Anyone who knows me can tell you I love a good competition! So in the name of good fun let’s have a 10 minute Tuesday race! (Spoiler alert, I am going to lose this race. I almost deleted this post after seeing my time but I am not a sore loser!)
Today, I am going to do some decluttering. I recently cleaned out the girls’ closet as well as the front closet. Armed with some bags to donate from these previous decluttering efforts, I thought I would do one final sweep before heading to Goodwill.
To make it a little more exciting; I decided to make it a challenge! Whoever can gather the most items to donate or trash in 10 minutes wins the decluttering race! (And really after decluttering, aren’t we all winners haha). Run around the house to gather items (while burning calories), you can even get the little ones involved.
My race strategy- look for small items to boost my final count.
First stop out of the starting gates, purge magazines.
Then on to shoes, where I found one lingering pair I could donate after my hall closet decluttering session, you can always get rid of shoes right? And do I get to count them as 2 items or just one for the pair? Hmmm)
Then on to my makeup drawer and other spaces that hadn’t been recently organized.
After 10 minutes, this is what I’d gathered.
- 6 magazines/catalogs
- 9 cosmetic items
- 3 shoes
- 1 scarf
- 4 exercise books/journals
- 1 candle
Total items- 24 and only the scarf goes to Goodwill!
I don’t know what I was expecting; maybe I have been watching too many TV shows with front lawns filled with perfectly lined boxes of things to get rid of. A whole living room filled with items to give to Goodwill was definitely not what I ended up with.
In my 10 minute race I forged through my vases, medicine cabinet, and closet with nothing to show for it. I’m hoping there are some people out there who can beat my score!
My anti-climatic finish did prove to be positive overall. Since I consistently throw items in a designated give away box, as well as organize my space regularly, I struggled to find stuff to toss. The small steps I take to examine what is really necessary proved successful when I couldn’t find too many unwanted items in our home. I was certainly proud that my ultimate goal of living a simplified life and surrounding my family with the things that matter most shined through despite the small pile I arrived with at the finish line.
I do love my decluttered coffee table! What can I say, I am a glass half-full kind of gal.
Your turn to set your timer and race. As you move through your house, make quick decisions and let go of things you don’t love or don’t serve a function in your home. You can breeze through multiple rooms or just focus on one main area. The most important thing to remember is that even small steps matter! And it’s usually those first baby steps that can get you motivated to tackle bigger more daunting projects. Besides, who doesn’t love a good race!
Ready? Try to beat my score and share all your gathered loot in the comments below!
