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!
Spent 15 minutes and did both parts. I plan to do this in the waiting room at our office this afternoon, also.
Done! Ahhh… that feels great!!
Completed. I was surprised when I first read the list of things to pitch, but truly it’s freeing.
Wow! Got a lot done in five minutes! Who knew! I have an awesome feeling of accomplishment! =)
Done and done! I had an extra five minutes so I did the extra bit. We actually have a coffee table again. Woo hoo! 🙂
Done! My place is so small there were only toys to return to their proper place!
Thanks! Great way to start the day!
Day1 Check Done!
Done for Day 1 Great!!
Got it~ already started putting away and heaving out!!!
Thanks! I feel a little better already!
Nice start to the challenge. ! Makes it appear easy when u break it down
Done, I can’t believe how much I got rid of when I didn’t over think!
Done – before I left for work even!
Amazing what you find when you declutter…. like maybe a missing library book that is a month overdue!! 😉 Glad I took the 30-day challenge!!
Done!
It is so freeing and so much easier to clean again later! Thanks for the push.
Done. I’m sitting here enjoying a breakfast smoothie in my decluttered living room.
Hate those darned dust bunnies! Seriously – they seem to grow overnight – and I just took some out with the newspapers and magazines!
All done Wooo!