Dishes in the sink, dirty clothes in the laundry, toys on the living room floor or shoes scattered all through the garage…does this sound familiar? We all take pride in our home, but at times it can all get too much. Perhaps you have a baby and struggling to create a new routine, you’re working full time, you’re wanting to spend time with family rather than cleaning, you’re not feeling yourself, lacking energy, you’re a hoarder… or maybe you are just overwhelmed with everyday life.
The clutter around us can have a negative impact on our ability to focus. However, by clearing the clutter from your home, it can help you feel clearer, mentally as well.
CREATE SOME GOALS
I want to ask you a few questions. Write down your answers as this will help you to create goals for yourself and determine what’s most important to you, where to start and what you want to achieve in your home.
- When at home I want to feel…
- I want to spend more time doing…
- I want an area of my home I can…
- The most disorganised cupboard in my home is…
- The first thing I want to organise is…
- I don’t need anymore, but can’t part with…
- I always lose…
- I want to be organised by…
CREATE SORT BUCKETS
During the next 4 weeks we will be organising, purging excess items and throwing away rubbish. In order to do this have on hand a number of buckets, bins, bags or storage containers. Create your own labels with marker and paper, or download and print the labels available in the downloads below, you will need to label them as follows:
Keep: something you find in one room that belongs in another. You could put it away once you find it, but if you are time poor put it in the keep bin to put away later
Donate: an item that you no longer want or need but is still in working order for somebody else to use
Sell: items that you can sell if you are going to have a garage sale or sell online
Rubbish: items that are broken, can’t be mended, doesn’t work or is rubbish
[wlchecklist name=’PreTask5′]
DOWNLOAD
Print the goals printable below to help you determine what areas you really want to concentrate and make a start on in your home.
- MY GOALS PRINTABLE –place in your folder in front of the first divider so you always have your goals at first glance – click to download.
- SORTING LABELS – put onto some storage containers to help you sort – click to download.
295 comments
Done and done! Really looking forward to the next four weeks of purging items, keeping the papers and kid clutter to a minimum, and feeling less stressed about the status of my house!
Lovely to see everyone’s comments it is helping me alot
Done!
Your ready to do!!
Was going to look for tubs/ containers but I think I will be using bags as well 🙂
all done and ready to start
You’ve done well Alison, this will really help you through the week with keeping the household in control.
Wow, this is fun….. looking forward to the actual challenge now 🙂
Your all set Kaycee, you got through all those tasks rather well!!
All done and tubs labelled. Looking forward to getting started!
It will help you having them handy and ready for sorting
Nearly ready to start.
I am going to get some of those plastic, coloured tubs with handles from Masters label them then stack them afterwards to store and use next time I do the challenge which, from past experience really needs to happen here every 6 months or so!
I’ll have to check out the tubs, it’s good to maintain it often 🙂
I am going to use the flexi tubs to. Makes carring them easy 🙂
great idea!
Looking forward to the Challenge … All ready to go & open to learning some new tips to save time 🙂
Love it, welcome Fatima
Done. I am using grocery bags for my sorting as I have hoarders in the house so need to get the unwanted goods out of sight and out of mind asap so that they don’t ‘grow legs’ and end up back in the cupboards – hahaha:) Also as I can’t drive I will have to do ‘Vinnies runs’ in pram-friendly sized loads – ah the joys! Since using small bags means regularly having to relabel, I have put the labels into zip-lock bags and attached tape so they can easily be reused the next day on a new bag.
great idea Lisa, also write on the bags with nikko pen the contents, may help the volunteers where you donate the bags 🙂 Love your idea with the zip lock bags, very clever!