CleaningDeclutteringHouse & Home

Decluttering – Week 2

It has been about 2 weeks since I started this decluttering journey and I am pretty proud of myself. I’ve kept the kitchen spotless the entire time and added in a few baby steps along the way. I wanted to add a new one each week but they sort of wiggled their way in without me even realizing it. I think my brain has flipped a switch and in a good way.

The weird thing is that I actually kind of slipped this past week. I blame the weather. Really, I’d blame anything for my laziness. Yes, I said laziness. I know things need to be done, like laundry, but when my routine is to throw a load in the washer first thing in the morning and it’s freezing in the garage (where it is kept), I tend to avoid it. I’d tell myself, “Oh, this cold will pass soon here in FL so I’ll get back to it tomorrow.” But then tomorrow turned into 2 days later, then the next thing I knew, I was sitting here writing this up and realized I had done zero laundry this week. I threw in a load of whites over the weekend because we needed kitchen towels and rags and they are still in the dryer as I type. Thanks to me documenting my progress for the world to see, I want to feel bad, but instead, it makes me want to wake up tomorrow and get right back on track.

I mentioned an app that I used to keep my schedule and have it alert me for certain tasks. I liked the app but my little phone couldn’t hold much and I had to get rid of it. That’s when I noticed the alarm on my phone. Not even sure why I didn’t think of that in the first place, but it’s being used now.

A few little baby steps I added in are a 2-5 minute declutter while dinner is cooking. This works great when cooking things I don’t have to stand over the stove for the entire time. Just set a timer and off I go. I take a trash bag to my room and have been working on my dresser. It’s a hot mess. I don’t even know what’s underneath everything.

Decluttering - Week 2

Last week I said I was tackling the kitchen table this week and I did it! I set the timer for 2 minutes and sped through it. It is pretty much cleared except the broken laptop and some school work on top of it. Normally, you’d have to shove stuff out of the way for a tiny spot to work on. Now that I’m looking at it, why is that laptop still there?!

Decluttering - Week 2
Just realized that I never took ‘before’ pics

The day before that, I set the timer for 2 minutes and cleared the second desk off! The two younger nerdlings set up the laptop there in the empty space so they can play games side by side since 10 year old has a desktop there, too. I was fine with that since it was normally on the kitchen table and wanted it off.

Decluttering - Week 2

Another step is the kitchen floor. With white ceramic tile, everything shows on it. Kids tend to spill things and not clean it up which leaves the floor nasty. When I finish washing a dish or something at the sink, I use a papertowel to dry off my hands which makes it damp. I then use that damp papertowel to wipe up any spots I see on the floor. It takes seconds….seconds! Unless I actually see the person making the mess, no one fesses up, otherwise I would be making them do it.

Everyone is doing great about taking care of their dishes. Even the hubs has stopped making jokes about how he isn’t going to wash his own. The counters have been cleared and the stove doesn’t have crumbs and dried up food spilled on it anymore. I love walking out of the bedroom to it and admire it on the way to bed at night.

OH! I almost forgot! I cleaned out my fridge, y’all! This is a huge deal for me since I am so bad about pushing things to the back until I absolutely HAVE to clean it out. You know what I’m talking about.

I was worried that I wasn’t going to make it past Week 2 since that is how long it took me with FlyLady to completely stop. I know it’s because I’m taking baby steps to form habits and not starting out with a full blown routine to get frustrated with. Whatever works, right?

So tomorrow I go back to the laundry and everything else routine:

Morning

  • Make bed
  • Load in washer / Fold load in dryer & put away
  • Check/clean litter boxes

Afternoon

  • Wash dishes as we go / Spot clean kitchen floor
  • Switch laundry to dryer
  • Nerdlings do chores after their homeschool lessons (sweep, pick up their things around house, clean/straighten up their bathroom)
  • Start dinner / 2-5 minute declutter

Evening

  • 2 – 5 minute pickup before bed – everyone
  • Make sure sink is empty & shiny! Unload dish drain dishwasher

Do you have a cluttered area that drives you crazy?

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Jess Benoit

Jess is a homeschooling mama of 3, wife, gamer, Whovian, Nerd

16 thoughts on “Decluttering – Week 2

  • I think I am going to try this. My kitchen is currently a hot mess as my daughter would say and I really need to go through and declutter. I recently did my laundry room because there were still clothes in there left unfolded. I hate doing laundry but will be tackling my kitchen this weekend for sure!

    Reply
    • Oh yes, I have 2 baskets of clothes in the bedroom that has been sitting there since before I started this journey. Another basket in the garage that has been there for so long that I honestly think the clothes do not fit the kids anymore!

      I don’t ever say ‘hot mess’ but it came out as I was writing and just went with it. Apparently, my dresser really is a hot mess. 😉

      Baby steps, Amanda, set a timer even for just 2 minutes and you can a ton done in the kitchen. Good luck!

      Reply
  • Nancy Burgess

    Wonderful tips and ideas.I need to declutter.This article will help.

    Reply
  • I’ve been selling things online, and it’s so motivating to keep decluttering! Congrats on Week 2. I hope you continue to see more progress.

    Reply
  • I started a house cleanse or de-clutter this year as well! I love your 2-5 minute declutter. I am implementing that into my daily routine

    Reply
    • Good luck on your journey! It’s amazing how much you can get done in just 2 minutes. 🙂

      Reply
  • My dining room table–let’s just say my cat pushes thins off it onto the floor so she has a place to sit–I really have to get to that (and all the stuff on the floor. Then there is my desk—–and underneath my desk–(thank you Baby once again). I did manage to more or less clean up my kitchen counter and have been keeping it straightened–no dishes in the sink either!!

    Reply
    • Congrats on the kitchen!! It makes you feel so good, doesn’t it?! We have a cat that loves to rearrange things so she can sit/lay somewhere too so I know the struggle.

      Reply
  • I have also been on a declutting phase. Just a little bit each day and I should have it done sometime this year! 😉

    Reply
    • That’s great! It didn’t get cluttered in a day so it won’t take a day to de-clutter. Good luck!

      Reply
  • My desk is forever getting cluttered because it’s the catch-all for paper. I’m the worst with not sorting paper!

    Reply
  • Marnie G (Derrick Todd)

    Doesn’t it make you feel so good and accomplished when you clean and declutter certain spaces. It also makes you feel so much better when using that space or room too when it is clean and uncluttered. Things pile up so quickly and it is easy to get burried under a big mess. I find it easist to stay on a schedule and then go back through rooms and spaces periodically in order to prevent the massive pileups.

    Reply
    • Hi Marnie…Yes, it feels amazing! It has become a habit now to walk through the house before bed to catch any stragglers from when the kids cleaned up before they went to bed. I know how much of a bad mood I would be in when waking up and seeing it in the mornings and do not want to ever feel that way again about my own home.

      Reply

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