Okay, so you should still be drinking water, turning off those electronics, working out, and focusing on gratitude.
Now we get to this week. It’ll probably be your least favorite week out of the whole bunch, but it is totally necessary and will help you focus on other (more important) things down the road.
The focus this week? Cleaning & De-Cluttering.
Assignment #1
Pick at least one trouble spot and clean it.
I know you’re not excited about this. I know this isn’t as much fun as some of the other assignments (don’t worry, the last two weeks in State are going to be fun).
But you need to do it.
When we can’t find things or when we have that “thing to do” in the background, it places some unnecessary stress on us. I wanted to make sure this was doable, so I’ve been picking at least one trouble spot each week. I’ve already cleaned my garage, my office closet, and my downstairs closet
(somewhat sad note: I did time lapse videos of me cleaning some of these, but I was hit with a really bad cold this weekend and can’t quite film the main footage of me talking about it without sneezing or coughing, so I won’t post them. sorry).
Last week, I donated 4 huge garbage bags of clothes that I don’t really need anymore as well as 4 huge boxes of books. I’m downsizing my possessions.
My timing was perfect. As I mentioned, I came down with this horrible cold, but now my place is clean and totally functional. I can quickly find things and so I’m not wasting my reduced energy on anything unimportant.
Do this for yourself. Pick that closet, that junk drawer, etc. and make it functional again.
Assignment #2
Design a strategy to reduce the clutter year round.
If you are one of my adult readers who have your own place, I’d highly recommend signing up for The Clutter Diet. My friend, Lorie Marrero, created an incredible program that doesn’t cost too much on a monthly basis. Just like you’d never lose a bunch of weight in one day, but rather over the course of several months, Lorie’s plan sets up smaller tasks for you to do on a daily and/or weekly basis. It’s really incredible. I just really started using it again, and the results are awesome!
If you can’t afford Lorie’s program or are one of my teen readers still living with your parents, I’d recommend designing a plan for yourself. What are the steps you can do on a daily basis to make sure things don’t pile up? Do you have a place for important documents (a scan and placement into Evernote could be one solution)? Recycling? Trash? How often do you donate clothing you don’t wear anymore? Design a strategy and then implement it.
Let me know how it goes.