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- School/college notes and texts (unless you just graduated they’re probably out of date)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
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
Thanks so much. Can not wait til the next one
I did not want to stop when the 30 minutes were up! I am going to do this once a week.
Well, this one was easy. I had been meaning to clean out my hallway of all the junk that has accumulated there-it has been used as extra storage of clothing, etc. I cleaned out 3 bags and one big box full of old clothes that no one looks at or even thinks about anymore. I so love the nice clean, empty look to my hallway. I am thinking of doing this one once a day for a while to clean out the other areas of my home as well. I have a tremendous amount of unused items laying around…the kids left for college and left behind their castoffs.
did not think i could fill a huuuuugggee bag. believe me when i say i did. this feels great.
I finally did this
feel wonderful
can’t imagine why it took me months
Next!!!
I did it!!!!
First step is done!
I also asked my husband to help me, since there are a lot of stuff that belongs to him. Actually the greatest thing is that he is willing to participate in this ‘program’.
We sent our child to have a bath, took the bag and started out. OK we only stuffed one bag but in 30 minutes we couldn’t do more. I haven’t even opened my wardrobe yet… I think tomorrow I’m going to continue with another bag.
Waiting for next week’s mission! Thanks!
Viki from Budapest, Hungary
DONE! Felt great!
Done! Ready for the next mission…
Rock on! The bigger the bag got, the more liberating it felt!
Done!
Done!
2 baskets of recycling in the bin, 7 small bags and 1 large bag in the bin and a bag of clothes to the Samaritans.
Can’t wait for next week. In the meantime I’m about to tackle the mountain that is the laundry.
I DID it!!!! I filled up a garbage bin, AND the recycle bin!!
While doing this I also reorganized my laundry room so ONE room can begin to have a sense of organization!!
It feels GOOD to be rid of that stuff!!!
WHEW!!!
jim
i feel so much better with every bag and box
i have to move another mountain so much paper so much junk
organize bills= check
no more freebies= check
relativley easy one
declutter briefcase= check
computer bag totally empty of crap
trashbag=check, 2 filled with old clothes
This bag was not so much garbage but recycling all unnecessary paper. Looks so much better, I’m doing a second bag.