52 Missions | Success Stories |
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Here are a few recent 52 Missions success stories. If you have a success story to share please email us the details at 52missions@GetOrganizedWizard.com and we’ll add them here (before and after photos especially welcome!). “Oh this was EASY! I went through the girls room and 30 mins later I had a banking box FULL of toys and or garbage to declutter.” – Crystal “I opened Your web site for the first time and fell in love and after reading for 30 minutes I went downstairs and filled 2 large trash bags with paper and magazines and 2 large bags to give to mission and drove to mission ASAP and paper gater so I had no second thoughts wow a whole corner cleaned in 1 hour 30 minutes looked at for 3 years…..amazing “ – Kay “As somewhat of a hoarder myself with 2 growing girls your tips on how to get them organized are fantastic! I particularly like the idea of getting rid of one thing for each new thing–thanks so much!!” – JA “I loved how filling a huge trash bag with crap made me feel better about myself. The satisfaction I felt when I threw that bag into the trash was awesome.” – Sarah “Mission #1 Completed!!!! So much fun I kept on for another hour. Procrastinated on this for so long and it was SO EASY!” – Miriam “I love this site and glad I joined. This plan works well for and have been applying the mission, using the timer, and as all things will happen as needed, have been able to decluter within the 30 minute timer. I did it, will continue to apply this plan, and it didn’t hurt.” – Marti “Finally, completed this task today. It’s not perfect but at least 100 times better that what it used to be. For the first time in my life, my computer looks so clean and clutter free. Thanks a lot:)” – Vinil “Done. I can’t believe how much I have achieved. Thank you for the regular prompts. :)” – Manola “I am not one to have a lot of un-necessary stuff in my house – very few knick knacks, excess furniture, etc. however it is amazing how much stuff I was able to purge. Surface clutter is definitely my downfall – counters, tables, desks, dressers – all get covered with mail, receipts, school papers, broken toys and more. Using this 30 minute method is awesome because it kept me focused and pushed me to purge, purge, purge. I didn’t have alot of TRASH per se, but filled my entire huge recycle bin for the week, with a box waiting for next week. I also have 4 boxes of books, puzzles, games and other stuff to take to our local bookstore for trade. Also have started a couple of charity boxes for clothes and other stuff. I also have a bag of diapers for the diaper bank (my son is out of diapers now), 3 boxes of food for the food pantry and a box of items to return to family and friends. What an awesome start!” – Lori O “Just did this yesterday! I think we had 3 garbage bags of garbage,2 recyclables, and 1 lawn bag for charity.” – Misty “I got FIVE bags filled and taken to charity!” – Angi “Woo Hoo! My Documents folder is purged and organized! What a great accomplishment today. I set it up to match my paper filing system for my business, so I can easily flip from one to the other!” – PK Seay “I can’t believe I had enough trash around to fill up the garbage bag. I was most surprised by the number of videotapes I’ve replaced with DVD’s but never threw out. They just blended in with the scenery. Yay! “ – Jess “Mission 1 – Completed !! First came relief, then joy to have wonderful space !! “ – Maria “wow that was awesome…i know it was supposed to just be half an hour, but i decided to do an hour coz im actually sorting through stuff from a family home thats been sold so theres a LOT of stuff…& i did it speedy anyhow…not getting stuck on any one thing…actually i just moved through the rooms list…grabbing stuff like a crazy woman!…so good… “Well, I feel a lot lighter for completing this task. It’s something I’d been meaning to do, but kept putting off. Seeing your Tweet and reading this post inspired me to complete the task. Certainly not as daunting as you first think, and you feel so much better once it’s done. One cardboard box full of unwanted glassware, as well as two big bags of clothes, shoes and other odds and sods were taken to the local charity shop today – yeh!! I absolutely loved your extensive list – especially the point about items with “negative connotations” – now they’re gone and I’m feeling a lot less cluttered. Thank you so much! “ – Adriana “I got one bag just on one floor in 30 minutes. I topped it off by doing a run through of my vehicle. It is a wonderful feeling! “ – Carolyn “6 bags out the door–one to trash and 5 to family members