Tackle the Home Front

Say Goodbye to Survival Mode Challenge – Day 5: Tackle the Home Front

We’ve already spent time cutting the clutter from your schedule, but now let’s focus on your home. One surefire way to add more time and order to your life is to get rid of excess stuff that no longer serves. The added bonus? If you’re like me, you’ll be more productive when things are orderly and clutter-free. 

If you have a home piled with clutter, you won’t be able to overhaul it in a day. Instead, create a realistic plan of attack. Take one room at a time, and commit to working on it for 15 minutes (See Day 4’s Challenge) five days each week until it’s finished. Then start on the next.

 

Once you figure out what you are keeping and what you are getting rid of, make a space for items that seem to stick out like a sore thumb in a room. If you don’t assign a place for everything, it’s going to sit out, become clutter, and accumulate some more.

 

Team Effort: Maintaining a clutter-free home requires the whole family’s commitment. No one person should be responsible for every task, chore, or project in running a home – and that includes managing clutter. Can you imagine if you did every bit of cleaning, cooking, organizing, bill paying, yard maintenance, shopping, and (go ahead, fill in the blank!) entirely on your own? Or maybe you do. If so, I’m willing to bet you are worn out and exhausted! I know I would be.

 

Each individual member should pitch in and bear the weight of running a household to the level of his or her ability. When it comes to maintaining a clutter-free environment, everyone needs to chip in.

  

Today’s Challenge

 

If you feel overwhelmed with clutter, don’t panic. I’d like you to pick one space in your home to declutter as soon as you can today. This can be a drawer, cupboard, closet, medicine cabinet, your nightstand, or if you’re feeling overly ambitious, the pantry or refrigerator. Ruthlessly clear out any and all clutter and unnecessary items you find. Consider passing on extra food and household items to friends or donating these to someone in need. When cleaning out clutter, you’ve probably heard there are three categories: keep it, toss it, or donate it. Start with this one small space and I promise you will feel a sense of accomplishment right away.

You can sign up for the Challenge at the link in the picture.

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Ok, so I'm working on this Challenge, just like I told you I would.  But I am modifying it a bit. I'm going to work on an item a week, instead of an item a day.


This is a big challenge for me.  Ever since Dan died, the clutter has taken over to the point that I just want to through out everything!!  But my dear hubby has been patient with me and slowly piling the clutter so I can get through it.  But every time I try to get started on a pile of clutter, we have to go somewhere or do something else, so the clutter sits.  Let's see what I can get done this week.


Here is Day 1 (or Week 1).

Here is Day 2 (or Week 2) with my results from Day 1.

Here is Day 3 (or Week 3) with my results from Day 2.

Here is Day 4 (or Week 4) with my results from Day 3.


Results: 
I'm still making my lists from Day 1. I don't feel I'm accomplishing as much now, the same items are still on the lists.  But then again, showering is important.

I still have my list from Day 2, and look at it but I haven't added anything to it.

I'm generally sticking to my Sunday-Thursday evening routine that I created in Day 3.  There have been a couple of days where it hasn't gone great, but it takes a few weeks to make a new habit.

My prioritized list of things from Day 4? I always have that, and it changes day by day.   I'm lucky I remember my name the last few weeks, and finding even 2 minutes to tackle something on the list...well, that's been tricky too.  So, I will make this a renewed effort over the rest of the 7 day challenge to work on this one a bit more.

Come back next week to see how I did with Day 5!