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.

“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in your shoe” — so goes the old English rhyme associated with brides and weddings. Each item is meant to be a good luck charm to ensure wedded bliss — in the form of continuity (old), a healthy optimism for the future that lies ahead (new), borrowed happiness from a blissfully married woman (borrowed, duh!), purity, love and fidelity (blue), and a heartfelt wish for prosperity and good fortune (silver sixpence in your shoe). We’ll be using this rhyme as our decluttering guide for this week and although I’ve included some suggestions below, I look forward to your creative interpretations of the missions.

Monday — Old: Declutter something that you might have had for a long time but which you no longer need or want — photos, cards, gifts, clothes that have seen better days, games, magazines, books, CDs or DVDs, receipts, souvenirs or artwork on the walls that no longer appeal to you. It could also be a mobile phone, computer or printer that is still hanging around the house even though it has been replaced by a newer, snazzier model. A vintage clothing item or an heirloom would also fit the bill.

Tuesday — New: Are you thinking of purchasing a new item to replace something you’ve had for ages? Have you done your due diligence and know exactly what you’re going to buy? If so, what are you planning to do with the older item? If you’re thinking of keeping it around the house as a backup, ask yourself whether you really need the new item. If you do, then look into donating or selling the older item. Or maybe you’ve just purchased something new and shiny and the novelty is beginning to wear off, or you realise that the pair of jeans that looked so good on the mannequin does absolutely nothing for you, or it could be something that you couldn’t resist buying because it was enticingly marked down by (gasp!) 50% at the mall last week, only to undergo a metamorphosis into a 100% loss this week because you have absolutely no need for it. Whatever the item and the amount spent, it’s a sunk cost, so declutter it and chalk it up to experience. You might even have a gift that you received — that is so not you — during the recent festive season which you are keeping out of loyalty or guilt. Accept the love or friendship behind the gift and let the item go. Alternatively, declutter a one-syllable item such as a pair of socks, a spoon, clock or lamp.

Wednesday — Borrowed: Do you have something hanging around your home that you’ve been meaning to return to its owner but have been putting off doing so for some reason? Or do you have an item that you rarely (if ever) use, that is not worth the space it takes up in your home? Could you declutter it and borrow it from a friend if you ever need it in future? If you can’t find anything, then declutter something that consists of eight or fewer letters like a saucepan, book or blouse for instance.

Thursday — Blue: Declutter anything that’s blue — clothing, linens, stationery, dinnerware, furniture, posters or artwork, etc. If there is an item that makes you feel blue for some reason, declutter it — life is too short to surround yourself with unhappy memories. Do you have a blues CD that you bought aeons ago, before your taste in music changed? Declutter it and let a true-blue fan enjoy it or give it to someone who might be newly discovering the genre.

Friday — Silver sixpence: Declutter anything made out of silver or containing traces of silver — pendants, pins, brooches or any other jewellery or silverware. That pair of silver stilettos you threw into the back of your closet because they hurt your feet would be a good candidate. A delicious bar of chocolate would also work, if it’s wrapped in silver foil. You could also declutter any foreign currency that you might have from your travels or periods when you lived abroad. Can’t decide whether to declutter a particular item? Then carry out a ‘separation exercise’ for it by putting it away for six months to see whether you need to retrieve it during that time. If you can’t find anything suitable, then declutter an item beginning with any of the letters in the words — anyone who declutters something beginning with ‘v’ or ‘x’ gets extra credit and bragging rights.

Saturday — Shoe: Declutter shoes, footwear or anything related to your legs or feet. You could also declutter anything that’s usually referred to as a pair, such as sunglasses, shorts, jeans or scissors or any two items.

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.

Since Colleen celebrated her birthday recently, I’m dedicating this week’s mini missions to her. She did such a lovely acrostic set of missions for me in December 2015 and I thoroughly enjoyed writing this for her (hat tip to Amelia, for her suggestion that I write one for Colleen). I selected these words based on my impressions of you and your blog, Colleen and I hope you like it. I hope you had a happy, happy birthday, my friend!

Monday — CREATIVE: Most of us know that Colleen is very creative and makes beautiful cards — if you haven’t already seen them, you can take a look at her handmade cards on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fancythatartistcollective?ref=hl. Go on, click on the link and take a look … you know you want to. We also know that Colleen (aka Mrs MacGyver) is a deft hand at improvising, whether in the kitchen or anywhere else. Keeping that in mind, declutter something from your ‘creativity supplies’, whether that creativity is expressed through scrapbooking, card- or jewellery-making, knitting, quilting, cooking, baking, music, dance, photography, painting, sculpting, gardening or anything else that gets the wheels of your creativity spinning. You could also put on your ‘improvisation hat’ and declutter something that really isn’t all that crucial to have around the house, especially if that item is usually passed over in favour of something else.