who need it! How did this happen! Thanks Carrie for sharing this project site with me!! “ – Cheyenne “2 down, 50 to go… woot, woot! I have no idea why I put this mission off, it was so easy! I cleaned out my handbag and 2 diaper bags in well under 30 minutes! Now, as soon as I locate my handbag stash (boxes I cannot seem to find because I’m so disorganized…), they’ll be donated immediately! :o) “ – Carrie “Did this one again today… I’m thinking of continuing Mission #1 daily (or at least every other day). I can tell I could do this a few more times if I tried! I also tackled my kitchen junk drawer! And I actually made a trip to Goodwill and the local recycling center to get rid of a lot of stuff I’d worked on earlier this week before finding this site! I’ve got a long way to go, but this week has been a really good start! “ – Carrie “Wow! Filled up a huge bag, took it to the trash, came back, and still had 20 minutes left!! Mission 1 completed. I have another bag half filled, and will make it 2 by garbage night (tomorrow). Looking forward to Mission 2. “ – Debbie “Done! Actually, we filled the trash can with yucky stuff and the back of the van with boxes we’d broken down and we took them up to the school to their recycling bin. So, the school gets some cash and I get a cleaner space! “ – Laura “Mission #1 is complete thanks to the help of my husband. We couldn’t believe how easy it was to fill up one bag in so little time. WOO-HOO!” – Tricia “Since I’m a huge book person and reread all the time, I thought this one would be hard, but it wasn’t. I had cleared out a few months ago, but I found a lot more to get rid of. I have several categories of books to get rid of, including a donate/sell box, books that need to be returned to their various owners, and a “bad emotional baggage” box. For a few that I wasn’t sure I could toss yet, I had enough space to designate a ‘reread and pass on’ area on my newly cleared bookshelf. Though I own very few CDs or movies, I even managed to pare those down a bit. This is great – now if I do end up moving out of my apartment soon, there will be fewer heavy boxes of books I don’t care about. And I have room for new books if I want them. Double bonus! “ – Lauren “When my husband first sent me this site in Sept. I thought it sounded perfect for what I needed. I did the first mission on a Saturday with the whole family. We easily filled eight large trash bags. Things got busy after that, so I rededicated myself for the new year. I was again able to easily fill two large trash bags by myself in about 20 minutes. I’m on to the next mission, but when my family gets home I’m sending them on mission #1 again (ha ha ha). “ – Lisa “Thank you for developing this system of 52 missions. It’s not only easy to follow but very realistic and achievable. A sure help for everyone who wants a fresh start and gain real order in their daily life. Brilliant ideas! More power! “ – Ynah “I do this every Sunday night since trash/recycle day is on Monday. I also keep a box in the bedroom for donations and can usually fill the box every month. If I try someting on and it doesn’t fit or looks terrible on me, it goes in the box and I don’t look at it again. When this mission came up (I’m late on posting) I was having a french foor put in which required me to remove some kitchen cabinets. In 30-45 minutes I had filled 2 large garbage bags of trash, 3 boxes of donations, and 1 box of recyclables. It was a success. I just need to pick a room each week because there is lots more to go…” – Lesley “You are my new BFF! I’ve needed this for so long! Thank You!” – P J “Mission accomplished! Toys, clothes, the expired items in the medicine cabinet and linen closet. Once you start, it is easy to fill 3 or 4 trash bags! It is just a matter of looking around and finding a place to start! I went over the time limit this time, because I had a few hours, but I think I will make it a habit to repeat this mission often so it doesn’t accumulate again. I feel so free, week two, here I come!!! “ – Kathy “WEEK 1 – Have not only one but three trash bags ready TO GO. What a WAY to start the NEW YEAR 2010. Heading into a CLUTTER-FREE & organized LIFE is so wonderful. These have been my new year resolutions for so many years & with minimal success & I won’t be saying that this time next year !!!!! “ – Emjaykay “Over a period of 14 days: “Mission one completed… I sent 10 garbage bags to the Red Cross “ – Amanda “Thanks – I needed this one “big time”! Set it up quickly and then also did a lot of deleting and reorganising. I still have a chunk to do – but I know what it is and what I want to achieve with it … and I’ll do it in the