For those of you overwhelmed by the decluttering task ahead of you I would like to give you hope. I am going to ask you to do five simple things, and I want you to focus on the effect those things have on your mood. It is important that you carry out these tasks in one short period of time in the order given. Please do not read ahead to the next task until you have completed the previous step.

First Task

If you haven’t completed all the mini missions for this week I would like you to choose two but only carry out one of them for now. If you have completed all the mini missions I set for this week please devise two of your own and carry out  one now. Make sure this mission only takes about ten minutes or so.

Second Task

Now that you have completed your mini mission I just want you to  take one or two minutes to think quietly about how good it feels to get that one small task accomplished. It only took a short length of time but you are one step closer to a decluttered home. This is one less area that you need to work on in the future. I bet you feel enthusiastic to start on your next decluttering task.

Third Task

Now I want you to think about the entirety of the decluttering mission you have ahead of you. Consider how immense the task seems when you focus on it’s entirety. Think of the size of your home, and all the little nooks and crannies where stuff could be hiding. Dwell on those thoughts for a minute of two. I bet you aren’t feeling so smug now, right!

Forth Task

Now I want you to take five deep breaths and clear your mind of the nasty thoughts you were just thinking. I want you  to forget about the big picture and simply focus on the next task I ask you to do. Now that you are calm I want you to carry out the second mini mission you chose in step one. Once again stick to something simple that will only take about ten minutes

Fifth Task

Your final task is much the same as the second. Focus on the task you just completed. How quick and easy was it to accomplish, and how satisfying it felt to be finished yet another decluttering mission? That is one small step towards your decluttering goal. It feels good doesn’t it? The task was simple but you feel you have achieved something. What could be more satisfying than that?

The point of this exercise

I am sure by now you understand the what I was trying to help you see here. Decluttering your home doesn’t have to be a scary prospect that you don’t think you want to deal with, it is simply a series of small tasks that are easy to accomplish with little effort. All you have to do is change your way of thinking and create a little enthusiasm for each task. Everyday find one little area to declutter, spend ten minutes or even a half an hour on it if you have the time. Before you know it the weight of your clutter will start to lift off your mind. That is where it is sitting at the moment – on your mind. It has quietly multiplied over the years without you giving it much thought. So what if it takes a while to physically remove it. So long as you chip away at it one small task at a time and do not add to it, you will get there in the end with minimal effort.

I suppose I could have called today’s post..

How to make a mole hill out of a mountain

Today’s Declutter Item

This was an unneeded gift that fetched $30.00 on eBay.

I am grateful from anything that brings me joy. Below are five things that gave me joy today.

• Finding hanging space for two pieces of framed art that I didn’t want to declutter but also didn’t have a home.
• My friend Liz – Every conversation with her is fresh and interesting. We connect on so many levels and yet we are both so different.
• Remembering the other grocery item I needed before I gave up and went home.
• That first cup of tea in the morning.
• Manipulating and decluttering enough craft supplies to clear one drawer in my craft area – Now a little fine tuning is in order I feel.
  

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

I hope you enjoyed that catchy little tune and that it had you bopping along. I just know that you guys don’t share the sentiment in this song because  with a list of mini missions to brighten up your day you are ready and raring to go., right! Your Mondays are like her Sundays – It’s my fun day, my I don’t have to run day… So with that thought in mind grab a coffee, sit back and read my post and then when your done you can accomplish today’s mission at your leisure.

• Monday – If  you have a pantry full of open packets of food and at the same time a cupboard full of unused tupperware containers it is time to tidy up this wasted space. Transfer the food into the containers, recycle what you can of the packaging and you will have a nice tidy pantry and a half empty cupboard where the containers used to be. There is a good chance that the food will stay fresher longer also.
  
• Tuesday – It is time again to go through your make-up and delete all items that you never use or are likely to be out of date. I know we have done this more than once over the last twelve months but being as the rule of thumb is to throw your mascara away after three months I would think we should have a good clean out at least quarter yearly. If you keep your make-up in a bag it would also be a good practice to clean that our while you are at it.
  
