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.

Some items in our homes are plentiful and there is usually some among them that just aren’t necessary to keep. This weeks missions are designed to weed out those least used items from an otherwise useful bunch. Let’s see how honest you can be at letting go of the least useful of these groups.

Monday – Take out the three least used utensils in your kitchen. Really think why you bother to keep them. Declutter the least used item.

Tuesday – Take a look in your closet. Take out the three least used items of clothing. Declutter the least likely ever to be used again.

Wednesday – Take out your three least comfortable pairs shoes. Declutter the pair that you are least likely to wear.

Thursday – Choose three books from your book collection. Declutter the one least likely to be reread.

Friday – Retrieve the three least likely to be used linen items ftom your linen closet. Declutter the one of those that is used the least.

Saturday – Choose three items among your craft supplies. Be that tools or materials. Declutter the least likely 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

Eco Tip for the Day

Share a meal at a cafe or restaurant. Large portions are best shared. For your waistline and for environmental sustainability.

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 decided this week that instead of giving a you a list of items to declutter I would give you some food for thought each day. We often don’t give enough thought to the positive side to decluttering, whether some items are really as crucial in our lives as we think, or whether sentimental items are truly meaningful or simply novel.  Perhaps a little focus in these areas might bring an epiphany, or two, that will aid you in letting go of more stuff. Here’s hoping it has the desired effect.

Monday – Declutter an item of your choice and spend 10 minutes listing all the positive effects decluttering will have on your life. For example, less cleaning, more space, simplifying choice, ease of retrieval of the useful stuff…

Tuesday – Declutter an item of your choice and spend 10 minutes listing the reasons why you should acquire less stuff. For example, save money, work less, environmental reasons, better uses of your time, not accumulating more clutter…

Wednesday - Declutter an item of your choice and spend 10 minutes thinking about what your particular clutter weakness is. Knowing this will help you avoid it in the future.

Thursday - Declutter an item of your choice and spend 10 minutes thinking about the less useful “time saving” devices in your home and whether they are worth the space they take up. Take into account, storage, cleaning, ease of use, assembly, frequency used…

Friday - Declutter an item of your choice and spend 10 minutes thinking about it. Why you are letting it go and what other similar items you have around the house that you could also declutter.

Saturday - Declutter an item of your choice and spend 10 minutes questioning the sentimental attachment to other items you own. Consider whether these items really matter or whether it is just the excitement evoked on the rare occasion that you unearth 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.

Today’s mini missions are categorised by what they are made of. This gives you a pretty wide scope as to what to let go of that is made from each of these materials. I’ll help you out with some suggestion as to what you might look for but, by all means, use your own imagination. So have fun as you declutter something made from…

Monday – Glass ~ There are no end of things made from glass within the average home. Here are some suggestions of items you might declutter in this category. Drinking glasses, vases, eye glasses (donate these to charity), figurines, computer screens, pictures frames…

Tuesday – Paper ~ This is one of the materials that are really difficult for many people to deal with. Items made from this are either usually loved or hated. Books, magazine, letters and photos can be numerous and cherished, while paperwork is a pain to sort through and deal with. You only need to spend 10 minutes on this so make the most of it.

Wednesday – Metal ~ Once again plentiful. Tools, mixing bowls, utensils, pots, vehicle parts and jewellery all come to mind very quickly but I am sure you can think of more.

Thursday – Fabric ~ Clothes, linen, carpets, blankets, pillows ought to be items easy enough to find. I have something in mind for this one this week.

Friday – Wood ~ Furniture items, kitchen tools (cutting boards, knife blocks, trays, bowls etc), and unused project materials would be  good targets for this mission.

Saturday - Plastic ~ Excess storage containers, toys, bowls and sporting equipment are just a few suggestions but I am sure you can think of many more.

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 use throw away cleaning wipes. They have them for cleaning wood, kitchen spills, television screens, make-up removal etc etc. They are usually made from manmade fibres, soaked in chemicals and sold in plastic containers, all of which are bad for the environment. You can do all these jobs with a little water and a microfibre cloth that can be washed and used over and over again.

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’ve said it before and I say it again… One of the most cluttered areas of a home is the kitchen. In our never pending desire to make work as simple as possible we acquire gadget after gadget ~ Of which there are an infinite number of ~ for our kitchens. Not to mention all the paraphernalia required to use these so called simplifying gadgets. Also enough crockery, cutlery, glassware and utensils so that we don’t run out while we fill the dishwasher to capacity. So this week lets see if we can find six items to declutter from this area of our homes.

