On Monday I shared my mantra for 2018, "
Be better at being healthy." At the end I mentioned one more goal for the year that has more to do with my mental health. Over the last few years we have drastically outgrown our condo. The few closets we have are brimming with wedding gifts & clutter, our kitchen cabinets have dishes & party supplies that never get used & well, our storage unit in the garage...you can't even get to it because so many wedding boxes & cast off furniture are stacked in front of it. So while we hope to move into a house that has actual storage in it, it probably won't be for at least another year. Plus, we just have a lot of crap that we don't need & it will be so nice to move into a new space feeling lighter.
I've researched & tried a few different cleaning/organizing methods in the past & while some of them worked in the moment, they just weren't sustainable for me. The plans I tried were drastic & you were supposed to clean out your entire house in just a few days. Well, I don't know about you, but A. I don't have time for that & B. I have better things to do with my time. I was definitely not born with the tidy gene & cleaning is just not something I prioritize in my life. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a clean space & when I want to, I can be incredibly ruthless when it comes to disposing of clutter. But over the last year, I've really let my ruthlessness slide & if I want to prevent J from having a complete meltdown, I need to get my shit together.
"Your home should be a living space, not a storage space"
-Francine Jay
So I devised a challenge that I think will work better for me. If a task feels too daunting, I'm less likely to attempt it. But if it feels like something I can accomplish in a short amount of time, I'm in. Similar to the popular cleaning challenge,
"40 Bags in 40 Days," I'm going to find 52 spaces in our home that need to either be cleaned out or organized & tackle one space each week for the next year. Some spaces will be larger, like my kitchen cabinets, while others will be on the smaller side, like my nightstand drawers. If I assign myself just one task a week, organizing the whole house becomes much more manageable & much less daunting. A recipe for success.
Given that we're already a week into the new year, I need to catch up...however, I might cheat a bit because I did do a giant closet clean out 12/29-12/30 & well, that might be close enough. As of now, I've come up with 31 spaces that need help, which you can read about below. I'm going to keep a journal of my progress & inevitable missteps to hold myself accountable. I also plan on checking back here monthly to provide updates, before & after pictures & review any organization products I buy. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, I'd love to have some friends along for the journey. I'm going to need all the support I can get!
"Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony.
In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity."
-Albert Einstein
Container Store, be ready to take all my money! Here's to a cleaner & more organized 2018!
Spaces that need attention:
1. Bras/under garments - when was the last time you cleaned our your bras?
2. Purses - I easily have 5-7 that I never use & could be sold or donated
3. Jewelry - Seriously, I have jewelry EVERYWHERE
4. Master bath vanity - drawers & under the sink (my side only, J's side is ridiculously clean)
5. Guest bath vanity - aka my 2nd vanity
6. Nightstand drawers (again, just mine)
7. Bathing suit drawer - I have an entire drawer dedicated to bathing suits & cover ups!
8. Throw pillows - yeahhh, we probably need to downsize on these. We have a lot.
9. Kitchen cabinets - so much crap is stored in our dinky little kitchen that we never use
10. & 11. Garage & storage unit - I'm breaking this up into 2 (even though they're in the same space) because they are both big projects that are going to take time.
12. Under master bed - we have a bunch of Tupperware's shoved under there that need to go
13. Under guest bed - same thing
14. Bar - Our bar has a ton of alcohol that nobody drinks & the drawers are filled with leftover shit from various parties.
15. Under the kitchen table - our table (see it
here, though the room looks nothing like this now) has 2 shelves under it & the shelf directly under has become a collecting spot for crap & the basket below, well lets just say there's stuff in there from my apartment from 6 years ago.
16. Storage closet & shelving unit - we basically have one storage closet in this house that isn't meant for clothes & well, that's kind of laughable. Right now we have wedding gifts stacked in there unopened because I want to wait until we move to open our nice things. However, we can't get to anything in there. So while the gifts have to stay, the shelving unit in the closet needs to be completely re-organized.
17. Linen closet - we do have a little linen closet upstairs with lots of bedding/blankets & towels that we don't need.
18. Dog toys - yes this is a space! If I have to downsize, the boys have to downsize.
19. Storage bins next to our desk - so at the moment, we have just a temporary desk in our guest bedroom for J to use. I don't have a desk & therefore no space to put desk related items. So in turn, a huge stack of crap has piled up next to the desk that has got to go.
20. File folder - I have one major Tupperware filled with important papers, tax returns etc. It desperately needs to be cleaned out & reorganized. I don't think I need a copy of my renters insurance from when I lived in Chicago...8 years ago.
21. Sell clothing online - I have a small stack of clothes that I am going to attempt to sell on the internets. I've had some success before, so hoping to make a few dollars here.
22. Work out gear - I have 2 drawers dedicated to yoga pants, work out clothes & pajamas. Pretty sure I can consolidate into 1 drawer.
23. Freezer - no idea when I went thru the freezer last. The fridge, however, gets cleaned out pretty regularly.
24. J's closet - no I'm not cleaning his stuff, I'm cleaning out the things I have stored in there...*insert major eye roll at myself*
25. Misc. basket in closet - I have a basket that collects crap in my closet. Time to clean it out.
26. Socks - when's the last time you cleaned out your socks?
27. T shirts / tanks drawers - I have 3 drawers dedicated to these items. Aiming to consolidate into 2.
28. J's nightstand - I have a few decorative items on his nightstand & they just feel like clutter now so those need to go. I won't be touching a single thing that belongs to J.
29. Behind/Under my dresser - yes those places have become a collection zone
30. Shelving unit in dining room - we have one of J's old bookshelves that needs a makeover. It's become a collecting zone for decor items but it just looks like a mess.
31. Mini fridge in dining room - so we had a beer fridge. It died months ago. It is still sitting there.
32. Top of my dresser & the mini drawers - the top of my dresser has become a dumping ground since I don't have a desk. There are also some mini drawers on top of my dresser that are filled with accessories I never use.
OK those are all my spaces thus far. I realize they are a bit scattered but I don't plan on organizing in that order. Each week I'm going to decide what to tackle the following week. It just feels easier to manage that way!
