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!
Done and feeling good!
This is done.
what a great start
Done and put in the car.
Done!
Day one – DONE!
Day 1 ~ Accomplished!
Done. Woohoo looks like I am a bit of a closet hoarder! (literally I hoarded in my living room closet) so that junk is gone now!
So, I set the timer and in 5 minutes I was only able to clear off some little junk on the microwave, then go through a basket and threw out three old cameras, film, old fire detector and manuals. I think it would take me all day to do all that you listed! At least it’s a start…right?
done
Done!
I can do anything for 5 minutes! (and even feel motivated to do the ‘extra’ 5 minute challenge.) It’s nice to have cleared surfaces. Amazing how a cleared off table also clears the mind…..
Thanks!
Completed.. I even had a little help, my daughter helped get rid of her old movies, toys, games, etc..
DONE!!! 🙂
Family room – dead plants gone, 1 bag of trash out, videotapes organized, recycling put in bins, shelves dusted, floor swept and mopped. Wow! It looks like somebody cares!
Done! Now if I could only get my toddler to be so willing to give up some of her toys that easily.
Done!
I did it!
Done! Love this idea and so does my DH thanks!
I did that a week or so ago. 35 (now 36) weeks pregnant and starting to nest.
Finished! however I feel that I didn’t have to do to much to it so I’m doing my downstairs rec area as well!