Monday – Declutter one electric kitchen gadget that wasn’t so time saving or was completely pointless in the first place.

Tuesday – Declutter any crockery that you have too many pieces of.

Wednesday – Declutter any glassware you have more of than you need.

Thursday – Declutter one hand powered kitchen gadget you don’t use enough to warrant wasting the space.

Friday – Declutter utensils that you have multiples of but never need more than one at a time.

Saturday – Declutter kitchen related linen that is surplus to your needs.

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

Send all your unused stuff out into the world where it can save someone else from buying new.

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.

Monday is here again and we all know what that means, mini missions. When I sat down to write this post I racked my brain for something original but I have put together so many mini mission posts by now that there can’t possibly be anything I have missed. So I decided to be specific instead. You won’t need to think of anything other than ~ Do I have too many of these?

Monday – Declutter a pair of shoes.

Tuesday – Declutter some out of date paperwork.

Wednesday – Declutter a purse, wallet, handbag, carry bag or backpack.

Thursday – Declutter old keys that you no longer remember what they belonged to.

Friday – Declutter excess hotel toiletries you have accumulated from vacations or business trips.

Saturday – Declutter a piece of jewellery you haven’t worn in a long time.

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

If you only need a little light to find your way in your dark home, turn on the switch that connects to the least amount of globes. When I sit in on my bed to type my blog posts I turn on my walk-through wardrobe light. It only has one globe while my bedroom has two.

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.

For this week’s mini missions I have focused on items that collect dust. I am sure I don’t need to tell you yet again about the allergy issues surrounding dust collectors.  I could come up with enough missions for a month on this topic alone but here are six for you to be getting on with.

Monday – I have given the bookworms a bit of a reprieve for a while because I felt I was forever picking on them but the break is over. Books are big dust collectors and also can become quite musty when kept in damp places without good ventilation. So this week how about decluttering ten books from your collection that you are least likely to read again.

Tuesday – Declutter excess plush toys and then wash and air out the ones you keep. This is probably more than a mini mission but it is a job that needs doing occasionally.

Wednesday – Declutter a couple of trinkets, knick knacks or whatever you like to call them.

Thursday – Declutter at least one fabric item that just sits on or drapes over furniture or hangs on a wall. Cushions, throw rugs, curtains, embroideries etc fall into this category. If they aren’t being used chances are they are collecting dust and slowly perishing.

Friday – Declutter a dusty old box of stuff that hasn’t been opened for years. If it has had so little attention then you don’t need or love the contents enough to keep it.

Saturday – Declutter a piece of exercise equipment that you probably ought to be using but aren’t. If you can’t do that then start using 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.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

One for the warmer months. Wet yourself in the shower then turn it off to soap yourself then on again to rinse.  Word is that an average of 60 litres of water are use to take a shower. Imagine how much less it could be using this method. I have been doing this during the summer and lo and behold, without my knowing it, my husband had been doing the same. Any wonder out water bill was so low.

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.

So what are we going to get rid of this week. I think it is time for a little decluttering in those out of the way places that are easy to ignore. So lets get started.

Monday – Declutter something from the garage, back yard shed or car park storage space.

Tuesday – Declutter something from the basement or attic  if you have one.

Wednesday – Declutter something from the guest room.

Thursday – Declutter something from under a bed, if you store things there. If not choose a place you store seldom used items in.

Friday – Declutter something from a high self in a cupboard or closet.

Saturday – Declutter something from the depths of a kitchen cupboard that is hard to reach the back of.

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 leave your car idling for unnecessary periods of time such as when you pull over to use your cell phone. 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting your car.

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.

As we travel further down the road to minimalism certain things that were, or at least we thought were, useful become clutter as we realise that we really don’t need them. It is all part of the process or should I say progress. Here are some missions that will help you identify some of those items as well as others that build up while you aren’t noticing.

Monday – Declutter a storage container or organising system that you no longer need due to your decluttering. This week I am decluttering a drawer organiser that I no longer need.

Tuesday – Declutter an item you realise you no longer love enough to keep now that you would rather space and simplicity over stuff.

