Post this on the fridge or bathroom mirror and check off each day when it is done. A checked off item brings great satisfaction. Start the month off with a few bins or boxes readily available for any donations you may find during this month. At the end the month, let it all go in one delivery.
Day 1—Go through your sock drawer—pair up all the socks, let go of single ones or ones that are old and holey.
Day 2—Go through your undergarments drawer—let go of old, unworn items and replace neatly in the drawer.
Day 3—Find at least five things (or more) in your hanging clothes to let go of.
Day 4—Clean out the junk drawer—make sure you check all pens to see if they’re working.
Day 5—Take out all your pots and pans and make sure they all work, get rid of duplicates you don’t use and pots that have damaged Teflon or loose handles.
Day 6—Declutter your containers, make sure all have lids and let go of misshapen or stained containers, as well as too many in the same size.
Day 7—Clean off your kitchen counters—find a few things that can go or that are used infrequently and move them to a storage spot. More space on the counter makes cooking and cleaning that much easier.
Day 8—Clean out the fridge—go through and purge expired or rotten food, wipe down shelves for a fresh start.
Day 9—Clean out the freezer—let go of freezer burned items and items that you won’t eat, line things up and wipe down what you can
Day 10—Pick an overstuffed cabinet of food and let go of expired or stale items and line up/organize by type what is left.
Day 11—Clear off your dining room table.
Day 12—Go through your catalogs and/or magazines and cull them down to about 3-4 inches max—don’t spend time reading them. Look at the table of contents and pull out only the articles you plan to read and then read them, but let the magazine go. For catalogs, only keep the current season/month for those you plan to order from.
Day 13—Go through a stack of papers that you have no idea what is in it. Recycle or shred anything that you don’t need or will never reference.
Day 14—Go through the games (gaming systems or board games) and let go of what isn’t being played (you can sell, trade in or donate).
Day 15—Pick five movies (or more) you never watch and let them go.
Day 16—Pick five books (or more) you will never read again and let them go.
Day 17—Pick five CDs(or more) you never watch and let them go (come on, don’t you download everything now).
Day 18—Order two things you have been meaning to.
Day 19—Make two calls you have been meaning to get to.
Day 20—Set up two dinners or lunch dates with people you’ve been wanting to catch up with (make it for within the next two months).
Day 21—Find five things in the basement or attic to let go of what you were keeping “just because.”
Day 22—Go through the garage and spend 10 minutes just finding things that are broken or worn and throwing them out.
Day 23—Walk around the art and tidy up, letting go of anything broken you may find.
Day 24—Tidy up the front door—wipe it down, sweep and dust so it is clean, make sure your door number is visible. Plant a flower to bring some color.
Day 25—Clean out all the trash in your car and take out anything that doesn’t belong.
Day 26—Spend 10 minutes in your email deleting emails you no longer need.
Day 27—Spend 10 minutes in your electronic files deleting files you no longer need or old revisions that saved.
Day 28—Iron three things that you aren’t wearing because they aren’t ironed.
Day 29—Go through all your cleaners, consolidate half the bottles, and recycle and purge things you won’t use again.
Day 30—Go through the medicine cabinet and purge expired meds and tidy up (expired pills, both over the counter and prescription, can be put in used kitty litter or coffee grounds in a Ziploc bag and thrown in the trash—do not flush).
Day 31—Do something for yourself, something you have been meaning to do. You deserve it.
No matter how much you do or get done, at the end you will be a bit lighter in stuff: A win-win.
Jordana Turcotte is a professional organizer and owner of Simply You. Simply You has been operating for over five years in the Capital Region. I help people tackle all types of clutter from kitchens to closets to paper to toys. I love helping people overcome their struggle with clutter, one item at a time. Contact Jordana at www.simplyyouorganizing.com or (518) 877-8162.
