31 days to less stress in the New Year
Yup, I'm talking about the good ol' New Year's resolutions...yet again! I have yet to stick with any of them for more than a few months. Good intentions and all, I still seem to fall off the bandwagon before the first quarter of the year has passed me by. SO, this year, I don't have really high hopes, but since I am pretty faithful for at least a month I am going to go a different direction this year and we'll see how it goes.
With that said, this year, my goal is not to lose weight (although that wouldn't hurt) or to faithfully exercise (definitely would help), but nope... I'm going for less stress in my life. What stress you may wonder? Since I don't work (outside the home) and I have raised my kids, what am I talking about? But let's be real...we have stuff. And lots of it. I guess I have been slow to realize this can be a great source of stress, to keep it tidy, to find a place for everything and then keep everything in its place. So this year, I am going to start my New Year off by sorting through and getting rid of or creating a good storage solution for all the STUFF we have in our life. Those who really know me are probably either in disbelief, applauding my efforts or really super impressed. We'll see how it goes, remember so far this is only a resolution!
So who's in? Who wants to join me? Here's what I've come up with for my 31-day goal if you want to follow along (or create your own) and we can hold each other accountable! Are you ready?
I am. (I think!)
Starting where I begin my day. In the bedroom.
Day 1 - clean out the nightstand by the bed and clear off the top
Day 2 - take the bed apart and clean under the bed, flip the mattress, wash the bedding from the mattress cover on up. (okay so this is not cluttered, but it will feel so good to check it off the list!)
Day 3 - scrub the baseboards, windows and window sills in the bedroom
Day 4- clean out the closet - bag up anything we haven't used in the past year (we'll donate later)
Day 5 - go through the dressers and get rid of anything we haven't used in the past year - also add to the donate pile
Day 6 - go through and clean out all the accessories, scarves, shoes, etc. Who am I kidding, I rarely accessorize!
Day 7 - Bathroom - declutter and simplify - if you have partially used soaps combine or discard - I know that hurts some of us!
Week 2 let's tackle the kitchen - it's where I spend a lot of my time
Day 8 - clean and clear off the counters
Day 9 - let's take on the Ref and Freezer - get rid of expired things, the freezer-burned items or things you may not even recognize! And if you have time - go for the pantry!
Day 10 - clean and organize the drawers- yup all of them!
Day 11 - tackle the sink cabinet - now would be a really good time to go all organic and eliminate all those toxic cleaners hiding under there! (your own is simple and cost-effective in the long run although to stock up on the ingredients at first it may not seem like it.)
Day 12 - clean the stove and oven so it looks brand new (yeah!)
Day 13 - If you have stuff on top of your Ref or cabinets today we'll tackle those - clean and eliminate the clutter or at least dust and wash that hard to clean stuff off - how is it that I never fry anything in grease, yet the dust on top of the cabinets is always this sticky/greasy kind of dust?
Day 14 - wash your windows and floors and be sure to get under those toe boards, then stand back and be happy with the progress so far! For those of you who do this daily or weekly - kudos to you!
Week 3 - let's tackle the entry and coat closets or cubbies
Day 15 - take everything out of your entryway closets - repaint if necessary so it's not only organized but it looks and smells fresh! Get rid of the stuff you just don't use often enough to justify keeping it
Day 16 - Take a photo of your entryway and see what seems out of place or how it appears to others when they enter your home. If you are happy - yeah - wash the windows and the floor and baseboards and celebrate - you are over halfway done!
Day 17 - Move to the Livingroom - great room or family room - wherever you hang out most often as a family - start by sorting through any clutter - magazines, books, games, - find a home or a cute way to conceal anything resembling clutter.
Day 18 - clean your windows - it makes such a difference! - Let the winter light shine bright!
Day 19 - look under those couch cushions and vacuum the dust bunnies in it and under it
Day 20 - dust high and low - a deep clean kind of dusting and don't forget the baseboards - finish today by vacuuming thoroughly - yes that means moving furniture!
Day 21 - Laundry room - clean behind and under your appliances - re-organize your cleaning products and empty those lint containers/ collectors- if you have laundry piles - work on getting those done!
Week 4 - are you still with me? The finish line is within sight! Let's do this!
Day 22 - Move to the bedrooms - let's assume you have 3 more - tackle one per day!
Day 23 - Bedroom # 3
Day 24 - Bedroom # 4 ( if you don't have a 4th or 5th bedroom - tackle an office or mudroom or take the day off!)
Day 25 - Today we'll repeat Day 7 in another bathroom
Day 26 - It's the new year, let's do a walk around today, looking for anything that uses batteries and make sure they are still in good working order, flashlights, smoke detectors, etc. If you know those are all up to date or you don't have any - go buy yourself a few emergency flashlights and stash them in a good spot.
Day 27 - Do you have a craft area - if you do we're tackling that today!
Day 28 - Home office - today's the day!
Week # 5 - closing in on our goal, don't give up now!
Day 29 - It's been 4 weeks - lets back up and do a walk through eliminating any clutter in sight - start at the front door (or back door if you're a back door family) Grab an empty laundry basket and collect everything out of place and spend your time today sorting through and eliminating or putting it away
Day 30 - Game closet or storage - yep not skipping that. If you don't have those - but you have pets - concentrate on the pet spaces today
Day 31- Today we're recycling the bags of stuff we've eliminated and tackling whatever we missed or what may need a quick re-do.
