Happy New Year! The response to yesterday’s announcement of the Creating Order 2009 Declutter Challenge! has been phenomenal. I feel really encouraged by everyone’s getting into the spirit of the challenge with their participation, predictions, comments and emails.
Haven’t heard of the Creating Order 2009 Declutter Challenge!? Take a look at yesterday’s post for all the juicy details. Then get involved.
Ok, so here’s my first report. I had no idea I’d be able to declutter so much stuff on just the first day.
1-11: pens – leaky, broken, dried up – from my son’s school supplies 
12: a broken compass
13: a cracked sharpener
14: a dried out correction pen
15: an empty glue stick
16: a pencil too small to use, all headed for the bin
17-32: various dried up felt pens
33-50: magazines, headed for friends via the basket at my front door
51-56: cookbooks. If my friends don’t need them, the charity shop can have them.
That means I’m over my week’s target on the first day! How did you go? Well, here are some results from enthusiastic declutterers. They’ve decluttered an average of 11 items each, ranging from painting books, magazines dating back to the 1970s and knitting UFOs (unfinished objects) to a roasting rack and a battery-operated duster that didn’t live up to its advertising.
They’re sharing wisdom too. One reader wrote, “If a super-organised person whose working life is devoted to helping others can identify 5 items to declutter daily, what target should an OCD with hoarding and depression set herself, still making the task realistic and achievable? Angela, I’m raising your 5 items to 10. Go on all you others, join the challenge!”
Another wisely said, “We should all have less clutter by the end of the challenge – as long as we do not bring more into our homes.”
So now it’s over to you. Add your “stats” to the comments of the blog posts along the way. I look forward to hearing your stories.
Not quite up to your 56 but I’ve had a fun start with 35 items on day one! Filling out the spreadsheet has been fun. I’m actually naming every item so at the end of the year I will be able to look back and see all the junk I got rid of item by item.
I’ve also started listing some things on Ebay so that hopefully I can make a profit out of getting rid of my junk.
I’m really inspired. Thank you for your challenge.
Today I threw away all my old calendars – a whole carrier bag full of them.
Inspired I’ve just turfed:
25 magazines
a pair of swimming goggles – broken
various lanyards picked up at conferences
2 lipsticks dating back to the mid 90s
empty cans of citronella spray
diary from a couple of years ago
plastic bags that have multiplied
and in this little clear out, found a pair of earrings and a necklace!
@ Pam – It’s good to create a simple way to record your success. Remember to come back and let us know how you’re doing.
@ Ulla – you’re really on a roll now aren’t you? Keep it up. You inspire others.
@ Imogen – thanks for reminding us there are added benefits of decluttering. Finding lost jewellery is a really good incentive.
I’m decluttering my way through January……105 things so far!!! We just dropped off 6 bags at the op shop and I can’t throw anything else out until rubbish day because the bin is full. One day I may actually have my craft room back….
I love doing puzzles and buy magazines and puzzle books. Sometimes I’ve done most of the puzzles but there are one or two left so I’ve been keeping the magazine or puzzle book. Well, yesterday I tore out all of the puzzles I hadn’t done and turfed the magazines. Then I found an old sketch book (in my decluttering mania) and have taped each puzzle onto a page. Now I have fewer magazines hanging around and when I want to do some puzzles, or we go on vacation, I just have to grab the sketch book and I have heaps of puzzles on hand.
Pam, you’re an inspiration. Keep up the great work, and let us all know how you get on.
And, like you, I’m a puzzle fan. Logic problems are my thing. And like you, I used to have unfinished puzzle books lying around. Now I’ve decided not be ok with not completing them all. When I buy a new puzzle book, I only get the ones with my favourites. If that’s 4 puzzles in the whole book, I figure that’s about $1 per puzzle and I’m ok with that. Luckily, my daughter likes to do the “leftovers”.
I’m up to 145 items! I have another bag ready for the bin when it gets emptied tomorrow and another 2 bags for the op shop. Most of this stuff is coming out of my craft room, but I’m finding all kinds of bits and pieces that “I might need someday”. I’m really looking at them and making a decision as to whether they stay and get stored properly, or they go. I’ve even sold a couple of things on Ebay! Even better, I found a $5 note in an old handbag!
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