365 Less Things

Reducing our stuff one day at a time.

Mini Mission Monday ~ NICOLE

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mini-logoMini 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 Nicole is so good at coming up with amusing and inspiring mini mission I am dedicating this week’s missions to her in the way of an acrostic poem. I have to say that although I was a little cheeky with one mission it was very hard not to use a lot of funny adjectives to describe Nicole. However I don’t know her all that well, except the side she shows to us here through he post, but all but one of the words seem to fit. Enjoy everyone and especially you Nicole.

Monday – NICE ~ Declutter something you don’t love, need or use even though it is nice.

Tuesday – INCREDIBLE ~ Declutter something that was incredibly difficult to part with in the past but that you now have the strength to let go.

Wednesday – COLOURFUL – Declutter something colourful.

Thursday – ODD (Ha ha, just had to throw that one in for fun) ~ Declutter something left over from a set. For example – An odd sock, the last of a set of broken glasses or crockery… Or just something in your house you think is odd. Perhaps you have a hideous sweater that someone “generously” knitted for you.

Friday – LOVELY – Declutter something that a lovely person gave you but you never really wanted.

Saturday – ENTERTAINING ~ Declutter something used for entertaining. This could be anything for CDs and DVDs to a serving platter you no longer use.

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

Comments

  2. LOL – isn’t it funny how we are part of this community, the majority of us have never met but we seem to know each other but we become involved in each other’s news ie Deb J and her mum and their apartment updates and we all chat on a weekly basis.

    The focus of my decluttering at the moment is tying up loose ends before the year ends and working thru a spring clean. I found a bundle of negatives which I am sending off to be digitised as my focus for 2016 is to get my photos organised once and for all (again!).

  3. Hi, Colleen … LOL! I love it – thank you for the honour! I especially love Thursday’s “Odd” – it looks like you know me better than you think! 😉

  4. What a fun idea Colleen! Do you think you will do a Colleen one at some point, with N as extra credit? Or maybe Nicole will return the favour for you!

    My using things up is really showing results now, it is amazing how much packaging there is, because really you don’t notice the jar/box/bottle etc when you are focusing on what is in it (or at least I don’t), but then suddenly it is just another empty container for the recycling. Needless to say I have been filling up the recycling tub at many times my normal rate.

    I started packing kitchenware yesterday, the great game of treating things like matryoshka dolls to both protect them and save space. After a while I hit the point of feeling like I would rather get rid of it all then spend any more time packing it! But I know that for the most part I have already decluttered all I wanted to there, so I just decided that that was enough packing for the day. Still, anything I had an inkling that maybe I actually might not want, I deliberately haven’t packed yet, and so I have an idea of some targets for this week’s mini-missions. Will keep you all posted.

    • I love your idea, Amelia! Colleen’s acrostic mini missions are brilliant and I’ll happily write one for her. In fact, I don’t see why both Colleen and I can’t write one each, without discussing what we’re going to write, of course. Sounds awfully fun to me … what do you think, Colleen?

      • I think C is for crazy. My daughter and my new step-granddaughter got together to choose a grandma name for me. The name is choose ~ Cranny. Party crazy part Granny. I have to say they couldn’t have chose better. I love my grandma name and my husband, who has sported a moustache for as long has I have known him received the grandpa name of Mo. So Cranny and Mo, best grandparent names ever.

        As for the acrostic. C for Crazy, O for Over the top, L for less, L for more Less, E for slightly Eccentric, E also for Energetic and N for Neurotic, would probably sum me up well.

  5. These are what I’ve found so far, Colleen:

    Nice – 3 chairs that were stacked in the storeroom.

    Colourful – A chartreuse top.

    I’m still thinking about something for tomorrow’s “Incredible”.

  6. The local schools have are doing a drive to collect supplies for the soon to be arriving refugees (our country is trying to resettle 25 000 Syrian refugees in 3 months). As it will be a Canadian winter when the waves of refugees arrive, families were requested to donate warm clothing items and household goods. We used this as an opportunity to part with some more things.

    Nice – a lovely wool cardigan that I just loved. At every cleaning, it got smaller and smaller to the point that it would never fit me again. May as well keep a new arrival to our country warm.

    Incredible/ entertaining – several pieces of serving ware that were given to us when my parents decluttered. The pieces were wedding gifts they received over 55 years ago. The pieces were not to our taste and never used.

    Colourful – last winter, the youngest outgrew his winter coat. We bought him a mid season replacement jacket in bright green that was a bit too big for him to finish out the season. He tried it on a couple of weeks ago and it is now too small. We hope a new arrival enjoys this lovely warm and waterproof jacket.

    Odd – Thomas the Tank Engine set. Our kids outgrew Thomas more than 6 years ago. For some reason, this set survived prior toy purges.

    Lovely – we are using up a scented candle. Cannot stand the smell, but is partially used so not possible to donate.

    • Well done Idgy. We took a long time to declutter the Thomas toys as well. Liam started collecting them when he was about two and we only decluttered them when he was about 20. So 6 years isn’t too bad.

    • Idgy – I am a follower of Humans Of New York and have been avidly reading their Syrian refugee articles, so I really admire that your community is getting behind this.

  7. I used to think “I just need to organize my stuff” however I just realized…I don’t need all this stuff. My favorite parts of the house are the sun room and patio….there is not much there but a few plants and easy to move chairs and the guest room also uncluttered. I could enjoy all of my house if I get rid of the clutter. I can’t seem to just do it all in one day and my husband has emotional attachment to items that belonged to his father even if they are broke. This always held me back…however. I am going to re-purpose a broken chest of drawers and ignore all the Beer steins and remove clutter where ever I can….I even stopped looking at his side of the bed and night stand. I clean the whole room and just leave that part alone. I always thought why can’t I keep our bedroom nice. After a surgery and sleeping in the guest room it has come to my attention that I live with a slob. His garage and tractor are very neat, our room not so much. So I have been doing what I can but not bothering to argue about his stuff. It is working……I am going to minimize and I know I will be happier. I find I don’t wish to buy much anymore. I don’t buy magazines about being organized because I just don’t need all this stuff.