• Wednesday – In honour of Ginger, for today’s mini mission we will tackle the kitchen junk drawer. Not only is it time to clean it out but also to think -  “Why do we need a junk drawer 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 we should remover the drawer for a week and attempt to learn to live without it. 😯
• Thursday –Remeber Cindy’s post last week about The Black Hole if you didn’t take care of yours then it is time to do it now. Clean off or out that black hole and devise a way to avoid using it until you break the habit. My advice to Marnie may give you a clue as to how to go about this. Its a little drastic but drastic time call for drastic measures.
• Friday – Mini Mission – If you have a shoe care kit now is the time to give it the once over. Remove the perished items and tidy the rest.
• Saturday – Pick one hanging file in your filing cabinet and give it a good clean out. Just one file not the whole drawer unless you get enthusiastic of course.
• Extra Credit for Saturday 12th Feb – Send me a happy birthday wish because today I turn 46. Happy Birthday to Me!
• Sunday – Last week we cleaned out our handbags, this week it is time to weed out the handbags we never use. These can be one of those “I might use it one day” kind of items but when it comes to fashion if we don’t like it enough to use it now it is unlikely that we are going to suddenly find a use for it later.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

This is an example of painstaking natural progression decluttering. It was my trusty notebook and it took forever to use up. Its remains went into the recycling.

Things I am grateful for today

• A storm at last, alleluia!
• Mango and Macadamia nut ice cream bars – If I didn’t know better they sound almost like a health food.
• My Family all together for the weekend.
• Friends coming for dinner – It is always a joy to share a meal with friends.
• The lamb that gave it’s life for my dinner – When I put it like that I almost feel guilty but if it is any consolation I will savour every bite.
  

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

How quickly Monday seems to come around. I swear the older I get the faster time flies but that might just be because I’m having so much fun. Far be it from me to keep all that fun to myself though so here are this weeks mini missions to keep you amused for a little while. I know I am generous to a fault but that is just the kind of loving and caring person I am. As an old friend of mine likes to say as his farewell salute, ENJOY!

• Monday – What do you have hiding behind the doors of your TV unit? It’s time you took a look and declutter the redundant items.
• Tuesday – Cutlery drawer – Are there any pieces that don’t match or maybe don’t even belong to you? Wipe down the silverware holder while you’re there. (Thanks to Cindy again for this one)
• Wednesday – Sometimes decluttering is just about maintenance so today is the day to clean out your handbag where stuff often accumulates.
• Thursday – Time to revisit the bookcase. Pick too more books that you haven’t looked at for a long time. Consider if you need these books for certain information or whether you could access the same information with a simple google search. Also consider if the information is likely to be out of date.
  
• Friday – Following on from last weeks post about stagnant items in you home go now and choose one items that you know to be stagnant and put in in the donation box. If you hear that little voice saying but but but and stop for a moment and ask yourself which desire is stronger the one to purge or the quilt pang attached to the item. Remember you are doing this for yourself in your home.
  
• Saturday – Also following on from last week – It is your turn to take a look under one of the beds in your home and see what you can find there. Aside from dust bunnies I am sure you can come up with at least one item to declutter.
  
• Sunday – Go through your household cleaners. Start using up the ones that for some reason you don’t like and then put some thought into how you can minimise the rest in the future. Investigate versatile products that can be used for multiple tasks. Go back and have a look at this post on Day 77 for inspiration and also consider adding microfibre products to the mix. See Day 276 and Day 279 for tips on using microfibre.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

This hammock has been hanging around unused for years (excuse the pun). Maybe someone will be happy to sling the thrift ship a few bucks for it. 😆

Things I am grateful for today

• My refrigerator only cost $177 to replace it’s thermostat and now it is all healthy again – I have had the same one for the entire 24 years of married life. I owed it the dignity of at least one repair job after such good service. Maybe now it will keep on chugging for another 24 years. One more thing saved from landfill ( for now).
• My friend amber and her family who allowed me to transfer my cold stuff to their beer fridge while mine was being repaired.
  