SO, that month went by pretty fast didn't it? Who was successful? If you started but didn't finish how far did you make it? If you are one of those who is always clutter-free - wow I wish I could be more like you! Would you please share your best tip?
With that said, this year, my goal is not to lose weight (although that wouldn't hurt) or to faithfully exercise (definitely would help), but nope... I'm going for less stress in my life. What stress you may wonder? Since I don't work (outside the home) and I have raised my kids, what am I talking about? But let's be real...we have stuff. And lots of it. I guess I have been slow to realize this can be a great source of stress, to keep it tidy, to find a place for everything and then keep everything in its place. So this year, I am going to start my New Year off by sorting through and getting rid of or creating a good storage solution for all the STUFF we have in our life. Those who really know me are probably either in disbelief, applauding my efforts or really super impressed. We'll see how it goes, remember so far this is only a resolution!
So who's in? Who wants to join me? Here's what I've come up with for my 31-day goal if you want to follow along (or create your own) and we can hold each other accountable! Are you ready?
I am. (I think!)
Starting where I begin my day. In the bedroom.
Day 1 - clean out the nightstand by the bed and clear off the top
Day 2 - take the bed apart and clean under the bed, flip the mattress, wash the bedding from the mattress cover on up. (okay so this is not cluttered, but it will feel so good to check it off the list!)
Day 3 - scrub the baseboards, windows and window sills in the bedroom
Day 4- clean out the closet - bag up anything we haven't used in the past year (we'll donate later)
Day 5 - go through the dressers and get rid of anything we haven't used in the past year - also add to the donate pile
Day 6 - go through and clean out all the accessories, scarves, shoes, etc. Who am I kidding, I rarely accessorize!
Day 7 - Bathroom - declutter and simplify - if you have partially used soaps combine or discard - I know that hurts some of us!
Week 2 let's tackle the kitchen - it's where I spend a lot of my time
Day 8 - clean and clear off the counters
Day 9 - let's take on the Ref and Freezer - get rid of expired things, the freezer-burned items or things you may not even recognize! And if you have time - go for the pantry!
Day 10 - clean and organize the drawers- yup all of them!
Day 11 - tackle the sink cabinet - now would be a really good time to go all organic and eliminate all those toxic cleaners hiding under there! (your own is simple and cost-effective in the long run although to stock up on the ingredients at first it may not seem like it.)
Day 12 - clean the stove and oven so it looks brand new (yeah!)
Day 13 - If you have stuff on top of your Ref or cabinets today we'll tackle those - clean and eliminate the clutter or at least dust and wash that hard to clean stuff off - how is it that I never fry anything in grease, yet the dust on top of the cabinets is always this sticky/greasy kind of dust?
Day 14 - wash your windows and floors and be sure to get under those toe boards, then stand back and be happy with the progress so far! For those of you who do this daily or weekly - kudos to you!
Week 3 - let's tackle the entry and coat closets or cubbies
Day 15 - take everything out of your entryway closets - repaint if necessary so it's not only organized but it looks and smells fresh! Get rid of the stuff you just don't use often enough to justify keeping it
Day 16 - Take a photo of your entryway and see what seems out of place or how it appears to others when they enter your home. If you are happy - yeah - wash the windows and the floor and baseboards and celebrate - you are over halfway done!
Day 17 - Move to the Livingroom - great room or family room - wherever you hang out most often as a family - start by sorting through any clutter - magazines, books, games, - find a home or a cute way to conceal anything resembling clutter.
Day 18 - clean your windows - it makes such a difference! - Let the winter light shine bright!
Day 19 - look under those couch cushions and vacuum the dust bunnies in it and under it
Day 20 - dust high and low - a deep clean kind of dusting and don't forget the baseboards - finish today by vacuuming thoroughly - yes that means moving furniture!
Day 21 - Laundry room - clean behind and under your appliances - re-organize your cleaning products and empty those lint containers/ collectors- if you have laundry piles - work on getting those done!
Week 4 - are you still with me? The finish line is within sight! Let's do this!
Day 22 - Move to the bedrooms - let's assume you have 3 more - tackle one per day!
Day 23 - Bedroom # 3
Day 24 - Bedroom # 4 ( if you don't have a 4th or 5th bedroom - tackle an office or mudroom or take the day off!)
Day 25 - Today we'll repeat Day 7 in another bathroom
Day 26 - It's the new year, let's do a walk around today, looking for anything that uses batteries and make sure they are still in good working order, flashlights, smoke detectors, etc. If you know those are all up to date or you don't have any - go buy yourself a few emergency flashlights and stash them in a good spot.
Day 27 - Do you have a craft area - if you do we're tackling that today!
Day 28 - Home office - today's the day!
Week # 5 - closing in on our goal, don't give up now!
Day 29 - It's been 4 weeks - lets back up and do a walk through eliminating any clutter in sight - start at the front door (or back door if you're a back door family) Grab an empty laundry basket and collect everything out of place and spend your time today sorting through and eliminating or putting it away
Day 30 - Game closet or storage - yep not skipping that. If you don't have those - but you have pets - concentrate on the pet spaces today
Day 31- Today we're recycling the bags of stuff we've eliminated and tackling whatever we missed or what may need a quick re-do.
SO, that month went by pretty fast didn't it? Who was successful? If you started but didn't finish how far did you make it? If you are one of those who is always clutter-free - wow I wish I could be more like you! Would you please share your best tip?
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