Welcome to the 30-Day Organize-athon!
In today’s 5 minutes we’re going to express-declutter your living area.
Take a deep breath, and imagine inhaling a sense of clarity, freedom and order. Then get started!
Day 1: Declutter Your Living and/or Entertainment Area
Step 1: Grab a large garbage bag.
Step 2: Quickly make your way around your living and/or entertainment area, tossing these items into the bag as you go:
- Magazines other than the current month’s
- Newspapers other than today’s
- Knick-knacks – unless you really love them
- Tatty coasters
- DVDs no-one watches any more
- CDs no-one listens to any more
- Games no-one plays any more
- Remotes and technology no-one uses any more (including old game consoles)
- Food
- Books you’ve read and won’t re-read, or will never read
- Videos, cassettes, computer floppies, camera film – any storage device for which you no longer have hardware
- Framed photos – unless they’re genuinely special to you
- Tatty cardigans, socks and other apparel strewn around the furniture
- ‘Displayed’ items on shelves that collect dust but hold no meaning for you
- Dead potted plants
- Threadbare or stained cushions, throws, rugs, etc
- Anything else that isn’t loved and/or used regularly.
Step 3: Put your bag by the door or take it straight out to the car. (Take it to the tip as soon as you can.)
Step 4: If there’s something genuinely valuable in there, and you’d lose sleep over tossing it, then you can put it into a separate charity store bag. But if it’s junk, just let it go. If it doubt, don’t over-analyze – toss it.
And you’re done!
Got an Extra 5 Minutes?
- Return items that don’t belong in the living area to the proper place – the kids’ bedrooms, the office, the kitchen, etc.
- Straighten the coffee table and wipe it down.
- Neaten remotes, DVDs, and anything else that lives in the living room.
- Fluff up the cushions.
Now doesn’t that feel more like a ‘living’ room?
The 30-Day Organize-athon Mantra
Move fast. Don’t overthink. Let it go!
Leave Your Comment Below…
Please leave a comment below to say you’ve completed today’s task.
And I’ll see you back here tomorrow!
I didn’t get a chance to post it last night, but we put an entire box of stuff in the Garage Sale collection! A little frustrating that almost everything that disappeared was mine, and not the hubby’s. He /seemed/ on board with the process, until it came to getting rid of DVD’s we haven’t watched in the 3 years we’ve been together. Hoping we can begin to change his mind over time about holding onto things we never use.
Done! Thanks for the motivation! On to closets…
forgot to post 😉
Did this! Yeah!
Ta da – did it. Wasn’t too hard!
What do I do with my husband sitting in the lounge chair watching the footy?? He doesn’t fit in the garbage bag.
Day one done, a lot less dust and a lot more clear space 🙂
That one was easy since it is the only room in my house that is already organized.
Done. I guess I have an abundance since it took more than five minutes. Nice to see more space in the closet.
Task completed. Spent the 5 min (and then some) and at least made a dent in it.
Took a bit longer than five minutes but a good start to a productive day.
done. Looking better.
Done! I heard the book case sigh in relief.
Day 1 complete
Day 1 done. Another Aussie. Done today, online tonight.
Done!
Mission accomplished, this time it was easy, since I had spent all of last week decluttering my house as part of #8 in the 52 org. missions. Still the clutter tends to creep back out again, but now it looks good around here.
Day 1 done! How awesome does the room look now!
Day 1 done…a bit behind as I’m in Australia so don’t get tasks until late at night…and I’m a morning person!
done.