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- School/college notes and texts (unless you just graduated they’re probably out of date)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
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Click here to sign up for 52 Organizing Missions.
Image by Material Boy
This one took a bit longer time, because I wanted to do my whole house! The mission is completed! It is a nice feeling that I have seen all the stuff I have. I threw away everything I don’t need anymore and it feels good!
Wahoo! done … 2 bags of rubbish – gone!
Done 🙂
@Patricia: You can definitely do it, Patricia! I’ll be looking out for you on future missions… M 🙂
I am so excited to get started with these organization tasks, I’m hoping to complete all 52 and live a much happier organized life.
Done!!
Mission 1 and 2 completed! After all that procrastination it wasn´t hard once I started. I actually managed to do mission 1 twice, only to realize that it probably could be repeated once every week. – Maybe I will! Anyway it got me going, so I also tidied the house for 30 minutes as well as folding clean clothes in the laundry room. Regarding mission 2, I almost thought it wasn’t necessary since I got a new bag only two weeks ago, but its funny how receits, wrappings and post-it notes tend to accumulate. – I’m glad i did it.
Wow i have done it but i did 15 min in each room, It as made a little change but i am glad i done it i fill 2 huge bag and watch the bin men collect and take a way
@Bambi: See! You’re more motivated than you give yourself credit for. 🙂
Don’t expect the feeling to drive you, though – JUST DO IT regardless of how you feel. That’s how to keep the good feelings flowing. 🙂
I just completed the 1st mission…Whoo Hooo! I filled 3 huge garbage bags!!! I kept going after the 30 minute time limit…but it felt good! I actually feel like I accomplished something! I hope this feeling continues with the next mission!
The first mission Huge Trash Bag was fun an easy. I had alreay begun culling items from my home since last October. Dumping all the unused skin care items without having to consider experation dates, how complete systems were and if I had wasted my money. Simple question Am I using this? I was left with just two creams, plenty of relief, space and no regrets.
My husband participated( he carried out the trash) .
Can’t wait to do the next one.
By the way for those who eel they have broken their New Year resolutions, don’t despair. Today is Chinese New Year.
Thanks for the motivation and the great iPad app – I stay motivated for over an hour!!!!!!
@Marla: If you want a more organized life, then chances are you’ll have to get rid of stuff. Look back at the preceding 326 comments and you’ll see that everyone has been able to fill one bag – or many bags! – with things they can do without, in exchange for more space and mental clarity.
Is it possible you’re feeling resistant to letting your stuff go?
I wonder if this might help:
But I Might Need It One Day! [How To Stop Making Excuses & Get Organized, Declutter & Simplify]
http://www.getorganizedwizard.com/blog/2010/12/but-i-might-need-it-one-day-how-to-stop-making-excuses-get-organized-declutter-simplify/
Hope you don’t mind my ‘encouragement’ to look again at your stuff. M 🙂
My first mission was nit a huge success. We don’t have a lot of items that are trash. I even went through drawers and the fridge, but still ended up with only a quarter of the bag filled. Better luck with the next mission, i guess.
Done – but how scary! The best part was going shopping to “restock”.
Done!
What a heavy bag…done!
Wow! This did feel great. I had old clothes which I had meant to give away for the last one year. It is amazing how quickly the year had passed and the clothes were still lying around. What I was not able to achieve in 365 days got done today in 30 minutes. Thank you!
Great achieved, could probably do this once a week and still find something to throw.
Done!