Welcome to the first of our 52 Organizing Missions.
In some ways this is a challenging one – but you’ll feel so wonderful, liberated and light when it’s done I think it’s worth diving in the deep end right away.
And remember – it is only 30 minutes.
Ready?
Get Organized Mission #1: Fill a Hu-u-uge Trash Bag
Step 1
Get a giant trash bag. (If you don’t have one find 20 small ones, or ask a neighbor, or go to the shops, or use boxes, or pile things up on a rug until you get to the shops tomorrow. There are no excuses!)
Step 2
Set a kitchen timer (or your clock radio or iPhone alarm, etc) for 30 minutes.
Step 3
Start filling the bag and continue doing so as you move through your house, until either the timer goes off or your bag is full.
Throw into the bag anything you don’t use, don’t like, that has negative associations, is broken or tatty, or is no longer your style. See below for room-by-room examples.
Step 4
Take it straight out to the trash or even the tip if you’re so motivated. Just be sure to remove the temptation to look in the bag or to rescue released items.
Dos & Don’ts
- Don’t try to organize rooms, cupboards or drawers at this stage.
This mission is about getting rid of stuff so do keep an out-it-goes mindset. - We’ll have another organizing mission for charity items, so don’t get bogged down with that now. I don’t suggest giving lame stuff to charity – decent, usable stuff: yes; crapola: no.
So do feel fine about ditching all the dross. - I want you to move fast – so don’t overthink it.
If your gut feel is to release something from your life, then do toss it into the bag.
Examples of Items For Your Bag:
Living Room
- Old magazines
- Tatty rugs and cushions
- Old/no-longer-used videotapes, DVDs, CDs
- Unloved ornaments, gifts, vases, etc
- Dead plants
Study
- School/college notes and texts (unless you just graduated they’re probably out of date)
- Old paperwork, bills, mail (keep if needed for taxes or reference; shred if sensitive or confidential)
- Excess stationery you won’t use this decade
- Knickknacks that provide no meaning, beauty or inspiration
- Reading piles you know you’ll never get to
Bedroom
- Tatty dressing gowns, slippers, and anything you’d be embarrassed to answer the door in
- Tatty bed linen
- Ancient pillows harboring various non-human life forms
- Anything on bedside tables that detract from a comforting bedtime sanctuary
- Anything in your closet you hate (we’ll tackle closets in detail in another organizing mission)
Kitchen/Dining
- Chipped or stained crockery
- Rusty or mismatched cutlery
- Expired food and condiments in the pantry or fridge
- Cookware, plungers, teapots, gadgets, utensils or sundry infomercial purchases not used in the past 12 months
- Cookbooks and recipes not used in the past 12 months
Bathroom
- Tatty towels, bathmats, etc
- Expired or old toiletries, hairbrushes, combs, etc
- Empty or mildewed bottles
- Yucky bathroom accessories – eg rusty shower caddies
- Unloved bathroom ornaments
Kids’ Stuff
- Tatty, no-longer-used toys
- Outgrown clothes
- Torn posters
- Outgrown CDs, DVDs etc
- Outgrown back-packs, drink bottles, etc
Extended Organizing Mission Options
- If you run out of time or your bag fills up and you want to keep going, then do. Put on some music and have fun with it. But your basic mission is only to fill one large bag or keep going for 30 minutes.
- If other household members want to participate give them their own bag and encourage them to let go of stuff.
- If you want to tackle extra, unneeded items that are in good condition, do a second run with a charity bag. (I guarantee you’ll still have plenty to do when we get to our charity-bag organizing mission.)
Ready, Set, Go!
Remember – move quickly, act fast, don’t overthink.
Before You Go – Check In
Have you completed this week’s Get Organized Mission?
You’re now accountable to your organizing mission-mates – so please add a comment to let us know you’ve completed your assignment and you’re keeping your commitment.
(Click ‘Comment’ at the very top of this post or scroll down to the bottom. Depending on how you’re viewing this post, one of those options will be available for you.)
And see you back here next week. 🙂
Update
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Click here to sign up for 52 Organizing Missions.
Image by Material Boy
Wow Sally Anne – this is impressive!
I don’t make *too* big a deal about recycling because:
(1) Many people have a giant barrier to letting stuff go, and I want to make it as easy as possible for them to start the habit.
(2) A lot of stuff is, sadly, just junk, and often the feeling of throwing it away changes people’s habits about buying what they don’t need in the future. So there’s less waste in the long run.
But your tenacity AND high recycling standards are very, very cool.
Thanks for sharing!
M ♥
I find this a little difficult as I am disabled and can only stand/walk for 2 minutes max – so I did lots of little chunks and I had to count my husbands help too – he did the bathroom for me. Also I am a dedicated recycler, so throwing stuff out is a real no-no (even old clothes can go to certain charities/recyclers to be used as rags), so I listed loads of stuff on freecycle and watched other people take it away and put other bits out to recycle (washed plastic bottles/bags and glass jars all get recycled, as does paper of any description and cardboard). So it’s taken me longer but it is cathartic to get rid of stuff (especially if I feel I have done my best to recycle).
DONE!!! Two very large bags in the trash. Actually done last week, but I forgot to report..
Got rid of lots of stuff! Thanks. Mission 2: bring it on!
Done,
Though to let go but now I want to do a couple more bags before the next mission!
I filled one more bag during the week and I didn’t even make it the basement where my office is located.
Hi Terry,
I won’t tell. *seals lips and throws away key*
See you at Mission #2.
M 🙂
I did this last week and got rid of 3 laundry baskets full of junk. Don’t tell but quite a bit of as seen on t.v. junk got tossed. My girlfriend is a believer of the junk. She knows on tv it sells for 19.95 so when she finds it for 3.00 she buys it.
I got this mission done a week ago. I filled several big bags of trash and around 4 or 5 to take to the local donation center. It feels great! Thanks for these missions.
I am moving house so what a great opportunity to get started. I went straight upstairs and grabbed two green garbage bags and started in my office. I got rid of two bags full in around 30 minutes. My office is now so much more organized in readiness for the move. Thanks! It was so easy.
Done! This was a very liberating task!
I filled one bag this afternoon and plan on filling at least one more before the week is done.
How good does that feel!!!
I definitly can get rid of some things around here…. See you in 30 min. with 1 garbage bags of stuff that I am ready to be seperated from!
I helped my hubby clear out our garage today (took a lot longer than 30mins!), but we both felt really good afterwards and have been able to set pool table up in there for the kids, so they were pleased too. Kids are on school hols now, so going to get them to help me do a 30min clear out every day this week!
Done! I have been renovating for several months, so at first I didn’t think I’d have much to toss, until I discovered the contents of my (now) grown up and moved away kid’s bathroom cabinet. ewwwww! Half opened bottles of stuff from the mid 90’s!! GONE!
Throwing away is exhilerating. That I added recycling has made me feel very smug.
Done:) this was so satisfying, took no time at all, wish i had’ve started this sooner!
To be honest, I had my doubts if I had enough junk to fill an entire bag, but I ended up filling two – and now I see so much more unnecessary stuff, waiting to be tossed 😀
It’s done but there sure is a lot more to collect