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!
Did this one on the 1st but just going through and commenting on the blog as I’m sure I commented on FB for a few & don’t want to miss out on the chance of the awesome prizes… (forgive me if I double up on a few by mistake)
Done! I’m trying to catch up, since I started several days into the orgaize-athon…..
Day 1 took 45 minutes. Removed 1 magazine (after reading it), and 1 newspaper (after reading it),
Food, clothes, items from other rooms are removed on a daily basis anyway. Not allowed to remove DVD’s and books because husband won’t part with them. However, in January, all DVD’s were alphabetized by rating, and are put back on a daily basis, as well as the video games.
Ok – a little late to the party but have completed day 1!
Wasn’t much to do on this one. Done on day 1!
Hello All I have left to do is the dvd music and videos and im done
Finally have a day to get these started! All done with day 1!
Several days behind but finally got day one done! Hoping to get several days done today 🙂
I am so busy getting organised at home here. I feel a little down when there is no email from ‘get organised’. I love it and have been getting my neighbour organised as well. …Living room complete… and easy to care for now.
catching up but done!
Was away for the week and catching up – done!
Finally caught up with Day 1! I’ve been randomly catching up the first 5 days.
This was very invigorating. I felt like it was an aerobic workout…I only got half way through the room. I didn’t even realize we still had dead poinsetttias on the hearth! And I loved going through my husband’s messy corner and tossing all those space consuming fishing mags that he never reads! He’s lucky, I gave him March 🙂
Cynthia
That was easy !
done done done, all done!
Done!! Better late than never!
Done! But, then again, that’s the easiest room in the house!
I’m a few days behind for a viariety of reasons–but I did get this done and now I have a bag full of stuff to donate or give away. Really, did I need that smiley face coffee mug sitting on a shelf?
Done!!
Duh! I just realized that I posted my comments for the first few days in the wrong spot! I’m transferring them over to the correct day now.
Day 1 was easy! The living room looks so much better now! My coffee table is actually clutter-free!
Woohoo done! On to day 2….trying to catch up:)