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
Pre-challenge tasks done! Ready to get going!
Great start Indigo!!!!
All set on this one, although I have left out the selling label as I work long hours with two kids and a husband who works interstate a lot so don’t have time to sell off. My biggest opposition to this cleanout will be getting stuff sorted without husband unsorting lol! His mother is a chronic hoarder, we are talking full on deserves to be in an episode of American hoarders! He has the same tendencies where by I can happily throw something out if it no longer suits my purpose, he will sort it back from the rubbish into the garage lol! This will be challenging for us to get through but I need this.
It may be hard for him to watch you part with items. My mum was an extreme hoarder too, but she was really well organised with her hoarding. After she passed away we had to go through it all, this experience has helped to teach myself to be different. Perhaps if you have a few things you want to part with give your husband a 3 for 1, he can keep 1 out of the 3 items?? Good luck Yvonne.
Got everything in place to help purge . . . but I am a hoarder and always think that I could/will use it somewhere, somehow, sometime. This is going to be a real challenge.
Hi Lynette, remember the following:
If you haven’t used it within 6-12 months, more than likely you won’t use it, donate to charity
If it gives you negative feeling or makes you feel sad, donate to charity
If something has sentimental value but it’s in a box in the top of your wardrobe, more than likely it will stay there. You are not attached to the object you are attached to the memory of the person that gave you the object. Give it to charity or somebody you know that will cherish the item.
If it is expired, throw it out.
Do you have double of items, eg…2 toasters, give one to charity.
Out with the old, in with the new. eg. brand new bedsheets=old sheets to charity
Give yourself permission to throw out items that are rarely used.
Old toys and games can be donated to the local childcare centre.
Task 5 completed and all I need now is to find a three year old child to teach me how to upload pics to facebook . LOL
I am soooooooooo ready for Monday
It’s scary how kids know how to use the phone so well. I was watching my nearly 2 year old niece use my brothers phone on the weekend, she knew exactly how to open the app she wanted and then knew how to play the game…. she’s not even 2, crazy. It’s a lot easier to upload photos from your phone to facebook 🙂
I’m done early! Wow- that’s unusual for me!
Now to try keep on top of the challenges and change my life!:) I feel at the moment that the state of my house and my disorganisation is suffocating me!;( I think it’s adding to my stress and making me feel kind of “trapped” and unmotivated. I have two young kids so I really need to feel “on top” of things a bit more. It’s so frustrating not being able to find things and feeling overwhelmed by the massive task of sorting the house but this challenge has given me a goal and a light at the end of the tunnel so to speak;) I feel the weight lifting and am getting inspired! Thank you Kat;)
Anita this is so wonderful to hear, just creating the routines in itself will be a game changer for you, to hep you feel more in control, know what to do next, taking the guess work out of the overwhelm!
Yes I am feeling better already! The change in my mood is really great as I can feel the stress lifting. I did a few things last night to make sure I was ready and organised today and it was so great this morning to have everything ready to go! Made getting the kids ready for daycare heaps easier!!! Thanks Kat;)
great news Anita!!
Done
your on a roll Paula!!
How large are your sorting containers Kat?
🙂
Not too big Kim, they are archive box size.
Woohoo just need to make up my wipes mix and multi purpose spray – but all pre-challenge tasks otherwise completed. Can’t wait to get this house in order again.
Wahoo…. big high fives!!
Hi Kat, all 5 pre-challenge tasks completed! Can’t wait to begin. Where do you keep your sorting containers? I’ve bought 4 decent sized tubs from IKEA and am trying to decide the best place to put them.
When not in use I keep mine in the garage, I particularly like to have a donate one and once it’s full I bag it up and drop at my local chosen charity. But when I’m in a big cleaning mode, they go from room to room with me, or sit in the hallway.
looking forward to the challenge and sticking to it
Welcome on board Pam, I really hope you enjoy the challenge, how do you feel after doing all the pre-challenge tasks?