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.
Today’s mini missions concentrate on what, experience tells me, are usually the most cluttered areas of peoples homes. I visit these areas a lot in our weekly mini missions but lumping them all together in one week brings our focus to them. Especially if they resinate to you as the most cluttered areas in your home. Maybe due to your decluttering these areas are no longer so cluttered but they are likely to be the areas to remain vigilant about. So lets get started.
Monday – Declutter a couple of items from your kitchen. Gadgets, utensils, crockery, glassware… In my experience this is usually the most cluttered room in homes. The more cluttered a kitchen is the more dysfunctional they become while efficiency in the kitchen is very important to a smooth running daily home routine.
Tuesday – Declutter a few clothing items. Wardrobes and clothing drawers are another common clutter problem area.
Wednesday – Declutter something from the bathroom cabinets. Focus on using up less preferred toiletry items or throwing them out if they are old and possibly no longer suitable for use.
Thursday – Declutter some items from the garage or shed. These places are often well stocked with usual items but also can be catchment areas for items rejected from the living spaces of your home. If there are items there that have been lingering too long, or there are unnecessary multiples of things, now is a good day to declutter a few.
Friday – If you still have a junk drawer in your home where miscellaneous random items get stashed, then it might be time to check out what has accumulated there and declutter what isn’t useful.
Saturday – If you have kids, declutter some outgrown clothes and/or toys. If not, declutter some of you own toys such as hobby items, electronic gadgets, DVD’s, CDs etc.
Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.
Good luck and happy decluttering
Random Acts of Miscellaneous Kindness
(Little thoughtful acts for no reason but to make a complete strangers life a little easier.)
Trank you Colleen,
these kind of missions are my most loved tasks. I read your blog since a couple of months. Im very thankful for your decluttering tips that way, for my own decluttering journey. Your missions help me to stay focused, and don’t turn back to square one.
Greatings from Germany
Natalie
Clutter, clutter, clutter. Good ones Colleen. I am enjoying the lack of clutter. I have found a few things I don’t think I need that Mom “saved” for me. She is also going through a bunch of stuff she says she doesn’t need now she is settled in and has things in place. YES!!!! Happy dancing. So we are still on this voyage of discovery.
Hi Deb J, it was bound to happen eventually, better late than never.
I am busy decluttering craft supplies this week. A man who owns a general store in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory was at my art space a week ago and placed an order for 100 of my handmade cards. That ought to keep me busy for the next week or so.
Wow! That’s a great order. It will keep you busy for sure. Did he order one particular one or a variety?
Wow, 100 … that’s great, Colleen!
Fortunately 50 0f them were Christmas and they didn’t sell well last year so I have enough left to fill that part of the order without having to make any.
Nice order Colleen!
Glad things are working out so well at your new place Deb J!
I gave my oldest granddaughter a pair of shoes & a large basket that was in garage
Sent 3 pairs of shoes for her sister to try. They might still come back to me.
Will have to take a look around for the rest of the week.
Mon-kitchen….basket that was used to put shoes in.
Tue-clothing……got rid of 4 pairs of like new shoes to granddaughters….now I don’t need basket to store them in. Yay!
Wed-bathroom….used up a tube of lotion
Thu-garage…large basket,recycled 4 cardboard boxes
Fri- junk drawer…don’t have a junk drawer, but found 2 cords in packages for unknown use.
Thanks Colleen for stretching my decluttering efforts.
LOL, Calla – you sure are fast! Good job!
Lol
I had already figured out was I was going to for about half of the missions before I even knew what they were. Luckily the missions fit what I was already doing. Nice when it works out that way & I only have a few days to do a seek & search.
Now that’s what I call serendipity in decluttering, Calla. Nice.
We have no garage, but instead, a carport, and there is a small storage room. I am convinced that junk like old cans of paint BREEDS in there. While the house is in fairly good order, the carport has always been our junk magnet. Constant mission to stay on top of it!
We only have a cage in the apartment parking lot and that also can be a collector of things. We attend to it regularly though. What is building up in my house at the moment is my donations. Or more to the point various peoples donations. I used to be happy to collect stuff from others to donate but now I no longer volunteer at the thrift shop and haven’t been out to find another closer by to donate to. This week, maybe even today, I am going to do something about that.
I have been upcycling some furniture this week using the power sander, so I’m not doing much on a decluttering front but it is part of my grand re-decorating plan that will culminate in taking all surplus decor items to goodwill. We have a friend coming to visit this weekend who plans to do a bike ride with my hubby, so this weekend I hope to re-visit the hall cupboard while I have the house to myself. My daughter who is away at university has asked for our PS3 so I will pack that up too.
Hi Moni, upcycling furniture is something I aspire to but never seem to give it a go. I don’t know enough about painting to be sure it is going to stick. Maybe one day.
Hello from Colorado again! Today I did go through one kitchen cabinet and I took out some dessert dishes I have not been using and will donate them to a lady next week who I know will enjoy them. I am having lunch out with her. I will keep our hot chocolate mugs that are a Christmas theme. We have 2 each and 3 different sets of those. I may put one set in a basket this holiday and make a gift out of it. Plus home made mix of hot chocolate. Yum! I looked in the kitchen drawers and they are tidy at this time. I try to keep up with this because I am home most days. I just don’t like ‘junk drawers’ for the kitchen. We put things in labeled boxes in the pantry and seem to be doing well with that system for now. Pat in Colorado
Good for you Pat. It sounds like you are embracing your decluttering mission and making good progress.