Oh friends! We are almost there! Yes, it is week 4, but if you remember, we are doing numbers 1-31, so after this week we have one final group of 3 numbers to finish up. BUT – let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Before we finish off, we must get to week 4.
The numbers for week 4 aren’t bad.
Sorry for skipping out on you last week! I took a break, pressed pause, and left town for a few days. I highly recommend it, if you can swing it!
Is decluttering dragging you down? Feeling uninspired and unmotivated? Here’s a fun article about different methods to decluttering. Which one HAVE you done, which one could you NEVER do, and which one are you intrigued to TRY? For me, I’ve done the “four-box method” or a version of it. That one comes pretty naturally to me. As a shopper, I’d NEVER do the “one in, one out” method – although it would probably be great for me…but NOT gonna happen. And honestly, the “packing party” is pretty intriguing to me. That section of the article references “The Minimalists Podcast” which I’ve listened to a few times. These people are HARD CORE, man! I admire it, but I don’t live that way at all. Moving has always been a great time to declutter, so the packing party method does seem like it would be really effective. Maybe I’ll do our primary bedroom in that manner. Or maybe not. Probably maybe not. Ha ha.
Well, that’s that. Get going for week 4 and see how many things you can declutter! If you complete this week’s challenge it’s 89 items and 99 with the “bonus”. My areas of focus this week are going to be the living room, primary bedroom and bathroom. I’ve done SOME work there, but those are the spaces we spend a lot of time in and they need some help!
Good luck this week and no matter what, remember that a few things decluttered (or a space) is better than nothing! Progress is progress!
Let me just start right out of the gate and admit – I decluttered ZERO items last week – but that’s ok. I’m going to give myself some grace and remember that Rome was not built in a day and decades of stuff isn’t going to get moved out of this house in 4 weeks. Time to dust the week off and move on.
You may have noticed that I like to include a graphic with a quote on each week’s declutter numbers graphic. I like to choose those quotes for how I’m feeling about the process and this week’s quote is VERY fitting!!!
Part of cultivating a good life is knowing when to STOP what you’re doing, switch gears, take a break, and come back to it a few minutes or a few days later.
YES! So much this for me last week. Every time I tried to start going through a drawer, a section of the closet, etc I just got so distracted, kinda emotional, and just generally overwhelmed. At one point I just thought – decluttering is NOT for me right now, and that is OK. I’m just going to circle back to it next week.
As with all households, there was PLENTY of other things for me to focus on, so today I made some meals for next week, transplanted some tomato seedlings that I had started and are too big for their former home, planted some plant starts that I had been propagating, and washed a couple rugs that needed it. Is that a lot for me to get done on the weekend? NO – but you know what, those things were all on my “Tasks” list for this week and now they’re done.
Transplanting some tomato plants instead of decluttering!Sidebar
Actually, washing the rugs was NOT on my list, but in order to help myself feel more productive, I 100% added that shit to my “Tasks” list and then checked ’em off! It’s silly, but it’s my list and I’m the boss of me.
Here’s a WIN for last week – the items from week 1 are GONE, out of my life, out of my house! I think that pile was one of my barriers to being motivated for Week 2 – but regardless, it’s GONE now and that makes me happy!
Better numbers this week – We’ll have 118 without the bonus and 140 with the bonus. Dunno about you all, but that sounds a lot more manageable than the 162/180 from last week.
Let’s circle back to last week. I’m not giving in on last week. I’m going to focus on THIS week and the 118/140 – and then IF/WHEN I complete that I will go to the numbers for last week. In the end it’s not about doing it on schedule – but DOING it.
So – Week 3 starts now. Get that box, grab the marker to make your tally marks, and get busy. If you find yourself not feeling it, remember this week’s quote and take a break and come back to it! We’ll all get there!
OK, let me just say, anyone who decluttered even ONE item last week is WINNING! Every bit that I get out of my space I feel is a personal victory! Now if I could stop brining stuff IN – but I digress.
Week 2. Not gonna lie here folks – we have some pretty big numbers for week two. BUT – we can do it, right? Yeah – totally. We can do this. Same as last week – seven numbers for 7 days of the week and one bonus number for the “in the zone and not stopping now” people. I did all 8 last week and I’m not sad about it. I got a lot of items out of my closets that needed to go. And drawers. And other random areas. I do find myself looking at things now with a “do I really need/want this in my space anymore” focus. The total for Week 1 was 71 items without the bonus – and 99 with the bonus. Week two is making week 1 look like decluttering for amateurs.
Week 2 is coming in hot with 162/180 items. Dang – that’s a lot more but WE GOT THIS!
I’m not gonna lie. This one is making me a bit nervous, but it’s all good. One day at a time – one item at a time. I’m going to follow my own advice. Pick an area of focus, set a timer, and start going through items in that area of focus. Mark off on the box as items are placed in the box.
Anyone have any tips or tricks to share from your experience last week? I need to get rid of the 99 items from last week, so they’re going to someone holding a fundraiser garage sale – and they’re going next week. I need this stuff OUT of my house and then maybe I’ll feel as if some progress has been made.
OK, it’s go time! Do you know if you’re donating or selling or both? Do you have a container(s) and a writing utensil? Do you have your area of focus? If not, maybe you need to go HERE first and get ready. Or maybe you’re just reading. Either way, here we go!
For week one I am using a random number selector (no repeats – except for the bonus) and choosing 7 numbers. These are the 7 numbers of items that you will be decluttering this week – PLUS one bonus for those of you who get into the mode and want an extra challenge!
OK, the rules are simple – there ARE NO RULES! The challenge is to declutter the amount of items before the week is out. So, go to your area of focus, choose 7 items, and place them in the container to donate or sell. Grab that writing tool and tick off 7 hash marks on your container, because YOU just decluttered 7 items! Still feeling it? Get on back in there and grab up 20 more items, friend! Overwhelmed by the first 7 and think you need a break? That’s totally fine. Baby steps.
