Well, hello, my fellow FLINGERS!
So excited to start flinging with you on Monday! Just a couple of hints as we prepare:
1. We will be taking on one room a day, 20 items a day, over 10 days. If you fling more, great. But even those 200 items will make a difference—not just in your home, but your attitude.
2. Take pictures. Share the love and encouragement by sharing pics of what you’ve done. You don’t HAVE to post a pic, but boy does it get our decluttering juices running.
3. If you get behind, don’t get discouraged. You have the weekend to catch up. We’ll still be here for you!
4. Get your system together. You need one box for Put Away (everything that belongs in that room but is in the wrong place), one box for Give Away (things to be donated or given to a friend), and one box for Other Rooms (anything that goes into another room), plus one bag for garbage and one bag for recycling.
5. Set a timer. See if you can fling your 20 items in 10 minutes. If not, set the timer again and keep going. When you get to 20 items, spend 5 minutes getting all the boxes and bags taken care of.
6. Set up a Give Away Center. This may be the trunk of your car, a place in your garage, or a spot in your shed. Put everything you are giving away in this spot, so it doesn’t get sucked back into the house.
7. Schedule a “Give Away” time each week. For me, it’s Tuesdays when I’m on my way to a church meeting; the donation center is right on the way. I just pull in, unload my car, and give the donation guy a high five.
Set yourself up for success. We are going to have an amazing time over these next 10 days!
I actually have been doing this for about a week, did my bedroom yesterday and yes it feels so good not to feel like you are smothering in stuff.
I have a question about the three boxes…It seem to me that one box wouldn’t be enough for “Put back”…that that would expand into several boxes because I would find so much that was out of place…or doesn’t have a place. How can you only use one box? And…what about the stuff that doesn’t have a place to go???
It seems to me that after setting your 10 min. timer you could fill up one box, and then after the timer goes off, put things where they belong. Then re-use that box for another round. Or use several boxes during that first 10 min. time frame, if you like. I’ll let someone else answer your 2nd question. Be sure to have fun! 🙂
I did one box, well basket and put it away before doing another.
I have a smallish house, so I just put the item in the room where it goes. If it belongs to a kid I put it on their assigned step on the staircase for them to take up later. Works for me!
I would say when the one box is full, put the items away and then fill it up again. Less overwhelming that way. If I had four put away boxes, I would think it was too big of a job and I would leave them sit. As for things that don’t have a place, maybe save those in a box with a goal to declutter enough to make a space or maybe decide that if they don’t have a home, off they go. Good luck!