Wednesday – Declutter something that the kids have grown out of or that belongs to a child that has left home. Get their permission first of course.

Thursday – Declutter an item that is only an alternative to another similar item that you now realise you don’t need multiples of.

Friday – Check to make sure useful recyclable items aren’t building up in your home, glass jars, takeout containers, shopping bags, plant pots, biscuit tins, cardboard boxes etc.

Saturday – Start a use it up challenge on something. Even I still find these items at time. Jam or a condiment that wasn’t so popular, shampoo that wasn’t great, other toiletries you just have too many of…

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

Drink tap water in preference to carbonated beverages. It doesn’t take a genius to work out how much better that is for the environment. Your waistline and your teeth will thank you for it as well.

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.

For this week’s mini missions we are going to concentrait on the obvious clutter collection points in our homes. These are areas that seem to attract clutter like iron filings to a magnet. I bet there are several running through your mind as you read these words. We aren’t going to clear one or two things from these areas, the idea is to recognise these areas for what they are, tidy them up completely and vow to try to keep them tidy in the future. The clutter you will find is not likely be the “get rid of” type just a lot of junk and stuff in the wrong place,visual clutter if you like. This areas will be a lot tidier So let’s get started.

Monday – I just cleaned this area out so it is fresh in my mind, the dreaded handbag. My only problem with my handbag is receipts. Thankfully many establishments ask if a receipt is required these days so I avoid them when possible.

Tuesday – Another obvious clutter magnet is the junk drawer. I am pleased to say I don’t have one of these.  “Why do junk drawers exist anyway?” Surely all the things we put in there have a home elsewhere but we are just to lazy to put them away properly. Maybe once it is emptied you should remover the drawer for a week and attempt to learn to live without it.

Wednesday – Today’s area is as Cindy dubbed it The Black Hole. This is that area in your home where you dump things when you walk in the door and or need dealing with but not right now. Hall tables, kitchen benches, dining tables seem to often fall into this category. Read Cindy’s post that I linked to above, determine your black hole, deal with what is lingering there and try to come up with a better or organised system so the black home can be eliminated once and for all.

Thursday – This one may be more than a mini mission but that would depend entirely on how out of control you allow this area to become. The area for today is the desk top.

Friday – The car is today’s area of clutter caos especially if you have little children. Things that can be found collecting here are ~ parking tickets, half eaten cookies, toys, candy wrappers, spare change, sports equipment, shoes, sunglasses, hats, shopping bags and much much more!!! My advice is to go to the car pull everything out whether it belongs there or not, sort through it, replace neatly what does belong and rehouse or trash everything that doesn’t.

Saturday – Coffee table drawers can also be an attracter of all sorts of interesting bits and bobs, pens, hair ties, old magazine, dead batteries, DS games etc. If you don’t have a coffee table maybe you have a small table beside you sofa that serves the same purpose.

Sunday – Pick an area of your choosing, one that may be unique to your own clutter habits maybe it is the back veranda, the pet toy box, the kids school bags or the like and give that area a good clean out.

Eco Tip for the Day

Every time you go to turn on a light think twice, and act on that thought, as to whether you can manage the task without the light. I have been doing this a lot lately and I am constantly surprised at how many things I would turn a light on to do when I don’t really need it. This makes me think about a blind person getting through their day without seeing anything. This inspires me to wast less electricity.

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.

Monday – Choose a nook in your home where you would like more space. Perhaps a kitchen shelf or a drawer somewhere. Declutter a thing or two from that nook to achieve your space goal.

Tuesday – Declutter something that you aren’t using that could be helpful to someone else. Old eye glasses to be used for charity, children’s and baby clothes, a pair of runners, craft supplies to your local school or perhaps a tool or two to a Men’s Shed in your community.

Wednesday – Declutter a couple of things from a category that you have too many of. Something that might take years to ever need replacing. Too many towels, too many shoes, too many sheets, to many crockery items…

Thursday – Declutter or put away an item from your car, even it it is just a trash that is lying around in there.

Friday – Declutter some old paperwork, receipts or prescriptions lying around in drawers or on desk tops.

Saturday – Start a use it up challenge on a product or food item you don’t like so much but it would be a shame to waste.

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

Put the right things in your recycling bins. Living in an apartment I find so many things in the communal recycling bins that don’t belong there. This makes sorting labour intensive and the wrong plastics can spoil a batch.

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