mini Mission

 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.

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

Eco Tip for the Day

Not all clothing items need washing after one use. So extend the use of any items of clothing you can to ensure less washing, which means less water and detergent wastage.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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.

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