Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.
Since the blog has had a influx of new subscribers lately, due to a little publicity, I thought I might focus on the basics for today’s mini missions. After all, the basics are an everyday thing, not just where we begin our journey. Decluttering isn’t something we get better at with experience but just something that we must do if we want to dig our way out of the quagmire of stuff. It is always just about finding the next thing to cut your ties with no more and no less than that. So today I will simply give you some places to start looking.Â
Monday – Before you get started on your declutter journey you need to have areas set aside to put the items you are disposing of. You will need a donation area, a selling area, possibly a return/give to friends and family area and of course room in the garbage bin for those no good to anyone items. I use the garage for donation and my craft area for ebay sale items. I use anywhere that will annoy me if I leave things there too long for the family/friends items, this way I will get sick of it being out of place and return it as soon as possible. Set up your areas today and put the declutter items in the appropriate places until you are ready to pass them on or sell them.
Tuesday -Pick a drawer any drawer and find something in it to declutter. It is ok to get carried away and declutter the whole drawer but it isn’t necessary. One thing at a time will make a big difference in the long run.
Wednesday -Today, go to the kitchen for your declutter item of the day. It is usually very easy to find a useless item lingering here. Don’t let the old demon that says “I might need this one day.” interfere with your choice. If an item hasn’t been used for a long time and can be easily substituted for something else you own then you just don’t need it.
Thursday -The linen closet is a place the holds many items that are excess to our needs. You only need so many sheets, towels, pillow shams, face clothes or any of the other miscellaneous items you keep in there. Choose something from this stash to donate to charity. Thrifts stores and animals shelters can always sell or use this kind of thing.
Friday – Today we will go through the underwear drawer. There are always those items that you don’t like so much, that just get kept for a rainy day in here. How often does that rainy day ever come and who wants to wear something uncomfortable or unflattering at anytime. I am sure you can find something to declutter here.
Saturday – I have a coffee table in my lounge room which is now quite uncluttered but even so things gravitate to it over time. I am sure if you have a coffee table or maybe lamp tables in your living room there will be something lurking there that could be decluttered. Find something there is your mission for today.
Sunday – Today is a good day to reflect on what you have achieved already but there is also time to find one more thing. I suggest finding an item of clothing in your closet that you know you are never going to wear. Why let it hang there going to waste when you can donate it to charity where someone may give it a whole new lease on life.
Good luck and happy decluttering
Today’s Declutter Item
Today’s item isn’t any old item it is also the answer to Simple Saturday’s What am I puzzle. The person who was the first to recognise what it was is Jo, one of our regular readers. Anita, Ann and Snosie also came up with the correct answer. Well done ladies! I am ashamed to say that I have owned this candle snuffer for about five years and have never used it once.Â
Candle Snuffer
Something I Am Grateful For Today
I am grateful for whatever turn of fate suddenly had my blog receiving publicity. This gives me a chance to help even more people than I have helped already with their declutter mission. I am also grateful that I have my wonderful existing readers who are willing to share their wisdom with those who have arrived after them.
I don’t particular understand candle snuffers, but I also don’t use stick candles. I use the pretty scented ones that come in glasses.
Hi Lynn,
I don’t use stick candles either which begs the question ~ Why did I buy it in the first place. The answer probably is ~ because it was cheap and interesting. The same reason why a lot of people end up overloaded in clutter.
A candle snuffer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NEVER would have figured that one out! 🙂
Please do this again, it is SUCH fun!!!
🙂
Hi Annabelle,
I am glad you had fun with the puzzle and yes I will do it again.
Never would have thought of a candle snuffer ha ha
http://minimalistwith3kids.blogspot.com/
Hi Angie Kay,
you never would have thought of a candle snuffer and I never should have bought a candle snuffer. Funny little play on words but true nevertheless.
Colleen,
I’ve been meaning to writing this for a couple of weeks now. Thank you so very much for inspiring me to “attack” my accumulation of “stuff”. Now I am upright on legs (and crutches), I am moving far more easily and safely than I would be, had I not got rid of so much already. Needless to say, there is plenty more for me to clear, but I am very much enjoying my decluttered lounge and bedroom, and feel inspired to extend into the rest of the house. Thank you again for your website!
Ann.
Hi Ann,
thank you so much to this lovely comment. I am so pleased for you. What a special effort you have made, considering your injury, to get started and make such wonderful progress. I am so glad you are up and about now even though with crutches. I hope you make a speedy recovery so you can tackle the rest of the task with ease. You are an inspiration to my other readers, that’s for sure.
Thank you Colleen, that’s a lovely thing to say – although the thought of me as a “clearance inspiration” would really amuse my family! You’ll be glad to know that another xerox box of books and some magazines are on their way today….
Cheers, Ann.
Hi Ann,
that must be kind of like how my friends think I am a computer wizard. My husband finds that very amusing.
Are that paper clutter it just keeps on coming. Insidious stuff. I am glad you have eliminated a whole box ful.
Hi Colleen,
That was books: 2 sold, 3 given to church book fair. Sadly, I am still swamped with paper, and that’s before I face the “sentimental clutter”! However, I am chuffed that you put my comment into Friday’s article – and I am now working on the library/music room (months of work to face there, I suspect) and spare bedroom (probably weeks). That included a small amount of sentimental clutter from a couple of drawers, and this evening a drawer from my sewing table! and the pantry, that I did when I first got to my feet, had a second cull this morning. Enough for today, I think….
Hi Ann,
well done and best not to think to much about how much there is to be done. It is always best to rejoice on what you have achieved already.
Ah! a candle suffer! great fun trying to guess that one!
Hi Cathryn,
I will try to pick something obscure again the next time I try this fun game.
I once read a funny letter to an advice column where the gift giver wanted to know how she should respond. She had given the bride a candle snuffer and received a thank you for a gravy ladle. She wondered if she should correct the bride or not. Frankly a gravy ladle is probably more useful than a candle snuffer anywhere to anyone outside of a house of worship, and I can’t believe you owned one!
Hi Cindy,
I had one because it seemed like a good idea at the time. 😕 That is the problem with working retail, stuff is in your face even when you are at work. I solved that problem now that I don’t have a job.
😉