Welcome to Mission #6 of our 52 Organizing Missions.

If you’ve completed our previous mission Get Organized Mission #5: Become A Smart Verbal Communicator, congratulations!

This week we’re about to tackle your chariot – a place you spend a lot of time and, if you live in a busy city, a place you might feel a lot of stress.

Whatever the traffic conditions outside, with this mission you can at least keep the inside of your vehicle a calm, pleasant place to *ride* out the hassles.

Remember – you only need 30 minutes for the basic mission. Extended Organizing Mission Options are below.

Get Organized Mission #6: Detox Your Car

Step 1: Car Interior

Empty everything out of your car and discard anything you don’t need there. That includes food wrappers, umbrellas, drink bottles, clothes and whatever sundry items have taken up nomadic residence.

Grab your cordless hand vacuum* and whip it around the floor. Use that long skinny attachment to get into all the crevices in the seats, around the fixtures and along the rear windscreen.

If you have items that genuinely need to live inside the car (perhaps a few kids’ toys or drink bottles) place them in a compact basket and stow it under the front passenger seat. This is usually the neatest place; if there’s somewhere better in your car, use it.

*I rarely recommend buying stuff, since my philosophy is that less is best – but this is one tool that makes being organized much easier. Seriously, get yourself one.

Step 2: Glove Box

Empty everything out of your glove box and discard anything you don’t need there.

Return and neatly arrange the essentials, such as:

• Vehicle log book
• Street directory or regularly needed maps (consider storing touring maps with holiday stuff)
• Torch
• Other necessary items for your location – eg sunscreen.

Step 3: Boot

Empty everything out of your boot and run the cordless hand vac around the floor.

Return and neatly arrange the essentials, such as:

• Spare tire and jack
• Basic tool box if you’re mechanically inclined
• Snow chains or other weather necessities
• Umbrella, extra sweater, etc
• Gym or sports bag.

Step 4: Keys

This is a good time to detox your car keys.

• Keep your garage and car keys together on your key ring.
• Discard any keys you no longer need.
• Have a regular place to put your car keys at home – eg in your bag, on a hook by the door, on the hall table. Make this a habit.

Step 5: Maintenance

Next, it’s time for a quick car health check.

• Is your car due to be serviced?
  • Book a service now.
• Are there other niggling concerns – brakes, clunking noises, tires?
  • Book an appointment now.

Step 6: Car Exterior

Appearance does matter. It’s a strong indicator of self respect – both to others and to yourself.

If your car screams low self-esteem, clean it! Go to a car wash, pay a neighbor’s kid or recruit your own kids – perhaps in exchange for driving lessons or by whatever means you negotiate chores in your family.

Of course, you can always make your own raunchy music video with suds and swimwear and wash your own car – but this option goes beyond your 30 minutes, so feel free to outsource it instead.

Step 7: Tunes

Your car’s starting to look pretty appealing again, huh?

The final step in the detox will make it an even more pleasant place to alphabet hop.

• Grab some CDs to leave in the car. This doesn’t count as clutter as long as you store them in a neat case in the glove box.
• Choose music that’s fun to drive to and avoids fights with other family members. You might also like to add a selection of audiobooks.
• If you have an iPod-compatible car create some driving playlists or download podcasts.

Note: Forget anything too relaxing or meditative.

Voila! Your chariot awaits…

Dos & Don’ts

• Don’t let your car lower your self esteem. Respect yourself by choosing to keep a pleasant mobile environment.
• Do take trash and things that don’t live in the car with you when you return home. Make this a habit and your car will never need rehab again.

Extended Organizing Mission Options

Want to go beyond this 30-minute organizing mission?

• If you have multiple cars consider detoxing as a household. Everyone gets a task – glove box, hand vac, etc. I call tunes!
• Include your kids in the new habit of removing unnecessary items from the car with every trip home. Soon it will become a habit for them, too.
• If you have driving-age kids, consider making car care part of the learning-to-drive and/or using-the-car deal.

Ready, Set, Go!

Remember – move quickly, act fast, don’t overthink.

Before You Go – Please Check In

You’re now accountable to your organizing mission-mates! Once you’ve completed this week’s Get Organized Mission please add a comment to let us know you’ve done your assignment and you’re keeping your commitment.

And see you back here next week!

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Image by Alan_D