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.

In keeping with my post from Tuesday last week ~ Apply-the-365-approach-to-other-areas-of-your-life ~ this week’s mini missions will all be taking place in the kitchen. I have found, over the last three years of my slow declutter, that I have returned to the kitchen over and over again. Simplifying and healthifying my choices has freed up a lot of space and made food preparation much easier and efficient.

Monday – Declutter any kitchen tool you don’t like using. Chances are you have already found an alternative for this tool, in my experience that substitute is usually a knife.  It is no less than astounding how many gadgets there are out there that one good knife can replace.

Tuesday – Declutter a small appliance that’s primary use is to produce unhealthy food. The deep fryer would be my first choice had I not decluttered it fifteen years ago. Other suggestions would be an ice-cream maker, donut maker, popcorn maker, chocolate fondu set…

Wednesday – Declutter any item you haven’t used in six months. This could be a tool, dishes, some other not very useful to you item or  even an ingredient. You could do a use it up declutter on that ingredient. These items are usually found underneath useful things in drawers and in the mirky depths behind everything else in the cupboards.

Thursday – In the inimitable words from Peter Walsh ~ “If you bought it over the phone after 8:00pm , chances are you don’t need it.” Declutter it.

Friday – Some gadgets are just not worth the effort. Declutter those you don’t use because they are too complicated to assemble, to difficult to clean or that you can’t use because some parts are missing.

Saturday – Start a use it up declutter challenge on items and ingredients in your pantry that just aren’t good for you. In future be more moderate as to how much or what you stock and use. White sugar, white flours, pasta that isn’t wholemeal, cookies, potato crisps, fizzy drinks, sugar laden cereals…

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

When washing your hands don’t turn the tap on too hard, quarter speed may be all that is necessary to wet and rinse.

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 Monday’s mini missions are centred around the idea of making your home more user friendly. Or more to the point easier for you to clean and work in. You might be surprised how a few tweaks here and there can make tasks less painful. The target is to have less to dust, drawers and cupboards that are easier to access and find things in, and horizontal surfaces easy to clean.

Monday – Declutter a knick knack or two from around your home. Housework is easier with less to dust.

Tuesday – Declutter and reshuffle a drawer that is such a shambles you can never find what you need in it. Junk drawers are not a necessity, in fact they can be a nuisance.

Wednesday – Declutter some items from a closet that is over full, making it difficult to keep organised.

Thursday – Find a home for something that seems to have made the floor its permanent resting place. Perhaps a pile of magazines, a large pot, someone’s shoes… It is much easier to clean the floor when you can get to it easily.

Friday – Declutter a kitchen cupboard that is so full it is too much bother to retrieve what you need from it.

Saturday – Clear the clutter from your kitchen workspace and keep it that way. Cooking is a big enough job without having to clear away before you can get started.

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

Rather than encourage your older children to do their own washing, choose a day each week for each of them to do a load of the  family’s washing. A load of towels here, a dark load there and load of whites another 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.

Hi everyone, happy new year to you all. Welcome to any new readers who has found their way here because they have made a resolution to get decluttered this year. When it comes to getting started on a decluttering mission the key to success is to begin with the easy stuff. Easy stuff to part with and easy stuff to find new homes for or dispose of. For those who have been decluttering for a while what started out seeming hard has usually by now become the easy stuff. So for the missions this week the theme is simplicity.

Monday – Declutter an item of clothing that no longer fits, you no longer like or you bought for a special occasion years ago and is now out of fashion.

Tuesday – Declutter a gadget that you no longer use. Maybe something from the kitchen that you thought would make food preparation easier but fell short of your expectations.

Wednesday – Declutter something that you have way to many of than you really need. This could be cutlery, crockery, glassware, craft supplies, stationery items etc.

Thursday – Declutter a pair of shoes that you no longer wear. Perhaps ones that are pretty but a torture to wear. Ones that are old favourites but are really so shabby you never, or shouldn’t, choose to wear them anymore. Or maybe a pair that are so ugly you wonder why you ever bought them in the first place.

Friday – Declutter something that your children or grandchildren have grown out of. This could be clothes, toys, shoes, eating utensils, books, games etc.

Who loves to dust? Not me!

Saturday – Declutter some trinkets that you don’t care much about, that are just collecting dust and causing you unnecessary work. This was one of my priorities when I first began decluttering. I wanted my home to be easier to maintain and one of the most arduous tasks is dusting nicknacks.

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 promotional products that you have no use for. Accepting these just encourages the continuation of this practice while the environment would be healthier without the manufacture of cheap throwaway or needless items like these usually are.

