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- School/college notes and texts (unless you just graduated they’re probably out of date)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
Done!!!
Done – now to fill a bag of usable items for charity too!
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!!!
Mission 1 accomplished. Cleaned out the plastic storage containers, got rid of old drinking cups and purged my dresser. Ok, I worked longer than 30 mins but it feels great. Thanks for the encouragement.
I started in the closet and was really surprised how many of my little paper notes I had.
Then I moved on to the medicine cabinet — how liberating that was. Next time I won’t have to sort through a bunch of “just in case” expired meds to get to the 2 or 3 our family really uses.
Also, old shoeboxes didn’t have a chance against my mighty trashbag today! Thanks for the focus and encouragement…looking forward to more!
Mission # 1 completed. Ready for #2!
Done!!! Feel absolutely fantastic!
well in half an hour i only filled one bag working solidly but at least it’s a step. i decided to actually stop after half an hour because if every mission blows out to a whole day etc I won’t be able to make myself continue.
Finished mission 1…. and filled 2 large contractor bags with clothes that are going to my free cycle group. If any one is interested you can go to freecycle.org to find a group in your area.
Mission one completed….I sent 10 garbage bags to the Red Cross
well, its funny i was all ready started doing this to day, thats what triggered me to go to this web site. strange thing are happening to me .
I recently joined 52 missions, and my boyfriend and I completed the first mission (and then some!) yesterday in thekitchen where we through out a bunch of plastic storage containers that were cracked, unusable, and not needed. and also spent a few hours in my sewing room which has been unusable for months since it became a storage bin for things I didnt know what to do with. He moved in with me at the beginning of the year and is very spartan and my holding on to things I didnt need has been driving him nuts. I too like Felicity am physically challenged (my problems are respiratory related) and he has been the one to do most of the housework that I cant do and all my stuff has been making it difficult for him to clean. So he’s been helping me break my hold on stuff. Sometimes it’s hard, but I know life will be easier for both of us. Looking forward to the next missions.
I would love to talk to people who are going thru the same thing as me. Email – melissamengler@yahoo.com
I did this before I found this website, but I am ready for number 2!
OK, I’m disabled and unable to lift a 50 lb bag but I am using smaller ones, I did my mission yesterday and I think I’m going to have to do it again and again, my problem being that I can’t be on my feet for too long without lots of pain. I just moved into a new house and my family keeps giving me things, lots of things, like I now have 2 coffee mills, 2 blenders, 2 toasters (I’m rebuilding my household after losing everything.. Things that have been in storage for years are now in my garage, my living room is full of boxes and clothes are everywhere in my den, I need all the suggestions/help I can get or my house is going to to horrible.
figuring this out. Shared the challenge with friends. Gathering up trash beginning NOW.
Forgot to check in on Thursday, but I did it last week! I had already gone thru the house about 2 weeks before and thrown away a ton of stuff. I threw away even more this week. I also went thru the Christmas decorations as we were putting them out and got rid of several that were looking pretty ratty – mostly silk flower arrangements & ribbons & bows that were being saved to be used on a wreath “someday!” I also donated some that were in good condition but just didn’t go with anything I use anymore. I’ve got another donate box that’s full of clothes I will be taking to the local charity. YAY! I feel lighter already!
Have filled my garbage bag with junk that was taking up precious space. How great is this!!
I did it … took a whole boot load of garbage to the dump and it felt SO good.
Done – Soundtrack: loud mambo music. I only got to 2 rooms in the 30 minutes, but I’m looking forward to another sweep of the house with another sack.
all done, even my eldest daughter got on the band wagon, her room has been transformed!