new year! Great tips! “ – Fiona “Have filled my garbage bag with junk that was taking up precious space. How great is this!! “ – Nancy “I did it … took a whole boot load of garbage to the dump and it felt SO good. “ – Raina “I filled five large trash bags and put them out for garbage collection. I still have a ton of stuff but it felt good to begin. The 30 minutes flew by. I was surprised. Am thinking of doing more.” – Joy “My bathrooms look great and I feel so good about my accomplishment. In one bathroom, I took down all wall decorations except a clock and one small item, took the stuff off the back of the toilet, and cleared the vanity. It looks so clean and minimalist. My husband loves it and so do I. In the other I removed five nails that once held decorative items and went through all my drawers and cabinets. It looks and feels great! “ – Theresa “I can’t believe how much smaller my files are. Amazing. Done. “ – Joey “Hello! I’m from Brazil. I was sleeping in the living-room, on the sofa. When I’ve receivei the mission about the bedroom, that must be my sanctuary, I’ve decided to put put my bed there and take out the mess it was there. Now I feel full finally! Thanks to 52 missions! “ – Andineia “Mission #1 Accomplished! And I’m oh so happy that the clutter doesn’t feel overwhelming anymore….but my hubby and I did it together! It really was a total team effort and in a surprising way turned into a new bonding time for us =) Who knew we would actually enjoy cleaning as much as we did? “ – Sarah “My family filled 2 bags of throw away stuff and 3 bags of giveaway, we went above and beyond! (took a little more than the 30 minutes but it was well worth it!) Now if I can do this in my storage basement….Can’t wait to try this technique out again in my master bedroom aka storage room! “ – Melody H “God that was hard. Took me over an hour, but I’m done. Extremely rudimentary, but done. My shred pile is a thing to behold. But I’m glad I got the start because this was really holding me up in the progress. I love the dividing system you suggest! “ – Lauren “Yup, I’m in. At this point, I have read a lot and even put some of those brilliant tips into action, but this cries for discipline… Dang, if I don’t stop merely hoarding (filing) all that useful stuff and fooling myself about needing the big picture completed first, it’ll all end up as another huge unfinished castle-in-the-air. Thanks already, Michele, for the option of manageable chunks and regular step-by-step lessons. Looking forward to a year of improving habits š “ – Sonja “Wow! I filled one with trash and two with give aways! Thanks for the inspiration! “ – Donna “Well it took me a few days to do this Mission but boy when I did. Lets just say in 30 minutes I got three bags full. Imagine if it had been an hour. LOL “For a long time I have been procrastinating. I buy a lot of books on organization but do nothing about it. At last I am going to begin. “ – Joy “I did not want to stop when the 30 minutes were up! I am going to do this once a week. “ – Carla “This is great just the extra boost I need. I have been de-cluttering and going through “stuff”…now I just need to get it out the door and redo the going through things being ruthless!! “ – Phyllis “So, I just finished Mission 4 and I just want to say. THANK YOU. I have been looking for a method that could help me get my life to where I want it to, with out junk, clutter, excess. I have tried lots of concepts and this one is working. I could totally go on, mostly I just wanted to say Thanks. “ – Joey “First step is done! “Rock on! The bigger the bag got, the more liberating it felt! “ – Bridget “This is exciting stuff! I’m starting my new morning routine tomorrow! š “I did it! My 3 year old wanted to ‘help’ so I took 1 hr instead of 30 min (and 2 big bags!) to allow for her little helping hands meddling! Feels better already. “ – Karen “As a psychologist who works with patients experiencing problems with insomnia, I regularly help design bedtime routines as part of good sleep hygiene. I think your recommendations are excellent for having a clear mind and promoting the opportunity to be able to relax oneself into sleep. “ – Mark Frazier “11 full boxes of books are now sitting by the door, waiting to go to the donation bin at the local library (they have an on-going book sale) – and I found a gift book I’d never looked at. Inside it was a note from my father, which I’d never seen. He passed away almost two years ago, and finding that letter tonight was an astonishing, emotional, uplifting reward for finally parting with some of the gargantuan piles of books that have been collecting dust in all corners of my house. Thank you, Michelle, for the kick in the motivation! “ – Rebecca “OK….I read your wonderful posts…..I just signed up for the 52 organizing missions…..I am SICK of my dis-organization! Funny, I used to be a clean nut, and fairly well organized! As an intuitive and a coach, I even know what happened to awaken the ‘inner slob!.’ I’m in…..I have 30 minutes per week….I am ready!!! “ – Jim “I found this site few days ago and its great and exactly what i needed this days. “Very therapeutic. Going to have to do this with the desk at my office. Might start doing everything in 30 minute bursts!” – Zen “This just scraped a bit ice from the top of the iceberg but it is a start. I ended up throwing: “I just joined today and did this already. One big bag downstairs and one upstairs- plus I gathered up some stuff to donate! Woo hoo!” – Donna “Whew! Just catching up! Filled a big bag in my office and bathroom. Woo-hoo!Whew! Just catching up! Filled a big bag in my office and bathroom. Woo-hoo!” – Susan “Wow! I have so much junk. So great to see some of it gone now. Feel clean and revitalised.” – Jodi “I did it!! I was late, but I did it this past weekend and Iām now in the mood to do more. Thanks for the motivation!” – Julie “This was relatively straight forward as I’d pruned through before going on vacation. However streamlining my key chain was inspired. In all honesty I’ve been carrying a couple of keys on there for 20 years and I no longer have any idea what they are for! I’ve substituted one of those dinky ultralights to help with dark evenings.” – Minima “Finally stopped procrastinating and started chucking. A big bag went to the tip and a huge pile of books has gone to a good home. My Dad always used to say āa tidy room, a tidy mindā. It may not always be true but it sure does help! These missions are brilliant, thank you!” – Gill “cathartic or what?! I actually did this a few week ago as I was about to start a new job and thought that I would clear my head by ātidyingā up. I threw out 2 black bags worth of crap, loads went to the carboot sale and some went on to a āfreecycleā website and were picked up the very next day. Canāt wait for week 2!” – Sharon “I did this last night and got rid of one and a half bags from my bathroom and kitchen alone!” – Mel “Done! Filled my black bin with plenty more to go in! Looking forward to the next mini-mission to prod me into action!” – Tracey “We have not long moved, which I can recommend for a good chuck-out š In fact that is quite a good way to evaluate how much you really āloveā something – Would you be prepared to carefully wrap, pack, move and unpack it? Howeverā¦ I didnāt have time to evaluate a heap of notebooks + various āpaperworkā that have been occupying a corner of my new office so todayā¦ with timer setā¦ Iāve gnawed into a chunk of it – Looking fwd to having to be accountable for another chunk next week ;-)” – Linda “Youāre either the steamroller or part of the pavement – dragging the whole family along for the ride!” – Ann “Long over due for me. Letās get at it! :)” – Ingrid “My daughter sent me your first task. I had a wonderful time throwing things out. I did not think I would find much as I do send stuff to Charity shops quite regularly, but once I got started I found lots that was not really good enough for resale.” – Jennifer “That was better than a chocolate binge! “ – Rebecca “I have decided to join in as I have been holdng onto stuff, so I am off for my first 30 min and get the black- only mine are pink ones – off to the bedroom now” – Suzie “I love being organised – it makes me feel like Im on top of things so this can only make me even more organised.” – Netty “Awesome idea. Iām psyched! Letās goā¦.!” – Evelyn “Iām in. Being accountable to someone other than myself is definitely whatās needed for me right now.” – Sara “I just found your blog through alltop and I am hooked! I plan to jump in and catch up on the missions. Iām really enjoying reading through your archives!” – Melissa “Thought I didnāt need to do this one – but the shopping bag in the trash full of receipts and notes and other who-knows-what proves otherwise. One bag completely emptied and another now with the bare necessities. Can tick that one off!” – Tracey “Two bags now cleaned out and organizedā¦ Plus keys no longer required removed off keyring š Mission accomplished!!Two bags now cleaned out and organizedā¦ Plus keys no longer required removed off keyring š Mission accomplished!!” – Linda “Have sorted the bag shelf in my wardrobe and have discarded 4 bags, a hat and a belt (what were they doing there?) Found a Ā£1 coin too!! Also found some memories: Ticket stubs for a