• Liam sent his two written assignments of the University today – Two more steps to returning to his normal routine. He has two other courses to do some prac work for and he will be up to date with what he missed during his recovery time.
• The nice Freecycle lady who picked up the items I left out for her today.
• That glass of wine I am about to go and pour – It is 5:30pm as I write this and I think that makes it wine o’clock. Cheers everyone! 😛
  

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

It’s Monday again and you know what that means…you guessed it it’s your favourite day of the week Mini Mission Monday. I believe it has been the cure of Mondayitis throughout the world for all my faithful readers.  Ok so I exaggerate a little but trust me when I say that I get no perverse pleasure out of setting these missions knowing full well they may morph into total clean-outs of the areas mentioned. Ok so I am lying again but believe me it is for your own good and I am proud of each and every one of you who jump in enthusiastically with donation box in hand. With that being said here are your mini missions for the week…

• Monday – Look in your jewellery box – Are you really going to wear all of those earrings again? Time to cull a few don’t you think? (Thanks to Cindy for this one)
• Tuesday – Open one of your digital photo sub-folder and delete any not so great photos. Computer clutter is still clutter. (I did say one sub-folder not the whole twenty years of digital memories. Don’t blame me if you get carried away.) 😉
  
• Wednesday – Find one electrical device in your home that you never use and sell it or give it away. It will be slowly dying from lack of use.
• Thursday – It happens nearly every year, I overlook one decoration while packing up after the holidays. If this is you too, take it out to the storage area and add it to the box where it belongs. Don’t stash it in a drawer somewhere because trust me you won’t remember it’s there next year. (Another inspired by Cindy)
  
• Friday – Declutter one item of aspiration clutter – something you own that you have been meaning to learn to use for years but haven’t. If you can’t part with it then start to use it either way it won’t be clutter any more.
• Saturday – Go through your spice collection and declutter any that you know have been there a long time or that you never use.
  
• Sunday – If you have picnic items such as a basket of utensils and the like, a Thermos flask, blanket etc check to see if they are in good working order or if you are ever likely to use them again. If not it is time to purge the items that are of no use to you.
  

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

Just a little more silverware that I have no desire to keep cleaning. I am sure the person from Freecycle (if they ever get around to picking them up) will love them.

Things I am grateful for today

• I decided to get rid of my cook books – It is so easy to find any recipe I could want on the Internet and to top it off I can cut and paste them straight into my family cookbook file on my computer that I use all the time and share with my family.
• A restful weekend which included dinner out with friends.
• Ironing that only takes about 45minutes to do once every three weeks – I am not sure how this came about but I am very grateful it did.
• Finding out the my local trophy shop will take my old trophies and use the parts to make new ones when organisations ask for donations – Now all I have to do is get of my butt and do something about it.
• Always finding the motivation to begin a new decluttering tasks – sometimes it may take a while to convince myself to tackle some tasks but in the meantime there is always another less challenging one to contend with.
  

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

It is that time again – Mini Mission Monday – and I have come up with a new set of mission for this week with a little help from you, my friends in the 365lessthings community. Thank you all for the great feedback you have been sending about you mini mission successes. It spurs me on to know that what I do here is helping others. If you have a good idea for a mini mission like Calico ginger did this week please don’t hesitate to tell me about it through my Contact Form

• Monday -The glove compartment in your car can be a junk collection point. Go now and give it a clean out.
• Tuesday – Grab one item out of your freezer that you know has been there for some time. Either throw it away if you don’t trust that is is fresh enough to eat or include it in a meal this week.
• Wednesday – Find something in the house that belongs to someone else that you feel needs decluttering and gently ask the owner if they still want it or could you donate/recycle/sell it for them.
• Thursday – Today is the day to declutter your key ring. Are there any keys on there that you no longer use or a bunch of cutesy dingle dangles weighing you down that have seen better days. Well now is the time to lighten the load. (Thanks to Calico ginger for this mini mission suggestion)
• Friday – What is on your walls? Is there something hanging there simply out of habit that you don’t really want? Now is the time to declutter it.
• Saturday – Time to check that there are no expired ointments etc in your first aid kit.
• Sunday – If you have a sewing kit even if only for small repairs have a look through it and clear out the things that will never get used like spare buttons saved for cloths you no longer own.