YOU do YOU. No judgement. If you are super proud of yourself and want to share your success – head on over to the Facebook Page for the blog and post about it! Maybe you’ll inspire someone else to get back in there and do 20 after starting with 7. Maybe you do 15 and then go back for 12 more later. The goal here is to have 71 (or 99 if you do the bonus) items in the container before the end of the week AND to have taken that to the place where you’re planning on donating it! It’s G O N E.
You’ve got this! I believe in you! Free your mind and feel the calm…once your anxiety calms down from decluttering over 70 items from your space, that is. Hugs – you’ve got this!
Hello friends! Some of you recently saw my Facebook post of a Good Housekeeping article that talked about a decluttering strategy called the “Minimalist Game“. The short version is you declutter the same number of things as the date for one month….one item on the 1st, two items on the 2nd, etc. If you follow this for 31 days you’ve eliminated 496 items from your home.
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Really? 496 items? WHO does that? I mean, at that point, it would probably drive me insaner if I didn’t just round that UP to 500….but I digress…..
When I posted this article on my personal Facebook page I got some comments with varying interest and some suggestions to make it more manageable. For a few days I’ve been mulling it over and now I’m ready with the official, The Neverending Lori’s Spring Declutter Challenge!!!
Before we dive in, a few housekeeping items
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Ha ha – get it…”housekeeping” items. And we’re doing a decluttering challenge which is kinda part of housekeeping. No? Just me. OK…back to your regularly scheduled programming…
First up – the RULES
NO judgement. No judging yourself, others in the challenge, or anyone who doesn’t participate. Worry ’bout yourself. But don’t judge yourself. It’s stuff. We all have too much stuff and even if you complete 1/4 of the challenge – it’s less stuff. Everybody wins.
Speaking of winning – it’s a challenge, but not a competition. EVERYBODY wins! Decluttered 500 items….50 items??? No items but got motivated and might do it for fall? GREAT! Everybody wins – and your prize is less shit in your space. Woooo!
Sharing. Yes, sharing IS caring, but in this case – you share as much or as little as YOU feel comfortable with. You can comment on a post here on the blog, or you can hop on over to the Facebook Page for the blog and join in the fun there. I will set up events for each week and you can share photos, comment, etc. But NO judgement! Want to see what others are up to but don’t want to share or comment? Lurking is totally acceptable. Unless you make it creepy and then it’s not ok. Ha ha.
The schedule. This week I’m posting on Thursday and you have until Sunday to complete the Prep Days tasks. Each WEEK after that, starting on Monday, March 24th, I’ll post the challenges for the week. NOBODY – and I mean NOBODY – is gonna come knocking on your door asking why you didn’t finish the Week 1 challenge by 3/30. Also, NOBODY is going to show up with a cookie if you finish Week 1 on 3/24. Personally I’ll be hella impressed, but that doesn’t really get you much! The point here is do what YOU can. Every little bit helps, right?
To truly “COMPLETE” a weekly challenge, the items have to be GONE. G O N E. Out of your space – and by “space” I mean home, apartment, RV, whatever you live in and are working on decluttering. The items must be G O N E in order to complete the weekly challenge. Every time I’ve decluttered, getting it out of my space is the final step that I generally have a hard time with. Get it out! You’ll feel much better and feel like you really accomplished something.
OK – Prep Days are first. You need to make some decisions here. Each person’s experience will differ based on their own needs. But, as I’ve been thinking this through, I do think some prep work will make a world of difference.
First of all – determine WHAT you want to do with your decluttered items.
Are you donating all the items?
Are you selling any items?
Next, determine your “area of focus”. For me, I think I’ll be happier with one or two areas in my home that are REALLY decluttered vs me just running around like a nut job and grabbing stuff from different rooms. A focused approach will likely result in more visible results, which will possibly encourage me to declutter more. Now, do I NEED to declutter every room in this house? Oh, yes – friend….YES. But, for me and THIS challenge, I’m going to choose a few areas of focus and try to stick to those areas. Will I not “count” an item if it’s not from that area of focus? Uhhhh, NO, every item out counts, but I’m going to try and focus on a few key areas. You do what works for you!
Once you know your area of focus, be that a few rooms or just “this whole messy house”, and you know if you’re donating, selling, or both – you SHOULD have a better idea of what you need for the next step.
Get yourself a container – a box, a bin, trash bags, laundry baskets, etc. Maybe you’re decluttering an area with larger items, so you might need 2 containers – one for donate and one for stuff to sell. Gather ye supplies, decluttering friend. Your goal here is to have an easily accessible spot to put your decluttered items and move on! You’ll also want a marker, pen, crayon (some kind of writing utensil) located near the box/bin spot. If you’re decluttering and will need multiple containers, keep one container (two if you’re donating AND selling) in your accessible spot and put the extras out of the way so that your “drop spot” isn’t cluttered. You should have one or two containers and a writing utensil. That’s all ya need.
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I mean, that’s probably all you need. Unless I forgot a really integral part of this whole process, in which case I’m going to look like a complete ass. Hmmm…I guess I have until this post goes live to think this through and come up with any other things one might need for decluttering. Oy….why do I get myself into these things???
There ya have it! Get yourself ready and on Monday (3/24) I will post the details for Week 1. Let’s make it fun, encourage one another, and get rid of some of the clutter. For me, less stuff makes my brain happy and puts my mind in a more calm space. Our Florida home is pretty minimalist and I always feel so calm there. (That MIGHT be the Tito’s though). Hopefully we can all use this time to get rid of some of our excess and make our spaces calmer and more enjoyable for ourselves and others.
The Neverending Lori 