Zutons concert, French and Saunders Live and Slumdog Millionaire.” – Gill “I do this on a regular basis (every Friday actually) but now I will make it more organised and get myself a nice little toiletry bag instead of putting all my bits n pieces in the zipper pocket!” – Sharon “I did it!! I threw away 40-50 pounds of junk! Thanks for giving me permission to throw away clothes. I hate throwing clothes in the trash, would rather give to charity. But I didnāt want them and who else would?? NOBODY! Thatās why it is trash! Thanks. š btw- you are my husbandās new best friend.” – Melissa “Finally stopped procrastinating and started chucking. A big bag went to the tip and a huge pile of books has gone to a good home. My Dad always used to say āa tidy room, a tidy mindā. It may not always be true but it sure does help! “I did this last night and got rid of one and a half bags from my bathroom and kitchen alone!” – Mel “I love getting organised – keep the missions coming!” – Netty “Wow! I have so much junk. So great to see some of it gone now. Feel clean and revitalised.” – Jodi “My goodness I must be getting the hang of this organising lark! (Either that or I have psychic powers!) I detoxed my bag and purse yesterday, just as you have outlined above.” – Gill “Got there in the end – sorted my filing out – donāt think Iāve done it for a year! Iām good at paying things but then throw it in a drawer instead of filing – so mission well accomplished!” – Tracey “I love decluttering & organisingā¦I have to with four children,husband & pets..so easy to feel overwhelmed with the chaos. Loving your tips, especially the one about collecting free e-books of which Iām guilty. Of course I then clutter up my pc folder and donāt get around to reading them all! So I shall use my 30mins to delete those unnecessary!” – Tonia “I went and bought an accordian folder and sorted bills by month and by date due. Once I did that I continued onto my file cabinet. What a mess! Some things are better left untouched. Im still working on the cabinet. Ebill has been signed up for and also mobile billing! So much better than paper trails. Bring on the next task. Mission accomplished!” – Amy “I did this task by myself a year ago, but today I understood that time passed and lots of new things could be thrown away. I went around 2 rooms and found a lot of little objects to give to my friends and to charity as well as real dross. On my side, I can recommend to try to sell several lots on Ebay or some other local auction, and youāll see that only few people would like your staff, and they arenāt ready to pay a lot. it helps not to buy a lot of new useless and inutile items in future.” – Katya “This is a great post! Cars always seem to be neglected, love all the tips!” – Jayne “This is exactly what I have been looking for. Yeahhhhhh. Lets GO!” – Leanne “I need this for myself and my whole family. I want to get started now.” – Tina “I’m in. Commitment-I love it!” – Sarah “Well I’ve steped this one up a notch for myself. I put in my personal calendar a 30 min trash bag full for each day this week, for each room. “I’ve done it…it wasn’t so bad…actually it was quite easy to find a big garbage bag full. Woohoo!!!” – Joanne “I just googled for help to organise my life and found this and im filled with emotion coz i feel like this is what i needed and it will make me accountable and energised and im excited that it may well help my life in all areas, bring it on !!” – Erin “Done- not so difficult after all.” – Jo “This is such a timely reminder. I have spent the last three weeks procrastinating and have found all sorts of reasons for not going āin hereā and getting the things done I need to do. I start by tidying up my work space, even if it is just putting the post in my intray, make a cup of tea and put on some music. I do love to use aromatherapy oils or candles too. And I have a special lamp that creates the right lighting mood. Your piece has made me realise that I already have a productivity ritual and has made me quite excited about hiding myself away this evening and using it! I love the idea of a time limit too, makes it seem so much more acheivable. Thank you Michele, like Adriana I love your website and am so glad I found it.” – Gill “I got a little behind on the missions, but now I can check this off! Done. now I’ll go change my voicemail message with the new script I wrote!! :)” – Melissa “Done. But I could easily have kept going for a few hours. Looking forward to more missions. And I love that 30 minutes in one go. I tend to tell myself that I will do 30 min of this or that to get myself motivatet. Always ends up spending an hour or two