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 did it! It’s amazing how much better I feel in a calm space.
I was surprised and pleased at how easy this task was.
I forgot to enter my work for day one. My livingroom looks very nice now!
Finished late last night and am so happy to wake up to a beautiful living room!
Yay. I did this an got rid of a VCR and also an old PC tower that was sitting in the living room waiting to be recycled as well. But 5 min was a very ambitious goal. 🙂
did it, but 5 minutes? Really? It would take me all morning to go through all the things you have listed!!
😉
Ok, that took a little longer but it got done. Then I forgot to tell you 🙂
Done
Looks awesome! I got rid of some really old magazines that were just collecting dust!
5 minutes turned into deep clean. Finishing just in time for Day 2.
Done….a day late…..but DONE!!!!!!!
Done… and done quickly since we had a 30 min notice for a showing on the house ;0
Done as well YAY!! Actually found out where my husband has been hiding his dirty socks… behind the sofa!!! 😉
I forgot to post too! But I did it as well 🙂
Forgot to post yesterday, but it’s done!
This is exactly what I needed!! Looking forward to May 1 when my house will finally be in order and stress/clutter free!!
DONE!!
It went from clearing old laundry away to huge laundry day…but way better looking and got lots of laundry done! Yay 🙂
All done! Hope I can keep up
done. – thought it would have to wait til tomorrow, but done