Challenge Yourself To Five Days Of Decluttering
Within only five days, you can accomplish some significant decluttering. Take it one day at a time. Focus on the plan for the current day. Don't let yourself get sidetracked from the goal for the day. You got this!
Day #1
PANTRY
Decluttering and organizing your pantry can, in the long run, save you some money. An organized pantry makes it easy to quickly see what you have in stock and what needs to be replenished—no more guessing if you have something you need. You will be able to find it quickly.
Get started decluttering your pantry by taking everything out. Then start checking expiration dates on all the items. Dispose of all outdated items. You will find things you didn't even know you had. Things you purchased years ago with intentions of using but are now expired.
Wipe down all the shelves. Gather up some baskets and storage bins. You may need to make a trip to the Dollar Store.
Now you are ready to sort and organize. You may wish to label each basket or bin. A bin for baking supplies, a container for snacks, pasta, foil and plastic wrap, and so on—a place for everything and everything in its place.
Day #2
BOOKS AND MAGAZINES
Grab some sturdy boxes and go through each room, searching out books and magazines.
Books that you read repeatedly or a book that was a gift and now holds special memories are keepers for sure. They deserve a special place on your bookshelves.
But if you have books you know, you will never read again, or maybe some of the books in your collection didn't spark any interest for you. The best thing to do is get rid of them. Give them away or donate them. Someone will appreciate them.
Once you have whittled down your book collection, get those bookshelves dusted and organize your books.
When it comes to magazines, gather them all up. Myself, I would toss them all in the recycle bin. But if there are articles in some of the magazines you feel could be helpful in some way, you could clip them and file them in a folder. Or maybe scan the articles into a file on your computer.
Fewer books and magazines leave you more uncluttered space. And you will be better able to locate the book you are looking for quickly.
Day #3
LINEN CLOSETS
Every so often, we have to sort through the bed linens and extra towels. And, yes, multiple other things that seem to get shoved into the linen closet when you don't know where else to put them. I am so very guilty of that.
Some things to consider. Do you have more sheets than you need? Too many blankets? Myself I have two pair of what I call summer sheets, and two pair of winter sheets. Why take up space with too many sheets if you don't truly need them? I can't think of a good reason.
We have two spare bedrooms, and I don't even keep an extra pair of sheets for those. I don't find it necessary to have an extra set of sheets for seldom-used beds.
Many of us store extra bathroom towels in our linen closets. But the question is, how many towels do we need? I am a minimalist when it comes to towels and sheets. I keep no more than necessary. Do we need ten extra towels and washcloths?
Being a minimalist for our sheets and towels can leave us some room in the linen closet for those items we never know where to put them. I have a heating pad and an iron that has a home in the linen closet on a shelf above the sheets.
The less we have, the easier it is to organize it efficiently.
Day# 4
BATHROOM MEDICINE CABINETS AND VANITIES
Grab a trash bag and toss all expired meds and over-the-counter painkillers. Or check with your pharmacy; they may be able to dispose of outdated prescriptions.
Many of us have hair products taking up space that we haven't used in years. Toss them!
Let's not forget the tubes of lotions and ointments that are outdated or have little left in them.
We all have old makeup taking up space in our bathroom. Maybe some old mascara or eyeshadow that didn't meet our expectations. Why do we keep it around?
Do you have more hairbrushes and combs than you need? Keep only the ones you use.
Do you have headbands and hair ties that have seen better days? They have to go.
What about towels and washcloths that are looking better suited for cleaning rags.
Old toothbrushes can be saved for cleaning in hard-to-reach crevices.
Are you someone who has to try all the skincare products on the markets? I am guessing you could eliminate some of those also. We all love to try new products, but sometimes they don't work out for us.
We end up with so much clutter in our bathroom that we no longer need or use, but yet we seem to hang onto to it. We just have to do it!
Day# 5
CLOSETS
Getting rid of your clothing is one tough job. You almost have to be in the right frame of mind even to consider it. You have to be resolute, and you have to be determined to get the job done. Have no mercy.
Start with your closet. Take every last thing out of the closet. Start sorting things out—one pile for the dresses, one for the dress pants, and so on.
Once your clothes are all sorted into piles, it's time to make those tough decisions. What should you keep? What to give away or donate? And how many dresses, tops or pants do you need?
Once you have decided how many you need to keep, it's time to get sorting. Now you have to ask yourself some questions. When was the last time you wore this? Does it still fit? Do you have other similar items?
So choose what you want or what you think you need to keep. I suggest not keeping those clothes that have been in your closet for years because they don't fit. Something tells me that if they have been unworn for years, the chances that you will be wearing them again are slight. If you lose weight, you will want some new things to wear as a reward.
Anything that has been in your closet for years without being worn, whether it fits or not, it is past time to donate them.
Now you can organize your clothes back into your closet with some room to spare.
I would suggest if you are still feeling motivated at this point, you might want to sort through your shoes and boots.
The critical thing to remember is that once you have all the decluttering and sorting done, you have to follow through and get the donations delivered and gone. Depose of the trash—no point in decluttering if you have the clutter now sitting around in boxes somewhere.
And most importantly, congratulate yourself on a job well done.
And, of course, do a monthly or bi-monthly quick declutter when needed. Don't let your clutter sneak up on you.