On Fridays at 365 Less Things I share with you my favourite comments from my wonderful readers and my favourite web finds of the week. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did.

Favourite Comments. Enjoy!

Jen tells us a little about where she is at with her decluttering in this comment. Thanks Jen.

In this comment Jane shares how her target of being decluttering by her self-imposed deadline of the end of the year. 

Moni and her daughter Dayna had occasion to consider how much easier it would be to move house when one doesn’t own copious amounts of stuff. Read about their insights here.  But don’t stop there continue reading through this comment strand for more on the subject.

I also loved this comment from Moni on how she reserected her husband’s BBQ rather than buying a new one. Well done Moni!

Deb J‘s post certainly generated lots of comments. I found this one for Dez C particularly interesting. Although as she said, some may not like what she had to say, she does make some interesting points on how we complicate something that is really very simple in its raw form. One thing that struck me as I read along was that these days one can simply this even further in this digital world by not even printing photos but storing them digitally.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

Here is a link to the simplicity blog ANNIENYGMA giving us some good reasons to rent rather than buy.

This link from Mens Health News gives us some tips on saving on household cleaners.

Here are a couple of links from Daily Lime. One about environmentally friendly gift ideas and this one with some really cute alternative gift wrapping ideas.

Loved this article from Mind Over Matter on the fear of letting go of clutter.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter old VHS tapes. If you haven’t already converted them to a modern digital form then the chances are you never will. Especially if you don’t watch them anyway or even own a VCR.

Today’s Declutter Item

Wet Weather Poncho

Eco Tip for the Today

 Fix leaky toilets. Those constantly running toilets aren’t just annoying they are a huge waste of water.

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 think it is time again for a roundup of similar items that have somehow ended up all over the house. If you are a very organised person you may be able to take the week off. But if you or your family members tend not to put thing back where they belong then it is time for a little roundup. I will name a certain category of items and you can do a search and gather mission to bring them back together on one place again.

Monday – Roundup all the little tools that are scattered throughout your home. Once together declutter any excess.

Tuesday - Roundup all pens and pencils that are scattered throughout your home. Once together declutter any excess.

Wednesday - Roundup all your kids toys that are scattered throughout your home. Once together declutter any excess.

Thursday - Roundup all reading materials that are scattered throughout your home. Once together declutter any excess.

Friday - Roundup all the grooming product and tools that are scattered throughout your home. Once together declutter any excess.

Saturday - Roundup all the electronic cables that are scattered throughout your home. Once together declutter any excess.

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

Today’s Declutter Item

More Photos

Eco Tip for the Day

Grazing animals crate a lot of methane adding to our carbon footprint. When it comes to meals try having a meatless day at least once a week.

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

On Fridays at 365 Less Things I share with you my favourite comments from my wonderful readers and my favourite web finds of the week. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did.

Favourite Comments. Enjoy!

In this comment Katharine tells us how she has built up emotional strength for decluttering.

Christine share her progress with us in this comment

Jane understands how her mind works. Read about it in this comment

I loved Wendy B’s explanation of one a day decluttering in this comment. Wendy also had a few good tips on repurposing items as gift wrap in this comment.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

Sanna sent in this link. You may wonder what it has to do with decluttering but you will figure out the connection to this weeks theme as you read through.

And here is a link brought to my notice by Loretta ~ http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/i-dont-want-to-give-or-receive-any-christmas-gifts-20121128-2ade3.html

And this link was shared by Jenny Adamson on 365 Facebook page. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2241152/Girl-3-died-house-worse-piles-clutter-family-home

For those of you who have enjoyed Mohamed Tohami’s blog Midway Simplicity you will be pleased to know his new eBook is out read about it here.

Here is another reader pick sent to me by Clare ~ www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/health/the-hoarder-in-you-a-book-that-can-help-cut-through-the-clutter

And here are a couple from The Minimalists ~ Gift experiences Not stuff and Gift Love: Save 646 on Christmas shopping this year.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter an object that has a specific purpose that could easily be performed with another more versatile item. Kitchen gadgets are an easy target for this mission.

Today’s Declutter Item

Tools Barely Used

Eco Tip of the Day

Another workplace eco tip ~ Use the energy saving settings on computers to conserve power and if allowed shut them down at the end of the day.

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

I brought this blog post up from the archives to once again make the point of what need really is as that is the theme for today’s mini mission.

I mentioned many time how little we really do need as opposed to what we “think” we need. We really only need food, water, shelter and love, it is a little more complicated than that but not as complicated as we tend to make it for ourselves.