instead. Great!” – Silje “Just found your blog – what a great idea! I am in!” – Cindi “I’ve been looking for a system like this to keep me accountable. I am ready to commit!” – Jennifer “Done. I did it for a little more than 30 minutes. My wife was just watching and approving my decisions to throw away unnecessary stuff. Not a big bag but still the feeling was quite good – to get rid of unwanted things. It felt like we were cleaning our minds. Thanks a lot. We are looking forward to the following missions!” – Kliment “I have lots that I wish to achieve in life but confess to putting off getting started or getting on with tasks. I am hoping that being more organised will help keep me on track with my personal goals while also improving the way I go about my family commitments and relationships. “I started out with cleaning out my makeup bag and my book bag (From Last Semester). I then got out the new purse and wallet that I have had for a couple of months and emptied everything from my old ones and started fresh and clean in the new ones. This is great everything is findable and in order.” – Deb “Wow! I am so ready to embrace this change! Thanks for sharing your organizational strategies with this organizationally challenged soul!” – Jayne “Did this. I had a HUGE trashbag full of needless useless stuff. I felt so good after. I also did my daily chores and my husband was so inspired that he degreased and washed his motorcycle. Thank you” – Tammy “I think this was just the push I needed to take care of some long neglected piles!” – Christie “WOW !!! what a great idea . And best of all I don’t feel overwhelmed I just imagine my life my home when I have completed 52 Weeks.” – Maria “I’m on it! Excited to get started, cause ya know, I suck at holding myself accountable. So, I’m going to let the internet do it! Is it alright for me to link to your site from my personal blog when I write posts about the missions?” – Amelia “I’m in, and making myself acountable:) so glad something like this online, so helpful!” – Annie “Well, I confess to tripping myself up on my first 30 mins by starting with the cupboard I keep meds, first aid bits etc. Reading the packets, checking dates was time consuming and I didn’t feel I achieved much – until I realised that having that cupboard straight was an achievement in itself. “ – Minima “I periodically go through my stuff so I didn’t think I had anything to discard, but instead found stuff I was hoarding and got rid of that! Gonna share with my girlfriends to see if they want any of it, then it’s off to donate.” – Diana “Just signed up and really excited that I may finally get organised. I work from home and am drowning under a sea of paperwork. I have no work/life balance as I’m so disorganised and untidy – there I admitted it!! But judging by the amount of posts on this site I’m certainly not alone. I know what I’ve got to do but keep procrastinating as I’m not accountable to anyone – well I am now, so bring it on!!!” – Anne “It was difficult to me to separate from my stuff!!! “My biggest problem is the feeling guilty about throwing things out part. I’ve received so many gifts of cloths that I just don’t like, and I feel compelled to keep them. Of course, I also try to adhere to your 12 month rule for throwing things out also. So, those are competing issues. My closet is a disaster but, being a guy, and it’s sexist to say, I guess I’m expected to be messy anyway š Your organizational tips are really good. You’ve managed to boil everything down to goal setting. I’m impressed. “ – Keith “A really useful mission. I often use my car in connection with work as well as for domestic errands and if I need to give a work contact a lift, it looks better if I’m not moving half a ton of clutter from the footwell before getting in! “This is just what I need!” – Tracey “Done! I thought it would be difficult because I’ve been working through clutter for a few months, but no!” – bezajel “Once I got into the swing of not ‘umming and aahing’ over everything, it has become easier. Three days of 30 mins each day have yielded a sack full for the Charity shop, a sack full of recyclable paper and one bag of non-recyclables. I’m hoping to get two more sessions in this week and this will be an excellent start.” – Minima “To be honest, I had my doubts if I had enough junk to fill an entire bag, but I ended up filling two – and now I see so much more unnecessary stuff, waiting to be tossed š “ – Anna “Done:) this was so satisfying, took no time at all, wish i had’ve started this sooner! “ – Annie “I’m happy to get this one out of the way. Dealt with the bills that are solely my responsibility and I’ve pruned my