10 Things

If you're feeling a little ...unsettled... (or maybe you would label it cRaZy or frazzled or weighed down) because of excess stuff, as ...ahem... *someone* around here may or may not be feeling, I have a simple suggestion for you.  It is by no means a new concept, but I was reminded of it again the other day while blog-hopping, and I thought you might find inspiration in the sharing of it.

The simple suggestion is to get rid of 10 (or more) things every day.  Ten things?  In the midst of all of this abundance?  Totally do-able.  I can totally find 10 things to get rid of today.  And tomorrow.  And the next day.  And probably, every day for the rest of my life, as the seasons of my life change, as my interests change, as my needs change.  And you can do it, too.

The spoils of one day's hunt in the kitchen drawers for at least 10 items to discard.
Not included in the picture are the 18 gazillion too-short-no-eraser pencils and 13 gazillion dried-up ink pens that went straight in the trash :)

I started about a week ago, and my goal is to get rid of 10 things every week-day until the end of the year.  That's 50 things a week: 450 things over the course of 9 weeks.  I feel so strongly about this that for the next 9 weeks, getting rid of 10 things will be item number 1 on my 3 item to-do list every day.  After that, I'll see where I am mentally and emotionally--I predict a drastic improvement--and I'll decide whether to continue.

I'm going about my anti-treasure hunt freestyle, picking an area that bugs me each day and sorting and organizing just that small area, and being ruthless in my purging, but if you would prefer a little more guidance, check out Keeper of the Home's 8 Weeks to a Less Cluttered Home PDF guide. 

(Eight weeks!  You know what's in 8 weeks, right?  Christmas!  What a perfect Christmas gift to give to yourself and your family--a less cluttered living space). 

Just spend 30 minutes or less organizing one of the listed areas each day, and look for 10 things to sell, donate, or throw away.

Ahhh...I feel lighter already :)