31 Day Challenge: Day 28
Halloween is only 3 days away. And once Halloween is over, it’s November and the new year will be here before you know it.
Now is the time to get a head start and declutter your home. If that’s too big of a job, concentrate on the “public” areas of your home: the living room, family room, kitchen, dining room, entryway, and the bathroom.
Get everyone together for a couple of hours – remember to plan and schedule this in advance – put on some music, and declutter like mad!
Our clutter can be grouped into a few different categories:
- Trash that wasn’t disposed of
- Things you got out and didn’t put away
- Papers that you need to do something with, like bills
- Things that have no designated spot in your home
Trash is easy. Throw it away.
Putting things away is easy. Just do it.
For the papers, gather them all together and put them in a basket or box. Bonus points if it’s decorative and you can put it in plain sight. When you get a chance, go through it and sort out what needs to be handled soon, like bills or invitations, and then clip the rest together to go through later. This would be things like papers you need to file, flyers for an event you’d like to attend, and coupons or sale papers for items you intend to purchase.
Finally, you’ve got the pile of things that have no home.
Is there any way you can divide it by like things? Maybe there are several books in there, or things belonging to a certain member of the household.
Do what you can to organize them now. If you can find a room where they belong, that’s a good start. If not, box them up or put them in baskets; put them in plastic bags if you have to, and then find an out of the way place to store them until you can get to them.
If you have a planner, write down where you put them. Make a reminder at the end of your December calendar or January if you have it so that you are sure to go back to them and finish the job. Include the location in your reminder.
Once you have the clutter out, it’s easier to clean and decorate your house in time for all of the celebrations to come.