    • Hi Susan and welcome to 365 Less Things. Well you have already overcome the most difficult part of decluttering and that is deciding to get on with it. From here on it will be easy enough for you. However I do have an evil yet cunning plan for your husband. Why don’t you start taking your unwanted stuff down and leaving in random places in his garage. When he comes a runnin’ to ask what is going on with all the crap in his garage you simply explain to him that you don’t like him messing up the house any more than he likes you messing up his garage. Maybe then we will get the picture.

      • HA! Here you go…YOUR WORDS, NOT MINE!!!!!
        C – cunning
        O
        L
        L
        E – evil
        E
        N

        Just kidding Colleen (hope I don’t get kicked outta here!)

          • Actually, it sounds rather smart. However, I have to tread lightly here to win hubby’s trust…that I’m not going to declutter all his stuff. Now he’s trying to claim a declutter for himself if something unused leaves his office and goes into my office to fill a need. My viewpoint is that “it has to leave the premises.”

            • Hi Deanna, I agree in a way that a “declutter has to leave the premises”… But I would give your husband points anyway to build his trust and enthusiasm. Besides, once it’s yours, you can do as you like with it 🙂

    • Susan – Hi, you’re in the right place to talk about this! I do love Colleen’s suggestion. However, in my experience (I lived with The Three Little Pigs) that just getting on with doing my area eventually caught on with Two of the Little Pigs, and it catches on eventually. But I do love Colleen’s suggestion, especially since he keeps his work area tidy.

        • They all do Susan. I explain the power of suggestion tactic to my daughter when she first moved in with her boyfriend. Not only do they come around in the end but they also think it was all their idea. I told her “Never let them know it wasn’t their idea. No I told you so’s or anything. Just revel in the fact that you got your own way in the end.” Sometimes patience is a virtue.

            • Susan – I had a thought last night, a few years back I held ‘amnesties’ where members of the family were allowed to bring whatever they wanted to be rid of, no questions asked. The task of getting rid of the item did fall to me, but it was a way to gain some momentum on clearing their stuff. Of course, from there, how and where I disposed of the item was totally my call. Sometimes one has to lose the battle to win the war.

  8. These are great.
    Nice–Some Festival Glass vases that were my Grandmothers.
    Incredible–A hand painted pitcher and glasses my parents got for their wedding.
    Colorful–a bunch of birds for making crafts
    Odd–some weird sewing tools someone gave Mom but she never used
    Lovely–more vases that were never used but just sat on a shelf for “pretties.”
    Entertaining–3 sets of Disney playing cards in a tin that we received for Christmas this year. This because our card playing friend who is leaving this week for Christmas with her mom liked the card holders inside–go figure.

  9. This doesn’t count because it’s something I decluttered a few months back. But it fits for incredible and entertaining. The item is a mandolin that I bought many years ago at a garage sale. This just gives me an opportunity to share that I received a text today from my cousin who was the recipient. She sent a picture of it and said, “Cleaned up, repaired, new strings, tuned, ready to go. Thank you again. Love you.” It made me feel so good that she got it in great condition and she will really, actually use it. Makes it fun to give!

    INCREDIBLE ~ Declutter something that was incredibly difficult to part with…

    ENTERTAINING ~ Declutter something used for entertaining.

  10. I have been after my husband to declutter the turkey roasting pan as he no longer eats meat, only a little fish once in a great while. He finally gave it the heave ho this week! I was a little disappointed he threw it out, thought it would have been better to leave it for the metal guy. But at least he was willing to (finally) part with it, so I’m happy about that 🙂

    • Today my husband okayed getting rid of the “oven bags” that went with the turkey roasting pan. With her okay, I left them on our neighbors step 🙂

      I will also be donating the old towels we were using as “trivets” with the pan. They will go to pet shelter after I wash them.

  11. I’m going to call this one ODD… We had 2 electric blankets that no longer worked… My daughter was using them over her sheer curtains to block out light at bedtime. Well, last night she asked me if I had any thicker curtains. I did have a spare pair of thermal curtains, she hung them in her area and they look nice. I asked if it was now okay to part with the old blankets. She said “yes” and now they are out of here!!!

  12. Hi, Colleen. Here are the rest:

    Incredible: An electronic keyboard with stand. We’ve been trying to sell this for quite some time now and finally (and incredibly!) received an offer out of the blue.
    Odd: An odd sock
    Lovely: Several souvenirs
    Entertaining: A set of six crystal drinking glasses

  13. Hi all, thought I would provide a quick update of my week’s progress. The surgery itself had a good result but I have been a bit of a write-off since. Anyway, I tried to focus on other things and found multiple items for this week’s mini-missions.
    Nice: a bunch of stickers that have been hanging about for too long unused, five perfume samples.
    Incredible: a ‘collector’s edition’ monopoly – somehow my brain thought that meant I had to keep it. Also two pairs of ballet flats – after my op, there are an assortment of shoes I really shouldn’t wear again, these among them. Pity.
    Colourful: a purple eyeliner and a bright purply/berry candle.
    Odd: a solar lamp and a hand-shaped armchair.
    Lovely: –
    Entertaining: the last of my wine collection, a baking tray, season 3 of Once Upon a Time.