‘C’ is also for CRANNY — the heart-warming grandma name lovingly given by Colleen’s daughter and granddaughter, which I just had to include. Take a look at any nooks and crannies in your home for any insidious clutter creep that might have taken up residence and get rid of it.

Tuesday — ONE: Yes, the power of one … as in one woman, one blog and her simple one-item-a-day decluttering method. Pick any one item of your choice to declutter today.

Wednesday — LIGHTSOME: Colleen has written some memorable posts about packing for travel and I have this mental image of her and her husband fresh off the plane, nimble with their minimal luggage, and free of any worries about the possibility of lost luggage. They make their way light-heartedly through the airport with a spring in their steps, past all the people waiting by the baggage carousel (um, yeah, that would include yours truly) for the ‘luggage catwalk’ to begin. So, with this in mind, take a look at your travel packing list to see whether you can declutter an item that isn’t essential or maybe even a piece of luggage itself. If you’ve already pared down and only have essentials on your list, then declutter something that you’ve brought back from your travels that no longer appeals to you, unnecessary travel photos or a souvenir you’ve received.

Thursday — LARGE: Colleen’s large and generous spirit is one of the things that you first notice about her. From that perspective, take a good look at everything that you’ve been blessed with and donate an item that you can do without, that will help someone else in any way. Of course, if you just want to declutter something that’s, well, um, large … go ahead and do so … I’m not going to split hairs.

Friday — ENERGETIC: I can confidently state that the Energizer Bunny resides in Newcastle, Australia, although for the past few months she’s been in Berlin with Mo — that’s the equally heart-warming grandpa name given by the above-mentioned dynamic duo. So, what does that have to do with clutter? Well, being surrounded by clutter can drain you of energy and affect your mood … so take a look around your home for a clutter hotspot that affects you the most. Remove one item (or more, if you want to) from that hotspot and come up with an action plan to eradicate the mess in that area.

Saturday — ECO-FRIENDLY: We all know how Colleen feels about the environment, having excess stuff and not letting things go to waste. So, if your pantry is stuffed with so much food or you suspect that there might be a real possibility of a science experiment growing inside your fridge, do a quick check for anything that might be getting dangerously close to its use-by date and incorporate it into your meal-planning for today or the week ahead. If by some chance this item turns out to be a bottle of leftover wine, do remember to drink a toast to the birthday girl and her blog! Or you could begin a use-it-up challenge for that particular bottle of hand cream, body lotion or shampoo — you know the one I’m referring to … yup, the one that always gets pushed to the back of the cabinet — before its time runs out.

Sunday — NEAT: One of the impressions I have of Colleen is that she is naturally neat and keeps a clean, tidy home (don’t hesitate to correct me here if I’m wrong, Colleen 😉). Is there any area in your home that might have become less than tidy because you have been oh-so-busy lately? There might be something that you can declutter from it as you tidy it. Or maybe you have a closet or cabinet bursting at the seams — go ahead and declutter what’s in it and restore some order.

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.

This week your mini missions have been brought to you by Tanja. I love that she has put a strong emphasis on donating the items that you find. She had also focused on items that many people have a lot of. However even if you don’t have such an abundance you may still find you might have one or two too many that you would be happy to live without.

So thank you Tanja for your contribution to 365 Less Things this week. And should any of my other wonderful readers like to send my a post to publish I would be more than happy to receive it. And without further adieu here are this weeks missions.

“Clearing” a room is not simply shoving things in drawers and cupboards, on the principle that “out of sight is out of mind”.

Streamlining the house goes further than decluttering; it is not simply a matter of making a clean sweep of everything into colour-coded bags for when the garbage collecting trucks come around. Many extraneous items are still serviceable – and some are still brand new, with tags on. These may be donated.

Monday: The kitchen / dining room.  Let’s face it – we never have more than four pans on the stove, and maybe one in the fridge. So why did we ever feel the need to purchase that set of thirty? Select half a dozen pots in the sizes you use most; ditto with the fry-pans. While you’re at it, why not decimate your motley collection of glasses, mugs, and cups? Would you ever use all that flatware, even if you were the hostess of a street party?

Tuesday: The laundry room. Why is it that you have ten detergent bottles with not enough liquid in them for one wash? Will you ever really run a mini-load?  Put a funnel in the neck of one of them, and upturn the others into it, in turn. Rinse them out, one by one, and add to the water you use for hand-washing lingerie, or for yards and porches.

