DeclutteringThis post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our Disclosure Policy.
My 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge is going okay. I only have about 10 bags at this point so I’m a little behind where I wanted to be, but progress is being made so I’m choosing to be happy about that. At least I’m ahead of last year’s record.
I wanted a little more motivation and a more visual representation of my progress so I made a new printable, of course. The ideal way to achieve those results probably would’ve been to fill up another bag, but I’m a master of procrastination.
I wanted a printable that actually showed all of the bags I’d be filling so I made these.
At this point, I almost have more printables for this than I do bags. I guess it’s obvious I enjoy printable making more than decluttering.
You can access this and all of my other free printables by signing up for my newsletter. Just enter your e-mail address in the sidebar right over there —–> A welcome message will be automatically e-mailed to you soon afterwards with a link to all of my available printables.
I thought the best way to show some of my actual progress would be to share some pictures. I kind of bounced from space to space, which is probably why I didn’t get much done. My goal for this week: focus!
Here’s a glimpse of some of my bathroom drawers. They were a mess of cosmetics, bobby pins, hair ties, and brushes, and I was having to constantly shuffle through drawers full of stuff to find what I wanted.
The finished result is working out much better. I used acrylic organizers that I already had and also added this adorable Self Adhesive Chevron Shelf Liner
(affiliate link. Read more here). I hate pretty much every cosmetic aspect of my bathroom decor. I refer to it as Montezuma’s Revenge because it has brown walls and green counters and floor tiles… not my style. I’m hoping that adding a little of my taste to the space will hold me over until we’re able to remodel.
This is what happened while I worked in my office.
I guess my 2 year old was trying to put his little brother away? I think he actually thought his little brother would enjoy a game of peek-a-boo, but as you can see in the second pic up top, the baby wasn’t as amused. I love his sweet little, “Why, mom?” face. As for big brother, this was after lunch (hence the dirty shirt), and he’d had his face painted the previous day. Fun times around our house, I’ll tell ya!
It became impossible to sort anything with all of the toys on the floor so I eventually put them all in a basket for the kids to take care of. (Yes, these were just the toys in my office!) Of course, the second I turned my back my son dumped them all on the floor again. What a helper.
My journey’s slow, but we’re moving in the right direction. I’d say my office is the hardest place for me to organize because I get sucked into working (aka would rather work than declutter). How has 40 Bags in 40 Days been going for you? What’s your hardest place to declutter?
For more posts on decluttering, check out these posts:
- Declutterathon: How to Declutter your Life in only 40 Days
- Declutterathon: Creating Zones for 40 Bags in 40 Days
- Declutterathon: 5 Questions to Help you Declutter
- 40 Bags in 40 Days 2013
- 40 Bags in 40 Days Free Printable
{I may be linking up at these great parties.}
I love the idea of this challenge!
Thanks, Colette 🙂
Hi.
How can I organize my hall closets by my bathroom? It’s really cluttered with Christmas decorations and etc. I’d like to clean them out and then put them back neatly.
I’m so sorry I’m just seeing your comment now. If you can tolerate removing everything from your closets, that might be the best way to go. That way, you only put back what actually belongs there and can give the shelves a quick cleaning too. If that feels too overwhelming, I’d recommend just focusing on one shelf (or part of a shelf) at a time. The Christmas decorations could be put in a storage space that’s out of the way (like an attic or basement, if you h have one) since you won’t need them all the time. I hope that helps! If you’d like more guidance and support, we’d love to have you join us in the Clutter-Free Club http://www.theclutterfreeclub.com
What a great idea! This would totally get ya ready for spring cleaning & it not be a hassle.
Thanks, Leslie. Yes, spring cleaning should be easier this year (fingers crossed). I’m ready to open some windows and get this place sparkling (though I’d happily settle for livable). 🙂
I was planning to do 40 bags in 40 days… we got about 5 bags out the door which was a success! But I realized we were also working on 1000 other projects.
You progress looks great congrats!
I can relate! I always feel pulled in 1000 different directions. I sometimes daydream of using vacation time just to get the house straightened up. It would be so nice to just focus on one thing for an extended period of time.
Funny you post this today. I have been planning on organizing my cabinets and drawers for awhile now. I am an avid organizer so they look okay, to the “normal” eye, but to mine..what a mess! I just tonight did the cabinet in the kitchen and anxious to seee how it works in the morning! but the bathroom drawers are next…as well as my makeup cabinet! Thanks for the inspiration!
That reminds me of me and my husband. He’s an engineer so as long as things are relatively organized and in place, he’s happy. I, on the other hand, am a perfectionist so I like my towels folded a certain way and things to be just-so. (I’m trying to be less picky for my sanity and marriage’s sake lol.)
Isn’t it funny/frustrating that while you get something accomplished, the kids ruin another area of the house? Happens to me all the time! I love the chevron drawer lining you chose–I may have to steal that idea!
Thanks, Carrie. Steal away… I stole the idea from Jen at iheartorganizing.blogspot.com (though she used gray, which was also very cute). They actually have a navy and gray now that I love. I wish they’d had that when I was buying.
Congrats! You are featured on this week’s Do Tell Tuesday link party and have been pinned to our features board! Feel free to grab a button and link up this week too. 🙂 http://www.vintagezest.com/2014/03/do-tell-tuesday-17-with-features-co-host.html
Diane @ Vintage Zest
Hi Diane, Thanks so much for the feature and for letting me know!
I love this! I would love it if you joined and contribute your awesome posts at my link party at City of Creative Dreams on Fridays 😀 Hope to see you there at City of Creative Dreams Link Party
Thanks, Shanice! 🙂