31 Days of Less Challenge! Day 1: Evicting Clutter

Today, this fine a beautiful day, we are going to start evicting clutter from it's current home. Our clutter has been trespassing in our homes long enough. It's been there taking up our space, our time, and our energy. It takes up precious room in our home by just sitting there. It takes up our time because we move it from spot to spot thinking you'll find it a home some day. It takes up our energy because it causes stress when we have to clean around it, and with it there our homes feel smaller and cramped.

Today, we are going to start on our entry ways. We're starting here today because this week only has 3 days left and the entry ways are a small part of our homes. Plus cleaning out our entry will be motivating because it is a begining to create a warm welcome for us, our family, and our guests. If your front door opens directly into your living room (like mine) then work on the area immediately around your front door.

So here's what we are going to do. Gather our 3-5 bags/sacks/boxes, some index cards, a pen, our kitchen timer, and our quick cleaning kit.

Label each of your containers:

• Giveaway
• Throw Away
• Put Away
• Find a New Home
• Storage

The giveaway container is obvious. It's stuff that is still in good usuable condition but you no longer have use for. The Throw Away container is for stuff that you have just used past it's life time. Put away is for items you would like to go back in that area. Find a new home is for items you would like to keep but belong in another part of the home. Storage is for things that need to go into the garage.


Pick one surface, cubby, or floorspace to declutter today.
We are going to do this in 15 minute increments. Some of you can get this done in one increment. Some of you it may take several. Some of you it may take ten increments thru out the day. But we are going to take this in small chunks of time, so we can continue living lives and spending time with family.

Set your timer for 15 minutes. Count down... 3.... 2.....1.... GO!!!!!

Start picking stuff up from whatever you are decluttering today. As you pick it up, it has to go in one of the bags. If you pick it up and you have to think about if you need it, you probably don't. If you do need it in the future, our God is a great God and Provider and you can get one again later. Pick it up and quickly decide if you want to keep it, give it away, or if it should be trashed. But don't set it back down on your surface. IT HAS TO GO IN ONE OF YOUR BAGS OR BOXES.

As you fill a giveaway/putaway/trash bag or box, simply set it aside and get a new one.

When you fill your storage box, put the lid on it, and take an index card and write on the card what is inside the box. Tape the card to the box, and set the box aside to be taken to storage later.

Work as fast as you can for 15 minutes. See how much you can get done. When that 15 minutes is over, stop. Go on and live your life, and come back to it later. But keep coming back to it through the day until it gets done.

When you finally discover the surface under all that clutter, take your quick clean kit and dust or clean it off. Dust it, polish it, or clean the glass surfaces. Then start putting things in your put away bag back. Give it a home where you just cleaned. If there's too much stuff to go back in an neat and organized manner, then some of it has to go in the give away bag or the find a new home bag.

Focus on decluttering one surface today. Tomorrow we can focus on another surface or floor space. But focus on one area today and see how much you can get done.

Be Blessed