You only have to look at the photos of all the things I have decluttered from my home to see how much stuff we had that we thought we needed or wanted, only to find that sooner or later we discovered we didn’t need it after all. Somethings took longer to get rid of than others and that was often due to not being quite ready to part with them because we though maybe we still need them. Here are some examples…

• Some we haven’t used for sometime but maybe one day we just might.
• Some had been in use until recently but even though they were useful we really weren’t going to need them.
• At least one was something I thought would be so useful when I acquired it and I used it once in about seven years.
• One just didn’t really fit in the house anywhere anymore.
• One got used once a year to cut leg ham at Christmas.
• Two never did perform the job well that they were designed for.
• Changes of diet, climate and dwelling had a hand in some of them not being used anymore.

They all look useful enough right? It could be very easy to hang on to all of these things with the idea that our circumstances might change and we will “need” them again. Circumstances such as lifestyle, living arrangements, interests, returning to old habits and the like. But please take another look at all of that stuff. What among it is necessary to survival. None, thats how much. And there is still plenty more where that lot came from like the crutches in the garage cupboard that have come in handy three times in five years, the spice chest that only half the drawers hold items that could easily be stored elsewhere, the wine glasses we really have too many of, lots of craft supplies etc etc.

How many items such as this do you hold on to because you think you might “need” them some day. As Lena said in a comment once “Everyone chooses their own games.” The beauty is you can change the game rules if you want to or even the game itself if you like. Take a chance and play the declutter game instead of the clinging to things of limited use

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something of little value that you think you might have a use for some day. If you haven’t used it for some time the chances are you never will have a need for it and if you do you could either borrow or buy one. Hint ~ Be realistic about the difference between need and want.

Today’s Decluttered Item 

Earring I no longer wear

Eco Tip for the Day

Another workplace eco tip ~ Instigate a recycling bin in the lunch room for cans etc. Even if you have to bring the contents home and dispose of them in your own recycling bin, at least you will know they aren’t going to landfill.

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

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Cindy

I am coming to the end of a multi-year Use It Up Challenge: To use up all the copious amounts of wrapping paper that I purchased on sale after Christmas like clockwork every December 27.

TreeHugger has a great article on holiday waste and sites estimates of 4 million tons of wrapping paper and gift bags thrown away.

My girl friend Corinna has made cloth bags that she reuses year after year. She does a lot of sewing and cloth crafts so my guess is that she was able to make these bags with remnants. Here are great step-by-step instructions; even a non-sewer can follow along.

My sister-in-law, who lived in Taiwan until fairly recently, sometimes wraps her gifts in cloth, using a Japanese technique called furoshiki. Apparently the origins of this art for were to carry one’s lunch or other personal items – basically a tote sack made from a piece of cloth. There are lots of instructions on the Internet as to how to wrap differently shaped objects.

The simplest recycling/wrapping project I know is something we call Map Wrap. Map Wrap is a variation on the once popular Sunday Comics wrapping, but it uses old maps. As part of my decluttering, I cleared out all maps that were more than 10 years old, which was a big handful. I’ve been using them to wrap and I love the intricate, cheerful designs and colors. Most people seem to think that they look pretty cool.

I have also heard of taking a chip bag, which usually has a shiny silver interior, wiping the oil away, and wrapping the gift silver side out. I’ve never done it, but the ladies who told me about it do it regularly – especially for kids gifts. They say that most kids tear off the wrapping so quickly, they never even notice that it says Lays Potato Chips on the inside!

Have you thought of ways to reduce your wrapping clutter?

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something that can be recycled or repurposed by someone else. (Newspapers, magazines, old sheets, old pillows, old towels, bicycle parts, pieces of timber or metal…)

Today’s Declutter Item

Bath Products

Eco Tip for the Day

Greening your workplace ~ If you use a printer in your workplace, only print what really needs printing and print double sided if 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.

The main guiding principal behind 365 less things is to let go slowly, starting with the easy stuff. It can be daunting enough to get started on this journey so why scare yourself off by trying to get rid of the difficult things first. This principal applies even if you’re a long way into your journey. My experience is that the further you go the more things you find that you never considered parting with before. Therefore at every point along the way there are things you are more willing to let go of than others. So the mini missions this week are designed to help you refocus on weeding out the easy stuff to part with so decluttering doesn’t seem so difficult.

Monday – Declutter something that you no longer use and really never needed in the first place. (Gadgets of any kind, tools, Things you have too many of…)

Tuesday – Declutter something that you bought for yourself which no longer suites your style. (An accessory item, a trinket, scatter cushions, clothing item…)

Wednesday – Declutter something that can be recycled or repurposed by someone else. (Newspapers, magazines, old sheets, old pillows, old towels, bicycle parts, pieces of timber or metal…)

Thursday – Declutter something of little value that you think you might have a use for some day. If you haven’t used it for some time the chances are you never will have a need for it and if you do you could either borrow or buy one. Hint ~ Be realistic about the difference between need and want.

