Organizing is not a “one time” experience. To be truly organized, one must continually circulate belongings, storing them in assigned locations until they have outlived their usefulness and are removed from the space. The craziness of life can mean we fall behind on this responsibility, so I designed The Get Organized! Challenge as a fun way to carve out a bit of time each day to tackle areas that may have gotten out of control. Each day, for one month, we shed an increasing number of items from a changing list of categories.
I’d like to thank all of the people who followed along and shared their progress, struggles and celebrations. It has been fun to hear and see the comments. A few highlights…
“I had a flat iron that was terrible and I finally had the gall to chuck it. It felt so great!” ~ Tamara
“First item gone: espresso maker! We’ve had it for almost 10 years, used it maybe a handful of times, and now it’s just an albatross. Not anymore!” ~ Yvonne
“This challenge actually had me FINALLY repair 5 broken items that had been waiting for me for almost 10 years!” ~ Susan
“I finally decided to let the dish go. I don’t need it to remember my mother or the love she put into that project.” ~ Janet
“This is an easy one. I got rid of three shirts, my husband got rid of 3 sweaters, and my kids got rid of 3 tshirts each.” ~ Sabrina
“Love reading your ideas for cleaning out sports gear… I’d forgotten about how helpful Facebook groups can be to move some of those sports items.” ~ Susan
“Woohooo! This one is easy for me.. I am losing weight, so NONE of my clothes fit! I am giving LOTS away.. easy challenges like this make me feel like Ive accomplished something!” ~ Gingi
“You’ve shifted my thinking with these words – Organizing is not the negative exercise of forcing yourself to discard things. Instead, it is a positive endeavor to prioritize your space for the way you live now.” ~ Susan
“Ha! Were you standing over my shoulder yesterday as I was organizing my laundry room- where I keep my boxes stash? None of them made it into the garbage. . . But now I’m reassessing.” ~ Bre
“I have a[n earring] ‘collection’ but some of them are missing so I threw out the ones that are missing a partner and those that I don’t use anymore. It feels good to reduce the clutter in my drawer. Whew!” ~ Rea
“I plan to donate/sell this one huge car racing thing to clear up space!” ~ Nina
“My girls last night were just begging us to donate some books. So looks like they were on task for this challenge ?” ~ Janine
“I love the idea of creating a digital book of kids’ creations. It’s a great permanent way to treasure the artwork.” ~ Ellen
“I used to pin a lot of [my child’s] art up on a bulletin board and then take a picture of the board every week. Now I just need to actually go through and toss some of the art!” ~ Autumn
“Whether it’s photos or clothing or kitchen items, letting go of what we don’t need/want/treasure, always makes way for more clarity…physical and emotional. What’s not to love about that?” ~ Linda
“Yes toys are always a hot bed of discussion!” ~ Jill
And here is a photo emailed in from Katy celebrating her success with E-clutter
If you were unable to follow along in January, you can start the challenge at any time. In addition, if you missed a day or two, you can always go back catch up. Here is a summary of of the challenges, along with the link to the post with tips on how to proceed.
Day #1: Tools and Appliances
Day #2: Broken Items
Day #3: Shirts, Sweatshirts, and Sweaters
Day #4: Sports Gear
Day #5: Coats & Jackets
Day #6: Shoes
Day#7: Cups and Mugs
Day #8: Jeans, Pants and Shorts
Day #9: Medications
Day #10: Greeting Cards
Day #11: Hobby Supplies
Day #12: Unwanted Food Items
Day #13: Boxes
Day #14: Underclothes
Day #15: Cables & Chargers
Day #16: Make-up & Toiletries
Day #18: Accessories
Day #19: E-Clutter
Day #20: Toys
Day #21: Pieces of Trash
Day #22: Ties & Belts
Day #23: Emails
Day #24: Books
Day #25: Magazines, Catalogs, and Newspapers
Day #26: Children’s Artwork
Day #27: Pens, Crayons & Pencils
Day #28: Hangers
Day #29: Buttons
Day #30: Pieces of Paper
Day #31: Photos
Which task do you think is the hardest? What areas would you like to see us tackle in next year’s Get Organized Challenge?
I loved this challenge and you are right though is an never ending challenge for all of us, but thank you for giving us all a head start this past month. Seriously appreciated it more than you even know 😉
Janine Huldie recently posted…15 Simple Ways to Reconnect Romantically Just in Time for Valentine’s Day
Thank YOU, Janine, for being my most faithful commenter. I had a lot of fun, and really enjoyed hearing everyone’s feedback. Hope you have a wonderful week:)
This was fun, and I have fallen behind on some.. but am bookmarking THIS roundup for easy access to the ones I failed on, haha! Thanks for this fun challenge! <3 – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Gingi recently posted…Abolishing Abortion: How You Can Play a Part in Ending the Greatest Evil of Our Day
Thanks for following along, Gingi. I hope you found it helpful. I figure this round-up is a pin-able summary for those who ran out of time but want to do this in the future!
