Did you participate in the One-Hour Family-Time Declutter yesterday? How did it go for you? I did participate, although I decided not to press my son into action as he both cleaned his room and did his laundry. I considered that participation without my notion of a time limit. Listen, you do what works, right?
I was very successful in my own one-hour blitz. I put on a podcast and started in the kitchen. Out went the things that I didn’t use, random cookbooks, well-intentioned gifts that never saw the light of day, items stashed above my cabinets the day we moved in (ick), and tops to plastic food storage we didn’t’ have anymore. In the living room I found jars from candles, old VHS movies and some random decor. In the studio I culled useless upholstery fabric and from the office I nabbed books I would never read. I weeded out my closet (not very ruthlessly, I have a long way to go in there) and rooted out some cold weather gear we haven’t needed since we moved from Alaska.
At the end of my hour, I had collected one bag of garbage, four bags and one good sized box of donate-able items and two bags of books for the Friends of the Library. I took a little break to celebrate with a cup of tea and a little chocolate, and then hauled it all out to the van and drove over to a favorite donation spot. There were lots of people there, so I’m sure I wasn’t the only one on a declutter frenzy yesterday. The library was closed, so those two bags of books remain in the car, but I’ll get there tomorrow. Whew! It feels great to have that accomplished!
And now, my encouragement for you. When you make progress in your decluttering and organizing, let someone know. It’s so exciting when a friend cheers on your good work and often very helpful to have an accountability partner. I have a friend who is encouraged by taking “before and after” photos-which is a practice I fully endorse. Progress is easier to track when you can see how it all started. If you want to celebrate your progress, feel free to comment or post a picture on the blog or the Facebook page for this post. If you need a personal cheerleader or accountability partner, give me a call. I am full of bossy encouragement for you!