Welcome to the first of our 52 Organizing Missions.
In some ways this is a challenging one – but you’ll feel so wonderful, liberated and light when it’s done I think it’s worth diving in the deep end right away.
And remember – it is only 30 minutes.
Ready?
Get Organized Mission #1: Fill a Hu-u-uge Trash Bag
Step 1
Get a giant trash bag. (If you don’t have one find 20 small ones, or ask a neighbor, or go to the shops, or use boxes, or pile things up on a rug until you get to the shops tomorrow. There are no excuses!)
Step 2
Set a kitchen timer (or your clock radio or iPhone alarm, etc) for 30 minutes.
Step 3
Start filling the bag and continue doing so as you move through your house, until either the timer goes off or your bag is full.
Throw into the bag anything you don’t use, don’t like, that has negative associations, is broken or tatty, or is no longer your style. See below for room-by-room examples.
Step 4
Take it straight out to the trash or even the tip if you’re so motivated. Just be sure to remove the temptation to look in the bag or to rescue released items.
Dos & Don’ts
- Don’t try to organize rooms, cupboards or drawers at this stage.
This mission is about getting rid of stuff so do keep an out-it-goes mindset. - We’ll have another organizing mission for charity items, so don’t get bogged down with that now. I don’t suggest giving lame stuff to charity – decent, usable stuff: yes; crapola: no.
So do feel fine about ditching all the dross. - I want you to move fast – so don’t overthink it.
If your gut feel is to release something from your life, then do toss it into the bag.
Examples of Items For Your Bag:
Living Room
- Old magazines
- Tatty rugs and cushions
- Old/no-longer-used videotapes, DVDs, CDs
- Unloved ornaments, gifts, vases, etc
- Dead plants
Study
- School/college notes and texts (unless you just graduated they’re probably out of date)
- Old paperwork, bills, mail (keep if needed for taxes or reference; shred if sensitive or confidential)
- Excess stationery you won’t use this decade
- Knickknacks that provide no meaning, beauty or inspiration
- Reading piles you know you’ll never get to
Bedroom
- Tatty dressing gowns, slippers, and anything you’d be embarrassed to answer the door in
- Tatty bed linen
- Ancient pillows harboring various non-human life forms
- Anything on bedside tables that detract from a comforting bedtime sanctuary
- Anything in your closet you hate (we’ll tackle closets in detail in another organizing mission)
Kitchen/Dining
- Chipped or stained crockery
- Rusty or mismatched cutlery
- Expired food and condiments in the pantry or fridge
- Cookware, plungers, teapots, gadgets, utensils or sundry infomercial purchases not used in the past 12 months
- Cookbooks and recipes not used in the past 12 months
Bathroom
- Tatty towels, bathmats, etc
- Expired or old toiletries, hairbrushes, combs, etc
- Empty or mildewed bottles
- Yucky bathroom accessories – eg rusty shower caddies
- Unloved bathroom ornaments
Kids’ Stuff
- Tatty, no-longer-used toys
- Outgrown clothes
- Torn posters
- Outgrown CDs, DVDs etc
- Outgrown back-packs, drink bottles, etc
Extended Organizing Mission Options
- If you run out of time or your bag fills up and you want to keep going, then do. Put on some music and have fun with it. But your basic mission is only to fill one large bag or keep going for 30 minutes.
- If other household members want to participate give them their own bag and encourage them to let go of stuff.
- If you want to tackle extra, unneeded items that are in good condition, do a second run with a charity bag. (I guarantee you’ll still have plenty to do when we get to our charity-bag organizing mission.)
Ready, Set, Go!
Remember – move quickly, act fast, don’t overthink.
Before You Go – Check In
Have you completed this week’s Get Organized Mission?
You’re now accountable to your organizing mission-mates – so please add a comment to let us know you’ve completed your assignment and you’re keeping your commitment.
(Click ‘Comment’ at the very top of this post or scroll down to the bottom. Depending on how you’re viewing this post, one of those options will be available for you.)
And see you back here next week. 🙂
Update
You can get your weekly organizing mission delivered to your inbox.
Click here to sign up for 52 Organizing Missions.
Image by Material Boy
I like to think that I chuck out most of the useless stuff as soon as I come across it. I decided to go through my pantry (I’ve been meaning to do it for 2 years!) so while the kids were asleep I set the kitchen timer and off I went. Admittedly, I didn’t throw out much as there wasn’t much to throw out, but I now have a sink full of containers and empty cannisters that have been sitting in there for goodness knows how long needing to be washed then I can put them to better use!!
Thanks for the great ideas and the missions! I might not have followed it to the letter but my pantry is neat and tidy and not full of junk!!
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!
One garbage bag, DONE! WooHoo! Wonderful feeling!
I had done that 1 month ago before I visited the site but to complete the mission I checked for new unuseful stuff and damn there was still something !:)
It was great to accomplisch this first mission! My locker is free and the trash bag is full!!
I finally did it! Took me a week to get started, but it’s done. But I see I still have so much to go, it is overwhelming. I’ll just keep taking it a mission at a time….
Done #1-phew!
Finally… We just moved, so I didn’t think I had much to get rid of. Boy was I wrong. Keep it coming!
Done, I didnt have a HUGE bag, so I did 4 biggish grocery bags, i ran out of time before i finished the fourth bag, but i declutter pretty often already. My 4 bags were mostly bits of paper from around the house that needed to be thrown out. Also some old stuff in the bathroom cabinet that we havent needed or used in over a year.
Done. Fairly easy. Want to do more – Have a huge house with lots and lots of junk.
Done with Mission 1 – Actually, it was harder than I thought it would be. But I made it & ended up with way more than 1 bag full and several other things. Will work on this one throughout the coming week.
Done, On to mission 2
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!
Done. Late, but better late than never!
I actually did this a while back when we reno’d the floor and after Christmas to sell/donate old toys and kids clothes. So I made it my mission to finally haul the stuff to the thrift store!
I’m hesitant to post, but going to risk it for the sake of accountability. I’ve been working on my own all week and found this just last night. I’ve filled more than 1 bag this week, so I’m marking this as DONE. Feel free to follow my progress… hopefully… at http://messieconfessions.blogspot.com/. Fingers crossed! 🙂
Pingback: Getting into Gear « 2010 – My Year of Self-Development, and other changes.
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!
Done!
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 (tomorrowt). Looking forward to Mission 2.