Jump Start January: Declutter and Organise Week
Time for a change of theme! The next seven days are all about decluttering and getting organised, so here we go…
This week’s schedule
We’re going to be making a good start on sorting out our lives and our homes over the next seven days. So it doesn’t become overwhelming, it’s going to be broken down into smaller, easier steps which are more manageable.
- Day 1: Sock drawer sort out (see below)
- Day 2: Health and beauty clean up
- Day 3: Month by month planner
- Day 4: Mug / tea cupboard tidy
- Day 5: Sort out the freezer day
- Day 6: Clean up the cleaning stuff
- Day 7: Organise those accessories
Once again, if you miss any of the activities, don’t worry. They’re designed to fit together and be fairly fast to do, so you can catch up the following day, or complete the whole set of seven activities next weekend.
It’s up to you, but I think I’ll be trying to carry out the tasks on a ‘little and often’ basis this time.
Today, it’s an easy one. We’re going to sort out our sock drawers, or if you prefer, a collection of tights.
Like all declutters, it follows a set pattern. Here goes.
- Empty the drawer
- Dust out the drawer, or wipe it with a slightly dampened cloth and leave to dry
- Sort through the socks and tights, making separate piles for ‘throw away/recycle’, ‘keep’, ‘mend’, and ‘give away’
- Take the ‘throw away/recycle’ items straight out to the bin or recycling box/bin
- Bag up the ‘give away’ pile, put it in the hallway, and give it to charity or another recipient by the end of the week
- Put the ‘mend’ items next to your sewing kit
- Put the ‘keep’ items back in the clean drawer, adding boxes or bags to separate different hosiery out if needed (you can sort out by colour, occasion, level of warmth etc, whatever helps you to get ready faster in the morning)
- Make a list of items that need to be replaced, or new items that need to be bought – ideally do this within the next seven days
That’s it, should be fairly quick and painless. And remember, the sock drawer is for socks, rather than a mix of socks and random items. If necessary, use a box or drawer divider to keep things separate, because it’s so much easier to find anything important in a hurry.
When was the last time you sorted out your sock drawer or tights drawer? Time to make some more space and freshen up.
Oh you wonderful woman!
I have wasted years of my life reading dreary vague guides to decluttering which have over-awed me and I have done nothing.
Now you present clear, small tasks-I’ve started already!
Very many thanks!
Hi Su – so glad you’re enjoying it. I find a lot of decluttering guides a bit scary, with too much to do all in one go. If you pick a small area such as one cupboard, one drawer or one shelf, you can be sure that you’ll get the job finished properly – it’s a nice confidence booster once it’s complete!
Hi Penny – thanks for sharing your ideas! I found them really useful, I too get flustered often so dealing with things in small steps helps me too! I’ve just discovered your blog and will definitely be reading all 7 posts. haha. Keep up the good work 🙂
Hello Jessica. Have a good time decluttering, it’ll get you ahead of yourself for the spring cleaning!