Extension work for over achievers (like Anne):- Address that one area of your house that you know you have been avoiding like the plague for some time.  I want you sit in this area and just think about what is holding you back from getting started here. While you are thinking about it look at the items individually not as a whole and consider removing one item at a time.  Does that approach change your attitude to the size of the task. Pick the first item you feel you can deal with and decide what to do with it and take action. Don’t think of this area again as one large task but as single items that alone are not difficult to declutter. If you revisit this area once a week and remove one more item before you know it everything will be gone. Good luck, it really isn’t as hard as it seems.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

I tried to find a taker for these unwanted adhesive dispensers but no one wanted them so I had to throw them out. I can not longer get refills for them locally and I don’t need them anyway. Shame!

Things I am grateful for today

• The kindness and generosity of others – it is heartening to watch [on television] the people of Queensland pulling together to help each other with the flood recovery. Unfortunately there are flash floods going on in Victoria now.
• Having a butcher within walking distance – I am trying to buy local rather than from the big chain store.
• Having the roses to stop and smell – Not actually roses but all the things in live they deserve savouring.
• Knowing that the mini missions are making decluttering easy for my readers.
• When thought hopping leads you to a great solution to seemed like a difficult problem.

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

It’s Monday again and time for another set of mini missions. How did you go with the missions from Saturday and Monday last week?  I know that Calico ginger, Susan S and Janetta were having some great success with their attempts to  follow  all seven and Mrs Green from Myzerowaste.com was also getting in on the act, Lady In a Small Town is even blogging about it and quite a number of you wrote in to say how much you liked the mini missions and are giving them your best shot. Did you do all seven or were there some things you didn’t have to do on the list because you have already taken care of some of these areas thoroughly already? Either way I hope your homes are a little less cluttered than they were at the start of last week.

Here are your mini missions for this week

• Monday – Get to the stores today and return anything you have lying around the house that you have been meaning to take back.
• Tuesday – Everyone has a drawer that holds stay pens. Go to it now and test to see which pens aren’t working and discard them.
• Wednesday – Go to where you store your manuals and warranties. Eliminate those that are now unnecessary or out of date. If you feel a little more adventurous get on-line and download any pdf’s available for your manuals and you will be able to free up a little more space in your filing cabinet.
• Thursday – If you have daughters with hair accessories now is a good time to declutter and re-organise these items.
• Friday – Have a look in your display cabinet there is bond to be something lingering in there that you long ago lost interest in. Time to send it to the thrift shop.
• Saturday – Is the outside of your refrigerator door a cluttered mess? Now is the time to reclaim that clean clear space it used to be. If you aren’t sure you want a clean clear fridge door just take everything off and stand back and see what you think of it. If you don’t like it put the stuff back it’s your refrigerator I am just suggesting you give it a try. (Thanks to Cindy for this mini mission idea)
• Sunday – I think it is time we looked at the garage there must be at least two things you can quickly remove from there.

Today’s Declutter Item

Another one of Liam’s declutter items.

Things I am grateful for today

• Running into old friends and having a nice long chat.
• Knowing the air-conditioner is there if I need it – I think it is going to be a hot day.
• A good nights sleep
• The nice espresso my husband just made me.
• Being safe and dry while many towns in Qld Australia are underwater in the worst floods in years.
  