Wednesday: The sitting room / lounge. Look at that pile of magazines. Are you really ever going to refer to a particular issue for an article, or a recipe? When will you find time to clip and file what you want from them? Will you ever take them to your friend, who has a shredder, to fix them for the hamsters’ cages? Kindergarten teachers and crafters are always on the lookout for pictures and scrap paper. So are the helpers at animal shelters.

Thursday: The bathroom(s).  You are never going to use all those soaps and scents and assorted toiletries received as gifts, or bought just because they were on offer. Why not cover a shoebox with wrapping paper – or sheets from magazines, or maps – and make a Happy Box for someone who is feeling down, or is facing a stay in hospital? Groups that do voluntary work will accept this kind of gift, to pass on, or sell for fund-raising.

Friday: The bedroom(s). Half the ironing you do probably happens because your clothes are all squashed up in the wardrobes. If you are lucky enough to have a walk-in closet, it is not a guarantee that this will not happen, either. Then there are those clothes that need mending, and shoes that need a cobbler’s attention. Unless you can get them seen to within the week – discard them or give them away. Give away clothes that don’t fit well; stop hoping you will get thinner, or fatter, so they will fit, because even then, you will still have two sets of extraneous clothing.

Saturday: The garage / basement.  New brooms sweep clean – but old ones don’t. So throw out all the tools and implements that no longer serve their purpose, including tatty paintbrushes and all those paint tins with one inch of dried gunk at the bottom, and the empty margarine tubs, and the boxes of school notes, punctured tyres, broken chairs and light fittings…

Sunday: Pick up the phone and see whether the people or groups for whom you have bags and boxes, will collect. Otherwise, arrange for deliveries to be done; make this an excuse for someone who lives in the area of the recipient to hop over and have a mug of coffee before taking the pack with her, unless you can take them yourself…

 All it takes is a little effort on our part. Let’s share what we have, with those who would appreciate it even more than we do…by giving away things we would actually use. It’s nice to do this, rather than donating stuff that would otherwise have gone into the skip, fooling ourselves into believing that we are “sharing”, and thus salving our conscience.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Gratitude: Today I am grateful that I have the ability to get around freely. I encountered a lady in a wheelchair today with a severe disability and my first reaction was admiration for her that she has the spirit to defy adversity and get out and about, it seemed without a helper by her side. To her I guess it was just what she was used to, but it sure make me look back at times when I complain about small inconveniences in my life and think how perry they really are and how lucky I am.

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 remove some clutter that might be bothering someone else in some way. If you decide to take on this weeks missions be prepared for it to be confronting at times.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

It is about time we had another set of mini missions relating to what you clutter is made of. Some materials are used in a lot of different things so it usually isn’t hard to find something in the category. So good luck and happy decluttering.

Monday – Declutter something made of paper. This should be easy.

Tuesday – Declutter something made of glass.

Wednesday – Declutter something made of metal.

Thursday – Declutter something made of fabric.

Friday – Declutter something made of wood.

Saturday – Decluttering something made plastic.

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.

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.

By Nicole V

The “Little House” series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder is much-loved by many across the world, with over 60 million copies sold in more than 100 countries. The heart-warming stories of the Ingalls family – Pa, Ma, Mary, Laura, Carrie and their dog Jack – offer a fascinating look at America’s frontier past, and have been translated into more than 30 languages.

The “Little House in the Big Woods” novel was first published in 1932, making this classic 84 years of age, and I thought that that in itself was as good a reason as any to incorporate a small slice of “Little House” into the mini missions for this week.

For those of you who are familiar with the series, you would probably remember that in the novel, Ma Ingalls had a specific chore for each day of the week:

“Wash on Monday. Iron on Tuesday. Mend on Wednesday. Churn on Thursday. Clean on Friday. Bake on Saturday. Rest on Sunday.”

This week’s missions will draw inspiration from her list, with a few adjustments to reflect our current lifestyles. So let’s get down to it, shall we?

Monday – Declutter something relating to your laundry routine or from your laundry room or area. It could be an item of clothing or linens, etc.

Tuesday – Declutter something relating to the chore of ironing or, by extension, any electrical equipment. If ironing is not on your to-do list, then declutter something relating to a hobby or any pastime that you enjoy.

Wednesday – Declutter something from your sewing kit or any clothing, curtains, linens, rags, yarn, etc. You could also declutter something that’s beyond repair.

Thursday – Since most of us would no longer need to churn our own butter, we’ll focus on the business aspect of “churn” – declutter something related to the Internet or other media, or something related to your office (including a home office), or any work that you do.

