Welcome to Day 1 of the 10 Days to a Tidy House Challenge! A few days ago I shared a crazy idea that I had with you guys: decluttering and tidying up your house in just 10 days. (You can read more in the introduction to the challenge HERE.) It must have struck a chord with several of you, because I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the response! So, thank you for joining me. I’ll be posting pictures and lists of the items I’ve decluttered on my Facebook page throughout the challenge. You’re welcome to follow me and share your own experience as well!
Day One: Prepare to Tidy Up
I know, I know. You’re probably thinking, “Sarah, do I really need a day to prepare? Can’t I just go dump a bunch of my stuff and get started?” But, hear me out. Today is actually an important part of the tidying process. Just as you wouldn’t run a marathon without preparation, you shouldn’t begin a major overhaul of your house without some forethought.
Today we’re going to think about four things:
- Your “Why”
- The Others in Your House
- Gathering Supplies
- Having a Plan for the Discarded Items
I really believe that if we don’t think about these four things BEFORE we start tidying up, we’re dooming ourselves to either not completing the project or having to repeat it again in another month.
Think About Your Why
Why do you want to remove the clutter from your house? Are you wanting to sell items and make some extra money to pay off debt or save for a vacation? Do you feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff that surrounds you? Are you preparing to move and want to cull unnecessary items before you do? What is your “why” for participating in this challenge?
Take just a minute today and think about that question. The answer will influence how you do some of the subsequent tasks. For example, if you want to earn money, you will need to sort through your discarded items carefully so that you can find the ones that others may wish to purchase. However, if you just want this junk er, I mean stuff, out of your house, then you will probably just wish to donate or dump it.
The Other People in Your House
Unless you are single and living alone, there are other people who will be affected by this decluttering challenge. In Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, she advises strongly against tidying up others’ belongings. I agree. While you may think you are doing your spouse a service by discarding that ratty t-shirt from college, he may think otherwise. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that you are all on the same page.
At some point today have a conversation with your spouse and older children about your goals for tidying up. They may feel the same way and get behind the challenge 100%. You may even have help! However, if they don’t wish for you to declutter their items, then please don’t force the issue. Kondo relates that often spouses are inspired by seeing the tidying process and results. This frequently motivates them to begin their own tidying.
In my house, I will not be decluttering my husband’s things (his clothes, books, hobby items, etc.). He is in the middle of some serious dissertation-writing at the moment and would prefer to organize his own things when he has more time. However, I will be tidying my children’s clothes, toys, and books. My kids are all fairly young (2, 3, and 6), so they don’t have strong opinions on the subject.
Modern Mrs. Darcy has a great article on The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up For Kids that I highly recommend reading. It outlines some of the challenges of implementing Kondo’s methods when you have children and ways to tweak the methods to work for families with small children.
Gather Your Supplies
Next, you will need a few supplies for this challenge. You likely have them in your house already, but now is a good time to check and pick them up if you don’t. You will need:
- trash bags
- boxes
- basic cleaning supplies
We will be decluttering A LOT of items, so you will want bags and boxes that you can use to transport them to their final destinations (more on that in a minute). Also, we will be completely emptying out closets, bookshelves, etc., so it might be a nice time to quickly wipe them down or dust them and kill two birds with one stone.
Where Will It All Go?
Finally, as I mentioned, at the end of this challenge, we will have many, many items that we no longer want to keep. It would be really easy just to send those bags and boxes down to the basement to “deal with later.” But we all know what will happen, right? Someone will stumble over them in a couple of months and have to begin the process again.
So decide where you would like to send the discarded items. Do you want to sell some? Give to charity? Give to friends or family members? Make a plan. This may involve calling some local charities to see what kinds of donations they accept. Do you have a lot of businesswear that you no longer need? Many homeless shelters welcome these items so that their residents can go to job interviews. Are you ready to give away baby items or childrens’ clothing? Perhaps there is a young family at your church who would be blessed by them.
Remember what St. Basil the Great said,
“The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.”
Today’s Action Items
To recap, here are the action items to accomplish today:
- Decide on your “why.”
- Talk with the others in your house and determine their involvement (or their non-involvement).
- Make sure you have the necessary supplies–trash bags, boxes, cleaning products.
- Decide where the decluttered items will go. Call organizations if necessary.
That’s it for today! I look forward to seeing you tomorrow for Day 2: Tidying Your Clothing.
Remember, many of these ideas are based on the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. If you have time, you can purchase the book or check it out from your library to read more about her philosophy of homemaking.
What is your “why”? Why do you want to declutter your house? What would your dream house look like?
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(Linked to Share the Wealth.)
Love the quote from St. Basil…so convicting…so true.
It’s one that gets me every time.