Clink on this link of you are interested in nominating 365lessthings for a weblog award. Appropriate categories include Best-Kept Secret Blog, Australian or New Zealand Blog, Best New in 2010 and Best Topical.

I received a comment yesterday and wanted to share it with you because it is a great decluttering success story and has some very useful tricks that we all could utilise when it comes to decluttering. Not everyone reads all the comments and I didn’t want you to miss it.

OBC wrote…

Well done Colleen! Fantastic!

I have read every single one of your posts over the past month and it has been a fabulous journey for you.

I actually spent 6 years decluttering way back 2000-2006 paving the way for me to be able to completely change my life by giving up work and moving across the seas to sun and warmth and experienced everything you have said – how the decluttering muscle gets stronger the more you use it – some things I couldn’t bear to part with in 2000 went out the door with ease in 2006.

I played games with myself – eg. the 16 week challenge of 1 book per day, 10 papers per day, 1 cloth item (eg. clothing or household linen), total amount of stuff had to remain the same or diminish – eg 1 new thing in = 1 thing out (even if it was a broken old pen!)

Another game, I packed as much as I could into 20 collapsible crates and the challenge each week was to reduce the number of crates by 1. Some weeks it could be achieved by repacking, and other weeks I actually had to throw stuff out. Psychologically, the act of repacking was allowing my sub-conscious to begin working on the letting go.

As the pack-rat nature is buried deep within, I constantly have to review and declutter to avoid build up and right now, I just completed ’1000 things’ – I have set aside a table in my office to use for going through things (keep or throw) and am circulating round my home a drawer or shelf at a time. I drew up a grid on my whiteboard and each box = 10 things gone through. Tick. (I am motivated by ticks!)

One key decision I made years ago is to not judge the ‘value’ of the items i.e. one old sweet wrapper or till receipt = a thing just as much as an old chair = a thing. Makes decision making much easier!

One of the most thrilling moments I experienced is the day I suddenly realised I could hear echoes in my home as shelves and walls gradually became clear!

Anyway, congratulations again and a Happy New Year to you!

I love the idea of small missions within a mission. Whether they be mini missions or like OBC’s  16 week challenge. Smaller missions give you a shorter goal date to work towards. In honour of the small mission concept I am going to add one here that I would like everyone to take up for this week. I will give you a mission a day for the week and we shall see how you went in the end. Which reminds me I didn’t get much feedback on the last set of mini missions I set for you so here is the link to Day 350 if anyone chose to participate at such a hectic time of year I would love to know how did you do?

Week 1 of 2011 Mini Mission

1. Saturday – Find something that can be used up but has been hanging about in your home for too long and start using it up. This could be moisturiser, something from the pantry, a note pad etc.
2. Sunday – Time to visit your book stash again there must be two books that are out of date or unlikely to be read again. Put them in the donation box.
3. Monday – Evaluate your plastic storage containers are there some you could declutter? Tupperware sells on ebay you know. There are probably some that have seen better days to or ones with missing lids these are seldom used and are probably ready for the recycling bin.
4. Tuesday – Go to a storage area of your home (the garage, a closet or drawer for instance) that you rarely use things from there must be one item of clutter you can delete.
5. Wednesday – Now that Christmas is over and birthdays are on the way gather all of your greeting cards, gift wrap etc. together in one place. Weed out what you will never use and discard.
6. Thursday – Go and find 1 “I might need it one day” item that you haven’t “needed” for years and put it in your donations box.
7. Friday – Declutter one item from your closet that you know you didn’t use last season.

I might just start mini mission Monday as a fixture after this week just to give everyone some easy decluttering ideas for the week. If you like that idea just let me know.

Today’s declutter item

Some boxes I eliminated over the Christmas period

Things I was grateful for today

• All the kind wishes for my first anniversary here at 365lessthings.
• A cool breeze on an otherwise hot day.
• The free produce out of my neighbours garden while they are away.
• Something simple for dinner that includes some of the produce mentioned above.
• A new year to do with whatever I want.