Friday – Declutter any cleaning equipment or item or something that you no longer want to dust or clean or to clean around. Or declutter something that will make any room or area in your home look clean and streamlined once it’s gone.

Saturday – Declutter anything related to cooking or baking. This could be anything from your kitchen, pantry, fridge, or any food preparation or storage area.

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.

Ok, so we are all over Christmas and are raring and ready to go with this years decluttering. So where to begin. Anywhere will do so long as you are doing it. But in case you are lacking in imagination here are a few places to start looking.

Monday – Declutter something from any drawer in your house.

Tuesday – Declutter something from the basement, garage, attic or shed.

Wednesday – Declutter something from a kitchen cabinet.

Thursday – Declutter something from your closet. And that doesn’t have to be clothes.

Friday – Declutter something in the living room.

Saturday – Declutter something in your linen or storage closet.

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 bag when you go shopping. It is amazing how much plastic that saves over a period of time.

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 new year has begun and lets start it out with our first set of missions. So what shall be our theme this week. I’d like to give it a German theme since that is very much the focus of my life at the moment. Well at least I will use German words for this week. I think decluttering is much the same for most people in modern countries these days. Too much of everything is a common theme. So lets get started. Zeug is the word for stuff in German so lets focus on that.

Monday – Das Spielzeug (The toy) ~ Now there is a fun word both in sound and in the meaning. I am sure anyone with Kinder (children) or Enkelkinder (grandchildren) will likely have some old toys the kids don’t use much anymore. Especially as Christmas has just come and gone. Time to declutter those.

Tuesday – Das Werkzeug (The tool) ~ Declutter any tools that aren’t used often enough to warrant keeping.

Wednesday – Das Fahrzeug (The vehicle) ~ Time to declutter all that stuff that has built up in your car. Whether it needs tossing or just putting back where it belongs.

Thursday – Das Flugzeug (The aeroplane) ~ If you have items related to travel that haven’t been used in a long time, even though you have indeed been travelling, then maybe they are excess to your needs and it is time to declutter them.

Friday РDie M̦bel (The Furniture) ~ Declutter any bits of furniture that you no longer need. Pieces that once held stuff you no longer own or that stuff, you used to dust, once rested on. I still have one at my house that my son wants. It is about time he came and got it.

Saturday – Der Stoff (The Fabric) ~ declutter something made from fabric that you no longer need. This one should be easy because so many things are made from fabric of one kind or another.

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

Each of us has a different day when we clean up all the decorations from the holidays.  One thing we all do though is repack and stash away everything.  This is a great time to declutter.  We have a great opportunity to look at each item and decide:

1. Did we use it this time?
2. Does it need repair or a toss into the trash?
3. Do we like it?
4. Do we want to change our style/color? 
5. Has our life changed in a way that requires our decorating to change?

Now is the time to declutter all of those holiday items you no longer need taking up space in your home.  Things like decorations, ornaments, decorative paper plates or napkins, towels, tablecloths, and duplicates of salt and pepper shakers or serving pieces.  I’m sure there are more items you can think of.  How about holiday books or magazines for: cooking, decorating, or crafts. 

This year we are going to be decluttering many things because we will be moving.  We will have two households but fewer places to display items.  Mom is not even sure she wants to decorate other than maybe a wreath on her door.  I will probably keep the small tree we have but not many other things.  If I could find a metal tree I really like I may get one to put the ornaments on because they are what I treasure.

Share with us your stories of decluttering as you clear away after the holiday season.

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.

And so it is Christmas and what have we done ~ a whole lot of decluttering this year, that’s what. So I think it is time for a break and this weeks missions are based on that. You can either do Part A of each mission or Part B, it is entirely up to you. I will be focusing on Part A. Have a very happy holiday everyone, no matter which, if any, you are celebrating. And we’ll chat again in the New Year.

Monday – Declutter  A. Something chocolate, or B. Something that begins with the letter C.

Tuesday – Declutter A. Something edible with mixed fruit in it, or B. something that begins with the letter F.

Wednesday - Declutter A. Some wine or other alcoholic beverage, or B. something that begins with the letter W.

Thursday – Declutter A. Some gingerbread, or B. Declutters something beginning with the letter G.

Friday - Declutter A. Declutter some Turkey or other edible cooked bird (Tofurky roast for the vegetarians among us) or B. Declutter something that begins with the letter T.

Saturday - Declutter A. Something cluttering up your fridge, such as that carton of eggnog (For extra decluttering effort my daughter-in-law suggests adding a shot of spiced rum to that), or B. Declutter something that begins with the letter E.

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