For sure!! You were crazy thorough. You should consider writing a printed book! <3 – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Gingi recently posted…Why You Should Purge Your Kitchen of Industrial Oils
I am thinking about it, Gingi! So many ideas swirling over here….
DO IT!!! I want to be the first to buy an autographed copy!! Use all your blog posts as notes to organize chapters!! – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Gingi recently posted…Why You Should Purge Your Kitchen of Industrial Oils
Wonderful recap…and way to show progress. It’s all about the baby steps, right?
Linda Samuels recently posted…How to Set the Stage for Better Life Balance
Most definitely, Linda! I thought people might like seeing that they aren’t the only one fighting the clutter. We all do our best, and it is great to celebrate our victories, no matter how large or how small!
This is so true. Knowing that we have company in our challenges can help us through.
Linda Samuels recently posted…Change One Habit With This Easy and Clever Solution
I’ve loved this challenge. It’s always great to get a new perspective on purging and organizing. I’d like to see time saving tips and time management tips for next year.
It’s been fun sharing this journey! Thanks for the suggestion for next year… time to start thinking that through:)
Congratulations Seana on an awesome blog challenge! I plan to blog every day for a whole month at some point and I can only imagine how much work it takes.
Nina recently posted…How to Sleep Train Twins: Now Available
Yes, it is quite an undertaking. I was feeling it by the end… only a blogger would have posted this thoughtful comment, Nina. Thank you so much for the support!
Awesome job, Seana! It was really a thorough challenge and a great start for a new year. I love the shared comments above. Great idea to include it. Looking forward to your future posts. =)
Sabrina Quairoli recently posted…7 Book Storage Solutions For Small Spaces
Thank you so much for the affirmation, Sabrina! It means so much coming from a fellow professional. I greatly enjoyed the comments and feedback, and am looking forward to doing it again next year.
This is an exciting jump start for the year! As you said, organizing is not a one time event. It’s getting into the habit of organizing that your challenges will help make the most difference.
Congrats to all who participated!
Thanks for commenting and for the affirmation, Ellen. A definite Congratulations! to the participants… starting isn’t easy, so kudos to those who tried!
Congratulations on a successful series – looks like you made a big difference to a lot of people!
It is fun to hear comments from people I didn’t even know were following! Many times people don’t comment, but then talk to me in person. Thanks for commenting and being a part of supporting the challenge, Janet!
What a wonderful GO Month Challenge. Congratulations to all who participated. I love quotes of the highlights!
Nancy Haworth recently posted…Ways to Recycle in Raleigh
Thanks for the affirmation, Nancy! Means so much coming from a fellow professional. We had a lot of fun, and cleared a lot of clutter… so energizing!
The awesome thing about a challenge such as yours is that its timeless…people can begin when they stumble upon the posts and it doesn’t have to be in January! Thanks for spearheading this Seana! P.S. I LOVE the image of the umpteen old cell phones…bravo to her!
Natalie Gallagher recently posted…Home Office Organizing – Tax Documents
That is why I put this recap together, Natalie, so that folks could pin this challenge to have available whenever they want to do it. And as you say, you don’t have to do it in January or even need to do all of the challenges. You can pick and choose the ones that you want. I appreciate your kind affirmation:)
Thanks for sharing the recap of these great challenges Seana! Pinning and tweeting to share with others. Hope you are having a wonderful week!
Thanks, Laurie. Love sharing with your group!
Congratulations on such a successful and comprehensive challenge for your audience! Sounds like you helped make a difference in so many lives!
Kathy Vines recently posted…Facing Sentimental Items While Trying to Get Organized
We had a lot of fun. Sometimes it can be easier to start something when you know others are trying too!
Wow! This is an impressive list. My problem is that many pf these times are scattered throughout the house in various drawers. i fear it would take all day just to round up cables, chargers and the like. Sometimes I think it would just be easier to move and start all over, LOL.
Marcia @ Menopausal Mother recently posted…The 10 Commandments of Middle Age
I’ve had that thought – just abandon ship! There are many approaches to decluttering, so it is important to find one that “fits” your style. It is pretty amazing how much we accumulate though, isn’t it?
Reminds me that I used to sometimes almost wish my house would burn down so I could start over!
You aren’t the only person to make this comment, Carolyn. I think we can all relate to that emotion! The idea of starting over is always appealing.
I love recap posts like this! Clearly this series was helpful to many. Kudos on such a well organized and planful organizing challenge!
We had a lot of fun! I know you ran a successful FB challenge as well. Nothing feels as good in January as clearing out, right?
It has been a very helpful round of challenges! Not everything was applicable to me but I was able to get rid of some clutter along the way. Thanks for sharing this Seana! I’m currently on a long vacation so we’ll see what I will tackle next once I get back home.
Happy Vacation, Rea. Thanks for following along. You an always pin this for future reference and do it again next year!