filing to the current year other than tax matters. “Being a generally hopeless case when it comes to acquiring clutter, this “room-by-room” approach makes it a lot easier to get started. Makes the whole task seem less overwhelming. And thanks for the pat on the back! The generally positive approach also makes the task a lot more appealing. “ – Katherine “Throwing away is exhilerating. That I added recycling has made me feel very smug. “ – Jenny “Your “cancel subscriptions” was a breakthrough one for me. I subscribe to many magazines (write columns for a few), and keep hard copies of the magazines with my articles. What a dusty mess was sitting in the corner of my office. Why was I keeping them? They even smelled old and moldy…so I heaved them away…making room for all my new articles coming up. Stopped my complimentary subscriptions too, as they were giving me guilt that I hadn’t read all of them. “I am done with this mission!!! It really makes a difference. Not only is the car looking and smelling better, but I think people take notice and make an effort as well.” – Shawna “This was so easy, and made such a difference! thought i’d have nothing to ged rid of but I actually was carrying several loyalty cards i don’t even use and hundreds of random notes on pieces of paper. Got rid of them and feel so much lighter!” – Annie “This turned out to be a happiness warm fuzzy in itself! I actually spent an evening on and off considering, prioritising and organising a mini-plan for this. I found the print out list very useful. “I helped my hubby clear out our garage today (took a lot longer than 30mins!), but we both felt really good afterwards and have been able to set pool table up in there for the kids, so they were pleased too. Kids are on school hols now, so going to get them to help me do a 30min clear out every day this week!” – Anne “Done! I have been renovating for several months, so at first I didn’t think I’d have much to toss, until I discovered the contents of my (now) grown up and moved away kid’s bathroom cabinet. ewwwww! Half opened bottles of stuff from the mid 90’s!! GONE!” – Linda “This turned into a difficult task with one bill. I found that someone had set up a username and password on my account that was not me. I had to contact the company and have their assistance in resetting the username and password. Other than that, this was a great thing to do. I set up every thing from credit cards to the gas bill. I can now pay all of these online when or before they are due.” – Deb “I have done it!!. IN fact, I got so organized, I am caught up even on payments until September. OOhhhhhh I feel good. Thank you” – Tammy “I had never thought about communication as something that could be improved upon with regards to being organised. Thank you for the great ideas. Challenge completed!” – Belinda “I did what i thought was a big clean up a few weeks ago so didn’t think I would be able to find enough stuff to fill a bag. But following your room by room list I started at the pantry – I filled a bag before I moved onto the next room. I had all this out of date food! Things that I was given in Christmas hampers etc that I was saving to use when we entertained etc. So I ended up getting too much rubbish and I couldn’t fit it all in the bin! “I am moving house so what a great opportunity to get started. I went straight upstairs and grabbed two green garbage bags and started in my office. I got rid of two bags full in around 30 minutes. My office is now so much more organized in readiness for the move. Thanks! It was so easy.” – Kerri-Anne “Today, I cleaned out a lot of Happy Meal toys that I have been letting collect in a box and gave them away. I also had a lot of extra yarn from knitting that went out the door also. Every day a little more. It feels good.” – Tammy “I find this a little difficult as I am disabled and can only stand/walk for 2 minutes max – so I did lots of little chunks and I had to count my husbands help too – he did the bathroom for me. Also I am a dedicated recycler, so throwing stuff out is a real no-no (even old clothes can go to certain charities/recyclers to be used as rags), so I listed loads of stuff on freecycle and watched other people take it away and put other bits out to recycle (washed plastic bottles/bags and glass jars all get recycled, as does paper of any description and cardboard). So it’s taken me longer but it is cathartic to get rid of stuff (especially if I feel I have done my best to recycle).” – Sally “I really dove into this one. My mother inlaw is always bringing free stuff that someone may need some day. I sorted out a pile of clothes that she had brought for the