Friday – Declutter an object that has a specific purpose that could easily be performed with another more versatile item. Kitchen gadgets are an easy target for this mission.

Saturday – Find 10 minute to go through one hanging file in your filing cabinet. Just One! Shred and recycle the papers that need not be retained. The idea of doing the whole cabinet is likely to be paralysing in nature but one small section isn’t so daunting. Am I right? Perhaps next week you could do another small section ~ “rinse and repeat” ~ and before you know it the whole thing will be clutter free. I am using this method on my vast collection of photos.

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

Today’s Declutter Item

I know what you are all thinking ~ ‘What more baseball stuff!!!!?’. There was a lot of it at the start and I am sure you will be seeing more but there is a lot less now than there used to be. I am satisfied with that.

Yet More Baseball Collectables

Eco Tip for the Day

Why not engage your eco friendly habits in your work place. Scout around to find ways to save water and electricity while at work. Suggest changes to you boss and coworkers. Don’t be deterred if your ideas are met with rejection just do what you can do and hopefully others might follow suit in their own time.

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

Below are ten guidelines I follow to simplify my Christmas. They don’t guarantee a stress free Christmas but they sure do help. Neither do they eliminate outside pressures to conform to the rest of society but we can make changes to better suit our princles.  I hope you find them helpful as it is possible to have a very merry Christmas without all the expense, over indulgence, stress and clutter.

1. Get organised ahead of time. Whether you have big plans or small the more you have sorted ahead of time the smoother everything will run and the more relaxed you will be when the festivities begin.
2. Declutter ahead of time. For me, nowadays, this is easy. However if you have kids pass on the toys they no longer play with or are broken. If you are having visitors get rid of all the excess stuff out of the guest room. Have the kitchen decluttered so the cooking tools you need are all close at hand.  Clear away space wasting items in other areas of the home to make room for the festivities…
3. Keep decorating to a minimum and/or recruit helpers. A home can look festive without being over cluttered with decorations. It may even look more tasteful. There is no need to take on this task alone, get the whole family in on decking the halls. As they say, the more the merrier and what better way to prime the whole family for the holiday season.
4. Keep gift giving to a minimum ~ Don’t be overindulgent with children and consider convincing other friends and family memebers to reduce the gift giving. Both sides of my family do a secret Santa these days. When I suggested it they were only too keen to comply. It was as if they were waiting for someone to get the ball rolling on that idea.
5. Be prepared for guests ~ Whether they are staying overnight or just dropping in for a drink make preparations way ahead so that there is no last minute rushing about, tidying, cleaning, decluttering or shopping.
6. Minimise travel ~ In Australia where we celebrate a summer Christmas there is a lot of outdoor activity. Trips to the beach and road trips to visit family are the norm. Unfortunately rushing, alcohol, fatigue and traffic volumes can result in tragic accidents. Also travelling via other means is expensive at this time of year. For me any time is a good time to see family so I try not to travel too often at Christmas.
7. Don’t over cater ~ Peoples stomachs do not increase in capacity over the holiday season. It is possible to enjoy all those wonderful holiday treats without overindulging. Resisting the temptation to do so is aided by not oversupplying in the first place.
8. Don’t be a control freak and insist on doing everything yourself because you think this is the only way it will be done “right”.   If you are the only one who cares how the tree is decorated, the menu is set, the gifts are wrapped … then perhaps it really doesn’t matter. In fact perhaps someone else might really enjoy being involved in their own special way.
9. Don’t feel obliged to follow traditions you don’t necessarily enjoy. Christmas is a time to rejoice and be glad not suffer in silence letting everyone else have their way. With family consultation, begin new traditions that make you all happy, that fit with your simplicity goals. It is possible that everyone would be happy to make some changes and are waiting for someone to lead the way.
10. No matter what happens, as I am sure there will be some things you just can’t change, make the most of it and have a wonderful holiday season.

Today’s Mini Mission

Study my uncluttered gift giving guides here and here to help you find uncluttering gift for your loved ones and to make suggestion of uncluttering gifts for yourself should anyone ask.

Today’s Declutter Item

Yay there have been more baseball collectables relinquished.

More Baseball Collectables

Eco Tip for the Day

 Keep your motor vehicles well maintained not only so they last well but also so they run efficiently, and cause minimal emissions.

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