kids, that they will not wear and donated them. I also cleaned out the cupboard of all of the free/reduced items that she thought someone might need (she could not pass up). Who needs 30 boxes of mac and cheese. I donated these to the local food pantry.” – Deb “Who knew there were soo many little things that make me happy. A simple hug from my daughter and her saying “I love you mummy” are top of the list.” – Belinda “Having a time limit and instructions makes filing the bag easier! I filled 3 trash bags. I will need to do this exercise at least one more time this week.” – Jinny “I was putting this one off because I have a massive bag that has so much stuff in it that it gives me back pain if I have to carry it around to much – but I had somehow justified everything in there – until I was carrying my lunch to work and a yoghurt leaked in my handbag. It makes you assess everything when you have to clean everything before putting it back! “I finally got my car cleaned out and relly feel great. Amazing how good it feels to have really clean vehicle.” – Deb “I went through everything! I donated 12 books (novels) to charity, clean out my wardrobe of clothes (charity), sorted my daughters shoes that no longer fit (8 pairs to charity), and given back borrowed items to their owners such as books, dvds, and an exercise bike and machine, that freed up alot of space!!! “ – Belinda “I’ve read many books and websites on organization, decluttering, etc. I believe this one’s a keeper! Looking forward to the challenges. Thanks, Michelle. “ – Donna “Thanks so much for this site! It’s reconfirmed my belief in humanity! “ – Ruth “Very refreshing! This week s mission was a great delight! So much pleasure to (re)discover the little things that make me happy. And it is not selfish at all, because the happiness you give to yourself will spread to all others you meet and interact with. Thanks a lot! “ – Klimbo “It felt super awesome carrying those bags downstairs into the trash can outside my house, away from my room!!! “ – Nisha “Ok, so I started, I walked and filled. Suddenly I noticed, the bag was dragging and was bursting at the seams. Huh, ok another bag. Hey my 30 minutes is up, still I can’t stop now I’m just into the swing of things. So on and on and on. 4.5 hours later, 6 bags….and I haven’t even been into my garage yet. Hey this was a wonderful task, not only did I feel I uncluttered my home, I feel more room in my brain too. I originally decided to sign up for this for my wife…..ah hum….she said no way. So I decided to do them all myself. One of the best ideas I have had in a long time. Ah, I know she’ll catch on. “ – John “This has literally changed my life, I had papers everywhere and no idea where to start! Granted, it took longer than 30 minutes, but now everything is categorized and labelled in one folder, Michele, I can’t thank you enough!” – Annie “Yeah! Even though I have done a few recent cleanouts this one was different and I actually chucked out some things like wedding gifts and crockery that were chipped – and even some wooden flowers my mum gave me ages ago which were ok but were taking up a spot for something beautiful … which I have yet to find.” – Fiona “Done! Not difficult because I usually use a bag organizer. So I did the extended option and I have discarded 15 bags!!!” – Silvia “I am glad I did this. I didn’t get through all the house but I did get some freed up room in my kitchen. There were things in there that I hadn’t seen in years and really didn’t need. They would have stayed in there too if I hadn’t done this challenge. “ – Heather “So it is Sat. Mission 1 has proven to be a huge success. I filled 3 large trash bags (for trash) and 1 huge trash bag for donate. I finally began working my way through the 4 trunks in the garage with all of my childhood and family stuff in it. Yay! “ – Joey “Mission accomplished – including all purses, make up bags and my car – since my vehicle is an extension of my purse! And done in half an hour! I love the goal – and the time limit. Makes me work super fast! Thanks for the goals, the time frame, and the incentive in reporting back. “ – Flora “This 30 min is the best idea anyone has ever had. I LOVE IT!!!!!! It is making me do things that I have put off and I am only on my second mission. I actually am looking forward to the next one and I am going back to each one (only 2 ) and redoing some things and thinking about other things to get rid of. I too like Lauren never really thought about the make-up bag. Used to be a popular thing in high school years ago. Whats old is new again. Again thanks for this boost. “ – Cheryl Join the 52 Organizing Missions movement. |
